If you don’t recognize the players in the video above, they are Stephanie Miller, host of the daily Stephanie Miller show (that can be found on Youtube, Freespeech TV, or on radio stations KTNF from Minneapolis or WCPT Chicago on the internet starting at 8AM Central time) and Malcolm Nance, former CIA spy and current best selling author.
Nance comes on the Stephanie Miller Show at 9:30 on Wednesdays. His segment often includes some extremely insightful analysis. In his career at the CIA, Nance was an analyst. His insights are seldom replicated anywhere else and he is frighteningly frequently correct.
As investigations into Trump’s connections with Jeffrey Epstein gear up, during Nance’s segments on the show, he and Stephanie have created a theme around the concept that “It is all one story.” That is to say that Trump’s association with Epstein and Epstein’s association with Putin and Trump’s association with Putin all intermingled over the years to help bring about the circumstances we have today.
Also in the mix of the story is the gestapo like like tactics taking place in American cities attacking immigrants including citizens, attacks on other countries, the open bribes to Trump, his insane late night attacks on anybody and anything. All these diversions seem to be in the service of diverting attention from Trump’s ties to Epstein and Putin.
Along the way, other men became entangled. As Trump struggles to illegally cover up documents that by law must be opened, we are hearing names like Musk, Gates, Lutnik, Prince Andrew and so on pop to the surface. And always in the background is Putin. All the while Republicans up and down the line quake and fall in line.
As you listen to the conversation above it is truly scary that men of wealth and power not only act as if they are above the law, but ran in the same circles where laws are ignored.
The cover up is now on the shoulders of the Republican Party. Will they stand up for their country or will they fall in line to their cult leader. Maybe you can ask them when they come out of hiding for a campaign appearance or the ever elusive town hall. I am sure they will welcome your questions and tell how they plan to make it so no man is above the law.
Ever felt like you have been in a situation before, but you just can’t put your finger on why. Then almost as if out of the blue it hits you? Is anybody beside me seeing any similarity of the fall of Dick Nixon due to Watergate and the current continual firehose of news on Trump and his relations to Epstein and the whole pedophile story.
Nor do we feel what seemed like forever between revelations as reporter assembled the story in tiny pieces through some very intrepid reporting, or in the occasional gusher as someone fessed up to save their own skin or through some sense of duty: 5 minutes
As I was watching some of the deposition of AG Bondi Wednesday, her demeanor and the arrogance of the Republican Party brought back distant memories of the Watergate hearings. I was so much younger then, was not fully up to snuff on all the issues and could only catch snippets between school and work. But after all these years, the Republican arrogance in the face of some very serious charges echoed back to 1973 & 1974.
Among the memories were those of a president trapped in a cover up of his own doing in an effort to avoid paying for the consequences of his crimes. Rather than admit to wrong doing, Nixon chose the path of cover up. As the investigation waged on, we slowly saw the lies unravel and the co-conspirators slowly break down.
Then it hit me as Bondi took her offensive tone – just like in Watergate, she knows – hell the whole damn administration knows, and all of Trump’s buddies know – that there were crimes. Now we have gone so far down the path that there is no going back Trump and his entourage long ago chose the path of covering up the crimes.
Now it is way too late to turn back. Mr. Trump has chosen a path, his party long ago chose to join him, so now we must put the country through the long process of investigation and counter moves to try to gum up the wheels of justice. As we embark on this journey, we can take a little view of where we are.
As we compare the landscape from then to now, the biggest noticeable difference is the makeup of the media. Back in the Watergate era, the press was much more independent and competitive. While some were in Nixon’s pocket, the majority were much more in pursuit of the story and in most cases the truth. This is why the press is often cited as the fourth estate – their search for truth would act as an outside force to reign politicians in. During Watergate, some news organizations did this well.
Now much of the media is captured by political factions – mostly on the right. Their mission is no longer truth, but profit and making sure one side – mostly the right – wins. But thanks to the internet and social media there is still a strong tradition of truth seekers. Expect the administration to try to shut such media out of any investigative journalism. Also expect the administration to use their power to stop any reporting. This will be a real test of our constitution. As it is right now the constitution is teetering.
Something else that has changed is the courage of our politicians. It should be no surprise that Trump holds the political life of every Republican in his hands and threatens them constantly with being primaried if they step out of line. Back in the Watergate days, while Nixon had influence, he was far from having career life and death power over congress critters. Trump’s power is made even greater as so many states are so gerrymandered that the Republican primary is more important than the general election.
