The Conversation -- May 13, 2025
News from Trump's Bribery, Grift and General Corruption Group, LLC
New York Times: “Saudi Arabia gave ... [Donald] Trump a lavish welcome on Tuesday, rolling out an honor guard, a team of Arabian horses and a delegation of royals and business leaders to kick off the president’s four-day tour through the Gulf, the first major overseas trip of his second term.... Mr. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, among other top members of his administration. Some of America’s biggest business leaders were also on hand to attend an investment forum hosted by the Saudi government where Mr. Trump was due to speak, including Elon Musk and the chief executives of IBM, BlackRock, Citigroup, Palantir and Nvidia, among others.” At 7:00 am ET, this is the pinned item in a liveblog.
Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: Donald “Trump angrily brushed off ethical concerns about accepting a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar to be used as a new Air Force One, saying only someone 'stupid' would turn down such an offer.... Mr. Trump said when the Qatari plane is decommissioned from military use and is turned over to his library at the end of his term that he won’t continue flying in it.... He grew angry at the questions of an ethical quagmire, including whether Qatar expected anything in exchange for the donation, which he said would be to the Defense Department and not to him personally.... 'You should be embarrassed asking that question,' Mr. Trump told an ABC News reporter who pressed him on the issue. 'They’re giving us a free jet. I could say, “No, no, no, don’t give us. I want to pay you a billion or $400 million, or whatever it is.” Or I could say, “Thank you very much.’” He then invoked a golf analogy about accepting a free putt during a round, suggesting that following rules when one doesn’t have to is foolish.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times: “This is the parable of the president and the putt.” This is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)
Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “The second Trump administration is showing striking disdain for onetime norms of propriety and for traditional legal and political guardrails around public service. It is clearly emboldened, in part because of the Supreme Court’s ruling last year that granted immunity to presidents for their official actions and because of the political reality that Mr. Trump’s hold on the Republican Party means he need not fear impeachment.... The current moment, coming as Mr. Trump’s crypto gambit merges into his intended acquisition of a Qatari plane, is particularly remarkable for the openness with which the president, his immediate family and entities in his orbit are unabashedly leveraging his position to accrue personal benefits or to otherwise advance his personal agenda separate from governmental policymaking.... [Unlike the decommissioned old plane that the Air Force put on permanent loan to the Ronald Reagan foundation,] the Qatari plane will still be nearly new in 2029, raising the question of whether Mr. Trump’s museum foundation, which is run by his allies, would allow Mr. Trump to keep using the plane after he leaves office. On Monday, Mr. Trump denied that this was his intent.... On Monday, Mr. Trump also signaled that he viewed Qatar’s offer of a plane as something of a quid pro quo, emphasizing that the United States had provided security to the Gulf country and 'we will continue to.'” ~~~
~~~ Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Paul Campos in LG&$: "... the media don’t know how to cover crimes committed by politicians completely out in the open, meaning Donald Trump’s daily schedule as president. New York Times headline at the moment: 'Trump’s Plan to Accept Luxury Jet From Qatar Strains Bounds of Propriety' No it does not strain the bounds of propriety. It shatters the limits of federal law, including the most basic principles of constitutional law. It’s a completely out in the open crime. Bribing public officials is a crime. This is a bribe. It doesn’t even pretend to be anything else. This violates the Emoluments Clause, in the same way that taking the vote away from women would violate the 19th amendment. That is to say, on its face, unambiguously."
