Donald Trump and incompetent RFKjr are enabling anti-vax propaganda and now preventable measles is spreading

Echo reported published in The New York Times by Teddy Ronsenbluth:

Measles Cases Hit New Record in U.S., as Vaccination Rates Wane

More measles cases have been reported in the United States in the last two years than in all the years from 2000, through 2024 combined.

A patient with measles symptoms was assessed in South Carolina, where an outbreak sickened nearly 1,000 people in 2025 and 2026.

Frankly, the opening paragraph in this New York Times article should set your brain on fire.🔥💢

Measles Cases Hit New Record in U.S., as Vaccination Rates Wane
More measles cases have been reported in the United States in the last two years than in all the years from 2000 through 2024 combined.

The United States has now recorded more cases of measles in 2026 than in any other year since the virus was declared eliminated in 2000, a grim sign that the country may be headed toward a new era in which the disease regularly sickens thousands every year.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that there have been 2,318 confirmed cases of measles so far this year.

In fact, the case count toppled the record set last year, when measles infected more than 2,200 Americans and killed two unvaccinated children. More measles cases have been reported in the United States in the last two years than in all the years from 2000 through 2024 combined.

Reversing course on measles would require a nationwide push to improve vaccination rates, a prospect that experts said seemed unlikely under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Instead, the incompetent RFKjr halted funding for vaccine hesitancy research, downplayed the risks of measles and spearheaded a hunt for evidence that vaccines are unsafe.

In November, (right around election time❗) a panel of international experts will meet to determine whether the United States has lost its elimination status, which has long been viewed as one of the country’s crowning public health achievements.

“This is just going to keep happening,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health. “It’s going to mean living in a perpetual state of vulnerability and risk until we get vaccination levels up.”

Many of the cases reported this year were tied to a large outbreak in South Carolina that took root last October in a close-knit, evangelical Slavic community and quickly became the largest outbreak in the United States since 2000. The outbreak, which ultimately sickened nearly 1,000 people, was declared over by state health officials in April.

Still, the virus is far from contained. Utah is fighting an outbreak that began along its border with Arizona last summer and has led to more than 700 cases, spread across every jurisdiction in the state. Virginia health officials have reported more than 170 cases from an outbreak that began in mid-May. Pennsylvania is grappling with an outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people this year.

In total, the C.D.C. has reported 35 new measles outbreaks this year. A vast majority of cases have been in people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccine status was unknown.

The string of outbreaks is no surprise to public health experts, who have watched vaccination rates tick down in recent years. Nationally, the measles vaccination rate fell during the Covid-19 pandemic and has not rebounded to the 95 percent required to stem the spread of the measles virus in a community. While the latest national data shows that about 93 percent of kindergartners have received the measles, mumps and rubella shot, that protection is uneven: Some communities have vaccination rates approaching 100 percent, while others have rates below 80 percent.

Measles, one of the most contagious diseases, is exceptionally good at exploiting those pockets with weak immunity.

“It’s going to find people who aren’t immune,” said Dr. David Kimberlin, a pediatric infectious disease expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “It’s like a heat-seeking missile.”

Children have borne the brunt of the infections, making up more than 70 percent of confirmed cases. More than 80 children and adolescents have been hospitalized this year for complications like pneumonia, which leaves patients gasping for air, and brain swelling, which can cause lasting damage, including blindness, deafness and intellectual disabilities. (There are no treatments for measles, though researchers are trying to develop them.)

While many of the children who became ill were vulnerable to the virus because their parents opted them out of the measles vaccine, local health departments have also reported several cases in babies too young for the shot and people with health conditions that make them ineligible for the vaccine.

The outbreaks have taken a steep economic toll, as state and local public health departments strained to track down everyone exposed to the virus, start vaccination campaigns and analyze tests. Researchers have estimated that in 2025, each measles case cost the United States more than $100,000, when factoring in health care spending and the days of missed work for sick people or caretakers.

Of course, the United States is not the only country grappling with a measles resurgence. Canada, which lost its elimination status last year, has reported more than a thousand cases this year. Health officials in Bangladesh confirmed more than 8,000 infections since March.

Still, several experts said the Trump administration’s response — which has not included any national push to increase vaccination rates — has done the United States no favors.

Courtney Spencer, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the department has mounted an “aggressive outbreak response,” and pointed to the $8.5 million it has given states to help contain outbreaks and the technical assistance that the C.D.C. has provided to those areas.

She added that the department has said, referring to the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, that “M.M.R. vaccination remains the best protection against measles.”

Dr. Jonathan Temte, a former chairman of the C.D.C.’s vaccine advisory committee, said: “We have seen virtually no national messaging. We’ve seen no ad campaigns.” He added, “I think that really tells us something about their priorities.”

