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.

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

Additional stories I wanted to share:

1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

   

   

5. 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

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.

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

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

Get more from Independent Thought in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

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

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

Get more from Independent Thought in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

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

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

Get more from Independent Thought in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

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

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.

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

Share

Additional stories I wanted to share:

1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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.

4. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calls out Trump regime for its Epstein war in Iran causing massive inflation -

   

5. 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…

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

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)

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

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.

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:

1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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.​​​⁠
   ⁠

4. New 2028 Presidential polling shows Kamala Harris with a commanding lead

   

5. 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

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

   Share

   Independent Thought is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

   ---

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…

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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?

4. 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

5. 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

Let me start off by saying - THIS IS THE ENERGY WE NEED MORE OF.

The Democratic Party has been constantly losing to an unpopular cult, because they lack the spine necessary to defeat them. Meanwhile, Republicans are willing to do whatever it takes to secure their victory.

Just today, Trump announced he will send an “election integrity force” (a private army) to patrol voting stations in all 50 states on Election Day.

The only way forward is to fight fire with fire.

Some Democrats in Virginia are starting to get the message.

Reporting out of the New York Times today said a call was held between House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries & several Virginia Democrats. Where they discussed how they could overturn the Supreme Court ruling in Virginia.

For those who aren’t familiar with the story - Virginia held an election to vote on a new Congressional map in Virginia. The new map would redraw the state’s Congressional districts, that would take the current map which gives Democrats a 6-5 advantage, and change it to a 10-1 advantage for Democrats.

We covered that in this post below

Then, the Virginia Supreme Court stepped in and said the map is “unconstitutional”, completely invalidating the results of the election, which would’ve enabled this change.

Here’s the plan that was brought up today as an “option” to be considered.

1. Lower the mandatory retirement age for justices from 75 to 54 (or less). That would remove every justice on the court. The Democratic majority in the legislature can then appoint 7 new justices.

2. Democrats would then be able to redraw the map.

Let me start off by saying that I hate that this is what our politics has come to, but this has to be done.

As of now, the formal plan has been put into place to go through with this, but it’s being “considered”.

I’m here to say that it can’t be just “considered”, it must be enacted.

We’re all watching Donald Trump wreak havoc on our country the last year and a half & now he’s having red states redraw their maps to steal the 2026 midterm elections.

Refusing to fight back with the little power you have is not only cowardly, it’s aiding in the destruction Trump is causing.

Democrats constantly talk about not having power in the current government. Well he’s an example of a scenario where they could wield power & fight back, and they’re not sure if they want to use it?

People.

This is why I continue to say same thing over and over again in these posts - defeating MAGA isn’t good enough, we must also root out Democrats that enable fascism, directly, or indirectly through inaction.

I hope they go through with this plan.

If they don’t, we need to start voting out these incumbents that leave options for fighting back on the table, while they watch our country burn.

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

Please help us 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

Only 1 Democrat has been able to win a Senate seat in Alaska since 1970, recent polling shows Mary Peltola in poised to be the next to do so.

For those who don’t know, Mary Peltola won statewide in 2022 twice, in the state’s lone Congressional election. Like other small states in our country, Alaska only has one member of Congress, which like the Senate races, requires you to win the entire state.

Peltola was defeated when she ran for re-election in 2024, but it was by a 51-49 margin, in what turned out to be a wave Republican election.

Now the polls have dramatically shifted against the Republicans nationally, as the 2nd Trump term has brought his approval to an all-time low, Republicans are fearing the worst for this year’s midterms (as evidenced by all of their changing of the maps in the South).

On top of this, Alaska is one of the few states that has implemented Ranked Choice Voting statewide, giving a more favorable edge to candidates that appeal to a broad range of voters.

With the Democrats needing 4 pick ups to flip the Senate back in their favor, winning Alaska would be a huge blow to MAGA control.

Several polls have been conducted in the state so far this year, and every time a poll has been conducted, the number increases in favor of Peltola

Below is a current projection of the Senate map.

The states that are greyed out, do not have a Senate election this year.

The one’s that are filled in with red or blue already, are the current projections of how pollsters believe that states will fall in November.

The tan ones, are tossup states. Those are the ones to focus on for this conversation.

Because the Republicans still control the White House, Democrats would need to get to 51, in order to control the Senate. Something most pollsters thought would be impossible 6 months ago.

However, with the release of the Epstein files, rising gas prices, rampant inflation, ICE terrorizing our communities, and on and on…The Senate is now back in play for the Democrats.

Democrats would need to win 5 of the 6 tan states in order to take control of the Senate.

Currently, 5 of these 6 states are being held by Republicans, with the lone exception being the Democrat Jon Ossoff holding the state of Georgia.

