'60 Minutes Censorship' (Trump interview with Norah O'Donnell)

Look what they edited out of Trump’s on Sunday. (This is from the transcript which they released to the public but the video is behind their paywall. Cute. )

NORAH O’DONNELL: What did security tell you about what may have been his motives?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, see, they– the part– the reason you have people like that is you have people doing No Kings. I’m not a king. What I am– if I was a king I wouldn’t be dealing with you. No, I’m not a king. I– I get– I– I don’t laugh. I don’t– I– I see these No Kings, which are funded just like the Southern Law was– funded– you saw all that? Southern Law is financing the KKK and lots of other radical, terrible groups. And then they go out and they say, “Oh, we’ve gotta stop the KKK.” And yet they give, you know, hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars.

NORAH O’DONNELL: They were –

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It’s a total scam run by the Democrats. It shows you that– like Charlottesville. Charlottesville was all funded by the Southern Law. That was a Southern Law deal too. And it was done to make me look bad, and it turned out to be a total fake. It basically was– a rigged election.

This was a part of the rigging of the election. And that’s what you really should be doing. I mean, I hope one of your 60 Minute episodes, which really hasn’t changed very much for the last few years. I’m surprised.

More at link:

https://digbysblog.net/2026/04/28/60-minutes-censorship/

And...

'Read the full transcript of Norah O'Donnell's interview with President Trump here'

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/read-the-full-transcript-of-norah-odonnells-interview-with-president-trump-60-minutes/

'Again To the Grisly Well, With Ballrooms'

"Leave it to this still-repugnant regime to instantly twist a Keystone Cops security breach - not a so-distant-it-was-on-another-floor 'assassination attempt' - to their own skeevy purposes: blaming Democrats for 'this dark moment,' demanding a $400 million gold ballroom for 'national security,' burnishing the Brave Dear Leader myth of an addled old man who barely registered it, and what gun control issue? Meet the Epstein class: When shots (again) ring out, they get a friggin’ ballroom, kids get thoughts and prayers."

"The latest 'clown show on steroids' - and grim proof of Trump’s relentless corrosion of political discourse - unfolded Saturday night at an evidently sloppily unsecured Washington Hilton, where in 1981 John Hinckley shot Reagan, who survived. The already contentious White House Correspondents’ Dinner drew the black-tied, preening, profit-driven remnants of a craven legacy media - and a growing right-wing slopaganda brigade - both willing to pretend it was normal to party with an abusive enemy of free speech who’s spent years attacking, belittling, suing, bullying and name-calling them as an 'enemy of the people' for seeking to do their jobs and tell the truth, thus turning the evening into a queasy 'case study in institutional self-abasement.' "

"Even before the vitriolic and incendiary Trump - who led a Jan. 6 riot, urged fans to 'knock the crap out' of protesters, bade Proud Boys 'stand by,' mused 'the 2nd Amendment people' could do something about his opponents, warned of 'a bloodbath' if he was defeated, killed schoolgirls and threatened genocide in an illegal war he doesn’t know how to end - let loose with what he dubbed 'the most inappropriate speech ever made' (which Press Barbie called 'shots fired') - before all that came a few muffled thuds of a dud of an assassination attempt, on the floor above, by a suspect who ran past a security checkpoint before being tackled. One shot was fired - it’s unclear by whom - and one cop was wounded through a bulletproof vest; he is expected to be okay."

"On the floor below, meanwhile, 'absolute chaos' reigned. Panicked women in gowns and men in tuxedos hit the floor, flipping over chairs, lunging under tables and sometimes holding phone cameras aloft as a horde of Secret Service agents swarmed the ballroom, leaping on stage, yelling 'Get down! Get down!', running in all directions at once, weapons poised and flailing. A crowd of security guys whisked J.D. Vance out of his chair first; then another cluster went for Trump, dazed and stumbling, guys holding him up on both sides. Video later showed alleged FBI head Kash Patel crouching absurdly behind a chair and RFK Jr. heroically leaving his wife behind; an idiotic 'USA!' chant that 'absolutely nobody wanted to hear' flared briefly before dying a well-earned death."

