#saveact

This queen breaks down the logic of the Save Act/voter ID. "Even the homeless man got an ID."

PODCAST SEGMENT 3: "By threatening to filibuster the SAVE Act, Schumer and Senate Democrats are sending a clear message: they care more about the rights of illegal immigrants and their activist cheerleaders than the rights of the citizens they swore to represent…"

Trump’s war reaches America’s shores

March 13, 2026

Robert B. Hubbell

The reverberations of Trump’s illegal war reached America’s shores on Thursday in three separate attacks. Although the facts are still developing, it appears that the attacks were carried out by terrorists responding to the US war on Iran.

The first attack targeted a Jewish synagogue, Temple Israel, in Detroit (West Bloomfield), Michigan. See CBS Detroit, Suspect in Detroit-area synagogue attack is killed by security, officials say. Temple Israel is one of the largest Reform congregations in the US. Per a statement issued by Temple leadership, “everyone is safe.” The FBI is investigating the matter as a “targeted act of violence” intended to inflict mass casualties. See Bridge Michigan, Michigan synagogue attack: FBI investigating as ‘targeted act of violence’.

Per Michigan Bridge,

The attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, a major Jewish place of worship that also houses an early childhood learning center, sparked international condemnations of antisemitism, shook the local community and prompted other area schools and synagogues to take precautionary measures. Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard confirmed that the suspect was killed and said a security guard who was hit by the attacker’s vehicle and knocked unconscious “should be OK.” Later, he said 30 law enforcement officers were also taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after the suspect’s vehicle caught fire. Bouchard said the attacker died after driving through the facility’s doors and down a hall, where on-site security officers “engaged him in gunfire.” At some point in that sequence, Bouchard said, “something ignited in the vehicle,” setting it ablaze.

The attack on Temple Israel has led to an outpouring of domestic and international support for the synagogue and condemnation of the attack. Senator Elissa Slotkin echoed the comments of many leaders when she said,

“All communities deserve the right to worship safely. All communities. And acts of terror and antisemitism must be condemned and dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.”

In a second incident, a terror suspect entered a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) class at Old Dominion University and opened fire, killing Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an ROTC instructor. The ROTC students in the class subdued and killed the shooter. See CNN, Old Dominion attack suspect identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh.

Per CNN,

The FBI is now investigating the Thursday morning attack as an act of terrorism, identifying the shooter as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Virginia National Guard member who has served prison time for attempting to aid the Islamic militant group a decade ago. Before the attack began, FBI Special Agent In Charge Dominique Evans said Jalloh shouted “Allahu Akbar” — or “God is greater.” “Brave ROTC members in that room subdued him, and if not for them, I’m not sure what else he may have done,” Evans said Thursday.

Finally, a hacker group linked to Iran infiltrated the computer systems of a US-based medical company. The hacker group claimed the cyber-attack was in retaliation for the US bombing of an Iranian girls’ school on the first day of the war. See The Guardian, Iran-linked group says it hacked US company in retaliation for Minab school bombing.

Per The Guardian,

An Iran-linked group said it hacked a US medical company, causing “global disruption” to its systems, in retaliation for the bombing of the Minab school in Iran, in an attack seen as widening the Middle East into the cyber realm. Handala, a hacker group, claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday on the Stryker Corporation, which makes medical devices and is based in Michigan. It affected thousands of employees using the company’s Microsoft systems. In a statement, Stryker said the attack is expected to continue to cause “disruptions and limitations of access to certain of the Company’s information systems and business applications” and warned: “The timeline for a full restoration is not yet known.”

The hacker group posted a statement on Twitter (which I will not republish or link to) that cited the US bombing of the girls’ school and said that Stryker was selected as a cyber target because of links to “Zionism.”

As Trump’s war on Iran is leading to antisemitic attacks in the US, the rate of Islamophobic posts on Twitter spiked after Trump started his war against Iran. See Center for the Study of Hate, The US-Israel War on Iran and the Rise in Hate Against Muslim Americans. (“Between February 28 and March 5, a total of 25,348 Islamophobic posts targeting Muslims were recorded on [Twitter].”)

One of the people posting anti-Islamic content on Twitter is Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville (AL), who posted side-by-side photos of the Twin Towers under attack on 9/11 and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani sitting at an iftar dinner (breaking the daily fast during Ramadan). Tuberville wrote, “The enemies are within the gates.”

