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Welcome to the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Insider, a newsletter that features regular updates about upcoming Dem-NPL events, legislative happenings, and news that affects North Dakotans!
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DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta is coming to North Dakota
Next week, DNC Vice Chair and Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta will be in the Red River Valley!
Join Northern Valley Dems on Friday, August 22nd in Manvel, ND for an energizing evening of community, conversation, and action! Enjoy dinner, a cash bar, and exciting raffle items as we hear from keynote speaker DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta. VIP Reception begins at 5:30 PM. General Admission starts at 6:00 PM. Programming begins at 6:30 PM (Open house style until 8:00 PM) Guests will leave engaged, energized, and equipped with tools and next steps to help create change heading into the 2026 elections. Use this link to purchase your ticket today!
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Join ND Democratic-NPL Chairman Adam Goldwyn for a VIP luncheon with Malcolm! Space is limited, so get your ticket today!
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Enjoy refreshments as we hear from DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta and the Democratic-NPL State Party Chair Adam Golwdyn! Get your tickets here!
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Drinks and Discussion with Dems
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Wed, Aug 20, 5:00pm-7:00pm
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El Zagal Shrine Fargo
1429 3rd St N, Fargo
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Our informal get-together to talk about current events, brainstorm on activities we can do together as a two district partnership, and just enjoy each others’ company in general.
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hosted by District 45 Dems!
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Drinking Liberally!
The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
2050 1st Ave E. Dickinson
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Join other like-minded individuals in Dickinson every Wednesday!
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District 24 August Membership Meeting
223 Central Ave, Valley City
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We’re excited to be meeting in this great space — no fee, and all Democrats are welcome!
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We have lots to discuss, including the VCSU Marketplace and the upcoming Round Up. Stay tuned for more details on both events!
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Locally Grown, Nationally Strong - An Evening With Malcolm Kenyatta
Join us on Friday, August 22nd in Manvel, ND for an energizing evening of community, conversation, and action! Enjoy dinner, a cash bar, and exciting raffle items as we hear from keynote speaker DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta.
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- VIP Reception begins at 5:30 PM
- General Admission starts at 6:00 PM
- Programming begins at 6:30 PM (Open house style until 8:00 PM)
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Guests will leave engaged, energized, and equipped with tools and next steps to help create change heading into the 2026 elections.
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VIP Luncheon with DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta
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Join us on Saturday, August 23rd in Fargo, ND for an energizing evening of community, conversation, and action! Enjoy refreshments as we hear from DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta and the Democratic-NPL State Party Chair Adam Golwdyn.
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District 1 and 23 Dem-NPL Summer Potluck Fundraiser
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Sat, Aug 23, 4:00pm-7:00pm CDT
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Spring Lake Park Williston
5906 2nd Ave W, Williston
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The District 1 and 23 Dem-NPL is hosting a Summer Potluck Fundraiser at Spring Lake Park, East 2 Pavilion starting at 4pm on August 23rd. This is a potluck so bring your best dishes! There will be a free will donation to help support both districts! See you there!
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An Evening with DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta and North Dakota Democratic-NPL Chair Adam Goldwyn
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Join us on Saturday, August 23rd in Fargo, ND for an energizing evening of community, conversation, and action! Enjoy refreshments as we hear from DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta and the Democratic-NPL State Party Chair Adam Golwdyn.
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Battle of the Brats!
Sertoma Park, Shelter #10
Riverside Park Rd, Bismarck
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Mark your calendars. August is picnic time. Join the Bismarck-Mandan Dem-NPL at Sertoma Park Shelter 10 for Battle of the Brats!
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AFL-CIO Event: Red River Valley Celebration of Labor
Fargo Labor Temple
3002 1st Ave. N., Fargo
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Join our friends with the AFL-CIO to celebrate working people and our unions with food, music, speakers, and a special town hall with our “Cardboard Congress”.
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District 21 Summer Connection Series - August Garden with District 21
Village West Park
4415 9th Ave Cir S, Fargo
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Garden with D21! We will be the Village West Park Community Garden 4415 9th Ave Cir S, Fargo from 5:30-8:00pm on August 26, 2025
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Dem-NPL District 13 Meeting with Mac Schneider
1405 Prairie Pkwy, West Fargo
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Speaker -- ND US Attorney and Senator Mac Schneider -- Tuesday, August 26 - 6:00 Social / 7:00 Meeting -- The Local 701-Bar, 1405 Prairie Pkwy, West Fargo, North Dakota -- Quentin E. Carlson, Chair -- Dem-NPL District 13 - West Fargo - EVERYONE WELCOME !!— at The Local 701.