Today’s Republican congress members are being squeezed from the opposite direction because the Epstein pedophile scandal is so disgusting that any hint that congress will not go full bore after the pedophiles that if they give a hint that they (Republican congress members) will not pursue the issue, then the congress members will lose a lot of support. This is an issue that really hits home with most Americans – raping children.
One last sort of a wild card not around 50 years ago is the involvement of foreign governments. Many western European governments are finding that they have or have had high ranking members of their governments involved with Epstein. Citizens in countries such as the UK, Poland, France and others are planning to investigate. It will be hard for Trump, Bondi, Lutnik and members of congress to entirely gum up investigations in other countries. Keep your hats on. Remember that the Republican Party is the only party in the worldwide democracies that is trying to stop investigations into Epstein.
So how long can the insiders block the investigations? How long before members of congress see their future going down the toilet and turn sides? How long before other governments reveal details that point specifically to Trump? Can the Trump Administration either stop the next election or rig the election so Republicans regain control? Will Trump and his party act to end our democracy to keep him out of jail? Republicans can’t win a fair fight these days.
Let me throw in a scenario that keeps running through my mind. Nixon quit when he lost support from his party. Let me suggest that after a debacle of an election, Republicans work to have Trump resign citing dementia effective Jan. 21, 2027. This would remove Trump and put Vance in the presidency in a situation where, if he ran and won, (think rigged election) he could remain in power for 10 years. That should end democracy as we know it.
Fasten your seatbelts, the ride will be bumpy. Let us hope that most Americans are more in favor of democracy than autocracy.
Ed Flaherty of Veterans For Peace addressing about 75 people gathered to protest the military action in Venezuela over the weekend.
Below is a letter to the editors of several local newspapers from Ed Flaherty, calling out Mariannette Miller-Meeks for her failure to respond to a letter sent to her from himself and a group of veterans.
Miller-Meeks refuses to respond to veterans after repeated attempts
On November 18, six members of Congress, all military veterans, posted a video reminding military service members that they need not and must not follow illegal orders. Days later, President Trump called them traitors, accusing them of seditious behavior and suggested they be arrested.
In the following week, eleven military veterans, all residents in an assisted living facility, signed and sent a letter to Representative Miller-Meeks, asking her if she “supports presidential threats against those who encourage adherence to the law? Do you support the troops’ commitment to defend the Constitution?” It has been over two months, and despite repeated attempts to contact her, no response has been received.
I believe that all eleven of us veterans anticipated little more than a vacuous response from her.
However, we are surprised and disappointed that we apparently did not even deserve the respect of a response.
One of the above photos is a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation). The other is a Trump detention center. Creepy how similar they look. Can you tell which is which? Answer below.
Wednesday, February 11 7:00 – 8:30 pm Fairfield Public Library 104 W. Adams Avenue FREE
Former Polk County Administrator John Norris and The Harkin Institute Director of Wellness and Nutrition Adam Shriver will dive into the findings of Currents of Change, the most comprehensive, scientifically based water report ever conducted in the Des Moines and Raccoon River watershed – and share why that’s so important for all of us.
At The Truth About Iowa’s Water you’ll hear about the:
Science of why and how 80% of nitrate pollution in Central Iowa is from agriculture
Policies needed to clean up our water
Politics involved in achieving them
The meeting will begin with a 20-minute recorded segment of last August’s meeting at The Harkin Institute that first announced the findings. You’ll hear four of the study’s researchers present the science behind the report. Shriver and Norris will spend the rest of the meeting discussing the policies and politics, allowing plenty of time to answer your questions.
Sixteen scientific advisors worked for two years to conduct the Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment (CISWRA) study which resulted in a 200-page report, Currents of Change, tying agriculture to the region’s nitrate contamination.
Currents of Change contains findings that multi-billion dollar agribusiness interests would rather you didn’t hear. So grab a friend and join us February 11 to find out what Big Ag would like to sweep under the rug.
About Our Speakers
John Norris has had a lifetime of experience in agriculture, energy and environmental policy. Prior to serving as Polk County Administrator, he was Chief of Staff at the US Department of Agriculture and was appointed by President Obama as US Minister-Counselor for Agriculture to two United Nations organizations: Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program.
Dr. Adam Shriver is the Director of Wellness and Nutrition at The Harkin Institute for Public Policy at Drake University and is a member of the steering committee for the Iowa Food System Coalition. He’s organized several conferences looking at the harmful effects of CAFOs and is the co-lead on a project with the Iowa Environmental Council looking at the connection between agriculture and Iowa’s high cancer rates.
