Saturday, May 2, 2026

Events, Petitions, and Volunteer Opportunities

Events, Petitions, and Volunteer Opportunities

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The wannabe king’s empire is in decline

The wannabe king’s empire is in decline

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/2/800031213/series/trump-empire-in-decline/ 

The wannabe king’s empire is in decline

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del., after attending the casualty return for the six crew members of an Air Force refueling aircraft who died when their plane crashed in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran.
Attribution: AP (original)President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One on March 18.

The Conversation is a weekly dive into the most popular stories on Daily Kos and what it tells us about the national political environment.


Ah, the Trump Administration, the best possible evidence of an empire in decline. 

At the height of its global power and influence, the United States isn’t drifting into dysfunction. It has literally elected to do so by handing the machinery of government over to someone uniquely suited to corrode it.

This isn’t just chaos or incompetence. President Donald Trump has created an America where governance is replaced by spectacle, expertise by ideology, analysis by hot takes, and process by impulse. Week after week, he shows that his presidency is built on a performance—and that he lacks the competence to sustain it.

Trump’s meeting with King Charles III should have been straightforward. A head-of-state visit, carefully staged, diplomatically neutral, visually controlled. Instead, it turned into forced pageantry and another show of Trump’s narcissistic self-indulgence. He seemed less interested in representing the United States than in basking in proximity to monarchy itself.

And it’s not just monarchy. Trump is increasingly reaching for any symbol that conveys power and legitimacy without requiring him to actually earn it.

Trump’s supporters have spent a year pushing back against the liberal “No Kings” framing, insisting the concern is overblown or hysterical. But Trump himself keeps reaching for exactly those symbols: monarchy, religion, anything that signals unquestioned authority. Never underestimate his ability to make fools out of the people trying hardest to defend him, whether it’s portraying himself as Jesus or calling himself a king—both of which he has done.

Donald Trump and king charles tweet, by the White House, captioned TWO KINGS
Attribution: White House’s X account

But spectacle works only if everyone plays along. And that consensus is starting to crack.

Fox isn’t suddenly interested in telling the truth. But it is the most important amplifier of Trump’s theatrics, and even there, the strain is visible. When polling can’t be spun cleanly, and even friendly hosts start pressing for basic answers, it signals something more than a bad news cycle. It means that Trump is losing control of his own narrative. And in that environment, weird ideological obsessions flourish. 

You would think that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his boss would have more important things to worry about, like figuring out how to get out of their idiotic war of choice against Iran. But that would require the kind of serious governing that would’ve avoided that quagmire in the first place. It’s much easier to pander to the anti-vaxxer crazies than figure out how to open up the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil route. 

At least his Republican Party is starting to realize that consequences are on the horizon. 

It is stunning that Republican senators are quietly urging Trump to take care of any Cabinet shake-ups now, lest he be unable to do so in a potentially Democratic-controlled Senate next year. That is remarkable in a year when a Democratic Senate majority will require winning states like Alaska, Nebraska, Ohio, and Texas. 

Amazingly, you know what wasn’t in the week’s top stories? Anything having to do with the attempted Trump assassination at last weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

There was a time when attempted presidential assassinations led to wall-to-wall news coverage. It would have driven the narrative, been unavoidable.

Now? Few care. 

On the left, there’s exhaustion. Trump has so thoroughly saturated the political environment with theatrics and bad faith that even something this serious struggles to break through. If nothing he says is credible on the small stuff, why would anyone suddenly take him at face value on something this large?

On the right, it becomes just another weapon. Another excuse to target enemies, to spin conspiracies, and to make the most ridiculous arguments for Trump’s stupid White House ballroom.

When a political system can no longer produce a shared understanding that political violence is unacceptable—when even that becomes just another partisan Rorschach test—that’s not just polarization.

It signals that the system is utterly corrupted.