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District 45 Monthly Meeting
Northport Library Community Room
2714 Broadway North, Fargo
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This will be our regular monthly District 45 meeting.
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Drinking Liberally!
The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
2050 1st Ave E. Dickinson
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Join other like-minded individuals in Dickinson every Wednesday!
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Drinking Liberally!
The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
2050 1st Ave E. Dickinson
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Join other like-minded individuals in Dickinson every Wednesday!
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AFL-CIO Event: BisMan Celebration of Labor
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Thurs, Sept 4, 5:00pm CDT
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Jaycee Leadership Building
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321 W. Century Ave, Bismarck
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Join our friends with the AFL-CIO for a Celebration of Labor on Sept. 4 at the Jaycee Leadership Hall at the Jaycee Centennial Park! We will be serving up a union-made picnic along with some inspiring speakers! This is a family-friendly event, union families and union allies are all welcome!
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Cass County Democratic-NPL Policy Meeting
1325 23rd St S, Suite B, Fargo
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Our monthly meeting which includes representatives from the 11 Legislative Districts in Cass County, elected Legislators and staff.
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Drinking Liberally!
The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
2050 1st Ave E. Dickinson
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Join other like-minded individuals in Dickinson every Wednesday!
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Dickinson Area Democratic-NPL meeting
The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
2050 1st Ave E. Dickinson
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Districts 37, 36, and 39 meet every second Wednesday after Drinking Liberally!
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Burdick Dinner 2025 with Jess Piper
Radisson Blu Fargo
201 5th St N, Fargo, ND 58102
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The Burdick Dinner 2025 will be held on October 4th, 2025, at the Radisson Blu located in downtown Fargo! The fun-filled event will begin with a reception at 5:30pm followed by the dinner and program beginning at 6:30pm. Our featured speaker is Jess Piper, the Executive Direcor for Blue Missouri. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Purchase your tickets before September 12 for a $25 early bird discount!
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Help us spread our message—share these recent posts!
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Tariff tensions: North Dakota ag feels the heat
In this episode, we look at how shifting U.S. tariffs are impacting North Dakota’s farmers and agricultural businesses. As new tariffs take effect, especially those on imports from Canada and China, farmers are seeing increased equipment costs, delayed deliveries, and growing uncertainty about future trade relationships.
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ND SNAP recipient addresses Big Beautiful Bill cuts
“We were expecting a lot of stuff. So we had to research, and they’re not even sure, like, if we’re getting cut, or what’s going on still. We’re still so in the unknown,” said Kraft.
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Kraft relies heavily on EBT for groceries, and fears he will lose it first, before more cuts kick in.
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Jamie Selzler talks with Libby Schneider about the future of the Democratic Party
Jamie Selzler serves as a North Dakota's DNC Committeeman, and is joined by Libby Schneider in the KFGO studio. Libby is a North Dakota native and is the Deputy Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee. Before joining the DNC, Libby was the campaign manager for former Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s 2018 reelection campaign and served in her Senate office for nearly five years, and then served as the rural political director at the DNC.
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Libby and Jamie have a conversation about rural politics, the the Democratic Party, and more.
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Have any of North Dakota's US Congress members held an in-person town hall since the pandemic?
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Letter: The Voting Rights Act needs to be supported
Now dangerous legal developments threaten those hard-won rights, if the legal challenges are allowed to set back the current voting maps, it would erase a critical path for ordinary citizens and tribal nations to challenge attacks on our representation. These efforts are a direct assault on our voices and our ability to govern ourselves.
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Food Research and Action Center breaks down impacts to SNAP and food stamps under Trump administration
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Jamie Selzler is filling in for Joel Heitkamp, and is joined by Crystal FitzSimons for a conversation about SNAP and Food Stamps being impacted by President Trump's budget bill.
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Crystal FitzSimons is the President for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), leading the organization to achieve its vision: A nation in which all people have the nutritious food they need to lead healthy and productive lives; and mission: To improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing  bold and equitable policy solutions.
