The Common Ills: The Snapshot

Friday, May 08, 2026

The Snapshot

Friday, May 8, 2026. Chump's dementia receives more attention, Chump and Pete Hegseth continue to persecute Senator Mark Kelly, an Epstein and Chump exhibit goes up in NYC, and much more.

Chump. Is he all there? Is he fading? Is the dementia worsening? William Vaillancourt (DAILY BEAST) notes:

Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, appearing on The Daily Beast Podcast, said the 79-year-old president seems to be “more senile” now than he was during his first term.

“I’m no doctor. I’m no psychologist. I’m no child psychologist, which might be more appropriate for the president,“ Moulton told host Joanna Coles. ”But he definitely seems to be getting worse. He really seems to be getting worse. He seems to be getting more senile. I mean, you don’t talk about cognitive tests a lot if you’re not taking cognitive tests, and you only take cognitive tests if your doctors are concerned about your cognitive abilities.”

“Everyone declines, whether we like it or not, at that age... I think it’s just that much more dangerous,” Moulton explained. “Most people can see that Donald Trump is dangerous—that he’s dangerous for our troops, for our country, for our economy, for our national security. I mean, there’s a long list. But he definitely seems more dangerous now than he was even in his first term.”

Catherine Bouris (DAILY BEAST) adds:

California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a unique challenge to Donald Trump after the president went on a bizarre tangent in public once again.

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump interrupted his address to explain the difference between “sea” and “see.”

“Drug traffic coming into our country is way down,” he said. “By sea, by ocean, by water. A lot of people say, ‘What do you mean by sea? Is it see, like vision?’ No, it’s sea, S-E-A,” he continued, spelling the word out loud.

Responding to the odd interlude in an X post, Newsom expressed concern that “Little D’s” brain was in decline.

“‘LITTLE D’S’ BRAIN IS DECLINING RAPIDLY IN REAL TIME,” Newsom wrote in Trump’s own all-caps style.

“TODAY HE WAS CONFUSED BY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ‘SEE’ AND ‘SEA.’ VERY SAD!”

Newsom continued to discuss the president’s health concerns, referencing reports that his aides feel anxious about the growing signs that his health is in decline.

“HIS HANDLERS ARE TERRIFIED AND DESPERATELY TRYING TO HIDE IT FROM THE PUBLIC. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE THE TRUTH,” he wrote, before issuing a challenge for the president to agree to a live cognitive test on national television.

“FOX NEWS CAN HOST,” Newsom suggested. “SEAN ‘SLUMPY RATINGS’ HANNITY WOULD BE PERFECT. I’LL EVEN LET HIM GIVE ‘LITTLE D’ THREE LIFELINES!”

Outlining the parameters for the test, Newsom said that it would take place during primetime, and that no teleprompters or notes would be allowed.

“‘PERSON, MAN, CAMERA, TV, SQUIRREL, ELEPHANT, GIRAFFE,’” he added. “LET’S SEE WHO PASSES!!!”

Trump boasted last week that he could correctly identify pictures of animals, including a squirrel, as part of a cognitive test.

It's scary to realize how far gone his brain is and how close he is to the nuclear codes. It's scary to grasp how far gone he is and that he's made the decision to start the war with Iran and made the decision to continue the war. Max Burns (THE HILL) offers:

Does anyone in America know what President Trump is doing in the Strait of Hormuz? Does Trump himself know?

On Sunday, he boldly announced “Project Freedom,” his scheme to escort commercial ships through the shuttered strait. He then swiftly reversed course just two days later, declaring that the strait would remain closed, even as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was selling Project Freedom to the press. As Hegseth touted a plan that no longer existed, Trump again changed his timeline for ending his increasingly unpopular war in Iran.

Trump’s impulsive and contradictory actions in Iran have confounded his generals, his Cabinet and the public since the war began 10 weeks ago. Trump is now so bogged down that he is confounding himself, too. It is time for Congress to exert some constitutional authority and wrap this debacle up before regular Americans endure even more financial suffering.

