here’s what Democrats would need to remove Trump from office through the two constitutional mechanisms:

PATH 1: IMPEACHMENT AND REMOVAL

Requirements:

• House of Representatives: Simple majority (218 votes out of 435) to impeach
• Senate: Two-thirds supermajority (67 votes out of 100) to convict and remove

Current Status (after 2024 elections):

• Republicans: 220 seats
• Democrats: 215 seats

Roadmap for Democrats:

Step 1: Win the House (2026 Midterms)

• Democrats need to gain 3 seats to reach 218 and control the House
• This would allow them to impeach Trump with a simple majority
• Based on yesterday’s results and historical midterm patterns, this is very achievable

Step 2: Win 2/3 of Senate (Much Harder) Current Senate: 53 Republicans, 47 Democrats (including independents who caucus with Dems)

To reach 67 votes for conviction, Democrats would need:

• Current 47 Democratic votes
• +20 additional votes to reach 67

This means either:

• Win 20 more Senate seats (impossible in 2026 - only 35 seats up)
• Win enough seats AND convince multiple Republicans to vote for conviction

The Senate Math is Brutal:

• Even if Democrats won EVERY competitive race in 2026, they’d likely max out around 51-52 seats
• They would still need 15-16 Republicans to vote to convict Trump
• Trump was impeached twice before and acquitted both times, with minimal Republican defection

PATH 2: 25TH AMENDMENT, SECTION 4

Requirements to Initially Remove:

• Vice President JD Vance must agree
• Majority of Cabinet (currently 8 out of 15 Cabinet secretaries) must agree
• Both must submit written declaration to Congress

If President Contests (which Trump certainly would):

• Congress must vote within 21 days
• Two-thirds vote required in BOTH House AND Senate to keep president removed
• That’s 290 votes in House and 67 votes in Senate

Why This Won’t Work for Democrats:

1. Vice President JD Vance would never invoke it - he’s Trump’s chosen VP and politically aligned
2. Trump’s Cabinet is appointed by and loyal to Trump
3. Even if somehow invoked, Trump would contest it
4. Democrats would need the same impossible 2/3 supermajority in both chambers to sustain removal

Important Note: The 25th Amendment was designed for medical incapacity (coma, severe illness), NOT for removing an unpopular or incompetent president. It has never been used to remove a president against their will.

THE REALISTIC ASSESSMENT

What’s Actually Achievable:

1. 2026 House Win ✓ Likely

• Democrats flip 3+ seats
• Gain subpoena power, investigative authority
• Could impeach Trump again

1. 2026 Senate Supermajority ✗ Nearly Impossible

• Would need to win almost every race AND get Republican crossovers
• Even in a massive “blue wave,” Democrats unlikely to reach 67 votes

1. 25th Amendment ✗ Impossible Under Current Conditions

• Requires Trump’s own VP and Cabinet to turn against him
• Still requires 2/3 of Congress

Bottom Line: Democrats could realistically impeach Trump again after winning the House in 2026, but removal from office via conviction or 25th Amendment is essentially impossible without massive Republican cooperation, which is extremely unlikely given Trump’s control over the GOP base.

The more realistic Democratic strategy would be:

• Win House in 2026 → Investigate and check Trump’s power
• Win more Senate seats (even if not 67) → Block appointments and legislation
• Focus on winning the 2028 presidential election

Sources:

• Wikipedia: Impeachment in the United States
• US Senate: About Impeachment
• Constitution Center: 25th Amendment
• Wikipedia: 25th Amendment
• Cornell Law: 25th Amendment
• Bipartisan Policy Center: 25th Amendment FAQ
• Congress.gov: Presidential Disability Under 25th Amendment

Some report the Cheney family hasn’t decided how to handle his remains, but may award Halliburton “a no-bid contract” for clean-up; his daughters, struggling with their loss, have taken to calling it “enhanced death.”

Second Thought

This video exposes the "Hollywood accounting" practices that lead to massively successful movies being declared unprofitable (0:40-2:00). This allows studios to avoid paying out net profit participation to many involved in the film's creation.

By authorizing this assessment, Walters signed off on a conservative and far-right political organization having a say in which prospective teachers from out of state receive their Oklahoma teaching licenses.

George W. Bush's vice president, who died today, was probably the most powerful veep in history, but at America's expense

Randall Gamboa Esquivel, a 52-year-old man from Pérez Zeledón, died after nearly two months in a Costa Rican hospital.

