The Conversation -- July 31, 2025
Texas. David Goodman & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: “The emergency management coordinator of Kerr County, which bore the brunt of the deadly July 4 floods in the Texas Hill Country, testified on Thursday that he was sick and asleep when the floodwaters rose in the middle of the night, eventually killing 108 people in the county. The admission by the official, William B. Thomas IV, came at the start of an extraordinary hearing held by state lawmakers in a packed convention center in city of Kerrville, a short walk from the banks of the Guadalupe River, which surged to record levels in the predawn darkness of July 4.... Mr. Thomas had not spoken publicly since the flood, as questions were raised about his whereabouts and why neither he nor anyone else in the county had issued more warnings about the rapidly worsening situation along the river.... Mr. Thomas said his supervisors were aware that he was off that day.... Mr. Thomas oversees the area’s preparations and response to fires, floods and other natural disasters along with the county’s judge, Rob Kelly, who is the top ranking official in Kerr County.... The judge was away at a second home in Lake Travis, she said, the sheriff didn’t wake up until 4:20 a.m., and the emergency management coordinator was sick.”
Kevin Breuninger & Dan Mangan of CNBC: "A federal appeals court appeared skeptical Thursday of arguments from a Justice Department lawyer defending ... Donald Trump’s global tariff regime. Trump has claimed he has the power to impose a vast array of new tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. His use of that statute — which does not mention the word tariffs — is the first time since it became law in 1977 that it has been invoked by a president to impose tariffs on imports from other countries. Plaintiffs in the case say the IEEPA contains no such tariff-setting authority for a president, and argue that Trump has usurped the power of Congress to set tariffs since he regained the White House in January. The arguments at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit were livestreamed on the court’s Youtube page.... The last court to hear the case, the U.S. Court of International Trade, struck down both Trump’s 'reciprocal' and 'trafficking'-related tariffs in late May. But the Federal Circuit Appeals Court quickly paused that decision, keeping Trump’s tariffs in effect while the legal challenge plays out."
Sarah Fitzpatrick of the Atlantic: “When Donald Trump told reporters yesterday that Jeffrey Epstein 'stole' a young woman named Virginia Roberts Giuffre from Mar-a-Lago, her surviving siblings were shocked — not just because the president had described their late sister as he would an object, but because his comment raised the possibility that Trump might know more about his onetime friend’s behavior than he has previously acknowledged. 'It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend Jeffrey “likes women on the younger side … no doubt about it,’” Giuffre’s two brothers and her sisters-in-law told The Atlantic in an exclusive statement, their first public response to the president. 'We and the public are asking for answers; survivors deserve this.'” Thank you to laura h. for this gift link. ~~~
~~~ Update. Alan Feuer & Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: “The family of Virginia Giuffre, a woman who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her as a teenager, released a statement on Wednesday night expressing outrage about ... [Donald] Trump’s recent remarks about her, in which he confirmed an account that Mr. Epstein had hired her away from her job in the spa at Mar-a-Lago.... Ms. Giuffre has long maintained that Ghislaine Maxwell, Mr. Epstein’s longtime associate, met her at the club and recruited her to serve as a masseuse for Mr. Epstein, but Mr. Trump’s comments on Air Force One appeared to be the first time he had personally confirmed her story.... Ms. Giuffre’s family criticized the meeting [between Deputy AG Todd Blanche & Ms. Maxwell], warning that Ms. Maxwell has a long history of lying about the case.” ~~~
~~~ & The family of a key survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse urged ... Donald Trump on Wednesday not to consider clemency for the late financier's co-conspirator and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell. The family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a sexual abuse advocate who died by suicide in April, made their plea to Trump in a public statement after he told reporters that Epstein, a convicted sex offender, 'stole' Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where she worked as a locker-room attendant at age 16 during the summer of 2000."
Joyce Vance: “On Monday, DOJ filed a complaint accusing Judge [Robert] Boasberg [the chief judge of the D.C. Circuit --] of 'making improper public comments about President Trump and his Administration.' CBS News was told by sources that [AG Pam] Bondi directed her chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, to file the complaint with the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Sri Srinivasan.... For one thing, the Judge’s comments weren’t made in public, which is the predicate for DOJ’s entire complaint.... There are more technical flaws in the legal arguments DOJ makes.... But what it adds up to is wholly inadequate to merit further consideration by the court and certainly not something that rises to the level of warranting judicial sanctions. The fault here lies with DOJ and its slippery practices. The Attorney General announced that the Justice Department’s complaint in a Tweet, which is a whole next level of inappropriate.... The presidency, one of the most powerful parties imaginable in any litigation, should not be permitted to use its disagreements with an individual judge to ambush him or to launch an attack on the entire institution.”
Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “A legal watchdog group accused three Justice Department lawyers of professional misconduct on Thursday, saying they had made false statements to a federal judge in a high-profile case challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The accusations by the group, the Legal Accountability Center, were formally filed with the grievance committees of bar associations in Washington and other cities where the lawyers lived or practiced. The move represented a rare attempt to seek professional sanctions against rank-and-file department lawyers who have appeared in court on behalf of the federal government....”
“Not a Good Look.” Pooja Salhotra of the New York Times: “After nearly two months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, Paola Clouatre, 25, secured her release from a Louisiana detention center this week following an intervention from an unlikely source: [Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.)] who has allied himself with ... [Donald] Trump].... Ms. Clouatre, a Mexican citizen, had been detained by ICE agents on May 27 while she was at a routine appointment in New Orleans related to her application for a green card and permanent resident status.... Ms. Clouatre is married to Adrian Clouatre, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran with whom she has two young children.... Her lawyer, Carey Holliday..., said, 'This is someone who honorably served his country, was honorably discharged, and now the government wants to take his wife away. It’s not a good look.'”
Fiction Beats Science in Official Trumpity Energy Report. Maxine Joselow & Brad Plumer of the New York Times: “Sea level rise is not accelerating. More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be good for plant growth. The computer models used to predict global warming tend to exaggerate future temperature increases. These arguments, routinely made by people who reject the scientific consensus on climate change, were included in an unusual report released by the Energy Department on Tuesday. The report, which is meant to support the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to roll back climate regulations, contends that the mainstream scientific view on climate change is too dire and overlooks the positive effects of a warming planet. Climate scientists said the 151-page report misrepresented or cherry-picked a large body of research on global warming. Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth and the payments company Stripe, called the document a 'scattershot collection of oft-debunked skeptic claims' that 'are not representative of broader climate science research findings.'” MB: If God didn't want you to choke to death, he would not have let the dinosaurs turn into fossil fuel, nor would he have invented the internal combustion engine.