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Friday, May 1, 2026

the 40 days of trumpmas - a surreal serial poem

the 40 days of trumpmas - a surreal serial poem


Remember, remember! The fifth of trumpvember

 the 40 days of trumpmas - a serial poem

 

for 40 days the trumpeter reigns,

his lies and hate on whom he disdains,

but election day will come so soon,

we'll no longer hear the orange baboon;

 

in 39 days full of world wide problems.

we could elect him to get rid of the muslims,

but as he'll rant on trivialities of his presidential life,

what could be worse? - you could be his wife;

 

in 38 days just what will you do?

the donald has said he likes lgbtq,

but as he bullies his women and all his men too,

if youre questioning, what stops him from bullying you?

 

in just 37 days, some people are saying,

(or pleading or hoping or some even praying)

the duke of prunes will dye his forelock purple my friend,

and thus make america grape again,

 

our days are down to just 36,

before our problems the don will fix,

he will on day one do what hes said - true,

he'll wall out our enemies - and fat women too!

 

on the 35th day of trumpmas

yes just seven weeks remain!

will the polls and tallies deliver us

donald with his golden mane?

 

34 days and the vice-pipers have piped,

though pence didnt say why donalds suit shouldnt be striped,

he wouldnt defend his master's string pulling,

to make america great? - who do they think they're fooling?

 

just 33 days till the macho tornado,

unless its blown away by hurricane machado,

with women and voters he has so much to loose.

keep your mouth shut donald (unless youre changing your shoes)

 

32 days and we’ve been hit by the big blowhard,

donald spoke here in fla (oh, we had a hurricane too)

this administration gives us playing the race card, a weak economy, and unemployment

but if you want a job you could be donald’s campaign manager (unless youre a jew)

 

31 days, just a month, remains;

will the donald say hes sorry, and his baser impulses restrain?

or keep blaming bill clinton for our moral demise;

when trump speaks to us, our NO votes must be our replies!

 

election comes this time (in 30 days) each 4 years,

time for praise and tears and fears;

as polls will open in many states,

vote early, please dont vote late!

 

down to 29, just a leap february,

and theres still the donald quite

contrary;

donald donald, how does your garden grow?

quoth the master debater, "with pretty maids groped in a row"

 

just 28 days - later or soon,

and the zombies will rise, led by the big goon;

unless everyone gets a reality inoculation,

i might have to move to canada for a well deserved vacation; 

 

now just 27, less than 4 weeks,

no time for you to say 'yikes!' or 'eeeks!'

obama wants to go to mars and colonize it for man,

lets send trump tomorrow! and colonize it for orangutan!

 

26 days are all that remain,

will our democracy and economy go down the drain?

if we all keep listening to the blustering oaf,

will he give jobs and prosperity? - or just half a loaf

 

25 days - will more women speak?,

of the antics of donald who the presidency seeks,

dating 14 year old girls or groping their mothers,

how did the gop pick him over the others?,

 

24 days - were down to two dozen,

the next woman who speaks just might be your cousin,

or mother or sister, aunt, niece, even daughter,

describing the circumstance in which donald caught her,

 

23 days left and trump doesnt yet have as many accusers,

as cosby, but he assures us that they are all really losers,

sent by bankers or hillary with secret agendas,

to disrupt our election of him - our defender!,

 

22 days and we know charity begins at home,

but donalds attention is so prone to roam,

his gift that disappeared to 911 survivors from his foundation?,

oops! maybe donald spent it on a vacation,

 

21 days and trump says the election may be rig-ly,

if hes not the winner and his total's not big-ly,

tremendously higher than hillary gets,

he warns his supporters may all lose their wits,

 

20 days left and while george zimmerman still walks free,

the man who shot at HIM got 20 years - while trayvon got eternity,

trump wants us to support our cops and maintain law and order,

he'll put all the inner city dwellers in jail, and send the immigrant criminals far across the border,

 

19 days left till we all go to pretend,

to elect someone to lead us, as if on it our lives depend,

but wise man, donald trump, already really knows,

who we really voted for - a wolf in president's clothes?,

 

18 days and we bad hombres demand a rebate,

on the ill feelings left since the comments of one candidate,

the debaters have met in their final grudge match,

but only donald can say from whose hands victory will be snatched,

 