Donald Trump and maga cult followers mush face reality: Watching Trump's dangerous detachment from reality

Echo opinion letter published in TribLive on line:

Evidence points out how Trump is detached from reality❓

As one witnesses Donald John Trump’s actions going from outrageous to complete detachment from reality, I wonder when his supporters will ever face the fact this man is beyond satisfying. I’m thankful a few federal judges are stopping or at least slowing some of the stupidity he has instigated.

One last thing: As I recall, he gutted some of the National Park System funding, although the parks have made more money annually than what was allocated. Recently, while researching a park visit, I found the administration imposed new fees.

Visitors from foreign countries must pay a 💲100 entry fee per person, plus ➕ ❗ 😡have a national park pass (💲15 to 💲35 per car for seven days), at 11 of the most popular national parks. 

Also, upon entry, if a foreigner is in the car all occupants must show proof of citizenship.

This is just one example of the loss of our liberty. Where does the blatant stupidity end? There is so much more to recognize here, but you all know the failures. Wake up,⏰ America❗ 

We can stop this on Nov. 3. Vote Blue❗

From Leonard Mucci in Derry Township, Pennsylvania

Donald Trump will destroy the American constitution for the purpose of preventing voters from taking back our democracy

Americans must rise up to protect our democracy against Trumpzism

Echo opinion letter:  Philadelphia Inquirer editorial about Donald Trump’s losses in the courts and elsewhere correctly described as historic the mounting damage caused by his cult of corruption, incompetence, and cruelty. In fact, The Inquirer also pointed out that Trump is never more dangerous than when he is losing. That said, I don’t think you went far enough by calling on readers to hold Trump and his GOP enablers accountable by voting in the midterms. What makes you think Trump will accept the November results if he is not completely successful in suppressing the vote? Here’s a more effective action plan: Impeach Trump for treason and remove him from office before he subverts the next election. Treason is specifically defined among the constitutional grounds for impeachment, and treason is what Trump has committed repeatedly.

Donald Trump instigated an attack on Congress on January 6, 2021, and indiscriminately pardoned hundreds of the criminal attackers. 

More recently Donald Trump even pardoned the former criminal president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted by a jury of conspiring to smuggle hundreds of tons of cocaine into our country. These acts — giving aid comfort to the enemies of the United States — meet the definition of treason. Notably, Trump has ordered the summary execution of hundreds of noncombatants suspected of lesser crimes.

Americans must follow the Constitution and hold the wrongdoer-in-chief accountable, so we will be able to vote — and have our votes count.

From Peter Pinnola, in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

Americans must vote to remove maga cult insanity from government- Impeach Trump now and VOTE BLUE

Echo opinion letter published in Lancaster OnLine: 

Trump is a chronic liar and we must vote blue in November.

Liar, liar. 🤥❗After watching Donald Trump's recent Sunday disaster interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker, I believe that millions of people saw just what an unhinged liar Trump is, and always has been❗

I’m sure that Trump's MAGA cult supporters will not care how much Trump is lacking in morals and values. Most likely, they will say that I have Trump Derangement Syndrome when the real truth is that members of MAGA have Democratic Derangement Syndrome.

Nevertheless, I am an independent voter who can clearly see a demented lying fool❗ 🤡In my view, Trump is not fit for any office. He falls asleep at meetings and events, and he lies, 🤥cheats and has no respect for anyone but himself. He has alienated our allies and made the United States a laughingstock. He has broken many laws and couldn’t care less about our Constitution. He frees convicted criminals who are his allies, and he wants to reward those people with our tax dollars. He has no respect for the law.

November's midterm elections are coming, and we will get a chance to change this daily chaos. The Democrats have their flaws. However, they are not insane and can make things better than they are now, without all the craziness and chaos❗ Trump and his MAGA cult criticized President Joe Biden’s economy daily, and they have now created one that’s much worse. They seemingly have no problem making the rich richer and the poor poorer. This needs to change. Please vote blue in November, or I believe you may wind up being ruled by a completely autocratic government!

From Denny Borrell in Lebanon, Pennsylvania

#ImpeachTrumpNOW

Question to Donald Trump and maga cult Republicans? Has Iran surrendered yet?

In response to the letter “Trump ridding the world of Iranian nuclear threat” (May 7, TribLive), I object to the letter writer because I have a thought or two.

First, didn’t Donald Trump announce last June that military strikes had “obliterated” any Iranian nuclear threat❓ If true, why strike again, this time after their leaders and civilians❓ Obliterate defined is to “destroy completely.” I can’t imagine that Trump would ever lie to the American people, can you❓🤥😒I recall him promising no more foreign wars on the campaign trail.