He doesn't know what he's doing. That's why he's offered so many differing reasons for the war. It's why he blows hot and cold on it, why he says it's too hard and he needs a break. He's not up to the job because he doesn't have the mind for it. He gets louder and he bellows but that's all that happens. TACO. NACHO. He doesn't have the mind anymore. It's gone.

Senator Mark Kelly continues to be persecuted by Chump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Kelly, along with other members of Congress, taped a PSA explaining that those enlisted did not have to follow an illegal order. This is a part of training. But it upset Chump and Hegseth (Hegseth had made similar statements when he was on FOX "NEWS" about how troops did not have to obey illeal orders). For a number of reasons, the court system sided with Kelly; however, Hegseth and Chump refuse to let it go.

Mike Scarcella (REUTERS) reports:

A U.S. federal appeals court at a hearing on Thursday appeared skeptical that the Trump administration’s could legally punish Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Kelly over public remarks he made urging service members to refuse unlawful orders.

Members of a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit expressed criticism of the government’s efforts to censure Kelly, a retired Navy captain and Arizona Democrat, over more than an hour of questioning.

"These are people who serve their country. Many of them put their lives on the line," Circuit Judge Florence Pan told a Justice Department lawyer. "You're saying that they have to give up their retired status in order to say something that is a textbook example — taught at West Point and the Naval Academy — that you can disobey illegal orders?"

Matt Naham (LAW & CRIMES) adds:

On the heels of a ruling in the court below that practically begged Hegseth to stop threatening the First Amendment rights of millions of military retirees to punish his boss' political rival over a video, the D.C. Circuit heard the DOJ's best pitch on Thursday for reviving the disciplinary action.

U.S. Circuit Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson, Florence Pan, and Cornelia Pillard, respectively appointed by Presidents George H.W. Bush, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama, formed the panel, a fact that Law&Crime pointed out after Hegseth finally filed the promised appeal of his loss. Despite technical difficulties with the court's publicly posted audio stream, Pillard and Pan's grilling of a DOJ attorney was enough to glean which way the wind is blowing.

"I mean, this is really basic," Pillard told the government. "You are not disagreeing that the video at issue that is the fulcrum of this case, Senator Kelly never says the words disobey lawful orders, right? I mean, that's uncontroversial. I understand you have a whole theory, but he doesn't say that, right?"

"Not in isolation, expressing —" the DOJ lawyer began to answer, before agreeing the judge was "correct."

In the lead-up to oral arguments, Kelly filed a brief recounting how President Donald Trump accused him and five other Democrats — Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. — of engaging in "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" when they appeared in a video in November, condemned lethal military strikes on alleged drug smugglers' boats in international waters, and stated, "you can refuse illegal orders."

[. . .]

All along, Kelly said "you can refuse illegal orders" referred to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and Pillard picked up on it.

"He says you have a duty to disobey unlawful orders, right? That is something that is taught at Annapolis to every cadet, right?" the judge asked.

The DOJ shot back that the "only reason" Kelly said what he did was because the sitting senator and astronaut had a "specific intent to influence active duty service members" and that "Captain Kelly was not purporting to give a speech in Annapolis on military law."

"How do we know that?" Pillard followed up.

Because Hegseth said so, the DOJ replied.

Because crazy Hegseth with his multiple marriages and screwed up view of Christianity said so?

Hegseth is crazed and insane. A FOX "NEWS" weekend host who found a fool in Chump who would support him. Hegseth's in over his head. He was the one who should have been fired for Signal-gate. Every week since then, he's made one blunder after another. Sometimes he's made them daily.

Going after Mark Kelly was a huge mistake. Kelly doesn't back down. And now that's something the entire nation understands, that Kelly's a fighter. It's raised his political profile and might even land him in the White House. Leo Shane III, Connor O'Brien and Lisa Kashinsky (POLITICO) report:

On the campaign trail, Kelly has amassed a war chest that has fueled talk of a presidential bid. He kicked off the year by hauling in roughly $13 million in the first quarter of 2026.