Nicholas Johnson reads from his book Columns of Democracy at Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City March 30, 2019. photo: Trish Nelson
The Constitution’s 14th Amendment requirements of “due process” and “equal protection of the laws” apply to “any person,” not just citizens.
For those fleeing persecution, and can prove it, international and U.S. law provide they are entitled to seek “asylum” — requiring the U.S. accept them.
Unless you are listed on one of the tribal rolls of our 574 Indian Tribes, you are either an immigrant or the beneficiary of an immigrating ancestor. In short, when we talk about “immigrants” we are talking about ourselves.
One list of “Famous U.S. Immigrants” lists about 100 (including the president’s wife) whose names and “American accomplishments” you’ll recognize.
The less famous are equally essential to our economy. Last year the total number called “immigrants” was 53.3 million foreignborn residents. Jobs with the highest percentage of “immigrants” include agriculture, construction, cleaning and maintenance, food preparation and personal care (80 percent of all manicurists and pedicurists).
For me, diversity makes a more interesting city: 60 languages in Iowa City schools, the variety of birthplaces of Uber drivers, those I encounter during neighborhood walks, and the range of our restaurants’ cuisine. All for much less than the $5,000 or more it would cost for a round trip to even one of their countries.
Of course, speaking of painted fingernails, some Americans have preferences of skin color and foreign accents that suppresses their interest in “immigrants.”
Given that we are all immigrants, and given their essential role in our economy, it is odd that some individuals still emphasize, without evidence, immigrants’ criminal records. More than one study has found that “undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than … a quarter the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes.”
Crime rates have been declining. But even if some states and federal agencies select fighting crime as their top priority, what’s the rationale for putting more emphasis on immigrants than on those responsible for most crime?
Moreover, the U.S. power to welcome, or exclude, potential immigrants has limits. The Constitution’s 14th Amendment requirements of “due process” and “equal protection of the laws” apply to “any person,” not just citizens.
For those fleeing persecution, and can prove it, international and U.S. law provide they are entitled to seek “asylum” — requiring the U.S. accept them.
Maybe the issue should be, not who is coming but how many. How many immigrants per year is the right number? As America’s most popular comedian, Nate Bargatze, might say, “Nobody knows.”
Or should our question be, not how many knock on our door, but how many leave home and why. For example, it may cost more to abandon the USAID program than to increase it.
I don’t often dig around in the Hoover Institution’s files, but while John Cochrane’s analysis may not be surprising it is intriguing. With only a half-tongue in cheek he explains why we can handle up to at least one billion more immigrants, and that “quotas” are a “calamitous waste.” “For every objection to open immigration, it’s easy enough to find terms of the deal to resolve the matter. The right terms will allow the optimal amount of immigration to settle itself.”
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” We have work to do.
Jim Vowels is a “proud, progressive Democrat.” To donate or sign up to volunteer, go to his campaign website at jimvowels.com. Follow on Facebook
Iowa Senate District 29 is located in eastern Iowa and includes parts of Chickasaw, Butler, Bremer, and Floyd counties. The current senator representing this district is Sandy Salmon, a Republican, who has been in office since January 3, 2023.
This interview was originally posted on Insufferable Wenches YouTube page on January 16, 2026.
February is also Black History Month. I mention that because as president, Donald Trump here on in to be referred to as the FIWH {Felon In the White House} posted a racist video portraying Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.
The lone Republican Senator, Tim Scott of South Carolina described it as “the most racist thing out of this White House. Welcome to reality, Tim. From axios.com:
Sen. Tim Scott asked President Trump to delete his social media post on Friday that portrayed the Obamas as apes, calling it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
Why it matters: Republicans rarely engage with the backlash to Trump posts. But Scott (R-S.C.), the only Black Republican in the Senate, responded quickly.
Scott, who leads the Senate Republican campaign arm, posted Friday that he was “praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”
Driving the news: Trump’s Thursday post, made at 11:44pm ET, depicts former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes in an AI meme video portraying Trump as King of the Jungle.
February is Black History Month, Breast cancer awareness month and this year Winter Olympics time. We will deal with the Winter Olympics this week and check on the others later.
A) Good Morning America reports that Chuck Schumer refused a deal from who to reopen the Hudson Tunnel Project if New York’s Penn Station and DC’s Dulles Airport were renamed for Donald Trump?
B) As details in the Epstein case dribble out, what major tech bro was revealed to have caught an STD in his philandering and tried to surreptitiously slip medications to his wife?