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Letter: The militarization of America is starting
I challenge anyone to find a homeless person or a drug addict, living on the streets of Washington, D.C., who have more criminal convictions than Trump (34 convictions).
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This is the beginning of the militarization of America. Trump said that New York, Chicago and other American cities may be next.
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The Epstein files must really be interesting, if you know what I mean.
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Federal agency calls for ND volunteers ahead of National Poll Worker Recruitment Day
“Don’t be scared at all. I mean, you’re gonna be with other members of the community. The local election offices are going to train you and tell you and tell you what your duties are going to be and a lot of people get a lot, a huge reward out of serving their community and volunteering to help their fellow Americans vote and fellow North Dakotans,” said Palmer.
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North Dakota lawmakers look to clarify veto procedures after disagreement with governor
“Instead of going into session saying we have 80 days, let's make sure we conserve some,” said House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks. “We have 79 days because one of those is already accounted for, and we can plan backwards from 79 as well as we can from 80.”
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Jamie Selzler is joined in the KFGO studio by the Schneider family
Jamie Selzler is guest-hosting for Joel Heitkamp, and is joined in the KFGO studio by a portion of Fargo's Schneider family. The lineup includes State Representative Mary Schneider, DNC Deputy Executive Director Libby Schneider, and former United States Attorney for North Dakota Mac Schneider. They have a conversation about how and why their family has been so involved in state and national politics and public service.
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CBS Reporter, Beth Knobel, previews what to expect from Trump and Putin visit in Alaska
Jamie Selzler is hosting "News and Views," and is joined by Beth Knobel to learn more about the US and Russian Presidents meeting in Alaska today. Beth Knobel is a former CBS Moscow Bureau Chief and Fordham University Professor, and explains the high-stakes U.S.-Russian summit in Alaska regarding a ceasefire in the Russia/Ukraine war.
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Jamie Selzler learns about South Dakota politics from Dan Ahlers
Jamie Selzler is guest-hosting for Joel Heitkamp, and is joined in the KFGO studio by a portion of Fargo's Schneider family. The lineup includes State Representative Mary Schneider, DNC Deputy Executive Director Libby Schneider, and former United States Attorney for North Dakota Mac Schneider. They have a conversation about how and why their family has been so involved in state and national politics and public service.
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Jamie Selzler gets a DC perspective from Axios on President Trump adding federal law enforcement officers
Jamie Selzler is sitting in for Joel Heitkamp, and is joined by Anna Spiegel, a D.C. Reporter for Axios. President Trump is stepping up federal law enforcement in D.C. this week, deploying officials from over 15 agencies in a high-profile push to crack down on crime. Jamie asks Anna about the President's orders and what it looks like in D.C.
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Letter: Our legal system is being weaponized
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Anticipating that Republicans cannot win by popular vote, gerrymandering adds to the erosion. States like Texas are now redrawing districts in five years instead of ten -- previously determined by the census. The purpose is to restrict minority voting and secure partisan advantages before the next election cycle. They are now on to Georgia and Florida.
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We cannot ignore these warning signs. Our democracy, while resilient, is not guaranteed. It needs engaged, informed citizens.
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North Dakota United Publishes 2025 Legislative Report Card
Jamie Selzler, while filling in for Joel Heitkamp, is joined by the President of North Dakota United, Nick Archuleta. Nick talks about ND United's 2025 Legislative Report Card that is now available for people to view. The Report Card is a resource for North Dakotans interested in how their elected representatives voted on public education and public service-related bills.
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Letter: Hegseth denies retirement benefits to trans service members
On June 25, 2019, during the first Trump administration, a memorandum was issued providing guidance for administering the Temporary Early Retirement Authority, which had been extended to Dec. 31, 2025, by Section 508, Public Law 114-328, of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2017.
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The military is now in the process of separating trans service members from the military, based on the dubious notion that a trans person is someone who is inherently deceptive and therefore does not meet military standards of honor. I am not aware of any time in history the military has declared an entire class of persons to be inherently without honor.
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Letter: History will remember how the ND delegation voted
I think it's time for our senators and representative to grow a backbone and start voting for things that are right for the sake of the country instead of voting in a way that will save their political career.
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History will remember them for the way they voted to add to the deficit and shake our economy to its core.
