Except for timely election info, the extensive list of voting resources will now be at the end.

“There’s a reason why you separate military and police. One fights the enemy of the State. The other serves and protects the People. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the State tend to become the People.” ~ Commander Adama, “Battlestar Galactica” (“WATER”, Season 1 episode 2, at the 28 minute mark.)

Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig on KPFT Houston at 90.1-HD2, Galveston 89.5-HD2, and Huntsville 91.9-HD2. KPFT is Houston’s Community Media. On this show, we discuss local, state, national, and international stories that may have slipped under your radar. At my website, THINKWINGRADIO-dot-COM, I link to all the articles I read and cite, as well as other relevant sources. Articles and commentaries often include lots of internet links for those of you who want to dig deeper.

This begins the 11th week of Trump’s military presence in Los Angeles, the 2nd week of Trump’s military occupation of Washington DC, and the 7th week of his deployment of US Marines to his “Alligator Alcatraz” performing so-called non-law enforcement duties.

The question is becoming, ‘When will the US military say they’ve had enough?’

1. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve read stories about the schism that seems to have developed between County Judge Lina Hidalgo and the other Democrats on the Harris County Commissioners Court. Last week, I ran across a relevant Facebook post by Neil Aquino. Neil is a political activist in Houston who currently describes himself on his Facebook page as, “An organizer of [the] Weekly Cornyn Houston Office Protest, & founder of the Houston Democracy Project.”
   1. This is that post. It needed to be said:
   2. The four Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court need to work this out & do so without reliance on the vote of Commissioner Ramsey who supports Trump and all he is doing.
   3. I’m for rigorous debate among good faith people on our side of the democracy aisle, contested primaries if that is how it goes, & I’m for the rank and file holding the elected employees we sustain with our volunteer labor, small donations, and our votes to full account.
   4. The inability of the four Democratic County Commissioners Court members to move forward despite disagreements, is putting the 2026 Harris Democratic Party ticket at risk & strengthening our white supremacist authoritarian opponents.
   5. Many of the judges are out on the 2026 campaign trail already. Where is the help from Democratic Commissioners with all the lies and abuse the judges sustain?
   6. Where is the same energy the Commissioners are finding to fight each other, in asking if Harris County residents are being sent by ICE to the alligator torture camp in Florida, or spending the millions in campaign cash they sit on to help rank and file volunteers who spend their own cash to buy breakfast tacos before a morning blockwalk in the Houston/Harris County heat?
   7. Neil added a Facebook CC: Lesley Briones Adrian Garcia Rodney Ellis Lina Hidalgo
   8. PS from Neil Aquino: If any elected officials or staff see this, please note the post has been affirmed by three Democratic Club Presidents, a local very active Indivisible Chapter leader, two elected officials, a state central committee member who chairs the Texas Progressive Caucus, & folks active in the party as well as committed rank & file Harris County volunteers and voters.
   9. MIKE: I don’t have anything to add, except to say that Neil is 100% correct. The Democratic Harris County commissioners need to get their political acts together.
   10. MIKE: In my opinion, any joint actions that include Commissioner Tom Ramsey is like swallowing a poison pill. It can do County Democrats no good.
   11. MIKE: I understand that there is currently some policy and personality friction among the Democratic commissioners and Judge Hodalgo. I can only say one thing: WORK. IT. OUT!
   12. MIKE: Western comedian Will Rogers, once said, “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” Let’s not keep proving him right.
   13. And let’s not do the Trumpist Republicans’ work for them while they metaphorically rub their hands together with glee. That’s just an ugly picture.
2. As Houston considers e-scooter ban, Downtown businesses form coalition pushing for regulations; By Kevin Vu | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 4:04 PM Aug 12, 2025 CDT/Updated 4:03 PM Aug 12, 2025 CDT. TAGS: City of Houston, electric scooters (e-Scooters), Houston Legal Scooter Coalition,
   1. The city of Houston is proposing an ordinance banning the use of electric scooters in the Downtown, Midtown, and East Downtown areas of Houston. While supporters of the proposed ban say it is necessary to stop dangerous behaviors from irresponsible riders, those opposed say regulations should be in place, rather than a blanket ban.
   2. … [The Houston Legal Scooter Coalition, made up] of seven Houston e-scooter rental businesses, formed after the proposal was introduced in July. …
   3. Abraham Levitz, the coalition’s spokesperson and co-owner of ERYD, said a ban punishes responsible riders and that the city shouldn’t lump all e-scooter users as irresponsible. It would also punish the businesses that rely on the sale or rental of the e-scooter equipment, he said.
   4. [Levitz said, “The ban] could bankrupt our entire business. … We have major investments in the locations we are in. We have signed leases, we went through the entire permitting process to get this, and we have employees …. All that stuff would get threatened.”
   5. According to the coalition, e-scooter rentals from ERYD, Bolt and Glyderz rose from … 86,213 rentals in 2021 … to 176,740 in 2024.
   6. Levitz said the coalition encourages the city to push for regulations rather than the ban, and that the e-scooter rental businesses have been the “loudest voice” supporting regulations, especially when illegal vendors would rent out e-scooters and give the brick-and-mortar stores a “bad name.”
   7. [Levitz said in part, “Illegal vendors] would set up in and around the Discovery Green and Downtown area, and they didn’t carry insurance. They were renting out consumer-grade products, they were doing it in the public right of way, [and] they weren’t following any of the rules. … We would not normally rent to the people they’re renting to, such as minors and people who were inebriated.”
   8. Levitz said the coalition recommends the city look toward several regulatory options to support the city’s public safety goals, including:
   9. No-scooter zones: Primarily around Discovery Green, Avenida Houston and portions of Downtown, where there’s high pedestrian traffic, or city events that demand restricted use.
   10. Scooter registration: [where] Permitted scooters must be registered in a centralized database with a unique serial number.
   11. Technology: [where] Every scooter must include embedded GPS tracking, and support geofencing, speed zones, and prohibited sidewalk-use alerts.
   12. Rider eligibility: [where] Every rider must present a valid driver’s license at the time of rental.
   13. [An] Annual permit fee: [where the] Operator will pay an annual fee negotiated with the city.
   14. [And] Instructional briefing: All riders must receive a short safety orientation and rule overview before each ride.