Senator Chris Murphy responded to Tuberville’s post, saying:

“I just saw this vicious racist post by my colleague Tommy Tuberville about Mayor Mamdani. How broken a human being do you have to be to post something like this?”

The hateful violence and rhetoric against Jews and Muslims sparked by Trump’s war on Iran will test us all. See my Concluding Thoughts.

Developments in Trump’s illegal war on Iran.

The news from Trump’s war on Iran is grim. The US lost a KC-135 refueling aircraft over Iraq. The aircraft usually has a crew of three. Rescue operations are underway in an isolated area of Iraq.

The NYTimes reported that Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Although the action was anticipated, Trump has suggested that the US has destroyed most of Iran’s mine-laying ability. But as reported by the NYTimes, the IRGC is using hundreds of small, private boats to lay mines two or three at a time. See NYTimes, (“The U.S. military said that while it had destroyed larger Iranian naval vessels, Iran began using smaller boats to lay mines on Thursday . . . .”)

Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed to continue the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to “avenge the blood of the martyrs.” See NYTimes, above.

The total number of vessels attacked in the Persian Gulf since the start of the war now stands at 16. See NYTimes, above.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused a shortage of liquified natural gas in India, where LNG is used by hundreds of millions for cooking. See NYTimes, War in Iran Has India Scrambling to Keep Stoves Lit for Cooking - The New York Times

Per the Times,

India is the world’s second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas, after China, burning about 31 million tons a year. Roughly 60 percent of that is imported, mostly via the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that provides passage from the Persian Gulf to the open sea. The rest is made in India, mainly as a byproduct from crude-oil processing.

In the US, gas prices are up, and the stock market is down. See CNBC, Dow tumbles more than 700 points as oil jumps, closing at new 2026 low under 47,000:

Finally, in desperation, Trump is now touting high gas prices as a good development, claiming that when gas prices go up, “we make a lot of money.” Of course, when Trump says “we,” he means “me.” See Daily Beast, Billionaire Trump Says Americans Must Suck Up Sky-High Gas Prices.

Trump should rename the war on Iran “Operation Epic Gas Prices.” You can quote me on that.

Trump refuses to sign housing billed passed by both chambers of Congress

Trump is making good on his promise to not sign any legislation until the SAVE Act passes—which will likely be never. In a rare bipartisan move, Congress passed a bill designed to increase the supply of affordable housing in the US. Trump told Speaker Mike Johnson that he wouldn’t sign the bill because “No one gives a [F-word] about housing.”

Trump’s comment to Johnson is consistent with his earlier vow (at a January cabinet meeting) to drive housing prices up. See The Hill, Dems knock Trump’s pledge to ‘drive housing prices up’. (“I don’t want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up for people who own their homes. And they can be assured that’s what’s going to happen.”)

Trump appears to believe that “affordability” is a word Democrats made up. He doesn’t understand that building more affordable housing is something that tens of millions of Americans want—including many in his base.

Concluding Thoughts

The hateful violence and rhetoric against Jews and Muslims sparked by Trump’s war on Iran will test us all. In these trying times, it is difficult to find the right words to express the mixture of outrage, condemnation, sympathy, grief, condolence, and hope provoked by every act of religious and ethnic animosity. As news of the two terror attacks flashed across my phone, my thoughts immediately turned to the question of “What can I say that hasn’t been said thousands of times that will bring comfort in the face of tragedy and hate?”

Americans need unity, love, and understanding at a time when many in the world seek to divide us by amplifying hate and ignorance. I was still pondering what I would say in tonight’s newsletter when I saw Jen Psaki interview Texas state representative James Talarico. Psaki asked Talarico to comment on the two attacks, and Talarico gave an answer that gave me comfort and hope.

I link to Talarico’s comment below, but note first that Talarico is a Christian who frequently quotes the New Testament in addressing political issues. In his response to Psaki, he cited a statement by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke: “Blessed are you who weep.” The video is here, cued to his answer: Jen Psaki interview with James Talarico.