Secondly, it would appear that Iran has handed Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth (aka "Whiskey Pete") more problems than their genius strategy expected. Military experts warned them both of the response an attack would create. But, they ignored it and are now scrambling to win something that looks on the surface as an unlikely outcome. If the war is “won,” as Trump claims, then why is the Strait of Hormuz still closed, negotiation necessary and deals needed to be made? Thirteen service members have been killed and hundreds more wounded, and Iran is no closer to bowing to those two than the day of the first strikes. So much for a four- to six-week “military excursion.” Empty threats and boasts of victory are hollow words of weakness.

Finally, should Trump decide to “make Iran glow” - a major war crime, as he threatened, he will not only continue his path as being the worst president in modern history, he will be tried as a war criminal too. Is this entire mess what the letter writer is thanking God for❓ (Maine Writer- "War does not solve problems; on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal."- Pope Leo XIV)

Has Iran surrendered yet❓

From Howard Cade in Franklin, Pennsylvania

Donald Trump and maga Republican enablers desecrating America's heritage: Trump was not elected to be a dictator!

This message will probably be a surprise to Donald Trump, but, just so he knows, no one hired him to be a despot decorator in chief. 

Echo opinion letter published in the Reading Eagle in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Donald Trump is a convicted felon guilty of 34 felony counts❗

Trump's takeover of that position has had disastrous results: examples include paving the iconic Rose Garden to hold umbrella tables, gilding the Oval Office to imitate a Russian palace, tearing down the East Wing of the White House to add a billion-dollar Louis XIV ballroom, painting the once-elegant Reflecting Pool a swimming pool blue so it will no longer reflect and now wanting to put a coat of white paint on the historic, granite Eisenhower Executive Office Building. (Painting stone now means painting it forever.) We don’t yet know what he intends to accomplish in the Kennedy Center, but past performance indicates it will likely be supremely garish and outrageously costly.

After stealing health care and feeding programs from Americans and people around the world, he’s spending billions of taxpayer 💲dollars on a war of choice and hideous vanity projects.

Remaking our nation’s capital into his own image will remind future generations of what happens when unchecked narcissism reigns, truly a gut-wrenching prospect.

From Fred Opalinski in Reading Pennsylvania

Donald Trump attracts violent behavior because he preaches violence in incoherent rants

A small sample of Donald Trump’s violent rhetoric:

Echo opinion letter published in TribLive in Pennsylvania

    • 2016 rally: “Knock the crap out of” protesters; “I will pay for the legal fees.” 
    • 2020 Oval Office: He allegedly asked officials in his administration about shooting protesters in the legs.
    • 2021 Select Committee testimony: He stated that when informed that insurrectionists of the Capitol Building wanted to hang Vice President, Mike Pence, his reply was that maybe he deserves it.
    • 2023 on Truth Social: He stated Gen. Mark Milley deserves “DEATH” for perceived disloyalty.
    • 2023: He made fun of the vicious hammer attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband.
    • 2024 rally: Liz Cheney should face “a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her.”
    • 2024 speech: He stated political opponents are “enemies from within,” worse than foreign threats.
    • 2025: He stated Sen. Mark Kelly and five other veterans’ “seditious behavior” is punishable by death because they reiterated what the Uniform Code of Military Justice states regarding unlawful orders.

• Following the death of former FBI Director Robert Mueller in March 2026, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I'm glad he's dead

Yet he wants Jimmy Kimmel fired and James Comey in prison (because Comey took a picture of a seashell formation on a beach, aka the "seashell indictment"). 

Do you think he and Melania even understand the meaning of the word hypocrite? Doubtful. 😒

All this from the self-declared stable genius who stated the “Jesus-like” image he posted of himself was actually him being a doctor. Haven’t you wondered why he’s had to take so many cognitive tests❓

From Jack Sillaman in Latrobe, Pennsylvania

MAGA Republicans must put an end to the Trump and Hegseth lies about the Iranian Trumpian World War!

Republicans, wake up❗ ⏰ Senator Susan Collins❗

Echo opinion letter published in LandasterOnLine

How much longer can you keep accepting the lies 🤥from Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth❓

Why Iran❓ Why now❓ First it was Iran’s nuclear facilities, but wait, we obliterated them a year ago.

Then it was to change regimes. The defenseless Iranian people were presumably to rise up and overtake the well-armed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. How moronic is that❓

Finally, Trump and Hegseth said we had to destroy Iran’s missile factories, but wait, we obliterated those factories weeks ago.

What was the June 2025, attack on Iran about, anyway❓

So, why❓

Could it be that Iran was at its weakest❓

Or that Israel persuaded Trump to help out❓

Or, worse yet, was it a distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein files❓

So far, tens of 💲billions have been spent on an unnecessary war and, in my view, we are in no way any better.