C) In a move that will set a precedent for former presidents to be subpoenaed by congressional committees, what former president and First Lady agreed to testify before a House committee?
D) As the possibility of a midterm wipeout looms large for Republicans, Republicans leadership in congress appear more likely to pursue the what bill to suppress the vote this fall?
E) This is the 25th Winter Olympics. Where and when were they first held?
F) Last week started off with what young man and his father being returned to Minnesota?
G) Last week also started off with a huge news dump of what material the administration is trying to hide after 5PM on a Friday night?
H) This is the important stuff. The FIWH is holding daily meetings about what subject of utmost concern to the FIWH?
I) Due to the short governmental shutdown last week, the jobs report will not be released until when?
J) What city has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize?
K) What American woman is making Winter Olympic headlines by competing this year despite having torn her ACL in practice just a week ago?
L) What movie bombed bigly at theaters this week despite bigly promotion?
M) Without any public dissents, SCOTUS approve new congressional maps from what state?
N) Selling lies and BS must not be a good business model. What news company announced huge layoffs in the middle of the week last week? (1/3 of the staff)
O) What country won the most medals (37) at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing?
P) Price change on aisle 2! What company announced it would cut prices on its chips “by up to 15%.” last week?
Q) Who or what is “Coalie”?
R) Bitcoin continued its collapse Thursday wiping out all gains since when?
S) What governmental department is scheduled to run out of funds February 12 unless congress passes an appropriation for it?
T) British figure skaters Torvill and Dean recorded 12 perfect scores in their ice dancing event in 1984. What song did they perform to?
If democrats rigged the election in 2020, why didn’t they rig it again in 2024? – Molly Ploofkins
tip of the hat to all-hat-no-cattle.com
Answers:
A) Donald Trump
B) Bill Gates
C) Bill and Hillary Clinton
D) SAVE – that is the bill that would stop women from voting if they ever changed their names as in getting married.
E) 1924 in Chamonix France
F) Liam Conejo Ramos was the bot returned to Minnesota
G) Millions of documents were dumped after 5PM on Friday January 30th
H) The administration is holding daily meetings on how to deal with administration enemies
I) Next Wednesday
J) Minneapolis
K) Lyndsey Vonn
L) Melania
M) California
N) Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post
O) Norway
P) PepsiCo – they own the Lays brand of chips
Q) Coalie is the new mascot for the fossil fuel industry – trying to put a cute face on the disaster
R) The beginning of the current administration
S) ICE
T) Bolero
NBC: Why was Tulsi Gabbard at a raid on a Georgia election office?
Trump: “I don’t know.”
Gabbard (in a letter to Congress this week): “My presence was requested by the President.”
As usual, Iowa’s Republicans cut the heart out of Iowa’s public schools.
3 minutes:
Former President Biden famously said:
“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I will tell you what you value!”
Based on proposals by Republicans in the Iowa State Senate, they do not have much value for Iowa’s public school students and by extension Iowa’s teachers or communities. Iowa’s republicans have once again offered a well-below inflation increase for Iowa’s schools. Thus, once again they show their disdain for Iowa’s kids.
As a long term strategy, underfunding Iowa’s schools is just plain dumb. Whether a state is trying to lure families with young children or if a state is trying to keep the best and the brightest in the state, cutting public school funding sends a clear signal that young people are not valued in Iowa.
Like many, when I was younger I was always proud to say I was from Iowa. It meant that we were well educated. We stayed in Iowa and our kids were educated here. We knew they would get a good education simply because it was what Iowa valued. We can no longer say that. When young folks are looking for a permanent home, Iowa’s low wages, and low public school rankings set people to look elsewhere. It will not be easy to lure such folks back to Iowa.
Rather than giving big tax cuts to the wealthy and paying for the private school educations of Iowa’s wealthy families, it is well past time for the Iowa legislature to truly reassess their values. It is time to step back and realize that investing in public education is an investment that more that pays for itself. We don’t want to be Mississippi.
Republican lawmakers again propose to starve Iowa’s public schools
State Senator Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames) has released the following statement regarding Senate Republicans’ school funding proposal.
“The public school funding number proposed today by Senate Republicans shows that public education is no longer their priority in Iowa,” Sen. Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames) said.
“Like Iowa families, the public schools that educate over 90% of our kids face an affordability crisis,” Quirmbach continued. “Schools can’t afford enough teachers, so class sizes grow and students lose individual attention. Many can’t afford cost-of-living increases to retain experienced personnel. Some districts can’t even interview the best qualified teachers because they just can’t afford them.”
