Posted September 12, 2022. Not only did Ginny Thomas pressure politicians in the state of Arizona to overturn the 2020 election win for Joe Biden, but she also pressured lawmakers in the state of Wisconsin. New emails show that she contacted state Senator Kathy Bernier who was the chair of the Senate elections committee at the time, as well as state Rep. Gary Tauchen. She urged then to set aside biden's popular-vote victory and "choose" their own presidential electors. The J6 Committee has expressed an interest in having Thomas testify and are hoping she come in willingly. Liz Cheney has said that the committee is willing to consider a subpoena if she doesn't.

A September 9 article in The Guardian also reveals that Ginny Thomas is involved with more than half  of the anti-abortion groups and individuals who lobbied the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision her husband was directly involved in. One of the major groups she is involved with is the Council for National Policy (CNP), a secretive Christian conservative group. She is listed as a board director of the lobbying arm of the group CNP Action. 

Posted September 11, 2022. A judge in New Mexico has ruled that Otero County Commissioner and founder of Cowboys for Trump Couy Griffin be removed from office effective immediately for participating in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. First Judicial District Court Judge Francis Mathew also ruled that Griffin is "constitutionally disqualified" from holding any office in the future. This is the first time since 1869 that a public official has been disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. It is also the first such ruling naming the events of January 6, 2021 an insurrection. While Griffin argued that he could not be removed because he was elected by the people, the judge noted that Griffin himself was guilty of attempting to subvert the will of the people by his actions on January 6, 2021. The decision is in response to a civil suit filed by a group of citizens against Griffin arguing that he violated the U.S. Constitution by taking part in the effort to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. You can read the court decision here.

Posted September 11, 2022. More drama from our friend Steve Bannon, who turned himself in to authorities in New York and was indicted for fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in connection with his 'We Build The Wall' scam. This comes as Bannon awaits sentencing in Washington for his contempt of Congress conviction. Bannon was originally found guilty on federal charges for the wall scam, but was given a pardon by The Orange Jackaloon. Of course, Bannon pleaded not guilty and insisted that this is a totally bogus charge designed to keep him from advocating for GOP candidates prior to the midterms. The Manhattan indictment differs from the federal in that the federal indictment accused Bannon of pocketing the money he collected. In the New York case, it is alleged that Bannon funneled the money through an unnamed nonprofit in order to pay the leader of We Build The Wall, who had promised to take no salary. Bannon had raised nearly $15 million  for the U.S.-Mexico wall through his private scheme, and he had promised donors repeatedly that their money would be used exclusively for construction of that wall. Bannon must surrender any passports or passport cards, and he is barred from applying for any new travel documents. 

Posted August 14, 2022.  Of course, the GOP response to the search of Mar-a-Lago has been just what you'd expect. Kevin McCarthy immediately threatened Merrick Garland, the land's highest law enforcement official, with multiple investigations without a legal leg to stand on. They call this guy @GOPLeader on Twitter for some unknown reason since he does little to "lead" his party. Marjorie Taylor Greene took it a step further and filed Articles of Impeachment against Garland for persecuting Donald Trump. That's rich from a woman who supports a man-child who was legitimately impeached twice but survived only because the GOP had control. It is no wonder this nation has become the laughingstock of the world. Of course, the MAGA WORLD responded to the GOP meltdown as well, and in the way you'd expect. In Cincinnati, a man suspected to be a domestic extremist attacked the FBI office with an AR-15. He was killed in a stand-off. Once again, the GOP's rhetoric combined with their continual posting on social media has resulted in violence. Meanwhile, in Phoenix, armed Trump supporters protested outside the FBI offices there on Saturday. Several involved in the raid itself have also been doxxed, including FBI agents whose names were on the search warrant, and the judge who signed the search warrant. 

