Mother Jones Daily: He’s Pete Hegseth’s Wealth Manager. He Also Pushes “Pro-Israel Policies” Like War With Iran., How Lindsey Graham, eager to serve Trump, became a useful idiot for Putin, Trump's energy policies are “fattening the wallets of his cronies” at public expense, A little law gives hope that government can suck less and make people’s lives better, DOJ subpoenas New York Times reporters after Air Force One story, Sam Bankman-Fried recounts FTX’s collapse and why he feels he was wrongly convicted of fraud 13JUL26

 

Support our nonprofit journalism

July 13, 2026 Lindsey Graham's late-stage evolution from Trump foe to Trump sycophant is well known. But David Corn is here to remind us of another important legacy: Graham's acrobatic flip-flop on the Trump-Russia scandal.  From David: Eventually Graham got on board with Trump’s Russia denialism. He mounted a side investigation that focused not on Putin’s operation but on the FBI’s investigation of the Russian operation and the Steele dossier, the series of memos produced by a former British intelligence official that contained uncorroborated allegations of Trump-Russia collusion. Attacking the FBI probe and the Steele dossier—which was paid for by an opposition research firm retained by a lawyer working for the Clinton campaign—became the Republican’s main tactic to divert attention from Putin’s assault on the 2016 campaign and from Trump’s complicity (that is, his false insistence that there had been no Russian intervention). This isn't just some minor detail. In fact, it is key to understanding what was most important to Graham: the influence gained by willfully serving a demagogue. It is how a man goes from calling Donald Trump a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" to closely trailing God.  —Inae Oh

Advertisement

He’s Pete Hegseth’s Wealth Manager. He Also Pushes “Pro-Israel Policies” Like War With Iran. How the man working to make the defense secretary richer helped lay the groundwork for Trump's disastrous attack. BY DAN FRIEDMAN AND GLEN STELLMACHER

MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE SERIOUSLY RELENTLESS JOURNALISM Talk about the dog days of summer! Life slows down when it's 100 degrees outside. Fundraising slows down too. And that can be a real problem for a nonprofit newsroom like ours.   Good thing Mother Jones has been serving up a cold splash of the truth since 1976. Help keep us covering every story and following every lead with a new gift today. A monthly gift on your credit card is even more powerful and helps us plan ahead and invest in the next story. Because journalism doesn’t take a summer break—we can take the heat. Make a New Donation

How Lindsey Graham, eager to serve Trump, became a useful idiot for Putin BY DAVID CORN Trump's energy policies are “fattening the wallets of his cronies” at public expense BY DHARNA NOOR A little law gives hope that government can suck less and make people’s lives better BY SOPHIE HURWITZ DOJ subpoenas New York Times reporters after Air Force One story BY ALEX NGUYEN

Advertisement

Sam Bankman-Fried recounts FTX’s collapse and why he feels he was wrongly convicted of fraud Through exclusive prison interviews with Sam Bankman-Fried and others, we put fresh eyes on the dramatic collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. BY REVEAL

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Share it on Facebook and Bluesky.

Your source for journalism that doesn't shrink back. Fifty years and counting. Keep us growing with a gift of any amount. Donate Subscribe For advertising opportunities see our online media kit. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today. www.MotherJones.com PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST EXTREMISM AND VIOLENCE & Domestic Terrorism is Terrorism. 5DEZ15

PLANNED PARENTHOOD is healthcare for any American who needs it. If they can't provide the service at their clinic they will help the patient get the care they need. They are more pro-life than most politicians today, Please donate if you can, and also click the link to sign the petition to the Dept of Justice to investigate the attacks on Planned Parenthood clinics domestic terrorism. I did both,  click the links below. From the Bold Progressives / PCCC and +Ultraviolet Info 

---

STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD Donate $3 to Planned Parenthood. Join the National Day of Action Against Extremism and Violence on Saturday, December 5th. Join the Thunderclap. Share on Twitter. Share on Facebook. Find an event near you.

Statement from Planned Parenthood:

To those who go to unimaginable extremes to close our doors:

We deplore your violence.

We reject your threats.

We fight your legislation to limit reproductive rights and health care in every corner of our country.

We believe your actions and words hurt women -- whether by making it impossible to seek health care or by creating a climate of disrespect and hostility that fosters extremist violence.

Stand in solidarity. Donate $3 to help Planned Parenthood fight the poisonous, right-wing rhetoric that fosters violence.

The Washington Post and NBC News reported that the domestic terrorist who shot and killed people at the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood ranted about "no more baby parts" as he was apprehended.

Planned Parenthood's statement continues:

We demand an end to the incendiary rhetoric from anti-abortion activists and lawmakers that demonizes Planned Parenthood doctors and patients. The smear campaign and false accusations that motivated the attack in Colorado Springs must stop.