   15. [Levitz said,] “At the end of the day, we all want the same things. We want proper enforcement, we want reasonable regulation, but you can’t just disenfranchise an entire industry because of an issue that doesn’t really have to do with us.”
   16. On the other side — Proponents of the ban, such as Discovery Green President Kathryn Lott, told Community Impact that she and her staff have experienced what she described as “violence issues” after groups of people with e-scooters would overtake the park and lawn.
   17. [Lott said,] “It feels very counterintuitive to say that scooters are bringing violence, but when you listen to our neighbors and our friends who have been in their positions in Downtown longer than I have, you start learning that it’s not just the park visitors and staff that feel this way; it’s also hotel-goers and hotel owners. It’s not an isolated issue.”
   18. [Levitz, coalition’s spokesperson,] said these groups gathering in the Downtown and Discovery Green areas are “all different types of people, not just scooter people,” and he believes the city is dealing with an enforcement issue.
   19. While Lott fully supports the ban, she said she is open to regulations in the future. She believes implementing a ban first will keep people safe and allow city officials and the community more time to figure out what regulations could be in place.
   20. [Lott said,] “We need to do something now, right away, cut it off and then go back and nuance the ban. I want to do anything and everything to ensure the safety of our park-goers. Right now, what I believe is the safest thing is to ban scooters from Downtown altogether. Then as a community work towards figuring out what can be allowed and what can be done.”
   21. … In 2021, Houston passed an ordinance that restricted e-scooter businesses and companies from renting equipment in public rights of way — such as sidewalks and streets — and restricted e-scooter use on sidewalks.
   22. Maria Irshad, the deputy director of Administration and Regulatory Affairs, said during a July 24 Quality of Life Committee meeting that the newly proposed ordinance comes from safety issues and complaints arising from scooter use, such as “reckless riders” who go too fast, ride on sidewalks, or ignore stoplights and street signs.
   23. From 2021 to 2024, 53 accidents occurred, with 21 accidents and two fatalities that occurred in 2024, according to previous Community Impact reporting. [Irshad said, “A ban] gives the city a clean start. We get our sidewalks back, and then, you know, if the administration directs, then we go back to the drawing board and say, ‘Okay, let’s try and figure this out now.'”
   24. … Bruce Race, professor of architecture and director for the Center for Sustainability and Resilience at the University of Houston focusing on e-mobility equity and urban design, told Community Impact that cities throughout the United States are continuing to figure out how to address electronic transportations — such as e-bikes and e-scooters — after years of working on infrastructure designed more for walking and regular biking. …
   25. Race said there are six regulations cities could consider to reduce injuries, including: Requiring riders to wear helmets; Regulate the speed; Age limits; One person per vehicle; Preventing drunk or high riders from operating; [and] Whether or not to allow nighttime scooter use, i.e., time restrictions
   26. … Julian Ramirez, council member and chair of the Quality of Life Committee, told Community Impact that the city is sorting through all stakeholders’ viewpoints to address the safety issues that “reckless scooter riding” presents.
   27. [Ramirez said,] “There are a number of sides to this issue. You have the folks who live Downtown who are very concerned about their safety. You also have the folks who use scooters to get to work and school as a mode of transportation, an inexpensive one. You have companies that rent scooters for several years and have established businesses.”
   28. Ramirez said he has personally seen firsthand what some parts of Downtown and Discovery Green faced, describing it as an “inundation of a large number of scooters in a relatively small area,” with many of the scooter users driving “recklessly” on sidewalks.
   29. Ramirez suggested the idea of limiting scooter usage to certain times of the day and wants the city to gather data to understand whether the idea could work or not.
   30. Levitz disagreed with implementing nighttime restrictions and said that people use e-scooters outside of commuting to work, such as exploring and traveling.
   31. [Levitz said,] “There are a lot of reasons why people ride these things into the evening. No. 1, it’s very hot. Houston, when it gets into the evenings, it cools down. People like to go out and ride because it’s cooler. No. 2, there’s less traffic. No. 3, the whole reason people come Downtown is because things are open later. If we disenfranchise [scooter usage at night], they’re going to be less compelled to come Downtown.”
   32. … Mayor John Whitmire wrote in a July 24 social media post that the proposed ban is in response to the “economic and public safety concerns” raised by stakeholders, including Police Chief Noe Diaz, Discovery Green, hotel and restaurants owners, George R. Brown Convention Center attendees, and Theater District customers.
   33. “The majority of individuals using scooters in the area are not Houstonians, but instead came here for joyriding, rather than using them for school or work,” Whitmire wrote. “Many scooter users disregard traffic laws, putting themselves and others at risk.”
   34. The mayor’s chief of communications, Mary Benton, said in an Aug. 12 statement that the administration will continue to take input from the public as the city continues to refine the policy.
   35. “Mayor Whitmire encourages public discourse around major policy issues and appreciates the different ideas expressed by all stakeholders,” Benton wrote.
   36. The proposed ban was first brought up during the July 24 Quality of Life Committee meeting. It’s unknown at the moment when the proposal will be voted on by City Council, Ramirez said.
   37. MIKE: Banning first and regulating later is ridiculous. Put people out of business, and then regulate them?
   38. MIKE: In my opinion, start by enforcing existing regulations more stringently. Use bike lanes for e-scooters. Require head and taillights for night riding.
   39. MIKE: Adding GPS to scooters, if feasible, could work in favor of both riders and rental companies. It geolocates abandoned or stolen scooters, and it records routes used by riders.
   40. MIKE: Add serial numbers engraved on the frame, and also small license-like tags that are visible to both citizens and police for reporting purposes.
   41. MIKE: There should be stricter enforcement against unlicensed rental businesses.
   42. MIKE: Also, safety equipment such as helmets and knee and elbow pads should be required.
   43. MIKE: There may be a way that e-scooters, pedestrians, and neighborhoods can live together. It may just take some thought and some compromise.
3. Texans face potential electricity price surge as power demand skyrockets; Author: Naomi Klinge (Houston Business Journal) | KHOU.COM | Published: 7:09 AM CDT August 15, 2025/Updated: 7:09 AM CDT August 15, 2025. TAGS: Electricity, Electricity Rate Increases, Texas,
   1. Electricity demand in Texas could double by 2035, and Houston is likely to see increased prices because of it.
   2. While many parts of the country are experiencing increases in demand, Texas has a unique set of factors that has made some companies call it the fastest-growing market for power demand.
