Independent Thought

Zohran Mamdani-Backed Candidates Sweep New York Primaries & Oust Incumbents

Independent Thought — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:12:17 GMT

Before we start today, I just wanted to mention today is my birthday! Last year, I had people ask me how they could send me a few bucks for my birthday & to thank me for my work. If you would like to do that, here’s the best places to do so:

Venmo - @DPrice1820

PayPal - indeethought@gmail.com

For months now I’ve been saying the same thing, over and over again - it’s not good enough to just defeat the fascist MAGA Republicans, we must also remove Democratic politicians who have been weak against fascism, or enabled it directly.

I’ve spent countless posts asking all of you to vote in your primary elections & oust these weak incumbent Democrats who haven’t shown up for us.

Tuesday night, New York City voters did just that.

As all 3 of the Democrats that were endorsed by NYC Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, won their primary elections. Two of these candidates, ousted incumbent Democrats in the process.

Brad Lander, who ran for NYC Mayor last year, but dropped out & threw his support behind Mamdani, won his race on Tuesday, blowing out an incumbent Democrat by 30 points. Truly unheard of.

Claire Valdez was running in an open seat, against a candidate that had the backing of every establishment figure in D.C., including the outgoing Representative, but lost by 21 points.

And in the biggest shocker of the night, Darializa Avila Chevalier, who has never held office before, defeats 5 term incumbent Adriano Espaillat. Chevalier said she only entered the race, because she approached her Representative last year (Espaillat), and asked him to speak up for people being detained by ICE within the city, and he declined to do so. It was then, that she decided to challenge the incumbent, openly calling for the abolishment of ICE.

Incumbents also saw defeat in state legislative races as well last night, so the message is clear - the people want change.

If you haven’t had a chance to vote yet - please make sure to show up to your primary election. We need to oust more incumbents! We need to reform this Democratic Party.

Here’s a list of the remaining primary elections this cycle:

Colorado - 6/30
Arizona - 7/21
Washington - 8/4
Kansas - 8/4
Missouri - 8/4
Michigan - 8/4
Tennessee - 8/6
Hawai’i - 8/8
Vermont - 8/11
Connecticut - 8/11
Minnesota - 8/11
Wisconsin - 8/11
Wyoming - 8/18
Florida - 8/18
Alaska - 8/18
Massachusetts - 9/1
New Hampshire - 9/8
Rhode Island - 9/8
Delaware - 9/15

Finally, Mayor Mamdani was asked on MS Now what role Israel has played in the elections this year. Watch the video above to hear his response. You can watch the video by downloading the Substack app.

Available for iOS and Android

Please share this post on Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, or text it to a friend

We had 22 people share our last article outside of Substack. Can we get that number up to 30 this time?

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Joy Behar: “They’re not afraid of the term Democratic Socialism. I’m not scared of the term” -
“Social Security is Democratic Socialism. Unemployment insurance, the people who pick up your garbage, the people who take the fire out at your house. All of these things are Democratic Socialism. People have had it with this right-wing nasty politics that we’ve had to subject ourselves to since this guy got into office”

Zohran Mamdani defends backing challengers to Democratic Incumbents in MS Now interview -

Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Zohran Mamdani has serious “work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward.” - While Jeffries warned Mamdani the Democratic establishment may be looking for apologies when speaking to CNN in the halls of Congress. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) says New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is going to have to smooth things over with congressional Democrats after backing several progressive candidates who ousted incumbents during Tuesday’s primary elections. (I usually don’t make comments in this section, but I can’t help but be grossed out at this. This is so unbelievably weak and soft on Jeffries’ part. We really deserve a better leader of the Democratic Party). Reported by Huff Post
Representative André Carson just introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act in the House - The bill would ban the construction of data centers until Congress addresses the economic, environmental, and safety impacts of AI. Additionally, Carson also introduced the AI Data Center Site Selection Transparency Act of 2026, which would require data centers “to be transparent and to make neighborhood input central to any new development.”
“Data centers cannot come at a cost to American families, who are already facing high grocery, gas, and housing costs.” Reported by Yahoo
Israel's Defence Minister: Israel will not withdraw from South Lebanon, even if the US demands it -
Israeli Defence Minister - Israel Katz

“The IDF is prepared… and we are not retreating,” Katz said in an onstage interview at the Muni Expo conference for local officials in Tel Aviv. “We announced that in any case we are not withdrawing.”

Israel controls a security zone in southern Lebanon that stretches across the entire length of the shared border, and extends up to 10 kilometers (six miles) into Lebanese territory, in some areas crossing the Litani River and reaching the outskirts of Nabatieh.

Katz said that “200,000 [Lebanese] residents will not return [to the homes they evacuated]. Because what happened in the past in security zones where there was also a civilian population [present] was roadside bombs and attacks against the soldiers, and therefore we will not allow that.”

Iran has repeatedly tied a ceasefire in Lebanon to its understanding with the US.

“For us, a ceasefire in Lebanon is as important as a ceasefire in Iran, and further, an end to the war in Lebanon is as important as an end to the war in Iran,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in Baku during a meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Reported by the Times of Israel

Final Note

If you made it to the end of this article, please comment your favorite meal to eat on your birthday in the comments section. I have no idea what I want to eat for my birthday today & could use some ideas!

Leave a comment

Until next time,

Desmond

Democrat Josh Turek Poised To Flip Senate Seat In Iowa & Could Ultimately Flip Senate Control To Democrats

Independent Thought — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 03:57:43 GMT

Democrats haven’t carried the state of Iowa, since President Obama did it in 2012 & haven’t won a U.S. Senate seat since 2008...but all of that could change this November.

Recent polls coming out of Iowa, are showing Josh Turek, the Democratic nominee, leading Republican Ashley Hinson.

Turek, is a current member of the House of Representatives in Iowa, and his favorability numbers are outpacing that of generic Democrats in the Senate.

For complete transparency, Iowa is 1 of the 3 states I’m least confident in, where it comes to Democratic pickups this November.

On the map below, you’ll see 8 states that are a brown/tan color, these are the tossup Senate races this November, & Democrats need to win 8 of them in order to retake Senate control.

I have strong faith that Democrats will win in Michigan, North Carolina, & Georgia.

I also think the chances are high in Maine & Alaska.

However, I do have my concerns in Texas, Ohio, & Iowa, but let’s focus on Iowa for today.

We saw ample polling that showed that not only was Iowa in play for Kamala Harris in 2024, but that she should win the state. This cam from incredibly reputable pollsters at the time.

However, not only did she not win the state, she was blown out in that election.

With that being said, there is a strong through line from the last few elections that’s important to highlight here, that I want to share now.

Republicans do underperform when Trump’s name is not on the ballot. Whether this is while he is President, like in 2018, which saw a blue wave election. Or whether when he’s out of office, like in 2022, which promised a red wave year, but saw Republicans pick up only modest gains. Republicans don’t perform as well when Trump isn’t on the ballot.
One consistency of the last 2 elections - the economy was not doing well & the party in power was punished for that. I bet you can count on that again, especially in a state like Iowa, where the farming industry has suffered under Trump 2.0. Between tariffs & fertilizer prices (which have gone up because of the Iran war), farmers are hurting across the midwest. Something that Josh Turek has been leaning heavily into in his campaign

You combine these two points with the fact that Republicans have been retiring in masse, trying to redistrict, trying to pass voter suppression legislation, trying to purge voter rolls, & trying to deploy ICE to polling places…yes, they definitely feel vulnerable.

Do I believe the Democrats will flip this seat in November?

It’s hard to say.

As of now, I’m still less confident in Iowa, Ohio, & Texas, only because Republicans are starting from such a huge lead in these states. Trump won each by double digits in 2024. However, I do think all 3 are play & with the right campaign, I do think Iowa is poised to flip.

The economy, the one thing people expected Trump to fix, is in shambles under his leadership.

I expect this will lead to many Republican voters sitting at home this November, & so voting the other direction.

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Tucker Carlson says “there's no chance I would support the Republican party” in this election - How could I support a political party that is not loyal to the United States. I voted Republican my entire life, I have been a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican party, but there is no defending this. I'm out. Download the app to watch all videos on our posts

Federal judge halts Trump administration effort to subpoena Minnesota Gov. Walz, others in immigration enforcement probe - A federal judge has blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials, accusing the Justice Department of using its investigatory powers to retaliate against state officials for not cooperating with federal efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.
In a ruling unsealed Monday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz found the “dominant purpose” of the subpoenas was to “coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration law and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.” Reported by PBS
Democratic candidate for Senate (Maine) Graham Platner: “We must codify the right to an abortion.” - “We also must create universal childcare programs, universal healthcare programs, and expand and protect reproductive rights for all. It is the only way we are going to build a future in which every single American can have access to a life of dignity and fulfillment”

Vermont has banned AI chatbot therapy, passing a law that requires a mental health professional to conduct therapeutic services - Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed H.816 on June 17, 2026, barring companies from offering AI-delivered mental health therapy and joining a small group of states that began restricting AI therapists in 2025. The law lets clinicians use AI for administrative tasks but reserves diagnosis, treatment, and therapeutic decisions for a qualified mental health professional or an approved research study. Reported by Recording Law
During separate press appearances on Monday, Vice President Vance told reporters, "We want Israel's security to be protected, and we also want Lebanon's sovereignty to be protected." - These appear to be the first televised remarks by a Trump administration discussing the importance of “Lebanese sovereignty.” Notably, the first clause of the U.S.-Iran MOU officially commits the administration to "ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon."