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Check out these messages from national Democrats
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Beto O'Rourke on the Fight for Democracy in Texas
Today on a special episode of The Hot Dish, Heidi Heitkamp is joined by former Congressman Beto O'Rourke to discuss the critical political landscape in Texas, focusing on the fight against gerrymandering and the implications of recent Republican Party actions.
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He emphasizes the importance of grassroots activism, the need for a strong Democratic message, and the urgency of mobilizing support for upcoming elections. O'Rourke highlights the risks Texas Democrats face standing up against authoritarian tactics and calling for unity in the fight for democracy. Join us on The Hot Dish every other week, where we serve up hearty conversations that resonate with every corner of the country.
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How Wind and Solar Power Helps Keep America’s Farms Alive
Wind and solar projects contribute millions of dollars in tax revenue. For example, in Howard County, Iowa, wind turbines generated $2.7 million in property tax revenue in 2024, accounting for 14.5% of the county’s total budget and helping fund rural schools, public safety and road improvements.
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In some rural counties, clean energy is the largest new source of economic activity, helping stabilize local economies otherwise reliant on agriculture’s unpredictable income streams. These projects also support rural manufacturing – such as Iowa turbine blade factories like TPI Composites, which just reopened its plant in Newton, and Siemens Gamesa in Fort Madison, which supply blades for GE and Siemens turbines. The tax benefits in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act helped boost those industries – and the jobs and local tax revenue they bring in.
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Considering a Life Change? Brace for Higher ACA Costs
Premiums for ACA health plans, also known as Obamacare, which many early retirees and small-business owners rely on for coverage, are going up, partly due to policy changes advanced by the Trump administration and Congress. At the same time, more generous tax subsidies that have helped most policyholders pay for coverage are set to expire at the end of December.
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Advocates fear Trump's crackdown in D.C. will put many homeless people behind bars
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That rhetoric has drawn sharp criticism from housing advocates and experts who say Trump's stepped-up law enforcement campaign won't solve the growing crisis of homelessness.
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"There are very few beds available [in Washington]," said Jessie Rabinowitz with National Homelessness Law Center. "There are a handful of shelter beds available in far-flung parts of the city. Often in parts of the city where people don't want to be."
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New Zealand woman and six-year-old son detained for three weeks by Ice in US enduring ‘terrifying’ ordeal
“It’s so heartbreaking now to see people who, like Sarah, are not only legal, but who are contributing to American society,” she said, adding that the situation is taking a huge financial and emotional toll on Shaw and her son.
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“She gives therapy and counselling to some of our most at risk youth … and to be treated like a criminal herself has just been absolutely devastating.”
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Trump’s DOJ Seems Awfully Nervous About the Tariff Lawsuits
More than anything else, it shows how scared the Justice Department is (and the Trump appointees who staff it are) that Trump might lose this case. Even if one sets aside the propriety of this letter, a solicitor general who was confident in the strength of their argument and the validity of the executive branch’s actions would not stoop so low as to telling federal judges that it will blame them for any negative consequences of their ruling. Like all bullying tactics, this one comes from a place of fear, not strength.
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J.D. Vance Has Found a Remarkable New Way to Make Himself Look Like an Entitled Doofus
On his trip to the Cotswolds, Vance is reportedly staying in an $11,000-a-week house, though the cost of the trip to taxpayers for those social-media close reads will surely dwarf that by some multiple. Despite all the headlines, I don’t think we have any real hope of making Vance feel shame or humility. But on a purely surface level, next time he books a trip—the Daily Beast says he has his heart set on getting to Hawaii one of these days—maybe he’ll at least think about how this all looks to everybody else.
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Trump Privately Dismissed Epstein Victims as ‘Democrats’
In recent weeks, according to two sources familiar with his private remarks, Trump has repeatedly critiqued the string of media appearances by Epstein accusers and their families, arguing that some of them are just trying to make him look bad, or implying that he did something wrong during his time as one of Epstein’s friends and party companions. At times, Trump has said that some of these people speaking out are, in his words, clearly of a “Democrat” political affiliation, while wondering aloud if some of them are coordinating with prominent liberal attorneys or groups.