Georgia

• Democrat Jon Ossoff currently has a strong polling lead against each of his potential opponents. Ossoff seems to be in the strongest position to win in November

North Carolina

• Roy Cooper, who is the former Governor, has been consistently polling high months now. It seems likely that North Carolina flips to the Democrats in November

Maine

• Graham Platner is the presumptive nominee, after Governor Janet Mills dropped out of the race. Several polls have Platner ahead of incumbent Susan Collins & I believe this seat will flip to Democrats in November

Alaska

• Given the information I’ve seen & thinking of the national landscape, I do believe Alaska will flip this November, with Mary Peltola securing a huge victory for the Democrats.

That just leaves Ohio & Texas. Democrats would need to win 1 of those 2 races in order to take the chamber.

Now, both Democratic candidates, Talarico & Brown, are leading in the polling thus far…but I am skeptical for the moment. Polling in Ohio and Texas has been inconsistent in the past, so I need to see more data over the next 2-3 months before I’m convinced.

I do believe the Democrats can win one, or both, of those races, but it honestly depends on how the rest of this year goes.

One thing is for sure, winning Alaska would be a huge blow to Donald Trump & right now, I do believe it will happen.

Share

Republicans trying to steal the House in 2026

Like many of you, I’ve been following the news this week, as we’ve seen Republicans steal voting power from the Black community all across the South.

Adding insult to injury, was the Virginia State Supreme Court’s decision to nullify the election results of their voting referendum.

When I saw that news earlier today I honestly wanted to scream. It feels more and more like the public will be pushed to the brink if these things keep happening.

I wanted to come onto hear and furiously type out my anger with this country, & the hopelessness I feel towards our situation sometimes, but instead I decided to go a different way.

I wanted to find a story that gives people something positive to cling onto, because the truth is, the moves you’re seeing from MAGA is a direct result of being afraid.

They know their time is almost over & they are DESPERATELY clinging to power. These moves come from tyrants who fear the public turning on them.

I’m sure this isn’t the last thing we will see from the GOP regarding the election in November, but I can guarantee you one thing…

Whenever we take control away from MAGA, we have to radically change our system, so this can never happen again.

In order for that to happen, we need Democrats who will actually fight fascism, not cozy up to it, or not meet these moments with the intensity they deserve.

Vote in your primaries everyone. Vote out the incumbents that have been silent, or worse, helping the MAGA agenda.

We need to get the right Democrats in office, so we stand a chance in removing the fascist Republicans.

Until next time,

Desmond

Congressman Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) is introducing a constitutional amendment to establish term limits for Supreme Court Justices.

The ROBE Act would establish 18-year term limits for justices.

Here’s Congressman Olszewski quote on the amendment:

“Faith in the Court depends on its legitimacy as a fair and independent institution,” Congressman Olszewski said.

“Recent rulings that have thrown out decades of legal precedent, combined with ethically dubious behavior by sitting judges, are testing that faith.

Justices should not be hobnobbing at White House dinners and flying on the private jets of friends who have business before the Court.

By establishing term limits, we can reduce the political gamesmanship surrounding appointments, restore balance to the process, and strengthen the integrity of the Court.”

When interviewed about the ROBE Act, Congressman Olszewski also argued that retirement decisions have increasingly become more strategic and are often aligned with the political preferences of the sitting president.

Additionally, he said the confirmation process has been reshaped, as presidents are incentivized to nominate younger, more ideologically predictable candidates to secure long-term influence over the court.

Reported by - Fox Baltimore

It’s obvious to mostly everyone that the current system of a lifetime appointment for the Supreme Court, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

The corruption on blatant display, the immense power the Court has, & no real ability to check their authority, has left everyone begging for SOMETHING to be done.

The Supreme Court having terms, just like the President & members of Congress, just seems like an obvious reform that should’ve been in place in years ago.

I would go a step further, and say that the Supreme Court members should be elected nationally. I’ve brought this up in the past to my Instagram audience, and some have replied that it would further “politicize” the Court.

My response to that is we already elect judges at the state and local levels, I honestly don’t see the difference. I think we should elect these people too.

They have too much power, for the people not to have a say in the discussion.

What are your thoughts on this?

Do you think 18 years is a long enough term?

Too long?

Do we need additional reforms?

Do you agree with me that the Supreme Court Justices should be elected nationally?

Please hit the orange comment button & tell me your thoughts

Leave a comment

✨ Today’s Small Business Spotlight:

Lunar Spark Shop

Lunar Spark Shop specializes in crafting non-toxic candles made with 100% pure beeswax. If you’re looking for gifts (or something for yourself) that feel intentional, soothing, and made with real care, you’ll want to check out Lunar Spark Shop, a small business crafting non-toxic, 100% pure beeswax candles, each infused with intention and stunning natural elements.

