Spine Check: Talking tough, voting soft
A Spine Check example showing the gap between rhetoric and recorded action.
Archive
All posts
January 2026
Receipts: “We never supported that”
A receipts-first example showing how public denial collapses under primary sources.
Receipts: Trump at a Ford plant — the heckler, the f-bomb, and the finger
Receipts-first: Trump’s Ford plant visit in Dearborn and the moment captured on video.
Welcome to cunexttuesday.org
First post: why this blog is plain HTML/CSS on Cloudflare Pages.
Receipts template example
Example layout showing quotes, timeline, and sources in the Receipts format.
Receipts: The Minneapolis ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good
Receipts-first: what video, eyewitness reporting, and official statements say about the ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
‘Privately concerned’ → publicly compliant: the anonymous GOP pattern
A meta-entry: the recurring ‘private concern’ leak that never becomes a vote, a statement, or a break.
DOJ independence: what it is, why it matters, and what to watch
A receipts-first explainer on DOJ independence concerns in a second Trump administration, and the kinds of actions that raise red flags.
Private doubts → public amplification: Fox, Dominion, and the record
Discovery and reporting described internal doubts even as false claims aired; Dominion settled for $787.5M.
Ending TPS for Somalis: what the decision does, and what’s on the record
The Trump administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis, with the stated rationale and the timeline for protections ending.
‘We won’t cave’ → then: deadlines, stopgaps, and retreat (Freedom Caucus)
A rolling entry tracking hardline demands vs endgame deals around shutdown/debt fights.
Immigration: what changed since Jan 20, 2025 (paper trail edition)
A receipts-first map of Trump administration immigration executive actions since Jan 20, 2025 — using official summaries and primary sources.
Working-class branding → party-line outcomes: Hawley’s populism vs record
Hawley markets as working-class populist; the ledger tracks policy outcomes and reversals.
Environment: EPA’s Clean Water Act §401 memo and what it signals
EPA issued a May 21, 2025 memorandum clarifying limits on states’ and Tribes’ roles under Clean Water Act Section 401 certification — with implications for project permitting fights.
‘Follow the Constitution’ → then: led effort to overturn 2020 results
Johnson invokes constitutional language while having backed efforts challenging 2020 results.
Environment/rulemaking: EPA proposes narrowing states’ and Tribes’ Clean Water Act §401 leverage
AP and Reuters report the Trump administration proposed revising a Section 401 rule to limit states’ and Tribes’ ability to block or condition projects on water-quality grounds.
‘No right to overturn’ → then: the movement turns on Pence
Pence said he had no right to overturn the election; that refusal became a defining rupture.
Environment: EPA says it will stop calculating health savings from key air pollution rules
AP reports EPA will stop calculating monetized health benefits (health care savings/lives saved) for certain air pollution rules, focusing on business costs instead.
Didn’t Happen: “Close the border on Day 1” (blocked in court)
Trump promised to close the border on day one; FactCheck reports federal judges blocked a key executive order from taking effect.
‘Bears responsibility’ → walk-back: McCarthy on Jan 6
McCarthy said Trump 'bears responsibility' for Jan 6 — then the party line reasserted itself.
Immigration leverage fight: DOJ drops appeal on tying transportation funds to enforcement cooperation
A federal court blocked a Trump administration plan to condition transportation funds on immigration enforcement cooperation; DOJ later dropped its appeal.
Didn’t Happen: “End inflation on day one”
Trump vowed to end inflation and make America affordable “starting on day one.” Inflation data and reporting show inflation persisted.
‘Con artist’ → later alignment: Rubio’s recorded reversal
Rubio warned against handing the movement to a 'con artist' — later embraced Trump.
Inside the immigration crackdown: what the record shows (raids, resources, and community impact)
Reuters reporting documents a wide-ranging immigration enforcement campaign after Jan 20, 2025, including raids and community disruption.
Ted Cruz: family attacked → endorsement
Personal attacks followed by political support.
Didn’t Happen: “End the Ukraine war in 24 hours”
Trump repeatedly promised he’d end the Russia–Ukraine war within 24 hours (or before taking office). The war continued.
Family insulted → ‘enthusiastic’ endorsement: the Cruz capitulation pattern
Trump attacked Cruz’s wife (and promoted a smear about his father) — later endorsements followed.
DOJ personnel purge: career prosecutor firings and the independence warning light
Reports describe career DOJ firings ordered 'on behalf of' the President — a key receipts category for DOJ independence tracking.
DOJ career prosecutor removals as an independence signal
Career prosecutor removals raise structural independence concerns at DOJ.
Environment/rulemaking: Clean Water Act §401 and the push to narrow state/Tribal leverage
Reuters and AP report EPA proposed revising §401 rules to limit states’ and Tribes’ ability to block or condition projects on water-quality grounds.
‘Destroyed… and we will deserve it’ → then: full-throated defense
On-record warning about nominating Trump vs later alignment with him.
Oversight watch: inspectors general firings and what it does to checks inside the executive branch
ABC News and GovExec report inspector general vacancies and legal questions after mass firings; a court later found unlawful firing but refused reinstatement.
Lindsey Graham: 'Destroyed… and we will deserve it' → full alignment
A documented reversal from warning to defense.
Courts: DOJ drops appeal on transportation-funds immigration condition
Reuters reports DOJ dropped its appeal of an order blocking a plan to tie state transportation funds to immigration enforcement cooperation.
Immigration enforcement expansion: what changed operationally
A receipts-first look at how immigration enforcement expanded operationally after Jan 20, 2025.
Josh Hawley: working-class branding vs governing choices (ledger entry)
A ledger entry tracking brand vs outcomes over time (votes, proposals, and reversals).
Environment: EPA drops health-benefit math (what changes in rulemaking)
AP reports EPA will stop calculating certain monetized health benefits for key air rules; receipts on what that changes and how to track it.