J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover

It’s evident to all that our 80-year-old president is a man stuck in the past.

But did he really have to invoke the spirit of disgraced FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who ran the infamous Cointelpro program that spied on left-leaning organizations, spread disinformation and sabotaged their protests and during the 1950s and 1970s?

The New York Times reported that the out-of-control Dept. of Homeland Security resorted to Hoover-like activities in the Minnesota immigration crackdown. It surveilled labor unions and environmental groups, infiltrated their meetings and protests and subpoenaed financial records.

The Senate, which had a backbone back in the 1970s, launched a major probe into Cointelpro’s activities.

Chaired by Idaho Democrat Frank Church, the U.S. Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, concluded that the FBI used techniques that would be intolerable in a democratic society even if the targets had been involved in violent activity

“The Bureau conducted a sophisticated vigilante operation aimed squarely at preventing the exercise of First Amendment rights of speech and association, on the theory that preventing the growth of dangerous groups and the propagation of dangerous ideas would protect the national security and deter violence.,’’ reported the Church Committee.

There’s zippo chance that the current Senate will investigate the DHS. The country needs a Democratic-controlled Senate for that.

But in the interim, we have to rely on First Amendment warriors like Communications Workers of America president Claude Cummings to fight back. The DHS subpoenaed three-years of CWA’s financial records

“Our union has become the latest target of a corrupt administration that weaponizes the legal process against law-abiding Americans exercising our Constitutional rights,” said Cummings, standing up to bullies in a statement.

He said CWA’s values of unity, of community, are under attack by a president and his Department of Homeland Security that sends government spies to surveil community meetings in church basements.

"CWA has a long history of standing up to bullies and will be neither intimidated nor silenced,” according to Cummings.

“We will speak out, we will vote, we will fight, and we will win,” said CWA.

Who else is ready to stand up for the Constitution, which is under serious attack by a lawless administration? Time is running out as Trump is becoming more desperate to maintain his hold on power.

NYC probes prediction markets… New York City Council speaker Julie Menin has kicked off a probe into the marketing and advertising practices of Kalshi, Polymarket, Coinbase and Gemini Titan.

She sent letters to those companies on Aug. 12, asking about information concerning the outreach they make to New Yorkers.

“Prediction markets aggressively entice consumers to bet and wager on sports, politics, culture, weather and just about anything else,” she said.

The Council wants to determine whether additional consumer protection legislation, enforcement efforts, and public education campaigns are needed to protect consumers from any abusive marketing efforts.

The surging online prediction markets are projected to chalk up $300B in volume this year. That’s a big market ripe for oversight.

Prior to becoming speaker, Menin served as Dept., of Consumer Affairs commissioner, where she launched investigations into alleged predatory practices used by for-profit colleges, debt collectors and auto loan outfits.

She’s an investigator extraordinaire.

Who will fill the big shoes of Karoline Leavitt? It will be hard to match her exquisite ability to spread lies and disinformation?

And there’s no bigger Trump suck-up in Washington than pugnacious attack dog Karoline.

The 28-year-old White House press secretary is quitting to spend more time with her family.

Her departure is perfectly timed to occur before the expected Republican wipe-out in the mid-term elections.

Leavitt’s successor will have to help communicate Trump’s wrath after his party is repudiated by voters. Do any of you (Anna Kelly, Alina Habba, Scott Jennings, Kari Lake) really want the job of playing second fiddle to Trump? The guy is his own press spokesman.