Each is made with intention and the aromas are a delight to the senses. You can also find ethically curated crystals in her shop, natural skin care items, and magical decor.

Lunar Spark Shop also carries ethically curated crystals, perfect for healing practices or just as unique decorative pieces that bring beauty into your home.

A few reasons to love them:

• 🌙 100% pure beeswax - no toxins, no junk

• 💜 Ethically sourced crystals

• 📲 Live streams twice a week on Instagram: @lunarstonewolfaz

• 🔮 Every candle is made with intention

• 🌸 Aromas designed to calm the senses

  You can find her shop on Etsy @lunarsparkshop and save 10% using the code BEEHAPPY.

Keeping this one nice and short today, after our last newsletter ran a bit longer.

Until next time,

Desmond

Democratic Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley took to social media today to advocate for expanding the Supreme Court.

She also said The Supreme Court should have term limits, a binding code of ethics & that we need to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

Yesterday, I argued that we need more Democrats to stand up and call for an expansion of the Court. Further down in the article, I said Democrats need to start being more aggressive, or should be primaried & replaced.

Not only has Ayanna Pressley come forward to take this position, she was also one of only 12 Democrats in the House to call for ICE to be dismantled. Something I covered back in February.

It’s not just gutting the Civil Rights Act, or abolishing Roe; now Trump’s Supreme Court is poised to allow a nationwide ban on mifepristone, even impacting states where pre-Roe abortion laws remain intact.

I’m calling on all Democrats to join Representative Pressley & push for Supreme Court expansion.

We cannot allow Trump’s Court to stay intact.

I also want to give a shoutout to Representative Jasmine Crockett, who also has called for an expansion of the Supreme Court.

Share

Additional stories I wanted to share:

1. Maryland this week becomes first state to prohibit grocery stores and third-party delivery services like DoorDash from using consumer data to boost prices - Maryland’s law bans grocers and third-party delivery services from using a person’s personal data to set higher prices. When engaging in surveillance pricing, stores rapidly change the cost of products based on consumer data, including their location, internet search history and demographics. That means buyers are paying different prices for the same items purchased around the same time. Critics of this method – also known as dynamic pricing – say that in doing so, businesses are effectively charging each person the most that they’re willing to pay. Reported by the Guardian

2. The share of Americans who say their financial situation is getting worse is higher now than at any point in the past 25 years, per new Gallup data

3. U.S. State Department is finalizing plans to put Trump’s face on U.S. passports - The State Department said Tuesday that it is preparing a limited release of commemorative U.S. passports celebrating America's 250th birthday that feature a picture of President Donald Trump, who would be the first living president to be featured in the travel document.

   

4. Alex Jones signs off at InfoWars for final broadcast - Alex Jones ended his final InfoWars broadcast Thursday after the platform shut down amid a legal fight over its assets and a proposed takeover by The Onion. A court-appointed receiver stopped paying operating costs, forcing the Austin studio to close as courts handle liquidation tied to more than $1 billion owed to Sandy Hook families.⁠ Reported by Ground News

   

5. Israeli soldiers told Haaretz their operations in southern Lebanon are focused on systematically leveling all buildings in villages, not just targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, as claimed - The army’s plan, dubbed “Operation Silver Plow,” reportedly assigns units quotas for homes destroyed, with contractors paid per building destroyed. They must report “how many homes [they] destroyed” each day, a soldier said. Troops are ordered to guard them under drone threat: “We stand there, exposed… There’s no logic to this.”
   
   “The only mission is to continue the destruction,” one officer said. Another added: “It isn’t terrorist infrastructure; we’re destroying everything.”
   
   Since March 2, Israel’s offensive has killed at least 2618 people and displaced over 1.6 million. Despite a ceasefire extended to May 17, daily airstrikes and demolitions continue.

Final Note
⁠

1. Regarding our main story for today - after taking time to declare yesterday that we need to expand the Court, I thought it was important to highlight the people who are also calling for this. More so, as I’m CONSISTENTLY calling for the Democratic Party to be completely overturned, I feel like it’s also my responsibility to let you all know when there is a Democrat who I believe is a fighter, and should remain in the Party.

2. The dynamic pricing we’re seeing corporations employ of us is genuinely scary to me. I strongly believe we need a ban on this practice nationwide.

3. I posted that graph, because I think it’s important for people to know how upset everyone is, and that you’re not alone in struggling in this economy.

4. I don’t know that I have a particularly great reason for sharing the passport news, other than it pissed me off, and I had to share it for that reason.

5. I shared the InfoWars news, because we all deserved to see terrible people finally get some Karma.

6. Lastly, I spend a lot of time online seeing the horrific details of what Israel is doing in Gaza & Lebanon. And frankly, I don’t feel comfortable seeing those images and videos everyday & not sharing at least some of this information with you. We desperately need to break ties with Israel. The United States should not be funding a country that commits the atrocities I’ve seen them carry out.