We aren't going anywhere. Planned Parenthood has been here for nearly 100 years, and we will keep being here as long as women, men, and young people need health care with dignity.

To those who go to shocking extremes to close our doors, know this:

These doors stay open.

Stand in solidarity with Planned Parenthood. Donate $3 to help Planned Parenthood fight back against the poisonous right-wing rhetoric that foments violent terror attacks against women’s healthcare facilities.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

-- Kayla Wingbermuehle, PCCC Organizing Team
Want to support the Warren wing? Senator Elizabeth Warren says, "When PCCC members donate millions in small-dollar donations and make millions of phone calls for progressive candidates, leaders in Washington, they take notice." Chip in $3 here. 

---

Domestic Terrorism is Terrorism. 

In the wake of another attack on Planned Parenthood--the sixth terrorist attack on a clinic in four months--the Department of Justice is still M.I.A.¹ So we're going big with this hard-hitting new ad featuring UltraViolet members to get the Attorney General's attention.
Watch this video on Facebook, then share it with your friends.
Not on Facebook? You can watch and share here.

 

Published on Dec 3, 2015

Tell the Department of Justice to investigate domestic terror attacks at Planned Parenthood. Patient safety MUST be protected. Call (202) 353-1555

More than 300,000 people have signed petitions demanding an investigation, and earlier this week we delivered the signatures to the DOJ along with our allies at CREDO, NARAL, and Courage Campaign.
But we can't stop there. We have to keep up the pressure, and that's where you come in. This new ad is designed to push the DOJ to action before things get even worse. We need to make sure it's seen far and wide. Please share this widely with your friends and family.

Sources:
1. Calls Grow to Define Clinic Attacks as Domestic Terrorism, New York Times, December 2, 2015

There was ANOTHER violent attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic.
The latest attack was in Claremont, New Hampshire, where someone broke into a Planned Parenthood health center and used a hatchet to destroy equipment and exam rooms, and break water and sewer lines, flooding the entire center.²
This is the fifth terrorist attack on Planned Parenthood since July--and the mainstream media have mostly ignored them.³ Local officials are investigating--but these are acts of domestic terrorism and require the resources of the Department of Justice. One week ago, the Justice Department actually created a Domestic Terrorism division for cases exactly like this.⁴ That's why we're joining our friends at NARAL Pro-Choice America to demand the Justice Department open a domestic terrorism investigation. Will you sign the petition?
Two weeks ago, someone vandalized the Claremont Planned Parenthood health center--spray-painting it with hate speech.⁵ Then, Wednesday night, this second attack occurred, which forced the clinic to close temporarily. It's the only Planned Parenthood clinic in this rural area, and the clinic's closure is cutting off access to countless women in need of health services. This comes after four arsons at clinics across the U.S., one in California, Washington, Illinois, and Louisiana.⁶ The violent attacks against Planned Parenthood must be stopped before another clinic is forced to shut its doors.
Anti-abortion violence has a long history in this country, and it turns deadly. In fact, the co-founder of the organization that released the doctored anti-abortion Planned Parenthood videos is linked to violent militants like Operation Rescue, the group associated with the murder of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller.⁷
The good news is that the Department of Justice can choose to combat these attacks. The attacks on Planned Parenthood health centers are acts of terrorism, and if the Justice Department takes action, it can deter future attacks. If we all stand up together with our friends at NARAL, we can make sure the Justice Department listens.
Add your name.
Thanks for standing up.
--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Adam, Holly, Kaili, Kathy, Onyi, Susan, Clarise, Anathea, Audine, Ryan, Shannon, Vanessa, Megan, Kaytee, and Libby, the UltraViolet team

Sources:

1. Searching for Answers and Comfort After Killings at Planned Parenthood, New York Times, November 29, 2015
2. Planned Parenthood office in Claremont heavily damaged by intruder, WMUR9 ABC, October 22, 2015
3. LA Times And WA Spokesman-Review's Coverage of Planned Parenthood Arsons Shines Compared to National Print and Cable News, Media Matters for America, October 9, 2015
4. Department of Justice Creates New Post to Combat Domestic Terrorism, Politicususa, October 16, 2015
5. Planned Parenthood office in Claremont heavily damaged by intruder, WMUR9 ABC, October 22, 2015
6. Four Arsons In 74 Days At Planned Parenthood Clinics, Southern Poverty Law Center, October 2, 2015
7. Co-Founder Behind Planned Parenthood Video Has Close Ties to Abortion Clinic Violence, RH Reality Check, July 17, 2015

Behind Closed Doors: Congress Trying to Force Indefinite Detention Bill on Americans 7DEZ11

