Jesse talks about an unhinged Trump supporter who attacked the media pit at a Trump rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, last night while Donald Trump looked on and encouraged the attack, saying, “That’s beautiful. That’s all right. That’s okay. No, he’s on our side. Yeah. We get a little itchy, David, don’t we? No, no, he’s on our side.” — according to Youtube
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JUST SAYING
BY RAUL HERNANDEZ
“The newsroom,” I said and paused. “I went to work early one morning. I mean really early. It was still dark. I stared at the rows of computer screens and the empty desks. It looked surreal in a way, and right then and there, I realized that almost overnight, management had turned the place I loved into a digital Disneyland. We are catering with kids with bouncy houses inside their heads, smart phones glued to their hands and with the attention span of Rhesus monkeys.”
“It’s the world of Twitter and Twilight, my friend. Learn to embrace it.”
“Embrace what? Entertainment is masquerading as journalism. CNN and others assigned reporters to the Justin Bieber beat to chase after this adolescent asshole. That’s news?” I said. “Pit bull journalism is dying, going by way of buffalo nickels. We’re chasing after subscribers with butterfly nets.” — Excerpt from the novel, Stepping on the Devil’s Tail.
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I was a newspaper reporter for thirty years, working in four newsrooms across Texas and California. Journalism was my life, but as I neared the end of my career, I became disillusioned with the direction of the Ventura County Star’s newsroom.
The editor, Jack, not his real name, seemed more interested in feel-good fluff than in the hard-hitting investigative journalism that had always driven me.
I remember the day my frustration boiled over.
Despite pouring my heart into gathering evidence, lining up sources, and conducting countless interviews, my investigative pieces were repeatedly shut down.
These weren’t just local stories—they had the potential to go national, exposing corruption, drug rings, and police brutality. But the editor always found some flimsy excuse to kill them.
Then, it all came crashing down. I was already juggling two hearings, writing a court column, and spending weekends updating criminal court cases. The workload was relentless. But that day, after I refused to take on yet another assignment, I received an email—he wanted to talk.
I walked into his office, and the city editor was there too.
Jack’s dismissive tone told me he couldn’t have reporters refusing assignments. It was laughable. I never refused work, and they knew it. I was working 50 to 60 hours a week, often late into the night, covering court stories and beyond.
Weeks before I received a glowing job review, one of the city editors offered to have other reporters help with my assignments. I appreciated the gesture, but I took pride in my work and didn’t like passing it off to anyone.
Still, I admitted that I was overwhelmed and might need some help.
But when the editor repeated his “I can’t have a reporter refuse stories” nonsense, I realized just how out of touch he was. He didn’t care about real journalism—just maintaining his cushy job and filling the paper with feel-good fluff.
So, I simply said, “I’m out of here.”
There was no point in arguing with someone who was so ignorant and stifled by white privilege.
I packed up my things in five minutes and walked out the door.
After thirty years in journalism, it was a hard pill to swallow. Leaving like that stung, especially after working alongside so many talented reporters who lived and breathed the news. But there was a silver lining.
More importantly, it was hard to leave work behind that shined a light on dark spaces and exposed corruption.
Over those years, I’d collected countless stories, quotes, and experiences. I used these notes and quotes to write three of my four books, including Stepping on the Devil’s Tail.
Three books are about reporters and courtrooms, inspired by my journey.
And not long after I left, I launched my website in 2014, finding a new way to continue telling the stories that mattered to me
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A List Of Things That Will Happen If Trump Is Not Elected, According To Him. — Huffington Post
Trump is a con man.
His actions, deeply intertwined with the MAGA/2025 Project, reveal a concerted effort to establish authoritarian control under the guise of an Aryan Christian Nation, aiming to position 50,000 loyalists into key federal roles.
Here’s a concise overview of the alarming agenda that Trump and the ultra-right-wing Heritage Foundation intend to pursue:
- Pardon and release the January 6th insurrectionists.
- Exploit and devastate public lands.
- Slash Medicare and Social Security benefits.
- Privatize the Veterans Administration.
- Dismantle the Department of Education and privatize public schools.
- Enact new Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise minority voters.
- Threaten the use of nuclear weapons against Mexican cartels.
- Undermine NATO while empowering Putin.
- Withdraw from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, once again.
- Roll back crucial environmental protections.
- Implement widespread book bans across the country.
- Cut off aid to Ukraine in its fight for freedom.
- Strip healthcare access from millions of Americans.
- Cut taxes for the wealthy, further widening economic inequality.
- Ease the declassification process for America’s top secrets, risking national security.
- Dismantle the FBI to weaken federal law enforcement.
- Install right-wing attorneys to control the Department of Justice.
- Erode First Amendment protections.
- Halt investigations into police corruption, brutality, and the killing of unarmed individuals.
- Restrict women’s access to reproductive services.
- Conduct mass deportations, disproportionately targeting citizens with brown skin.
- Make the U.S. Armed Forces the personal army of Donald Trump, which will give him global powers.
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Journalist Susan Bassi kicks Ass Chasing after Corruption with a Camera
As a seasoned newspaper reporter with experience in four newsrooms across Texas and California, I am truly blown away by the journalism displayed here.
Susan Bassi is a tough, intelligent journalist who delivers hard-hitting, incredibly informative work.
In an era when too many so-called journalists are more interested in chasing ratings and profits than in the truth and where corporate media often fails to ask the tough questions or challenge the status quo, Bassi stands out. Her work is a masterclass in what journalism should be.
I learned a lot from this, and I’m proud to say I’m now a first-time subscriber.
Check out Bassi’s work: