Over the weekend, the President of the United States declared war—on his own citizens.

DRIVING THE NEWS: On Saturday, Trump sparked an uproar by posting this deranged meme on his failing social media platform.

The post, accompanied an absurd image generated by AI, reads, “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR” [sic].

SOME BACKGROUND: Trump recently signed a toothless executive order declaring the Department of Defense to go by its old name, the Department of War. The change is not official however—a real name change would take an act of Congress.

Trump has also been threatening to send troops to Chicago in an alleged crime and immigration crackdown.

A similar move in Los Angeles was recently declared illegal by a federal judge who accused Trump of trying to create “a national police force with the President as its chief.”

THE BACKLASH: The AI-slop post was more than just cringe—it sparked a new level of concern about the protector of our republic essentially declaring war on its own citizens.

The post—and the threat of troops—drew thousands of protesters to the streets of Chicago on Saturday afternoon. One man told the New York Times:

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker fired back with his own post:

AND THEN: Trump himself tried to walk back the post on Sunday. Speaking to reporters as he left the White House he claimed, "we're not going to war. We're going to clean up our cities… That's not war, that's common sense."

Even top aides had to be dispatched to tamp down the outrage. Immigration czar Tom Homan told CNN Trump isn’t at war with Chicago but the cartels.

WHY IT MATTERS: Authoritarians always frame fellow citizens as enemies to justify violence and expand their own power.

From Mussolini’s Blackshirts to Pinochet’s “internal enemies,” fascists rely on manufacturing a war at home—so they can claim the role of savior and expand their power.

The tide of fascism is rising in America.

At the U.S. Open, Donald Trump’s hand was once again caked in mismatched makeup, an embarrassing attempt to hide a recurring bruise that’s become impossible to ignore. The cover-up only underscores how the White House is scrambling to conceal the president’s visible health issues, even as his body shows the strain of age and power. Full story from The Daily Beast.

At a Brooklyn rally this weekend, Bernie Sanders blasted party bosses for turning their backs on Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist front-runner promising to tax the rich and deliver free child care and transit. While Sanders called Mamdani “the future of the Democratic Party,” capitalist Democrats like Hochul, Jeffries, and Schumer cling to billionaire donors—exposing just how out of touch they are with working-class voters. Full story from The New York Times (unlocked for NOTICE News readers!)

A massive ICE sweep at Hyundai’s subsidized megafactory—cheered on by Trump’s nativist policy—snatched up hundreds of workers, spooked the local Korean community, and threw a wrench into one of Georgia’s biggest job projects. Instead of “bringing back jobs,” Trump’s crackdown is chilling investment, wasting billions in corporate giveaways, and hurting both immigrant and union workers—textbook trickle-down chaos dressed up as law and order. Full story from The Wall Street Journal (unlocked for NOTICE News readers!)

By installing longtime conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, Trump has unleashed chaos that’s now splintering his own party and undermining public health. Republicans who once cheered the appointment are scrambling as Kennedy guts vaccine programs, rattles swing voters, and jeopardizes the very economic and political stability Trump claimed his “MAHA” agenda would deliver. Full story from The Washington Post (unlocked for NOTICE News readers!)

Last week we asked, given their refusal to investigate the Epstein cover-up and embrace of anti-vax policies, do you think Republicans hate children? The response was overwhelming.

Capthon voted yes and hit the nail on the head: “They appear to detest any group they see as vulnerable, including women, children, the elderly, the poor, the sick and puppies. ‘Only the strong survive.’”

Michael also voted yes: “The Trump administration hates anything and anyone that doesn't support Trump. Children can't vote for Trump, so they're useless, of COURSE they hate children! They're also potential Democrats, and you KNOW how evil Democrats are, trying to help everyone live a long, prosperous and healthy life...bastards.”

Others disagreed. Lorna voted no and said: “I don't think you can lump all Republicans is the category of hating children. I think a good percentage of Republicans are simply ignorant of what the government is really doing.”

Here are some stories the algorithms may be keeping out of your feed.

Late last week, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona introduced a bill to actually do something Trump has (falsely) promised he would do: eliminate all taxes on Social Security benefits.

But why are Social Security benefits taxed at all? One word…

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