Warning: A Daily Dose of Clickbait Keeps Reality at Bay

You have to be wary of stories/videos online because many have deceptive headlines that either have nothing to do with the story or you'll suddenly find yourself being attacked by malware.

As a newspaper editor I always took headlines seriously and made sure they were reflective of the article. It was just the right thing to do and made your publication more credible. There are no online editors monitoring the millions of stories and videos for authentic content.

It's the wild, wild, west in computer land where bad actors roam the net looking to deceive and cheat viewers. It's human nature to be curious when you see a sensational headline. Even if your brain tells you to be suspicious you find yourself taking a sneaky peek to see the rest of the story.

While surfing platforms like YouTube, you'll find a dazzling array of clickbait examples; one video shows Trump in MAGA hat and looking ragged. The headline said, "Send Him to Walter Reed!!" So, who wouldn't want to find out if Trump had some serious ailment? Therein lies the struggle.

Clickbait examples use sensational, vague, or fear-inducing headlines to get clicks, often promising shocking reveals or secrets, like "You Won't Believe What the Child Star is Doing Now? Or "This One Weird Trick Will Save you 70%!"

Common tactics include numbered lists (15 Ways to Lose Weight), unfinished thoughts ("Before You Do That, You Have to Know This...") or exaggerated claims, aiming to create artificial urgency or curiosity that often doesn't match the actual content. They also offer vague promises: "The Answer Will Blow Your Mind!" or "They Didn't Know...Then This Happened."

The goal is to pique curiosity by withholding information, using sensational language ("Shocking, "Unbelievable") to provoke an emotional response, and the heart of clickbait is driving page views and advertising revenue.

Depending on the goal of the scam, one click could result in a new slew of email or text spam, malicious data mining, or even a monthly charge on your phone bill. 

According to the Better Business Bureau consumers need to be beware with the IQ tests, and quizzes that require you trade information.

The best defense against clickbait is knowledge. Similar to the plague of fake news circulating online, clickbait is getting more sophisticated and deceptive in appearance, which means that users must be even more sophisticated in understanding how to sidestep these digital traps.

Make sure your devise is protected. There're too many bad actors out there who will exploit your data with one click. Be aware of the dangers I listed above. It's your discernment and ability to hold onto your clicks that will protect your viewing experiences.

Here's a video that will help (don't worry I checked it out); What is Clickbait

As it Stands, full disclosure, I have been a victim of clickbait (years ago) and have been hyperalert ever since. 

Some Epstein Files Released: More Gaslighting and Lies

Once again, the Trump regime has slapped the American public in the face. 

We're not getting all of the six million files the DOJ has stashed in some safe house. As a matter of fact, only three million have been produced today. 

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told the press that the DOJ is not releasing millions of pages of additional files, including some involving internal deliberations about the case.

It's a deliberate violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, law signed by Trump on Nov.19, 2025. A judge had ordered that all of the Epstein files must be turned over by December 19th, 2025. 

Blanche, who is also Trump's personal lawyer, said there was no client list and nothing else to see among the three million files being withheld. He also told reporters the White House "had nothing to do" with the Justice Department's review of the files that were released.

Talk about lies upon lies, it's common knowledge Trump had hired hundreds of MAGA lawyers last year to purge his name from the files. Apparently, they need more time to purge the remaining files before Congress orders Blanche and buddies to turn the remainer over. It's an obvious stalling tactic. "Nothing more to see here?" Wink! Wink!

That's a big problem because the Epstein Files Transparency Act demands the release of "Internal DOJ communications, decisions to charge, not charge, investigate, or decline to investigate Epstein or his associates."

Meanwhile Congress will have to continue playing this cat and mouse drama which could extend throughout Trump's term. Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, was blunt in his assessment of the partial release..."They are in violation of the law," he told reporters. 

There are signs that Trump's MAGA base is losing patience with the regime's slow walking of information. Influencers and hard-core supporters are deeply suspicious that "deep state" actors within the DOJ are preventing the release of the controversial files.

They may be right. Shortly after the files were released online the DOJ started actively removing documents they just released. For example, file #EFTAO1660679, where someone accuses Trump of rape, can no longer be found on the DOJ website an hour after being posted. 

During a White House presser Trump attacked reporters, in particular women reporters, when they brought up the Epstein files. He was intent on other distracting narratives like accusing the two American citizens murdered by ICE in Minneapolis of being agitators and how safe Washington D.C. is since he surged national guard troops into the city last year.

