NEW YORK—The Communist Party U.S.A. (CPUSA) condemned President Trump’s latest red‑baiting tirade against the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) primary victories in New York and the District of Columbia mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George, calling it a dangerous escalation of anti‑communist hysteria. “MAGA is going to lose the midterms and Trump’s getting desperate,” co-chair Rossana Cambron said.
On Friday, [June 26th,] President Trump told the Faith & Freedom Coalition that communism is the “greatest threat” facing the United States in its 250 year history. “They’re animals! These ruthless Communists will attack all religions but, in particular, Christianity,” he said. The party’s co-chair, Joe Sims, responded “Our enemy is not God, it’s capitalism.”
On Monday [Sunday, the 28th, actually – The Ed.], Trump attacked D.C. mayoral candidate Jeneese Lewis George, falsely calling her a communist: “We will not let (D.C) be destroyed by a Communist adherent who has no intention to MAKE WASHINGTON GREAT AGAIN!”
This follows Trump’s November 2025 “Anti‑Communism Week” proclamation, which he timed to the October Revolution anniversary—a calculated provocation reviving Cold War myths to discredit any progressive movement.
Sims says DSA is just what it says it is. “Democratic socialists are just that: democratic, and socialist. They want reforms to relieve suffering. Stop the red‑baiting.”
“Yes, Communists want to change the capitalist system fundamentally—before climate change, nuclear war, AI, or a pandemic kills us all,” he said. The CPUSA seeks a peaceful path to socialism.
“The Communist Party U.S.A. is for democracy and socialism,” he continued, “a Bill of Rights Socialism that puts people and planet before profits. It is capitalism and the drive for maximum profits that is the greatest threat to this country—the housing crisis, price gouging, and war‑mongering are driving our country’s economic crisis.”
The CPUSA argues that Trump’s red‑baiting is a smokescreen for attacking working‑class organizing, unions, and general democratic dissent. “This is old news,” said Cambron. “But the American people aren’t going to buy it.” With the 250th anniversary of 1776 approaching, the Party warns that this anti‑communist crusade is not about defending freedom—it is about silencing anyone who challenges corporate power.
Media Dept.
Communist Party U.S.A.
Media Dept.:
Thank you. Considering that the President of the United States, a former protégé of Roy Cohn, is now descending into a state of frontotemporal collapse which would make late-stage Joe McCarthy seem coherent by comparison, this is clearly the perfect time for you to begin sending us dispatches.
There was a time when it would have been risky to publish anything sent by your organization: this state was in thrall for decades to one of the nation’s most-feared red-baiters. Sadly, it was not until after his death that the world learned of William Loeb’s heinous crimes. Yes, Virginia, there really are pedophiles out there. Our advice: be wary of those yelling loudest about them.
As fate would have it, Loeb mouldered in the grave for more than a decade before the USSR finally kicked the bucket. In subsequent decades, the spectre of world communism lost most of its mojo as a boogeyman.
These days it should be obvious to all where the threat to humanity lies. Capitalism adopted long ago the philosophy of Alfred E. Neuman: “What, Me Worry?”
In the 19th century, it was not uncommon for certain businessmen to boost their profits through the judicious use of water and chalk; as Henry David Thoreau once observed, “Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk.” High rates of infant mortality in those days were not entirely a matter of bad luck.
By the turn of the 20th century, the sins of the meat-packing industry were egregious enough to inspire Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. “I aimed at the public’s heart,” he said, “and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” Readers were so revolted by revelations about what they were eating that they failed to notice the plight of those working in the stockyards and canning factories.
It used to be said of the indigenous peoples who once roamed the Great Plains that they made use of every part of the animal. Capitalists, in their own way, emulated the people who, for their benefit, were driven off the plains by the U.S. Army. Use up the workers as they make the product, then, for a little extra profit, poison them as they eat it.
Isn’t that self-defeating? No. Thanks to the human drive towards reproduction, there will always be more where they came from.
Now here we are with the climate itself sending us dire warnings every day. Ordinary people can see what’s coming and want to stave it off. The capitalists, distracted by the thought of stranded assets and lost profits, have other ideas.
Why, it’s almost enough to dishearten a person. Not us, though. We know which side we’re on, and we know they are outnumbered.
The Editor
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Trump’s Generosity
To the Editor:
Donald Trump is very generous with other people’s money. He has bypassed Congress and doled out billions in no-bid contracts.
He gave $14 million of taxpayer’s money to his Florida neighbor to repair Washington’s reflecting pool, which he said could be done for $1.4 million. The neighbor botched the job so badly the paint and sealant came off in less than two months. Is Trump going to pay his neighbor millions more to botch the job again or give another no bid contract to someone else?