Whiney Baby Dershowitz Really Wanted a Pieróg. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: “Alan Dershowitz said he is suing a Martha’s Vineyard food vendor who refused to serve the former Harvard Law professor pierogi because of his politics. Dershowitz, a former Democrat who represented ... Donald Trump in the first impeachment trial, has frequently lamented his pariah status on Martha’s Vineyard, the posh vacation spot for the wealthy and often liberal. On Wednesday, Dershowitz posted on X and said he is suing the 'bigoted vendor.'”
~~~~~~~~~~
Marie: Every day when I read the news, I find evidence that Trump and his administration are stupid, scheming, lawless, racist, oppressive, cruel and/or violent. Today's news pretty much checks all those boxes. And then some.
Andrew Ackerman of the Washington Post: “The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday while warning about slowing economic growth, despite ongoing pressure from ... [Donald] Trump to lower rates. The Fed kept short-term rates unchanged at 4.25 to 4.5 percent, faced with uncertainty over a raft of administration policies that could drag on the economy in coming months, including higher tariff rates and tougher enforcement of immigration laws. Fed officials revised their assessment about growth, saying in a statement that it had 'moderated' during the first half of the year, less robust than the 'solid' growth they described at their last meeting in June. Inflation remained 'somewhat elevated,' the Fed said. That combination may give the Fed room to cut rates later this year but not the urgency to act this month. Two Fed governors, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, dissented from the move, saying they preferred to cut rates immediately. It was the first time in more than 30 years that two sitting governors had dissented from an interest-rate decision.” The CNBC story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Ben Casselman of the New York Times: “Economic growth softened in the first half of the year, as tariffs and uncertainty upended business plans and scrambled consumers’ spending decisions. Gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, increased at a 3 percent annual rate in the second quarter, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. That topped forecasters’ expectations and appeared to represent a strong rebound from the first three months of the year, when output contracted at a 0.5 percent rate. But both those figures were skewed — in opposite directions — by big swings in trade and inventories caused by ... [Donald] Trump’s ever-shifting tariff policies. Taken as a whole, the data from the first six months of the year tell a more consistent story of anemic, though positive, economic growth. Many forecasters expect a further deterioration in the months ahead, as tariffs work their way through supply chains, federal job cuts filter through the economy and stricter immigration policies take a toll on industries that rely on foreign-born workers.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Jeff Cox of CNBC: “The U.S. economy grew at a much stronger-than-expected pace in the second quarter, powered by a turnaround in the trade balance and renewed consumer strength, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Gross domestic product, a sum of goods and services activity across the sprawling U.S. economy, jumped 3% for the April through June period, according to figures adjusted for seasonality and inflation. That topped the Dow Jones estimate for 2.3% and helped reverse a decline of 0.5% for the first quarter that came largely due to a huge drop in imports, which subtract from the total, as well as weak consumer spending amid tariff concerns.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Lydia DePillis & Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times: Donald “Trump announced a trade deal with South Korea on Wednesday, putting 15 percent tariffs on South Korean goods, much higher than they were just a few months ago but lower than Mr. Trump had threatened. Under the terms, South Korea will make $350 billion in investments in the United States and purchase $100 billion of liquefied natural gas. Mr. Trump said in a social media post that South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, would visit Washington in two weeks to make further announcements. Mr. Trump had threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on South Korea unless a deal was reached by Friday. In an important concession from Mr. Trump, South Korea’s car exports will face 15 percent tariffs, down from the rate of 25 percent that the president had already imposed on cars from most of the world.”
Sui-Lee Wee of the New York Times: “The United States has reached trade agreements with Thailand and Cambodia, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Wednesday night, after ... [Donald] Trump had threatened to end talks with the two nations if they did not agree to a cease-fire to halt their military conflict. Mr. Lutnick did not provide details of the new tariff rate. In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, he said: 'And you know what we did today? We made trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand.' He did not elaborate.”
Francesca Regalado of the New York Times: Donald “Trump said early Thursday that it would be 'very hard' to make a trade deal with Canada after its prime minister said he planned to recognize Palestine as a state. It was Mr. Trump’s latest threat against an ally on the eve of a deadline to impose tariffs. Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada had said on Wednesday that Canada would recognize Palestine as a state if the Palestinian Authority committed to certain conditions.... Come Friday, exports from Canada, the United States’ second-largest trading partner, would bear a 35 percent tariff. Since taking office in January, Mr. Trump has often pressured allies to change policies by floating higher tariffs or hindering trade negotiations.” The CBC's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Ian Austen of the New York Times: “Canada said on Wednesday that it would recognize Palestine as a state, if the Palestinian Authority commits to making certain changes including holding elections. Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had received assurances that such changes would be carried out in a call with the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, and plans to formally recognize Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly in September. 'The deepening suffering of civilians leaves no room for delaying coordinated international action to support peace, security and the dignity of human life,' Mr. Carney said following a cabinet meeting largely focused on Gaza. In recent days, Mr. Carney and others in his government — as well as leaders in France and Britain — have condemned the growing humanitarian crisis and rising starvation in Gaza, which Mr. Carney blamed on Israel’s refusal to cede control of aid to international organizations.... The dramatic policy reversal by Canada follows similar ones by France and Britain, increasing the pressure on Israel to end the nearly two-year-old war in the Gaza Strip.”
Peter Eavis of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Wednesday ordered the end of a policy that has allowed billions of dollars of low-value imports to enter the United States without paying tariffs. In May, he eliminated the exemption for inexpensive goods from China, which had been the largest source of such shipments. His executive order signed on Wednesday ends the 'de minimis exemption' for goods from the rest of the world. The policy allowed goods worth under $800 to enter the country without paying duty, and the shipments did not require the sender or recipient to complete detailed customs paperwork. As of Aug. 29, such shipments will be subject to the tariff placed on their country of origin.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Some of my favorite things are items I bought on eBay or elsewhere from Europe, and most of them cost less than $800. So I won't be getting those kinds of things anymore. To hell with Trump. This is just one way he is making my world -- and yours -- smaller. What a petty little tyrant. And let us not forget that this is as much the fault of Congress as it is of Trump. Levying tariffs is the purview of Congress, except in cases of true national emergencies, and Republicans in Congress have refused to assert their Constitutional prerogative.