   3. Besides potential data center growth, Texas is seeing a large amount of population and industrial growth, and with added electricity needs from oil fields in West Texas, power demand is skyrocketing — along with prices.
   4. Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president of energy innovation at the University of Houston, told the Houston Business Journal that while residential power prices have typically kept up with inflation, they’ve been growing faster than inflation over the past few years.
   5. He added that industrial power prices have actually been growing slower than inflation.
   6. MIKE: There’s more to this story on the Houston Business Journal’s website, but it’s paywalled.  
   7. MIKE: Nonetheless, I’m including it because it inadvertently touches on the fact that Republicans are so beholden to the fossil fuel industry that along with Trump’s throttling of renewable power growth, Texas Republicans are also doing their part to inhibit and restrict the addition of cheaper renewable energy to the Texas grid.
   8. MIKE: So every time you pay an electric bill, remember it’s what Texans collectively have voted for. And remember that elections have consequences next time elections roll around. Be sure to show up and vote.
4. Abbott calls second special session as first round ends with Democrats still out of state; By Kayla Guo | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Aug. 15, 2025@11 AM Central. TAGS: Politics, State government, 89th Legislative Session, Redistricting, Gov. Greg Abbott,
   1. With the Texas House still frozen by Democrats’ absence from the state, Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called a second special session to begin less than two hours after the Legislature gaveled out the first overtime round.
   2. The second session is set to consider virtually the same agenda that stalled in the first, with redistricting and disaster response at the top of the governor’s priorities. As in the first session, Abbott called on lawmakers to also tackle stricter regulations on consumable hemp products, property tax relief, and eliminating the STAAR [academic] test, along with a host of socially conservative measures.
   3. [Abbott said in a statement,] “Delinquent House Democrats ran away from their responsibility to pass crucial legislation to benefit the lives of Texans. We will not back down from this fight. That’s why I am calling them back today to finish the job. I will continue to use all necessary tools to ensure Texas delivers results for Texans.”
   4. [MIKE: But is Abbott really delivering results for Texans, or just for a few very rich Rightwing Texans who are funding Texas Republicans? I think you know what I believe. Continuing …]
   5. Most Democrats had not yet returned to Austin on Friday, again denying the House the quorum needed to conduct business on the first day of the second session.
   6. After gaveling in the second special session, Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, said he expected a quorum to be restored Monday, and for the House to complete Abbott’s agenda, “and even some more,” by Labor Day weekend.
   7. [Burrows] said the House would move quickly next week to advance the governor’s priorities, including “a strong pro-life bill” and legislation to “protect women’s spaces,” a reference to the so-called “bathroom bill” that would require people to only use restrooms in government buildings and schools that match their sex assigned at birth.
   8. During the first special session, the Texas Senate approved legislation cracking down on the manufacturing and distribution of abortion pills, similar to a proposal that stalled in a House committee during the regular session.
   9. Immediately after the Senate adjourned Friday, the upper chamber’s State Affairs Committee began consideration of eight bills, including the abortion pill measure, the bathroom bill, a ban on THC products, and a prohibition on cities using public funds to hire lobbyists. The Senate passed all of those bills during the first special session.
   10. [MIKE: I think that the city lobbying prohibition is so that cities can’t pitch their cases to closeminded state legislators. That makes their cloistered lives so much easier. Continuing …]
   11. At the same time, the House moved Friday to reissue civil arrest warrants for absent Democrats, with Burrows directing state law enforcement to bring to the Capitol any missing Democrats found within state lines. He added that absent members would be responsible for any state costs incurred by the walkout.
   12. [Burrows said from the dais Friday,] “Those who have refused to make quorum, I’m sure you’re missing home. Do not think you have permission to return to Texas and enjoy a peaceful weekend before finally showing up to work.”
   13. Democrats indicated that they were likely to return soon, saying in a Thursday statement that they would come back to the state after the first special session adjourned and California introduced a new congressional map designed to offset the GOP gains built into Texas’ draft map.
   14. Texas senators, meanwhile, moved quickly to advance the map again during the second special session, scheduling a Sunday committee hearing that would lay the groundwork for the full chamber to pass the new district lines next week.
   15. [Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said Thursday,] “Democrats fought back ferociously and took the fight to Trump across America. We will return to the House floor and to the courthouse with a clear message: the fight to protect voting rights has only just begun.”
   16. Democrats presented their walkout as a success for sinking the first special session and prompting blue states across the country to consider retaliatory redistricting. And they lambasted Abbott for continuing to pursue the unusual mid-decade redistricting plan, arguing that Republicans were prioritizing the effort to pad the GOP’s slim majority in the U.S. House — as demanded by President Donald Trump — over victims of the July 4 floods.
   17. The governor, who controls the agenda for overtime legislative sessions, again directed lawmakers to take up legislation on flood warning systems, emergency communications, natural disaster preparation and relief funding for impacted areas.
   18. He added a new item — “legislation to ensure and enhance youth camp safety” — after lawmakers filed a number of bills during the first special session that touched on camper disaster drills, improving camp emergency plans and providing life jackets in cabins, among other measures. …
   19. On Friday, Democrats continued to call on Abbott to send the remaining $70 million in the state’s disaster fund to areas of the Hill Country and beyond affected by the floods.
   20. [Democratic Rep. Ann Johnson, of Houston, said during a news conference Friday morning,] “It is time that leadership stop playing politics and start actually working for the people of Texas.” Johnson later announced she would return to Texas “to continue the fight — from the floor of the House.”
   21. Abbott’s office has said that the $70 million total, in addition to the $150 million set to go into that fund Sept. 1, must be stretched across the next two years, adding that only the Legislature may appropriate new funds for disaster relief.
   22. MIKE: I did some cursory research before commenting on this story, specifically about Texas’s relatively new penchant for mid-decade redistricting.
   23. MIKE: My first recollection was that this started in 2003 after then US House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (TX-22) created a PAC to push it through. In 2002, the Republicans had captured the Governorship, and both houses of the State Legislature. They used that power to do a rare, and possibly unique, mid-decade redistricting that was purely political, with the intent of creating a permanent Republican majority.