He promised Iran $300 billion from our Gulf allies without ever consulting them.
He wants to give defense contractors an extra $500 billion a year, which will add to the already massive deficits his party’s tax cuts and overspending created. Those deficits are driving up interest rates which taxpayers, home buyers and businesses will have to pay.
Trump has been able to enrich his friends with taxpayer’s money because members of his party in congress are acting deaf, dumb, and blind to his open acts of corruption. The time has come to rid congress of those who care more about serving Trump than the American people.
Walter Hamilton
Portsmouth, N.H.
Walter:
The individual in question is, without a doubt—in addition to a great many other unsavory traits—one of the greatest spenders of other people’s money in the history of the world. His unparalleled profligacy is matched only by his greed. We are pleased to use the occasion of your letter to remind our readers of an item from Admiral Fowle’s Tidal Guide (Not for Navigational Purposes): “September 21, 1989—The Chase Manhattan Bank accepts for deposit a check sent as a prank by Spy Magazine. Endorsed by ‘short-fingered vulgarian’ Donald J. Trump, it’s for $0.13.”
The Editor
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Hail the Criminal, Jail the Clergy
To the Editor:
On June 18th, U.S. District Judge James Hanlon ordered the release of Salah Sarsour, president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque, from nearly three months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after finding evidence that his detention may have been tied to his pro-Palestinian speech. He was freed hours later.
Sarsour, born in the West Bank city of Ramallah, is a lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for more than 30 years and has no criminal record here.
The Department of Homeland Security cites Sarsour’s conviction as a teenager in an Israeli military court for throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers. Sarsour and his family say the conviction was fabricated, and that he fled to the U.S. following torture in an Israeli military prison. His lawyers challenge the conviction as false and argue that his detention was politically motivated, targeting him for pro-Palestinian advocacy.
In contrast, Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was convicted as an adult in Israel of supporting a terrorist organization and incitement to racism against Arabs. Yet in April 2025, Representatives Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Brian Mast (R-Florida), who is chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, welcomed Ben-Gvir to their offices on Capitol Hill.
At a dinner at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Ben-Gvir also advocated for the bombing of food depots in Gaza. More recently, on June 19th of this year, he declared that “all of Lebanon must burn!”
Notably, Ben-Gvir is scheduled to attend a United Nations policing conference in New York in July. Why is he granted a visa? By the standards the United States applies to others, Itamar Ben-Gvir should be deemed a persona non grata and forbidden entry into the United States.
Salah Sarsour’s case reveals a troubling double standard in U.S. immigration policy. Justice cannot be selective. If the United States claims to uphold human rights and free speech, it must apply those principles consistently—especially to lawful permanent residents who have lived here without incident for decades.
Terry Hansen
Grafton, Wisconsin
Terry:
Thank you for your calm and reasoned illustration of an insane and infuriating set of facts. We are in awe of your restraint.
The Editor
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How Long Can this Go On?
To the editor;
There are times when events align that clearly demonstrate the character of an era. We are in a period that illustrates the muddled and corrupt nature of Trumpocracy. The first example is the cease fire agreement that halted the war with Iran. Although the agreement re-opens the Strait of Hormuz, it fails to achieve any of the goals that the U.S. had set out to accomplish when Trump began the war. The nuclear material that could make up an atomic weapon is still under Iranian control, no regime change has occurred, and Iran retains a significant arsenal of missiles and drones that it can use to threaten the region. Remarkably, the agreement provides Iranian access to billions of dollars, allows Iran to sell their oil on world markets and provides the possibility that Iran may charge tolls for the use of Hormuz in the future.
The agreement is a capitulation by Trump and arguably leaves Iran in a stronger strategic position than before the war. It demonstrates Trump’s impetuosity and lack of strategic awareness in starting the war. Believing that Iran would crumble under a massive air attack, he miscalculated both the effectiveness of the air war and Iran’s resilience. Trump said that no one expected that Iran would close Hormuz and attack U.S. allies in the Gulf region, but any competent strategist understood the dangers that he ignored. Trump’s unhinged comments leading up to the cease fire, spinning from threats to annihilate Iran to praising Iranian leaders as “reasonable” call into question his capability of negotiating a settlement. Faced with unrest at home over unaffordable prices, trapped in an unpopular war that he could not easily win, and confronting massive midterm election losses, he did what he always does – lied, claimed victory, searched for scapegoats, and betrayed allies to save face. Trump’s arrogance, incompetence, and self-seeking narcissism are all on display as he struggles to extricate himself from his self-created dilemma while the entire globe suffers economic damage caused by his disastrous decision.