Vance criticized recent Israeli military operations in Beirut that killed Lebanese civilians with no connection to Hezbollah, calling the incidents "not acceptable" and stating that lasting peace requires ensuring "Lebanon's territorial sovereignty is respected by all parties."
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Until next time,

Desmond

President Obama Takes Multiple Shots At Trump During Ceremony Speech

Independent Thought — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 02:31:21 GMT

Tomorrow, President Obama’s Presidential Center will open in Chicago. Earlier today, President Obama made a speech in front of the new building, where he took a few moments to talk about the state of America, including a few shots at Donald Trump.

“No one is above the law or beneath its protection.
A belief in checks and balances in our government and an accountability that comes with an independent judiciary and a robust free press.
A belief that our military and law enforcement owe allegiance not to any president, or political party, but to the people and our Constitution.
A belief in the peaceful transfer of power, after the people have spoken in fair and free elections.”

Former First Lady, Michelle Obama also made a speech during the ceremony, where she also took a few shots at the Trump regime.

"No one — and I mean no one — has the right to sit in judgment of who's American enough.
A lasting legacy isn't an award or a name on a building or the number of zeroes in a bank account, but the difference we make in one another's lives.

Guests today included former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden. Donald Trump was not invited.

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Donald Trump in interview with Axios, says there are “no limits” to his power - President Trump denied that the Iran war revealed the limits of his ability to exert power, telling "The Axios Show" he still believes there are "no limits." Still, Trump denied he was in any way humbled by that experience. Asked what he’d learned from the war about the limits to his power, he said: “There are no limits.” "I haven't learned that lesson yet. I know there are, but there are no limits," he continued.
Democratic Virginia Governor, Abigal Spanberger, signs legislation banning domestic abusers from owning firearms - Abigail Spanberger signed landmark legislation that closes the "intimate partner loophole", effectively prohibiting convicted domestic abusers from owning or possessing firearms. HB 19 and SB 160 - These laws fortify protections for survivors of sexual and domestic violence by prohibiting the transfer of firearms when a protective order is issued. SB 38 and HB 93: These bills establish strict firearm relinquishment procedures, requiring individuals convicted of domestic assault and battery to safely and lawfully transfer their firearms.
Mississippi police open fire into the vehicle of a family accused of stealing diapers, killing 1-year-old Kohen Wiley

Civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Kohen’s family, said the child’s mother has not been charged with any crime and that she says she was “trying to communicate to officers that there was a baby in the car.”

“They fired anyway, leading to the death of an innocent 1-year-old,” Crump said in a statement. “We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him.”

Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, said in a video released through her attorneys that her friend was being pursued for allegedly shoplifting diapers. Reported by ABC News

Israeli drones in Lebanon are using the sounds of children crying to lure civilians outside - Human rights groups, paramedics, and local residents have documented instances of Israeli quadcopter drones broadcasting audio recordings of babies crying, women screaming, and pleading for help. This tactic has been reported across Gaza and in southern Lebanon.
Psychological Warfare & Luring: Residents and emergency responders state that the recordings are typically played late at night. The tactic exploits basic human empathy and the instinct to rush outside to help those in distress.
Targeting: Witnesses in both Gaza and Lebanon have reported that when civilians, paramedics, or others go out to investigate the distress calls, they are targeted or fired upon by the drones. Observers also believe the tactic aims to exhaust local populations and draw out resistance fighters. Reported by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor
Vice President JD Vance rebuked Israeli ministers attacking the Iran-U.S. agreement - saying President Trump is “the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel” and warning that Israel should not be criticizing “the only powerful ally” it has left.

Vance said Israeli officials should “wake up and smell the reality” of their country’s dependence on American support.
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We need 4 more people to sign up, to hit our monthly goal new paid subscribers! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂⁠

Until next time,

Desmond

Donald Trump's "Peace Deal" To End Iran War Is Likely To Fall Apart

Independent Thought — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:25:49 GMT

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For about 24 hours now, the news cycle has been plastered with people talking about a “peace deal” between the United States & Iran, that is supposed to be signed in Switzerland this Friday, to hopefully bring an end to the war in Iran.

Before we jump into why this deal is likely to fail, let’s first look at the details of the agreement.

These details have yet to be confirmed by the U.S. government, but the Iranian government has released their understanding of the peace deal that will be signed:

$12 billion of Iran's frozen funds to be released before negotiations begin, with another $12 billion during the 60-day final negotiation window.
Oil and petrochemical sanctions suspended.
Full naval blockade lifted within 30 days.
The U.S. commits to non-interference in Iranian affairs, withdrawal of forces from around Iran, and no new sanctions or force deployments during negotiations.
An immediate ceasefire is required on all fronts, including Lebanon.
The Strait of Hormuz reopens within 30 days under Iranian arrangements.
Iran reaffirms its NPT commitment not to produce nuclear weapons.
A 60-day window is set to negotiate a final deal covering nuclear issues and full sanctions removal.
The U.S. and allies must also present reconstruction plans worth at least $300 billion.
Iran's missile program and support for resistance groups are removed from the agenda entirely.
No final negotiations begin until the $12 billion is released, oil sanctions are suspended, and the blockade is lifted.
A supervisory mechanism will oversee implementation, with any final agreement approved by UN Security Council resolution.

Now this isn’t the first attempt we’ve had at a ceasefire/peace agreement with Iran, and every time Iran has come to the negotiating table, they’ve made very clear that they will not agree to any deal with the United States that does not include Israel stopping its attack on Lebanon.

Every discussion we’ve had with them, they have said the same thing. They view the U.S. & Israel as a package deal, and they see Lebanon as one of their allies. So, no deal can be reached as long as Benjamin Netanyahu continues to invade Lebanon.

With that being said, the Israeli government has already come out & blasted this peace deal, with Israeli Defense Minister Katz saying:

The Israeli military will remain in southern Lebanon and warned that if Iran strikes, it will be hit “with full force,” promising that Israel will resist any pressure after the US and Iran agreed a deal to end the war that also reportedly includes a commitment to end hostilities in Lebanon.
Katz insisted that Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, “despite all the existing pressures and those that will still come.”
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy that determines that the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, without any time limit.”
Reported by the Times of Israel

And if for some reason you’re thinking - “this won’t disrupt the entire deal, surely the United States & Iran can find a way to a peace deal that doesn’t include Israel stopping it’s attacks in Lebanon” …you’d be wrong.

As Drop Site News reported earlier today:

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Lebanese leaders that the United States is responsible for implementing the U.S.-Iran memorandum and ensuring a complete halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to an Iranian readout of his calls with President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

For the entire world to see - Iran considers Lebanon a part of the package deal & they will not agree to a ceasefire that does not include the United States forcing Israel to stop attacking Lebanon…but Israel has vowed not to stop.

So here we are, once again, being trapped in a war because of our inability to stand up to Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has no desire to end its attacks & frankly, they don’t want the war in Iran to end.

Can Donald Trump force Israel to stop its attacks in Lebanon?

The short answer is - yes.

The United States has the ultimate high ground in this scenario, because it supplies Israel with protection & arms. Without the U.S. military protection & the weapons we provide, Israel would probably be overrun by their enemies.

All Donald Trump would have to do, is to threaten to remove aid & military protection, and he would definitely be able to force Israel’s hand. Yet, he seems to be unwilling to play that card, thus locking our country into this stalemate.

It’s hard to say what happens next, but I can’t imagine this peace deal going through with such a large obstacle standing in its way.

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Additional stories I wanted to share:

Vice President J.D. Vance alludes that the $300 Billion reconstruction fund is indeed a part of the U.S./Iran peace deal in CBS interview:

New York Times reports that Trump & Vance strongly considered invoking Insurrection Act in Minnesota to deal with ICE protests - “Vance got to the point. They needed to invoke the Insurrection Act, swiftly, to crush the unrest in Minnesota. It would be painful in the short term, he said, but the message it would send - that paid agitators could not get away with disrupting ICE operations - would make sure no one tried it again. (There was no evidence that either Mr. Pretti or Ms. Good had been paid activists.)”
Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, suspends tax incentives for data centers - Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed a budget bill that imposes a three-year moratorium on new sales tax breaks for data centers, among the most restrictive state-level responses to an industry under fire from residents concerned about energy and water consumption. The moratorium was tucked into an $18 billion budget deal announced last week by Hobbs and Republican lawmakers.
Bots now generate more web traffic than humans - Bots now account for more web traffic than humans, according to Cloudflare Radar data cited by Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince. ⁠
⁠
The dashboard put automated traffic at 57.5% of HTTP requests to HTML content, compared with 42.5% from humans, reaching a crossover Prince had expected by the end of 2027.⁠
⁠
The shift is being driven by AI agents rather than older scraper bots and search crawlers. Prince said at SXSW that a person shopping for a camera might visit five sites, while an agent doing the same task could visit 5,000. ⁠
⁠
The change is pressuring publishers, advertisers and security companies whose systems were built around human users. Cloudflare has introduced tools including Pay Per Crawl, AI bot blocking and a machine-readable format for agents. ⁠Reported by Ground News
More Perfect Union posts video of what it sounds like to live next to a data center. You won’t believe what this sounds like:

⁠

Final Note

I want to give a shoutout to all the new subscribers that have joined Independent Thought in the last month! In the last 30 days, we’ve gained more subscribers than any other month in the last 18 months.

Independent Thought now has over 18,000 subscribers & we’re in 125 countries!

Thank you to everyone for being here. I hope to grow this newsletter into something truly special.

Until next time,

Desmond

J.D. Vance Now Connected In Epstein Cover Up - Please Share This Everywhere

Independent Thought — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 23:41:07 GMT

Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) went onto MS Now, to talk about the recent reports, that Vice President J.D. Vance held meetings in the Situation Room last summer, regarding how the administration would handle the release of the Epstein files.

