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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Michigan Democrat Rep. Shri Thanedar forced a House vote on articles of impeachment for President Donald J. Trump, but his colleagues are not happy.
👥 Who’s Involved: Rep. Shri Thanedar, House Democrats, Michigan State Rep. Donavan McKinney (D).
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📍 Where & When: U.S. House of Representatives; articles introduced April 28, vote by Thursday.
💬 Key Quote: “This is the dumbest f***ing thing. Utterly selfish behavior,” said an unnamed House Democrat.
⚠️ Impact: The move is seen as jeopardizing Democrats in competitive districts where Trump is popular, with little chance of succeeding.
IN FULL:
Michigan Congressman Shri Thanedar, a Democrat facing a tough primary battle, is forcing a House vote on articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. The vote, scheduled for Thursday, is widely expected to fail, and has already drawn sharp criticism from some of Thanedar’s Democratic colleagues.
The articles of impeachment, introduced by Thanedar on April 28, accuse Trump of bribery, corruption, and other supposed infractions. Speaking on the House floor in a thick Indian accent, the foreign-born lawmaker declared, “President Donald J. Trump has been committing crimes since day one.”
The timing of the move coincides with Michigan State Rep. Donavan McKinney’s announcement of his candidacy for Thanedar’s Detroit-area seat, raising questions about Thanedar’s motivations. Despite his insistence that the action is based on principle, some Democrats are skeptical.
“He’s really just doing it for himself,” one House Democrat told Axios, while another described the move as “a waste of time.” Another unnamed lawmaker expressed frustration, calling it “the dumbest f***ing thing. Utterly selfish behavior.”
New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler is said to have called Thanedar’s impeachment move “idiotic,” while another House Democrat commented simply, “What a dumbs**t.”
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was the first House Democrat to publicly call for Trump’s impeachment back in February, but Thanedar is the first to actually force a vote by introducing his resolution as privileged. However, it is likely House Republicans will move to table his resolution before the Thursday deadline for a vote, effectively killing it.
The debacle highlights internal divisions within the Democratic Party, as individual politicians struggle to gain relevance and aged party grandees such as Nancy Pelosi, now 85, struggle to either provide decisive leadership or pass the torch to clear successors.
WATCH:
In this country, we have Presidents, not kings.
Today, I introduced my Articles of Impeachment on the House Floor. pic.twitter.com/TEaAUZReig
— Congressman Shri Thanedar (@RepShriThanedar) May 13, 2025
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa criticized white Afrikaner refugees for leaving the country, labeling their departure as “cowardly.”
👥 Who’s Involved: President Cyril Ramaphosa, Afrikaner refugees, U.S. President Donald J. Trump, Afriforum CEO Kallie Kriel.
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📍 Where & When: South Africa; comments made at an agricultural convention following the arrival of 49 Afrikaner refugees in Washington, D.C., on May 13.
💬 Key Quote: “When you run away, you’re a coward, and that’s a real cowardly act, and I expect every South African to stay here, and we work together, and we solve our problems.” — President Cyril Ramaphosa.
⚠️ Impact: The remarks highlight tensions over South Africa’s racist land redistribution policies and the U.S. granting refugee status to Afrikaners.
IN FULL:
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has denounced white Afrikaner refugees who recently emigrated to the United States, describing their departure as an act of cowardice. His comments came after the first group of 49 Afrikaners, granted refugee status by the U.S., landed in Washington, D.C. Reports suggest up to 70,000 additional Afrikaners have applied for refugee status under the policy.
Speaking at a surprise appearance at an agricultural convention on Tuesday, Ramaphosa addressed the issue, stating that those leaving South Africa were unwilling to accept the government’s “transformation” policies. New “expropriation without compensation” laws aim to forcibly redistribute land and wealth along racial lines.
“They may be feeling excited they’ve left the country, they’ve got somebody like President Trump, but in the end, it’s a group of South Africans demonstrating that the changes and transformation that we are embarking upon here, they are not favourably disposed to it, and that’s why they are running away.”
He continued, “When you run away, you’re a coward, and that’s a real cowardly act. I expect every South African to stay here, and we work together, and we solve our problems.”
Afriforum, a group representing Afrikaners, pushed back against Ramaphosa’s statements. CEO Kallie Kriel issued a strong response on social media, accusing the South African government of fostering an unsafe environment for Afrikaners. The group often highlights threats and violence, including deadly violence, targeting white farmers in the country, even before the government’s moves to seize their land.
President Donald J. Trump has accused the South African government of presiding over a “genocide” against Afrikaners. Tensions between the governments of the two countries have been high in recent months over the mistreatment of white Afrikaner people, who have been in southern Africa since the 1600s—which is as long as some of its black African ethnic groups, with roots in tribes that migrated to the territory from further north, at least in some areas.
South Africa is a country where the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party, led by extremist Julius Malema regularly sing a song calling for the killing of Afrikaner farmers. Malema himself has not ruled out murdering white South Africans if his extremist party—already the fourth-largest in the South African legislature, out of 18 with representation there—ever comes to power.
“We’ve not called for the killing of white people, at least for now. I can’t guarantee the future,” he said in an interview in 2018.
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