Be careful what you sow, Trump.

TRUMP SUED THE BBC FOR $10 BILLION. NOW A JUDGE IS MAKING HIM OPEN HIS BOOKS.

Donald Trump’s own lawsuit is going sideways in real time. Back in December, Trump sued the BBC for $10 billion, claiming the broadcaster deceptively edited his January 6 speech to make it sound like he’d called for violence. On Tuesday, a federal magistrate judge in Miami handed him the very ruling he feared most. Because Trump’s own complaint says the BBC damaged his brand, his properties, and his businesses, the judge ruled all of that is now fair game. Which means BBC lawyers get to go through his finances across more than 400 companies. That’s bad news for Donald Trump.

Trump’s attorney tried to climb back out of the hole, telling the judge the case had “evolved” and that his client now wanted damages only for his reputation, not his money. The judge said she couldn’t just delete those claims from a lawsuit Trump himself chose to file. As the BBC’s lawyer put it, you can’t separate the man from his businesses when he ran for president on being a great dealmaker. The network is also still trying to get Trump under oath, and says his team keeps stalling on a date.

Why it matters: Trump has spent years fighting to keep his finances out of court. He spent entire election cycles trying to hid from the fact that he barely pays taxes. He just handed a British news network the key by suing them, and a judge took him at his word. Own goals don’t get much cleaner than filing the lawsuit that pries open your own books. (Democratic Wins Democracy)

Trump and Kennedy gave this gift to Americans.

U.S. measles cases surpass last year's total: Tracker.

The U.S. measles case count for this year has surged past last year's total and now stands at 2,295 — a level that hasn't been seen in 35 years, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker that compiles state and local health data.

Why it matters: It's the latest sign that the virus is rebounding in areas with low vaccine coverage, threatening the United States' measles elimination status, which is due to be reviewed in November.

The big picture: The majority of cases are in unvaccinated people. While overall measles vaccination rates are still relatively high, public health officials say they must remain above 95% to maintain herd immunity.

By the numbers: As of Tuesday, there were nine more cases than in all of 2025, per the Johns Hopkins U.S. measles tracker.

Jurisdictions including South Carolina, Utah, Texas, Florida and Arizona have the most reported cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,260 confirmed cases in its last update on July 16. The agency said there were 34 new outbreaks reported this year.

The last time measles cases were higher was in 1991, when the U.S. had 9,643 cases, according to CDC data.

Threat level: Measles symptoms include a cough, high fever and conjunctivitis as well as a telltale rash, but can escalate into complications such as severe ear infections, pneumonia and encephalitis or inflammation of the brain that can lead to permanent brain damage and even death, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.

On average, measles kills between 1 and 3 of every 1,000 infected children.

The rebound comes at a time when a number of key top government health positions — including CDC director and surgeon general — remain vacant, and after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. initially downplayed the virus' threat.

He's since said the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the most effective way to prevent measles spread while noting vaccination is a personal choice. (Axios)

Republicans reveal strategy #2 for victory in 2026 and 2028.

Strategy #1 is voter suppression, culminating in Trump's SAVE AMERICA bill which we continue to fight from passing.

Strategy #2 is fear, especially scare tactics confusing Voters by name calling and insults.

On January 15, as part of a post entitled “What Does It Mean to be a Republican,” I wrote -

Republicans embrace a Marxist view of the world.

Shocking as it seemed to some, this is proving to be more and more true.

Look how Steve Scalise, House Majority Leader, the second-highest leadership position among House Republicans, described the Democratic Party yesterday.

Name calling, fear mongering - “Bolshevik.”“Communism.”

Scalise is embracing a strategy we can expect more and more from Republicans in the midterms. They will call Democrats names to scare the voters. These will be their favorite names, "bolsheviks,””communists,””socialists.”

For Republicans , the important fight is the Ruling Class - the owners and managers of capitalism - v. Workers (anyone who works for them. They accept the lens through which Marx described the world.

For them, good policy means helping the ruling business class (what Marx called the bourgeoisie), who own the means of production, exploit the worker. For them, this is a fight to the death.

They don’t see a world in which owners, managers, workers, as well as shareholders, businesses, and people who service, supply or buy from the businesses, communities where businesses are located, people who live in those communities, or other organizations and businesses in those communities, are inextricably connected. Again, for them, this is a struggle to the end.

They conflate “socialism,"an all encompassing effort of government to control business, resources and policies with "social programs."

They conflate "communism,"an economic and political system in which all property and the means of production are collectively owned with "social programs."

Is this deliberate or philosophical confusion?

"Social programs" - initiatives designed to improve the well-being, security, health, education, or living conditions of individuals and families - these include programs supplying education, health care, housing support, benefits and services for children, veterans, people with disabilities, the elderly, food support and income support,

As the actor, activist John Leguizamo made clear, we shouldn't be afraid of words.

As I wrote on Monday, Mayor Mamdani of New York City talked about this same issue beautifully in a different context in his interview with the New York Times on Saturday:

Do you see yourself as a Democrat or a democratic socialist?

Because you said “our party,” and obviously you ran as a Democrat.

I am both. I’m a Democrat and I’m democratic socialist. So much of what makes me proud to be a Democrat is looking at what our party used to stand for. You think about the Four Freedoms, you think F.D.R., you think the New Deal. Those are at the core of what our party’s identity is ...

We are FDR's children.

We are Eleanor's children.

We are Frances Perkins' children.

We embrace quality public education including pre-school and life long learning, quality health care for all, affordable quality housing, income support programs such as Social Security, nutritious food for all, roads and bridges, postal services, police and fire departments, inspections that keep our working places and food safe, and more.

In other words

we embrace social programs and services which make life better and easier and create opportunities for all our people whatever they call them.

In other words

sticks and stones won't break our bones.

By the way, don't forget this happened.👇