Continued at link:

https://www.commondreams.org/further/again-to-the-grisly-well-with-ballrooms

US Falls to Lowest-Ever Rank on Press Freedom Index as Trump Pours 'Gasoline on the Fire'

"Reporters Without Borders warned Thursday that the United States is facing a 'press freedom crisis' as President Donald Trump and his subordinates wage an aggressive assault on the media that has included threats of treason charges and imprisonment against journalists."

"The Trump administration’s active disdain for press freedom has pushed the US to its lowest-ever rank on Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, which ranks countries based on numerous indicators including legal protections for journalists, reporter safety, and overall political hostility toward the press. The US landed at 64th out of 180 countries on the latest version of the index, falling seven spots compared to last year."

“ 'The US has experienced a steady decline in the RSF Index over the past decade, but President Trump is pouring gasoline on the fire,' said Clayton Weimers, executive director of RSF’s North America section. 'Trump and his administration have carried out a coordinated war on press freedom since the day he took office, and we will live with the consequences for years to come.' "

“ 'The index shows that this decline is measurable and ongoing, but preventable,' Weimers added. 'Our message is clear: Protect legal rights, ensure accountability for attacks on media professionals, and support independent media to restore American press freedom.' "

Continued at link:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-press-freedom-index

'Suspect in correspondents' dinner shooting charged with attempting to assassinate Trump'

"Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, appeared at a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., for his initial court appearance, less than 48 hours after he was accused of rushing a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel. The Justice Department filed three charges against him on Monday: attempted assassination of the president, punishable by up to life in prison; transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison; and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence; punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison (consecutive to any other sentence imposed) and a maximum of life."

"Allen was found with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol, three knives and 'other dangerous paraphernalia,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine said in court on Monday. A Secret Service officer was shot in the melee, but was saved by a bulletproof vest and has already been discharged from the hospital, law enforcement officials said Saturday."

"Blanche declined to answer questions about how many shots Allen fired, citing the ongoing investigation."

“ 'We do believe that as the complaint lays out, that the suspect, the defendant, fired out of his shotgun,' Blanche said. 'But as far as getting into exacting ballistics, I’m not going to do that today.' "

Continued at link:

https://www.ms.now/news/cole-tomas-allen-court-white-house-correspondents-dinner-suspect

Intresting. It looks like Allen didn't shoot the SS Agent. And they're not prepared to say he even fired any weapons.

'Before he allegedly tried to kill Trump, Cole Allen aired frustration with nonviolent protest'

(MS NOW) "In the months before Cole Allen allegedly attempted to assassinate the president at Saturday evening’s White House Correspondents’ dinner, the 31-year-old teacher and engineer expressed frustration online about the futility of peaceful, left-wing protest and Democratic pushback against Donald Trump."

“ 'Non-violence is going to have to show progress in the very near future,' someone with the username 'Coldforce' posted to Bluesky in January, after Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis."

"In the next post, Coldforce framed political violence as inevitable."

“ 'If I am non-violent, I die, and if I am violent, I die. That’s a dilemma with a Nash equilibrium of violence,' the user posted, referencing a game theory concept of a situation where no individual player can improve their outcome by changing strategy."

Continued at link:

https://www.ms.now/news/cole-allen-leftist-network-wide-awakes

'Is Trump Now Personally Dictating DOJ's Filings?'

(TPM) "I’ve spent years now warning of the dangers of Donald Trump taking over the Department of Justice, and yet I feel like I’m stuck in the denial stage of grief."

"What I initially envisioned — Trump obliterating the Chinese wall between the White House and DOJ and putting undue pressure on DOJ leadership to do his corrupt bidding — certainly came to pass but now seems quaint."

"If you can get away with that, Trump reasoned, why not run the Justice Department out of the White House. So he proceeded to check that box."