Posted August 14, 2022. In the wake of the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, Attorney General Merrick Garland requested that the search warrant be made public. And so it was. You can see it or even dowload it here at this link. Of course, MAGA WORLD is up in arms, calling it a politically-motivated attack and a witchhunt. Apparently, the MAGAts believe that Donald Trump is above the law and has the right to remove highly classified documents from their secure surroundings. Perhaps they should familiarize themselves with the Espionage Act. It is clear that Merrick Garland has nothing to hide as he signed off on the warrant, which had to be obtained after proving probable cause in a court of law by prosecutors who are under oath. It is not necessary that the person removing the documents pass them along to anyone. Those perps get the most significant punishment, such as life imprisonment or even the death penalty. Simply removing highly classified documents, however, can be punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Donald Trump is being investigated for violations of the Espionage Act, among other things. As for Mar-a-Lago itself, it is not President Trump's "summer home" as it has been described. It is a resort where many people pass through, including world leaders and political operatives. They are not subject to security checks  and do not have 'security clearance'. In short, it is not a secure location. In spite of that, 11 sets of classified documents were retrieved from Mar-a-Lago, some of them highly classified.

Posted August 9, 2022. The FBI executed a search warrant yesterday at Mar-a-Lago, the summer home of Donald Trump. It is reported that they spent the bulk of the day on the premesis. Although the subject of the search warrant has not been made public, it is likely that they are looking for classified documents that Trump may have illegally removed from the White House after his term. Accordng to Daniel Goldman, who was Trump's impeachment attorney, the FBI needed to execute a search warrant because they could not trust Donald Trump to hand over highly classified documents he has in his possession. Said Goldman, "This is speculation, but from my experience as a federal prosecutor, I would suspect that DOJ has very good information from a witness that there is more there." Although there were several boxes of documents at the residence, the FBI went specifically into his safe, which could mean that someone is cooperating with the investigation and knew where key documents were stored. Let's not forget that this is a president who caused major plumbing problems by flushing classified documents down toilets in the White House. He is not to be trusted to hand over anything in his possession. 

Posted August 9, 2022. The Republican Attorneys General has sued to allow schools to have the right to deny free lunch to gay and trans children. They allege that the Biden administration went too far asking schools with government-funded lunch programs not to discriminate against LGBTQ+ kids. There are 22 states participating in this egregious plan: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. This behavior can best be described as ghoulish. Make no mistake about it, the message here is that it's open season on gay and trans school children. And this is the party that claims it's "Christian." I wonder if Jesus tossed out all the "undesirables" before he fed the masses with five loaves and two fishes. 

Posted August 5, 2022. The Justice Department is seeking the testimony of former White House counsel, Pat Cipollone. Cipollone previously testified to the J6 Committee as well. When he testified to the J6 Committee, the parameters of his appearance were heavily negotiated. Under DOJ guidance (long followed by both parties), the president's top advisors claim absolute immunity from compliance with congressional subpoenas.This immunity is rooted in the Constitution's separation-of-powers principles. However, the DOJ is presently involved in a federal criminal investigation which may result in the prosecution of penal cases, rather than an congressional investigation which may result in curative laws. Since the Watergate era, both lower courts and the Supreme Court reason that there is a higher public interest at stake in a criminal investigation than in a congressional investigation. The subpoena of Pat Cipollone indicates that the DOJ could well be considering a Trump indictment.

Posted August 5, 2022. Speaking of Alex Jones, The J6 Committee is preparing to subpoena two years worth of his text and phone records used in the Infowars' host Sandy Hook trial. It was revealed during the trial that Jones' laywers turned the documents over to the prosecution in error. Jones' lead attorney, Andino Reynal, had asked for a mistrial over the mistaken transfer of records, which was denied by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble. Jones is a central figure in the J6 insurrection, although he did not take part in storming the Capitol. He provided virtual testimony to the J6 Committee in January of 2022, but asserted his fifth amendment rights nearly 100 times.  

Posted August 5, 2022. Loud-mouthed conspiracy theorist Alex Jones got some bad news over the past couple of days in his Sandy Hook trial. Yesterday he was ordered to pay $4,1 million in compensatory damages to the parents of a first grader killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in 2012. Today, he was ordered to pay an additional $45.2 million in punitive damages, bringing his total payout to $49.3 million. For the record, Jones got himself in this mess by repeatedly stating that the Sandy Hook mass shooting was a hoax that was being used as an excuse to confiscate people's guns. Although the sum Jones has been ordered to pay is less than what was asked by the parents, it's still a significant amount and should serve as a warning to those who continue this type of self-serving political drivel when children have lost their lives.

