Mostly Monday Reads: Election Interference, Racism, and Rotten Economic Policies, Oh My!

“Attention International Olympic Committee, thank you for your attention to this matter.” John Buss, @repeat1968

Good Day, Sky Dancers!

This weekend had a Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics, and a peak ongoing #FARTUS shitshow. The headline that caught my attention was the FBI seizure of 2020 ballots in Fulton County, Georgia. The Election Clause of the U.S. Constitution is short and leaves much to be determined by Congress and the courts. However, it is quite clear that both State Representatives and Congress are responsible for elections. The DOJ is completely out of its realm when it comes to what happened in Fulton County. Stacked courts and statewide politics are key here.

This headline is from Politico.  Josh Gerstein has the analysis. “Fulton County argues FBI seizure of 2020 ballots shows ‘callous disregard’ for constitutional rights. A Trump-appointed judge set a Tuesday deadline to disclose justification for the raid.”

Local officials in Georgia demanding that the FBI return hundreds of thousands of ballots from the 2020 presidential election contend that the seizure took place with “callous disregard” for the constitutional rights of voters and county officials, according to court filings unsealed Saturday.

Judge J.P. Boulee, a Trump appointee, has been assigned to rule on a motion Fulton County, Georgia, officials filed last week challenging the Jan. 28 seizure of 24 pallets containing about 700 boxes of ballots and other records from a warehouse outside Atlanta.

In addition to unsealing the Democratic-run county’s legal arguments, Boulee issued an order Saturday giving the Justice Department until 5 p.m. Tuesday to file publicly the arguments federal prosecutors put forward to persuade Magistrate Judge Catherine Salinas to issue the search warrant authorizing the seizure of all of the physical ballots from the 2020 election, along with ballot images, tabulator tapes and voter rolls.

Boulee said unsealing the affidavit was appropriate due to “the importance of the public’s access to judicial proceedings,” but he said he will allow Justice Department lawyers to redact the names of “non-governmental witnesses” from the version that is made public.

The precise focus of the investigation that led to the seizure of the ballots has remained mysterious in recent days. The search warrant, which is available even as the underlying affidavit is not, cites two federal statutes: one making it a crime to engage in voting fraud in connection with a federal election and another requiring that ballots in federal elections be preserved for 22 months after Election Day.

Without providing evidence, President Donald Trump has long complained that fraud led to his loss in Georgia in 2020. In a phone call shortly after the election, he famously but unsuccessfully implored state officials to “find” about 11,800 ballots so that he could be declared the winner.

More recently, Republicans have complained that Fulton County computer files are missing images corresponding to thousands of physical ballots, but county officials have countered that recounts and court challenges verified the vote tallies there and that the law at the time did not require keeping the computer scans.

“Claims that the 2020 election results were fraudulent or otherwise invalid have been exhaustively reviewed and, without exception, refuted,” Fulton County Attorney Y. Soo Jo wrote in the county’s motion demanding return of the seized ballots. “Eleven different post-election lawsuits, challenging various aspects of Georgia’s election process, failed to demonstrate fraud.”

Trump’s obsession with losing is at odds with one of our most precious rights. The Right to vote with a secret ballot is on the line here. The Super Bowl is one of those panem et circenses events in our country. It displays some of the worst and best of our cultural quirks. You won’t catch me watching it, but I do eventually come around to going to YouTube to watch the Musical performances. My vote for the best half-time performance is Prince forever. You can follow this link to Parade to see how many American Super Stars have taken the field. “Prince’s ‘Legendary’ Super Bowl Halftime Show Goes Viral Ahead of Bad Bunny Performance. Prince put on an epic Super Bowl halftime show that fans are still talking about.”

I’m going to use The Wall Street Journal as my source for the Super Bowl halftime show report. “Bad Bunny Uses Joy to Put Out Political Firestorm at Super Bowl Halftime. ‘We’re still here,’ Puerto Rican superstar says in Spanish while spiking a football.”

Bad Bunny delivered a pointed message in Spanish to millions of Americans watching the Super Bowl on Sunday night: “We’re still here.”

In a history-making halftime show performed almost entirely in Spanish, the Puerto Rican star paid tribute to his heritage and the many countries—from Brazil to Mexico—whose people have come to shape the modern-day U.S.