...I could have told you that 🤷

Source: https://x.com/BriannaWu/status/1984574165643403370

Not my usual kind of source (Xitter), but I want any centrists out there who ask trans people to "just get along" / compromise with actual hate groups that want them eradicated to know that it doesn't work.

There is no such thing as a reasonable bigot, by definition.

Video Description:

On this stream: up-to-the-minute election results from the NYC mayor's race as well as key governor's races in VA and NJ - Trump approval rating falls below 40% in latest poll - Kash Patel called out for abusing private jet privileges during govt shutdown - and more.

About Channel:

the post-civilization left

Due Dissidence is a multimedia one-stop shop for left politics and gallows humor in written, audio, and video form.

SponsorBlock, Timestamps, and Generated Summary below:

SponsorBlock Timestamps:

1. 0:00.000 - 1:35.000 Introduction and Global Recklessness
2. 1:35.000 - 3:05.000 The Unhinged State and Constitutional Breakdown
3. 3:05.000 - 5:25.000 The Authoritarian Blueprint and Liberal Complicity
4. 5:25.000 - 8:57.000 Domestic Police State and Official Racism
5. 8:57.000 - 11:52.000 Media Manipulation and Institutional Decay
6. 11:52.000 - 19:28.000 Shifting Alliances and Military Adventurism

Video Description:

The United States has become completely unhinged, says Chris Hedges. There's only one way to stop Trump, by re-empowering the popular movements that were disembowled by him

Follow #MOATS 496 X: @ChrisLynnHedges #Trump #Democrats #Congress

Generated Summary:

Overall Summary: In this interview, Chris Hedges argues that the United States is rapidly descending into an authoritarian state under Donald Trump. He asserts that while liberal institutions like the Democratic Party and the New York Times correctly identify the threat, they are complicit because they refuse to endorse the only viable solution: mass popular mobilization. Hedges contends that these institutions fear a genuine popular movement would displace them along with Trump, preferring to protect their own privilege even as democratic norms collapse. The discussion outlines twelve key indications of this authoritarian shift, weaving them into an analysis of foreign policy recklessness and domestic repression.

Detailed Segment Outline

Segment 1: [00:00 - 01:35] Introduction: Global Recklessness and Impulsive Leadership

• Key Points: Introduction of Chris Hedges. Discussion of Trump's impulsive and unfocused foreign policy, including potential invasions of Venezuela and Nigeria.
• Arguments: Trump and his administration are "buffoonish" and lack the understanding or capacity to manage the global consequences of their actions. The so-called ceasefire in Gaza is a "slow-walk," with violence continuing and aid blocked.

Segment 2: [01:35 - 03:05] The Unhinged State and Constitutional Breakdown

• Key Points: The proposal to resume nuclear weapons testing passes without major outcry, signaling a numbed political climate.
• Arguments: Hedges states the U.S. has become "completely unhinged," with a subservient Congress and an imperial presidency violating constitutional norms.

Segment 3: [03:05 - 05:25] The Authoritarian Blueprint and Liberal Complicity

• Key Points: Reference to a New York Times article listing the "12 indications" of authoritarianism [https://web.archive.org/web/20251104022430/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/31/opinion/trump-autocracy-democracy-report.html]. The failure of the Democratic Party and its "vapid, celebrity-driven campaign."
• Arguments: The core argument is presented: the liberal elite recognizes the problem but refuses to support mass mobilization—the only true remedy—because it would end their own power and status, making them "full partners in our emerging police state."
  • Indication 1: An Obsequious and Complicit Legislature.
  • Indication 2: Consolidation of Executive Power (Imperial Presidency).
  • Indication 3: Neutralization of the Political Opposition.
  • Indication 4: Liberal Elite Complicity for Self-Preservation.

Segment 4: [05:25 - 08:57] Domestic Police State and Official Racism

• Key Points: The militarization of police, the terrorizing of communities (e.g., Chicago raid), and explicitly white supremacist immigration policies.
• Arguments: The tyranny the U.S. imposed abroad is now being imposed on its own population. The state apparatus is being used to enforce a nakedly racist and xenophobic agenda.
  • Indication 5: Militarization of Domestic Policing.
  • Indication 6: Official Embrace of White Supremacist Policies.
  • Indication 7: Purges of State Institutions.
  • Indication 8: Establishment of Concentration Camps.