This information came from recent reporting from the New York Times.

The reporting states that: the Vice President, the Attorney General, the head of the FBI, the White House Chief of Staff, the White House Counsel, the Press Secretary, the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Comm’s Director, & the Deputy Attorney General, all met without Trump to discuss the release of the Epstein Files.

J.D. Vance took a seat at the head of the table & said “this is a huge problem”, as the members in attendance tried to figure out how they were going to spin this story.

Vance floated the idea that they could ask Tucker Carlson to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, if she would be willing to say that Trump had not been part of any wrongdoing, involving Epstein (obviously, that has not happened, I wonder why…?).

Congressman Garcia is now calling for Vice President Vance to come before Congress, so they can ask him questions, regarding his involvement in this apparent cover up.

It’s been a few months since I posted about the details of the Epstein Files, so I wanted to share them again.

Below of the files that directly mention Donald Trump’s involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, please share these everywhere:

If you can, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help our newsletter continue to grow & fight back against fascism

The Department of Justice has come out repeatedly and denied these accusations against Donald Trump, but I’ll let you be the judge.

Our national conversation has had a lot of ground to cover with wars in Iran, ICE terrorizing our streets, rampant inflation, daily corruption…it’s a lot to keep up with.

With that being said, we CANNOT stop talking about the Epstein Files & their connection to Donald Trump.

Please share this everywhere.

Donald Trump will continue to flood the zone with new scandals, as a way to distract everyone from this information, so please don’t let him.

This information needs to be seen by everyone.

Until next time,

Desmond

In Order For Americans To Have Universal Healthcare - We Must Remove Politicians That Stand In The Way

Independent Thought — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 03:01:10 GMT

Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, was caught on tape saying Republicans plan to slash Medicare, Medicaid, & Social Security starting next year.

For those of you with the app, you can play the above clip to hear the audio. For those without the app, you can download it here.

Available for iOS and Android

And for those who are wondering, these cuts he’s referring to, would be in addition to the cuts that are already set to come into effect later this year, thanks to Trump’s “Big, bullsh*t bill”.

Trump’s bill will already impact the healthcare industry by:

PAYGO Sequestration: Because the broader legislation added trillions to the national debt, it triggered automatic spending reductions known as sequestration. This is projected to cut Medicare funding by approximately $536 billion from 2026 through 2034
Physician Payments: The legislation introduces changes to Medicare physician payments and medical student loan structures, which medical organizations warn could further restrict patient access to care.
Trust Fund Insolvency: The combination of benefit cuts and financial reshuffling has accelerated the timeline for when the Medicare hospital trust fund will face insolvency.
Provider Tax Limits: The bill severely restricts state-directed Medicaid payments and provider tax arrangements, forcing states to reevaluate their budgets to either supplement the losses or cut services.
Coverage Loss: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the legislation will result in over 10 million Americans losing their Medicaid coverage.

The "One Big Bullsh*t Bill" will enact the largest healthcare rollbacks in U.S. history, cutting nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and triggering hundreds of billions in automatic Medicare cuts.

We have been talking about healthcare being a human right, how everyone deserves healthcare, how our current system is no adequate enough when you compare it to other wealthy nations.

As bad as the system already functions, Republicans want to gut it FURTHER, while simultaneously calling for the Imperialism (defense) budget to be raised up to $1.5 Trillion dollars a year…

This is a graph of how much money we spend on our Imperialism budget, compared to other countries. Republicans want to add an additional $550 Billion to that number, while stripping your healthcare access at the same time…becasue we can’t “afford” it.

We need to be clear about the situation we find ourselves in - we need to get MAGA Republicans out of power. If you’re a subscriber to the newsletter, you probably already agree with this notion, but frankly, we’re not the problem.

The people who follow Trump maybe too far gone, and after a decade of trying to reach these people, I hardly see the point in trying anymore.

With that being said, there are plenty of people out there that don’t vote, or don’t vote consistently. In fact, you probably know a few of these people. They might be close friends, family members, or even coworkers.

We need to get these people to show up and vote this year. Bully them if you have to lol.

There’s too much on the line, and we can not afford to take a problem like our healthcare system, and make it even worse than it already is.

We’re never going to reach universal healthcare, if Republicans burn down what little infrastructure we have left.

We have to get them out of office this November.

Drag those “non-political” people in your life, to the polls with you.

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Additional stories I wanted to share:

Graham Platner wins Maine Democratic Senate primary & will face Republican incumbent, Susan Collins in general election

Graham Platner, a Marine veteran, oyster farmer and progressive activist, has scaled a mountain of personal controversies to win the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in Maine. The result sets up one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterm elections. Platner will face the senator Susan Collins, a Republican running for a sixth six-year term, in November. The race is seen as a must-win for Democrats to take control of the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority. Reported by the Guardian

In case you missed it last night, Donald Trump attended the NBA Finals game 3 in NYC. Where he was mercilessly booed. Watch below

CBS News boss Bari Weiss, is poised to oversee CNN editorial operations
CBS News boss Bari Weiss is likely to gain editorial oversight of CNN if and when Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is approved, according to a report. Paramount executives are said to have held preliminary discussions with several candidates who would come in and run the business-side operations next to Weiss while she continues to oversee editorial. Reported by Axios
U.S. Strikes Southern Iran as Iran Vows Response -

➤ U.S. forces launched strikes against Iranian air defenses and radar installations in southern Iran Tuesday, with CENTCOM confirming the operation was carried out under direct orders from Trump. A U.S. official told Al Jazeera and Fox News the strikes are ongoing. Trump told ABC News: “We had to respond to the downing of the Apache helicopter.”

➤ Explosions were reported in Qeshm Island, Sirik, and Minab — all coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz — with Tasnim News reporters confirming six blasts fired from U.S. fighter jets. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB confirmed explosions in Qeshm and Sirik.

➤ Iran vowed an immediate response. An Iranian official told Al Jazeera the Apache “was not flying over international waters,” disputing the U.S. justification.

➤ Tasnim cited Iranian sources saying Tehran “will give a definitive response to the U.S. aggression, carried out under the pretext of the Apache helicopter crash.” Arabic news outlets say the highest alert level has been issued at U.S. military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar. Reported by Drop Site News
Pentagon raises threat of Israeli spying on U.S. to highest level - The Pentagon is increasingly concerned about Israel ramping up its spying on the U.S., recently raising the counterintelligence threat level from America’s top ally in the Middle East to the highest level, according to two U.S. officials and one former U.S. official.
The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency in recent weeks issued the new counterintelligence threat assessment amid rising tensions between Israel and the U.S. over the way forward in the war with Iran, the officials said. They said the DIA posted an internal message, viewed by one of the current officials, that raised the level for Israel to “critical.”
The designation stems from concerns within the Pentagon that Israel is making a particular effort to surveil top U.S. officials to get information on the Trump administration’s internal deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East, the officials said. Reported by NBC News

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who supports this newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber.
We need 5 more people to sign up, to hit our monthly goal new paid subscribers! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂⁠

Until next time,

Desmond

Donald Trump CRASHES OUT When Journalist Won't Accept His Lies About "Election Fraud"

Independent Thought — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:44:48 GMT

Kristen Welker, a journalist for NBC News was interview our President yesterday when the discussion completely flew off the rails. In no part because of the questions of the interviewer, but rather the petulant nature of a man who refuses to tolerate dissent.

For those of you who have the app downloaded, you can watch the video above. If you don’t have the app, you can download it here:

Available for iOS and Android

Donald Trump continued his lies that that the 2020 election was rigged, & without proof, said the current elections in California are “rigged”.

Now, I’ve gone over this dozens of times since the 2020 election, and maybe I’ll come back to this later on with a deep dive, but not only was the 2020 election not in fact “rigged”, I can prove that Donald Trump knows that for a fact.

Trump's Voter Suppression Bill FAILS Again In The Senate

Independent Thought — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 23:54:45 GMT

Republican Senators Mitch McConnell (KY), Thom Tills (NC), Susan Collins (ME) & Lisa Murkowski (AK) have joined the 47 Democratic Senators to once again defeat the SAVE Act in the Senate.

Donald Trump’s SAVE Act is aimed at making it harder for people to vote in future elections, as he once again tries to subvert our current systems to maintain power.

After forcing Republican states to redistrict mid-decade (and force primary challenges to anyone who opposed him at the state level), this is the next attempt to effect the 2026 Election.

Democrats oppose the new law for a variety of reasons, including:

Existing Laws: Non-citizens are already strictly banned from voting in federal elections under a 1996 law.
Lack of Evidence: Opponents argue there is no evidence of widespread non-citizen voting in federal elections.
Strict ID Barriers: The bill requires documentary proof of citizenship (like a passport or birth certificate) to register to vote.
Impact on Citizens: Millions of eligible American citizens do not readily have these documents available when registering.
Targeted Groups: This requirement disproportionately affects married women (who changed their names), students, low-income individuals, and military voters.
Increased Bureaucracy: It forces local election offices to handle massive amounts of new paperwork, slowing down the registration process.
Voter Purges: Critics fear the bill’s verification requirements could lead to eligible citizens being mistakenly removed from voter rolls.

With most elections coming down to the margins, MAGA hopes that the combination of redistricting, the SAVE Act, & intimidation of ICE at polling places in November, will do enough to suppress the Democratic vote.

As of today, the SAVE Act has failed again & I’m happy that to say that.

It’s always a good day, when Donald Trump takes another L.

