May 6: Internal memo refutes claims Trump made to seize deportation powers … Another Salvadoran detention victim ID’d … Trump backs abortion pills despite telling Christians he’d save the sweet angels and despite obvious conflict of interest of all the times he bought them for his unfortunate sex partners … Israel bombs Houthis despite Trump totally settling that whole situation with bombs …
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Pres. Donald Trump has been lying to the country about his deportations, according to an internal government document declassified yesterday.
The document was declassified even though government officials previously said leaks of its findings posed a threat and justified investigating news outlets that reported it.
The document is a National Intelligence Council Sense of the Community memorandum and was released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s office in response to a public-records request. Contrary to Trump’s claims that the Venezuelan government of Pres. Nicolás Maduro is directing Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang activity in the U.S., the document shows there’s no credible basis for Trump’s statements, which he cited as justification to wield the extraordinary, wartime deportation powers of the Alien Enemies Act.
Here’s some of the memo’s Trump-fucking:
“While Venezuela's permissive environment enables TDA to operate, the Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States.”
“…an uneasy mix of cooperation and confrontation rather than top-down directives…”
“the decentralized makeup of TDA … would make such a relationship logistically challenging.”
“…most of the IC [Intelligence Community] judges that intelligence indicating that regime leaders are directing or enabling TDA migration to the United States is not credible…”
“The IC has not observed the regime directing TDA, including to push migrants to the United States…”
“…the Maduro regime probably is not systematically directing Venezuelan outflows…”
Not only is Tren de Aragua not being run by Maduro, some of Tren de Aragua isn’t even run by Tren de Aragua:
“Some self-described TDA criminal entities or individuals lack direct ties to TDA leadership but still use the TDA moniker for reputational benefits…”
And not only is Tren de Aragua not being run by Tren de Aragua or Maduro, sometimes Maduro’s at war with Tren de Aragua:
“In 2023 the Venezuelan regime cleared TDA from Tocoron Prison…”
“The regime may have expelled TDA from the prison … to disrupt further destabilizing activities by gangmembers inside Venezuela.”
“Venezuelan intelligence, military, and police services view TDA as a security threat…”
“In late January, at least two Venezuelan National Guard units arrested TDA members in Venezuela in separate operations.”
“Venezuelan security forces have periodically engaged in armed
confrontations with TDA, resulting in the killing of some TDA members…”
Even newer Newsfuckers may recall that back in April your unflagging TFN flagged right-wing claims — which were fed to the Trump administration — that Maduro provides Tren de Aragua with paramilitary training. Apparently, whatever training they got was less military than para. Here’s the memo (emphasis added for bullshit-identification):
“The small size of TDA's cells, its focus on low-skill criminal activities, and its decentralized structure make it highly unlikely that TDA coordinates large volumes of human trafficking or migrant smuggling.”
But, but, what about the super-secret sources that Trump’s right-wing super-spies have?
“In some cases, reporting warns that these sources could also be motivated to fabricate information…”
“Some reports come from people detained for involvement in criminal activity in the United States or for entering the country illegally, which could motivate them to make false allegations about their ties to the Venezuelan regime in an effort to deflect responsibility for their crimes and to lessen any punishment by providing exculpatory or otherwise ‘valuable’ information to US prosecutors.”
Y’know, like we tortured detainees to tell us we should definitely invade that country with all the oil.
But, but, but, why did Venezuelans come here, if not to overthrow the richest, most militarily powerful nation in human history with their rampant criming and drugging and tattooing?
“Most Venezuelan migrants, including those traveling to the United States and in the region, seek more stable economic and political environments…”
Joke’s on them, because we don’t have that anymore! Suckers.
Are there no connections between Tren de Aragua and the Maduro regime? Surprise, in a fucked up, dysfunctional country where the government isn’t a functioning thing in some places, yes, there has been some cooperation with individual officials, but most of the interaction is government officials who aren’t supposed to be doing shit like tipping off or getting bribes from gang members.
Trump has not only kept all of this from us, he told us the opposite. In reality-land, the only president destabilizing the U.S. isn’t the Venezuelan one, and Trump’s the one turning America into a tren wreck.