By now the majority of Americans know Trump is a liar. He proves it every day. Yet there's precious little that can be done about it. As long as all of the government agencies and Congress have MAGA leaders there's no way to control what Trump has to say.

As it Stands, "The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places." - Bryant H. McGill

Senator Asks, 'Why is Tulsi Gabbard in Fulton County?" There's No Good Answer

Trump will never let the Big Lie die. This latest stunt is another effort to legitimize the day he attempted a coup.

The following is a press release from Sen. Mark R. Warner who is the vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee:

"There are only two explanations for why the Director of National Intelligence would show up at a federal raid tied to Donald Trump's obsession with losing the 2020 election. 

Either Director Gabbard believes there was a legitimate foreign intelligence nexus - in which case she is in clear violation of her obligation under the law to keep intelligence committees fully and currently informed of relevant national security concerns - or she is once again demonstrating her utter lack of fitness for the office that she holds by injecting the nonpartisan intelligence community she is supposed to be leading into a domestic political stunt designed to legitimize conspiracy theories that undermine our democracy. Either is a serious breach of trust that further underscores why she is totally unqualified to hold a position that demands sound judgement, apolitical independence, and a singular focus on keeping Americans safe."

We know there was no foreign interference that they were looking into because the FBI stated, "...it was an investigation on potential violations of federal laws related to defrauding voters of a fair election process and the retention of federal election records."

So where did the truck load of pallets with ballots go? We don't know because Gabbard has taken them to a secret location. Georgia officials are now concerned about ballot security with no chain of evidence - the feds didn't leave an accounting of what they seized.

Senate Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee requested a briefing today from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on the FBI search. The meeting was held behind closed doors despite a request for a public hearing.

An interesting aside to the raid; Fulton County officials were already planning to hand over the voter information at a court hearing scheduled for early February. For some reason Trump's minions decided to seize all of the records before a lawful hearing could be conducted.

Voting officials in Georgia warned this raid could set a precedent for similar federal actions targeting the 2026 midterm elections.

Meanwhile Trump is asking to be paid $6.2 million for legal costs by the district attorney's office in Georgia for charging him with trying to overturn the results of that election.

You can't make this stuff up. It's our reality today.

As it Stands, there was never any doubt Trump would do his utmost to rig the midterms because he knows he faces an accounting if Democrats take the House and the Senate back.

Apocalypse Now? Worldwide Threats to Humanity at an All Time High

The Doomsday Clock started ticking in January 1947 at seven minutes until midnight. It marked the beginning of the Cold War.

The Clock was a symbolic estimation of a human-made global catastrophe by the non-profit organization Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

The Doomsday Clock's origin can be traced to the international group of researchers called the Chicago Atomic Scientists, who participated in the Manhattan Project.

Since then, the Clock has been set backward eight times and forward 18 times. The Clock is a proxy mechanism for threats to humanity from unchecked scientific and technological advances. 

The farthest time from midnight was 17 minutes in 1991, and the closest is this year at 89 seconds. 

There are various elements taken into consideration when the scientists from the Bulletin decide what "Midnight" and "global catastrophe" really mean in a particular year.

They might include politics, energy, weapons, diplomacy, and climate science;" potential sources of threat include nuclear threats, climate change, bioterrorism, and artificial intelligence.

Not everyone takes the groups predictions seriously. Critics contend it's a "grab bag of threats and isn't helpful when it comes to policy or science." Still others call the group a cult.

Regardless of the diverse interpretations of the symbolic Clock and its credibility, there is one truth that can't be ignored. Mankind is destroying earth's environment at a pace never seen before.

With the Trump regime leading the way against all efforts to mitigate the climate crisis and denying science a new standard of stupidity has spread around the world, basically dooming the planet.

This year the group warned that world leaders have become unconcerned.

"Hard-won global understandings are collapsing, accelerating a winner-takes-all great power competition and undermining the international cooperation critical to reducing the risks of nuclear war, climate change, the misuse of biotechnology, the potential threat of artificial intelligence, and other apocalyptic dangers," the group's recent report stated.

This warning comes at a time when America has a rogue president with worldwide ambitions of conquest.

As it Stands, whether you agree with the group's findings or not, I think we can all see what's happening in America and around the globe...and it's scary.

Americans Don't Hate Canada - Trump Does

I'm having tea this morning instead of my usual coffee in honor of my deceased Grandma Baxter who was born in Canada where she met my British grandfather who later became an American citizen.

Maybe because I have some Canadian DNA, I take Trump's brutal treatment towards Canada personally. 