"Once you cross the line of running the DOJ out of the White House, then who really needs DOJ leaders other than as figureheads. And if they’re only figureheads, then why not dictate to them the exact words to use in their legal filings on your behalf."

Continued at link:

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/is-trump-now-personally-dictating-dojs-filings

New LEGO video for Americans - Americans Please Wake Up

'A Pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell? Absolutely the Fuck Not' - jojofromjerz

"They want to give a pardon to a monster who delivered children to predators."

"Because this is what they do. Dress it up. Dilute it. Drip it into the bloodstream of the public until something that should detonate on impact starts to feel like something you’re supposed to consider. The same people who foam at the mouth about protecting children—who conjure villains out of drag queens and trans kids and storybooks with two mothers—are now standing in the slipstream of a lie so grotesque it almost feels surreal, floating the idea that a woman who trafficked girls might deserve relief, might be 'useful,' might suddenly transform into some truth-telling oracle if we just hand her freedom and hope for the best."

"It’s obscene."

"It’s strategic."

"And it is so painfully, insultingly obvious."

https://open.substack.com/pub/jojofromjerz/p/a-pardon-for-ghislaine-maxwell-absolutely?r=r38w4&utm_medium=ios

'These People Are Shameless': RFK Jr.'s Son Launches Healthcare Investment Fund

"US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s son, Finn Kennedy, is reportedly seeking to raise $100 million for a new healthcare industry investment fund that will seek to capitalize on 'policy initiatives in government' - including RFK Jr.'s so-called Make America Healthy Again agenda."

"The Financial Times reported Friday that Finn Kennedy’s fund, Victura Ventures, has already secured roughly $70 million in commitments. The fund is 'targeting early-stage growth companies involved in healthcare AI, consumer health, and other health technologies,' FT reported, citing an offering document."

" 'Kennedy’s foray into healthcare investing marks the latest example of the cozy relationship between the Trump administration and close associates who have sought to capitalize on it,' the newspaper added. 'Sons of President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have invested in cryptocurrency businesses as Trump has promoted alternative currencies. Donald Trump Jr. has joined the board of 1789 Capital, a fund founded by pro-Trump donors in 2023. At least four of 1789’s portfolio companies have won contracts from the Trump administration. 1789 has also invested in big government contractors, such as Anduril and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.' "

"Additionally, as Common Dreams reported on Thursday, Eric Trump appeared on Fox Business to brag about a $24 million Pentagon contract secured by Foundation Future Industries, where the president’s son serves as chief strategy adviser."

Continued at link:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/rfk-jr-son-healthcare-investment

'Trump can't negotiate a better Iran deal than Obama did. Period.'

(MS NOW Opinion) "For years, President Donald Trump insisted that he would be able to strong-arm Iran into negotiations where the United States would steamroll the Islamic Republic’s leaders. Trump promised that through sheer force of will, backed with American military might, any deal he crafted would far surpass the nuclear agreement (formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) that President Barack Obama negotiated in 2015."

"But even after weeks of U.S. and Israeli bombardment, Iran has not given Trump the unconditional surrender he craves. Instead, the bleak reality of the situation is finally becoming clear — for seemingly everyone but the president. In other words, despite his criticism of the nuclear deal that Trump unceremoniously scrapped in his first term, it’s better than anything he could hope to achieve in the presently sclerotic peace talks between Washington and Tehran."

"The U.S. sat alongside Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany in crafting the JCPOA, giving it the heft of the world’s major powers acting in concert. Under the terms of the JPCOA, Iran significantly scaled back its nuclear enrichment capabilities and pledged to never seek a nuclear weapon, and it was prohibited from enriching uranium past a very low point for the next 15 years. In return, Iran would receive relief from the international sanctions that had been stifling its growth for years and access to assets frozen in banks around the world."

Continued at link:

https://www.ms.now/opinion/trump-iran-war-deal-obama-jcpoa