INDEFINITE DETENTION (opposed by all the heads of the federal law enforcement, intelligence and military departments and agencies), without charge and trial, a tactic used by every repressive, undemocratic, totalitarian regime in the world, is now a very real threat to everyone in America and to Americans no matter where they are. All it will take is for someone in power to not like what you are doing for you to be accused of terrorism or supporting terrorism and our government will be able to arrest you and turn you over to the military to be imprisoned. No civil rights, no human rights. The government will be able to imprison you for as long as they want. If this bill is passed how will we be any different than the prc, Russia, Cuba, Vietnam, any of our Persian Gulf allies, any of the brutal dictatorships anywhere else in the world? Our Constitution will have lost all relevance, the Bill of Rights will be meaningless. This one piece of legislation is more of a threat to our Republic than hitler or communism was, more of a threat than terrorism ever will be. This is not a slippery slope that will erode our civil liberties, it will drag the nation over a cliff, destroying our Bill of Rights; no habeas corpus, no speedy trial, no Miranda Rights, no ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Sens carl levin D MI and john mccain r AZ and rep buck mckeon r CA are the architects of this assault on our freedom and civil liberties and human rights and they with their spineless colleagues are waging a vicious propaganda war of fear, ignorance and prejudice to sway the American people to support them. They are using the same tactics hitler and his nazi party used on the German people during an economic crisis in the 1930's to destroy their republic and unleash a reign of terror on the German people that lasted until the end of WW II. We must not let that happen to us. Click the link below to contact Congress and tell your Senators and Representative to vote against this bill, and then if it is passed tell President Obama he must veto it for the sake of the nation. This from the ACLU......

Maybe you spent the last weekend shopping for gifts, writing out holiday cards or studying for final exams. For most of America, the end of the year is a busy time. In Congress, this is a season usually spent trying to jam through bad bills while they hope no one is looking.
The Senate voted last Thursday to pass S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would authorize the president to send the military literally anywhere in the world to imprison civilians without charge or trial. Prison based on suspicion alone. The power is so sweeping that the president would be able to direct the military to use its powers within the United States itself, and even lock up American citizens without charge or trial.
No corner of the world, not even your own home, would be off-limits to the military. And there is no exception for American citizens. Section 1031 — one of the indefinite detention provisions — of the Senate-approved version of the NDAA has no limitations whatsoever based on geography, duration or citizenship. And the entire Senate bill was drafted in secret, with no hearing, and with committee votes behind closed doors.
I'm not sure which was more surprising — that the majority of senators ignored the pleas of countless constituents, or that they also ignored every top national security official opposed to the provisions. Opposition to the detention provisions came from Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, CIA Director David Petraeus, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, White House Advisor for Counterterrorism John Brennan, and DOJ National Security Division head Lisa Monaco. The Senate ignored them all.
Back in May, the House of Representatives passed its own version of the NDAA, which had a provision authorizing worldwide war wherever any terrorism suspect resides, even if there is no threat to America or Americans. Buried in the bill is a sentence that lets the president order the military to lock up without charge or trial American citizens and anyone else he decides is a suspect, even if the person is right here in America or in such friendly countries as Canada, Great Britain, or France.
Now, the two bills are in conference committee. The chairmen and ranking members of the Armed Services Committee — known as "the Big Four" — have been having one secret meeting after another over the past few days to quickly write a final bill. Who are the Big Four? From the Senate, it is Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) who were the very two who had secretly written the Senate indefinite detention provisions. The third member is the House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), who is the person who wrote the House indefinite detention provisions without so much as a hearing. And the fourth member is the House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.), who courageously fought the indefinite detention provisions on the House floor.
That's 3-1 for indefinite military imprisonment without charge or trial. There's good reason to worry about what the Big Four do in their secret meetings.
What happens next? First, there will be a more formal House-Senate conference in the next few days to put an official stamp of approval on what the Big Four wrote in secret. And then the bills will be on the floors of the House and Senate by early next week.
Their plan is to move very, very fast. Congress certainly has earned a reputation for being slow, but the plan for the NDAA is to jam it through the House and Senate with as little debate as possible. But you can help stop them.
Amazingly, as soon as a week from today, a final bill could be passed by Congress and headed to President Obama's desk. His White House has repeatedly threatened to veto the NDAA if these dangerous provisions stay in the bill.
But should it really come to that? Congress itself should come to its senses and ditch the indefinite detention provisions. And just as importantly, Congress should listen to you and every other American on what we all as Americans want for our country. Secret deals for indefinite military detention without charge or trial? Tell Congress we are better than that. It's not who we are as Americans, and it is not the country or the world we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren.
Now is the time to act and contact your senators and House member. Tell them vote "NO" on the NDAA if it includes indefinite detention without charge or trial.