Since crawling back into the Oval Office like a cockroach, Trump has gone out of his way to disrespect one of our closest (literally) allies and fellow member nation in NATO. He brags about making Canada the 51st state when he's in his bullying mode... which is growing in frequency.

Trump's bluster against other nations lately is scary. I grew up during the Cold War, and it looks like I'll die of old age during this version of paranoid isolationism by Trump and his fascist cohorts. 

Speaking of bluster, Trump is upping the stakes against Canada by warning the country that the U.S. will send fighter jets frequently into Canadian airspace if they pull out of a deal on purchasing 88 American-made F-35 fighter jets. He also threw in the usual tariff threat of 100% against Canadian goods.

The U.S. ambassador to Canada warned that the arrangements involving the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) may have to change if Ottawa doesn't follow through on the $14.2 billion deal.

Why, you may wonder, is Canada hesitating from consummating the agreement? The F-35 has some major issues. For starters the control model is a problem. As is their functionality in cold weather. And Canada, is...COLD.

On top of the F-35s reliability issues in cold climates the reliance on US Software during a time when they can't trust Trump or American's military-industrial complex and you can see why the deal has gone sour.

This senseless assault on Canada is going to end up with both countries being less safe in the skies when, and if, an enemy strikes from above.

I know Americans don't hate Canada. We've been too great of neighbors to suddenly split like this. Tourism in both countries is suffering along with both economies because of Trump's tariffs.

Canada is a beautiful country. My best friend and I traveled across Canada and then down into Minnesota in the summer of 1969 after graduating from high school. Our trip back to California was a story of discovery in itself.

As it Stands, I sincerely hope that the damaged relationship with Canada ends soon before Trump goes too far.

What Will Happen When I Wake Up Today?

Americans are so shell-shocked by the Trump regimes assault on all of our freedoms we dread getting up in the morning.

Each day brings new atrocities, more lies, and more chaos into our lives. It's like death by a thousand cuts. Each one deeper than the last. 

Watching democracy die is a painful experience. The regime has pulled out all of the stops in a concentrated effort to subdue and control American citizens. 

It's got so bad lately that Trump's goons in ICE have been openly murdering American citizens. When video evidence of a crime is shown the regime tells us not to believe what we see with our own eyes.

When I open my eyes in the morning and get out of bed, I imagine a Jack-in-the-Box ready to violently pop open as I sip my first cup of coffee and end up spewing it when I see the latest atrocity in the news.

I was never a morning person, but I never dreaded them more than I do now... thinking things like, did Trump attack Greenland today?

Or, where's ICE going next? Are they coming to my town? Will I be called a domestic terrorist if I keep going to protests against ICE? Will goons show up and say my blog is a threat to the state and disappear me?

We all have fears about our future under the authoritarian regime Trump has installed. I can't help comparing Nazi Germany in the 1930s to what we are experiencing right now. Historians have made the same connection and have been warning us since Trump slunk into politics praising White Superiority.

Because of my PTSD I take enough medication to put an elephant into a coma before going to bed every night, I don't have dreams or nightmares. 

There is one exception. I'm a combat Vietnam veteran. When Spring rolls around I do get Nam nightmares. Doctors call it an anniversary date, like it's something benign.

When Trump took office last year my annual nightmare visits to the Nam had a new addition, Trump attacking and killing American citizens. Unless something drastically changes, I can count on dual nightmares again this Spring.

My nightmare from last year has unfortunately happened. In the last three weeks two American citizens have been executed in broad daylight by ICE goons.

As it Stands, by the time I have my second cup of coffee I'm ready to resist the regime by posting on my blog or going to an anti-Trump protest. 

The Real Reason ICE Invaded Minnesota

Under the pretext of looking for illegal immigrants the Trump regime surged over 2,000 ICE agents into Minnesota. Their real mission however was far more insidious. 

The plan was to hold the state hostage by releasing federal thugs on the local populace until the state agreed to Trump's terms of surrender. ICE's brutality hit new highs as agents murdered two American citizens and attacked innocent bystanders in just the last week.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi let the cat out of the bag when she demanded Minnesota turn over voter records and other data in exchange for pulling the ICE agents out of the state. It was a blatant threat sent directly to Gov. Tim Walz.

Along with voter records, the Trump regime also demanded that Minnesota repeal "sanctuary policies" and turn over information on welfare recipients, including Medicaid and SNAP (food assistance) data.

Senator Chris Murphy summed up the situation succinctly," This has never been about safety or immigration. It's pretext for Trump to take over elections in swing states."

And there you have it.