Talarico’s answer is worth viewing in its entirety, and I recommend it to your attention on a day when many are feeling despair and hopelessness. Talarico gives an eloquent answer, calling for understanding and love. But then he says this:

Sometimes we see the world most clearly through our tears. And so, if your heart is breaking as you watch what is happening to our communities, to our country, to our world, it means you still have a heart. And I want people to trust that. And I want people to protect that. Because that is what will get us out of all this. So, blessed are those who weep tonight. Hopefully, love will ultimately prevail over this kind of hate and violence in our world.

On a day when we see the world through tears, we should trust that the emotions prompting those tears point the way forward on our path to a more just and tolerant world.

The SAVE Act passed in a 220-208 vote.

Every Republican present supported the measure in addition to 4 Democrats.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, would amend the National Voter Registration Act so that states would be required to obtain proof of citizenship in person from people who are registering to vote.

It would also require states to establish a program to remove undocumented immigrants from existing voter rolls and would allow American citizens to sue election officials that don't follow proof of citizenship requirements.

Election officials and voting rights advocates have warned that the SAVE Act would disenfranchise eligible voters who don’t have easy access to identification documents.

———

Good time to find your Senator and tell them to oppose this awful bill!

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Preparing for the shutdown battle . . . .

February 3, 2026

Feb 03, 2026

Monday’s news scattered in many directions, making it challenging to find a focus. Indeed, some of the biggest stories were notably absent from the headlines. One story that I want to flag is Trump’s statement that the GOP “should nationalize elections” in fifteen states. That comment frightened many readers and gave the media plenty of clickbait. While Trump is the greatest threat to our democracy in 2026, neither he nor the GOP will be able to “nationalize” elections in any state. See the story below under the heading, Trump’s request that Republicans “nationalize” elections in 15 states is not serious.

But before addressing Trump’s temper tantrum (a “temper tantrump”), let’s acknowledge the major stories that are not receiving the “above the fold” coverage they deserve.

First, the federal government is partially shut down because of the lapse of the last continuing resolution on January 31, 2026. The quickest path to reopening is for the House to pass the five appropriations bills and the DHS two-week continuing resolution—something it could do with 100% support from the House Republican caucus. Some hardline House Republicans are demanding “poison pill” amendments that would send the legislation back to the Senate for another vote, where it would fail.

Some of the most extreme House members are demanding that the voter suppression bill known as the SAVE Act be attached to the appropriations bills. If that happened, the bills would go back to the Senate, where Democrats would vote against the SAVE Act—and the attached appropriations bills. This path is unlikely and will only lead to an extended shutdown. And for the many readers who worry that the SAVE Act will become law as part of the appropriations process, it will not! For the SAVE Act to pass, it would need support from 8 Democrats to overcome the filibuster—and that isn’t going to happen.

For a good overview, see USA Today, When will the government shutdown end? (“Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Florida, wrote on social media that the “price” for her vote on the funding legislation is amending it to incorporate the SAVE Act, a voter ID bill.”)

So, the brief shutdown could end on Tuesday, or drag on indefinitely as GOP hardliners demand passage of the SAVE Act. Trump is already agitated at the GOP House caucus, so he will likely attack any Republicans who refuse to support a quick solution.

Second, the DOJ’s production of the Epstein files would be a cruel joke if it weren’t so cruel. The redactions seem intended to protect the perpetrators and expose the victims. See Ars Technica, DOJ released Epstein files with dozens of nudes and victims’ names, reports say.

Per Ars Technica,

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the files included full names of victims, “including many who haven’t shared their identities publicly or were minors when they were abused by the notorious sex offender. A review of 47 victims’ full names on Sunday found that 43 of them were left unredacted in files that were made public by the government on Friday… Several women’s full names appeared more than 100 times in the files.”

The DOJ claimed that the delay in producing the documents was necessitated by a careful review to redact victims’ names. The review appears to have been anything but “careful.” On Monday, the DOJ admitted that 0.1% of the files contained information that identified victims. (“To date, 0.1 percent of released pages have been found to have victim-identifying information unredacted.”) Because the DOJ released 3 million pages, the “0.1 percent” figure means that about 3,000 pages identify victims.

We should not skip over the fact that Trump was mentioned 38,000 times in the latest release of the Epstein files. See The New Republic, Here’s How Many Times Trump Is Mentioned in New Epstein Files. The references include an appearance on an FBI tip sheet in which someone told the FBI that Trump engaged in sex with a minor. Given that the DOJ has released only half of the Epstein files in its possession and that DOJ lawyers heavily redacted them, it is reasonable to assume that Trump is mentioned tens of thousands of times in addition to those already disclosed.