Aside from the expenditures of war, Republicans are proposing to spend 💲1 billion of taxpayer money for Trump’s gaudy golden White House ballroom.

While the country is at war, Trump is running around showing a picture of his ugly ballroom. Trump appears to be an inhumane person. In my view, he shows no signs of humanity, compassion or decency.

While Trump and his family are reportedly making billions off the presidency, many U.S. citizens are having trouble with gas prices, putting food on the table and paying for healthcare for their families.


George Washington wrote in a 1778, letter: “No punishment, in my opinion, is too great for the Man, who can build ‘his greatness upon his Country’s ruin.’ ”

I believe that Donald Trump should be removed from office for not upholding or defending the Constitution.

From Donald Doolittle Sr. in  West Lampeter Township, Pennsylvania

Donald Trump inconsistency: "more stable direction from a weather vane" opinions

Donald Trump the UN-stable genius is emotionally unbalanced.

To the Editor of the New York Times: “Trump Is Turning America Into a Psychotic State,” by Jonathan Rauch and Peter Wehner. (Opinion guest essay, April 12), is disconcerting on many levels. 

To date, the other two branches of our government - judiciary and legislative- have failed to hold Donald Trump in check. 

Perhaps he feels that the Supreme Court decision that granted him sweeping immunity allows him to rule without restraint. Congress seems unwilling to hold Trump accountable when he clearly acts beyond the legal limits. These factors, combined with a president who can be emotionally unbalanced and whose circle of advisers seldom pushes back, place the country in an extremely precarious position. From Amy M. Ferguson Dunmore, Pennsylvania

To the Editor: Jonathan Rauch and Peter Wehner are ultimately making an argument about process, not just personality. Strip away the rhetoric, and what remains is a concern that the machinery of government — deliberation, consistency, institutional memory — is no longer reliably engaged. When that discipline weakens, policy begins to look less like strategy and more like improvisation.

The United States has weathered strong presidencies, weak presidencies and moments of real turmoil. What is different here is the suggestion of sustained unpredictability at the institutional level. That is not a governing philosophy. It is the absence of one.

I’ve seen more stable direction from a weather vane — and at least it knows which way the wind is blowing. At this point, the only consistent policy is inconsistency, and even that seems subject to revision.  From Douglas Shields in Pittsburgh, PA

Jonathan Rauch and Peter Wehner lay out in depressing detail Donald Trump’s lethal combination of qualities: evil, ignorance, out-of-control anger and disorganization. And he has freed up and nurtured the parts of our society and culture that share those qualities.

The results have plunged the rest of us into a state of dread💢😨

But, like the rest of Americans, I was mesmerized watching the return of the Artemis II astronauts and the ground team that pulled off this mission, I felt a bracing shot of optimism.

We were treated to an awesome display of the qualities of the other part of our culture: thirst for knowledge, intelligence, drive, planning, attention to detail and cooperation. And diversity — among both the crew members and the entire mission team. These qualities remain alive and well❗ From Natasha Lisman in New York

News media are becoming megaphones for Donald Trump evil propaganda. Americans know we are being told lies.

These are questions the media never asks.  Echo opinion letter published in TribLive news.  

Why did Kristi Noem spend 💲220 million on TV commercials❓ Who authorized this? This money could have been used to pay the TSA workers. Why were hard working TSA agents not getting paid❓ Why are our senator💲 getting paid and other workers have not❓

How did Donald Trump figure out that Iran was going to bomb us❓ Does he have insight into the future❓ What happened to “no more wars”❓


When asked about the deadly bombing of an Iranian girls school, 
Donald Trump said he knew nothing about it. Why not❓

Trump has said “we won” the war. So why are we now sending in the Marines❓ This is not an excursion; it is definitely a Donald Trump World War❗

One more question❓: Why did Trump have to wear that stupid cap while saluting our heroic fallen soldiers❓

(Maine Writer's opinion, Donald Trump knew how wearing a cap would likely upstage the tragic solemnity of the moment when the six soldiers remains were transported out of the aircraft. True to his narcassistic pathology, Trump wanted to grab the moment. Donald Trump is an evil selfish bastard.  He cannot even humble himself when faced with six deaths he caused by illegally and unilaterally attacking Iran.  Those innocent military who came home in caskets were caught off]guard by Donald Trump's surprise decision. Sadly, the soilders had no defense and no opportunity to evacuate.)

From Marie Tartamella in Tarentum, Pennsylvania

Names of the six soldiers killed in Kuwait because Donald Trump unilaterally ordered a surprise attack on Iran are:

• Maj. Jeffrey R. O'Brien 
• Sgt. Declan J. Coady 
• Capt. Cody A. Khork 
• Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens
• Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor
• CWO 3 Robert M. Marzan

Donald Trump gave a State of Delusion speech to Congress. Nothing was said to help Americans pay for health care!