Posted August 5, 2022. Steve Bannon was found guilty of two counts of criminal contempt of congress over his refusal to cooperate with the January 6 Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol. Bannon put on absolutely no defense in the trial, and the government provided only two government witnesses, stating that the case was pretty much black and white. Bannon essentially chose his allegiance to Donald Trump take precedence over compliance with the law. Of course, Steve Bannon can never just walk away quietly. He took the time to blast the J6 Committee by calling them cowards for not showing up to testify. From my perspective, I don't know what he's whining about. There was no requirement for them to show up and testify. They issued the subpoena as they were empowered to do; he ignored it; they filed contampt charges. Simple as that. They have more important work to do than to mollify someone who clearly thinks he's more important than he really is.

Posted August 2, 2022. Speaking of political stunts, we've got another one brewing in the Senate. I am tired of Susan Collins' face getting all the play, so we're going with the Democratic Party's fauxgressive, Kyrsten Sinema. The Reproductive Freedom Act for All is pure bullshit, presented to you by Susan Collins (R-ME), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AZ). I'd like to point out that Collins and Murkowski didn't even vote for the original bill codifying Roe v. Wade (The Women's Health Protection Act) that died in the Senate, so nobody should believe that their so-called "compromise" bill is the real deal. There is absolutely no way that they will rouse 10 Republicans to cross the aisle to vote for any bill on abortion unless it is a bill to ban it totally. The GOP has not minced words where abortion is concerned. The bill is already dead on arrival. Let's not waste any time here. What has to happen is that the filibuster must be suspended so that Roe v. Wade, in its original form, can be codified. There is also no way that is going to happen. With the filibuster in place, the Democrats will need 60 votes. They already tried that once. What we women need to do is ignore this political bullshit and return a strong Democratic Party majority in order to finally pass the Women's Health Protection Act.

Posted August 2, 2022. Politics has no shortage of egomaniacs, and Andrew Yang is one of them. In the midst of a Constitutional crisis and while the GOP is attempting an authoritarian takeover, Mr. Yang has decided to launch his own political party called the Forward Party. This party will not solve our problems. It will not prevent what the GOP is doing. In fact, it could complicate things by taking people's attention away from what we really need to do. If people are seriously worried about the state of the nation and the direction we will be taken in by the GOP, then they need to elevate and get behind the Democratic Party. Period. They should not be latching onto a new party that has ZERO change of even getting on a ballot in the next ten years. The Green Party has been at it for decades and they are still not a force to be reckoned with. The worst part of this Yang political stunt is that he's consorting with the same far right that is threatening our democracy right now by attending Freedom Fest. In fact, Mr. Yang has managed to get himself noticed by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Anybody building a new party should not be dragging in the white supremacists, Christian nationalists, anti-semites and bigots that are creating our current problems. There needs to be ZERO TOLERANCE for these people. 

Posted August 2, 2022. The Human Cameleon has changed his color back to blue again. After blocking Biden's Build Back Better plan for the better part of a year, he has changed course by  endorsing a revised $400 billion package that provides health insurance subsidies, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and funding new energy technologies. Last we heard, he was convincing the other Democratic wild  card, Kyrsten Sinema, that she could "believe" in the bill. Manchin also went on all five major Sunday morning talk shows to help "sell" the bill. With Manchin voting for it, the bill is likely to pass, but the GOP was angry about this whole process saying it blindsided them. They weren't expecting the Democrats to actually do their job simply because the GOP doesn't legislate. They obstruct. In spite of Manchin's turnaround and even if Sinema does vote for the bill, we here at the Factivist Project believe that they both wield far too much power in the Democratic Party and both should be given primary challenges when they are up for reelection. 