Jack Nicas of the New York Times: “Faced with threats of 50 percent tariffs and demands to end a criminal case, [Brazil's] President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he wouldn’t take orders from ... [Donald] Trump.... Mr. Trump has called the case [against former President Jair Bolsonaro] a 'witch hunt' and wants it dropped. Mr. Lula said that was not up for negotiation. 'Maybe he doesn’t know that here in Brazil, the judiciary is independent,' he said.... There is perhaps no world leader defying [Mr.] Trump as strongly as Mr. Lula.... Mr. Trump and Mr. Bolsonaro — two politicians with strikingly similar political styles — both lost re-election and then both denied having lost. Their subsequent efforts to undermine the vote culminated in mobs of their supporters storming their nations’ capital buildings, in failed bids to prevent the election winners from assuming the presidency.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Ana Ionova of the New York Times: “The United States applied sanctions on Wednesday on a Brazilian Supreme Court justice accused by the Trump administration of censorship, according to a statement from the U.S. Treasury Department. The justice, Alexandre de Moraes, will face sanctions, such as visa restrictions and asset freezes, under the Global Magnitsky Act, a measure that is usually meant to punish foreigners accused of serious human-rights violations or corruption. Justice Moraes is presiding over the criminal case against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of orchestrating an attempted coup after losing the 2022 elections.... The Trump administration has accused Justice Moraes of censoring right-wing voices on the internet by ordering the removal of content from social media platforms.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Riley Beggin of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump has discussed using revenue from new tariffs to send 'rebates' to Americans — but Republicans in the Senate aren’t leaping at the idea. The U.S. government has taken in more than $93 billion from tariffs through mid-July, and most GOP lawmakers want to put all of that toward reducing the national debt, which is over $36 trillion. The debt is expected to grow by another $3.4 trillion over the next decade due to Republicans’ sweeping tax and immigration bill, enacted this month. 'The big thing we want to do is pay down debt, but we’re thinking about a rebate,' Trump told reporters last week. 'We have so much money coming in from tariffs that a little rebate for people of a certain income level might be really nice.'” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Of course this is INSANE. This is robbing from Peter to pay Peter pennies on the dollar. Trump is boasting about the taxes Americans have paid on imports -- "so much money coming in from tariffs" --, then suggesting a teeny "rebate" on some of those taxes. Here's an idea, Donald: don't impose the tariffs/taxes in the first place.
Brad Reed of Common Dreams: "The effects of ... Donald Trump's tariffs are winding their way through the American economy, and a new piece of analysis claims that corporate America is using them as 'cover' to further jack up prices. Progressive advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative issued a new report on Tuesday that uses corporate executives' own words to show how many firms are taking advantage of the tariff situation by using it as an all-purpose justification for price increases. The report found many of these executives' admissions through quarterly earnings calls in which they discussed plans to increase costs even if their inputs were not being significantly affected by the tariffs." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)
Lydia DePillis & Rebecca Elliott of the New York Times: “Countries are now agreeing to purchase American fossil fuels, in specific amounts and often years into the future, whether or not their economies will demand it or whether the United States will have the ability to supply it. That adds a layer of government sway over what are typically open market transactions. And it’s not clear how — or whether — political leaders will get private companies to go along.... Even if these quantities made economic sense, the European Union cannot compel private companies in its member countries to buy so much. And the U.S. government doesn’t have the power to tell its oil and gas companies where to sell.... Sending significantly more to the European Union may mean sending less to customers elsewhere in the world.” The reporters make a number of the same points Krugman did in this post linked yesterday. ~~~
~~~ EU v. Luddite-in-Chief. Paul Krugman: “The optics of the Trump-EU deal were humiliating [to the EU], and optics matter. If you examine the substance, however, it starts to look as if Europe played Trump for a fool. Specifically, a fossil fool. The EU made two sort-of pledges to Trump. First, that it would invest $600 billion in the United States. Second, that it would buy $750 billion worth of U.S. energy, mainly oil and gas, over the next three years. The first promise was empty, while the second was nonsense.... European governments aren’t like China, which can tell companies where to put their money. And the European Commission, which made the trade deal, isn’t even a government — it can negotiate tariffs but otherwise has little power.... The European Commission ... is equally unable to tell the private sector where to buy oil and gas.” [Also, there's no infrastructure to transfer liquefied natural gas.] (Also linked yesterday.)
Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Reed Abelson of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Wednesday announced the development of a health care records system that he said would allow Americans to more easily and broadly share their personal health information with health care providers.... The administration is working with some of the largest American companies on the record-keeping system, including Google, Amazon, Apple and OpenAI. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will oversee the effort.... But the effort to push Americans to upload sensitive medical information to a more centralized system also raised questions about how the Trump administration would ensure privacy.... Some privacy and technology experts said the program, while admirable, would still rely on voluntary participation. The announcement, they added, did not offer much detail about how patients would be able to access their medical histories in ways that would keep those records private....”
Jeremy Roebuck of the Washington Post: “The grand jury transcripts the Justice Department is seeking to make public from its investigation of disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell include testimony from only two witnesses, both of them law enforcement officers, government lawyers said.... While it is not unusual for grand juries to hear from only law enforcement witnesses as they weigh whether to indict a defendant, such testimony is offered to provide a summary of the broader evidence investigators have gathered and does not often provide the type of detailed accounting that typically emerges at trials.” MB: And Trump thought that would satisfy conspiracy theorists? (Also linked yesterday.)
Jordan Rubin of MSNBC: "The Supreme Court has officially set a date — Sept. 29 — to consider at a private conference whether it will review Ghislaine Maxwell’s challenge to her sex trafficking convictions." (Also linked yesterday.)
Shayna Jacobs & Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: “Five months ago, Todd Blanche was asked at his Senate confirmation hearing whether being ... Donald Trump’s lawyer in his hush money trial and other cases meant he would have a 'continuing duty of loyalty and confidentiality' to his former client even after becoming deputy attorney general. 'Yes,' Blanche responded, citing his 'attorney-client relationship with President Trump.' Now that loyalty — and the question of a potential conflict of interest — has become a key component of the questions swirling about Trump’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.... The relationship between Trump and Blanche has been a financially significant one. Blanche’s law firm was paid $9.2 million by Save America, a pro-Trump political action committee, between April 2023 and December 2024.... The Justice Department did not respond directly to questions from The Washington Post about whether Blanche consulted a government ethics official regarding [his] interview with [Ghislaine] Maxwell.” MB: So that would be a “no.”