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We need 8 more people to sign up, to hit our monthly goal new paid subscribers! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂⁠

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Desmond

House Democrats Pass Bill To Block Trump From Continuing Epstein War In Iran

Independent Thought — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 04:51:43 GMT

The Epstein war in Iran took a major hit today, as several House Republicans joined all Democrats to pass a war powers resolution, which would force the President to end the war in Iran.

While this in and of itself is worth celebrating, it’s not over yet.

First, the bill now heads to the Senate, where 13 Republican Senators would need to vote for it, before heading to Trump’s desk for him to sign.

If Trump decides to cast a veto, it would be sent back to Congress, where it would need even larger margins to override the veto.

Now, I know what you’re thinking - is this even good news? It sounds like this still has a low chance of actually being enacted…

That’s true, but I’m glad to see momentum going in the right direction.

At its core, Washington D.C. is a largely pro-war community. Representatives in both parties never seem concerned with funding the war machine, or making excuses for whatever foreign conflict we’re involved in.

The first time this resolution came up for a vote, the Republicans successfully blocked the attempt. This time, Republicans joined Democrats to pass it.

At a time when Republicans are being ousted from D.C. for voting against the Regime, a few of them still see how unpopular this war is, and are still willing to vote against Trump.

Even if this vote ultimately fails, I believe another vote will come shortly after, and it will get even more support.

No one wants this war & Republicans may be afraid of Trump, but they’re also afraid of losing their seats in November.

You may see more and more of them vote to end this war, to save their seats in Congress.

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Additional stories I wanted to share:

Pro-war Democrats & Republicans upset with Rep. Rashida Tlaib for her push to pass a Lebanon war powers resolution -
Tlaib is moving forward with a forced war powers vote despite party leadership's efforts to alter the measure to address concerns from more moderate Democrats that it would would hamper current U.S. operations in Lebanon. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Tlaib’s co-lead on the measure, told Axios changing the resolution would mean having to start the whole process over again and that “we wouldn’t be voting on anything until July. The groups are just tired of waiting,” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), chair of the center-left New Democrat Coalition, said U.S. forces in Lebanon are providing services that "need to continue," such as helping the Lebanese Army fight Hezbollah.
CBS News fired “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley after he criticized the program’s leadership
Pelley, who has worked on the show for nearly 30 years, said new executive producer Nick Bilton had “slender” qualifications to run it and said CBS News editor Bari Weiss “does not love this place.”⁠ “She was brought in to kill it, and she’s been doing exactly that,” Pelley said. In a statement following his firing, Pelley said the following: “New management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified. To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them. Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast.” The firing follows exits by Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, who accused CBS of limiting reporting at “60 Minutes,” as Paramount Skydance owner David Ellison moves to reshape the network.⁠
Washington Post reports that recent boom in data centers in Virginia, has residents breathing in exhaust that’s equivalent to 10,000 diesel generators - The 10,500 generators attached to data centers in Virginia produce enough pollution to harm public health even if used rarely, according to a new analysis of emissions permits for The Post.

Operating them for less than an hour per week, on average, can worsen lung and cardiovascular conditions and cause at least three premature deaths each year, the analysis found, based on state air permits and reported emissions from the data center owners.

If all the data center generators in Virginia released the full amount of pollution allowed by state emissions permits, the public health impacts would be several times greater, the analysis for The Post shows. That could cause many more incidents of respiratory problems and 27 premature deaths, concentrated in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Reporter of China State Television CGTN, broadcasting in front of Gaza Shifa Hospital: "I saw with my own eyes that there were at least 10 Palestinian children under the age of 5 without heads."

Sam Forstag, Montana Democrat endorsed by AOC & Bernie Sanders, wins Democratic primary election -
As a resident of Missoula, Montana, I was pleased to see a fellow working class Missoulian win their primary election last night for Montana’s 1st district. I interviewed Sam Forstag a few weeks back on Substack live & that episode is still available for those that want to watch it. Montana’s 1st District is a key race come November, as many believe it will be in play as a potential flip, as Democrats look to reclaim the House from the MAGA Republicans.

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Final Note

Lastly. I want to thank all of the newest subscribers who joined our newsletter in the last week.

We’ve gotten over 1,000 new subscribers to the newsletter since last Wednesday! That’s honestly amazing!

Thank you to everyone who has been sharing our posts, liking the posts within the app, restacking the posts, commenting their thoughts - the newsletter is becoming more and more popular.

I also want to thank the people who have signed up as paid subscribers. Substack subscriptions is currently my main source of income for this work & it means the world to me that 115 people have signed up to support this newsletter.

If you would like to sign up and help me continue this work, you can click the box below to join.

Until next time,

Desmond

Bernie Sanders Introduces Bill That Gives Public 50% Profit From AI Companies

Independent Thought — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 01:32:20 GMT

The American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act would have the government tax AI companies, take 50% of the stock, and put it under public control.

I’m still uneasy about all things AI, but if we’re forced to live in a world where AI is about to dominate so many aspects of our lives, then we absolutely need this to be enacted.

AI is already dramatically changing the landscape of our lives, with pollution, water being siphoned to feed their data centers, the noise pollution of these centers, stress on our electric grid, increased consumption of fossil fuels, and I haven’t even spoken about the job loss yet…yes, we absolutely should tax these companies and use their profits to reinvest into our communities.

This was a passage from Mashable, who covered the story earlier today:

Sanders laid out the case for the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act — a bill that would create a federally managed fund created not with cash, but with stock.
Specifically, Sanders proposes a one-time transfer of 50 percent of equity from companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI to the government.
The idea: since AI is built on the accumulated knowledge, creativity, conversations, and labor of the American people — typically without permission or payment — the American people deserve a cut of the profits.
The fund would acquire half the stock of the largest AI companies in the country through a mandated equity transfer — Sanders is explicit that this is not a profits tax.
The government would then hold voting shares and receive equal board representation at each company, giving it formal power to block decisions deemed harmful to the public.
Revenue generated by the fund would flow directly to Americans as cash payments, with Sanders indicating that, as the fund grows, proceeds would eventually support broader public goods, including healthcare, education, and housing. He points to Norway’s sovereign wealth fund and Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend as working models of the concept.

Again, it’s honestly hard to argue against this position (unless you’re a billionaire, owner of an AI company, or a Republican politician whose paid to be a mouthpiece for the billionaire class).

The AI industry is set to make hundreds of billions of dollars of year & that will come with a heavy cost to all of us.

This proposal is radical - it’s just common sense.

Something to remember the next time you hear someone refer to Sanders’ policies as “extreme”.

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Additional stories I wanted to share:

After numerous artists drop out, Trump names himself “headliner” for 250th anniversary event - President Donald said on Truth Social that he had directed aides “to look at the feasibility of doing an AMERICA IS BACK Rally on Wednesday, Washington, D.C., same time, same location,” after several artists pulled out over concerns that the event had become connected to politics. ⁠
⁠
Martina McBride, Young MC, Bret Michaels, and the Commodores were among the acts that withdrew, with McBride saying on X that she “was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states.” Young MC wrote on Facebook, “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event.” ⁠Reported by Ground News
Water shortages worsen across Cuba as oil supplies dwindle, due to Trump blockade of the island - Donald Trump has had our military blockading the island nation of Cuba for months now, not allowing the import of any oil, which has caused many internal systems to collapse. Cuba, a country of 10 million people, is already without electricity on most of the island, which has put many hospitals on the brink of collapse. Nearly 3 million Cubans face daily water shortages as the country’s water system runs on 37% of the fuel it needs, officials said.⁠
⁠
Antonio Rodriguez, president of the National Institute of Water Resources, said fuel shortages, aging infrastructure, stalled imports and reduced credit have weakened water service. The shortages come as Cuba faces power outages lasting up to 20 hours under the blockade of President Donald Trump.⁠
Iran warns Israel over Lebanon as Netanyahu vows attacks will continue - Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said he told Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that if Israeli crimes in Lebanon continue, Iran will not only halt U.S. dialogue but “stand firmly” against Israel.

Netanyahu, undeterred, said he confirmed to Trump that “the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon” — signaling that despite Trump’s earlier claim of a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, Israel has no intention of halting its offensive.

The Iranian Government is once again showing that it is unwilling to agree to any ceasefire with the United States, that does not include a ceasefire between Israel & Lebanon. Israel continues to show that it is unwilling to stop its attack on Lebanon for any reason, thus trapping the U.S. in a war with Iran.
Trump tells CNBC: ‘I don’t care’ if Iran negotiations are over - “I really don’t care. I couldn’t care less,” Trump told CNBC’s Eamon Javers in a phone interview midday Monday, saying he thought the protracted discussions “started to get very boring.”
Trump had been asked about the prospect of Iran ending talks with the U.S. in light of reporting earlier Monday that Iranian negotiators would take that step — and also move to “completely block” the Strait of Hormuz — due to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.
Asked if the Iranians told him that they are not going to negotiate further, Trump said, “No, they haven’t.” Trump said he was “going to ask” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “what’s going on with Lebanon.”
Here’s Why w/ Kevin Ortega-Rojas is the best place to stay up to date on the updates coming out of Delaney Hall - I’ve had quite a few people ask me for updates regarding the ICE detention center in New Jersey that needs to be shut down. has been posting invaluable updates on Threads & I highly suggest checking out his account to stay up to date on what’s happening on the ground. He’s been posting multiple times a day, from the site.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who supports this newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber.
We need 10 more people to sign up, to hit our monthly goal new paid subscribers! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂⁠
Independent Thought is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Until next time,

Desmond

For America To Move Forward - The Criminals Of The Trump Regime Must Be Prosecuted

Independent Thought — Fri, 29 May 2026 04:21:16 GMT

In 2023, Donald Trump was found liable by a jury, for sexual assault against E Jean Carroll.