Posted August 2, 2022. Speaking of legislators who wield far too much power, we give you Susan Collins. We had a glimmer of hope (although we sincerely don't trust her as far as we can throw her) when she co-sponsored a bill codifying same-sex marriage in an effort to thwart future heinous rulings by an overtly right-wing Supreme Court when they return in October. However, that hope is fading as she threatened that the same-sex marriage bill could fail because of the Manchin-Schumer deal on a pared-down Build Back Better. Sorry folks, but paying back one party by putting a group's civil rights at risk is, at best, reprehensible. We trust her even less now than we did before. One bill has nothing to do with the other. According to Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). she believes that she can still find ten votes to protect same-sex marriage. We trust Tammy to give it her best.

Posted July 20, 2022. The prosecution rested its case against Steve Bannon on Wednesday on contempt charges after two witnesses, one of which was a J6 Committee staffer who who told the jurors that the commitee warned Bannon of contempt charges after he stated that he would not comply with the congressional subpoena. Bannon's attorneys tried to delay the trial on Tuesday over what evidence was allowed, but U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols (appointed by Donald Trump) ordered that the trial proceed. He also warned the defense on Wednesday that he would intervene in the questioning of witnesses in order to prevent the trial from becoming a "political circus." Judge Nichols also called Trumps "executive privilege" claim irrelevant, and also called Bannon's last-minute agreement to cooperate with the committee "irrelevant."

Posted July 20, 2022. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was one of several Democratic legislators arrested at an abortion rights rally at the Supreme Court yesterday. They marched from the Capitol to the Supreme Court, which has been fenced off since the leak draft of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Others arrested were Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark and Ayanna Pressley (MA); Barbara Lee, Jackie Speier, and Sara Jacobs (CA); Ilhan Omar (MN); Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ); Andy Levin and Rashida Tlaib (MI); Jan Schakowsky (IL); Madeline Dean (PA); Cori Bush (MO); Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velazquez (NY); and Alma Adams (NC).

Posted July 20, 2022. As fate would have it, Wisconsin is actually called 'The Badger State' and this fits right in with this post, for the state of Wisconsin is being badgered by former president, Donald Trump. (HE LOST.) Immediately after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that it would restrict the number of absentee ballot boxes in future elections, The Orange Jackaloon took to so-called Truth Social to  declare himself the "actual winner (by a lot!)." He was, of course, talking about the 2020 election, which is now damned near two years old. He also called on the Republican speaker of the Assembly to declare him the winner of that election. Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, criticized the court's decision as part of the Republican party's effort to make it more difficult to vote.

Posted July 20, 2022. Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis has sent target letters to Georgia-based minions of Donald Trump, which is a signal that she is moving toward indictment in the fake electors plot to overturn the results of that state's election after Joe Biden won. According to sources, some of the recipients of the target letters are GOP state Sen. Burt Jones, Gov. Brian Kemp’s running mate for lieutenant governor; David Shafer, the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party; and state Sen. Brandon Beach. When asked if there were any chance of Trump testifying, Willis responded yes, but it is something that they are still talking about and weighing as an option. Rudy Giuliani, Lindsay Graham, and John Eastman have also been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury.

Posted July 15, 2022. Proving once again that it is one of the most right-wing extremist states in the country, a judge blocked a 2021 Arizona law that grants "personhood" rights to fetuses, embryos, and fertilized eggs. The Arizona law (SB1457P) speaks  "on behalf of an unborn child at every stage of development, all rights, privileges and immunities available to other persons, citizens and residents of this state." The law also bans abortion if the procedure is performed due to a "genetic abnormality." Jessica Sklarsky, a senior staff attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights states that the court made the right decision as the law creates an "unthinkably extreme abortion ban." Arizona is but one of several bleeding red states that is expected to further restrict abortion access. This drama is just beginning, and the fight for women's reproductive rights must continue.

Posted July 15, 2022. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rejected a plea by the Massachusetts GOP to limit mail-in voting because it will result in election fraud. They are the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to The Big Lie, and have no intention of stopping, as they seek to turn a primarily Democratic state into another right-wing gulag. They have successfully managed to turn several "swing" states into bleeding red states, including Florida. They will have a more difficult time making inroads in Massachusetts, where a Republican governor named Charlie Baker supported mail-in voting and signed it into law after being passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature. The state is now preparing 4.7 million ballot applications to be mailed to voters. But in their traditional, paranoid, never-say-die manner, the Massachusetts GOP has vowed to take this up to the now ultra-conservative national Supreme Court. Stay tuned for more drama as the GOP tries desperately to steal another election.

