The SAVE Act will require showing a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Most Americans don't have a passport and a large number (estimated at more than 21 million) do not have ready access to a birth certificate. It takes time and money to obtain either of those documents. Married women will be disproportionately disenfranchised if they took their spouse's name. They will have to take extra steps since their name won't match their birth certificate. Young people and low-income voters will have an outsized burden. State officials risk prosecution if they make a mistake. This bill is not designed to make elections safer. It's designed to keep people from voting.
Trump seems to care very much about his legacy. Yet he is allowing stephen miller to orchestrate what will be an ugly stain on such legacy. He should fire miller and start treating immigrants as the human beings they are.
You're right, but like everybody else around him, Miller was hand-picked by Trump to do dirty work he likes without leaving presidential fingerprints. If Miller starts getting what Trump thinks is a bad press he will throw him under the bus in a heartbeat.
Regarding gun rights I sense a pattern of moves aimed at (excuse the language) civilians while keeping them in the hands of uniformed enforcers at all levels, from local sheriffs, police and state troopers to designated federal enforcers up to and including the armed forces.
These strike me as the first steps to building a dictatorship so the Second Amendment extremists make a valid point. I agree with their arguments for most of the usual reasons, but only with the return of the Assault Weapons Ban which was a proven success.
This is a subject I thought long and hard about as a conscientious objector in the Sixties. When drafted I was already classified 1-AO (not 1-A) and sent to modified basic training to become part of the Army Medical Service Corp.
I agree with you Hoots! And will add for a successful and final take over as dictator the people cannot be armed and how do you do that? You start chipping away with side comments such as we have seen since the recent murders by ICE in Minnesota.
So the House GOP wants the Senate to change its voting rules so the the Senate can pass a law to force States to change their voting rules. Which part of this sounds unconstitutional?
A Arizona State University journalism project, published a database of 2,068 alleged voter fraud cases reported between 2000 and 2012. This represented about 0.000003 cases for every vote cast. 46 percent of cases also resulted in acquittals, dropped charges or decisions not to bring charges
Are election are not being stolen by illegal voters, they are being manipulated by propaganda.
Mike Johnson is about as out of touch with what Americans “want and deserve” as it is possible to be. Americans are not in favor of what is going on based on every recent poll. But they keep telling themselves what they want to hear and offensively spreading the lies. And kl is quite possibly the worst press secretary ever.
And elections have been proven, again and again, to be efficient, fair, and honest, as run by the states. This president has decided that he should control elections personally. Hmmm, sounds a lot like other dictatorships where elections are “held”. They are performative - the outcome is always pre determined.
KL is a liar. And I have often marveled at how good she is at it. At such a young age, only 28, she is very poised, very skilled at twisting any criticism of Trump into praise for him. It's impressive, really. I used to wonder what kind of home she grew up in to be that good at manipulation. Then I read that she grew up going to Mar-a-Lago, and it made sense that she learned these skills from a young age, and it also made sense that she got the job she has at such a young age.
As long as we're talking about the SAVE act... I think that probably shouldn't pass.
Now before heads explode... I believe in ID and etc... However...
That Rs and T want the SAVE Act at the same time as he's pushing to nationalize elections in places he doesn't think he won (he didn't)...which just so happen to also be places that don't support him and which he needs to win or suppress to expand his congressional position... well... that's some banana republic stuff right there.
If T had kept his trap shut...SAVE might pass. But when you talk about taking over elections while also trying to pass legislation... well.
I haven't a clue what "might happen next" because the collective chaos in Congress successfully generated by Donald Trump and Project 2025 means all guesses are subject to that man's ability to twist words and meanings, often ignoring the will of Congress anyway.
We are watching a level of stress and confusion unfolding in America that I never imagined would be repeated in my lifetime after the chaos of the Sixties, but I was wrong.
take over elections in places they might not win easily (Nationalize)
change the districts to gerrymander more wins (TX, and attempts elsewhere)
establish and build up a national police force (proposed early on, then seeing its realization in expanded ICE)
Suppress the 2nd. We've made us safe (this argument is coming) so you don't need guns, and if you have any guns near us we will arrest you (or shoot you).
I think the assassination attempt(s) did get in his head. Notice he doesn't do outdoor events now, or events that aren't in small settings or where he's kept safe from the crowd (like football, he's very blocked off). THis allows those around him with more authoritarian tendencies to take the 2nd supporters at their word... they argue the 2nd and their guns are there to protect against tyranny by a federal government...so lets take those gun rights away so that resistance can't happen.
Something I've always been confused about. So, right now, you can go vote without any ID? Every time I go, I show my driver's license. What's wrong with that?
Since it would be required at the time of registration, another effect that some oppose is that it effectively puts an end to voter registration drives since those working them aren't able to verify the ID requirements.
About half of the states have same-day voter registration, but the larger issue is that voting protocols are constitutionally a *state* responsibility, not federal. That is one of our most important legal principles.
