#media-holding-strong-together

Given the Trump-administration's ban on CNN, MSNOW, and Politico - on White House grounds, in response CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox have stated their press corps will refuse to attend White House press briefing events.

This is the correct move, considering this is a direct attack on the 1st Amendment: freedom of speech and freedom of press. Just because Trump doesn't like the truth, can't handle the truth, or doesn't like transparency and unfavorable coverage - doesn't mean that we abandon the constitution.

Right now, all that is preserving the last bastions of democracy, include: the constitution, lower courts upholding of the constitution, SCOTUS's upholding of the consitution (which thus far, appears to uphold it - at least for state's rights and voting), states' autonomy, elections officials in each state recognizing the rights enshrined in the constitution, and of course "we the People" - holding strong behind the constitution and calling out any flagrant violations by this administration (or when our rights enshrined in the constitution are violated).

The sheer corruption we've witnessed, both last year - but, especially this year - demonstrates that it's not hyperbolic to state that this administration has been running roughshod over the constitutional rights, and upholding the rule of law. Just because a very evident two-tiered justice system pervades and permeates our current zeitgeist, doesn't equate to a full abandonment of it.

As a matter of fact, three independent statements (from Trump and his sycophants), actually point to the counter-reality provided by truth - even if absent additional clarification, the underlying reasoning of overt corruption, can be deeply felt and sensed:

• MAGA Mike Johnson's comments on if Democrats win the House, in the upcoming midterms:

  
  "They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors, and friends. Half of you in this room will be targeted. I run the protection program, I'll take care of you, OK? We're going to win, we're going to win the midterm."
  (source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/4627106/mike-johnson-trump-allies-target-democrats-win-november/)
  

• Steve Bannon's comments on future jail time, and for jail time for a majority of attendees of his speech:

  
  "And I will tell you right now, as God is my witness, if we lose the midterms, if we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison – myself included."
  (source: https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/bannon-warns-conservatives-of-jail-time-if-republicans-lose-key-elections-steve-bannon-democrats)
  

• Trump's own words, when it comes to getting into heaven:

  
  "I mean, you know, I'm being a little cute. I don't think there's anything going to get me in heaven. Okay, I really. I think I'm not maybe heaven-bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make heaven [...] I made life a lot better for a lot of people"
  (source: https://www.foxla.com/news/trump-admits-hes-not-heaven-bound)
  

First off... if Trump is truly performing "God's work", then why are everyday Americans suffering, and instead met with insufferable gaslighting; and perhaps more importantly: why does Trump make it a point (in a rare instance of self-reflection) that he doubts he'll make it into heaven. Does it have anything to do with the fact that he's acted in a self-serving manner, has not met the needs of everyday Americans, or recognizes himself - that he is not a symbol for good in this world. Whatever the case may be, one thing's for certain: "The One Big Beautiful Bill" stripped healthcare away from millions of Americans, has slated additional Medicaid cuts following the midterms, and even MAGA Mike Johnson has gleefully said, that they will further target Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security - come next year.

Amid all of this, we're living in one of the most challenging economic times, between the ballooning costs, lack of healthcare, lack of jobs, tariffs, and worsening geopolitical fights and Trump's attempts to isolate America - from the rest of the world.

Then, as far as Steve Bannon and MAGA Mike Johnson's comments on investigatory bodies, jail time, and inferred "weaponization of government": they themselves, fail to clarify. That's because, they themselves, know what acts this regime has engaged in, and how their acts would be considered illegal, by any modicum of applicability of the constitution and law. As a matter of fact, they have even ignored SCOTUS's demands to return Kilmar Armando Ábrego García to the US, following a late-night, shadow-deportation, and directly into the custody of Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) - in El Salvador; and likewise - more recently - deported migrants (and those holding Green Cards, in some instances - even US Citzens) to Africa - even though they weren't originally from Africa).

Every American, should find these actions and illegal acts, deeply troubling. Fascism doesn't announce itself, all at once, and besides - Trump's railing on the media (and their eventual capitulation and capture, into becoming "the fake news" he decried about), after nearly a decade - he's becoming ever-increasingly close to rendering the legacy media "the fake news" media he seeks.

Of course, adding insult to injury, has been the flagrant disregard for the law, mass-layoffs of federal workers, the hollowing out of our entitlement and social safety nets and programs, and fortunately - while the media could have simply capitulated - it looks like they refuse to do so. More over, if Trump wants the kind of media attention he seeks, it's best that he backs down from his authoritarian leanings. Right now, this administration is testing the limits of the public, SCOTUS, and even our very infrastructure and pocket-books, to see what we as as a public and society, are willing to endure and put up with.

And while the battle for reclaiming the autonomy of the USPS - at the current moment - appears all, but won: I do expect a Jan 3rd, 2027 gambit... with the ultimate test that follows in early Jan of 2029 - with a vice president that is more than happy to capitulate; whereas before, in early 2021, some guard-rails still existed.

All of this is to say, has created a dangerous precedent and will take years to address and fix. But, hopefully truth and justice will prevail. One thing's for certain, as much leverage as AI can buy them - as far as undermining of truth and destruction - the American public remembers. There is no amount of distraction and gaslighting, that prevents the public from recalling the abuses, when they transpired and occurred. That said, all of the efforts to dominate the headlines and hijack the narrative, to a variable degree - have been successful. We must remain steadfast and call out the clear unilateral reaches of power and efforts to distract/detract - when we see them: if we ever hope for a return to normal semblance, under the law, in the United States. Of course, it will be helpful, if Democrats take a super-majority and end this debacle and fiasco much faster - even in light of all the efforts to subvert, cheat, steal, and overtly announce the corruption - which came especially into vogue, earlier this year,