Inland Empire Progressive

In a nation where the sick and vulnerable should be our priority, the latest move by the Trump Justice Department armed with the obedience of Rep. Jay Obernolte is transforming health care oversight into a raw political weapon. The suit against the Inland Empire Health Plan ( IEHP ), under the False Claims Act, reeks of political theatre dressed up as integrity enforcement.  It is easy to point fingers at health plans and accuse them of manipulating funding rules. But when those fingers belong to actors with a transparent political agenda, the accusation becomes far more sinister. Where is Obernolte’s concern when IEHP delivers care to communities that otherwise lack options? In his drive to bend the cost curve thousands of residents in our district stand to lose their health care coverage. Obernolte is letting himself be used as a political amplifier. He helps distract from the fact that the DOJ’s selective enforcement is glaring and investigations get initiated based on who holds...

The conservative backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement wasn’t born out of some deep philosophical difference. It was born out of pure, unfiltered panic. Panic that the country might actually have to reckon with the idea that systemic racism exists. Panic that the police might not be perfect. Panic that someone, somewhere, might kneel during the national anthem and make them think about someone else’s pain. When that panic wasn’t enough conservatives embraced the alt-right, that lovable band of “free thinkers” whose idea of intellectual rebellion is posting racist memes and complaining that women won’t date them. Conservatives didn’t just tolerate the alt-right they gave them a platform, a microphone, and a seat at the table. Nothing rallies a conservative crowd faster than fear: fear of immigrants, fear of Black people marching for justice, fear of the country changing into something that doesn’t look like a 1950s sitcom. Conservatives didn’t stumble into this mess they cultivate...

Something has gone deeply wrong when the military an institution grounded in duty, discipline, and the apolitical defense of the nation begins to smell like a campaign rally in camouflage. Yet this is precisely the path that Rep. Jay Obernolte and the Trump administration are pushing us down, with scant resistance. A recent report reveals that Pentagon officials are considering a recruiting campaign built around the legacy of  Charlie Kirk , the conservative activist recently assassinated, with slogans like “Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors” and outreach tied to Turning Point USA chapters on college campuses. Consider what that means: turning military recruitment into a partisan memorial, collapsing lines between the state’s defense apparatus and a political movement. The service is outside partisan politics and serves the Constitution, not a party or the president. When the Trump administration and Obernolte stoop to leverage the uniform as a megaphone for political m...

The latest exhibit in Trump’s weaponization of justice is a federal grand jury has indicted New York Attorney General  Letitia James  on charges of bank fraud, in what is widely being interpreted as an escalation of the weaponization of the Department of Justice. Where is Rep. Jay Obernolte in all of this? Strategically tucked behind a quiet, finger-in-ear silence so deafening it could shatter glass. Obernolte campaigned with the standard GOP playbook of law and order, equal justice under law, limits on executive overreach. He has not, to my knowledge, penned any op-eds about the normalization of political prosecutions. His silence suggests that only some people deserve defense from a runaway executive. By refusing to speak out, Obernolte implies that when this kind of retribution is aimed at Trump’s enemies, it’s acceptable. That kind of moral surrender is cowardice. The fact that Obernolte hasn’t responded suggests either that: He genuinely doesn’t see a problem, or he sees ...

As Inlanders already know, this isn’t just politics as usual. President Trump is actively using the government to shakedown shady foreign governments, crypto bros, and Wall Street billionaires. Qatar has "gifted" Donald Trump a $400 million Boeing 747 jumbo jet with luxury bath and golden toilet "to serve" as Air Force One and then be handed over to the Trump presidential library after his term.  Crony conservatives will claim: “It’s a gift to the Department of Defense, not to him personally.” But here’s the trick: retrofitting that plane, wiring it with security systems, customizing it for presidential use that’s going to cost American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. And once the work is done, guess whose personal plane it becomes. Accepting a foreign gift of that magnitude is unconstitutional under the Emoluments Clause. But given a rubber stamp congress and a corrupt Supreme Court it's likely Trump will fly off free in the friendly skies while taxp...

 The role of Congress in foreign policy isn’t to be an employee at a rubber stamp company. The Constitution doesn’t give the president a blank check to meddle abroad while lawmakers play spectator. But if you were looking at Rep. Jay Obernolte lately, you might assume Congress is just a fancy prop and Obernolte is auditioning to be Trump’s personal assistant to the Department of Defense. The Trump Administration is attacking boats up and down the  South American  coast with no rationale fracturing alliances and sending ripples through Latin American politics. This development demands Congressional attention. Such moves must be debated, scrutinized, and subject to congressional oversight. Instead, what we’re seeing Republicans giving Trump a pass. Meanwhile, our representative Jay Obernolte doesn’t seem to mind. He’s hardly been vocal in demanding hearings, reviewing executive actions, or forcing accountability. He raises barely a whisper when Trump acts unilaterally. Inla...