Trump's efforts to rig the midterms are ramping up daily. His misuse of the national guard and active military members are part and parcel of the effort to disenfranchise Americans before the midterms. Trump's methods are brutal and dehumanizing.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem who oversees ICE has refused to pull ICE out of Minnesota despite threats of impeachment. Her loyalty is to Trump. Not the rule of law.

On Sunday morning Gov. Tim Walz demanded Trump pull "untrained" ICE agents out of the state after the murder of an American citizen, Alex Pretti, by an ICE agent. Brian O'Hara, Minneapolis Police Chief, told reporters, "People have had enough."

The chief also accused federal agents of initially blocking both Minneapolis officers and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from accessing the scene of the crime. He said the incident has raised "serious questions" and warned that legal findings alone may not address public anger.

The local law agencies then filed a lawsuit asking for a federal judge to allow them to also conduct an independent investigation. The judge issued a preliminary injunction telling ICE and other federal agencies that they cannot destroy evidence while the lawsuit moves forward.

People know what they saw. There are at least six first-hand videos showing every possible angle of the unwarranted shooting. Yet Trump's minions are trying to tell Americans not to believe their eyes... again, since the murder of Renee Good. It just goes to show the contempt the Trump regime has for truth.

Meanwhile Trump state media outlets like Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN, are relaying the regimes lies and even doubling down on them despite visual evidence. 

As it Stands, another innocent American citizen is murdered while protesting the actions of a lawless federal agency. Trump's plot to rig the midterms has been revealed.

Murders in Minnesota: ICE Agents Shoot Another American Citizen

When is the invasion of Minnesota going to cease?

As Americans woke up Saturday morning, they saw ICE agents pump a dozen rounds into an American citizen who they had tackled and brought down to the ground. DHS says the 37-year-old male had a gun.

More than one agent shot the man (12 shots total) as he struggled for his life face down on the pavement. They took his gun from its holster and THEN murdered him.

Just in: the murdered man's name is Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old American citizen who works as an ICU nurse at the VA.

It was an execution. Watch video. Believe your own eyes.

While six agents pounded the man when he was down, they discovered that he had a gun on him. It turns out that he was legally carrying it and had no criminal record. His crime... walking out of a donut shop and helping a woman protestor who had been pepper sprayed and filming the ICE thugs in action. 

Because ICE and other federal agencies are NOT WORKING with local authorities on the investigation. They're busy covering the crime up. But this time local authorities refused to leave the scene of the shooting and are actively investigating it.

In the hours and days ahead, DHS will be pushing propaganda through state outlets like FOX News. Calling it a "righteous" kill.

After an ICE agent murdered Renee Good a few days ago, Gov. Waltz and local authorities warned that more killings would continue as long as ICE terrorized the city. Sadly, they were right.

Ever since Trump sought vengeance against blue states that didn't vote for him, he's been sending in his private army of federal goons to terrorize the citizens. Trump made ICE into a gestapo-like organization that has complete immunity against the law... so far. 

Judges have ruled against ICE's draconian tactics, but the Justice Department ignores court orders, confident Trump will shield their crimes.

Protests have sprung up across the nation ever since ICE surged thousands of agents into Minnesota and began killing American citizens. People are taking to the streets in subzero temperatures in the east to get their message out - "ICE Go Home!"

The impact of this invasion has affected everyone as doctors and their staffs warn that ICE agents are going after their patients.

Schools have shut down because authorities don't believe it's safe for their students with ICE agents snapping them up and denying them basic rights. Store owners are opening their businesses to shelter protestors pursued by federal agents throwing CS gas grenades and flash bangs.

Once again, the feds want us to NOT believe our eyes. The coverup is as insidious as the one the feds employed after the murder of Renee Good.

As it Stands, my condolences to Alex Pretti's family and friends. He was a true patriot.

The Legion of Doom and Titanic Temper Tantrums

For those of you who don't read comic books The Legion of Doom was a group of supervillains who originated in Challenge of the Superfriends, an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comic's Justice League.

The plot in each episode always revolved around the Legion of Doom's efforts to take over the world. Straight up. Bad guys versus the good guys. The bad guys eventually lose.

If only real life was like that.

The real world is facing a threat of titanic proportions with the formation of an international group started by Trump devoted to the furtherance of dictators and authoritarian leaders across the globe.

Ironically named the Board of Peace, the organization has thus far only attracted authoritarian governments. Russian president Vladimir Putin received an invitation, but no representative was present at the signing. 