~~~ Marie: Two other things about that $400 gift-bribe to Trump: (1) most news reports describe it as a gift from the "Qatari government." That's true, but the "Qatari government" is the royal family. This is a gift from a real king (okay, emir) to a would-be king. (2) Here are some interior photos of the emir's plane. Refitting the plane to serve as AF1 isn't just a matter of a couple of electricians putting in a presidenty communications system and a CIA technician going around with a device to make sure there are no bugs between the sofa cushions. The planes currently used as AF1 have something like 260 miles of electrical wire in each, and that wiring is especially protected to work at all times, even during a nuclear attack. To replace the current electrical system, obviously, the plane has to be stripped down to its shell. All those golden fixtures and sofas, all those golden toiles and walls will have to be carefully removed and placed in storage (though I suppose they might put one sofa on loan to JayDee). On this subject: ~~~
~~~ Natalie Allison, et al., of the Washington Post: “... current and former U.S. military, defense and Secret Service officials said [Donald Trump] will likely have to waive existing security specifications to be able to use the [Qatari] plane.... Flight records show that the Qatari jet was moved five weeks ago to San Antonio International Airport, suggesting that preparations for improvements might already be underway. The Wall Street Journal first reported this month that Trump had commissioned defense contractor L3Harris to retrofit the Qatari plane in Texas.... Retrofitting the 13-year-old aircraft to current Air Force One requirements would take years of work and billions of dollars, current and former U.S. officials say. Such a task would be impossible to complete before Trump leaves office.” Here's a related Politico story. ~~~
~~~ Garrett Graff: “This 'gift' is wildly corrupt, even by Trumpian standards. The idea that a foreign government could 'gift' a half-billion-dollar plane to the Pentagon through some sleight of hand that then becomes the personal toy of an ex-president when he leaves office is absolutely absurd from an ethics standpoint and clearly unconstitutional vis-à-vis the so-called 'emoluments clause,' which Trump has already severely bent in his first term.... The braintrust of Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth have apparently come up with some legal interpretation that says this foreign gift is definitely absolutely not a foreign gift, that the United States government is totally happy and able to accept a half-billion gift from a foreign country that we would turn around and give to a president for his personal use when he’s done in office. American media utterly failed yesterday in explaining the sheer illegality, unconstitutional and corrupt nature of this deal.... Maybe if the Qataris had tried to buy some of Hunter Biden's artwork instead the US media would have been able to work up the appropriate outrage lather.” Graff goes on to discuss the national security risks of putting a U.S. president* on a plane owned by a foreign country.
Paul Waldman on the high cost of Trumpian corruption: “... a wealthy foreign government is giving Donald Trump a personal gift worth $400 million.... By the time these four years are over, domestic and foreign interests who want some policy favor — a tariff waiver, a change in regulation, an arms sale — will probably have deposited billions of dollars directly into Trump’s pockets. 'I could be a stupid person and say, “Oh no, we don’t want a free plane,’” he said by way of explaining why he’ll take the Qatari jet. As far as he’s concerned, if you don’t cash in on public office, you’re just a sucker.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Waldman also makes these two points about the Supremes: “... the Supreme Court, which in a series of recent cases has all but defined corruption out of existence.... More important, however, was their contemptible decision in Trump v. United States, in which the six conservative justices ruled that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for just about anything they do while in office. I can’t prove this, but I believe that this decision ... not only ... free[d Trump] from the specter of prosecution for many of his crimes, it sent him a message: You can do whatever you want. A man who always chafed at even the slightest impingement on his ability to lie and cheat and scam his way through life now had the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card. It told him that he was subject to no limits.” Thanks to Ken W. for the link. And do read Waldman's whole post.
Last Chance!! Sale Ends Monday!! Eric Lipton & David Yaffe-Bellany of the New York Times: “The sale of face-to-face access to ... [Donald] Trump using the Trump family’s own cryptocurrency has done more than benefit him financially, though it has certainly done that.... Since the announcement [of the bribery opportunity auction], crypto investors around the world have raced to expand their holdings of $TRUMP — a digital currency called a memecoin, which is typically treated more as a novelty investment than an actual currency. Certain buyers, in interviews and statements, have said they bought the coins or entered the dinner contest with the intention of securing an action by Mr. Trump to affect United States policy.... But the bidders’ buying patterns, documented on a public ledger called the blockchain, suggest that a large share of the investors are based abroad. Many of the purchases took place on overseas crypto platforms like Binance or Bybit that do not allow United States-based users....
Trading records examined by The New York Times show that a flurry of purchases of the $TRUMP token started the day before the coin’s backers disclosed the contest. Information had leaked about the upcoming promotion, allowing certain parties to make early bets that the market price was about to jump, the records suggest. The aggressive effort by Mr. Trump and his partners to promote the dinner has also drawn scrutiny from former securities regulators, who assert that Mr. Trump may be violating federal securities laws. However, he would almost certainly not be targeted for investigation, now that his administration has curtailed crypto enforcement efforts at both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department.” (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~ Okay, the sale is over. Let's see how it went. ~~~
~~~ Eric Lipton, et al., of the New York Times: “... as the unusual contest came to a close on Monday, at least 17 of the 220 winning bidders had figured out a way to effectively outsmart the sponsors of the contest. These crypto investors had secured an invitation to the dinner even though their online wallets showed that they held zero of the memecoins.... That is because of a quirk in the rules: The winners were selected based on the average number of coins they held during the three weeks the contest was underway rather than their total at the end of bidding. Participants expected the price of the coin to crash as soon as the contest ended. And it did just that on Monday afternoon, plunging by 6.5 percent once the winners were announced. By that point, nearly 20 of the contestants had sold off or transferred all their $TRUMP holdings, according to an analysis by The New York Times. These traders had managed to benefit from the surge in price driven by the contest’s promotion and still secure a seat at the dinner, set for May 22 at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia. That was not the plan.... Mr. Trump had been urging people to buy the coins throughout the auction period, and his partners encouraged investors to keep holding them even after it ended.”