Until next time,

Desmond

Allow me to start with my most important declaration of this article - Democrats MUST pack the Supreme Court when they retake power.

For too long, we’ve been playing civility politics with an opposition that wants to completely dismantle our civil rights.

I’ve had enough & I know many of you have had enough too.

As many of you already know, yesterday the Supreme Court further weakened the Civil Rights Act of 1965, the decision targeted “race-based redistricting”. This has now triggered the state of Louisiana to redraw their Congressional maps, to eliminate another Democratic held district in the South.

Following that news, Louisiana suspended their May 16th primary election (which had already begun) & now will look to erase the Black-majority districts in the state.

This also comes one day after the state of Florida passed legislation to erase 4 Democratic held seats.

I just want to pose a simple question to the Democratic Party that claims to “represent” us - at what point are you going to say “enough is enough”.

We’re tired of half-measures.

We’re tired of allowing the party allowing rogue members like Fetterman, Manchin, or Sinema block legislation that could benefit this country.

We’re tired of the filibuster standing in the way of getting most of these solutions enacted…even President Obama has called for the abolition of the filibuster.

We’re tired of watching the Republican Party use every lever of power available to them to dismantle this country, only to watch you retake power & not even use half of your power to restore the damage done.

Right now, the voters have to overwhelm the polls, to get this fascist regime out of power.

Including the state level.

If you live in a red or purple state, please show up.

When Democrats do take power once again, we HAVE to have a more aggressive mindset towards undoing the damage the GOP has caused.

They must:

• Abolish the filibuster, so Republicans cannot block the legislation passed

• Pass voting rights that should’ve been passed during Biden’s term

• Pack the Supreme Court

• Reinstate Roe

• End Citizen’s United

• Enact universal healthcare

• Tax the f*ck out of the billionaires

• Abolish ICE

• Pass legislation that protects LGBTQ folks, especially the Trans community that has been ruthlessly attacked under this administration. Shout out to who has been relentless in reporting on these stories

• Dismantle every ICE detention camp

• Invest in Green energy

• Regulate AI

• And of course - stop sending money to Israel, completely break ties with Israel, & stop these damn wars

I’m sure more should be added to this list, so please comment below what you think should be added.

Leave a comment

The point of my rant today is that I believe Democrats have underestimated Republicans in the past. The either didn’t believe, or didn’t want to believe that they would attack every institution the way they have.

And even when some of that evidence piled up, we saw Democrats in power refuse to be aggressive, conveniently always finding some reason to not pursue the things we need & that they promised they would do.

We CANNOT allow this to continue anymore.

The Republicans will alter this system so dramatically, that it may be impossible to remove them from power again, if massive change does not occur soon.

Which is why I will continue to say the same thing over and over again:

It’s not good enough to defeat the fascist MAGA movement. We must allow completely turn of the Democratic Party, that allows MAGA to exist in the first place.

We need to elect Democrats that will fight MAGA. That aren’t afraid to be aggressive. They do believe in helping working people, not just protecting billionaire profits.

Too many Democrats have not risen to this moment, and they must be replaced with fighters that are ready to do what’s necessary.

Please vote in your primary elections. There’s still 45 more states whose elections haven’t ended yet.

Please share this article on Facebook & encourage others to vote.

Share

Lastly, we haven’t forgotten about the Epstein Files, please be sure to share these stories & keep the pressure on.

Until next time,

Desmond

CNN has released devastating polling for Donald Trump. At this point, in any Presidential term in American history, not one has ever had a lower approval rating on the economy than Donald Trump does right now.

At a -32 rating on the economy, Donald Trump stands alone as the most hated President regarding their handling of the economy.

And it’s not just the economy that people are upset about.

• Healthcare

• Endless war

• ICE

• Civil rights

• AI

• Mass surveillance

• Endless corruption

It’s not just Democrats who find themselves upset with Donald Trump. He is currently underwater with Independent at -44. Even his support with Republicans has fallen from over a 90% approval rating, down to 68% in recent polls.

Now, I don’t think Republicans would ever vote for Democrats in an election, but their unsatisfaction with Trump, just might lead them to stay at home on election day.

For all of us, it’s no secret why Trump is unpopular. I feel pretty sure that if you’re reading this newsletter, it’s because you cannot stand Donald Trump & the entire MAGA movement.

With that being said, this is a very important development. Because whether these Independents & Republicans flip their vote, or more likely, stay home on election day, that’s good news for us.

The coalition behind Trump is beginning to crack & it’s a welcome sign as far as I’m concerned. Sure, there will always be a solid 20% of the country that will vote for him no matter what, but even peeling off a chunk of his support, will be enough to flip Congress out of his control this November.