John Brennan & James Clapper in a New York Times op-ed: “Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, and John Ratcliffe, the Central Intelligence Agency director, have over the past month claimed that senior officials of the Obama administration manufactured politicized intelligence, silenced intelligence professionals and engaged in a broad 'treasonous conspiracy' to undermine the presidency of Donald Trump. That is patently false. In making those allegations, they seek to rewrite history. We want to set the record straight.... Every serious review has substantiated the intelligence community’s fundamental conclusion that the Russians conducted an influence campaign intended to help Mr. Trump win the 2016 election.... The real politicization is the calculated distortion of intelligence by administration officials, notably Mr. Trump’s directors of national intelligence and the C.I.A., positions that should be apolitical.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)
Treasury Secretary Plans End of Social Security. Alan Rappeport & Andrew Duehren of the New York Times: “Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the so-called Trump accounts Republicans created for children in their tax and spending bill are a 'back door for privatizing Social Security.' In making the comments, Mr. Bessent ventured onto what many consider the third rail of politics by suggesting that the accounts could be a step toward withdrawing the government’s role in funding the safety net program for retirees, which faces a longstanding financing shortfall. The government-sponsored accounts are designed to provide Americans with an opportunity to start building wealth as soon as they are born. Under the law, which President Trump signed on July 4, American babies born through 2028 are eligible to receive $1,000 from the federal government. Parents, family members and employers can contribute additional funds to the accounts, which must be invested in low-cost stock mutual funds or exchange-traded funds tracking a U.S. stock index.” ~~~ The AP's report is here.
Corey Johnson of ProPublica: "The Trump administration has halted litigation aimed at stopping civil rights abuses of prisoners in Louisiana and mentally ill people living in South Carolina group homes. The Biden administration filed lawsuits against the two states in December after Department of Justice investigations concluded that they had failed to fix violations despite years of warnings. Louisiana’s prison system has kept thousands of incarcerated people behind bars for weeks, months or sometimes more than a year after they were supposed to be released, records show. And the DOJ accused South Carolina of institutionalizing thousands of people diagnosed with serious mental illnesses — sometimes for decades — rather than provide services that would allow them to live in less restricted settings, as is their right under federal law."
Your Tax Dollars at Work Wasted. Meryl Kornfield, et al., of the Washington Post: “The government is paying more than 154,000 federal employees not to work as part of the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, according to two administration officials. The number, which has not been previously reported, accounts for workers at dozens of agencies who took offers from the government as of June to get paid through Sept. 30 — the end of the fiscal year — or the end of 2025 and then voluntarily leave government, significantly reducing the size of several major agencies.... The resignations amount to about 6.7 percent of the government’s civilian workforce of 2.3 million people.... Critics have argued ... the public is paying tens of thousands of employees not to work for months.... Democrats, led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), argue that the U.S. DOGE Service’s race to slim government this spring led to mistakes and waste, estimating that the whole enterprise cost the government $21.7 billion.... ”
Never Mind. Sachi Mulkey of the New York Times: “The Department of Defense has said it will cancel plans to discontinue a program that makes public satellite data that is crucial for hurricane forecasting and sea ice monitoring. The decision ... is the latest about-face in the agency’s plans for the data. The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, which hosts the data, shocked scientists by announcing in June that it would stop providing the information at the end of that month, citing 'significant cybersecurity risk.' A week later, the agency offered a temporary extension, saying that the data would remain available until July 31, which is just before the usual peak of hurricane season. Now, two days before the latest end-of-month deadline, the agency has decided to keep the program running indefinitely. According to a Navy spokesperson who declined to be identified, it will remain available until the sensors stop working or until the program formally ends in September 2026.... 'It’s great news for the forecast community and also, more broadly, the scientific community,' said Michael Lowry, a meteorologist and hurricane specialist in Miami.” MB: Mulkey could not get straight answers for the reasons for the flip-flops. (Also linked yesterday.)
Government by Loomer, Ctd. Helene Cooper of the New York Times : “Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll on Wednesday ordered the Military Academy at West Point to rescind the employment offer it made to a cybersecurity expert and Army veteran who worked in the Biden administration, as Pentagon leadership continued to insert itself into staffing and curriculum decisions at U.S. military academies. Mr. Driscoll, in a social media post, said he had ordered West Point to nullify its appointment of Jen Easterly, who was director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. The army’s military academy had appointed Ms. Easterly, who once worked for President George W. Bush’s national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, to a prestigious position in the department of social sciences.... On Tuesday, West Point’s announcement of Ms. Easterly’s appointment drew fire from Laura Loomer, the far-right agitator who has had an influential role in national security staffing decisions in President Trump’s second term. Ms. Loomer, who this spring spurred the firings of a slew of national security officials she accused of disloyalty, tagged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday in a post accusing Ms. Easterly of working 'to silence Trump supporters under Biden.'” Politico's story is here.
Tyrant Expands Military Ops. Chris Cameron, et al., of the New York Times: “The Trump administration authorized the deployment of National Guard units at immigration facilities, escalating its use of the military as part of [Donald] Trump’s immigration crackdown. In a private memo obtained by The New York Times, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials informed field offices that the National Guard would be deployed to assist in 'alien processing' — the term used by immigration officials for paperwork done before placing immigrants in detention. It added that ICE leadership would 'direct' the troops assigned to the mission. The National Guard troops would be deployed in 20 states with Republican governors, including Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Texas and Louisiana, according to a Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The deployment of the National Guard troops — part of a reserve military force controlled by individual states — appears to be aimed at allowing military units to directly participate in federal immigration enforcement.”
Rebecca Santana of the AP: “The agency responsible for carrying out ... Donald Trump’s mass deportations is launching a recruiting campaign to entice 'brave and heroic Americans' to serve as new deportation officers, lawyers and investigators as the government gears up for a major expansion of immigration enforcement thanks to a recent infusion of money from Congress. The icing on the cake: a promise of up to $50,000 in signing bonuses. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement campaign, which rolled out late Tuesday, recalls recruiting posters from World War II with images of Uncle Sam and the words 'AMERICA NEEDS YOU.' There also are photos of Trump and top homeland security officials with the words 'DEFEND THE HOMELAND' across the images.... On the recruitment webpage, the link to learn more about applying to be a deportation officer shows a photo of an armored vehicle rolling down a street with officers in military gear hanging onto the sides of the vehicle.”
~~~ Marie: Think how much fun it will be to dress up in military armor, put on a mask, strap on military-style weapons and terrorize little kids, pregnant women & elderly people. Why, you can bloody & bruise people on their way to church AND sweep up a few U.S. citizens in your rampage. That's "brave and heroic," all right. ~~~
“A New Kind of Broken Windows Policing.” Nicole Foy & McKenzie Funk of ProPublica: ProPublica has identified “nearly 50 documented instances of immigration agents breaking vehicle windows ... since ... Donald Trump took office six months ago. Using the same methods, we found just eight in the previous decade. Neither number is comprehensive. The government releases no relevant statistics. Use-of-force experts and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement insiders say the tactic was rarely used during previous administrations. They say there is no known policy change greenlighting agents’ smashing of windows. Rather, it’s a part of a broader shattering of norms. There are arrest quotas, and they are increasingly aggressive.... Officers who break glass aren’t being disciplined — they’re being promoted.... At least 10 people have said they were injured this year during broken-windows arrests.” Includes videos.
