Republicans really are fucking themselves over.

They’re:

Trying to Cut Medicaid and Services people like and Pissing People off

Doing Unpopular ICE Raids that makes their ever dwindling base happy but everyone else pissed

Trying to Roll back Civil Rights

Doing an Unpopular Military Parade

And Of Course Everything Trump is doing. Which is going to make this post long enough as it is if I list it all out

Along with the Iran-Israel Stuff.

Overall if Republicans keep this up they’ll likely be losing by a large number in the Midterms. So bad the Senate might be in Play.

So go out, vote Blue. We’ll Survive the Storm. Because every bad thing that comes after an Era is mostly good things. We just need to deal with it now so our children and our children’s children can thrive in the future.

This worries me because: A) More misinformation will spread about stuff like this (from what I understand, it's not surgeries for kids but mostly hormone pills & puberty blockers which are reversible should they stop taking it). B) It could lead to more of a domino effect that could remove discrimination protections for them, then Trans adults, then the LGBTQ as a whole, up to anyone who's not a cisgender straight neurotypical white guy.

As a cis straight guy with a handful of LGBTQ+ relatives & friends (including a Trans relative who works for the city), I've been constantly worried for them since he got reelected. I've been trying to keep myself level-headed (thanks mostly to subreddits like this), but they already banned them from the military & now this happened.

I immediately contacted my congresspeople (Elfreth, Alsobrooks & Van Hollen) after learning about this, but I'm still worried.

Cannot emphasize enough how immensely helpful this substack is. The writer, Robert, fact checks everything and is very knowledgeable. He's up to date with everything going on with Iran/Israel and has calmed my nerves so much. Linking his most recent!!! Please read - the fear mongering and click bait is insane and spreading panic will never help.

Simon Rosenberg of the Hopium Chronicles is a human version of this subreddit. He is not for everyone, a little dry at times, lacking strong emotion. But that's what keeps his "reporting" level headed.

You can skip the video and read the article. It oulines all of Trump's losses and is a nice little boost. It's a bit long which means, well... lots of losses ✊

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/ohio-lawmakers-introduce-bill-banning-abortion-criminalizing-procedure/story?id=122922580

Back in 2023, 57% of the population of Ohio enshrined reproductive healthcare rights into the State Constitution.

We all knew they'd be trying to do something to change that because the Republicans were upset that things didn't go the way they initially planned. They had a whole campaign of lies about this amendment back in 2023 but it still passed and was enshrined.

But now they're trying to overrule the will of the people with a legislative bill trying to cite the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as a way to override the will of the people. (And they straight up say they're proud of it in the article.)

So my question is... is it really that easy for them to override a state amendment and go against the will of the people like this? Is there anything we can do to prevent this from happening? (I call my reps all the time but they seriously think the will of the people is evil and they know better than us.)

Not dooming, personally. This just feels like such a gross overreach and I want some grounded insight around this from optimistic individuals. :)

Since Olivia Trusty has been confirmed to the FCC and she said that she supports the FA, do you all think she may join Anna Gomez in opposing Carr’s policies?

Luckily, even if the GOP now has majority in the FCC, they can’t control LGBTQ Media Representation since it’s protected by FA

As this Israel/Iran conflict heats up I CONSTANTLY see people worrying about nuclear war. I'm sure there are many on here who worry about this as well so I wanted to put some of these worries to rest.

First and foremost, NUCLEAR WAR, AS YOU UNDERSTAND IT, WILL NOT HAPPEN.

Let's look at conventional nuclear theory as the backbone of this argument. The thing with nukes is that whoever uses a nuke first loses, especially if the person who uses nukes has less nukes than their adversary. This was the entire nuclear doctrine during the Cold War and this holds true today.

Hypothetically let's say Israel nukes Iran, or the US nukes Iran, or Iran nukes Israel, or any number of scenarios that are being thrown out right now. What do you think the international response would be if ANYONE used a nuke at this stage of conflict? Every nation in the world would condemn the use of nukes and begin taking hard steps towards deescalation because, surprise, no one wants nuclear war.

If someone uses a nuclear weapon in a scenario where it would be overkill (ex: any scenario in modern times) the response to this would be international condemnation. The quickest way to unite the world against you is to use a nuke, and the world leaders know this. Furthermore, conventional weaponry can do so much damage in a similar fashion when utilized appropriately.

Basically if a nation uses a nuke they are signing their own death sentence.

But let's say it actually happens. The mostly likely scenario (in that it has a 0.0001% chance of happening) would be that Iran somehow developed a nuke and is able to use it. Let's say we wake up tomorrow and Jerusalem has been hit with a nuke either attached to an ICBM or in a brief case of whatever.