Opinion letter published in Lancaster OnLine, in Pennsylvania:

The Media’s Failure to Correct the Republicans’ Obscene Trumpcare Lies. Trump seems to be focusing on everything but a health care plan.

For years, Donald Trump talked🤥 🙄about his fantastic health care plan. We are still waiting for that plan, but health care is not as important to him as it is to millions of Americans who face rising costs and loss of coverage. 💢

Trump appears to have too many personal items to address before he can focus on American health care. (Like his name redacted thousands of times in the Epstein Files❗)

It seems the American people will have to wait and suffer until Trump finishes his ballroom, his arch and the renovations to what he wants us to call the Trump Kennedy Center.

In addition, Trump needs funding for detention centers to house immigrants and, conceivably, American citizens who don’t meet his idea of being worthy citizens.

Let’s not forget all the tax money- more than was allocated to the United States Marine Corps❗ - needed to pay for U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (evil ICE❗) agents and federal troops who are sent to U.S. cities.

Let’s also remember that Trump seems obsessed about getting his name onto Washington Dulles International Airport, New York City’s Penn Station, naval battleships and a new NFL football stadium.

Everyone has their priorities. But, Donald Trump should put the welfare of the American people first before his own personal interests and his self-gratification.

Who would have thought that a convicted felon and man who has been found liable in civil court for sexual abuse could be such a narcissist❓

From Douglas Groover in Manor Township, Pennsylvania

Donald Trump and maga Republicans act like a bubblehead dolls collection bouncing with no meaningful purpose

Echo opinion letter published in TRIBLive news in Pennsylvania:

When a reporter asked Donald Trump if there were any limitations on his powers, he basically said his power is only limited by his own morality. (❓)  Many of his decisions are based on 💲money, power and greed, to benefit him. He reminds me of a spoiled brat child.

A definition of spoiled brat includes not being able to handle hearing “no”; never being satisfied; thinking the world revolves around them; being sore losers; and refusing to do anything unless you beg, flatter or bribe them. Brats are often allowed to do anything they want, whether appropriate or not. Às a result, brats are rude, disrespectful, self-centered and demanding; they seek attention and constant praise and misbehave when things are denied them.

It appears Trump thinks all of the government is there just to grant his every wish. I believe the job of Congress, politicians, the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice is to protect “the presidency,” the Constitution and the rule of law, even if it means protecting those things from the president himself.

Trump’s hand-picked bobblehead dolls are failing us. They remind me of parents who defend the actions of their spoiled children no matter what.

Donald Trump meets the definition of spoiled brat. Maybe it’s time to stop defending him.

From Suzie Morris in Dunbar, Pennsylvania

Donald Trump embarrassing America by threatening NATO he is crazy must be removed- Senator Collins where are you?

An echo opinion letter was published  in Lancaster Online:

😱😯😰

The awful (stupid-childish) text message from Donald Trump to the prime minister of Norway  can be described in one word: ❗ CRAZY😖😠

In more words, I believe that it is lunacy for a sitting U.S. president to threaten our NATO allies in yet another late-night temper tantrum from a toddler in chief because he didn’t get his participation trophy.

Does Trump have nothing better to do❓ Who in their right mind would look at that tirade and believe that this is the very picture of stability and mental fitness❓

Nothing about it makes sense to me, from Trump’s (fake❗) claim to “having stopped 8 Wars PLUS” to his assertion that the world would be secure only with Greenland in U.S. control.

The results have included the killing of the unarmed American citizen, Renee Good, in Minneapolis.

Is that how we make America great again❓ By waging war against the very foundations this country was built on❓ OMG❗ Come on now❗

This is not normal. It is weird and profoundly deplorable.

From Edgar Pantojas,  in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Donald Trump and maga Republicans must remove Donald Trump for incapacity - Impeach or declare him incompetent or both!

Echo letter to the Congressman Lloyd Smucker: Lloyd Kenneth Smucker (R- Pennsylvania) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district, which includes Lancaster County, published in LancasterOnLine. 

It’s time for you to show real courage, to Lloyd Kenneth Smucker

You undoubtedly read or heard about Donald Trump’s (evil❗) social media rant about Rob Reiner just hours after the beloved actor/director/producer and his wife were murdered.😥

Donald Trump is driving farmers and small businesses out of business because of his stupidity, myopic and short-sighted decisions, including tariff policies that border on insanity.

You know all of this and more. If you have any courage at all, you will rally your colleagues in the U.S. House and start the march to impeachment before Trump drives this country into the ground and into collective depression. Americans are frightened and unsure what to do about it. They love their country but are increasingly fearful their country does not love them back.