   24. MIKE: So in a sense, that one election in 2001 literally created the situation in which Texans now find themselves. It’s not so different from what fascists and communists typically do when they get into elected power. They took this rare opportunity to entrench themselves into a permanent governing majority.
   25. MIKE: I found some articles that describes this history in depth, and I’ll link to them at the bottom of this comment in today’s show post at ThinkwingRadio-dot-com.
   26. REFERENCE: 2003 Texas redistricting — From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
   27. REFERENCE: Redistricting in Texas — From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
   28. REFERENCE: Tom DeLay’s Mid-Decade Redistricting — DeGruyterBrill.Com (Partial article; paywalled)
   29. REFERENCE: DeLay’s Texas redistricting heads to high court — NBCNEWS.COM, Dec. 12, 2005
5. In historical revanchist news — Midland school board votes to restore school name honoring Confederate general; By Carlos Nogueras Ramos | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Aug. 12, 2025. TAGS: Midland Independent School District, Robert E. Lee, Confederacy,
   1. The Midland Independent School District’s board of trustees voted Tuesday night to rename a school after Robert E. Lee, reversing a former board’s efforts to distance itself from the Confederate general five years ago.
   2. In a divided 4-3 vote, the trustees voted to return one of its schools, formerly Legacy High, back to Midland Lee High.
   3. Railing against what he described as toxic political correctness, Matt Friez, a board member who voted to reinstate Lee’s name, said institutions donning Confederate names have “outgrown” their controversies. In a lengthy statement, Friez said that replacing Confederate-era monikers and removing statues was an attack on the “country’s heritage.”
   4. [Said Ebony Coleman, founder of Jumpstart Midland, an education advocacy group in Midland,] “This is a distraction from what really matters right now,” … adding that the school district should focus on the students’ academic outcomes. …
   5. Stephanie Howard, the district’s superintendent, said the change could cost them as much as $62,000.
   6. The board’s vote came after more than 45 residents delivered impassioned testimonies for more than two hours, in turns drawing praise and admonishment from the audience. At many points throughout the evening, the board requested that residents in attendance remain quiet.
   7. Parents, alumni and former teachers who spoke on Tuesday evening said the school’s ties to Lee, commander of the Confederate states army, provoked hurt and discomfort, saying his name evoked a period of history when schools were segregated.
   8. Sue Roseberry, who in 1981 moved to West Texas from New Mexico, said her two daughters and most of her grandchildren attended the school before it was renamed in 2020. She said she cringed when students flew the Confederate flag and played Dixie, a song that became a fixture for the movement.
   9. [Said Roseberry,] “I want you to know that you have an opportunity [to associate the school] with something that uplifts all of our students.”
   10. Barbara Hanley, who taught in the school district for 28 years before retiring, called the effort a waste of money, that “only serves to divide the community further.”
   11. “Let the old name die,” she said.
   12. Many at the meeting also waved the school’s old flags with Lee’s inscription, expressing their support for the name change. Among them was Carrie McNeal, who said the board should have taken up a recommendation in 2020 to change the school’s name to Legacy for Equality and Excellence, or L.E.E.
   13. McNeal said she was more interested in preserving the school’s history, rather than the man it was named after.
   14. “Generations of Midlanders attended Midland Lee, so I’m not here to fight for a dead man or his legacy, that means nothing to me,” she said.
   15. MIKE: Even 160 years after the end of the Civil War, the Confederacy remains a ‘north star’ for white supremacists, anti-federalists, rightwing extremists, and other political miscreants.
   16. MIKE: Let’s be clear about what the Confederacy actually represents by remembering once again the central principle upon which it was founded.
   17. MIKE: Wikipedia summarizes the main point of the speech this way: “The Cornerstone Speech is so called because [Alexander H. Stephens, acting Vice President of the Confederate States of America, at the Athenaeum in Savannah, Georgia, on March 21, 1861.^[1],] used the word “cornerstone” to describe the “great truth” of white supremacy and black subordination upon which secession and the Confederacy were based:
   18. MIKE: Wikipedia then quotes this key part of the speech: “Our new government[‘s]…foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery — subordination to the superior race — is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.^[2][3]”
   19. MIKE: So it’s essential that we remember what the Civil War was centrally fought over. It was fought by the Southern states that joined the Confederacy with the central goal of preserving slavery, and ultimately expanding slavery to new territories.
   20. MIKE: Many Southerners argue that the Civil War wasn’t fought over slavery; that it was fought over some nebulous principle of States’ Rights, and to some extent that’s true. But the States’ Rights that were being fought over were the rights of the Southern States of the Confederacy to perpetuate and expand slavery.
   21. MIKE: I’m opposed in most instances to so-called “revisionist history”. I certainly believe that history must be learned, and that learning from history is important in the hope of not repeating the worst parts of it. As they say, history may not repeat itself, but it rhymes.
   22. MIKE: I believe that history should not be revised in the context of contemporary mores, but that doesn’t mean that history shouldn’t be ‘compared and contrasted’ with modern mores.
   23. MIKE: Assessing the Confederacy is actually very simple, because in both the context of its contemporary times and in the context of modern times, there were two issues at stake. One was that at the time of the secession from the Union, it was widely seen by a majority of Americans as an act of treason. The other is that at the same time, it was viewed both by the North and the South as being centrally over slavery: whether to limit or abolish it, or to maintain and expand it.
   24. MIKE: Americans who still believe that there is some sort of admirable ‘national heritage’ associated with the Confederacy, its emblematic flag and music, and the leaders who created and fought for the Confederacy are either ignorant of its history, or they are still supportive of its goals.
   25. MIKE: That is to say, the belief in White Supremacy, as explicitly stated at the time by Confederate Vice President Stephens, and in the permanent subjugation of Black Americans by White Americans.
   26. As Lyndon Johnson once said, “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
   27. This has been the heart of the “Southern Strategy” for 200 years, perpetrated by people who have something to gain financially, politically, or socially by fomenting White Supremacy from generation to generation.
   28. I asked Google Ai, “How do Germans feel about Nazi ancestors?” Google offered a number of potential sources for its response, and its summary ended with this: “In conclusion, German attitudes toward their Nazi ancestors are multifaceted and nuanced. While many acknowledge the atrocities of the past, they also grapple with personal and collective responsibility, and there’s a desire to move forward and build a better future.”
