Thom Hartmann: These Three Steps Can Save Democracy and Resist Trump's Fascist Coup!

Feb 23, 2025 | Trump's fascism has to be stopped before it is too late for America. Friend of the show, Nicholas Miller - has three steps you can take right now that could save our Democracy.

DOGE Purge Exposed as Musk Coup

Feb 18, 2025 | Musk's DOGE cuts and disabling agencies is to protect his own interests and far-right political agenda. Anthony Davis reports.

Five Minute News can be supported on Patreon here.

The man-child Elon Musk DISGUSTS any and every decent person. – © Mark Alexander

Trump, Musk and the Tech Billionaires: Is There a Coup Happening in the US? | To the Point

Feb 13, 2025 | Even Republicans are surprised at how radically US President Trump and his advisor Elon Musk are fulfilling their election promise by restructuring the government and state apparatus. Trump sees his cutback plans as a service to the American taxpayer. Intended to help reduce what he sees as excessive bureaucracy in Washington, US President Trump claims he’s ending the inefficiency and waste of taxpayers' money. But critics suspect a secret agenda aimed at discrediting and weakening American institutions. To the Point asks: Is a coup happening in the US?

Our guests are writer, Annika Brockschmidt, Brandon Bohrn from the Bertelsmann Stiftung and writer and journalist Erik Kirschbaum.

While Trump Blathers about Tariffs and Gaza, Musk Is Executing a Coup d’État

THE GUARDIAN: Don’t be distracted by the president’s calculated bluster – it’s his unelected sidekick who’s taking over the US government

Way back in 2019, Steve Bannon, then a Trump consigliere, outlined in a TV interview a strategy for managing information. “The opposition party is the media,” he said, “And because they’re dumb and they’re lazy, they can only focus on one thing at a time… All we have to do is flood the zone. Every day we hit them with three things. They’ll bite on one, and we’ll get all of our stuff done. Bang, bang, bang.”

Since his re-election, Donald Trump has been following this script to the letter, and the media, not to mention the entire world, are feeling punch-drunk. Which is, as Bannon pointed out, enabling other members of the Trump crew to get their stuff done. Really bad stuff too, to which the world has not been paying enough attention.

Prime suspect in this respect is Elon Musk, whom Trump has chosen to slash $2tn off US government spending. Late on Friday 31 January, he and a few of his goons gained access to the Department of Treasury payments system – the system that processes the federal spending that makes up more than a fifth of the US economy. More importantly, Musk and a 25-year-old engineer named Marko Elez, who has previously worked for two of his companies, were given the ability to make changes to the payments system, thereby enabling them to stop disbursements of taxpayers’ dollars to recipients that the Trump crowd decide are illegitimate – for example a $367m payment to an outfit called Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Inc. » | John Naughton | Saturday, February 8, 2025

Stop Elon Musk’s Coup

Feb 5, 2025

"COUP!" Jamie Raskin Issues Takedown of Elon Musk

Feb 5, 2025 | Brian interviews Jamie Raskin about his feud with Elon Musk, Trump's government overreach, and what Americans can do to fight back.

The Lincoln Project: It Happened

Jan 6, 2025 | The Lincoln Project is a leading pro-democracy organization in the United States — dedicated to the preservation, protection, and defense of democracy. Our fight against Trumpism is only beginning. We must combat these forces everywhere and at all times — our democracy* depends on it.

Where is the democracy in America? American democracy has been dying for years. Trump and his billionaire cronies are killing off anything that was left of it. From now on, America will be ruled by the superrich — America will be a full-on PLUTOCRACY. And because of this, America no longer deserves to be thought of as the leader of the free world. From here on in, America loses its legitimate hegemony. This is what happens when the electorate are too ignorant to understand what they are voting for. – © Mark Alexander

Convicted Jan. 6 Participant Calls Out Trump

Jan 6, 2024 | Pam Hemphill, a convicted January 6th participant who served two months in federal prison, gives her reaction to former President Donald Trump firing back at President Joe Biden's campaign speech.