In Our Names. Perla Trevizo of ProPublica and others: "Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration say they endured months of physical and mental abuse inside a Salvadoran prison. Though happy to be home, they say the fact that they were released is proof of how senseless their detentions were.... Throughout the men’s incarceration, the administration used blanket statements and exaggerations that obscured the truth about who they are and why they were targeted.... Now that they’re home, they’ve begun to talk...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: “The U.S. attorney’s office in the District has begun more vigorously scrutinizing the immigration status of criminal defendants in D.C. as the Trump administration tries to meet the president’s goal of deporting 1 million unauthorized immigrants in the first year of his new term, including by targeting major cities, officials said. 'Every defendant’s legal status must be determined as soon as a matter is brought into this office,' Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Monday in an internal memo. Unlike other U.S. attorney’s offices in the country, which handle only federal cases, Pirro’s office also prosecutes more than 7,000 people annually in D.C. Superior Court, including those accused of violating local laws, from misdemeanors to murders.... She said all local cases prosecuted by her office in D.C. Superior Court, as well as all federal cases handled in U.S. District Court, will be examined to 'identify those here illegally.'” (Also linked yesterday.)
Michael Gold of the New York Times: “A dozen House Democrats who were barred from visiting immigration detention facilities sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, arguing that a new policy imposed by the Department of Homeland Security to limit lawmakers’ access was an illegal infringement on their ability to conduct congressional oversight.... Under the federal law that funds ICE, the agency cannot prevent members of Congress or their employees from making oversight visits to immigration facilities that 'detain or otherwise house aliens.' Lawmakers are not required to provide 'prior notice of the intent to enter a facility' to conduct oversight. But in the wake of a high-profile clash between a group of Democrats and immigration officers outside a detention center in New Jersey, the Department of Homeland Security imposed new restrictions that require members of Congress and their staff to provide a week’s notice for any visit. The new limits also exempt ICE field offices from the oversight law, even as federal officials have detained immigrants in cramped rooms in some of those facilities for days.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Brown U. Pays Protection Money to Trump Gang's Wise Guys. Alan Blinder of the New York Times: “Brown University, besieged by the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the country’s most elite schools, struck a deal with the government on Wednesday, becoming the third Ivy League university in a month to reach an agreement with the White House. The agreement, a copy of which Brown made public, calls for the university to make $50 million in payments to state work force development programs over a decade and requires Brown to comply with the Trump administration’s vision on matters like transgender athletes and 'merit-based' admissions policies. The university, which is in Providence, R.I., secured a pledge from the government that the deal would not be used 'to dictate Brown’s curriculum or the content of academic speech.' The Trump administration is also required to restore millions of dollars in federal research funding that it had blocked in recent months, and Brown avoided the naming of an independent monitor to oversee the deal.” (Also linked yesterday.) The AP's story is here.
At a time when domestic violent extremism is one of the fastest-growing threats to the homeland, we are being asked to put someone in charge of counterterrorism who has aligned himself with political violence, promoted falsehoods that undermine our democracy and tried to twist intelligence to serve a political agenda. -- Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), ranking member on the Intelligence Committee ~~~
~~~ Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: “The Senate on Wednesday narrowly confirmed Joe Kent..., [Donald] Trump’s contentious choice to be the nation’s top counterterrorism official.... Mr. Kent, a former Army Green Beret and C.I.A. paramilitary officer, was approved as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center on a 52-to-44 party-line vote. His confirmation came despite his promotion of conspiracy theories, including that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Mr. Trump. He has said that the F.B.I. played a role in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and should be dismantled. He repeated the accusations at his confirmation hearing in April. Mr. Kent has also attracted scrutiny over his associations to white supremacists and far-right extremist organizations. He later sought to distance himself from extremist groups as a congressional candidate.... Earlier this year, Mr. Kent, serving as the acting chief of staff to the director of national intelligence, ordered a senior analyst to redo an assessment of the relationship between Venezuela’s government and a gang after intelligence findings undercut the White House’s justification for deporting migrants, according to officials.” The AP's story is here.
Annie Karni of the New York Times: “A key Senate committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would bar members of Congress, the president and the vice president from trading stocks, after its Republican sponsor changed the bill to ensure that a divestment requirement included in the measure would not apply to ... [Donald] Trump. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, attracted an unusual coalition of supporters, winning approval from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee with every other Republican on the panel in opposition and Democrats unanimously in support. Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky and chairman of the committee, tried to chip away at Democratic support by framing the measure as one that would protect a president they despise. He noted that Mr. Hawley’s original proposal would have required the president and the vice president to sell off investments starting in 2027, while the version approved on Wednesday does not apply that mandate until the start of an elected official’s next term — meaning it would never apply to Mr. Trump.” The link appears to be a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Hailey Fuchs & Jordain Carney of Politico: “In wake of searing criticism from ... Donald Trump, Sen. Josh Hawley defended his legislation that would ban stock trading among lawmakers, the president and vice president. In a Truth Social post Wednesday afternoon, Trump called the Missouri Republican a 'second-tier Senator' and criticized his bill as a win for the Democrats and 'so bad for our Country.'... Hawley, who reiterated his 'love' for the president, emphasized that Trump is not covered by the bill.... He also said he was open to making changes to get Trump on board with the measure so that it could be signed into law.” ~~~
~~~ Lisa Mascaro & Leah Askarinam of the AP: “Trump complained that Hawley joined with Democrats to block another amendment that would have investigated the stock trades of Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker emerita, and her spouse. Paul Pelosi has been a much-watched trader, but Pelosi’s office said she personally does not own stock.... [Nancy] Pelosi said she strongly supports the bill and looks forward to voting for it.... She also gave nod to the dig in the initial Republican proposal — the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments, or Pelosi Act — which had focused more narrowly on the lawmakers.”
Minho Kim of the New York Times: “A federal judge said Wednesday that it was likely that the Trump administration had violated his April order mandating a restoration of news programming at Voice of America, a federally funded news organization that provided independent reporting to countries with limited press freedom. The judge, Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, excoriated Trump officials for failing to show that they had been abiding by his ruling and ordered the government to produce detailed evidence that it was doing so, saying Voice of America was required by law to continue broadcasting news.... The judge added that Trump officials 'appear to be violating numerous statutory provisions' and have been 'providing misleading and contradictory information.'” Read on. Lamberth is not amused. The AP's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Judge Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, should discuss this matter with Judge Emil Bove, who is now Lamberth's better, what with Bove being an appellate judge. Bove sez the administration does not have to obey court orders.
