SunSeeker
SunSeeker's JournalMore Americans now affiliate themselves with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party
More Americans now affiliate themselves with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, marking the first time this has happened since January 2024, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday.
Gallup finds that in the second quarter of 2025, an average of 46% of Americans say they identified as a Democrat or a Democratic-leaning independent, compared with the 43% who say they are a Republican or Republican-leaning independent.
That's a change from the first quarter of the year, when an equal 45% of Americans identified with either party. And it's an even bigger shift from the fourth quarter of 2024—when last year’s presidential election took place—when 47% identified as Republicans.
"Shifts in party affiliation away from the ruling party have occurred in the first year of most recent presidential administrations. The current movement in party preferences is primarily driven by a greater share of political independents saying they lean toward the Democratic Party," Gallup said.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/31/2336081/-Americans-move-away-from-the-Republican-Party?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_9&pm_medium=web
Katie Porter is going to be California's next governor
The news that former Vice President Kamala Harris will not look to run for governor in California in 2026 is not a great surprise among the state’s political class.
Harris nodded toward another possible presidential run in 2028, but she’s currently running second in the most recent Emerson College polling, behind Gov. Gavin Newsom, and only slightly ahead of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. For now, Harris’s career may veer toward lowkey pursuits. She’s only 60, after all, and there’s still time for her to step back into the political spotlight.
Porter has access to a national donor base that will undoubtedly ignite with the news that Harris is out. Further, a lot of donor class fence-sitters can now commit. Porter also generates excitement amongst young voters, and that simply cannot be said of the others — yet.
It may be a bit tricky for Porter to maintain her populist street cred as she lines up financial backers, but she’s still a compelling potential governor. A truly gifted speaker, as her legendary white board presentations attest, she has genuine charisma.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/katie-porter-going-california-s-next-governor-20794517.php
Reminder: Katie Johnson sued Trump in 2016 for raping her when she was a 13 year old virgin.
On November 2, 2016, she was scheduled to appear at a press conference at the office of Lisa Bloom before abruptly canceling; Bloom said she had received multiple threats. The lawsuit was withdrawn two days later, only 4 days before the November 8, 2016 election.
Here's a substack that recaps the timeline and allegations, and adds an update:
https://mdavis19881.substack.com/p/watch-video-testimony-from-woman?utm_medium=android&triedRedirect=true
Here's a video of her telling her story. TRIGGER ALERT: very graphic, detailed and sickening description of Trump raping and humiliating young girls at Epstein gatherings.
Virginia councilman set on fire in personal attack at his office: Police
Source: ABC News
The suspect, Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, allegedly confronted Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler, 38, at his office, at Showcase Magazine, and covered him with a flammable liquid, the Danville Police Department said. Both went outside where Hayes allegedly set Vogler on fire, police said.
Hayes, 29, of Danville, is in custody, police said. The suspect allegedly fled the scene and was then stopped by officers a few blocks away, police said.
Vogler has been taken to a hospital in unknown condition, police said. Showcase Magazine said he sustained “serious burn injuries.”
It appears Vogler and Hayes know each other "and the attack stems from a personal matter not related to the victim’s position on Danville City Council or any other political affiliation," police said.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/virginia-councilman-set-fire-personal-attack-office-police/story?id=124216615
The right wing is already falsely claiming the perpetrator was a "leftie lunatic" but it appears both victim and perpetrator were Republicans and this was not politically motivated in any way.
Republicans confirm former Trump lawyer Emil Bove to lifetime appeals court perch
Source: NBC News
The Republican-led Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Emil Bove as a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, granting a lifetime appointment to President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer.
He was confirmed 50-49, with only Republican votes, as they set aside allegations from three whistleblowers about the conduct of Bove, a Justice Department official, which include accusations that he flouted laws and Justice Department procedures.
Just two Republicans voted with Democrats against the nomination: Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, and Susan Collins, of Maine.
Hours before the vote, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, dismissed the complaints raised by the third whistleblower as “another breathless accusation,” saying Bove denied the allegations under oath.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-confirms-trump-nominee-emil-bove-appeals-court-whistleblowers-rcna221781
Hopefully we can impeach his ass when we control Congress.
Netflix sued by former employee over alleged discrimination and retaliation
Source: KTLA
The complaint, filed by the Pasadena-based civil rights law firm Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai (HSRD), alleges that Netflix, along with Senior Director Ted Sinclair and executive Jonah Cozien, violated federal anti-retaliation laws and tried to silence whistleblowers by forcing them into private arbitration. The plaintiff, Nhu Phan, is represented by HSRD attorneys Brian Olney and Kate McFarlane.