Carroll successfully sued Trump on sexual assault & defamation, which Trump has since appealed to the Supreme Court.

Yesterday, Trump is now using his DOJ to “investigate” Carroll to see if she committed perjury. The new investigation is being led by the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

So now the man who was criminally convicted for sexual assault, is using his power as the President of the United States, to go after the woman he assaulted & still owes millions of dollars to.

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The amount of blatant corruption coming from the White House is staggering:

Defrauding his own supporters with a crypto meme coin
Looting $1.776 Billion from the Treasury to pay his January 6th rioters
Instructing the IRS to never audit him or his family again
2 of his sons are directly working for companies that have been given government contracts worth hundreds of millions
World leaders gifting Trump with property in return for United States backing
Insider trading happening on a daily basis inside the White House
Using his office to prosecute political opponents
Abducting world leaders & holding them hostage
Threatening countries with war if they don’t give up their territory
Threatening to steal elections
Forcing Republicans out of office how dare to challenge him publicly
Having his government refuse Court orders

This list could continue for several pages. It’s cartoonish. The level of corruption is beyond anything we’ve ever witnessed before & Washington has always been filled with corruption.

We’re sitting in 2026 & it’s hard to imagine what life will look like after Trump leaves in a few years.

But I have to say…

Under no circumstances - can Donald Trump and the members of his government be allowed to go free from prosecution when this is over.

Democrats have to vow that there will be trials & there will be jail time.

No functioning society can allow its leaders to operate like this. It’s not enough to remove these people from office.

They must be put on trial for what they’ve done.

Do you agree or disagree? Please tell me your thoughts in the comments below

Leave a comment

Additional stories I wanted to share:

ICE attacks peaceful protesters outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey:
You can watch the video above on the Substack App

ABC accuses Trump’s FCC of ‘unconstitutional retaliation’ in station license fight - ABC is laying the groundwork for a landmark First Amendment fight. On Thursday, ABC filed paperwork to renew its local TV station licenses “under protest in response to an unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional order” by the Federal Communications Commission. ABC attached an extraordinary objection letter that accused the Trump-aligned agency of using “unconstitutional retaliation and coercion” to threaten speech. The filings came one month after the FCC ordered ABC to submit renewal applications for all eight of its owned stations, even though the current licenses don’t expire for years. “The only plausible reason to issue the order is to punish the station for speech the government does not like,” ABC argued in Thursday’s letter. Reported by CNN
55 people killed, 187 people injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday - The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced today 3,324 killed and 10,027 injured across the country since March 2nd. Over 25 people killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Thursday, L’Orient Today reported.

Reuters reports 20% of Lebanon is now under forced evacuation orders.
New reporting from Reuters indicates that Israel has issued evacuation orders covering 20% of Lebanon, far beyond the "buffer zone" it previously announced to the Litani River.

More than half of the evacuation orders were *north* of Litani.

Gaza tactics in Lebanon. Reported by Drop Site News

New poll shows Democrats with their highest lead of the cycle on the Congressional ballot:

5. White House pushes Congress to approve $250 bill with Trump’s image - The White House is pushing Congress to approve a $250 bill bearing Donald Trump’s portrait, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said, which would require changing longstanding federal law that prohibits any living person from appearing on US currency.

Speaking from the White House at a news conference, Bessent said the bill would be in celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary of independence, and that the treasury has already started preparing for the possibility of the new currency.

“As treasury secretary, I have two mandates for US currency at present: that no living person can be on US currency, and the currency must say ‘In God we trust’,” Bessent said. “So, right now, there is proposed legislation in front of the House, in front of the Senate, to change the first requirement, so that a living person – Donald J Trump – could be on the $250 bill.”

I know I don’t normally comment on these small stories…but WTF is this? The Republican Party is a humiliation to this country. This is so pathetic.

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Lastly, I want to thank everyone who supports this newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber.
We only need 5 more people to sign up, to hit our monthly goal of 10 new paid subscribers! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂

Until next time,

Desmond

California To Impose 100% Tax On Trump's January 6th Slush Fund

Independent Thought — Thu, 28 May 2026 02:13:10 GMT

Remember when Republicans said that the only people that rioted at January 6th were Antifa, FBI agents , or some “left wing agitators”?

Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Well, after denying that the riot was committed by Trump cultists for years, Donald Trump took office last year & preceded pardon over 1,500 January 6thers.

However, that wasn’t good enough. The Jan. 6thers also demanded reparations - you know, those things we just can’t do for Black or Indigenous people in America.

Donald Trump obliged, creating a $1,776 Billion slush fund of taxpayer money, to give to Jan. 6thers.

Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that the state of California will be taxing 100% of payments received by Jan. 6thers who live in California.

California will impose a 100% tax on payments distributed under the Trump administration’s nearly $1.8 billion fund for victims of alleged political “weaponization,” the state’s Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday.
“One thing I ‌think we’re going to try to do ... is tax 100%. Anyone from California who receives any of those funds, we want to tax 100% of those proceeds and that’s an action the state of California can take,” Newsom said. “It’s an action we look forward to taking.”
"(The fund) could potentially compensate someone who assaulted a ⁠police officer, admitted their guilt, got convicted, got pardoned and now we're going to pay them for that? That's absurd," said Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

Thom Tillis is not running for re-election in North Carolina, so that’s why he’s actually willing to speak out against Trump…in case you were wondering.

A similar bill has been proposed in New York, but as of now has not been officially brought forth.

At a time of blatant corruption, this is the only appropriate response.

I have spent my fair share of time on this newsletter, calling out the rampant weakness that infects the Democratic Party, so I also want to give credit when I see the right move being taken.

Some will argue that it’s obvious that Gavin Newsom will be announcing his candidacy for President next year, and this is just an attempt for him to boost his popularity.

My response - so be it.

Regardless of his motivation, this is the right move. I hope more states follow suit.

Democrats must fight back, or we should replace them with fighters who will.

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Pentagon has troops in place to attack Cuba at Trump’s command - Trump has floated an invasion of the country after blockading the country, depriving it of oil & causing nationwide blackouts, failed to topple the Cuban government. The armada in the region is slightly smaller than it was in January when the U.S. captured Maduro. But the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group entered the Caribbean in May, along with several guided missile destroyers and cruisers that can launch precision missiles at targets onshore. An array of advanced American drones and surveillance aircraft have also circled Cuba for months, according to flight tracking sites. Reported by Politico
U.S. military kills another person in latest boat strike - The U.S. military carried out another strike Tuesday on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person and leaving two survivors. The Trump administration once again claimed the vessel was carrying drugs without providing any evidence. Since September, the Pentagon says it has killed nearly 200 people in strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. The attacks have been widely condemned as illegal. Reported by Democracy Now
U.S. officially breaks ceasefire with Iran, launching missile attacks in Southern Iran - The US said it carried out strikes in southern Iran on Monday, targeting missile positions and boats it said were laying mines near the Strait of Hormuz. ⁠
⁠
Iranian officials reported explosions near Bandar Abbas, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had downed a US drone and fired at other aircraft entering Iranian airspace. ⁠
⁠
The reported attacks come as the US and Iran continue talks over a proposed agreement involving a 60-day ceasefire extension, renewed access through the Strait of Hormuz, and further negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.⁠
Tennessee man that was jailed for 37 days for Charlie Kirk social media post, awarded $835,000 settlement - Tennessee officials agreed to pay $835,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by Larry Bushart, a retired police officer who spent 37 days in jail over Facebook posts about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Prosecutors dropped the felony charge in October.⁠
⁠
Bushart was arrested in September after refusing to delete memes about Kirk’s death, including one showing President Donald Trump with the words, “We have to get over it,” a quote the meme said referred to a 2024 school shooting in Iowa. Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems told news outlets he knew the meme referred to Iowa, but said residents feared it targeted a Tennessee school with the same name.⁠
⁠
“I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,” Bushart said in a statement announcing the settlement Wednesday. Cary Davis, an attorney for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said, “Respect the First Amendment today, or be prepared to pay the price tomorrow.”⁠
⁠
New Zealand citizen and Gaza flotilla activist, said an Israeli soldier detaining him told him: “I’m a crazy MF. I’m going to hurt you every minute you’re with me.” - Activists detained by Israel while on a flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza have returned home, with organisers alleging abuse, sexual assault, and beatings, that left some detainees ‌in hospital.
Hāhona Ormsby, a New Zealand citizen said for roughly two hours, the soldier largely kept that promise: punching him repeatedly, knocking him unconscious, and running his head into a wall during a strip search.

Ormsby said the soldier approached him naked with a taser, stating he would taser his genitals. A second man, not in uniform, intervened, before the soldier struck him in the genitals instead.

Ormsby said he was urinating blood that night. He also described having his cable-tied hands placed over a chair while the soldier punched him in the stomach and kneed him in the back, aggravating a prior spinal fusion injury.
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Final Note

I want to thank everyone who has been supporting the newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber. It honestly helps out more than I can describe & I’m hopeful it will one day allow me to expand production of Independent Thought.

Thank you.

Until next time,

Desmond

For those who read until the end, please do me a favor.

Please share this article again. Too many people have stopped talking about the Epstein Files.

We need to change that.

Republican Redistricting Effort In South Carolina Is DEFEATED - Major Blow To MAGA Agenda

Independent Thought — Tue, 26 May 2026 23:42:50 GMT

Democratic Representative Jim Clyburn’s, lone Democratic Congressional seat in the state of South Carolina, is safe for today. The MAGA plan to eliminate his district has been defeated.

We’ve been spending an uncomfortable amount of time talking about redistricting on this newsletter over the last couple months.