   29. American Southerners who still revere their ancestors who led and/or fought for the Confederacy and the perpetuation of slavery could stand to learn a thing or two from modern Germans.
   30. I’ve included links in this show post at ThinkwingRadio-dot-com to the sources I’ve cited.
   31. REFERENCE: Cornerstone Speech — From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
   32. REFERENCE: Cornerstone Speech (FULL TEXT) — BATTLEFIELDS.ORG
   33. SOURCE: “What A Real President Was Like”, by Bill Moyers (November 12, 1988)
6. Trump took over D.C. police. Can he take over law enforcement in other cities?; By Brammhi Balarajan, Trending News Reporter | CHRON.COM | Aug 13, 2025. TAGS: President Donald Trump, D.C. police, Baltimore, New York City, Houston, Federal Police Takeover,
   1. After President Donald Trump’s swift takeover of D.C. police, officials are left wondering – will the president attempt to wrest control of other law enforcement departments across the country next?
   2. Trump signaled earlier this week that he would be open to expanding his takeover to other cities. 
   3. [Trump told reporters last Monday,] “We’re not going to lose our cities over this. This will go further. We’re starting very strongly with D.C., and we’re going to clean it up real quick.”
   4. Baltimore and New York City are two others that Trump pointed to as potential targets.
   5. But as Trump continues to expand his executive authority, his ability to take over other cities – including Houston – may not be as clear-cut as his D.C. takeover, experts told Chron. 
   6. How did Trump take over D.C. police? 
   7. Trump can enact this takeover under the House Rule Act of 1973, which gives the president the ability to use the Metropolitan Police Department for a short-term period during a time of emergency. 
   8. Trump cited violent crime as the reason behind the takeover, in a first-of-its-kind presidential maneuver to operate a city’s police force.  
   9. If he wants to assume control beyond 30 days, Trump will need congressional approval. 
   10. Trump has already indicated that he intends to do so, announcing Wednesday that he is seeking a legislative extension for his takeover. However, the request is unlikely to be granted, as it would require support from some Democrat lawmakers. 
   11. The onus behind Trump’s takeover was what the president called “complete and total lawlessness” in D.C. 
   12. After a former DOGE worker was assaulted during an attempted carjacking, Trump announced he plans to deploy about 800 National Guard troops, and sought control over the police department to follow through on his pledge to crackdown on crime. 
   13. The president has repeatedly claimed that crime has reached alarming levels in D.C. and other major cities – but data show the opposite. 
   14. Crime in D.C. has seen a downturn since 2023, reflective of a broader decrease in crime in major cities. In 2024, violent crime in D.C. hit a 30-year low, down 35 percent from the year prior, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department. 
   15. Could Trump take over other cities? 
   16. [I]t is unlikely Trump could take over the police departments in other cities, experts told Chron. 
   17. Trump was able to assume control over D.C. police because of the city’s “distinctive status as a federal city,” according to Alec Arellano, an assistant teaching professor of political science at Rice University. 
   18. [MIKE: This is another reason that the next time Democrats have full power in Washington, Washington DC especially as well as Puerto Rico should become states. Continuing …]
   19. But police powers as a whole typically fall under states’ jurisdiction, and Trump would be left with limited options to expand a takeover of local law enforcement. 
   20. For instance, he could exert pressure on local law enforcement through grants administered by the Department of Justice. 
   21. Another, “very extreme” measure Trump could take would be to invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives Trump the ability to deploy armed forces to suppress an insurrection, Arellano said. 
   22. [Rice professor Arellano said,] “Even within the scope of the unprecedented or unusual conduct that we’ve seen from the second Trump administration, it’s an unlikely step.”
   23. Even then, Trump still would not be taking over local law enforcement – he would be deploying federal troops. 
   24. [Professor Arellano continued by saying,] “… that wouldn’t place the local law enforcement directly under the White House’s control, it would just replace law enforcement functions normally exercised by civilian law enforcement and military. There isn’t really a way the White House could get directly involved with law enforcement in other cities in a manner comparable to what Trump has done recently in D.C.”
   25. MIKE: So I guess we should be comforted that Trump’s regime can’t take over the police departments of cities like Houston. He can only send in a military occupation force.
   26. MIKE: But since Texas already has a fascistic power-grasping regime in power, I guess we’re safe from that for the time being. I feel better already.
7. DeWine: ‘Ohio National Guard troops to be sent to Washington, D.C. to help with city policing efforts’; By Kurt Knue | WLWT.COM (WLWT CINCINNATI ) | Updated: 8:09 PM EDT Aug 16, 2025. TAGS: Governor Mike DeWine, Ohio National Guard, Washington, D.C., Secretary of the Army, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser,
   1. Governor Mike DeWine [R] says that Ohio National Guard troops will be deployed to Washington, D.C.
   2. [Said DeWine in a statement,] “We have been asked by the Secretary of the Army to send 150 military police from the Ohio National Guard to support the District of Columbia National Guard. These Ohio National Guard members will carry out presence patrols and serve as added security. None of these military police members are currently serving as law enforcement officers in the state of Ohio.”
   3. This comes amid a national emergency recently declared by President Trump on crime within Washington, D.C.
   4. The move allows Trump to deploy the National Guard on the city’s streets, and give the federal government temporary power over Washington, D.C.’s police force.
   5. However, Mayor Muriel Bowser has strongly pushed back on the rationale behind the sudden emergency declaration, saying that violent crime is actually at a 30-year low within the city.
   6. DeWine says that Ohio National Guard members are expected to arrive on scene in the coming days and will assist with policing efforts there.
   7. MIKE: So you should all be aware that when Trump decides to send military forces to occupy your city, there are Republican-run states that will be only too happy to collaborate by pitching in to help him.
   8. MIKE: You can decide for yourselves if this makes Republican Ohio Governor DeWine, and other governors that may emulate him, complicit traitors of our democracy.
8. Russia sees victory as Trump adopts Putin’s approach to ending Ukraine war; By Francesca Ebel, Robyn Dixon, Ellen Francis, Catherine Belton and Siobhán O’Grady | WASHINGTONPOST.COM | August 16, 2025 at 3:25 p.m. EDT/Updated today at 3:25 p.m. EDT. TAGS: Russia, Alaska Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin, United States, Ukraine, President Donald Trump,
   1. For Russia, the results of the Alaska summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin marked a turning point in relations with the United States, underlined by Trump subsequently abandoning demands for a halt in fighting in Ukraine.