What are your thoughts on his shrinking approval? Please share your thoughts below

Leave a comment

The White House Correspondence Dinner Shooting

As most of you are already aware, there was an attempted shooting this weekend at the White House Correspondence Dinner. It’s the 3rd time Donald Trump has found himself in proximity to an apparent assassination.

First, let me put my cards on the table…

After the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in 2024, I was quick to come out and say that I thought it was wrong to jump down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole, and call the event staged.

This time, I won’t be saying that…

Is that because I have information you do not? No. However, the lack of security, odd behavior of the cabinet, connections the alleged shooter has, details of his manifesto, and so many other strange details have me questioning this incident.

Nothing more strange than the wall-to-wall blanketing of social media, by far-right influencers, that THIS is the reason Trump needs his ballroom built.

No focus on the horrific security at the event, no focus on the epidemic of gun violence in America, but that this is why Trump needs a ballroom.

Last point on this story - what does it say about the state of our country, that almost EVERYONE online thinks this was a staged event? Even republicans think this was a staged event.

Additional stories I wanted to share:

1. U.S. special forces soldier involved in Maduro raid charged after winning $409K betting on leaders removal before operation was reported - A U.S. special forces soldier who took part in the operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was arrested Thursday after allegedly betting on Maduro’s removal from office before the raid was announced, a law enforcement source told CBS News.⁠
   ⁠
   Federal investigators believe the soldier placed more than $33,000 in bets on Polymarket within hours of President Donald Trump’s January announcement that Maduro had been captured, the source said. ⁠
   ⁠
   The wagers paid out more than $409,000. Shortly before Trump’s Truth Social post, a Polymarket account placed a $32,537 bet that Maduro would be “out by January 31, 2026.”⁠
   ⁠
   The arrest is reportedly the first of its kind for U.S. authorities.⁠

2. Trump Department Of Justice says it will firing squads, electrocution again for federal executions - The Justice Department said Friday the federal government should allow firing squads, electrocution and gas asphyxiation for executions, citing problems obtaining lethal injection drugs.⁠
   ⁠
   The report follows President Donald Trump’s pledge to resume federal executions. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has authorized prosecutors to seek death sentences against nine people since Trump lifted Joe Biden’s moratorium.⁠
   ⁠
   “Among the actions taken are readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump Administration, expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases,” the department said in a statement.⁠

3. Approval of Congress falls to just 10% - A new Gallup survey shows congressional approval at 10 percent, with 86 percent of respondents saying they disapprove of lawmakers’ performance. ⁠
   ⁠
   The figure sits near the record low of 9 percent recorded in November 2013 after a partial government shutdown, and ties the record high disapproval of 86 percent in February of 2012. ⁠
   ⁠
   The latest data was collected from April 1–15 among 1,001 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of about 4 percentage points.​​​⁠

4. Trump to start denying green cards over anti-Israel views - The Department of Homeland Security has given guidance to immigration officers instructing them to deny green cards to immigrants who burn the U.S. flag, criticize the state of Israel or participate in pro-Palestinian campus protests, The New York Times reports.
   
   According to internal DHS training documents seen by the newspaper, officers are discouraged from granting permanent residency to people with a history of "endorsing, promoting or supporting anti-American views" or "antisemitic terrorism, ideologies or groups." One example of questionable speech provided to officers is social media post that declares, "Stop Israeli Terror in Palestine" and shows the Israeli flag crossed out.
   
   Despite frequent attempts to criminalize flag burning, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is political speech protected by the First Amendment.

5. Maine governor vetoes nation’s first data center moratorium, that was passed bipartisanly through the legislature - Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill Friday that would have created the country’s first state moratorium on data center construction.⁠
   ⁠
   The bill, passed by Maine’s legislature, would have paused data centers above a certain size for more than a year and created a council to help towns review proposed projects. Mills said in a statement that she vetoed it because it did not include an exemption for a project in Jay that she said would bring jobs to a community affected by a mill closure.⁠
   ⁠
   Mills said she plans to issue an executive order creating a council to study data centers’ impact. “I believe it necessary and important to examine and plan for the potential impacts of large-scale data centers in Maine, as the use of artificial intelligence becomes more widespread. Given the serious conversations about data centers here and around the country, I believe this work should commence without delay,” she said in the statement. ⁠

Until next time,

Desmond

P.S. for those of you who always read until the end - thank you. Also, I’m looking for new shirt ideas. So if you have a cool saying, slogan, or anything that you think would make for a cool shirt — send me an email & let me know your thoughts!
⁠

1. Let’s talk about exactly what Bernie said

2. Why this is important

3. My feelings on Israel

For years, many critics of Senator Bernie Sanders have leveled criticisms at him for not referring to Israel’s actions in Gaza, as a “genocide”.