Republicans are showing just how afraid they are of losing their majority, by trying to erase Democratic seats off the map.

After watching Texas erase 5 Democratic districts out of their state, and the Supreme Court gut the Voting Right Act, I assumed the dominoes would continue to fall, but today the MAGA plan hit a roadblock in South Carolina.

South Carolina state senators voted Tuesday against a plan to advance a new congressional map, putting a pin in the state’s GOP-led redistricting push amid the national back-and-forth ahead of the midterms.
“I can no longer support the passage of this bill for one simple reason: South Carolina citizens are going to the polls today,” Republican state Sen. Richard Cash said in a release. “Neither my conscience nor common sense will allow me to stop an election that has already begun.”
Tuesday’s move effectively blocks the plan from further action before the midterms. Reported by The Hill

While Republicans in South Carolina will never admit it, they know these redistricting efforts are only going to backfire in their face. It will increase turnout against them & they will still lose their majority.

As of right now, Republican efforts to redistrict have been put on hold in South Carolina, Louisiana, & Alabama. If anything changes on that front, I’ll be sure to bring you an update.

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Additional stories I wanted to share:

Alabama Federal Court Judge has blocked a Republican map to eliminate one of two majority-Black districts in the state

A panel of federal judges on Monday blocked Alabama from using congressional district maps that would dilute the votes of Black people in the 2026 midterm elections.

The ruling in U.S. District Court in Birmingham, Alabama, which found that the maps “intentionally discriminated based on race,” sets the stage for the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether the maps, which were first proposed in 2023, can be used by Alabama this year.

Protestors in Greenland were outside the U.S. embassy chanting “Go Home USA.” - Hundreds of Greenlanders gathered outside a new American consulate in the capital Nuuk on Friday to protest against Donald Trump’s ambition for greater influence over the island. The protest capped a week in which the US president’s special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, made his first trip to the territory, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark. “Our government already told Donald Trump and his administration that Greenland is not for sale,” said Aqqalukkuluk Fontain, who organised the protest. Reported by the BBC
Hundreds of ICE detainees in New Jersey start hunger strike to protest inhumane conditions inside the facility - “The conditions are brutal,” said Selenia Destefani, a managing attorney and CEO of Nova Law Group, which represents people in the facility. “People just sleep on the floor – overcrowded rooms, cold showers, no food, extremely cold in the cells with no blankets. Not sound conditions to live in.” Detainees with medical conditions like cancer and diabetes can’t access medical care, said Alex Minogue, another attorney at Nova Law Group. Reported by CNN
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon killed at least 31 people on Tuesday, including 4 children and 3 women, while wounding 40 others - Fourteen people were killed in Burj al-Shamali near the southern city of Tyre, home to a Palestinian refugee camp, Lebanese authorities said. Israel carried out more than 180 strikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Tuesday, local media accounts report, despite the U.S.-brokered “ceasefire.” - Reported by Drop Site News
Kamala Harris is calling for an “expanded playbook” to strengthen democracy — including discussing Electoral College reform, Supreme Court expansion, rules for SCOTUS including consequences for lying to the Senate, multi-member districts, and D.C./Puerto Rico statehood:
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who supports this newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber
We only need 5 more people to sign up, to hit our monthly goal of 10 new paid subscribers! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂
Independent Thought is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Until next time,

Desmond

Hispanic Voters Now Favor Democrats By 34 Points! A 38 Point Swing From Last Poll

Independent Thought — Tue, 26 May 2026 02:24:46 GMT

The last 16 months have been like a nightmare here in America:

Elon raiding our treasury & DOGE cuts
ICE terrorizing our streets & disappearing people into detention centers
Government programs being slashed into hell
Corporate media sanewashing Trump
A “big bullshit bill” gutting Medicare & Medicaid
Bombing or threating to attack 10 different countries
An illegal war that has spiked gas prices
Government corruption on a daily basis
Stealing Democratic districts from Congress

It’s been an endless barrage of bad news since the criminal in the White House assumed power for the 2nd time.

However, the news isn’t all bad. The polling coming out around this country shows Republicans may not be in power that much longer.

We posted previously about how the Democrats now seem favored to recapture the Senate, & that news may now be bolstered by the news today.

According to recent polling from Echelon (a highly rated pollster), the national Hispanic vote has swung DRAMATICALLY away from Republicans.

The last time the same pollster conducted a poll, the Hispanic vote was in favor of Republicans by a +4 margin. Today, that number is now +34 for the Democrats. That’s a 38 point swing. In all my years of covering the news, I haven’t seen too many swings of that size. It’s truly Titanic.

In 2024, Donald Trump took home 42% of the Hispanic vote, which was his highest percentage yet. He got 32% in 2020 & 28% in 2016.

While many Hispanic voters said their recent votes were based on the economy, I have to imagine the economy getting worse (and the Trump regime’s racist ICE policies) will drive them in the other direction this year.

The news doesn’t stop there, recent polls also show Independents have swung dramatically away from the Republicans.

A recent NYT/Sienna poll shows a 28 point swing away from Republicans. As Democrats now hold an 18 point advantage with Independents.

Even in the conservative press, like the Wall Street Journal, Republican support is dropping. The WSJ reports that Republicans who “strongly approve” of Trump’s job performance has dropped from 72% 4 months ago, down to 57% now.

If you’re like me, you’re seeing the endless stream of negative news in our news cycle & you are desperately wanting to see something positive.

You’re not alone in that pursuit. I too want to find the specks of optimism & I’ll try to keep bringing them to you.

Please remember, none of this matters if people stay home for the elections.

Register to vote.

Show up early to vote.

Drag your “I’m just not that political” friends and family members to vote.

Every year the largest block of voters is the “non-voter” & we all know a few. Drag those people to the polls this year.

I’m serious.

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We only need 7 more people to sign up, to hit our monthly goal of 10 new paid subscribers! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂

Until next time,

Desmond

Can DEMOCRATS FLIP MONTANA BLUE This November? Interview With Russell Cleveland

Independent Thought — Fri, 22 May 2026 23:34:45 GMT

First, the best way to watch this interview is through the Substack app. Please download the app to watch if you haven’t already.

Available for iOS and Android

A special thank you to Russell Cleveland for coming on the show yesterday & talking about his candidacy for Montana’s 1st Congressional District.

This was my first time speaking with Russell & I was very impressed by some of his answers.

We have 2 Congressional districts here in Montana, and the western district is only an R+5 district. Very winnable for a Democratic candidate, especially in a wave election cycle.

In 2022, the district went to the Republican winner by just 3 points, a margin of victory by only 7,800 votes.

A wholeheartedly believe that our district is poised to flip this November, so I reached out to the 3 Democratic candidates running in the primary for MT-1.

Even if you don’t live in Montana, please give these interviews a listen, & please consider donating to their campaigns if you can spare it.

Let’s help these candidates flip this seat.

Here are the timestamps for the conversation:

00:00 - Start
1:35 - How Do You Help People Navigate The Frustration Of Living Through Trump's 2nd Term?
2:52 - Would You Vote To Impeach Donald Trump?
4:11 - Would You Vote To Continue The War In Iran?
7:17 - Should The Defense Budget Be Cut?
9:37 - Why Are Democrats Afraid To Advocate For Cutting The Defense Budget?
11:57 - Do You Support Universal Healthcare?
15:53 - Would You Vote To Send More Weapons To Israel?
18:48 - Should The U.S. Continue To Be Allied With Israel?
22:32 - Should Israel Be Sanctioned?
24:27 - How Do We Deal With AI & Data Centers?
29:03 - Should We Pack The Supreme Court?
32:13 - Should We Have Upper Age Limits In Congress?
35:43 - How Can We Help More People Afford Childcare?

Follow Russell Cleveland:
WEBSITE: https://russellcleveland.org/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/cleveland4mt_01/
DONATE: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/clevelandq12026

The primary election in Montana will be held June 2nd.

Thank you , , and many others for tuning into my live video with ! Join me for my next live video in the app.

This is the final interview of my 3 part series. Next post will be back to normal. Thank you to everyone for checking out these episodes.

Until next time,

Desmond

Democrats Poised To Flip Western Montana District - Interview With Ryan Busse

Independent Thought — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:32:11 GMT

First, the best way to watch this interview is through the Substack app. Please download the app to watch if you haven’t already.

Available for iOS and Android

I first came in contact with Ryan Busse in 2024 when he was running for Governor of Montana. A local organizer & friend from Great Falls, Montana, was able to get me in contact with his running mate, which gave me the opportunity to schedule an interview.

2024 was not a good year for Democrats in Montana & Busse lost the election, but I honestly thought he ran a good campaign, it just wasn’t the best election to be a Democrat, especially in a red state.

Now he’s running to serve Montana’s 1st Congressional District, and most polls have him leading the race. In a blue wave year, the Democratic primary winner should be the favorite to flip this seat, and possibly the House this November.

We have 2 Congressional districts here in Montana, and the western district is only an R+5 district. Very winnable for a Democratic candidate, especially in a wave election cycle.

In 2022, the district went to the Republican winner by just 3 points, a margin of victory by only 7,800 votes.

Even if you don’t live in Montana, please give these interviews a listen, & please consider donating to their campaigns if you can spare it.

Let’s help these candidates flip this seat.