Rep. Jay Obernolte refusal to seriously oversee the Department of Health and Human Services is not only shirking his constitutional duty of oversight, but he’s also playing with fire with Inland Empire's health. Meanwhile, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is busy promoting wild, unproven theories about  Tylenol  causing autism and linking circumcision to neurodevelopmental disorders, and Obernolte appears to be napping on the job. This is not oversight, its negligence. Kennedy reasserted the connection between the pain reliever Tylenol and autism during a Cabinet meeting despite the fact that credible science rejects the link. He also referenced a conspiracy theory that boys undergoing circumcision have double the autism rate. How untethered to reality can you get? But while the scientific world recoils, Obernolte’s silence is deafening and irresponsible. Public health is not a joke. An Inlander might ask: What's the harm if a congressman fails to push back? The answer: everyth...

It appears that in 2025, conservatives are going all-out to weaken America’s alliances. In a dazzling feat of geopolitical incompetence, President Donald Trump just floated the idea of expelling  Spain  from NATO. Spain is a country that joined NATO over four decades ago and has participated in many U.S. backed operations and is now called a "laggard” by the President. As strategy, recommending to expel a long-standing member is reckless. As foreign policy, it’s just plain stupid. It’s not just about Spain. This is emblematic of a deeper pattern of conservatives pushing an us-versus-them worldview, confusing allies, and loosening the threads that tie the United States to its security architecture around the globe.  Weak alliances make for a weaker America. The moment we start treating allies as suggestions and expendable is the moment we undermine the very foundations of our global power. We lose early warning partners, basing agreements, intelligence sharing. We invite a...

Our congressman, Representative Jay Obernolte is a co-conspirator with a front-row seat. While thousands of federal employees are not getting paid, furloughed, threatened with layoffs, or left in limbo, Obernolte’s inaction is deafening. The Trump administration has already begun issuing “ reduction-in-force ” notices to federal employees in agencies such as Treasury, Homeland Security, HHS all during a shutdown when legally the workers should be furloughed, not fired. This is not a mere “oops, budget mistake” it looks like a deliberate attempt to weaponize the shutdown to force Democrats to continue Trump's illegality. That's not going to happen. Obernolte is not some powerless freshman. Yet what has he done? Spoken politely? Issued vague statements? Counted on talking points? None of that suffices when federal workers are losing paychecks, and taxpayer are losing services. By refusing to break ranks, demand accountability, or force a way forward, Obernolte is effectively givi...

Inlanders, pay attention because you’re about to see how conservatives are laying the groundwork to destroy democracy itself with all the swagger of a badly written Pam Bondi villain. If you think conservatives will wait until Election Day to tip the scales, I have some desert land in 29 Palms to sell you. There are news reports that  Dominion Voting Systems  the tech company that became a household name over relentless conspiracies and defamation lawsuits by Fox News has been acquired by Liberty Vote, a firm founded by a former Republican elections director. Let that sink in and soak, the very tech infrastructure of our elections (ballot counting, software, validation) is now being folded into a company helmed by someone who has conservative pedigree. This is a trojan horse in disguise. I don't trust conservatives to play fair when it comes to elections, and this is case in point. Voting systems are no joke. They are the final arbiter between your vote and the official tally....

The Super Bowl halftime show is an American tradition where millions gather to witness the pinnacle of musical artistry and cultural diversity. But leave it to conservatives to ruin the party.  Turning Point USA , the self-proclaimed guardians of American values, have decided that the halftime show is the perfect battleground for their latest culture war. According to their brilliant plan, the halftime show should feature only "All-American" music because nothing says freedom like a state-sponsored playlist from Dear Leader Trump. Forget about the rich tapestry of musical genres that reflect the diverse fabric of American society; apparently, the only acceptable tunes are those that fit neatly into a narrow, nostalgic box of what they deem "patriotic." Turning Point USA is also calling for a ban on any halftime performances that don't align with their vision of American values. That means no hip-hop, no Banda, no Reggaeton, and especially no pop stars pushing bo...

What we’re witnessing now is a full-blown conservative assault on the institutions meant to restrain raw power. The conservative strategy is simple: prosecution of political enemies, stack the courts with activist judges, intimidate rivals, and then begin the imperial rule. The recent case of  James Comey  offers a grim blueprint. Lindsey Halligan, a Trump loyalist who has no trail court experience was handpicked for the U.S. Attorney’s post to push the indictment forward despite justice department alarm bells.  That is how you subvert the rule of law. In a functioning legal system, you don’t indict someone unless the evidence can survive the harshest judicial tests. In this case, the evidence looks so flimsy even prosecutors privately felt the case would unravel. Yet Trump overrides them. That’s not justice; it's a sham trial. You don’t have to fight over whether Halligan is competent or not the real point is that she was chosen for loyalty, not objectivity. This is the ...