   2. Russian officials and commentators were especially enamored by Trump’s unusually warm red-carpet greeting to Putin on Friday in which they saw an opening to pull America away from its traditional allies in Europe.
   3. [Andrei Klishas, an influential Russian senator, said after the summit,] “A new European and international security architecture is on the agenda, and everyone must accept it.”
   4. Within hours of the meeting, Trump had discarded his previous position — one also held by Ukraine and Europe — that a full ceasefire was required to allow the details of a peace agreement to be hammered out. The move enables Russia to keep fighting without the risk of U.S. sanctions, and puts pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to Russian terms or face open-ended attacks.
   5. After Friday’s summit, Trump told Zelensky and European leaders that Putin had demanded that Ukraine cede all of Donbas, which includes the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and other occupied territory, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
   6. Trump told them of his shift from a ceasefire to negotiations on a comprehensive peace deal, according to two people familiar with the matter. Trump spoke to Zelensky before European leaders joined the call.
   7. Russia does not control the roughly 3,500 square miles of Donetsk, a highly reinforced region of strategic importance to Ukraine’s capacity to defend itself from future Russian attacks, military analysts say.
   8. Trump told Zelensky that Putin was “ready to promise” to end the war and not start wars against other nations, in exchange for Donbas and the other Ukrainian territory he has seized, one official said. Zelensky is unwilling to give up any territory, [that official] added, but Trump wants a fast deal — setting the stage for a potentially difficult clash.
   9. Kyiv insists that handing territory to Putin would violate Ukraine’s constitution and embolden Russia to plan further attacks on the rest of Ukraine.
   10. A triumphant Putin told top Russian officials Saturday that the meeting was “very useful” and “in my opinion, it brings us closer to the right decisions.”
   11. Trump’s call to Zelensky and European leaders, which included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, and the leaders of France, Germany, Finland, Italy, Britain, Poland, NATO and the European Commission, was more tense than the phone call between the Europeans and Trump earlier this week, a second official said.
   12. In another setback for Kyiv, the Kremlin on Saturday raised doubts over the one public result of the summit that went some way to meeting Ukrainian demands — Trump’s promise of a three-way meeting with Putin and Zelensky.
   13. Senior Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said such a meeting had not been discussed, even after Trump referred to it in comments after the summit. The Kremlin has so far firmly resisted any meeting with Zelensky until the very last stages of peace negotiations.
   14. One bright spot for European leaders, however, appears to be a continued American buy-in for some form of security guarantees for Ukraine in the wake of any agreement.
   15. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement Saturday that the discussion included “credible and robust” security guarantees for Ukraine, although the framework for doing that would remain outside NATO.
   16. The guarantees would be equivalent to NATO’s Article 5 on collective defense, according to the statement. Article 5 states that if one nation is attacked, each other nation must treat it as an attack against all, and “take the actions it deems necessary to assist” the attacked nation.
   17. Russian officials and commentators, however, saw the results of the summit as extending far beyond the conflict in Ukraine, describing it as a global realignment bringing together the world’s two top nuclear powers.
   18. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, counted out a list of Russian achievements from the Alaska summit, focusing primarily on Putin’s restoration of ties with Washington on an equal basis.
   19. [Medvedev wrote.] “A full-fledged mechanism of meetings between Russia and the United States at the highest level was restored. Calm, without ultimatums and threats.”
   20. He celebrated that Putin had given no ground while Trump had stepped back from increasing pressure on Moscow through sanctions, allowing Russia to fight on.
   21. [Medvedev said, using the Kremlin’s term for its invasion of Ukraine,] “The meeting proved that negotiations are possible without preconditions, and at the same time with the continuation of the special military operation.”
   22. The Kremlin’s most important achievement, he said, was that “both sides explicitly placed the responsibility for achieving future results in the negotiations on the cessation of hostilities squarely” on Kyiv and Europe.
   23. Trump appeared to have been swayed by the Kremlin’s contention that only a comprehensive peace deal was acceptable — which Putin has so far used to delay efforts to halt the fighting, arguing that the many questions, details and nuances involved would require a great deal of time to negotiate.
   24. [Russia analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said in an interview,] “This means that Putin has succeeded in persuading Trump that any effort toward a prompt, unconditional ceasefire will fail.”
   25. It also indicated that Putin had convinced Trump of the need to address what Russia calls the “root causes” of the war, she said, a formulation that the Kremlin has used to mean demilitarizing Ukraine and changing its politics — and even to renegotiate Europe’s security architecture.
   26. But Stanovaya said the failure to get a ceasefire raised the question of what Trump would do when Putin continues a war that he feels confident of winning. “We should look at how the situation develops further because Putin will continue the war.”
   27. The Kremlin, which artfully played up Russia’s nuclear arms and history as a Cold War superpower, appears to have convinced Trump that Ukraine could never win a war against a nuclear power, [Stanovaya] wrote in separate remarks on social media.
   28. [She wrote,] “Putin, unsurprisingly, underlined Russia’s nuclear strength, which left a strong impression on Trump.”
   29. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide warned that Putin’s demand to address the “root causes” of the war was “code for the Russian justification for the illegal invasion of Ukraine,” calling for increased pressure on Russia.
   30. [Eide said in comments to Norwegian media,] “We know that President Putin wants to split Europe and the United States. With all our allies, we must do everything we can to avoid that.”
   31. Kaja Kallas, the European Commission foreign policy chief, said the United States has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously.
   32. [Kallas wrote in comments to The Washington Post,] “But the harsh reality is that Russia has no intention of ending this war anytime soon. European security is not up for negotiation.”
   33. Putin’s other important wins at Friday’s summit included deflecting, for now, tough new U.S. sanctions that would hamper his capacity to keep waging war and repairing his fraying relationship with Trump.
   34. Trump told Fox News after the meeting that his relationship with Putin was “fantastic,” adding that there was no need to go ahead with sanctions at this point.
   35. Pro-Kremlin commentator Sergei Markov said Trump had natural empathy with Putin and natural antagonism with the Europeans and Zelensky — and he was moving closer to Putin.