Posted July 14, 2022. Governor Mike DeWine (photo) is yet another member of the GOP who pretends to care about the children by calling the denial of an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim "gutwrenching." The state of Ohio's six-week abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest forced a child to travel to Indiana to receive an abortion. It's not bad enough that women's rights are under assault in this country, but to have no exception for rape and incest is utterly barbaric. To add insult to injury, James Bopp, Jr., the lead attorney for the far right anti-abortion group National Right to Life Committee believes the child should have given birth to her assailant's baby. He has drafted model legislation that he wants passed nationwide that will have child rape victims banned from having abortions, and added that he would hope she understands. I certainly hope the people in this nation understand that these people must be removed from power come election season if we have any hope of surviving this disgusting assault on human rights.

Posted July 14, 2022. It didn't take long for the extremist state of Texas to rear its ugly head in its continued assault on women's rights. Today, Texas asked a federal court to block the Biden admnistration's requirement that physicians and hospitals provide abortions if a medical emergency exists. This ridiculous lawsuit comes just three days after Xavier Bacerra warned hospitals and physicians that they are required to carry out abortions in medical emergencies to protect the life of a pregnant woman. It is more than just a little clear at this point that the GOP places absolutely no value on women in general. 

Posted July 13, 2022. On Monday, President Joe Biden went on the offensive in an effort to shore up women's reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling against Roe v. Wade. Biden clarified that federal law preempts state abortion bans when emergency care is needed, and that the federal government can penalize both institutions and individuals that fail to provide abortions when required as a medical emergency. Attorney General Merrick Garland also issued a statement reinforcing the fact that states may not ban mifepristone, an FDA-approved drug that ends early pregnancy. This is significant since 54% of abortions in the U.S. are medication abortions. While President Biden does not have the authority to return abortion access on a nationwide basis, he is committed to doing everything he can to ensure that women get the medical treatment they need and deserve. Biden has also stated that he supports bypassing the filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade nationally. 

Posted July 13, 2022. Donald Trump (aka, The Orange Jackaloon) was forced to cancel a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, due to the fact that he, Ivanka, and Don Jr. must testify at the office of New York's Attorney General, Letitia James, on Friday, July 15. This particular investigation revolves around the Trump Organization's business practices. Attorney General James alleges that the organization used "fraudulent and misleading asset valuations to obtain economic benefits." Donald Trump is in legal hot water on several fronts, some criminal while others are civil actions. Several are defamation suits by women he allegedly assaulted. You can follow all of Trump's legal fiascos here. This is routinely updated by Just Security, and was last updated on July 5, 2022.

Posted July 13, 2022. After successfully dismantling democracy in his home nation of Turkey, Viktor Orban has become the darling of the New American Right (this is new term being used to disguise fascism, authoritarianism, bigotry, racism, and violence here in the U.S.). Tucker Carlson even traveled over to Hungary to spend some time with its authoritarian ruler, claiming that Orban offers a "signpost" for America. Now Viktor Orban will be solidifying his ties to the GOP by speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on August 4-7, in Dallax, Texas, three months after "CPAC Hungary" in Budapest. Joining Orban will be Lauren Boebert (R-Co) and Sean Hannity, and perhaps even The Orange Jackaloon himself, Donald Trump. Learn more about the right wing's love for Viktor Orban here. 

Posted July 13, 2022. In May of 2021, the Human Rights Campaign declared the calendar year the worst year in recent history for anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans legislation. At that point there were about 250 bills in progress. However, we have eclipsed that so far in 2022 with over 300 pieces of legislation in 36 legislatures. Cathryn Oakley, state legislatie direcor and senior counsel at HRC, calls legislative attacks on Trans youth, “craven, baseless, and an effort to create more division, fearmonger, and rile up radical right-wing voters at the expense of innocent kids.” We don't believe for a second that they are done yet. You can follow all of this legislation on this great legislative tracker created by Freedom For All Americans.