Trump’s March 15, 2025, proclamation invoking wartime powers — because he needs special help handling everything — included what we now know were multiple, conscious, flat-out, impeachasfuckable lies:
“TdA has engaged in and continues to engage in mass illegal migration to the United States to further its objectives of harming United States citizens, undermining public safety, and supporting the Maduro regime’s goal of destabilizing democratic nations in the Americas, including the United States.”
“Evidence irrefutably [sic] demonstrates that TdA has invaded the United States and continues to invade, attempt to invade, and threaten to invade the country…”
“TdA is undertaking hostile actions and conducting irregular warfare against the territory of the United States both directly and at the direction, clandestine or otherwise, of the Maduro regime in Venezuela.”
This was the rationale for sending Venezuelan detainees to an El Salvador hellhole. Without due process. Without even charges. Even though the intelligence community had circulated its findings in February, the previous month.
A judge last week ruled that Trump’s power-grab was illegal. The judge said the powers Trump claimed in order to seize and deport, um, invaders, “exceeds the scope of the statute.”
In other words, even from behind a bench the judge could see Trump was full of shit.
Now we have the proof that Trump lied to seize more power. Gabbard knew and helped cover it up. Consequences, please.
Second Unlawful Detention Victim Identified
The second man ordered to be returned to the U.S. has been identified by Politico. Referred to only as “Cristian” in court documents, he’s 20-year-old Venezuelan Daniel Lozano-Camargo.
Politico was able to determine his identity because the Trump administration is bad at thing-doing and failed to scrub his name from the metadata of a court filing.
Lozano-Camargo had a low-level drug conviction in January, so obviously in a court filing yesterday, the government said he’s part of “a violent terrorist gang.”
Lozano-Camargo has been operating in Houston, where his violent terrorist gang responsibilities included running a car-detailing business, the way Osama bin Laden probably did. His family believes he was targeted because of his violent, terrorist, gang tattoos.
And, just like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration wasn’t allowed to deport him (even though newly released Tennessee police video of Abrego Garcia clearly shows police uncovering an incriminating lack of suitcases and possible possession of toothbrushes and enough toothpaste to charge with intent to distribute and/or floss).
A judicial ruling in 2024 barred Lozano-Camargo’s removal while his asylum plea was processed. That’s right, the violent terrorist gang member applied for asylum — and he had a work permit — as one does when one is trying to conceal one’s terrorist waxing of low-riders.
Lozano-Camargo’s rendition to El Salvador’s notorious prison is even more illegaler than Abrego Garcia’s, because it was carried out invoking the Alien Enemies Act. Lozano-Camargo is Venezuelan, while Abrego Garcia is Salvadoran.
Now that a judge has ruled the use of the Alien Enemies Act illegal — and now that we know Trump committed a high crime and/or misdemeanor lying about it — Lozano-Camargo would seem to have an even better case for release and return.
District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, a Trump appointee, is the one who ruled that Lozano-Camargo’s deportation was illegal. She’s holding a hearing today, so this may be about to get a whole lot cause célèbrier.
Christian Votes Secure, Trump Resumes Baby-Killing
The Justice Department argued in court yesterday that distribution of the abortion drug mifepristone should continue unfettered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The states of Idaho, Kansas, and Missouri are suing to force the FDA to start pretending abortion pills are harmful (to people other than the microscopic “people” who live in uteruses without brains or faces or belief in Jesus). The administration of Pres. Joe Biden was opposing the suit — and now the Trump administration is continuing that opposition.
You may remember that Pres. Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi ran on protecting America’s tiny, microscopic “people” from Democrats. But that was when Trump needed the votes of Christians who have no idea The Bible has little interest in abortion, let alone that it’s far more hostile to interest rates.
Abortion pills are one reason abortion rates are rising despite the Trump and Bush-dynasty Supreme Court justices aborting Roe v. Wade. Which means Trump keeping abortion pills plentiful and easy to get could eventually kill even more sweet, innocent, beautiful, darling, faceless, cell-cluster angels than the 258 million people Bondi says Trump saved from drug overdoses this year.