...
After requesting a new supervisor, Phan was reassigned to Cozien in August 2022. The complaint alleges she subsequently became aware that Cozien was sexually harassing a younger female colleague. Phan said she reported the harassment to Human Resources.
After the report, Cozien allegedly retaliated against her, including by withdrawing a promise to promote her to a lead role on a major production. Phan was terminated shortly afterward.
According to HSRD, Netflix then filed a lawsuit against her in an effort to compel arbitration. Her attorneys say this violates the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, which bars employers from using arbitration to conceal complaints involving sexual misconduct.
Read more: https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/netflix-sued-by-former-employee/
Astronomer is obviously not the only company with slimeballs in charge.
Harvard Is Said to Be Open to Spending Up to $500 Million to Resolve Trump Dispute
Source: NY Times
Harvard University has signaled a willingness to meet the Trump administration’s demand to spend as much as $500 million to end its dispute with the White House as talks between the two sides intensify, four people familiar with the negotiations said.
According to one of the people, Harvard is reluctant to directly pay the federal government, but negotiators are still discussing the exact financial terms.
The sum sought by the government, which recently accused Harvard of civil rights violations, is more than twice as much as the $200 million fine that Columbia University said it would pay when it settled antisemitism claims with the White House last week. Neither Harvard nor the government has publicly detailed potential terms for a settlement and what allegations the money would be intended to resolve.
President Trump has privately demanded that Harvard pay far more than Columbia. The people who described the talks and the dynamics surrounding them spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential negotiations.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/us/politics/trump-harvard-payment.html
This makes me want to vomit. Don't do it Harvard. What good is that $53.2 Billion endowment if you are willing to sell your soul to Shitler?
Donald Trump Doesn't Rule Out Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell
Source: Huffington Post
On his way out the door to a weekend golf trip that’s set to cost American taxpayers at least $10 million, Trump stopped to answer a couple questions from reporters ― and he was awfully cagey when asked about Ghislaine Maxwell.
Asked if he would pardon or commute the sentence of Maxwell, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s onetime girlfriend, Trump sure didn’t say “no.”
“I’m allowed to do it,” he told reporters. He then claimed that “it’s something I’ve not thought about.”
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-pardon-ghislaine-maxwell-maybe_n_6883b466e4b016b12b831267
The deal is on: a pardon/commutation in exchange for her clearing Trump.
If that isn't grounds for impeachment, nothing is. She herself physically raped children.
Gardener seen being hit by immigration agents in June video is released from detention
Source: NBC News
The immigrant father of three U.S. Marines was released from federal custody Tuesday, three weeks after being violently detained by immigration agents while working his landscape job in Santa Ana, California, last month.
Narciso Barranco was released on $3,000 bond from Adelanto Detention Center. Authorities had accused Barranco of assaulting a federal agent with a weed whacker, but he and his family denied the claim, saying he was trying to protect himself from pepper spray.
"When he heard that, he was shocked," Alejandro Barranco said. "He never intended to hit anyone. He never intended to hurt anyone."
Barranco was charged only with being in the country illegally, not for the alleged assault of an agent, his son said.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/gardener-seen-hit-immigration-agents-june-video-released-detention-rcna219251
This peaceful, hard working father of 3 Marines, who has been in the US for 30 years, without any criminal record, got mauled and pepper sprayed by ICE while cutting grass at an IHOP. Then, ICE tried to smear him, claiming he attacked them, something the video did not show. I'm glad he is free. Hope he gets the relief he requests at his August hearing. He is finally getting due process, but only because his arrest caught the attention of the country.
An official says a historic Grand Canyon lodge has been destroyed by wildfire
Source: NBC News
A historic lodge on the Grand Canyon's North Rim has been destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire, the park said Sunday.
The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, park Superintendent Ed Keable told park residents, staff and others in a meeting Sunday morning. He said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost.
Two wildfires are burning at or near the North Rim, known as the White Sage Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire. The latter is the one that impacted the lodge and other structures. The park initially was managing it as a controlled burn but then shifted to suppression as it rapidly grew to 7.8 square miles (20 square kilometers) because of hot temperatures, low humidity and wind, fire officials said.
The White Sage Fire doubled in size on Sunday, growing from roughly 20,000 acres to 40,000, according to government website that tracks U.S. fires.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/grand-canyon-lodge-destroyed-wildfire-rcna218566
First DOGE cuts and now this. A bad summer at Grand Canyon National Park.
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Gender: Do not displayHome country: USA
Current location: Southern California
Member since: Sun Mar 20, 2011, 12:05 PM
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