Here are the timestamps for the conversation:

00:00 - Start
1:33 - How Do You Help People Navigate The Frustration Of Living Through Trump's 2nd Term?
4:28 - Would You Vote To Impeach Donald Trump?
6:48 - Would You Vote To Continue The War In Iran?
10:23 - Should Democrats Redistrict Blue States To Eliminate Red Districts?
14:01 - Should ICE Officers Be Allowed At Polling Places This November?
18:45 - Should ICE Be Reformed Or Abolished?
19:30 - Would You Vote To Send More Weapons To Israel?
20:57 - Should The U.S. Continue To Be Allied With Israel?
22:54 - Do You Support Universal Healthcare?
27:03 - Should Medical Debt Be Forgiven?
27:31 - Should We Pack The Supreme Court?
29:47 - How Do We Deal With AI & Data Centers?

Follow Ryan Busse:
WEBSITE: https://busseformontana.com/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ryandbusse/
DONATE: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/2601_q1_rb_launch

The primary election in Montana will be held June 2nd.

Thank you , , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with ! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Until next time,

Desmond

Democrats Poised To Flip Western Montana District - Interview With Sam Forstag

Independent Thought — Wed, 20 May 2026 12:31:09 GMT

First, the best way to watch this interview is through the Substack app. Please download the app to watch if you haven’t already.

Available for iOS and Android

I met Sam Forstag late last year, after a friend recommend that I should meet him. We met at a local coffee shop here in Missoula, Montana & he expressed that he was considering running for office.

We sat for about an hour and talked about what was happening in our country, & I told him I’d love to interview him if he decided to run.

Thankfully, we were finally able to connect & I hope y’all enjoy the conversation.

We have 2 Congressional districts here in Montana, and the western district is only an R+5 district. Very winnable for a Democratic candidate, especially in a wave election cycle.

In 2022, the district went to the Republican winner by just 3 points, a margin of victory by only 7,800 votes.

A wholeheartedly believe that our district is poised to flip this November, so I reached out to the 3 Democratic candidates running in the primary for MT-1.

This first conversation is held with Sam Forstag, who has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders & AOC. Later this week, I’ll also be releasing my conversations with the other 2 candidates, Ryan Busse & Russell Cleveland.

Even if you don’t live in Montana, please give these interviews a listen, & please consider donating to their campaigns if you can spare it.

Let’s help these candidates flip this seat.

Here are the timestamps for the conversation:

00:00 - Start
1:41 - How Do You Help People Navigate The Frustration Of Living Through Trump's 2nd Term?
4:51 - Would You Vote To Impeach Donald Trump?
7:23 - Would You Vote To Continue The War In Iran?
10:24 - Would You Vote To Send More Weapons To Israel?
13:04 - Should The U.S. Continue To Be Allied With Israel?
15:16 - Do You Support Universal Healthcare?
17:51 - How Do We Deal With AI & Data Centers?
21:22 - How Do We Finally Go After Billionaires & Their Power Over Our System?
25:23 - What Should The Minimum Wage Be?
26:46 - Should The Democratic Party Move More To The Left Or The Right?
30:36 - Should We Pack The Supreme Court?
32:17 - Economic Representation In Congress

Follow Sam Forstag:
WEBSITE: https://samformontana.com/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/samforstag/
DONATE: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sf-web

The primary election in Montana will be held June 2nd.

Thank you , , and many others for tuning into my live video with ! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Until next time,

Desmond

Maryland Democrats Renew Redistricting Push - Aim To Eliminate All Republican Districts

Independent Thought — Thu, 14 May 2026 02:46:29 GMT

Amidst the news of even more MAGA states are looking to redistrict, it seems some Democrats are FINALLY starting to take this threat seriously.

In my opinion, the response has still been too soft, but I’m pleased to see more Democrats looking to even the odds.

Reported earlier today in Politico, Maryland Democrats are now applying pressure to the Democratic leadership in the state, aiming to create a map that would give Democrats an 8-0 outcome in the state.

The main hang-up seems to be the State Senate leader - Bill Ferguson, who has pissed off many Democrats in the state legislature for blocking the measure so far.

Maryland Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin said this about Ferguson blocking the redistricting measure:

“At this point, the Republicans are literally doing everything in their power to create all Republican congressional delegations in the South and to squeeze out every possible seat.
So if his initial position was that he didn’t want to be part of continuing a downward spiral, that consideration should be gone. At this point, it’s just a question of whether we are going to fight back as best as we can.”

Later on in the article, they mention that with Maryland’s upcoming primary election, it may be too late to change the map for this cycle.

And how some Democrats in the state are “uneasy” about partisan gerrymandering, because of the precedent it sets.

Okay…

Let me start with the good news.

I’m happy that a growing number of Democrats in the state of Maryland are seeing the reality for what it is.

If the Republicans are going through and eliminating Democratic members of Congress throughout the South, the only option remaining is to level the playing field. I’m glad they recognize that, and are trying to implement a plan to level the playing field in their state.

Now, regarding the people who are still hesitant, and this message is also applicable to the Democrats in states like Colorado, Washington, Oregon & other states that could redistrict, but haven’t done so - WTF are you doing?

The Republicans are willing to do WHATEVER it takes to erase Democrats from the government all together, and some of these people are just sitting there talking about “precedents”?

Get real.

This is about survival. Your opponent is willing to bend every rule imaginable to achieve victory, and your response is to what? Watch them take you out, but you claim the moral high ground as you die?

It’s honestly pathetic & another instance of why so many people want to vote out incumbents across the country.

Voters are BEGGING their elected officials to use the limited power they do have to fight back, and too many Democrats keep finding some excuse to do nothing.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - it’s not good enough to just defeat the MAGA fascists. We must also defeat the Democrats that either directly, or indirectly (through inaction), prop up fascism.

We must vote in the primaries & get these people out of the party. If you’re not willing to fight back against this regime, then I’, convinced you won’t fight for anything.

We can find better representation, and we will.

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has called a special session to redraw Georgia’s congressional, state House, and state Senate districts before the 2028 elections

The new maps could net Republicans two U.S. House districts and further entrench GOP power in GA’s General Assembly.

New York is moving to ban law enforcement officers from wearing masks on duty - Under that agreement, state law enforcement will be prohibited from working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on federal immigration efforts. It will also ban ICE from entering schools, healthcare facilities, homes and other sensitive locations without a judicial warrant. “We’re also banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks, ‌except ⁠in rare circumstances where there’s a genuine operational need, like a gas mask,” Governor Kathy Hochul said.
“No members of state, local or federal law enforcement wear masks during ordinary operations,” she said. Reported by Politico
The Army is grappling with a sudden budget crunch and scrambling to slash training costs across broad swaths of the force - The move is to make up for a shortfall of some $4 billion to $6 billion, according to one of the officials, as the service has drastically expanded its operational footprint at home and abroad. The cuts, which range from elite schools to unit-level training. The service’s multibillion-dollar shortfall is the product of a widening set of operational demands and rising costs across the force. Major drivers, a U.S. official noted, have been costs associated with the Iran war and an expanding mission securing the southern U.S. border.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calls out Trump regime for its Epstein war in Iran causing massive inflation -

A classified CIA analysis circulating this week found that Washington’s Gulf allies are split over how much military support to provide for the Trump administration’s war against Iran - The UAE and Bahrain favor continued U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait support negotiations. Oman, the analysis found, opposes the U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports and may be open to joint administration of the Strait of Hormuz with Iran.

Saudi Arabia, the report notes has also moved to constrain U.S. military options, including denying access, basing, and overflight rights for “Project Freedom,” the planned U.S. naval operation to escort commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, despite a personal appeal from President Trump to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Reported by Drop Site News

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who supports this newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber
We only need 6 more people to sign up, to hit our monthly goal of 10 new paid subscribers! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂

Until next time,

Desmond

Final final, thoughts, for those that read till the end…

Republicans are not stopping, they realize how unpopular they are & they want to do everything in their power to hold onto their seats. Why can’t the Democrats match this energy? I’m starting to believe that they don’t care enough…which is why we need to replace them with new Democrats
It’s baffling to me that we even need a law for this in the first place. We truly do not value privacy enough in this country, & too many people are too comfortable with how militarized the police have become
WHERE TF HAS ALL THE MONEY GONE??? These people siphon almost a trillion dollars a year in tax money from us & they still are running out of money? The imperialism budget, is the biggest scam in our country
I wish this man could run for President. In every way that matters, he just gets it. We need thousands more like him, running state and local governments around this country
It’s important to see how divided the coalition is in these gulf states. Some of these countries truly did not think Iran would attack, and do damage the way they did. This has left Trump and Netanyahu in an incredibly weak position. I’m not sure what happens next, but it’s safe to say, Iran is winning the Epstein war.

AOC Leads New Poll For 2028 Presidential Primary - Would You Vote For Her?

Independent Thought — Wed, 13 May 2026 02:08:29 GMT

2028 seems like a million years away, but Democrats are preparing now for the Presidential bid announcements starting next spring.

It was the 2020 primary season that started my journey on Independent Thought & I believe this next one will be even more chaotic than the last one.

Last time, with Joe Biden in the race, it felt like most people expected him to eventually take the nomination. Even though he received a substantial challenge from Bernie Sanders & Pete Buttigieg (each winning an early contest), Biden eventually secured the nomination, after a Super Tuesday rout.

This time, even if the previous nominee Kamala Harris joins the race, I don’t think ANY Democrat could claim to be the “favorite” to win the nomination. The race is truly up for grabs, and in my opinion, who we nominate, will be the most important decision made for years to come…

According to the most recent poll by AtlasIntel (an A-rated pollster), here was the breakdown, when asked who you prefer for the Democratic nominee in 2028:

🔵 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: 26% (+10)
🔵 Pete Buttigieg: 22% (+7)
🔵 Gavin Newsom: 21% (-14)
🔵 Kamala Harris: 13% (+5)
🔵 Andy Beshear: 4%
🔵 Cory Booker: 4%
🔵 Josh Shapiro: 2%

If I were voting in the 2028 Democratic Primaries right now, I would be leaning towards AOC or Ro Khanna (based on who I think will be running in 2028). Time will tell who actually announces, and who might vault into popularity even more so over the next year.