The notion that the current government  shutdown  is driven by fiscal wrangling or partisanship is erroneous on its face. The real reason for this government shutdown is that our congressional representative, Jay Obernolte, and his fellow Republicans is so that the Epstein files stay buried. Furloughing government workers, stalling services, and sowing chaos is all cover to keep the Epstein files from seeing the light of day. Democracy be damned, so they can protect powerful pedophiles.  The official narrative is that the shutdown is dragging on because Republican can't work on a bi-partisan deal with the Democrats. But the unofficial narrative is because House leaders continue blocking a discharge petition that would force a vote to release the Epstein files.  So, are we, the voters of the 23rd District naïve for noticing that a conveniently timed congressional absence happens to stall that vote? The timing is too perfect to be coincidence. Let’s call it what it is:...

Welcome to the greatest show on earth! The conservative circus of granting soapboxes to  fascists  and conspiracy theorists. Behold their theatrical pretense to erect scaffolding for jailing the opposition when the public says, “No, thanks, we don’t like that agenda.” In the “antifa roundtable” hosted by the White House, all the witnesses were self-described conservative influencers or partisan social-media stars, not independent fact-based journalists. This was just a pre-staged photo-op with talking heads. These figures speak with the confident cadence of victims, wounded by leftwing mobs a narrative cooked to sound plausible, packaged for cable news. But often what they offer is instigated confrontations, infiltrated protests, selectively edit video, provoked responses, and then present themselves as sheep among wolves.  This manufactured testimony by performing outrage, filming it, and then monetizing the resulting evidence. That’s not journalism, it’s performance art...

When it comes to economic literacy, Rep. Jay Obernolte is auditioning for the role of Sloth from Goonies. He champions tariffs and refusal to admit they hurt consumers, is now showing up not just in obscure economic charts, but in the sticker price of your next  Xbox , PlayStation, or Nintendo system. Obernolte and his fellow tariff enthusiasts like to pretend that import duties are magically absorbed by foreign exporters. In his public musings, Obernolte claims that tariffs are paid only by foreign countries, not by domestic consumers. That would be a fascinating spell, if it existed in real economics. Spoiler Alert: it doesn’t. In reality, when the U.S. imposes heavy tariffs on electronics components or finished goods, importers and manufacturers absorb higher costs and then pass them directly to the end user. In other words, you pay. The narrative that tariffs are free money or pure leverage against foreign companies is just political soap opera, not serious policy. Just this ye...

Columbus Day the annual celebration where conservatives engage in revisionist histrionics to celebrate the villain of the story. It's a day when historical revisionism reaches its peak, and the inconvenient truths about Christopher Columbus are conveniently swept under the rug. Currently, 30 states and three U.S. territories recognize Columbus Day in some form and only 20 states and grant state workers a paid day off for the holiday. Yet, conservatives continue to champion this day, ignoring the fact that Columbus's voyages led to the colonization and decimation of Indigenous populations across the Americas. But why let pesky details like genocide and cultural erasure get in the way of a good celebration? After all, Columbus was Italian American, and what better way to honor Italian heritage than by celebrating a man who paved the way for centuries of oppression? States need to take a more enlightened approach like New Mexico that have replaced their paid Columbus Day holidays...

This shutdown theater is not a football match where Democrats get to sit back and wait for the opposing team to throw a pick six. It’s a grueling slugfest of raw power, public perception, and who blinks first. And as the standoff drags on, the option to sit this one out or play it safe is fast turning into a coward’s compromise. The  hallway  showdown between House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and GOP Rep. Mike Lawler demonstrates why resolve is needed in this shutdown. Lawler ambles up and tries to casually ask why Democrats won’t just sign onto ending the government shutdown. Jeffries scoffs at the notion and retorts: “Did you get permission from your boss?” This is the fight that was sorely missing from the first shutdown debacle back in March. Republicans only understand the language of power, and it isn’t begging or wagging a finger—it’s cutthroat persuasion. Democratic messaging needs to highlight what’s at stake, call out Republican obstruction when it happens, and o...

Another school. Another locked-down campus. Another pair of students arrested for walking into  Mesa Ridge High School  with a handgun. School shootings are becoming so common that it almost standard practice.  This is another blatant warning that our system is broken. However, it’s business as usual for Rep. Jay Obernolte, who strongly supports the Second Amendment while voting against even the most modest reforms. Let’s go through the Obernolte’s track record. Because it matters which lawmakers refuse to act when students bring real guns into classrooms.  Yes, you’ll hear this preferred dodge: “We need more mental health resources.” As if that magically prevents a kid from grabbing a firearm. If it were solely a mental health issue, other democracies with robust mental health infrastructure wouldn’t have zero-tolerance school shootings. They do not. Jay Obernolte claims to support common sense reforms to our justice system. Yet he’s opposed to almost all gun-contro...