Kelly has said he’ll “seriously consider” mounting a candidacy in 2028. He was on the short list of running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris’ unsuccessful run against Trump in 2024. She eventually chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

“He’s got the backstory. He’s a hot commodity right now,” said Pete Giangreco, a longtime Democratic strategist who has worked on multiple presidential campaigns. “He’s done it in a way that has excited the base of the party but is also a talking point that can win a general election because this is about courage and standing up for the Constitution and making sure we have a military that is not politicized.”

Another Democrat in the video, Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, is also weighing a run for the party’s presidential nomination. Slotkin serves with Kelly on the Senate Armed Services Committee and is a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official.

For decades, sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was best buds with Donald Chump. Epstein is dead now but his connection to Chump remains stronger than ever. While the American people have demanded the Justice Dept release The Epstein Files, while Congress passed an act requiring the documents be released in full, Chump has refused to release them all. Former US House Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene was told by Chump that she had to back off the call to release the files because, if they were released, people he knows would be hurt.

An exhibit has opened up in NYC utilizing documents that have been released. Lisa Rubin (MS NOW) reports:

On a quiet block in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood, an Epstein-focused “reading room” is set to open to the public on May 8. Part public art exhibit, part “library,” it houses more than 3,400 physical volumes that together contain every document published by the Justice Department in response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The sheer immensity of the release is evident as soon as you walk in; it’s a powerful visual that is all but lost by virtue of the fact that the millions of documents were released online and mostly live there. It is not known if there is any other public place where every page of the release has been compiled.

The space also features a symbolic tribute to survivors and detailed timelines that cover an entire wall.

Clio Chang (CURBED) adds:

A reading room containing all 3.5 million pages of records related to Jeffrey Epstein that were released by the Department of Justice opens Friday in a Tribeca gallery. (You have to RSVP for the address, it seems.) The by-appointment-only pop-up is being put on by a nonprofit called the Institute for Primary Facts and will also include a timeline of Epstein and Donald Trump’s relationship. Thusly named the Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room, the project is part art installation, part museum exhibit, and part cursed archive where the only reading materials are emails to and from Jeffrey Epstein.

Clio notes that the museum exhibit will be open until May 21st. MILITARY.COM notes:

The title itself is deliberately provocative. The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room places Trump’s name alongside Epstein’s, reflecting the exhibit’s focus on their documented social relationship and the public records associated with it.

[Spokesperson David] Garrett said the Institute expected the exhibit to raise larger questions about power, accountability and whether the law applies equally.

"We hope and believe that the Epstein case is unique," he said. "The ages of the victims and the unbelievable number of crimes is hard to imagine. We hope and believe that the public will demand transparency and accountability.

"If achieved, we think this moment can provide hope to future generations that the rule of law still exists in America, and that it is applied equally, even to the rich and powerful."

This week also saw Epstein's colleague, friend and business partner Howard Lutnick be interviewed by the House Oversight Committee. He was not put under oath despite the fact that it's the lie the Secretary of Commerce told last fall that necessitated him appearing before the Committee. Media reports yesterday quoted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stating, "Look how they are dodging and avoiding and refusing to really investigate Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein." Trina pointed out last night:

Hillary is 100% correct. She is not someone who met with Epstein but she was forced to testify. Under oath. And she was filmed. Melania Chump knows Epstein. Hillary, if she did meet him, met him at a White House event where he was one of many people present. This was known. Bill Clinton knew Jeffrey Epstein. Hillary Clinton did not. Our current Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick knew Epstein and visited Epstein island. But he wasn't video taped and he wasn't put under oath. And he had lied to the American people claiming that he and his wife, in 2005, went to Epstein's NYC home and left so creeped out that they decided never to have anything to do with him. And that was that. Until a few months later when some of The Epstein Files came out and we learned that Lutnick lied. Six or so years after that tour of the home, And they'd talked and e-mailed since that home tour as well. He's a liar. And he went before them a liar but James Comer -- Gomer Pyle -- refused to put him under oath or to video tape.