Democracy Now! "A Complex and Devastating Crisis": Burkina Faso Sees Second Military Coup This Year

The western African nation of Burkina Faso is facing its second military coup in eight months. After a day of gunfire rang out Friday in the capital Ouagadougou, Captain Ibrahim Traoré announced on public television that he had replaced Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as president. Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch, says Damiba's inability to improve security in the face of an Islamist insurgency was "the primary reason for the coup d'état." We also speak with Aziz Fall, coordinator for Justice for Sankara, an international campaign dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the 1987 assassination of Burkina Faso leader Thomas Sankara. He says the legacy of U.S. military intervention and French colonialism has led to instability in the region. "People are outraged with the role of France but also the role of the United States," says Fall.

Who Is Burkina Faso's Coup Leader Ibrahim Traoré?

Ibrahim Traoré has gone from being a career soldier to the self-declared leader of Burkina Faso. A picture is starting to emerge of how he and his military colleagues plan to use their time in power.

WIKIPEDIA: Ibrahim Traoré.

Au Burkina Faso, le colonel Damiba a accepté de démissionner, la France dénonce « des atteintes graves à la sécurité » de ses institutions

LE MONDE : Le capitaine Ibrahim Traoré, nouvel homme fort autoproclamé, a appelé les manifestants à « se départir de tout acte de violence et de vandalisme (…) notamment ceux qui pourraient être perpétrés contre l’ambassade de la France » à Ouagadougou.

Près de deux jours après la destitution annoncée par des militaires du chef de la junte au pouvoir, la tension restait vive, dimanche, au Burkina Faso. Le lieutenant-colonel Damiba, destitué vendredi par le capitaine Ibrahim Traoré mais qui refusait d’abdiquer, a finalement accepté de démissionner dimanche, ont annoncé des chefs religieux et communautaires. « Suite aux actions de médiation » menées par ces chefs entre les deux rivaux, « le Président Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba a proposé lui-même sa démission afin d’éviter des affrontements aux conséquences humaines et matérielles graves », indiquent-ils dans un communiqué.

Cette annonce fait suite à deux jours de confusion politique, au cours desquels la France et ses institutions ont été prises pour cibles par des manifestants en colère. » | Le Monde avec AFP | dimanche 2 octobre 2022

Realed links.

Protesters Attack French Embassy in Burkina Faso over Allegedly Harbouring Ousted President

THE GUARDIAN: West African bloc denounced the country’s second military coup in nine months, saying it was ‘inappropriate’

Angry protesters have attacked the French embassy in Burkina Faso’s capital after supporters of the west African nation’s new coup leader accused France of harbouring the ousted interim president, a charge French authorities vehemently denied.

Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was overthrown late on Friday less than nine months after he mounted a coup in Burkina Faso, which has been failing to effectively counter rising violence by Islamic extremists.

Comments by a junta spokesperson on Saturday set into motion an outburst of anger in Ouagadougou, the capital. » | Associated Press in Ouagadougou | Saturday, October 1, 2022

Related links.

What's Behind the Coup in Burkina Faso? | DW News

In West Africa, Burkina Faso's leader, Paul-Henri Damiba, has been ousted in a military coup. Captain Ibrahim Traore has taken over as interim leader.

The soldiers behind the coup say they have dissolved the government and suspended the constitution. That's according to a statement read by an army army captain on state television. Earlier, explosions and heavy gunfire were reported near the presidential palace in the capital Wagadugu. Damiba's military junta seized power just nine months ago.


Related articles.