Bernie Sanders is a Jewish man, who had family that died in the Holocaust, so using the word “genocide”, was something he didn’t feel comfortable doing in throughout the year of 2024. While the world was witnessing the horrors of the daily videos coming out of Gaza.

I have to confess, I too lost faith in Bernie during that time. It has been abundantly clear since October 2023, that war crimes were being committed in Gaza. Under the Leahy Law here in America, we are not supposed to be sending weapons to ANY NATION that violates international law.

That’s law has been ignored by both President Biden & Trump, while your taxpayer money has been siphoned, to send bombs to Israel.

More recently, the Senator has not only changed his original position, and now refers to the actions of the Israeli Government in Gaza as a genocide, but he has also called for an end to military aid to Israel.

This conversation has been escalating recently, with now many Democratic members of Congress calling for restrictions to Israeli aid.

Whether this is from the Democrats finally growing a spine, or realizing that approximately 80% of the Democratic electorate has a negative view of Israel, isn’t particular relevant to me, I’m just glad that it’s finally happening.

Unfortunately, 7 Democrats in the Senate seem to still be in favor of sending bombs to Israel. That’s a story we covered last week. In case you missed it, here is the post below:

Let me be clear about something - this has been a MASSIVE big deal. Seeing the Democratic Party start to shift away from Israel is huge & I hope to see the trend continue.

Even more centrist figures like Rahm Emanuel, has recently joined the call to stop sending aid to Israel.

Please share this post on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, or email it to a friend.

Share

My Opinion On Israel

For those who are either newer to the newsletter, or just haven’t read my opinions on Israel in the past, I would like to take a moment to express them.

Prior to October 7th, Israel/Palestine was a subject I always stayed away from with my work on Independent Thought. Truthfully, the subject always intimidated me & I felt apprehensive about speaking on the subject. Reflecting on that, allowed me to realize that it had always appeared as a “controversial” issue from the outside, I had convinced myself it would probably be too complicated to understand.

At the time of October 7th, I was doing a YouTube show called “The Left Wing”, & I knew my cohosts would want to talk about what was happening. It felt like I was finally being forced to learn about the subject I had avoided for years.

Within 1 day, yes, 1 day…it was VERY clear who were the oppressed & who were the oppressors in this dynamic. Learning about the Nakba, about the living conditions the Palestinian people had to endure, different sets of laws, constantly having their land taken - Gaza was referred to by many as the “largest open-air prison on the planet”.

The stories were horrifying. I could not believe I went 33 years into my life without knowing ANY of this.

And obviously, everything that has followed since October 2023, has been on display for the entire world to see.

Israel tries to justify their violence, because of the vicious attacks by Hamas on October 7th.

I, in no way, will ever justify the killing of innocent civilians. And if the Israeli military was just going after Hamas, this would’ve always been a different story. Yet that isn’t what has happened.

Collective punishment is a violation of international law for a reason. It states that you cannot go after a population of people, for the crimes of a group amongst them.

That’s exactly what Israel has done.

They’ve leveled Gaza. It looks like a demolition site. And its people have had to live in terror, every moment of every day, for 2 1/2 years now.

Yes, all aid to Israel should be cut off. They are a rogue state, that routinely violates international law, and murders people everyday.

I will never support my tax money going to their regime of terror, and I will not support a politician who advocates for them to receive our money either.

What are your thoughts on this story? Please comment below and share your thoughts

Leave a comment

Until next time,

Desmond

Republicans were already terrified about their chances this November with how unpopular Donald Trump’s 2nd term has been, but this might send that panic into hysteria.

This all started with the state of Texas, doing a mid-decade congressional redistricting. Texas wanted to take their 25-13 advantage & hopefully turn it into a 30-8 advantage.

Texas redrew the maps, & now 5 Texas Democrats will no longer be in office come January 2027.

Now, the legality of those maps is still under dispute, but in the meantime, they are place.

In response, both California & now Virginia, have decided to ask the voters of their states, if they should redistrict as well.

Tonight, Virginia has voted to say - YES.

As of right now, the final vote is still being counted, but NBC News & most major outlets, are projecting the amendment will pass in Virginia. This will take the Democrats 6-5 advantage in the state, & probably push it to a 10-1 advantage.

Republicans were already expecting a major blue wave this year, which is evident by the fact that 35 Republicans have already announced their retirements, instead of opting for re-election.

That is an all-time number of retirements by the way…which passed the previous mark before the 2018 midterm elections.

Combine that information with the fact that the House currently stands at:

Republicans - 217

Democrats - 213

4 vacant seats

Republicans barely have a majority to hold onto & with the SAVE Act officially dying in the Senate this week, I think the writing is on the wall.

This is the breakdown of what the new districts would look like going forward

Do you agree with the people of Virginia, or do you think these back and forth redistricting measures is bad for the country?