Another Epstein story gaining traction this week has been the relese of a note said to have been written by Jeffrey Epstein shortly before he died. Kevin Reed (WSWS) reports:

A purported suicide note written by Jeffrey Epstein was released Wednesday by US District Judge Kenneth Karas in connection with the separate case of Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein’s former cellmate, after a request from The New York Times.

The note remains unauthenticated with multiple outlets reporting that neither the Justice Department nor the court has verified that Epstein wrote it, and the BBC noted it has not been verified. The note is also not clearly a “suicide note” in any conventional sense—it is a scrawled, hard-to-read hand-written message on lined paper, without a signature, and its meaning is uncertain.

The text appears to read, in substance: “They investigated me for month— found nothing!!! So 15 year old charges resulted. time to say goodbye. No fun—not worth it!!” Other fragments from the same document include awkward, partially illegible phrases such as “It a treat be able one’s to say” and “Watch me to—Bust cryin.”

This language leads to the first obvious question: if the note is real, why was it never formally authenticated, and if it is not authenticated, why should it be treated as proof of Epstein’s state of mind just before his death on August 10, 2019?

Tartaglione claims he found the note after Epstein’s first alleged suicide attempt in July 2019, when the two were sharing a cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan. According to reports, Tartaglione later said he discovered it tucked into a book, and his attorneys told the court they believed Epstein wrote it based on Tartaglione’s account and other writings found later in the cell.

But that explanation raises another obvious question: Why would an alleged suicide note be left in a book in a cell shared by a man then facing murder charges, and why did it not surface publicly until Tartaglione talked about it years later?

In other Epstein news, Johanna Berkman (GUARDIAN) reports:

Lawyers for Leon Black, the billionaire investor who has been accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a teenage girl inside Jeffrey Epstein’s New York townhouse in 2002, reached out to a powerful federal judge in 2024 to raise doubts about the alleged victim’s claims, a Guardian investigation has found.

The move set off a months-long court proceeding, which was conducted outside public view and led the US district judge Jed Rakoff to reverse a $2.5m award that had been granted to the alleged victim in a separate Epstein-related class action lawsuit, according to court records. She was later given a much smaller settlement in the class action case.

Jane Doe, as she is known in court filings, has claimed she was trafficked by Epstein and raped by Black when she was a teenager more than two decades ago.

The Guardian’s investigation is revealing new details about the private communications in Black’s legal campaign, which undermined Doe in her civil lawsuit against the Wall Street billionaire.

In a recent court order, Doe faced a significant setback when Jessica Clarke – the federal judge presiding over her civil lawsuit against Black – sanctioned Doe and her former lawyer for “serious, sanctionable misconduct in this case”. Judge Clarke said Doe’s former lawyer had “repeatedly lied to the court and opposing counsel”, and directed her client to destroy a social media account. Doe was sanctioned for having “falsified” some sonogram images that appeared in personal journals, which were submitted to the court as evidence of her abuse by Epstein.

However, it was not a complete victory for Black, as the judge also ruled that the high-stakes lawsuit could proceed.

Black, the 74-year-old former Apollo Global Management CEO, paid Epstein $170m, according to an investigation by the Senate finance committee, which he says was for tax and estate planning. Black has denied allegations that he raped or ever met Doe, who is now 40 years old. He has never been charged with any crimes in connection to Epstein or otherwise.

The Epstein scandal has prompted questions about why the accused sex trafficker’s elite circle of friends and associates has not faced greater scrutiny. That may change. Black is due to testify before the House oversight committee on 26 June, according to a person familiar with the matter, as part of the committee’s investigation into, among other things, Epstein’s sex-trafficking rings. He is also facing questions from the Democratic senator Ron Wyden, who claimed in a recent letter to Black that the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice “remove any lingering doubt” as to whether Black was “connected to women in Epstein’s network” and alleged that “powerful associates in the US and abroad were surveilling and paying off women on [Black’s] behalf”.