Just a week ago, Bad Bunny denounced Immigration and Customs Enforcement while accepting a Grammy award, stoking further political furor from conservatives ahead of the Super Bowl. But on the halftime stage, he offered up a buoyant celebration of Latino culture.

The elaborate stage design included a maze of sugar cane and a single-story house similar to the one he used during his 31-date residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last summer. As Bad Bunny strutted through the greenery, he passed by old men playing dominoes, women chatting in a nail salon and boxers sparring—a montage of scenes from life in Puerto Rico.

He opened with some of his kinetic reggaeton hits—“Tití Me Preguntó,” an insistent single about a hyperactive love life, and “Yo Perreo Sola,” a club missile—and later moved through muscular Latin trap (“Monaco”) and sparkling salsa (the opening of “Nuevayol”).

A stream of celebrities showed up to offer their support: Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Karol G and Young Miko threw a house-party behind a phalanx of dancers. Lady Gaga sang a salsa version of her hit “Die With a Smile,” originally a duet with Bruno Mars, while Ricky Martin delivered a full-throated rendition of Bad Bunny’s song “Lo Que le Pasó a Hawaii”—which critiques the potential consequences of U.S. statehood for Puerto Rico through the lens of Hawaii.

Bad Bunny finished his set by spiking a football which read “Together, We Are America.” Then he led a raucous singalong to his nostalgic hit “DTMF” as a crowd hoisted the flags of nations across Latin America behind him.

“He went from bagging groceries 10 years ago to playing the biggest stage this planet has to offer, and did it unwaveringly on his own terms in his native tongue,” said Carlos Cancela, a Bad Bunny fan and former executive at a major label. “He is quite literally the embodiment of the American Dream.”

But Bad Bunny, whose full name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, also sparked the latest culture-war controversy as conservatives railed against his selection. Right-wing influencers and commentators zeroed in on the star’s past criticism of President Trump’s immigration agenda, his Spanish-language song lyrics and his gender-fluid fashion choices. Last week, Bad Bunny said, “ICE out,” on stage at the Grammys, where he became the first artist to win album of the year for an all-Spanish release, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”

Of course, Trump wasn’t the center of attention here so he had to make a particularly set of nasty comments about Ocasio and the show. This is from The Guardian. “Trump claims ‘no one could understand’ Bad Bunny halftime show: ‘A slap in the face to our country’. Rant comes as Turning Point USA’s ‘All-American’ Super Bowl halftime show garnered just four million viewers.”  Trump is a one trick pony. He puts on a display of overt racism to deflect anything that gets in the way of his perceived greatness and tries to draw attention away from the current Epstein file dump.

President Donald Trump has slammed Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show performance as “an affront to the Greatness of America” in a lengthy post on Truth Social.

“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” Trump said on Truth Social approximately 30 minutes after the performance ended.

Trump’s rant comes as Turning Point USA’s “All-American” Super Bowl halftime show, headlined by Kid Rock, garnered roughly four million views. The event, which was streamed online, was launched in protest against the NFL’s picks.

The average Super Bowl halftime show pulls in around 127 million, while last year Kendrick Lamar set a record with 133.5 million.

Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is the first male solo Latin artist to perform the halftime show, as well as the first to perform their set entirely in Spanish.

Toward the end of his set, Bad Bunny was handed a ball with the words, “Together, we are America” written on it, and a message on the big screen read: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

That Truth Social screed is up there on the worst of the worst list. He just keeps outdoing himself these days. This  link The Independent. “Trump claims ‘no one could understand’ Bad Bunny halftime show: ‘A slap in the face to our country’. Rant comes as Turning Point USA’s ‘All-American’ Super Bowl halftime show garnered just four million viewers.” Rhian Lubin has the story.

Toward the end of his set, Bad Bunny was handed a ball with the words, “Together, we are America” written on it, and a message on the big screen read: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

But the message of unity clearly did not go down well with the president.

“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World,” Trump raged.

“This “Show” is just a “slap in the face” to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History!” the president fumed. “There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD.”

It was not immediately clear whether Trump watched the Turning Point USA halftime show, but from the president’s Truth Social post, it became apparent he did not miss the Puerto Rican megastar.

Trump is hosting his own Super Bowl watch party thousands of miles away at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to the president’s public schedule.