Israel Strikes Houthis Despite Hegseth Taking Care of This Whole Thing in March
The Israeli military on Monday bombed Houthi targets … or at least stuff in the general vicinity of Houthi targets … in response to Houthi shelling of Tel Aviv’s airport earlier Monday. And you thought your Monday sucked.
The 36 casualties — all of whom were Houthis or in the general vicinity of Houthis — included one fatality.
Carried out by 20 Israeli fighter jets, the strikes are Israel’s first in months against targets in Yemen.
Which is so weird because after the U.S. began bombing the Houthis on March 15, 2025 — and even announced it on Signal! — Pres. Donald Trump assured us they had finally put a stop to this whole Middle East conflict stuff.
Trump has blamed still-President-when-stocks-go-down Joe Biden for the Houthis still Houthing and Middle East tensions still tensing. In a March 25 statement, the White House ungrammatically and unfactically declared, “The Trump Administration’s actions to hold the Houthis accountable has [sic] been a massive success.”
But that’s not all! Part of the reason for the March 15 strikes — we now know thanks to Signal — was that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t want Israel to get bomb there first. If the U.S. got bombed there first, “we … get to start this on our own terms.”
I guess now you’re on Israel’s terms!
Four Quickies
The Trump family’s irresistible gravitational pull toward corruption may be about to boing back on them. The American Prospect’s David Dayen writes that the Trump family’s crypto-currency dealings are so icky they’re actually managing to give crypto a bad name. And that’s eroding Democratic support for new crypto legislation which wears a mask of “We need rules!” but is really about rewriting existing rules to codify crypto corruption. So now Dems who supported it are bailing. Except guess who’s yelling behind the scenes for Dems to fall in line with Republicans…again? “Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a co-sponsor, fought to stay on course with the bill in the closed-door meeting.” Just like she fought — successfully that time — to pass the Republican funding bill.
In a different universe, I’d have gone all-out on this one, but c’est la fuckery. Pres. Donald Trump has managed to export one (1) American-made product to China. America’s new ambassador to China is a guy who made his
livingfortune exportingproductsjobs to China. Former Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), as Politico notes, made his career as “a strong proponent of moving jobs from the U.S. to Asia to save on manufacturing costs.” Senate Dems who voted to confirm him: Cory Booker (NJ), Chris Coons (DE), Tammy Duckworth (IL), John Fetterman (PA), Ruben Gallego (AZ), Maggie Hassan (NH), Tim Kaine (VA), Andy Kim (NJ), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Gary Peters (MI), Jack Reed (RI), Jacky Rosen (NV), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Elissa Slotkin (MI), and Mark Warner (VA).Prosecutors in Michigan yesterday dropped the charges against protesters supporting Palestinian rights and Palestinian not-being-killedness. Seven were arrested last year at a protest camp at the University of Michigan. Police broke up the camp, the AP reports, due to unsafe conditions, specifically, “overloaded power sources and open flames.” That’s right, they had campfires and too many phone and tablet chargers plugged into their extension cords. Just like terrorists.
Those 30 dolls you were planning to give to some lucky 30 children this Christmas are gonna be more expensive this year, just like Pres. Donald Trump said. Promises made, promises kept! Mattel said yesterday that his tariffs will cost the company about $270 million this year. Which means Mattel will be “taking pricing action in its US business.” Pricing action = raising prices. And that’s just for cheap plastic dolls, imagine the the impact of pricing action on the Malibu Dream Housing market.
Recommended Wrongness
As longtime Newsfuckers know, we here at TFN Central endeavor to take the high road. We don’t traffic in insults about physical appearance (mostly). We don’t make fun of how people speak — which is incredibly unfair to me when the Health Secretary is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Luckily, my comedy friends Jim Earl and Martha Previte have few such compunctions. And they make me laugh. Yesterday, they posted new video of First Lady Melania Trump reading to children at the White House Easter Egg Roll. The audio is even newer than the video. It is at times deeply wrong, so if you like that kind of thing, you can check it out here.