While amidst the process of capitulating to Iran, Trump presided over a UFC cage fight on White House grounds in celebration of his birthday and America’s 250th anniversary. The debased spectacle, reminiscent of the gladiatorial combats of Imperial Rome, reeked of self-promotion and financial corruption. Surrounded by a Marine Honor Guard, combatants paraded from the White House to a ring plastered with ads for cryptocurrencies while under the admiring eye of the would-be emperor who watched the fighters beat each other bloody for his amusement. Little was said that Trump had bought shares of UFC stock a few months ago and that to watch the spectacle, MAGA supporters had to pay for a subscription to Paramount+, a company owned by Trump ally David Ellison. As a Trump inspired war was unfolding in the Gulf with real death and destruction, Trump and his minions reveled in a corrupt and debased spectacle of staged combat.
A final example of Trump’s perverted administration is the disastrous re-modeling of the Lincoln Reflecting Pond. Recently renovated under a no-bid contract given to a Trump donor, the pond became clogged with algae whose growth was stimulated by heat retention caused by the blue paint used to coat the bottom of the pond. Chemicals used to kill the algae apparently caused the paint to crack leaving the pond a green quagmire, perhaps the ultimate symbol of all that Trump touches. Rather than acknowledge a problem caused by an incompetent contractor, Trump has ginned up a story that his Democratic opponents sabotaged the pond and threatened ten-year jail sentences to the phantom perpetrators. More lies to hide corruption and ineptitude from a degenerate president.
These events all indicate a president who cannot and should not lead the country. Yet the MAGA base and Republican Congress continue to support his unrelenting lies and corrupt practices. How long can this continue until we are truly more like the Roman Empire than the Roman democracy?
Robert D. Russell, PhD
Harrisburg, Pa.,
Robert:
On the night of the Fourth we had to wonder whether deliverance might be at hand. All that lightning, all those hamburgers… but, no.
The Editor
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Slaveholders, All
To the Editor:
What do Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and Francis Scott Key all have in common? They all owned slaves.
In Patrick Henry’s speech of March 23, 1775, he said reconciliation with England was futile and that for Virginians the choice was between “freedom and slavery,” and he thundered “Give me Liberty, or Give me Death!” During his lifetime, he owned varying numbers of enslaved people and when he died, he held some 67 in bondage.
Thomas Jefferson, owner of about 600 enslaved people over his lifetime, and yet the major author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” However, this excluded women, Native Americans, and enslaved people.
Francis Scott Key is known as the “author” of our national anthem the Star Spangled Banner, and whose words end with “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Mr. Key was also a slave owner.
Now, not everyone in America owned enslaved people as the Pennsylvania Quakers strongly opposed it as did a number of Massachusetts residents such as William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry David Thoreau who also called for its abolition. For another perspective, our citizens should read Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” It was a searing speech that spoke to the hypocrisy of America that valued “liberty” but not for the millions of enslaved Black human beings.
Finally, as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “No one is Free until All are Free.” That means people who are oppressed and deprived of human rights and their humanity and dignity must be recognized both in the U.S. and around our world. In 2026, I am especially thinking of the Palestinian people which the British Lancet says that over 600,000 have been killed in Gaza, including perhaps as many as 24,000 children. One hopes this should be unacceptable to all Americans as we “celebrate” our freedom from British tyranny.
William Thomas
Auburn, N.H.
William:
This newspaper was built on the bent back of an enslaved African pressman named Primus. We likely would not exist without him. Scale up our incalculable debt, and you’ll arrive at that of the whole nation.
The Editor
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Pete Hegseth Should Resign
To the Editor:
My father was career Army. Before he was stationed in Germany the whole family got shot after shot after shot. It was not voluntary. It was mandatory. The military does not want its members getting sick from diseases a vaccine would prevent. It especially does not want someone infecting others in their unit. It has more than a century of experience with diseases found elsewhere. Thus, it vaccinates the troops against those diseases when possible.
Unfortunately, Pete Hegseth, our incompetent Secretary of Defense, decided to make getting the flu vaccine voluntary. Within weeks 275 trainees at Lackland Airforce Base came down with the flu. This was predictable. The trainees sleep close to each other. They eat together. They train next to each other. The heads of each service tried to get an exception to vaccinate trainees, but the Secretary waited until it was too late to grant it.
Our men and women in uniform often work in close quarters. Imagine telling sailors they don’t have to get a flu shot (or any shot) before going to sea on a submarine or aircraft carrier.
Our troops deserve better than this incompetent Secretary. He should resign or the President should fire him.