Judge Bars Trump from Threatening Two Law Professors. Zach Montague of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Wednesday permanently barred the Trump administration from imposing penalties on two law professors over their involvement with the International Criminal Court, finding that the threat violated their First Amendment rights. In a 22-page opinion, Judge Jesse M. Furman of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York concluded that the president had used the threat of legal penalties to force Gabor Rona and Lisa Davis, both law professors in New York, to abandon their association with the international court in The Hague, which prosecutes cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The judge definitively barred the government from taking any action to follow through on the threat. Mr. Rona and Ms. Davis had each advised the I.C.C.’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, or supported his office’s work through its investigations and prosecutions, and have written and spoken extensively about international law.... Under an executive order ... [Donald] Trump signed in February, the professors faced the possibility of criminal and civil penalties because of their association with the court.”
Karoun Demirjian, et al., of the New York Times: “The Army pilots whose Black Hawk helicopter crashed into a passenger jet over the Potomac River on Jan. 29 may have been misled by their instruments, causing them to believe they were at a safer, lower altitude when they were actually headed straight into the jet’s path, according to evidence that federal investigators unveiled on Wednesday. That revelation came as the National Transportation Safety Board began three days of public hearings into the midair collision that killed 67 people, the first fatal crash involving a major American airline in 15 years. Those hearings revealed a series of malfunctions and fateful decisions that night that heightened the dangers of an already crowded airspace over the river near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport, crisscrossed by passenger jets and helicopters flown by the military and local police.”
Meet Your Republican Donor. Santul Nerkar of the New York Times: “In June 2017, a Republican donor [-- Sherry Xue Li --] posed for a photo with ... [Donald] Trump and Melania Trump at a ritzy dinner supporting his re-election.... Admission cost $35,000 per plate.... According to federal prosecutors..., [Ms. Li] had arranged for a dozen foreigners to attend alongside her, charging them each more than $90,000, including admission to the soiree. Foreigners cannot make campaign contributions, but she nonetheless passed the money along to the fund-raiser’s organizers and used the photo, prosecutors said, to raise even more from unwitting investors who thought they were buying into an educational institute. She spent the money on more contributions — and herself. The dinner was a small part of a nearly decadelong scheme in which Ms. Li, along with her business partner, Lianbo Wang, solicited more than $30 million from roughly 150 foreigners who thought they were investing in the educational institute. In exchange, the donors were promised political access and a pathway to citizenship. Ms. Li, who has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republicans and Republican causes, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Mr. Wang had pleaded guilty to related charges in 2024 and was sentenced to five years in prison.”
Natasha Korecki of NBC News: "Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not run for California governor, she announced Wednesday, ending months of speculation following her 2024 defeat to Donald Trump in the presidential race.... Harris' decision keeps the race to be California's next governor wide open. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who came up through San Francisco politics alongside Harris, is unable run for re-election due to term limits." The New York Times story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~~~~~~~~
California. Owen Dahlkamp of the Texas Tribune: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom has told aides he will move forward with a plan to redraw his state’s congressional lines to install more Democrats if Texas Republicans pass their own updated map, according to a person with direct knowledge of Newsom’s thinking. The Texas proposal, backed by ... Donald Trump, looks to flip five seats held by Democrats, according to a draft unveiled Wednesday in the state House. The California proposal would aim to do the same, with lawmakers set to advance a map targeting five Republican incumbents...." ~~~
~~~ Florida. Gary Fineout of Politico: “Gov. Ron DeSantis, maintaining that the last U.S. Census was 'flawed,' said Wednesday that the Trump administration was considering whether to approve a new census before the end of the decade — a move that the Republican governor predicted could help Florida gain extra congressional seats. DeSantis said he is already 'seriously' looking at asking the Florida Legislature to redraw the state’s existing congressional map. Republicans already hold a 20-8 edge over Democrats.... DeSantis, however, has maintained that the census — which was largely conducted during the first Trump term with the results announced by President Joe Biden’s administration — under-counted Florida, which he contends cost the state an additional House seat.... A completely new U.S. Census would be unprecedented and legally and logistically questionable; the Constitution mandates a census every ten years and non-citizens have never been excluded.” ~~~
~~~ Texas. David Goodman, et al., of the New York Times : “The Republican-dominated Legislature in Texas on Wednesday unveiled an aggressively redrawn map for the state’s U.S. House districts, proposing to carve up five Democratic seats so that Republicans would now be likely to win them in 2026. The redrawn map was condemned by Democrats as a baldly partisan attempt at a rare mid-decade redistricting that has been pushed for months by ... [Donald] Trump and accepted by Gov. Greg Abbott and the Republican leaders of Texas. It fulfilled the president’s central demand: five additional Republican seats in Congress that could help the party keep control of the U.S. House after the midterm elections next year. Mr. Trump is pressing Republican legislatures in Missouri, Indiana and elsewhere to follow Texas’ lead.” The Texas Tribune story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Ari Berman of Mother Jones: “Donald Trump’s plan to rig the 2026 midterms became crystal clear on Wednesday, as Texas Republicans introduced a new congressional redistricting map that would give their party five new seats in the US House, making it much more difficult for Democrats to retake the chamber next November. The map is designed to give Republicans control of nearly 80 percent of the state’s House delegation, though Trump only won 56 percent of the vote there in 2024. The plan creates 30 districts that Trump would have carried by 10 points or more, up from 25 seats in the current map. Republicans accomplished this feat by drawing more Republicans into the seats of two vulnerable Democrats in South Texas, Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzales Jr., and eliminating Democratic-held seats in Austin, Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth. No Republican-held seats became significantly more competitive as a result.... 'This map is racist, it’s illegal, and it’s part of a long, ugly tradition of trying to keep Black and Brown Texas from having a voice,' said Democratic Rep. Marc Veasey.... Trump, with the help of the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, is supercharging a new race to the bottom, using re-redistricting as the latest tool in his ever-growing war on democracy.”
Virginia. Rylee Kirk, et al., of the New York Times: “A man was charged with attempted murder on Wednesday after he burst into a building where a member of the Danville, Va., City Council was working, doused him with a flammable liquid and set him on fire, the police said. The Danville police said in a statement that the city councilman, J. Lee Vogler, 38, had been airlifted to a regional medical center for treatment and that it was not immediately clear how seriously he had been hurt. The police said they had arrested Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, 29, of Danville, in connection with the attack.... A preliminary investigation has found the two men know each other 'and the attack stems from a personal matter not related to the victim’s position on Danville City Council or any other political affiliation,' the police said.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Wisconsin. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: “The husband of a Republican operative in Wisconsin, who proudly proclaimed he was voting for Donald Trump to take on child predators, has been arrested on child predator charges. According to The Daily Beast, Scott Soucek, who is married to the Door County Republican Party chairwoman and former Republican National Convention Delegate Stephanie Soucek, posted on Facebook that he was backing Trump 'to fight against human/child trafficking,' on behalf of “my children and my grandchildren.” He also posted social media memes accusing former President Joe Biden of inappropriately touching children. But on July 24, according to the report, Soucek 'was arrested ... and accused of accessing hundreds of child porn images through a file-sharing system.'”