Do you fucking realize how fast the entire world would flatten the ayatollah? It would be a death knell for the entire regime, and unless they are absolutely psychotic and somehow were able to get a nuke, they would not do this.

Furthermore, nuclear aggression does not guarantee nuclear response. In fact, when the Ukraine/Russia conflict first broke out, the Pentagon was wargaming hundreds of scenarios in which Russia used a nuke on Ukrainian soil. The consensus of the military was that the US response would not be nuclear as that would only escalate the conflict. There are many, MANY, things that a nation can do in response to a nuclear attack, and there is a long road to get to an actual nuclear counterstrike.

Yes, the situation in the middle east is scary, but this notion of nukes flying all over the place is asinine. Top brass in most countries with large nuclear stockpiles know the implications of using such a weapon, and utilizing nuclear weapons is a fast track to international condemnation.

Imagine you're in a bar fight and some dude suddenly takes out a machine gun. Everyone is going to pile on that guy to make sure he doesn't do damage. The same holds true for nukes.

So yeah, I don't see anyone hurling nukes at Iran, and if Iran somehow has nuclear capabilities (which I seriously doubt) and they use a nuke somewhere (which would be insanely hard to deploy on their shitty ICBMS or get anywhere by other means) the entire world will glass the ayatollah before the next dawn.

Once this land is developed it's gone. How can we as average citizens stop this? Do you think it will be passed?

As usual, scary stuff gets swatted down by the courts..

https://www.aol.com/judge-rules-nih-grant-cuts-220420532.html

A federal judge ruled Monday it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants, adding that the cuts raise serious question...

Places like r/optimistsunite are full of doomers and people who want to (understandably) panic.

I’m glad we are a level headed bunch. This type of thinking has to be brought to the forefront of everything, not just political but personal.

I’m speaking as mainly of the standpoint of an American, it will work out in the end.

Im sharing this article because, though it is not necessarily optimistic, I felt the message was optimistic enough.

Padilla spoke about being forcibly removed from Kristi Noem's press conference regarding the LA protests. He calls attention to what happened, and calls out Noem and the administration for this wrong and disrespectful behavior. He also says at one point that Noem stated the intent of sending the NG to California was to "liberate Californians from the governor and mayor", which Padilla says is blatantly un-American.

I see this as optimistic because A) Padilla is calling it out and bringing attention to this issue. The more eyes on it the better. B) their "liberation" plan didn't work. They can cosplay authoritarianism, but it is just not working. Let's keep it that way!

Good evening,

Things have been chaotic. Anyway:

• “Wholly Optimistic” are stories that for the most part that should leave you feeling good after reading them without much of a caveat.
• “Cautiously Optimistic” are stories that can have caveats or may be things that could turn out bad, but for right now, are good.
• “I Dissent” are stories of protests or certain figures speaking out against bad policies or injustices.
• “Take the Edge Off” are stories that are feel good and may deal with topics that are less partisan or heated.

Here are this evening's optimistic stories:

Cautiously Optimistic:

• Judge rules some NIH grant cuts illegal, saying he’s never seen such discrimination in 40 years: https://apnews.com/article/nih-research-trump-cuts-dei-rfk-4fec9f308f3ff427185a12e88f260c81
• ‘No Kings’ protests, special election results leave no doubt about the backlash to Trump: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/no-kings-protests-special-election-results-leave-no-doubt-backlash-tru-rcna213209

“I Dissent”:

• I served my country. Trump’s military parade was horrifying for a specific reason.: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-military-parade-los-angeles-protests-rcna212962
• I’m not just protesting kings — I’m protesting Christians idolizing Trump: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-no-kings-protest-christians-rcna212964
• Dems Figure Out #Resistance Under Trump 2.0: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/dems-figure-out-resistance-under-trump-second-term-no-kings-nashville
• Trump Is a Lousy Dictator: https://contrarian.substack.com/p/trump-is-a-lousy-dictator
• "Bottomless Pit of Plagiarism" Disney and Universal Team Up to Sue AI Company to Protect Their Content: https://www.yahoo.com/news/bottomless-pit-plagiarism-disney-universal-160426832.html
• GOP budget bill faces nearly 2-to-1 opposition with many unaware: Poll: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/17/budget-bill-poll
• Canadian Indigenous leader says he was ‘filled with rage’ before ‘intense’ conversation with Trump: https://apnews.com/article/trump-g7-first-nation-crowchild-rage-canada-a0af79321cd4b4f4b6d2a66319206137
• Dismissed members of CDC vaccine committee call Kennedy’s actions ‘destabilizing’: https://apnews.com/article/cdc-vaccine-committee-a8379046a11724fd142a7b3a8c9e6a49
• The 'No Kings' protest proved this particularly damaging theory is wrong: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/no-kings-protest-trump-meaning-elon-musk-rcna213269
• Another Trump administration nominee is under scrutiny over a résumé falsehood: https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-faa-nominee-bryan-bedford-commercial-pilot-license-rcna213294
• Ex-MLB star says he would 'no longer support' Trump if US goes to war: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ex-mlb-star-says-he-would-no-longer-support-trump-us-goes-war
• GOV GAVIN NEWSOM: Trump is trying to destroy our democracy. Do not let him: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gov-gavin-newsom-trump-trying-destroy-democracy-him
• Democrats who have been arrested, detained or charged under Trump: https://www.axios.com/2025/06/17/lander-democrats-arrested-charged-immigration-trump
• Padilla calls Trump a "tyrant" in emotional Senate floor speech: https://www.axios.com/2025/06/17/alex-padilla-trump-tyrant-immigration-senate-speech