Congress and the press should continue their efforts to achieve full transparency into the perpetrators and justice for Epstein’s victims.

Harvard University prevails in long resistance to Trump’s anti-DEI campaign.

I noted last week that the DOJ dropped its appeal of a district court ruling that invalidated Trump’s anti-DEI campaign against universities and colleges. See ABC News, Trump administration drops legal appeal over anti-DEI funding threat to schools and colleges.

As I noted last week, the many universities and colleges that capitulated to Trump without a fight and revoked their commitments to diversity and inclusion have a lot of soul-searching to do. Indeed, university presidents and trustees should be considering resigning to make way for leaders with backbone.

On Monday, the NYTimes reported that Trump has dropped his demand for a cash payment from Harvard for its diversity and inclusion policies. See NYTimes, Trump Drops Demand for Cash From Harvard After Stiff Resistance.

To be clear, the administration hasn’t relented in its anti-DEI campaign against Harvard. So, after a victory on the demand for cash, conceding to Trump now would be a major mistake by Harvard’s leadership. Per the Times,

The White House’s concession comes amid sagging approval ratings for Mr. Trump, and as he faces outrage over immigration enforcement tactics and the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minnesota. A deal with Harvard would hand the president a victory at a difficult time in his presidency. But those same factors could also torpedo a deal, as some Harvard leaders now consider the risk of backlash even higher if they are seen as having any hand in easing the pressure on Mr. Trump, according to one person familiar with their thinking. Some connected to the university, however, think Harvard has no option but to eventually cut a deal. The administration has repeatedly attempted to cut off research grants, which would be an untenable crisis. Like many major research universities, Harvard relies on federal funding for its financial model.

If you are a Harvard alum, let your alma mater know how you feel! Harvard Alumni Affairs & Development, Email: [email protected], Phone: 617‑495‑1750

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s conduct raises serious questions

As Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard is generally prohibited from participating in domestic law enforcement operations, although she can “coordinate” with US domestic agencies under certain circumstances. It was therefore a surprise to everyone, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch, when Gabbard was spotted at the FBI raid of the Fulton County registrar’s office. Blanche claimed he didn’t know why Gabbard was at the raid but was sure she had a good reason. See NBC News, Tulsi Gabbard defends her presence at FBI search of Georgia elections hub.

It gets curiouser. The NYTimes reported on Monday that Gabbard called Trump during the raid, and then allowed Trump to speak to the FBI agents as they were in the Fulton County registrar’s office conducting the raid. See The Independent, Tulsi Gabbard helped put Trump directly in touch with agents raiding a Georgia election office: report.

Although the Times’ sources claimed the conversation lasted “only a minute,” it is unthinkable that the president would speak to FBI agents while conducting a raid, much less while the FBI was conducting a raid designed to validate the president’s partisan revenge campaign against election officials who refused to bend to his will in 2020.

The FBI agents may be innocent victims in this scandal, but they should have refused to speak to Trump. Some things stink to high heaven, and Trump speaking to FBI agents during a raid is one of them.

Gabbard may have arranged the phone call to get back in Trump’s good graces. There are troubling reports that Gabbard has been sitting on an explosive whistleblower report about her that involves incredibly sensitive US national security secrets. See WSJ, Classified Whistleblower Complaint About Tulsi Gabbard Stalls Within Her Agency

Per the WSJ,

[T] he Gabbard complaint has been locked in a safe in the office, a person familiar with the matter said. Asked about the safe, the inspector-general representative said: “Some complaints involve exceptionally sensitive materials necessitating special handling and storage requirements. This case is one of them.” Some of the material in the complaint is also “marked as ‘attorney-client privileged,’ ” and could be subject to “executive privilege,” which generally refers to the power of the president to withhold confidential information or private discussions from Congress or the judicial branch, the inspector general’s office said.

So, as Gabbard refuses to share with Congress a whistleblower report about her, she is ingratiating herself to Trump by allowing him to speak to the FBI during a raid designed to validate his election conspiracy theories.