The 19-member board will have representatives from Morocco, Argentina, Bahrain, Armenia, Azerbaijian, Bulgaria, Hungry, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

How's that for a line up? Of course, Trump appointed himself as Lifetime Leader. One of his first acts was to grift. It's in his bloodstream. He's charging a billion dollars for lifetime memberships. 

I'll let you guess where that money will go to. My guess is Qatar. He already has a bank account there where he's siphoning off the profits from seizing Venezuela's oil.

It doesn't take a political analyst to see Trump's Legion of Goons are trying to replace NATO. Fact: no democratic countries are jumping at taking Trump's invitation to his exclusive new club.

Meanwhile the man trying to take over the world spends his nights throwing temper tantrums on his Truth Social platform. It's not unusual to see rants at 2 or 3 a.m. while the rest of the world sleeps. He repeats old lies and invents new one's every pathetic nightly diatribe.

That's one of the reasons Trump falls asleep during meetings and events. His tiny brain is simply overloaded from clashing with windmills all night.

As it Stands, someday Trump will be gone. It's that thought that keeps me going.

A Kangaroo Court Report: GOP Attacks Facts and Makes Stuff Up...Again

A popular explanation for the term "kangaroo court" came about to describe frontier judges who would "hop" from one town to another, with little regard for making fair rulings.

Watching Congressional Republicans attack former special counsel Jack Smith during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee was a mockery of justice. A modern kangaroo moment. 

Playing to an audience of one - Trump - GOP members doubled up on right-wing theories to put a good show on. It was showtime after all. A pathetic attempt to rewrite history.

Another example of how low the House majority can go. Reality was forsaken in impassioned speeches by spineless GOP members trying to impress dear leader.

If you happened to tune into this political theatre, you probably noticed the Republicans couldn't challenge the hard facts that Smith calmly laid out so they depended on ill-conceived conspiracies.  

As Smith testified Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social, that he (Smith) "is being decimated before Congress." He was obviously pleased with his lackey's performance. Imagine that. Trump huddled in some dark corner of The White House like a troll, following his minions and making sure they stick to his script.

"The whole thing was a Democratic SCAM - A big price should be paid by them for what they put our Country through," Trump ranted online.

Make no mistake. This kangaroo court is just another chapter in Trump's vile attempt to rewrite history and justify his attempt to illegally seize the 2020 election. His craven cronies are continuing to back his lies with false narratives refuting reality.

When the biggest hypocrite and first-class liar in Congress, Rep. Darrell Issa accused Smith of "going after political enemies" my jaw dropped. The whole phony hearing was part and parcel of Trump's goal of going after his political enemies. Talk about hypocrisy. Issa has no shame. It's a MAGA trait.

If you're wondering what the whole point of this theatre of the absurd was... it's simple. Furthering Trump's Big Lie. The theatrics were staged to please him, not to expose some truths to the American people. The majority of Americans who watched Trump supporters almost steal the 2020 election aren't going to be impressed by the shit show the Republicans put on.

Jack Smith warned Americans, in his opening speech, not to take the rule of law "for granted." That's good advice for all of us who care about preserving our Democratic republic.

As it Stands, the big takeaway from this show trial is that it's just another distraction by Trump who is refusing to release the Epstein files. He's that desperate. We see this after his attempt to illegally seize Greenland was blocked by Western countries who wouldn't back down from a threat of war.

The World Suspected Trump Was Crazy: His Speech at DAVOS Proved It

Another day. Another twisted and sick speech. 

Yesterday Trump spoke to Americans on his one-year anniversary of the presidency. Talk about invoking the 25th Amendment quickly lite up the internet afterwards.

Today it was worse.

Trump's speech in DAVOS was just short of a declaration of war against any counties who oppose him taking over Greenland.

It was embarrassing watching the leader of the free world rant on like Hitler in his heyday. He mocked Canada and France. He threatened the UK. He took on all the members of NATO in a disgraceful display of bullying I never thought an American president would ever say.

I watched a short clip of Stephan Colbert interviewing Sen. Bernie Sanders who described what was happening in America today. "We're descending into barbarism," he said with concern in every word.

While putting Europe on notice of his intentions, Trump's regime has turned loose a private army of brutal thugs throughout America violating Constitutional laws with impunity.

Our concerned allies see what's happening at home and have recognized Trump is out of control. Any doubts about Trump being a loose cannon dissolved as world leaders silently watched him slur his words while threatening and insulting them.

It's official then. The whole world knows Trump is crazy. Now what?

As it Stands, I would like to close by telling the rest of the world that Trump DOES NOT represent the majority of Americans.