17 days and our government is corrupt with quid pro quo,

did you take latin at wharton? is that how you know?,

donald wants us to fire at them all - the bureaucrats lined up in rows,

and believe me, corruption is a subject. that donald really knows,

 

16 days - lets set term limits on all our office holders,

and put all our women in binders - or maybe in folders,

donalds endless complaints are becoming a sour whine,

have a little cheese with that, from wisconsin, where 

hillary's doing fine,

 

15 days and on stocking covered thighs did linger,

two miniature hands with two thumbs and eight tiny fingers,

they belonged to the donald who believed that he owned,

any thing that he wanted - or anyone he got alone,

 

14 days yes only two weeks,

till the duke of orange assends to the throne he seeks?,

to rule all americans, the strong and the weak?,

and dominate the globe with power that's peak?,

 

the 13th day to go - does that seem unlucky?,

not for donald whos lately been appearing quite plucky,

claiming media, polls, and parties are against him,

and rallying his multitudes with wit waxing dim,

 

on the 12th day of trumpmas donald awoke with a jerk,

promptly fired his latest campaign manager (who considered that a perk),

if youre "AAAfroAAAmurikan" and unemployed i can put you to work,

barked donald the businessman from behind his sly smirk,

 

it's the 11th and engineer casey trump is in the caboose,

i hear some of you saying oh no! what's the use,

our campaign will probably just go off the tracks,

but donald says its ok - cause he's got "the blacks",

 

just ten days left yes only one-zero,

til donald is hoping that he'll be your hero,

as new hillary emails come under investigation,

donald hopes to rename camp david to camp donald for

his vacations,

 

like a cat has nine lives we're left with only 9 days,

till we're subject to donald? and his old wicked ways,

on foreign affairs he says he'll save us from isis,

but his domestic affairs are misogyny and crisis,

 

our days are numbered - yes only eight,

till once again we make america great,

by getting rid of candidates who have nothing to add,

goodbye donald you wont make america sad,

 

just one week to go - its day minus seven,

till america's lifted above - to trumpty dump heaven?,

where for rich folks like donald opportunity abounds,

and we keep the working poor with a wall that surrounds,

 

how the time it does fly its already day 6,

till americans problems the donald will fix,

his solutions begin on trumpday number one,

dont you like them? they'll come at the barrel of a gun,

 

Five days to go, baby, One in five,

No one here gets out alive, now,

david dukes not opposed to all jews,

he backs trump - who are you going to choose?,

 

only 4 days left till the armaged-don,

he'll seize power by the horns once he has won,

and donnie will be what he longs for - a winner,

using the FBI to wreak havoc on hillary the sinner,

 

only three left, just a triad of days,

and the donald his supporters continues to amaze,

with hoopla and folderoll made up in his head,

his winning temperament will leave us all dead,

 

just a pair of days - 2 - till trump paradise,

since these words you're reading please heed my advice,

the creatures that surround us are beginning to bite,

'blacks for trump' fear the Illuminati so lets turn out their light,

 

just a single day left till our thanksgiving,

deliver us from donald and preserve the living,

forget sanity and disgard your misgivings,

but pray hard to your gods that they'll be forgiving,

since we've got the nukes why can't we use'em?,

on the road to 2016 why couldn't we lose HIM?,

 

and trumpmas now has finally come,

the tallies will count up to a winning sum,

unless the earth is struck soon by a cataclysmic comet,

to elect a candidate who just makes you want to vomit?,

we wish you a merry trumpmas at this time each 4 years,

if you have'nt voted you've lost the chance to mitigate your fears,

cause donald duck is ready to lead, forget your crocodile tears,

so you'd better get the vaseline and lubricate your rears!

stay informed 6

stay informed 6 

https://livenewschat.eu/msnbc-live-stream/  

https://www.democracynow.org/

https://www.fsnradionews.com/FSNNews/FSNWorldNews.mp3 

https://www.ms.now/  

freespeech.org 

https://thom.tv/p/the-thom-hartmann-program-4242026?r=275t9c 

https://www.infowars.com/ 

https://theonion.com/