It is not showing a driver license to vote it is when you register you will have to show a birth certificate or your passport. The move favors folks with disposable income that can afford the time and money to get a birth certificate and or a passport. Now if you are a married woman and took your husband’s name you will have extra hoops to jump through though I am not sure what they will be. Nothing has said that I have heard about reregistration but know this group of asshats that will be part of it too. It is all part of project 2025 to put regular folk like you and me out of the voting booth. Well maybe not you since you are male but definitely woman and those without wealth. Frankly I am shocked the have not added you have to be a landowner.
Hi Elizabeth. It's basically a question of cities / counties cooperating with the feds. Some argue that if they turn in people to ICE, then immigrant communities won't work with police on local crime. Some cities / counties got aggravated with ICE detainers because the feds would say they want to get a criminal illegal but then leave him in jail on the tab of the local city or county. It's also a situation where local police have enough to do - and they argue they shouldn't be immigration agents as well.
One big issue is how could Congress write up a 'ban' on sanctuary cities.
Local law enforcement doesn't cooperate with Fed immigration. If they arrest someone that is undocumented, they don't report it. If an undocumented person is released from jail, they don't notify Feds.
Justification is this allows all residents to report crime without fear of retaliation through deportation.
Houston TX (where I live) is blue but is not a sanctuary city. It had about 75 instances last year where local police notified DHS of an undocumented person in their custody and the person was transferred to ICE custody. The Mayor was on the local news discussing this in late January.
The Atlantic writer Robert Kagan says as Trump violates norms, laws and the Constitution, including his call to nationalize elections, "we're on the edge of the consolidation of dictatorship."
Jamie, thank you for your insider take on DC. I live in the Georgia Mountains and subscribe to the AJC, so I catch your work in both places. Thanks for what you do.
Jamie, I don't see among the proposed ICE reforms anything about the inhumane conditions in the detention centers, or the way DHS moves people and hides their locations to keep them away from legal representation. Are the Democrats trying to improve that? It seems to me that those practices violate a couple of Constitutional amendments.
The SAVE Act will require showing a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Most Americans don't have a passport and a large number (estimated at more than 21 million) do not have ready access to a birth certificate. It takes time and money to obtain either of those documents. Married women will be disproportionately disenfranchised if they took their spouse's name. They will have to take extra steps since their name won't match their birth certificate. Young people and low-income voters will have an outsized burden. State officials risk prosecution if they make a mistake. This bill is not designed to make elections safer. It's designed to keep people from voting.
For an even handed review of the SAVE act vs the issues at stake...
https://bipartisanpolicy.org/article/five-things-to-know-about-the-save-act/
Preach it sister!!!
Trump seems to care very much about his legacy. Yet he is allowing stephen miller to orchestrate what will be an ugly stain on such legacy. He should fire miller and start treating immigrants as the human beings they are.
You're right, but like everybody else around him, Miller was hand-picked by Trump to do dirty work he likes without leaving presidential fingerprints. If Miller starts getting what Trump thinks is a bad press he will throw him under the bus in a heartbeat.
Regarding gun rights I sense a pattern of moves aimed at (excuse the language) civilians while keeping them in the hands of uniformed enforcers at all levels, from local sheriffs, police and state troopers to designated federal enforcers up to and including the armed forces.
These strike me as the first steps to building a dictatorship so the Second Amendment extremists make a valid point. I agree with their arguments for most of the usual reasons, but only with the return of the Assault Weapons Ban which was a proven success.
This is a subject I thought long and hard about as a conscientious objector in the Sixties. When drafted I was already classified 1-AO (not 1-A) and sent to modified basic training to become part of the Army Medical Service Corp.
I agree with you Hoots! And will add for a successful and final take over as dictator the people cannot be armed and how do you do that? You start chipping away with side comments such as we have seen since the recent murders by ICE in Minnesota.
So the House GOP wants the Senate to change its voting rules so the the Senate can pass a law to force States to change their voting rules. Which part of this sounds unconstitutional?
A Arizona State University journalism project, published a database of 2,068 alleged voter fraud cases reported between 2000 and 2012. This represented about 0.000003 cases for every vote cast. 46 percent of cases also resulted in acquittals, dropped charges or decisions not to bring charges
Are election are not being stolen by illegal voters, they are being manipulated by propaganda.
Mike Johnson is about as out of touch with what Americans “want and deserve” as it is possible to be. Americans are not in favor of what is going on based on every recent poll. But they keep telling themselves what they want to hear and offensively spreading the lies. And kl is quite possibly the worst press secretary ever.
And elections have been proven, again and again, to be efficient, fair, and honest, as run by the states. This president has decided that he should control elections personally. Hmmm, sounds a lot like other dictatorships where elections are “held”. They are performative - the outcome is always pre determined.
KL is a liar. And I have often marveled at how good she is at it. At such a young age, only 28, she is very poised, very skilled at twisting any criticism of Trump into praise for him. It's impressive, really. I used to wonder what kind of home she grew up in to be that good at manipulation. Then I read that she grew up going to Mar-a-Lago, and it made sense that she learned these skills from a young age, and it also made sense that she got the job she has at such a young age.
As long as we're talking about the SAVE act... I think that probably shouldn't pass.
Now before heads explode... I believe in ID and etc... However...