Präsident Damiba in Burkina Faso abgesetzt: Seit dem Militärputsch im Januar regiert in dem westafrikanischen Land Oberstleutnant Damiba. Nun gab es abermals einen Staatsstreich. Das Übergangsparlament sei aufgelöst und die Verfassung ausgesetzt, heißt es. »

Burkina Faso’s Military Leader Ousted in Second Coup This Year

THE GUARDIAN: Army officer Captain Ibrahim Traore has overthrown Paul-Henri Damiba, eight months after he took power

A Burkina Faso army officer has ousted military leader Paul-Henri Damiba, dissolved the government and suspended the constitution and transitional charter.

In a statement read on national television late on Friday, Captain Ibrahim Traore said a group of officers had decided to remove Damiba due to his inability to deal with a worsening Islamist insurgency. He announced that borders were closed indefinitely and that all political and civil society activities were suspended. » | Reuters in Ouagadougou | Friday, September 30, 2022

Burkina Faso : le chef de la junte démis de ses fonctions, annoncent des militaires à la télévision : Les putschistes ont également annoncé la fermeture des frontières, ainsi que la suspension de la Constitution et la dissolution du gouvernement. »

Former US President Donald Trump Accused of 'Attempted Coup' - BBC News

Jun 10, 2022 • Former US President Donald Trump has been accused of orchestrating last year's Capitol riot in an "attempted coup". Trump supporters stormed Congress on 6 January 2021 as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden's election victory.

After almost a year of investigating, a congressional hearing revealed never-before-seen footage and interviews with members of Mr Trump's inner circle about what happened - including the ex-president's daughter, Ivanka Trump.

'When Have We Ever Seen a Coup d'État Like This?' The Historical Significance of January 6th

Jun 10, 2022 • Andrea Mitchell, Hallie Jackson, and Katy Tur, spoke with presidential historian, Michael Beschloss, to talk about this historical context of the January 6th hearings.

It Was a Coup: Jan. 6 Investigator Says Panel Will Prove Riot Plot

May 7, 2022 • Jan. 6 committee member Rep. Zoe Lofgren joins MSNBC’s Ari Melber to discuss the state of the probe after Rudy Giuliani bailed on his scheduled interview with the committee. Lofgren asks Melber, “what is he afraid of?”

Sudan’s Army Seizes Power in Coup and Detains Prime Minister

THE GUARDIAN: Military declares state of emergency and gunfire reported as protesters flood Khartoum streets

Sudan’s military has seized power in a coup, arrested leading civilian politicians including the prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, and declared a state of emergency as thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Khartoum in opposition.

The Sudan Doctors’ Committee said late on Monday that three protesters had been killed and 80 people wounded after security forces fired on demonstrators. As night fell in Khartoum, witnesses described gangs of young men armed with sticks reportedly beating anyone found on the streets.

Sudan has been on edge since a failed coup plot last month unleashed recriminations between military and civilian groups who have been sharing power since the toppling of the autocrat Omar al-Bashir two years ago. With video » | A reporter in Khartoum and Peter Beaumont | Monday, October 25, 2021

In Another Country This Would Be Called a Coup: Detroit NAACP Head on Trump Trying to Overturn Vote

As part of the unprecedented attempt to keep President Trump in office despite his election loss, Republicans have focused on Michigan, where the party is seeking a delay in the certification of the vote results and to throw out votes from Detroit, which is overwhelmingly Black. A group of Michigan Republicans met with President Trump at the White House last week in what was widely viewed as an attempt by Trump to personally pressure the lawmakers to block Biden from being awarded the state’s 16 electoral votes. “This is an attempt to disenfranchise the African American vote and to give the election to Trump,” says Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP. “If we were in a different country, this would be called a political coup.”

As Venezuela Coup Fizzles, Pompeo Threatens US Attack

Self-proclaimed Venezuelan president Juan Guaidó's coup yesterday failed to get off the ground. The military did not join him and protests were barely seen outside a few of Caracas's wealthy neighborhoods. Frustrated and furious, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded by threatening direct US military action to overthrow President Maduro. An urgent call with Russian foreign minister is scheduled today. Are neocons about to ignite the earth?