Next month, in NYC, there will be an event. Charisma Madarang (ROLLING STONE) reports:

In an evening of solidarity, Hollywood leaders will come together on Sunday, June 14, in New York City for Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment.

Jane Fonda, Bette Midler, Joy Reid, Patti Smith, Rufus Wainwright, Sasha Allen, and Broadway Inspirational Voices are set to appear and perform at the event, which will span 90-minutes and be available to stream online for free. National partner organizations and local civic groups will also host watch parties across the country. All proceeds from the event will go toward the work of the Committee for the First Amendment, which was revived in 2025 by Fonda and other members in the entertainment industry during the first year of the second Trump administration.

"Music has long been a tool to stand up to authoritarianism, and I am honored to spend the evening with these fiercely committed, talented, and brilliant people to celebrate our First Amendment rights," Fonda said in a statement. "As we continue to watch bad faith leaders take more and more power, it is critical that we gather together, raise our voices collectively, and stand united against this administration - and have some fun while doing it."

Rufus Wainwright posted the following to FACEBOOK:

On June 14th, I'm joining Jane Fonda and a number of incredible artists at Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment to Town Hall in New York City and I need you there.

The First Amendment is not a given. It has to be defended, again and again. I am so proud to share the stage with Bette Midler, Patti Smith, Joy Reid, Sasha Allen, and more extraordinary artists who believe that free speech is worth fighting for.

Music has always led the way when freedom is on the line. Come be part of that tradition on June 14th. And if you can't make it to New York, gather your friends and host a watch party.

All proceeds from this concert go directly to support the work of the Committee for the First Amendment. Get your tickets now at www.riseupsingout.com. Let's fill that room together.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

Last year Trump fought to defund the Legal Services Corporation entirely, House Republicans fought to cut the program nearly by half; Murray protected nearly all of the funding in the bills she negotiated that Trump signed into law

Just last week, House Republicans passed a bill out of committee to cut funding for LSC by more than half and President Trump’s budget once again calls to defund the program entirely; As Murray gears up to once again protect LSC funding she will hear from Northwest Justice Project clients and lawyers about the important nonpartisan work this funding supports

Civil legal aid also has a dramatic return on investment; every dollar spent on legal aid generates an average of seven dollars in economic benefits.

ICYMI: Murray Secures $540 million for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC)

***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL HERE***

Seattle, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion with lawyers whose work is supported by Legal Services Corporation (LSC) grants and client storytellers who have benefitted from that work.

Senator Murray was joined by Abigail Daquiz, Executive Director, Northwest Justice Project (NJP); Karla Carlisle, Managing Attorney, NJP Tri-Cities and Walla Walla Offices; Christy, Client; Jennifer Budinick, NJP Attorney, Veterans Unit; Alan Myers, Client; David Tarshes, former NJP Attorney; Anita Belcher, Client; and Will Gunn; Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel for LSC.

“In this country—our courts and laws are meant to be a great equalizer, but we can only live up to that promise of equality when cost is not a barrier to justice,” said Senator Murray. “The funding from the Legal Services Corporation helps organizations like Northwest Justice Project keep that promise and live up to the values that make America great, helping tens of thousands of people every year. The Northwest Justice Project is a lifeline for farmworkers being denied fair pay, domestic violence victims trying to protect themselves and their families, seniors facing an unfair eviction, and so much more. President Trump already tried to completely defund federal legal aid last year—I stopped him. Trump wants to defund legal aid again and House Republicans are pushing to cut existing funding by more than half—that’s simply not going to happen on my watch. I’ll be ripping up Trump’s budget and writing a new one, one that invests in legal aid and protects this absolutely essential lifeline for working people.”