“STEM teachers aren’t replaced. Online instruction is substituted for in-person when schools can’t afford a full-time language teacher.”
“Funding that supported beloved programs and educators is evaporating,” Sen. Quirmbach said. “In Boone, the district has to terminate the school orchestra that has given the community great pride for 100 years. And, they have to cut eight full-time positions beyond that.”
“Legislative Republicans’ severe underfunding of our public schools isn’t new. Ever since Kim Reynolds became governor, Republican funding has fallen farther and farther behind inflation. The shortfall this year alone amounts to over $1,000 per student. More than half a billion total statewide. If we hope for a future where Iowans can compete on the world stage,” Sen Quirmbach said, “our students and our schools need and deserve better.”
Sen. Quirmbach is the Ranking Member of the Senate Education Committee.
Senate committee advances inadequate school funding proposal — again
Posted on February 5, 2026 at 9:44 AM by Anne Discher
Fitting for Groundhog’s Day week, a Senate committee advanced a bill yesterday that would do the same thing the Legislature did last year, and the year before that: slowly starve our schools. The legislation they approved falls far below what’s needed to keep up with rising costs and meet the needs of Iowa students.
The bill, would set Supplemental State Aid — the rate of increase in general per-pupil funding from the previous year — at 1.75%. The Governor beats that figure, but barely, proposing a paltry 2% SSA increase in her budget.
We have yet to see an SSA proposal from the House, but given the state’s estimated $1.3 billion budget shortfall and lawmakers’ drive for local property-tax cuts, there’s no reason to expect it to be substantially better than that of the Senate and Governor.
Budgets are one way we demonstrate our aspirations as a state. The chart below shows how school funding has failed to meet the needs of our children and how proposals from the Senate and Governor would extend the downward trend line another year.
One thing we must remind ourselves is that dis respect for our public schools and underfunding them year after year is not something that can’t be fixed. It can – with your vote this fall! BTW, if I forgot to mention it Iowa’s Republicans have spent over $1 billion on school vouchers in the past four years. That could have paid for big improvements in Iowa’s schools!
The Felon in the White House told us over and over that his highest priority if he were chosen as president again would be to exact retribution. Even though he cloaked as “your retribution,” we all knew what he meant. Of course, what he meant was to go after those specific people and also those states where he claims he was injured in some way.
In that vein, since becoming president again he has gone after individuals, corporations, universities, cities, states and countries. His reign of vengeance is just getting started. ICE has become his personal army. In using this personal army, he, his lieutenants, ondown to the poorly trained quasi-soldier in the street have all violated laws by the bucketsful.
Sadly for America he has backing from just enough members of congress to continue his egregious antics that have and will lead to death, serious injury and loss of businesses and properties. For the FIWH to continue his “retribution” he must maintain his backing from the spineless MAGA Republicans in congress. Iowa has a great opportunity to contribute mightily to the dismantling of Trump’s cadre in congress.
Perhaps the most profound statements the voters in Iowa could make this fall would be to send Trump acolyte Ashley Hinson packing and replace her with a senator who is much more in touch with Iowa values and also constitutional laws and norms.
In this video we see an example of Hinson backing the president in his desire to shut down opposition and threaten them with retribution: (2:20)
This is just one small example. As the FIWH has trampled on the constitution since he was sworn in, Hinson has been a solid vote for every form of retribution that the administration has devised. When the MAGAs in congress refuse to stand up to the out of controlleader using the broad powers of his office to exact retribution on the citizens of this country.
Make sure you understand and that your friends and acquaintances that no matter what Hinson may say, her record so far and her intentions are to fully back Trump no matter what he does.
As Iowa’s economy suffers mightily under Trump policies such as tariffs, as Trump policies gut our cities, gut small family businesses and ramp up inflation, when you vote remember that Hinson will be acting as one of Trump’s puppets with little regard about what is good for Iowans.
Also remember as Trump goes deeper into his retribution delusions, there will be little consideration for whether a target of his retribution was once a friend. Anyone ever perceived as an enemy must be dealt with.
The only real issue this fall is Donald Trump. If you are voting for any Republican up and down the ticket you are voting to enable Trump, because there is not a Republican with any courage to stand up to Trump.
Governor Kim Keynolds: (515) 281-5211 U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Iowa Members of Congress - Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) - Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) - Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) - Rep. Zach Nunn (R) Iowa US Senators - Senator Joni Ernst (R) - Senator Charles Grassley (R)
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