Please comment below and share your thoughts.

Leave a comment

Final note

I do apologize for the lack of updates over the past few weeks. As of today, this will only be the 9th time I posted this month. I definitely did not mean for that to be the case, but unfortunately a few issues in my life started to require more of my time than I anticipated.

With that being said, I’m going to double my efforts to make sure this newsletter hits your inbox every day over the next week.

There’s a lot of news going on & I want to share my thoughts with you.

See you tomorrow & a special thank you to the people who have been signing up as paid subscribers. It’s my ultimate goal to one day hit 500, which should allow me to do this work full time. As of today, there’s 103 of you. Thank you to everyone who values this work enough to support me on this journey.

Until next time,

Desmond

Brief intro & the list of 7 Democrats underneath

First, let me start with the good. 40 Democrats in the Senate voted to block more bombs being sent to the state of Israel yesterday. That’s a monumental shift from where we were 3 years ago. Almost the entire Democratic Party has now started speaking out against Israel.

This is a welcome development.

For those who are unfamiliar with my stance on Israel (we have a lot of new subscribers this week), I just want to be clear about where I stand.

• I believe Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza & Lebanon

• They are currently stealing the West Bank from the Palestinian people

• They have repeatedly violated international laws (as evidenced by the fact that their Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has an international criminal court arrest warrant)

• They dump millions into our elections every cycle, to ensure members who voted against them are removed from office

• They are directly responsible for blowing up peace talks with Iran, because they want the war to continue

We send billions of American tax dollars to this country every year & they use the money to carry out some of the worst human rights violations I’ve ever seen.

And I want to be clear about something - this isn’t me singling out Israel. If ANY country was doing anything remotely similar, my stance would be the same. Our tax money, support, protection, and DEFINITELY weapons sales, should not be going to countries that carry out genocides, or are directly sponsoring them.

That includes countries like:

• Russia (for the massacre of the Ukrainian people)

• U.A.E (directly funding the genocide in Sudan)

• Saudi Arabia (the genocide of the people of Yemen)

In good conscience, I cannot support someone who has seen what Israel has done & continues to send them more weapons. The only solution is to completely cut ties with Israel.

I thank the 40 Democrats who have heard us & responded with votes to block that sale of weapons to Israel.

Here are the 7 Democrats who still voted to send the bombs:

1. Chuck Schumer - New York

2. Kristen Gillibrand - New York

3. Jacky Rosen - Nevada

4. Catherine Cortez-Masto - Nevada

5. Richard Blumenthal - Connecticut

6. Chris Coons - Delaware

7. John Fetterman - Pennsylvania

If you live in one of these states - you know what to do. If you don’t live in one of those states, you can still support the people challenging them in the primaries.

Whether you live in one of those states or not, please share this information with EVERYONE. Let’s get the word out about Democrats that cannot be trusted.

Defeating the fascists in the Republican Party is not good enough, we must also turn over the Democratic Party & replace them with people who actually represent us.

Share

Final Note

There’s been a bunch of news that I haven’t had the ability to share yet, but will do so in our next post.

There’s updates on:

• Trump

• Zohran Mamdani

• A disturbing CNN article about a “rape academy”

• The Epstein war in Iran

• Plans to attack Cuba?

• Tariff refunds going to corporations

• And more

Be sure to be on the lookout for my next post.

As always, a huge thank you to everyone who supports Independent Thought through a paid membership. I don’t have any corporate or billionaire sponsors of this newsletter, just the few of you who have signed up directly to support me.

If you’d like to support this newsletter, please sign up as a paid subscriber today.

Until next time,

Desmond

Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, who represents California’s 14th District, has officially resigned from Congress today. This is due to 5 different women coming forward in the last week, accusing the Congressman of sexual assault or rape.

Swalwell announced his resignation earlier today with this post:

This comes after a very detailed investigative piece put out by CNN, where several journalists met with each victim & looked over each piece of evidence they had to corroborate their story. You can find the link to the CNN article and my overall view of this story here, in our post from this weekend:

Meanwhile, more accusations from more women are set to drop this week. Apparently, it was an “open secret” in Congress that Swalwell had a “thing” for his young staffers.

To which all I can think of is - why didn’t any of these people say anything?

I’m disgusted by this story & I hope Swalwell stands trial for what he’s done. Our society has allowed stories like this to linger for far too long.

Women don’t feel safe around men in our society, and a large part of that is the ability for men to assault them & consistently face no consequences for that.

I believe the victims of Eric Swalwell, the same way I believe the victims of Donald Trump. That’s why I keep sharing the accusations in the Epstein Files, in the hopes that they will also see justice one day.

Please share these stories on Facebook, Threads, or text them to your friends. Please help get these stories out there.