  I can't imagine that Congressman Jay Obernolte would treat the systematic  removal  of experienced senior military leaders like background noise. That silence would not be a neutral act. It would be a political choice. It would be a decision that says: “I will look away while the scaffolding of American defense is dismantled.” This is the sort of silence that should make any voter — conservative, moderate, or liberal — angry. Military readiness is not a partisan talking point. It is not a convenient backdrop for cable-news sound bites. It’s the difference between deterrence and chaos, between a clear chain of command and a brittle, politicized substitute. When a cascade of firings and abrupt removals of senior officers occurs from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs to intelligence directors and other four-star leaders —the republic deserves more than the faint chirp of a perfunctory press office; it deserves vigorous, public scrutiny from every member of Congress, includi...

When conservatives thunder about election integrity, they want you to picture stuffed ballot boxes, dead voters rising from the grave, and shadowy Democratic operatives plotting to rig the system. But what they don’t want you to picture is their own weaponization of campaign technology data mining , microtargeting , and voter surveillance that quietly undermines the very democratic freedoms they pretend to safeguard. Our election infrastructure doesn’t just hinge on ballots, it hinges on how campaigns harvest, store, and deploy voter information. And here, conservatives are not defenders of liberty they’re some of the worst offenders. Conservatives claim to champion privacy and individual liberty, yet their campaign operations routinely buy and weaponize massive voter files, sometimes enhanced with commercial consumer data, to micro-target voters in ways that blur the line between persuasion and manipulation. From the disastrous ORCA system in 2012 to the more sinister Cambridge Ana...

Every time violence occurs in a Black community, Fox News and One America News seize the moment like vultures circling a carcass. They trot out their favorite talking point “Black-on-Black crime” as if it’s some profound revelation instead of a tired, misleading dog whistle. But when white communities are ravaged by violence, from domestic disputes to mass shootings, these same outlets fall eerily silent. You’ll never hear them say “white-on-white crime,” even though the numbers are nearly identical. Fox and OAN don’t report  crime  statistics, they weaponize them. They paint Black communities as inherently lawless, while portraying white violence as the work of isolated “troubled individuals.” When a Black teen is caught in a drive-by, it’s treated as proof of cultural decay. When a white man shoots up a school, it’s framed as a tragic anomaly, usually softened with sympathetic backstories about depression, bullying, or video games. “White-on-white crime” doesn’t generate out...

Whenever a young Black man is accused of harming a white woman, conservatives do more than report. They are attempting to resurrect, I would say purposefully, centuries racial bigotry. From antebellum slave patrols to Jim Crow lynchings, from the Scottsboro Boys to Emmett Till, the trope of the dangerous Black male and the innocent white female has been among the most potent myths in America. It is as old as the society that built race into law, fear into culture. And in 2025, it seems that nothing has changed. The  Charlotte  light rail stabbing suspect’s criminal history is ostensibly a factual account of DeCarlos Brown Jr.’s alleged killing of a Ukrainian refugee. But beneath the surface lies the continuation of a narrative that does more than inform it terrorizes, ostracizes, frames, and judges before verdicts. It treats Brown not merely as a defendant, but as a symbol. Immediately, the man is not the accused but framed by his criminal past. Even before trial. Conservative...

The  oligarchs  do not believe democracy should be a constraint on their power and that they are above the law. They treat democracy as something to be replaced whatever authoritative idea that sounds creative. Peter Thiel and Elon Musk are their evangelists with Rep. Jay Obernolte playing as useful idiot. One of Trump’s first executive orders created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under which Elon Musk was appointed to lead the effort slashing government spending, starting with firing tens of thousands of people across the federal workforce.  Oligarchs  are making decisions on what is being cut and how public administration is being reshaped with no congressional oversight.  Oligarchs get direct control over parts of government while Representative Jay Obernolte cheers them on. Mark my words that this will lead to the privatization of Social Security and regulatory capture. Billionaires control media platforms, both directly or indirectly and s...

The recent death of  Ismael  Ayala-Uribe in an ICE facility was a preventable failure and shines a light on the lax oversight by Representative Obernolte. Ismael died within days after being held in the Adelanto immigration detention center. He complained of fever, pain, and shaking and his condition was flagged as life threatening. Yet an hour and a half after a “code blue”, which is a code for cardiac/respiratory arrest, GEO medical staff cleared him to return to his unit.  Three days later, he was pronounced dead. Oversight is meant to be the bulwark against these kinds of abuses. Rep. Jay Obernolte whose district includes these facilities, is supposed to provide oversight, demanding accountability, initiating hearings, pressuring federal agencies. But Representative Jay Obernolte has failed to meaningfully exercise that role, the consequence is that innocent lives are left exposed. There has been no public inquiry to obtain justice for Ismael coming from his office. T...