TCB
SUPPORTING TFN I know I gripe a lot about all the bigshots coming into Substack and potentially bigfooting alternative news outlets and newsfucking outlets, but even if a lot of their work is knee-jerk partisan stuff with little original reporting or even research for context, I can acknowledge it includes good, smart, work, too. But yesterday I read something that cheesed me off.
This was a big-name, well-paid print person complaining that before Substack they just couldn’t do the great, important work they really wanted to do when they were back at their big-name, high-profile former outlet. Newsfuckers, I call bullshit.
Even when I was a lowly TV news producer, I was able to fight for and get good stuff on the air. Mostly, but not exclusively, when I was at Countdown with Keith Olbermann. I wasn’t smart about those fights, and I made enemies and probably acted like an asshole at times, but I also succeeded in keeping some bad shit off the air.
When I was executive producer at Up w/ Chris Hayes, I and my team worked our asses off to insulate what we did from bad internal systems in order to put something on the air that a lot of people cherished. When none of us had big names.
So, look, I admit I have a conflict of interest about big names on Substack — my daily anxiety they’ll push me off Substack’s algorithmic radar and halt the growth that TFN needs to continue in order for me to make this work — but for The Greater Good, I do want effective voices for good here on Substack. At the very least, though, show us some record you even tried to do something “different” from the crappy norms of corporate media when you were a part of it like I was. End of rant.
ELECTIONS
June 10 — New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial primary.
TAKING ACTION
Today-The Second Coming: Tesla boycott.
Target boycott: The boycott is back on until Target reverses course on DEI and Black-owned suppliers.
Boycott El Salvador products (you can find a list of potential products here) (h/t).
Sept. 21: Climate-action events for Sun Day.
The unknown future: Find upcoming events near you here. (h/t)
RESOURCES
Mental reassurance that at least lawyers are fighting back on fill-in-the-blank.
REVOLVING DOOR PROJECT
The Revolving Door Project has a number of ways you can help and/or get help/info:
Tip line (assuming you didn’t send TFN your tip first!)
CONNECTING Come say hi on Bluesky, Mastodon or Spoutible!
Go get ‘em, kids!
TFN creator and writer Jonathan Larsen co-created Up w/ Chris Hayes and wrote for Countdown with Keith Olbermann at MSNBC, helped launch CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° and Air America Radio, and has also worked at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Young Turks.
OK OK ...SO MUCH TO PROCESS....indulge me as I try to savor some hope that the midterms can be won--- the numbers are showing T losing ground on the economy but winning on immigration- despite his illegal tactics, his base loves it...so, how will we take back control? Besides Bernie and AOC rallies (preaching to the choir???), what else can be done....I am, by nature, a task master, albeit a political novice ...I want and need to see DEMS doing something besides sending me requests for $ and telling me how outrageous things are.....so, bear with me in this attempt to engage in task oriented ways -in the perhaps? delusional idea that someone may pick this thread up.....Since T is losing favor on the economy, and solid on immigration, why don't the DEMS put forward an aggressive (like never before) immigration plan that even the GOP cant argue with and let the GOP knock it down or try to bury it....(remember Obama was called the deporter in chief but he followed the law and no one hated him for it)...at the same time highlighting dramatic immigration reform, Dems flood the airwaves with the price of eggs, the mtg in the oval office where T bragged about the billions earned by his buddies the day after tariff turn around, the loss of jobs, yada yada- theres much here to capitalize on....there are ways the base can be engaged...look at what happened at Harvard with groups mobilizing to force Claudine Gay to resign--doesn't matter what side of that issue you are on, groups mobilized to draw attention to the issue with trucks riding around Cambridge with large graphics displayed --elaborating on issues they felt important- it made you stop and think about what was going on ---do we have such capabilities to enlighten the base ......can we think out of the box-- old strategies of white boys back slapping in the sauna ain't gonna work no more.............thank you for getting to the end of this post!
“Now we have the proof that Trump lied to seize more power. Gabbard knew and helped cover it up. Consequences, please.”
What, reviving measles, crypto corruption, Signal incompetence, prison glamor shots, presidential pontiffication, Ukraine strangulation, billionaire welfare, USAID decimation, Canadian annexation, NATO detonation, canal reacquisition, and naval academy censorship aren’t consequences enough?