Segment 5: [08:57 - 11:52] Media Manipulation, Institutional Decay, and a Third Term

• Key Points: Discussion of media consolidation by figures like Musk and Murdoch, Trump's lawsuits against the press, gerrymandering, and Trump's desire for a third term.
• Arguments: The architecture of democracy is being deliberately dismantled. The media is being consolidated to suppress dissent, elections are being structurally manipulated, and the norm of peaceful power transfer is under direct threat.
  • Indication 9: Corporate-State Media Consolidation to Suppress Dissent.
  • Indication 10: Weaponization of the Law Against Critics.
  • Indication 11: Gerrymandering to Permanently Entrench Power.
  • Indication 12: Open Abandonment of Democratic Norms (Third Term).

Segment 6: [11:52 - 19:28] Shifting Alliances and Military Adventurism as Late-Stage Symptoms

• Key Points: The shift of some right-wing figures (Owens, Carlson) against Israel. The analysis of potential invasions of Venezuela and Nigeria as "disastrous forms of military adventurism."
• Arguments: These foreign policy debacles are characteristic of a "late empire" accelerating its own decline. Hedges concludes by comparing Trump to a "crazy banana dictator" like Trujillo or Papa Doc Duvalier, underscoring the complete erosion of democratic leadership.

About channel:

Straight talking, straight forward. @WorkersPartyGB Seven time Parliamentarian

Delivering to you the towering and sterling efforts of Britain’s most outstanding political figure.

Edit:

1. Generated Summary, Segment3, Added NYT Article link: https://web.archive.org/web/20251104022430/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/31/opinion/trump-autocracy-democracy-report.html

The entire population of Gaza is suffering from extreme levels of hunger. Everyone is hungry.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/38527833

Nathan Bernard
Nov 03, 2025

On Sunday afternoon, Platner filled the State Theatre, an historic art deco venue in Portland in Maine’s largest city, with close to 1,000 people eager to hear how the campaign planned to save absentee voting in the Pine Tree State. The voter suppression initiative would hobble absentee voting in the state with the oldest population in the country, enact strict voter ID requirements, and severely limit access to ballot dropboxes. In the last election cycle, more than 40% of Mainers used absentee voting. Polls have shown voters evenly divided on the measure, which could have considerable implications for the 2026 general election.

The corporate-friendly party refuses to learn the lessons of the past decade. When will it implement a truly humane agenda?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/38483025

by Stefanie Fox [Executive Director of JVP Jewish Voice For Peace in USA]
Oct 20, 2025

One year ago, the Heritage Foundation released Project Esther, which is best understood as an addendum to Project 2025. It was released quietly, but with ambitious tactics; it contains everything needed to defame, defund, and ultimately dismantle groups like JVP “within 12-24 months.” This is the Trump administration’s blueprint to destroy civil society, starting with attacking Palestine solidarity.

Twelve months in, and they are well underway, judging by the giant stack of paperwork on my desk from JVP’s lawyers laying out the active lawsuits brought against our organization from Trump-aligned law firms and government requests for information...

Timestamps:

1. 1:57:35.000 - [TBD] Election Night

Video Description:

#liveelectionnight #sabbysabs #dickcheney #benshapiro #magaattackstucker #israelassaultconfirmed #sudangenocide #electionnight

About Channel:

Leftist news commentary & interviews. Fighting for political and social change. Sabby Sabs podcast is a part of Revolutionary Blackout Network.

LIVESTREAM SCHEDULE:

• Tuesdays @7pm ET
• Thursdays & Fridays @8pm ET
• Every Other Sunday @5pm ET

Website: https://sabbysabs.com/

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner says his six months in Afghanistan in 2018 as a State Department security contractor revealed how America’s wars had become “a corporate money-grab.” He clarified he never worked for Erik Prince’s Blackwater but for a hedge-fund-owned successor that inherited its State Department contracts. “They used guys like me with these backgrounds to meet the contract requirements so they could pay us bare minimum and walk away with the balance.”

Platner said his job mostly involved driving for the U.S. ambassador’s security team. “We were barely leaving the Green Zone… All I did was lift weights and play video games. I got huge and I played a lot of Far Cry,” he said.

He quit after six months and went home to farm oysters.