~~~~~~~~~~
Ukraine/Russia, et al. Marc Santora of the New York Times: “Russia bombarded Kyiv with a missile and drone attack before dawn on Thursday, killing at least seven people, Ukrainian officials said, in an assault that came soon after ... [Donald] Trump had warned Moscow of new sanctions if such violence persisted. Rescuers raced to more than two dozen locations around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to extinguish fires and search for survivors in the rubble of blasted apartment buildings.”
17 Comments
Reader Comments (17)
Sarah Fitzpatrick, in The Atlantic, writes that Virginia Giuffre’s Family Was Shocked That Trump Described Her as ‘Stolen’
"When Donald Trump told reporters yesterday that Jeffrey Epstein “stole” a young woman named Virginia Roberts Giuffre from Mar-a-Lago, her surviving siblings were shocked—not just because the president had described their late sister as he would an object, but because his comment raised the possibility that Trump might know more about his onetime friend’s behavior than he has previously acknowledged."
I replied to a comment elsewhere that the monster in the Home Depot Awful Oval is morally and mentally corrupt and belongs in an. institution, but then I amended my remarks: Although he is a monster, he is supported and abetted by monsters in the rest of the regime, so we should not forget that. Every bigmouth nasty in the congress, either naturally horrible or committed to be whatever the monster wants him or her to be, such as Hawley, Graham etc is equally inhuman. That also includes his lying and fabricating cruel cabinet, his drunken and stupid aides and co-conspirators, and the high court which is dedicated to stroking the rapist in chief. I believe that is what Marie intended to say today, but she is much too kind.
I turned off Steve Inskeep this morning when he featured John Yoo, speaking on the unitary executive belief, who thinks we have elected a king and there is no such thing as a legitimate independant functioning agency.
Yesterday Morning Joe had on the Forbes list of 50 Women Over 50. They are featuring Virginia Fox and Susie Wild. The former is a nasty, mean, selfish hag, and the other is the monster's chief of staff. Slowly, the left is giving up on truth.
I meant by my last sentence that people on the left, including me, are giving up on the existence of truth EXCEPT on the left. We are beginning to accept (finally) that there is no truth on the right, that they are all filthy liars and corrupt operators par excellence. There is no point to any assuming the contrary. I'm not sure where we can go from here.
Jennifer Rubin
"Trump Waging War Against Blue States and Cities
So much for "states’ rights"
Jennifer Rubin
Trump’s war against blue states is central to his dictatorial ambitions. To achieve unlimited control, he must subjugate independent sources of power and information—from TV network news operations to universities to civil servants to Congress itself. Ironically (for a party that once fetishized states’ rights), Trump’s MAGA GOP consistently seeks to obliterate federalism and force states—generally blue ones—to do his bidding."
Pete Buttigieg on what's going on.
"Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism"
I had forgotten why the seat Bove just got was open. Schumer and Durbin's leadership, along with some awful Democrats, lead a Trump lackey to sit on one of the highest courts in the land.
"Balks and Strikes
"Senate Democrats Made Emil Bove’s Confirmation Possible
Senate Democrats could have confirmed Biden nominee Adeel Mangi to the Third Circuit last year. They caved to a disgraceful right-wing smear campaign instead.
Last year, Democrats could have used their Senate majority to confirm someone very different to fill the seat: Adeel Mangi, a law firm partner whom President Joe Biden nominated in November 2023. But in the months that followed, as Republicans pushed an unhinged narrative that Mangi, who would have been the first-ever Muslim federal appeals court judge, was a cop-hating terrorist sympathizer, a handful of Democratic senators began to waver. The nomination then hung in procedural limbo for nearly a year until Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, which effectively killed Mangi’s chances at confirmation. As a result, the judgeship that could have been Adeel Mangi’s is now occupied by Bove, a smirking bootlicker whose primary qualification for the job is his willingness to do whatever Mister Trump wants."
Given, as Marie notes in the header, "Every day when [we] read the news, [we] find evidence that Trump and his administration are stupid, scheming, lawless, racist, oppressive, cruel and/or violent", this substack found on Bluesky by Wendy The Druid was a sort of fun read, for its predictions of the t**** admin's imminent collapse (aside from, IMO, too much childish name calling!).
I Keep Saying It: Donald "Diapers" Trump is Going To Collapse Into a Pile of Gooey Shit
"The air in Washington reeks of desperation these days, thick with the stench of political cowardice and the sour sweat of people who've sold their souls for a seat at a table that's about to fucking collapse. You can practically taste the fear seeping through the marble halls – that bitter, metallic flavor of impending doom that settles on your tongue when you know the whole goddamn charade is about to come crashing down.
And make no mistake, when Donaldo Shitsburger's fall comes, it won't be the slow, dignified decline of a respected leader. It'll be a spectacular, shit-spraying implosion that leaves everyone within a fifty-mile radius covered in the fetid remains of what was never really an administration so much as a carnival of grifters, sycophants, and morally bankrupt opportunists."
More Feeling of the Supercharged, Fascist Oats
Following along on the Jen Rubin piece linked by RAS, the oat-feeling traitors are gathering steam to declare cities and regions with Democratic leadership "occupied territories". In effect, movers and shakers in Fat Hitler's complicit Party of Traitors are preparing to create apartheid states with zero representation and ability to govern.
"Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts urged right-wing state legislators this month to 'de-charter”
' liberal capital cities and replace them with 'state municipal districts.'...
'When we have cities like Austin, or Nashville, or other capital cities whose local government is not representative of the will of the people, de-charter them and establish them as state municipal districts in the name of common sense,' he urged.
Roberts called Austin, Texas his 'adopted home town' and described it as 'a once-great place that has been taken over by Marxists.'
Roberts’ justification for this brazen attack on democratic self-governance? He claimed that the biggest threat to the Trump-Vance agenda, which is essentially the Project 2025 agenda promoted by Roberts and Heritage, is 'that there are government entities that illegitimately are imposing something other than the American dream on their people.'
Roberts said this in a speech to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which crafts many of the right-wing laws that Republicans pass in states where they hold power."