In FY26, Senator Murray protected $540 million for LSC and rejected President Trump’s proposal to completely defund the largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans. Murray also beat back efforts by House Republicans to cut LSC funding by nearly half and made sure the FY26 appropriations bill included a provision to permit LSC recipients to operate with boards of directors that include more fiscal experts and community representatives—something Senator Murray has long advocated for. This change allowed LSC grantees to diversify their boards to include those with accounting, fundraising, and other kinds of expertise.

Just last week, House Republicans passed a bill out of committee that would cut LSC funding by more than half. LSC provides funding and support to legal aid organizations across the country to ensure Americans have the critical legal support they need to protect their families, advocate for veterans, prevent homelessness, and access their benefits. The primary responsibility of LSC is to manage and oversee the congressionally appropriated federal funds that it distributes in the form of grants to local legal services providers, which in turn give legal assistance to low-income clients in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. LSC grantees have served over 6.4 million people, including 1.9 million who resolved housing, family, or other life-changing legal problems, and more than 30 million individuals used grantees’ online legal tools, websites, and self-help resources to navigate legal issues. Civil legal aid also has a dramatic return on investment; every dollar spent on legal aid generates an average of seven dollars in economic benefits.

“Federal funding for civil legal aid is the foundation for our ability to serve our communities—to ensure that a mom facing eviction has someone in their corner, that veterans who have served in this country can access the benefits they have earned, and ensures that safety is possible for survivors of domestic violence. Northwest Justice Project is the LSC grantee in Washington State and we take that responsibility very seriously, making sure that this investment is effectively used to serve our community. Thank you, Sen. Murray for being a champion for civil legal aid funding—so we can continue to show up for our clients,” said Abigail Daquiz, Executive Director, Northwest Justice Project.

“My attorney managed the chaos of my divorce, the connection for legal help with the protection order, and navigated the hurdles of coerced debt and terrible credit that my marriage had left me with, causing housing burdens… I am here today to say thank you. Thank you for giving me my life back. Because of NJP, I am not just a survivor; I am a mother with a home, a future, and a fresh start,” said Christy, a NJP client who with her two young children had fled an abusive partner.

“After more than a year of diligent work, NJP did what I couldn’t do alone. I was awarded a 50% disability rating. These weren’t ‘handouts’—they were the benefits I had earned over decades of service,” said Alan Myers, a NJP client, and a veteran who had served for 25 years and sustained service-related disabilities, including partial blindness, hearing loss, and spinal fracture. Yet he was told by the Veterans Administration that he would not qualify for benefits.

“If NJP needs anything, I will be there to help. It still blows my mind that I was able to be represented by great attorneys and actually get a favorable outcome. It was amazing. Truly amazing,” said Anita Belcher, a NJP client whose paycheck was suddenly garnished by 50% without notice.

NJP is Washington’s largest publicly funded legal aid program and provides legal representation to tens of thousands of low-income Washingtonians each year for critical legal matters including family safety, housing rights, wage theft, access to healthcare, education, and more. NJP is the sole LSC grantee in Washington state. LSC provided about $11 million to NJP in FY25, which was 18% of their total annual budget. They also received about $2 million in other federal funding, meaning 21% of their total budget in 2025 was from the federal government. Over one million people visit their website, washingtonlawhelp.org, to access free legal resources annually. Across Washington state, they have 20 physical offices and about 340 staff, including nearly 200 attorneys. In 2025, NJP direct legal services benefited 31,206 Washington residents, including more than 800 veterans, 2,929 older Americans, and thousands of domestic violence survivors. However, in Washington close to one million residents qualified for assistance.

Services provided include a toll-free referral and intake hotline called CLEAR (Coordinated Legal Education Advice and Referral) that lets clients ask questions and get advice over the phone, the Washington Law Help public website that hosts free legal resources and self-help materials, and they coordinate volunteer attorney programs to ensure equal justice for people unable to afford an attorney. In addition to 20 offices statewide, specialized units serve farmworkers, Native Americans, veterans, and provide eviction and foreclosure defense.

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And let's close with this from THE BLACK COMMENTATOR:

BlackCommentator.com

May 7, 2026 Issue 1086