   36. [Markov said,] “It means they are developing good friendly relations. They are both from the same generation. They both respect each other.” While sanctions had not been lifted, “the trend is good. There has been a qualitative transition.”
   37. Putin also succeeded, to some extent, in deflecting pressure to end the war onto Zelensky — rather than keeping it on Russia as the aggressor — with Trump telling Fox News after the summit that Zelensky should “make a deal” now because “Russia’s a very big power. And they’re not.”
   38. But Putin still faces domestic pressures to end the war, with Russian troops being killed, the economy declining, spending on the war sky high, and companies facing bankruptcies due to high interest rates. Russian elites — and the population — are weary of the conflict.
   39. [Stanovaya said,] “He is losing very many people. And it is difficult to support the economy. Society is tired. His leaders are tired. He needs to end the war. But he needs to do it on his conditions, and here he doesn’t want to make any compromises.”
   40. MIKE: Well, we can be grateful for at least two small blessings. Trump didn’t sell Alaska back to Russia, and Anchorage won’t go down in appeasement infamy quite as badly as Munich in 1938. But it was a near thing.
   41. MIKE: How can anyone among Trump’s supporters still consider him a great deal maker? He all but sold Ukraine down the river, but failed only because he didn’t have the power to do so, thank goodness.
   42. MIKE: Trump is strong among weaklings and people of modest means. He can bully those folks, stiff them the money he owes them, and dare them to take him to court knowing that they couldn’t possibly pay the legal costs of doing so.
   43. MIKE: As president, he bullies people in the Republican Party who might dare to oppose them, using political threats against them, or decrying them in his Truth Social posts, which can inflame some of his more unhinged followers and become almost the same as implied threats.
   44. MIKE: There are more than a few stories of Republicans in Congress who privately express fear of opposing Trump based on threats against themselves and their families.
   45. MIKE: But when Trump is confronted by people of intelligence and real power who have no fear of him or his zombie followers TACO: Trump Always Chickens Out. He folds like an origami bird.
   46. MIKE: And that’s why Americans must continue to oppose him until he folds before us. Like an origami bird.
9. Government papers found at Captain Cook hotel reveal new details of Trump-Putin summit; By Chiara Eisner | NPR.ORG | Published August 16, 2025 at 8:39 AM AKDT. TAGS: S. State Department, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, Russia, President Donald Trump,
   1. Papers with U.S. State Department markings, found Friday morning in the business center of an Alaskan hotel, revealed previously undisclosed and potentially sensitive details about the Aug. 15 meetings between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Anchorage.
   2. Eight pages, that appear to have been produced by U.S. staff and left behind accidentally, shared precise locations and meeting times of the summit and phone numbers of U.S. government employees.
   3. At around 9 a.m. on Friday, three guests at Hotel Captain Cook, a four-star hotel located 20 minutes from the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage where leaders from the U.S. and Russia convened, found the documents left behind in one of the hotel’s public printers. NPR reviewed photos of the documents taken by one of the guests, who NPR agreed not to identify because the guest said they feared retaliation.
   4. The White House and the U.S. Department of State did not respond to requests for comment about the documents.
   5. [MIKE: From here, this is a description of the contents. No state secrets are revealed beyond some mildly interesting bits.
   6. The first page in the printed packet disclosed the sequence of meetings for August 15, including the specific names of the rooms inside the base in Anchorage where they would take place. It also revealed that Trump intended to give Putin a ceremonial present.
   7. “POTUS to President Putin,” the document states, “American Bald Eagle Desk Statue.”
   8. Pages 2 through 5 listed the names and phone numbers of three U.S. staff members as well as the names of 13 U.S. and Russian state leaders. The list provided phonetic pronouncers for all the Russian men expected at the summit, including “Mr. President POO-tihn.”
   9. Pages 6 and 7 in the packet described how lunch at the summit would be served, and for whom. …
   10. [There was also a seating chart for the two delegations.]
   11. During the summit Friday, lunch was apparently cancelled. But it was intended to be a simple, three-course meal, the documents showed. After a green salad, the world leaders would dine on filet mignon and halibut olympia. Crème brûlée would be served for dessert.
   12. Jon Michaels, a professor of law at UCLA who lectures about national security, said that the documents found in the printer of the Alaskan hotel reveal a lapse in professional judgement in preparation for a high-stakes meeting.
   13. [Said Michaels,] “It strikes me as further evidence of the sloppiness and the incompetence of the administration. You just don’t leave things in printers. It’s that simple.”
   14. The printed papers are the latest example of a series of security breaches by officials of the Trump administration.
   15. Earlier this week, members of a law enforcement group chat that included members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) added a random person to a conversation about an ongoing search for a convicted attempted murderer. In March, U.S. national security leaders accidentally included a journalist in a group chat about impending military strikes in Yemen.
   16. MIKE: What’s interesting about this story is the extraordinary sloppiness of the “best people” that Trump could hire.
   17. MIKE: The evidence with which we are constantly confronted is that the Trump regime runs on cruelty, meanness, and incompetence.
   18. MIKE: The fact that incompetence is so prominent among Trump’s mix of staffers and secretaries may be the thing for which we will be most grateful, because it may ultimately save our republic.
10. And here’s a story that might give Democrats some hope in 2028. Democrats need a deep bench, because it’s way too early to assume a nominee. From the Washington Post on July 18^th — Democrat from Trump country auditions for 2028 with plan to win culture wars; By Hannah Knowles | WASHINGTONPOST.COM | July 18, 2025. TAGS: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, 2028 Presidential Elections, Culture Wars,
    1. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear had plenty to say about the culture wars that have divided his party as he laid groundwork … for a possible 2028 presidential run.
    2. As some prominent Democrats warn that the party has gone too far left on trans rights, the governor from the deep-red South quoted scripture to explain why he vetoed “every single piece of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation” that GOP state lawmakers sent to his desk.
    3. As some institutions back off racial justice initiatives that have faced a fierce backlash and that Republicans call “woke,” Beshear said he was proud to make Juneteenth an executive branch holiday and remove a statue of Confederate president Jefferson Davis from the Kentucky Capitol.
    4. [Beshear said at his final stop, a dinner for Democrats in conservative Georgetown County,] “I’m a proud pro-choice governor, I’m a proud pro-LGBTQ+ governor, and I’m a proud pro-diversity governor. Now some people would tell you that a Democrat can’t win in a state like mine or yours with that resume. Yet here I am.”