Democrats will start making their announcements next March & April, so we won’t have to wait too long to see the field.

Who would you vote for in a 2028 Democratic Primary? Someone on this list? Someone not on list? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Leave a comment

Other notable mentions from this poll

Republicans were also asked who they were considering for their nominee, and this is their top 3:

🔴 Rubio: 45% (+22)
🔴 Vance: 30% (-17)
🔴 DeSantis: 11% (-2)

Secretary of State - Marco Rubio

Everyone on the poll was asked which party they preferred overall:

🔵 Democrats 55% (+15)
🔴 Republicans 40%

🔵 Biggest lead for Democrats

🟤 Trump approval: -20

Everyone was asked who they trusted more to handle each of these issues. The blue circles represent Democrats:

🔵Education +21

🔵Healthcare +20

🔵Employment +17
🔵Inflation +15
🔵Trade policy +13
🔵Immigration +9
🔵Taxes +8
🔵Defense +7
🔵Crime +3

Donald Trump’s Presidency has shattered national perception of the Republican Party & it only continues to get worse every day.

Please share this post on Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, or text it to a friend

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who supports this newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber
We only need 7 more people to sign up, to hit our monthly goal of 10 new paid subscribers! If you’re able to sign up & support this account, I cannot thank you enough.
A monthly subscription costs about the same as a cup of coffee 🙂

Until next time,

Desmond

80% Of Americans Support Age Limits For Members Of Congress - It's Time To Make That A Law

Independent Thought — Tue, 12 May 2026 01:12:25 GMT

A new NPR/PBS poll found that Americans across political lines have found something in common - their desire to put a cap on how old you can be as a member of Congress.

The poll was conducted between April 27th through April 30th, showing 78% of Democrats in favor of age limits, while 83% of Republicans also saying they supported age limits.

Independent journalism only survives because of the support of its readers. If you want to support this newsletter, please sign up as a paid subscriber today

NPR published the poll 5 days ago, and here’s a few quick points from it I wanted to share:

The poll found that there are minimal differences when comparing generations — older voters were just as likely to support age caps and term limits as younger voters.
Many top leaders are in their 70s, 80s and 90s. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for example, is 75. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, is 92.
The current Congress is now the third oldest in U.S. history, and has seen five members die since last March. Each was 65 or older.

Currently, if you want to be a member of the House, you have to be at least 25 years old.

If you want to be a member of the Senate, you have to be at least 30 years old.

If you want to be the President, you have to be at least 35 years old.

We’ve always accepted these lower age limits under the belief that younger people, in general, need to be older before assuming the responsibilities of the position.

However, when we talk about upper age limits, for some reason it’s met with arguments rooted in discrimination, but should it?

I personally believe we need upper age limits in Congress, The Supreme Court, and for the President.

What are your thoughts?

Please comment below & let me know where you fall on this. If you think there should be an upper age limit, what should the age be?

Leave a comment

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Major oil company - Shell - reports nearly $7 billion profit amid higher gas prices

Shell reported huge profits following the surge in oil prices prompted by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. The earnings were more than double the previous quarter’s.

The company, based in London, said Thursday that its adjusted profit soared 24%, to $6.92 billion, in the first three months of the year from the same time last year.

Shell is not the only major European oil producer to report increased profits. The strong returns have renewed calls for a windfall tax on oil profits, similar to the response when oil companies benefited from higher energy prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

ICE has hired a third-party private security company previously accused of torture to track down undocumented children across the U.S. - US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded a contract to a private security company that has faced accusations of “torture” and “enforced disappearance” to assist in tracking down undocumented immigrant children who arrived in the US alone, a contracting document shows. internal ICE document reviewed by the Guardian last year shows ICE actually runs the operations with the aim of deporting the children or pursuing criminal cases against them – or their adult sponsors sheltering them legally in the US. A critic at the time called ICE’s efforts “backdoor family separation”. Reported by the Guardian
Kamala Harris expresses support for the DNC to release its autopsy report of the 2024 campaign - Former Vice President Kamala Harris has told donors she supports releasing the Democratic National Committee’s unreleased review of the party’s 2024 election loss as she weighs another presidential run in 2028, according to NBC News. ⁠
⁠
Harris reportedly did not know DNC Chair Ken Martin had decided not to release the report and has not discussed the issue with him directly. ⁠
⁠
The debate over the postmortem has become a source of tension inside the Democratic Party as leaders continue to debate what caused President Donald Trump’s victory in 2024.⁠
⁠
New 2028 Presidential polling shows Kamala Harris with a commanding lead
New Testimonies From Gaza Prisoners Detail Systematic Torture in Israeli Detention - Palestinian prisoner rights organizations published new testimonies Monday from Gaza detainees held in Israel’s Naqab and Ramla prisons, describing systematic torture, deliberate starvation, and denial of medical care.

Detainees in the Rakvit section of Ramla described daily beatings, guards deliberately breaking fingers as punishment, restraints tightened to cut off blood circulation, and being forced to sit on metal bed frames from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. after mattresses are confiscated.

One prisoner lost feeling in both feet from beatings. Another was taken to the prison clinic after torture caused liver damage requiring surgery. Detainees are barred from praying, denied toothbrushes, and share one tissue roll among four people every two days.

In Naqab prison, detainees said they have been rationing food for eight months — describing portions insufficient for a child. Widespread scabies infections persist with no treatment. Guards fire rubber bullets randomly inside sections; one prisoner was hit three times in his left foot.

The Prisoner’s Club and Commission of Detainees Affairs said 1,283 Gaza detainees are held under the “unlawful combatant” classification — without charge — shielding their detention from any international oversight. Reported by Drop Site News
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Final note

I made a couple new shirts and added them to my merch store last night. There’s now 14 shirts on the store, so please go check them out!

https://independent-thought-shop.fourthwall.com/

Until next time,

Desmond

Final final, thoughts, for those that read till the end…

It’s a subject I haven’t talked about for a while now, but what we’re seeing with gas prices is just another instance of corporate price gouging. These corporations have the “excuse” to raise their prices, so they do, knowing they can get away with it. Until we have politicians that stand up to the corporate elite, this is never going to change
It’s been a little while since I posted about ICE, so it felt important to share information about them. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again - the next Democratic government must ABOLISH ICE. You cannot “reform” a lawless agency like that
I agree with Vice President Harris. And this really shows the cowardice of the DNC. If even Kamala Harris is asking for the release of this report, how could they keep this a secret from the public?
Speaking of Kamala Harris…she is going to run again. I’m not sure why so many people don’t believe that, but they should. Name recognition is the strongest ally in a national race & no one has more of it than she does right now. I’d be shocked of she didn’t run, and if she does, she will definitely start off in the lead
Having a platform, feels like a responsibility to me. One that I take very seriously. I cannot in good conscience not share what Israel is doing in the Middle East, knowing full well, that it’s American support that allows them to operate with impunity. One of the MAJOR reasons they are able to do so, is because almost every media outlet refuses to publish the stories on the ground in that area. I’m so thankful for Drop Site News, being the one place who continues to share these stories. The least I can do, is help amplify them on my platform, so that’s what I’ll do. Americans should know EXCATLY what Israel is doing under our protection, and we should think about these stories when our politicians profess their support for this state

Independent Thought

Zohran Mamdani-Backed Candidates Sweep New York Primaries & Oust Incumbents

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Final Note

Democrat Josh Turek Poised To Flip Senate Seat In Iowa & Could Ultimately Flip Senate Control To Democrats

Additional stories I wanted to share:

President Obama Takes Multiple Shots At Trump During Ceremony Speech

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Donald Trump's "Peace Deal" To End Iran War Is Likely To Fall Apart

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Final Note

J.D. Vance Now Connected In Epstein Cover Up - Please Share This Everywhere

In Order For Americans To Have Universal Healthcare - We Must Remove Politicians That Stand In The Way

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Donald Trump CRASHES OUT When Journalist Won't Accept His Lies About "Election Fraud"

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Trump's Voter Suppression Bill FAILS Again In The Senate

Our last post was shared outside of Substack 16 times. Can we make it 20 this time?

House Democrats Pass Bill To Block Trump From Continuing Epstein War In Iran

Our last post was shared outside of Substack 18 times. Can we make it 20 this time?

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Final Note

Bernie Sanders Introduces Bill That Gives Public 50% Profit From AI Companies

Additional stories I wanted to share:

For America To Move Forward - The Criminals Of The Trump Regime Must Be Prosecuted

Additional stories I wanted to share:

California To Impose 100% Tax On Trump's January 6th Slush Fund

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Republican Redistricting Effort In South Carolina Is DEFEATED - Major Blow To MAGA Agenda

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Hispanic Voters Now Favor Democrats By 34 Points! A 38 Point Swing From Last Poll

Can DEMOCRATS FLIP MONTANA BLUE This November? Interview With Russell Cleveland

Democrats Poised To Flip Western Montana District - Interview With Ryan Busse

Democrats Poised To Flip Western Montana District - Interview With Sam Forstag

Maryland Democrats Renew Redistricting Push - Aim To Eliminate All Republican Districts

Additional stories I wanted to share:

AOC Leads New Poll For 2028 Presidential Primary - Would You Vote For Her?

Other notable mentions from this poll

80% Of Americans Support Age Limits For Members Of Congress - It's Time To Make That A Law

Additional stories I wanted to share:

Final note