Many Democrats and independents see no reason to give you another term if you will not act. 

Do not be surprised if some of your current supporters decide to come to the same conclusion.

It is up to you, sir.  From Ron Rogers  in East Hempfield Township

Pennsylvania

Republicans did not care how much people suffered during the Trump government shutdown. But ahhhh! The Epstein Files!

Republicans and Donald Trump's misplaced priorities: Children going without SNAP supplemental nurtriont❓ Republicans did not blink. Air traffic controllers working without pay❓ No problem.

But the Epstein Files has their attention. #WWWTP❓

To the editor of the Los Angeles Times: When the American flag flies, the red and the blue share the same fabric. 

One does not overpower the other. Yet the leaders who represent it refuse to focus on anything beyond landing punches on their political opponents.

The MAGA clan can bark at Democrats over the Republican❗ shutdown all they want, but reports consistently signal something far more troubling than gossip. The more than 20,000 pages of additional documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s private estate released this week make that clear (“Trump ‘knew about the girls,’ Jeffrey Epstein claimed in emails as Democrats, GOP release trove of records,” Nov. 12). Then President Trump reveals just how quick he is to turn on his own, claiming “only a very bad, or stupid, Republican” would question him.

This obsession with playing “big stick” only distracts from accountability, and leaves figures like the late Virginia Giuffre reduced to convenient props.

Unfortunately, right now, our American flag stands for little more than the colors that divide us. But one thing remains certain: The Epstein victims embody the perseverance and valor the flag is supposed to symbolize better than a MAGA party line ever could. And that can’t be written off as a hoax.

From Samantha Hoffman, in Conover, North Carolina

To the editor of the Los Angeles Times: So, I wonder why the MAGA Republicans want to see the files❓ If they show that Trump participated in illegal activity and sexual assault, would they care? They knew he was a convicted felon and an adjudicated sexual offender last November, but they voted for him anyway.

Since criminal convictions and sexual assault don’t seem to matter to the MAGA base, perhaps they’re upset about something else: Trump lied to them 🤥when he promised to release the files. But his well-documented, proven, chronic lies never upset them before, so why now❓

From Jay Lynch in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Donald Trump and maga Republicans must pay attention to No Kings peaceful protests but instead are in panic mode about the growing movement

Echo opinion essay published in the Philadelphia Inquirer by Will Bunch.  

Then they fight you: How the ‘No👑 Kings’ protests are winning America:  A massive turnout of over 7 (plus➕) million (with a tally on the ground being 8.2 million1) and a panicked White House showed Saturday why the No👑 Kings protests matter, a lot.

Outlined against a blue, gray October sky on a perfect fall morning, Carol Otis, in her Obama-Biden T-shirt, joined more than 1,000 people Saturday who lined both sides of the busy Eagle Road thoroughfare in Havertown, Pennsylvania, to yell, wave signs, and provoke an endless cacophony of car horns against an authoritarian Donald Trump regime.

Demonstrators gather for a ’No Kings’ rally in Philadelphia on Saturday.Joe Lamberti / For The Inquirer

“I could probably name 7,000 reasons why,” the 77-year-old recent retiree from Drexel Hill told me, “because every day there are 18 things that happen that are just what Trump says — and then there’s the GOP talking about this ‘hate rally.’"

There is a famous quote about mass protest movements — with murky origins (misattributed frequently to Gandhi) — that says: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” 

Saturday’s massive ”No👑Kings" protest that filled main streets and public squares from New York and D.C. to smaller burgs like Havertown showed that the effort to halt and reverse dictatorship in mid-2020s, America has already prompted a half-laughing, half-fighting response from an increasingly unpopular White House and its right wing (make America a dictatorship) allies.

Ignored at first, the “No👑Kings” protest movement is rapidly accelerating toward the then-you-win phase. 

Indeed, the over-the-top alarmism from Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called it a “hate America rally,” or Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — who called up his state’s National Guard in Austin to pump up a ridiculous narrative about rock-throwing radicals instead of the peaceful, joyous events in 2,700 different locales — proved that “No👑 Kings” struck a raw nerve.

So Otis didn’t make a sign and chose instead — like many in this protest in the heart of suburban Delaware County — to wave an American flag, “because people who carry the flag do not hate America and as you can see there are a lot of flags.”

She laughed, then added sarcastically, parrying one of the more absurd GOP talking points: “We’re all paid protesters❗😀George” — Soros, the liberal billionaire — “where are you? I don’t see you. I’m waiting for my handout.”