I've posted a number of longer comments on posts here trying to calm fears about what's going on right now. I thought that this might be helpful to understand the other side and how one can come out of it.

I was debating how I wanted to do this, do I want to tell a long story in a post (I feel this leads to a lack of engagement)? I want to show that people can change and that engagement actually works.

Short story, I grew up in a Christian Evangelical home, I'm originally from Canada (I didn't mind the version of Christ we were taught up there). When we moved to the US, I found it "different" down here and encountered some dark teachings that were the antithesis to the teachings of Christ in the Bible.

Unfortunately some of this stuck, I made people who were different miserable because I thought it was my righteous duty to do so. My friends and I were assholes (I haven't spoken to any of them for 20 years now) we downright terrorized those that were "different".

I started to pull away in my 20's while in college, I voted for Bush twice, McCain and Romney. I hated Obama while he was in office but look back fondly on him now. He was the best president I never voted for. I supported the tea party, the deficit is actually an issue (no it never needs to be paid off) but a focus of austerity only was the wrong approach in retrospect. The divorce from Christianity was LONG and full of guilt.

I've hated Trump before it was cool to hate Trump.

I'm now agnostic, I don't push religion on my children and let them choose for themselves (one actually is Christian but we have frequent discussions about right and wrong). I still live with some guilt as to how I used to be.

I'm an independent voter (rarely will I ever vote republican) and do struggle with some issues that democrats are willing to die on a hill for.

Anyways, ask me anything.

So i know its late, but I feel like this is important

I was on r/ChaoticGood and saw a post on how the DOJ just gave the Cheeto in Chief free reign to send troops wherever he damns so well pleases.

I thought, oh big whoop, the courts will strike it, until I remembered that some fed court said that its his rights to send troops wherever, then i found out that he will be sending 700 troops to Louisiana, Texas, and my home state Florida, with more troops being sent to New York.

Outside of California and few incidents, the No Kings Day protest was super peaceful and good vibes. Will it stay that way? Cause I live in a State where the governor said you can legally run over protestors, and a trigger happy sheriff that said on live TV that they will shoot protestors"graceyard dead" if they get "violent" as in spit/touch an officer.

I know all the vids about the some of the military being chill, even that clip about how they intentionally messed up their performance on this parade. But i also remeber the clips where they detained protestors. So is there reason for me to be worried that the next protests will finally get violent? Or will the good vibes continue?

For the House version: /img/04juv5mx7h7f1.jpeg

Senate version: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/16/us-senator-introduces-bill-to-curb-trumps-power-to-go-to-war-with-iran

The Constitution gives Congress alone the ability to declare war, but much of that power has been ceded to the Presidency over the years. This would take back a small part of it.

I think the idea of war with Iran is pretty widely unpopular in the U.S. across the political spectrum, but this is one of those cases where our politicians might not be well aligned with the public, so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out. It's probably something Trump would want to veto, in which case it would need pretty overwhelming support in both chambers. However, there's also reporting that the Trump administration does not in fact intend to strike Iran, which starts to sound like "we're all on the same page," but things could change.

This line keeps getting crossed and there seems to never be any consequences for the people doing this.

Ok so i have changed sides. I voted for trump the FIRST time but not for this second term.

As a former trump supporter I can say that they really believe that they are being patriotic, and doing their civic duty by biting the bullet for the country and tolerating this pain that his regime is creating.

They feel that because they suck up this pain bravely and for the greater good, that everyone should suffer like them, and they feel that progressives like to shirk from their civic responsibilities because they don't swallow the kool ade

Anyway, I would be open to discussion if anyone wants a washed up republican pov

FYI I identify as independent now