What’s left of the Washington Post had this headline today. “Trump plans to keep Democratic governors out of traditionally bipartisan meeting. The White House did not explain why Democrats were not invited to the meeting. In addition, at least two Democrats were uninvited to a White House dinner, according to their offices.” Mariana Alfaro has the story.

President Donald Trump plans to keepDemocrats out of a traditionally bipartisan White House gathering of governorstypically held as part of the National Governors Association’s annual Washington summit, the organization said.

According to the governors’ offices, the president also revoked invitations sent to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), the NGA’s vice chair; and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) to attend a second White House event scheduled to occur around the summit: a dinner for governors.

“This week, I learned that I was uninvited to this year’s National Governors Association dinner — a decades-long annual tradition meant to bring governors from both parties together to build bonds and celebrate a shared service to our citizens with the President of the United States,” Moore said in a statement Sunday. “… It’s hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership.”

Moore told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that he was confused by the White House’s decision, saying that, just a few weeks ago, he led a bipartisan group of governors who met with the president as Trump signed a memorandum on bringing down energy costs.

Moore also said on CNN that it was “not lost” on him that he is the only Black governor of a state.

“I find that to be particularly painful, considering the fact that the president is trying to exclude me from an organization that not only my peers have asked me to help to lead, but then also a place where I know I belong in,” he said. “I’m never in a room because of someone’s benevolence nor kindness. I’m not in a room because of a social experiment. I’m in the room because I belong there and the room was incomplete until I got there.”

Eric Maruyama, a spokesperson for Polis, said the decision to exclude the Colorado governor was “disappointing.”

“Gov. Polis has always been willing to work with anyone across the political spectrum who wants to help work on the hardest problems facing Colorado and America, regardless of party or who occupies the White House,” Maruyama said in a statement.

Those of us living the reality of high prices and questionable incomes realize the Trump Economy is in a ditch that feels like we’re careening towards a cliff. However, Trump does not see it that way. This is from NBC News.  You don’t need to be an economist like to realize how tough it is to make ends meet if you’re not a billionaire. “Trump accepts ownership of the current economy: ‘I’m very proud of it’. In an exclusive interview with NBC News, the president said the country is already experiencing the “Trump economy.” This is reported by Jonathan Allen.

President Donald Trump says it’s his economy now.

In an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas that aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday, the 47th president said the country is already experiencing the Trump economy.

“At what point are we in the Trump economy?” Llamas asked.

“I’d say we’re there now,” he replied. “I’m very proud of it.”

His remarks come at a time when most Americans tell pollsters they are not satisfied with the state of the economy and as Trump executes a barnstorming strategy to bring his economic message to political battlegrounds before the November midterms.

An NPR/Marist/PBS News survey released last week showed that 36% of adults say they approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 59% disapprove. In off-year elections last November, Democrats in Virginia, New Jersey and New York hammered away at “affordability” on their way to victory.

In the interview, which was taped Wednesday in the Oval Office, Trump said the economy is doing so well that Democrats are abandoning that message — and also blamed his predecessor, President Joe Biden, for stubbornly high prices on some staples.

“In the last four days, it’s only four days, the Democrats have not uttered the word ‘affordability,’” he said. “They’re the ones that caused the problem. I took over a mess in every way.”

Using figures that are not backed up by the administration’s own data, Trump claimed that the gross domestic product has grown by 5.6% on his watch. According to the Labor Department, the economy grew at a strong annualized rate of 4.4% in the third quarter of 2025. It has not grown at more than 5% in any quarter since 2021, when the U.S. was recovering from the Covid pandemic.

Excuse me while I make my humble grocery list and pull my hair out.  Oops. I forgot the Winter Olympics.  Well, there’s this from the L.A. Times. “U.S. Olympic athletes in Italy are speaking out about the political situation at home.”

• Olympic skiers Mikaela Shiffrin and Hunter Hess are among the athletes who’ve talked about the political situation in the U.S. while at the Milan-Cortina Games.

• President Trump called freestyle skier Hess a “loser” on social media after Hess said he had mixed emotions about representing the U.S. at the Olympics.

• Multiple U.S. athletes emphasize they represent American values of inclusivity and compassion, not the current political situation in the country.

Feeling any better?

“The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio

What’s on your Reading, Action, and Blogging list today?