The day was not only nonviolent, but also historic. The estimated over 7 million who showed up across America marked the second-largest one-day protest in U.S. history, surpassed only by a very different type of event, the first Earth Day in 1970. That was roughly 40% larger than the first “No👑Kings” event in June, and in talking to protesters Saturday it seemed the turnout was only boosted by the right-wing rhetoric, that anti-Trump protesters must be some kind of domestic terrorists.

“Knowing that they’re feeling threatened makes me know this is what needs to happen,” Gary Fishbein — 65, from Bala Cynwyd, with his American flag T-shirt and Eagles cap — told me. His words were nearly drowned out by the steady honking of supportive cars passing the undulating sea of signs that were as funny as “Does This Ass Make My Country Look Small” or as simple as “Dogs Against Fascism” (held by the canine’s companion) or just, “Freedom to Speak.”

The official White House reaction, as related to one reporter, was “Who cares?” But guess what❓ They clearly cared, a lot. You could see that in the week leading up to the demonstration, with the increasingly insane rhetoric and warnings about “antifa” — a tiny, unorganized sliver of young rock-throwing radicals who were nowhere in sight Saturday — that aimed to neutralize the reality that millions of everyday Americans are sick of seeing a masked secret police snatch people off the streets.

Just a short time after the “who cares” comment, Trump himself posted a shocking — to the extent that anything can be truly shocking anymore — AI-created video to Truth Social that showed him piloting a jet fighter wearing a king’s crown (!!) and “bombing” a large U.S. urban protest march with brown, liquid, um, excrement.

I guess that was supposed to be the fascist version of four-dimensional chess, that our 47th and possibly last president could mock, ridicule, and dismiss “No👑Kings” by confirming everything that the largest protest in 56 years was all about, that our government is hijacked by a monarch who defecates on his own subjects. 

Indeed, the reality is that Trump’s late-night video reeked more of panic and fear 😱than its crude subject matter.

The biggest American protest doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The reason that 7 (plus ➕) million people are in the streets is that Trump long ago squandered any chance for a honeymoon after his narrow reelection in 2024. 

Rather, his approval rating is just nearly 40% in the latest Gallup poll (even lower in some other surveys). And like the protester Otis said, there are about 7,000 reasons — including higher prices in the supermarket, a looming doubling of health insurance premiums for millions of Americans, and a 20-days-and-counting shutdown of the federal government with no end in sight.

But it was Trump’s mass-deportation crusade, and the brutal tactics by those masked and unbadged goons for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies — grabbing migrants (and, in at least 170 documented cases, U.S. citizens) off the street and lobbing tear gas at anyone who protests — that was cited again and again by the marchers when I asked them why they are in the streets.

Ben Liptock — 38, who lives in Havertown and teaches in a North Philadelphia public school, and came with his 9-year-old son, Bobby — explained that we need to “continue to show people that you’re not alone in today’s America — it’s scary to protest." 

Also,  Liptock said he felt they had to be there for his many immigrant students — some who’ve gone home to find their dads deported — who can’t safely demonstrate themselves.

“If I looked a little different I wouldn’t be able to show my face and protest power,” Liptock said. “There are people in the shadows right now and they’re 😠😠😨😥terrified.”

It arguably cut both ways that the suburban crowd in Havertown was overwhelmingly white, with most older than the median U.S. age of 38. Others echoed Liptock that this breed of protester can use its privilege to speak for those who can’t, and any true mass movement needs the white metro middle class to succeed. But the lack of Black and brown faces or members of Gen Z (who’ve powered uprisings in parts of Asia and Africa) remains a significant problem for “No 👑 Kings.”

Someone like Emilio Ovalle ― a lanky 19-year-old student from West Chester University waving a sign with a Mark Twain quotation ("they're a mighty ornery lot. It's the way they're raised"). — stood out in the crowd on Saturday. The son of an immigrant from Guatemala, Ovalle also cited the deportations as his No. 1 issue, and while he said many of his friends oppose Trump he also understands their reluctance to protest.

“Part of it has to be the Democrats — they’re not good at getting the young vote,“ he said. ”The right is very good at appealing to a lot of the insecurities, especially in younger men."

This would seem to be the next mission for “No👑 Kings” going forward, to build a bigger network with groups such as Gen Z teens and 20-somethings or African Americans. Those groups also have major issues with the Trump presidency but feel them in different ways and express them in different venues than the ones like Facebook or MSNBC that are popular with the first wave of protesters.

That said, it’s impossible to ignore what the “No Kings” movement has accomplished in a matter of months. By raising their voices, protesters have encouraged Democrats in Washington to at least slightly stiffen their backbones, as shown by the current budget battle. They are winning new converts from the disaffected middle by exposing the depths of Trump’s unpopularity.