In other words, if you aren't goose stepping along, submissively and obediently, with the Fat Hitler regime, the Heritage Project 1225 scheme, and try to insist that you have free speech and rights under the Constitution, you will be de-chartered and turned into, effectively, a slave state for the masters.
Don't think this is far-fetched. Plenty in the MSM scoffed at the idea of Project 1225's medieval machinations, and now almost half of those schemes are in place and operating at full capacity.
This WILL happen if we let it (and maybe even if we try not to).
Making Oklahoma even Stupider
Okay, so we know that red states are abysmal when it comes to education. But this is by design, not some accident of fate.
From 2003 to 2011, Oklahoma had a Democratic governor. When he took office, the state ranked 39th in student performance metrics. He took the state up to 30th and had it placed 17th in policy based rankings.
Now, with MAGA in full control, Oklahoma is in 50th place in policy based rankings and anywhere from 48th to 50th in education.
Funny, in'it?
Now one might think that the state might want to get those scores up just a tad past "Hopelessly Dim". Maybe encourage successful teachers from other areas to c'mon down and help out. Well, sure, successful teachers, feel free to come to teach in Oklahoma, but FIRST....
WOKE TEST!!!
"Republican state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters says Oklahoma will roll out a new certification test 'in two weeks or so' [Is that the Trump two weeks or so?] for teachers moving to Oklahoma from 'left-wing' states.
Walters gave the timeline for the highly publicized test as he spoke at the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting on Thursday, July 24.
He did not specify what would be covered in the test or identify exactly who would be required to take it. He has said his agency, the Oklahoma State Department of Education, is developing the test with PragerU, a conservative nonprofit.
'You’re not going to come in here and teach that there’s 27 genders [Are there really 27 genders? Wow. That's like....a lot!]. There’s boys and girls. That's in our science standards,' [Hang on....science standards....in Oklahoma? Hahahahahahaha...What does that mean? The earth is flat and 4,000 years old?] Walters said as he explained the test at the board meeting. 'You’re going to come in, and you’re not going to undermine American exceptionalism by teaching anti-American, anti-Semitic hate.'
No...they're gonna be teaching good old fashioned MAGA hate!
First, who in their right mind would want to leave a blue state where actual science is taught, where books aren't burned, and where the people in charge of education aren't total cretins?
So my question is, what will be in this WOKE TEST?
If a candidate knows anything about the Bill of Rights beyond the 2nd Amendment they're shown the door? If they can spell cat without being spotted the A and the T?
But at least they'll keep their bottom of the barrel edumacation type scores.
Fatty wasn't kidding when he said he loves the uneducated.
Those poor kids. Jesus.
But hey! Plenty of Bibles in those classrooms I betcha.
Um...What?
Marie has pointed out the profligate insanity (and sliminess) of handing out rebates to offset what American consumers are paying for Fat Hitler's temper tantrum tariffs. But it gets better (or not better, but worse...and...Oh, you know what I mean....It all sucks).
Josh (Feets Don't Fail Me Now) Hawley (is he Second Tier Josh now? I can't keep up...) sez only Trump voters should get those rebates!
"Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley has introduced legislation to provide $600 tariff rebates, a proposal that would give a family of four $2,400 in rebates to offset higher prices resulting from tariffs. However, he told podcaster and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon that the checks should not go to 'Biden voters,' only to 'Trump blue-collar voters.'"
A couple of things. But first...I'd love to see how Fatty's billionaire pals (not the billionaire pedophile pals, just the reg'lar billionaires) will qualify as "Trump blue-collar voters."
No worries, they'll find a way.
Now...
So...only Trump voters should get a rebate? How will he know? Aren't we supposed to have secret ballots? Or will it just be the usual mooching red states that get the handouts, as usual? So Fattty supporters in blue states get screwed. I guess they should all move to Oklahoma.
And those who voted for Biden in the last election get no rebate?
Okay. Fine. There were no Biden voters last time around. He wasn't on the fucking ballot!
Morons!
Akhilleus,
What will happen to all my fellows who really wanted to vote for fascism but then had our votes changed to the Democrat by the voting machines and ballot harvesters and all the other underhanded ways of the Democrats? I have heard from a high source that FH even won California. Does that mean they can still qualify for the Red rebates? Do the people who voted twice for FH get two rebate checks? If you have a household that voted for both candidates does that cancel out their rebate? What about third party candidates? That has got to be worth a half vote for FH, right? So, half a rebate check, maybe the top half? Non-voters didn't vote against Glorious Leader. Do they get paid to continue staying home on election day? People would like to know
Ronan Farrow, on Bluesky, talks (for 3 minutes) on the recently delivered America AI Action Plan
A strategy to accelerate US
RAS,
Excellent questions, and as with all similar inquiries, the response from the Great High MAGA Oracle (ie, the Orange Orifice) will be A. Along in a “couple of weeks”, B. Require further study, or C. Answer hazy, ask again later.
Wondering aloud…just what do we think newly minted (out of bird defiled divots from Agolf Hitler’s crappy courses), zero experience, astonishingly unqualified lifetime appeals court judge, Emil Bove (ie Lord Voldemort’s even more evil kid brother) say when he hands down a pro-fascist ruling and a lawyer for the losing side says “Fuck the court!”?
I’m guessing waterboarding for three weeks followed by 48 hours in the electric chair…on the highest setting.
Only FH flunkies can instruct a court to bend over and grab its ankles for the impending thrust of autocratic indignity.
Supreme Court Justice says court shouldn't justify their decisions because people might think they apply to others than just Trump and Republicans. Writing justifications for illegal shit is tough and people keep pointing out their ridiculous and pathetic rationales.
Beer Keg
"Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh said on Thursday that the Supreme Court should be wary of providing detailed explanations for its rulings on emergency applications like those arising from challenges to the Trump administration’s efforts to transform the federal government.
“There can be a risk, in writing the opinion, of a lock-in effect, of making a snap judgment and putting it in writing, in a written opinion that’s not going to reflect the final view,” he said. The justice made the remarks at the judicial conference of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, held this year in Kansas City, Mo."
Bart O’Kavanaugh sez gotta be careful of giving, like, a reason for your decision. You might get locked into it (*hic*) and not be able to change your mind later when there’s, ya know, a Democrat (*hic*) in the White House.
That’s right Bart. No fair having to explain your decisions ‘cause someone might hold you to that down the road.
That’s the WHOLE FUCKING POINT, Jackass! That’s why it’s called the SUPREME Court, not the Almost but not quite Supreme Court.
Every time I hear Johnny and the Dwarfs have overturned another 200 years of precedence to help a demented authoritarian child, with NO explanation, on the goddam Shadow Docket, I feel like Lamont Cranston:
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men…the Shadow (docket) knows….Hahahaha!!!”