As I said, this stinks to high heaven. Democrats in Congress should refuse to provide any votes to Republicans for anything until Gabbard releases the long-overdue whistleblower report that apparently accuses her of misconduct.

Trump’s request that Republicans “nationalize” elections in 15 states is not serious.

During an interview on a conservative radio program, Trump said that Republicans should “nationalize elections” in 15 states that he suspected of vote rigging against him. See NBC, Trump says Republicans should ‘nationalize’ elections. (“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least — many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”)

The comment caused a firestorm of reaction on social media and in the mainstream press. Several readers of this Newsletter asked me to comment on Trump’s statement.

As I noted above, Trump is a threat to our democracy. At one level, we should take everything he says seriously. At another level, the man babbles in a stream-of-consciousness manner that is frequently disconnected from reality. How do we know when we should take specific statements seriously?

Trump’s desire to nationalize elections aligns with his extensive voter suppression efforts, including his recent demand for an FBI raid on the Fulton County registrar’s office. So, we should believe him when he says he wants to nationalize elections in Democratic strongholds.

While it is theoretically possible to “nationalize” federal elections, it’s not likely to happen.

Let’s start with first principles. The federal government has no control over state and local elections. None. The only exception is if those elections are run in a manner that violates the 14th and 15th amendments to the US Constitution, which prohibit denying the right to vote based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude,” and guarantee equal protection under the law. So, Congress simply cannot “nationalize” state and local elections.

Authority to regulate federal elections is jointly delegated to the states and Congress. Article I, Section 4, Cl. 1 of the Constitution provides,

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.

So, the default arrangement is that states control federal elections, but Congress can exercise control over federal elections by passing legislation. In the current configuration, states do, in fact, control federal elections, although there are some federal regulations in place to ensure compliance with the Constitution (like the Electoral Count Reform Act).

Trump’s statement asked “Republicans” to “nationalize” elections. At most, that means that congressional Republicans would need to pass legislation to take control of federal elections.

But here’s the catch: Legislation affecting voting rights is subject to the filibuster in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly said that he would not create an exception to the filibuster to pass voting legislation (like the SAVE Act). Because the filibuster will apply, “Republicans” don’t have enough votes in the Senate to “nationalize” federal elections.

Trump is therefore leaning on Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster. They won’t. Democracy Docket has a good explainer on why Republicans do not want to abolish the filibuster. See Democracy Docket, Will Republicans kill the filibuster to pass Trump’s voter suppression bill?.

Because Republicans are the smallest of three major voting blocs in America (GOP, Democrats, and independents), they need the filibuster to supercharge the unfair advantage that small, southern states have in the Senate.

Per Democracy Docket,

“The filibuster, for good or for ill, protects more Republican issues than Democratic issues,” said Daniel Schuman, executive director of the American Governance Institute. “Giving up the filibuster, for Republicans, would be letting Democrats compete on a more level playing field, which is not necessarily something that they would want to do.”

So . . . in order to “nationalize” federal elections, Republicans would need to give up the filibuster, which they desperately do not want to do. But if they did end the filibuster, the next Democratic majority could reverse any legislation the GOP passed and enact new legislation, such as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act.

Per Democracy Docket,

[Ending the filibuster] could be a gift in disguise to Democrats, experts say, as the filibuster has more frequently frustrated progressive proposals, both historically and in recent years, than derail conservative priorities.

The same logic that suggests Republicans won’t “nationalize” federal elections also explains why they won’t pass the SAVE Act as part of the appropriations package currently under consideration—they would need to end the filibuster. That is not likely to happen.

Concluding Thoughts

We may be in for a rough few weeks as congressional Democrats try to force changes on ICE by withholding funding for DHS. But we should not shrink from the fight. Public opinion is strongly on our side. More importantly, it is the right thing to do. Americans are being executed in the streets, children are being jailed, and citizens and immigrants are being dragged out of their cars based on the capricious whims and biases of unqualified ICE agents.

This showdown has been brewing for six months. We are in a strong position and should press our advantage. Imagine the tremendous boost to the resistance if we can break the GOP’s majority power in Congress to force real changes at ICE.

But even if we do not win, our cause is just and the struggle prepares and strengthens us for the next battle. We do not need to win every battle, just most of them over time. We can do that. We are doing that—with your help! Keep up the good work!