    5. Beshear occupies a singular position in the early 2028 Democratic sweepstakes as a two-term governor in a state President Donald Trump won by 30 points who is pitching himself as a blueprint for the party to start winning again. As Democrats fight over whether they paid a price for moving too far left on some social issues, Beshear is using his red-state experience to argue the party need not run away from those topics.
    6. Democrats can win voters who disagree with them on those polarizing issues, Beshear argued, if they do a better job of explaining their reasoning and focus most of their energy on basic needs such as jobs, infrastructure, and health care. Over two days of packed receptions and private meetings in South Carolina, he urged Democrats to talk “like normal human beings,” cut down on activist-driven jargon, and show voters they are focused on bread-and-butter issues.
    7. [Beshear told a crowded reception at a Charleston law office …,] “Folks, this isn’t an either/or. We can stick up for everything we believe in while still convincing the American people that we are going to spend every single day working on those things that lift everybody up.”
    8. That pitch was part of a broader upbeat message that Beshear took around [South Carolina] as Democrats reel from Trump’s second term, soul-search about their losses last fall, and debate what they need to do differently. He pointed to his 5-point reelection victory in ruby-red Kentucky two years ago as evidence that Democrats could “win everywhere” with good governance and a determination to be “the party of common sense, common ground, and getting things done.”
    9. Some are skeptical that Beshear’s success in his home state can translate more broadly. He rose in Kentucky politics as the son of a former governor, aided by voters’ familiar with the family name. Nationally, he isn’t as well-known as other Democratic governors such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was also in South Carolina [the same] week. And his message, as a red-state governor used to working with Republicans, is not as fiery and combative as some in the party are seeking.
    10. Beshear rebuked Trump and the GOP during his stops — calling the president’s agenda a “punch in the face” to the rural communities that voted for him — but also talked about creating “the grace and the space for people to disagree” on hot-button issues.
    11. Beshear is one of many Democratic leaders making early overtures in South Carolina, which has played an outsize role in the party’s presidential nominating process in recent years. The state could do so again in 2028, though the primary calendar for [2028] is not yet set and will be the subject of fierce jockeying.
    12. Advocates of South Carolina’s early primary status say it has a track record of picking the ultimate nominee and reflects the party’s diversity, with a primary dominated by the Black voters at the core of the Democratic coalition. Beshear’s appeals to issues of race and civil rights could resonate with those voters.
    13. James E. Clyburn (D-South Carolina), an influential voice in the primary whose endorsement was pivotal for Joe Biden, said any Democrat hoping to succeed in 2028 cannot shy away from identity and diversity.
    14. [Clyburn said in an interview,] “We are the party of Lyndon Johnson, of Harry Truman, we are the party of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. These are pro-diversity candidates, and if you’re going to be anything else, you’re not going to survive in a Democratic primary.”
    15. Asked about transgender rights in particular — an issue that many Democrats are wary of discussing — Clyburn turned to his faith, echoing Beshear, [saying,] “I know that God made us all in his image.”
    16. South Carolinians who came out to hear from Beshear — and who sometimes talked like he was already running for president — were eager for a standard-bearer who could connect with moderate voters and make the Democratic Party more palatable in the Bible Belt. Beshear leaned into Kentucky’s similarities with South Carolina, telling crowds that as a southerner, “I know if you say ‘bless your heart,’ it’s ain’t good.”
    17. Jim Hodges, the last Democratic governor from South Carolina — who left office in 2003 and introduced Beshear at one event — said in an interview that Beshear was on the right track with his line about talking like “normal” people.
    18. [Hodges said,] “I do think that it’s a disease of the left, primarily, and as a result of that we’ve alienated, at least in this last cycle, working class voters who should be for us.”
    19. Beshear was less blunt in his 10-to-15 minute speeches, urging Democrats to stop using wonky terms such as “substance abuse disorder” and “justice-involved populations” — a phrase that prompted members of one audience to wrinkle their faces and exclaim, “What?”
    20. Voters often said Democratic leaders should spend less time on the most controversial issues in the party.
    21. [Said Donna Tate, 69, who came to hear Beshear in Columbia,] “We cannot throw anybody under the bus. But people who can’t afford diapers can’t understand why someone’s focusing on trans rights. We have to pull everybody in the fold.”
    22. Beshear has tried to strike a balance in Kentucky.
    23. He won reelection in 2023 while focusing heavily on local, economic issues and building a personal brand separate from the national party. His team also filmed a viral ad featuring a rape victim criticizing Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban, and Beshear often talks about his election-year veto of a bill curtailing transgender rights.
    24. Trans issues have been especially divisive for Democrats in the wake of the 2024 election, when Republicans used the subject to cast Kamala Harris and other opponents as out-of-touch. Newsom, another possible 2028 contender who visited South Carolina last week, drew backlash from activists and some liberal colleagues this year when he said “it’s deeply unfair” for trans athletes to participate in women’s sports.
    25. In South Carolina, Beshear was eager to talk about how he had handled LGBTQ issues, however.
    26. [He said of the bill in Kentucky,] “I vetoed it because it was the right thing to do. I said my faith teaches me that all children are children of God, and I didn’t want people picking on those kids.”
    27. Beshear has drawn some contrasts with Newsom as he travels the country. Early this year, taking questions from reporters at a Virginia retreat for House Democrats, the Kentucky governor jabbed at Newsom’s decision to invite far-right guests such as former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon onto his new podcast.
    28. [Beshear said that] Newsom “bringing on different voices is great … But Steve Bannon espouses hatred, and anger, and even at some points violence, and I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform ever, anywhere.”
    29. But the Kentucky governor, who will soon lead the Democratic Governors Association, was complimentary this week on his tour. He called Newsom a friend and said it’s “great that a lot of leaders from all different states are coming through” South Carolina.
    30. [Beshear said on “Meet the Press” of a potential presidential run,] “I would have never considered this a couple years ago, but I will not leave a broken country to my kids or to anyone else’s. And so if I’m somebody that at that point, that I believe that I can heal the country, then I’ll take a look at it.”
    31. In South Carolina, however, he insisted he was visiting because local groups had invited him, and because his 16-year-old son had a baseball tournament in Charleston.