Walter Hamilton
Portsmouth N.H.
Walter:
You have a solid case there. Unfortunately, as a sycophantic MAGAt, he’s exempt from consequences.
The Editor
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A Moment of Silence?
To the Editor:
If a minute of silence is appropriate for Venezuelan earthquake victims, as has been done before World Cup soccer matches in the United States, it is also morally appropriate for civilians killed or wounded in Iran by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. Human suffering should not be acknowledged selectively or only when it is politically convenient.
As Stanley Cohen observed in his book States of Denial, societies often look away from suffering that is uncomfortable to confront. A minute of silence is not an endorsement of any government or military. It is a simple act of respect for ordinary people who have lost their lives, homes, and loved ones.
If we can pause for victims of a natural disaster, we can surely pause for civilians harmed by war. Moral consistency requires us to mourn civilian suffering wherever it occurs.
Terry Hansen
Grafton, Wisconsin
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“Bolzano [sic] and his BS”
Aloha,
The desire to favorably compare the Chinese Communist Regime to the United States is making the rounds through internet bots and now academics who are loudly “devoted to the art of sedition,” but it always fails the sniff test.
They all say the same thing: China has lifted 800 million from poverty. Do they think American immigrants are historically rich?
They do not say anything about civil rights and personal liberties. And they forget to say that Chinese social welfare is selective, not universal. How many purges are needed until those who remain are all alike?
As one transgender friend said to me (before the Trump goons returned to power) “in this country no one has to hide anymore.”
Check if that freedom exists in China, or maybe Bolzano’s spiked propaganda piece shows he just doesn’t care. Or maybe the CCP signs his paycheck.
In any event, he squanders the opportunity to show that a combination of social welfare and Constitutional civil liberties is where we are headed thanks to Mamdani, Sanders, AOC and Platner. The best of both worlds. Freedom from both tyrannical governments and from rapacious capitalists. Win win.
Mahalo,
Jonathan Cook
Honolulu, Hawaii
Jonathan:
Well, well. Aren’t we full of piss and vinegar today? Your email’s subject line, quoted above, misspells the name of the writer you’re trying to excoriate. This, with the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion, and mercy at your fingertips. After dropping a few left-coded references, to signify your political correctness, you barf up some vintage cold war rhetoric, then sign off with a polite expression of gratitude. Quite a performance.
Pardon us if we play by your rules and make a few connections that may exist only in our editorial noggin. Might you be the Jonathan Cook living in Honolulu who, according to LinkedIn, is a former nightclub promoter who now runs a SEO & Internet Marketing Company with the tagline, “We’ve Tripled Business for Clients”? Hardly a field known for rigid adherence to the truth, now, is it? You may also be the Jonathan Cook we found at MyLife.com. His “political affiliation is currently a registered Republican; ethnicity is Caucasian; and religious views are listed as Christian. Jonathan’s relationship status is single… [and has] a current net worth value of greater than $499,999.”
We were surprised to find, when looking online, only one Jonathan Cook in Honolulu. Considering your general demeanor, though, and the reception Hawaiians gave to Captain James Cook in 1779, perhaps we should have been surprised to find one.
The Editor
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Mash Note of the Year
Greetings From The “Forest”!!!
My name is Bruce Weldon Morris. I’m a disabled Combat Vet, “1967 – Vietnam,” Assault Helicopters! No Parades for our home coming!
I live in Bingham, Maine, six miles from the town of Solon. I used to go to town every morning to buy my two local newspapers; Bangor Daily News and the Morning Sentinel. Both have to be bought through the mail now, the stores no longer have them!
If you get them in the mail they don’t come every day. Sometimes you may get two or three papers at once, always late!!!
When COVID, hit both papers stopped printing papers on Monday and still the price went up! Today we can’t buy them in stores at all.
So what in hell happened to our Free Press? I used to love my paper and coffee in the morning with my sweetie; she died a year ago May 5th, too!
All of us have lost many things we hold dear, but right is right, and wrong is wrong! We all have a right to our Free Press!!! And the Truth!
Are we looking at a Police state in the future? We have ICE going into schools [and] churches, grabbing people off the streets, shooting some dead! I think of WW II and the NAZIS! My dad was in that one.
The want-to-be dictator in our White House is a madman and should be locked up in a rubber room with a straight jacket on, drugged every four hours!!!
At least we have the New Hampshire Gazette to tell the honest truth and I’m grateful for that! Thank you all for the good work you all to.
I send you Peace and Love from the Forest!!!
Bruce Weldon Morris,
Bingham, Maine
Brother Bruce,
Ah, the forest. Conditions may be challenging but they are always true.
The Editor