And they are reassuring their friends and neighbors to keep the faith in a dark moment — that there are far more Americans who want democracy than dictatorship. “It makes you feel good that you are not alone, that a lot of people feel the same way,” Michael Tempone, a 73-year-old from Upper Darby waving American flags with his wife Stephanie, told me.

There were thousands of American flags across the nation Saturday, and no reported violence, and close to no arrests — zero in New York City (where the NYPD is not known for its restraint) or San Diego or fearmongered Austin. That is driving the Trump regime bat-guano crazy, because they have not crushed the resistance, and they know their days are numbered. As I walked back to my car, I heard one protester chuckle to his partner, “This is the best ‘hate America’ rally that I’ve ever been to.”

Where are the Epstein Files? MAGA Republicans must vote with Democrats to require the Justice Department to release the Epstein Files!

Republicans in Congress must vote to release all of the Epstein Files❗ Opinion letter published in The Philadelphia Inquirer

One more signature needed❗

I would ask the citizens of Pennsylvania Congressional District 1 to bring pressure on their representative, Brian Fitzpatrick, to sign on to Discharge Petition 9 — the measure before the U.S. House of Representatives that would compel the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Only one more signature is needed to force a House floor vote on releasing government records related to Epstein. The American electorate needs to learn the identities of the pedophiles in the political and economic elite of both parties. Let us also ask Speaker of the House Mike Johnson why he has basically shut down the House — and is stalling the swearing-in of Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva — over this issue. Is it to stop the release of these papers to protect pedophiles?

From Roy Lehman, Woolwich Township in Pennsylvania

Republicans in Congress and the United States Supreme Court must remove Donald Trump from office because of his fascist authoritarianism

Congress must do its job and remove Trump as president

Echo opinion letter published in the Lancaster Pennsylvania LNP/LancasterOnline. 

Dear Editor:  I believe that Donald Trump is unfit to lead. He must be impeached again, convicted by the U.S. Senate, removed as president and imprisoned.

Trump’s Cabinet members, the conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court and many Republican members of Congress should also be removed from office through constitutional means. In my view, many of them have committed crimes against our Constitution and federal laws, leading to the erosion of our democracy.

Trump and his family used their powers to ruin our economy while increasing their personal wealth. 

Reports also have indicated that some conservative members of the Supreme Court received valuable gifts that were not disclosed to the IRS or taxed. Moreover, the high court’s majority has ruled favorably on some of Trump’s demands without sufficient legal explanation.

Trump has essentially bribed or threatened foreign governments. He pardoned or commuted the sentences of those involved in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which I viewed as an insurrection. He is providing more tax cuts for the rich while eliminating affordable health care for many people. He wastes millions of taxpayer dollars on his golf outings while trying to fire thousands of government workers whose skills are needed to provide valuable services for American citizens.

As I see it, Trump is a dictator and only cares about himself, and not the will of the people. How was it possible that a man who is a convicted felon, has been found liable in civil court for sexual abuse and has been impeached twice was elected for a second term as president❓

What will it take for people to wake up ⏰ ❗and admit that they never should have voted for Trump as the leader of our nation❓ If you do not believe me, please listen to all the facts that U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders presented for truth about Trump’s corruption.

From Charles Roehm (21-year Army veteran) in Penn Township, Pennsylvania

Donald Trump and maga Republicans causing Americans stress creating a culture of carnage- Impeach Trump Again!

 Letter to the editor of TribLive: Trump's carnage

Just where is America headed❓

Impeach Trump AGAIN!

DOGE hollows out government, Medicaid. Aid for food and medicine is slashed and FEMA’s (emergency management) future effectiveness is questioned.

Masked ICE agents arrest migrants, targeting Latinos, who are denied due process while others are raided and shackled.

The National Guard patrols in Washington D.C., with Donald Trump planning the same (illegal terror❗💥) for other cities.

Trump’s tariff war has created friction and raised prices on imported goods, making everything less affordable while the rich get huge tax cuts.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) chaos sows confusion over covid-19, immunizations and Tylenol, as pseudoscience takes over.

Ukraine, hammered by Russia, sees Trump being played by Vladimir Putin, while Trump’s promised end is nowhere in sight.

Starvation haunts Gaza; we see emaciated children while we continue supplying Israel with weapons — making us also culpable.

The Epstein saga continues while Trump seems to be attempting to distract us from who really visited Jeffery Epstein’s brothels.

While Trump enriches himself in office (aka "delusional"), he fantasizes over Greenland, Canada and making Gaza a seaside resort, initiates vindictive political retribution by directing government to target his enemies, orders election meddling through state gerrymandering, uses hateful speech to demonize his opposition, and assaults our rights of free speech and press.

This is Trump’s “American Carnage”, where disorder, confusion and disarray abound.

From Ron Slabe in Oakmont, a borough in Pennsylvania