To support our work, you can sign up as a paid subscriber today

Subscribe now

Until next time,

Desmond

Using AI has become a political debate recently. Some can’t stop using it for literally EVERYTHING. While other refuse to use it for its environmental impacts on the planet.

Regardless of where you fall on that debate, there’s one thing about AI we should all agree on…

It’s taking a heavy toll on the environment & that’s a huge problem for everyone.

The state of Maine has stepped up, as the first state in the union to declare a ban on new data centers. Worries about higher energy prices & environmental impacts caused the block of new data centers from being built until… Please subscribe to continue reading

Read more

I’ve been enraged seeing this debate take place online over the last week, but especially in the last 48 hours. The debate about whether or not to believe that Eric Swalwell, a current Democratic member of Congress & candidate for Governor of California, sexually assaulted and raped 5 different women.

Before I get into some of the gross responses I have seen to this story over the last couple of days (many by women), I want to state when I stand unequivocally for the record - believe the women who have come forward.

I would’ve assumed that after the hearings around Brett Kavanaugh, the allegations against Donald Trump, and the countless claims across the Epstein Files, that we wouldn’t have to say this anymore…

But here we are.

So, before we dive in fully, let’s start with what’s been reported:

Here’s some info from CNN:

A former staffer of Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, says that the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding, an allegation Swalwell strongly denies.

“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman told CNN of the incident, which she said happened in 2024 after she had stopped working in Swalwell’s office. “He didn’t stop.”

She said it was the second time Swalwell had nonconsensual sexual contact with her while she was drunk. In 2019, when she was still working for him, she said she woke up naked with him in a hotel room after a night of heavy drinking. She said she had no memory of what happened but could feel physically that they’d had sexual contact.

Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.

First, I want to say that this CNN article goes into a lot more detail about the encounters that each woman had with Swalwell. A lot of the information is graphic, but if you can handle reading it, I highly suggest.

Please read this article & come back here afterwards.

Click here ➡️ CNN Article

My reaction to the article

First, allow me to say that I’m actually at a loss for words after reading that CNN piece. It’s obvious how much time the CNN journalists spent speaking with each victim, following up with their friends and family, reviewing spending transactions, looking at phone records…

The amount of cataloging is obviously immense for this story.

A story, that I am very sad to say, that even with this excellent reporting, is still being discounted by many online.

But I’ll get back to that in a second…

I cannot imagine what these women went through. The stories of sexual assault and rape are far too common in our society. Why, even tonight as I was sharing some of my feelings about this on Instagram, followers were DM’ing me about their own stories of how they have been assaulted.

Saying simply - believe women.

That’s something, as a man, I’ve been trying to educate myself on - the prevalence of sexual assault in our society.

As a man, sometimes you don’t realize just how prevalent this is in society. I found out just recently, that 3 women who I’m close with have each been sexually assaulted by a man. These are stories that they obviously don’t want to relive, so it makes sense why months or years can go by without speaking about them.

And then there’s the unfortunate nature of people not believing them.

I’ve been floored reading an endless stream of comments like this over the last 48 hours now. So I’ll be clear on my stance - I believe the victims.

• I believed the victims who spoke up about Brett Kavanaugh

• I believed the victims in the Epstein files

• I believe the victims of Eric Swalwell

Too many people have become so overcome with partisan brain-rot, that everything has become a conspiracy in their mind.

But I’ll ask you this - did you read that CNN article? Did that sound like a bunch of made up lies? Frankly, you shouldn’t have to read that to believe these women, but if you still don’t after reading it…I honestly don’t know what to say.

And to those who say - “wait until there’s evidence”

The part that I cannot seem to understand is the disconnect so many people seem to have, when I compare this story, to that of the Epstein Files.

I shared the victim testimony of those in the Epstein Files, back in late January. Here’s the link to that story:

If we are being technical - there is no difference between the evidence of these stories.

What I mean by that is - we are simply taking the word of the victims, over the alleged abuser. There’s no video evidence of these assaults, no financial transactions to speak of that directly tie Trump to these assaults, it’s literally just the testimony of numerous anonymous individuals.

And guess what - I BELIEVE THEM.

So why is it, that when we have similar evidence for Congressman Swalwell, so many people just ‘can’t believe it’?

I want to close this out by saying this - I believe partisanship has rotted the brains of millions of people in this country.

Just because MAGA is a fascist death cult, does not mean that Democratic politicians are incapable of committing crimes. Everything isn’t a conspiracy. Sometimes, people in positions of power, abuse their power, and harm those they believe can’t defend themselves.

The testimony against Congressman Swalwell is horrific. He should drop out of the California Governor’s race & drop out of Congress.

I’ll leave you with some of the comments I’ve seen online this weekend, that resonated the most with me.

This last one, is definitely one I want you to remember, as this discourse continues.

Until next time,

Desmond