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Flight logs show Trump's longstanding ties to Epstein
They flew together on a private jet, partied side by side at Mar-a-Lago, appeared at Victoria’s Secret runway shows, and reportedly dined with royalty at a luxury Upper East Side townhouse. Their names appear together in flight logs, legal filings, phone messages—and in photo after photo in the moneyed world of Palm Beach and Manhattan. President Donald Trump has long tried to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire sex offender who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump has called him a “creep,” insisted he was “not a fan,” and said that before Epstein’s death, they hadn’t spoken in years.
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This Isn’t About Crime
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The most obvious reason for skepticism about Trump’s desire to fight crime is that he is the most pro-criminal president in American history. He has treated laws as suggestions throughout his career, beginning with his defiance of Justice Department orders that he and his father stop discriminating against Black prospective tenants. Trump is a felon who has surrounded himself with criminals and promiscuously extended clemency to criminals who support him.
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When Trump talks about “criminals,” he doesn’t mean people who violate the law, or even people who violate the narrower and more serious set of laws against violence. (One of the first acts of his second term was a blanket pardon of violent criminals convicted of assaulting police officers on January 6, 2021. He even appointed to the Justice Department one of the instigators of the violence.) Trump’s idea of criminality excludes himself and his supporters; includes noncriminal states of being, such as homelessness; and focuses heavily on categories of street crime that he seems to associate with Black people.
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Tariff-driven inflation accelerating with ‘worst yet to come,’ AEI’s Michael Strain says
New inflation figures showed signs that President Trump’s tariffs are starting to have an impact on consumer prices. Overall inflation held steady, but core inflation, which is closely watched by the Fed and does not include volatile food and energy prices, ticked up. Amna Nawaz discussed tariffs and inflation with Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute.
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DC's highest crime neighborhoods have yet to see Trump crackdown
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But many residents of the city's highest-crime neighborhoods say they haven’t yet seen the results of Trump’s surge in the places it is needed the most.
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"He probably doesn’t even know where Anacostia is," Charles Wilson, whose neighborhood has one of DC's highest rates of murder and violent crime. Wilson says the low-income area in DC's Ward 8 has endured several shootouts in which bullets struck houses, cars and even lodged in children’s bedrooms in recent years.
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Trump's MAGA Bureau of Labor Statistics pick expectedly unqualified
Secondly, and speaking of incompetence, Antoni is wholly unqualified. That’s according to fellow conservative economists who know him and work with him.
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Antoni’s “work at Heritage has frequently included elementary errors or nonsensical choices that all bias his findings in the same partisan direction,” Stan Veuger, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, told Axios.
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Another American Enterprise Institute economist, Kyle Pomerleau, told The New York Times, “He has either shown a complete misunderstanding of economic data and principles, or he’s showing a willingness to treat his audience with contempt and mislead them.”
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US producer prices surge in July as Trump tariffs push costs higher
The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers— rose 0.9% last month from June, biggest jump in more than three years. Compared with a year earlier, wholesale prices rose 3.3%.
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The numbers were much higher than economists had expected.
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Prices rose faster for producers than consumers last month, suggesting that U.S. importers may, for now, be eating the cost of Trump's tariffs rather than passing them on to customers.
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Dystopian Realities: The Handmaid's Tale and Project 2025 | The Joy Reid Show
In this episode of The Joy Reid Show, Joy explores the alarming parallels between the dystopian world depicted in 'The Handmaid's Tale' and the real-life implications of Project 2025, a plan by the Heritage Foundation to impose a Christian nationalist agenda in America. The discussion highlights the historical context of maternity homes and adoption practices, particularly focusing on the Liberty Godparent Home at Liberty University, which has been accused of coercing young women into giving up their babies for adoption. And Joy interviews journalist TJ Raphael, whose reporting for a new podcast on Wondery, called “Liberty Lost,” emphasizes the intersection of abortion bans and adoption practices, the experiences of women in these homes, and the urgent need for legislative reform to protect vulnerable women.
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The Century Club supports our year-round work to build party infrastructure supporting candidate recruitment, local district and regional leadership, issue-based education, and tools for Dem-NPL success.
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Help us elect great Democrats up and down the ballot!
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The North Dakota Democratic-NPL is launching a new grassroots program called “Neighbor to Neighbor” where volunteers will connect with voters in your community to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. As a volunteer, you will be responsible for connecting with voters in 25 homes in your neighborhood or friends and family to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot about 3-4 times this year.
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Grassroots organizers are the lifeblood of the Dem-NPL! Sign up to volunteer with the Dem-NPL!
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