That Rs and T want the SAVE Act at the same time as he's pushing to nationalize elections in places he doesn't think he won (he didn't)...which just so happen to also be places that don't support him and which he needs to win or suppress to expand his congressional position... well... that's some banana republic stuff right there.
If T had kept his trap shut...SAVE might pass. But when you talk about taking over elections while also trying to pass legislation... well.
The comment by Schmitt, that we should increase penalties for illegal migrant entry...
why? What penalty? just...send them back. Yes they may try again, and again...But the alternative is to what? incarcerate them? and pay for that?
I haven't a clue what "might happen next" because the collective chaos in Congress successfully generated by Donald Trump and Project 2025 means all guesses are subject to that man's ability to twist words and meanings, often ignoring the will of Congress anyway.
We are watching a level of stress and confusion unfolding in America that I never imagined would be repeated in my lifetime after the chaos of the Sixties, but I was wrong.
I find it interesting that the 3 legislators in Georgia involved in Unemployment fraud during COVID
AND Cherfilus -McCormick are all Black
The our own Fani Willis who had a conflict of interest I the Trump saga
Are the only ones charged so far
Ruth Chris Steakhouse got $20 million (about $130,000 per restaurant) and the Fast Food folks got a billion
And none of those are in violation
In Fani’s case show me a White DA who’s been charged with such behavior
It’s a good time to be
Rich White folks
You know like the ‘unnamed’ Men in the Epstein Files
On the 2nd:
There's a pattern here....
Suppress the vote (SAVE act)
take over elections in places they might not win easily (Nationalize)
change the districts to gerrymander more wins (TX, and attempts elsewhere)
establish and build up a national police force (proposed early on, then seeing its realization in expanded ICE)
Suppress the 2nd. We've made us safe (this argument is coming) so you don't need guns, and if you have any guns near us we will arrest you (or shoot you).
I think the assassination attempt(s) did get in his head. Notice he doesn't do outdoor events now, or events that aren't in small settings or where he's kept safe from the crowd (like football, he's very blocked off). THis allows those around him with more authoritarian tendencies to take the 2nd supporters at their word... they argue the 2nd and their guns are there to protect against tyranny by a federal government...so lets take those gun rights away so that resistance can't happen.
Bless their hearts, the simple answer is these are elitists who werent ever pro-gun rights, they're pro gun-owner votes and gun-owner donations.
Something I've always been confused about. So, right now, you can go vote without any ID? Every time I go, I show my driver's license. What's wrong with that?
Yes, a number of states do not require ID at the polls.
Since it would be required at the time of registration, another effect that some oppose is that it effectively puts an end to voter registration drives since those working them aren't able to verify the ID requirements.
About half of the states have same-day voter registration, but the larger issue is that voting protocols are constitutionally a *state* responsibility, not federal. That is one of our most important legal principles.
It is not showing a driver license to vote it is when you register you will have to show a birth certificate or your passport. The move favors folks with disposable income that can afford the time and money to get a birth certificate and or a passport. Now if you are a married woman and took your husband’s name you will have extra hoops to jump through though I am not sure what they will be. Nothing has said that I have heard about reregistration but know this group of asshats that will be part of it too. It is all part of project 2025 to put regular folk like you and me out of the voting booth. Well maybe not you since you are male but definitely woman and those without wealth. Frankly I am shocked the have not added you have to be a landowner.
The ID mess has been cooking for a long time. Here is something I noted about Real ID thirteen years ago.
https://hootsnewplace.blogspot.com/2013/07/nsa-bigger-than-pentagon.html
Could you explain “in a nutshell” the sanctuary cities issue? What do they do, what is the gop/conservative argument against them?
Hi Elizabeth. It's basically a question of cities / counties cooperating with the feds. Some argue that if they turn in people to ICE, then immigrant communities won't work with police on local crime. Some cities / counties got aggravated with ICE detainers because the feds would say they want to get a criminal illegal but then leave him in jail on the tab of the local city or county. It's also a situation where local police have enough to do - and they argue they shouldn't be immigration agents as well.
One big issue is how could Congress write up a 'ban' on sanctuary cities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_city
Local law enforcement doesn't cooperate with Fed immigration. If they arrest someone that is undocumented, they don't report it. If an undocumented person is released from jail, they don't notify Feds.
Justification is this allows all residents to report crime without fear of retaliation through deportation.
Houston TX (where I live) is blue but is not a sanctuary city. It had about 75 instances last year where local police notified DHS of an undocumented person in their custody and the person was transferred to ICE custody. The Mayor was on the local news discussing this in late January.
The Atlantic writer Robert Kagan says as Trump violates norms, laws and the Constitution, including his call to nationalize elections, "we're on the edge of the consolidation of dictatorship."
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/04/nx-s1-5699388/is-the-u-s-heading-into-a-dictatorship
Jamie, thank you for your insider take on DC. I live in the Georgia Mountains and subscribe to the AJC, so I catch your work in both places. Thanks for what you do.
Jamie, I don't see among the proposed ICE reforms anything about the inhumane conditions in the detention centers, or the way DHS moves people and hides their locations to keep them away from legal representation. Are the Democrats trying to improve that? It seems to me that those practices violate a couple of Constitutional amendments.