Patricia Clarke of the Observer (Guardian) draws a Venn diagram of the Trumpocracy's various corrupt players & their interests. Thanks to laura h. for the link. MB: Looks like Clarke wrote the piece before the Sky Palace story erupted, so we'll need another circle or perhaps another part of the Oval Office walls on which to begin a new Venn diagram. BTW, you'll realize when you take a look at that chart that there is no way to separate the Trump corrupt players from the Trump corrupt administration. They're one-and-the-same. (Also linked yesterday.)
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: “Is there no end to the talents of the very stable genius?As he rolled out his executive order on Monday decreeing lower prices for prescription drugs..., Donald Trump announced that he had also achieved a lexicographical breakthrough. 'There’s a new word that I came up with, which I think is probably the best word,' he announced from the Roosevelt Room. 'We’re going to “equalize,” where we’re all going to pay the same.' He has the best words. A stickler might point out that, according to the Online Etymology Library, the word 'equalize' has been part of the English language since the 1580s.” This is a gift link. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Trump's "equalizing" plan is getting a lot of positive news coverage, because U.S. reporters are remarkably credulous. For a more realistic look at what's in the order, how it would work (or not) and on prices for what drugs (who knows?), here are fairly realistic views from the WashPo & NYT: ~~~
The cost for Medicaid and Medicare, and just basically pharmaceuticals and drugs is going down at a level that nobody has ever seen before. -- Donald Trump, yesterday ~~~
~~~ Daniel Gilbert of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that aims to coax pharmaceutical companies into offering lower prices in the United States..., but without clear mechanisms for providing fast relief to American patients. The order, with little detail, targets drug pricing on a potentially broader scale than Trump did in his first administration, but his directive lacks teeth that would compel lower prices in the near term. In a telling signal, the stock prices of numerous large pharmaceutical companies rose Monday.... Experts said the plan lacks enough detail to determine whether patients would realize any tangible benefits and pointed out it is likely to face court challenges. The order did not state whether the administration would be seeking lower prices in Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance markets — or all of the above.” ~~~
~~~ Margot Sanger-Katz & Rebecca Robbins of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Monday signed an executive order asking drugmakers to voluntarily reduce the prices of key medicines in the United States. But the order cites no obvious legal authority to mandate lower prices.... It was something of a win for the pharmaceutical industry, which had been bracing for a policy that would be much more damaging to its interests. Last week, Mr. Trump hyped a coming announcement that was 'as big as it gets.' And on Sunday evening, he teed up the order in a Truth Social post, writing that he would link U.S. drug prices to those in peer countries under a 'most favored nation' pricing model — a policy he attempted unsuccessfully in his first term for a small set of drugs in Medicare. His executive order on Monday does not do that.... With his executive order, Mr. Trump opted not to propose measures that could have had more teeth....
“Mr. Trump’s executive order came just hours after House Republicans offered an expansive set of health care policy changes that would cut around $700 billion from Medicaid and the Obamacare marketplaces over a decade and would cause an estimated 8.6 million Americans to become uninsured. Congress declined to include any provisions to directly limit drug prices in that package.”
Would you take your children or grandchildren to a sewerage-infested, off-limits creek for a Mother's Day swim? I didn't think so. But our Health Secretary would. And did. ~~~
Chris Cameron of the New York Times: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, posted photos on Sunday of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a contaminated Washington creek where swimming is not allowed because it is used for sewer runoff. Rock Creek, which flows through much of Northwest Washington, is used to drain excess sewage and storm water during rainfall. The creek has widespread 'fecal' contamination and high levels of bacteria, including E. coli, and the city has banned swimming in all of its waterways for more than 50 years because of the widespread contamination of Rock Creek and other nearby rivers. Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health,' the National Park Service wrote in an advisory on its website, adding 'All District waterways are subject to a swim ban — this means wading, too!'... Mr. Kennedy said in [a] social media post that he had gone for the swim in Rock Creek during a Mother’s Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with his family — including his grandchildren, who are also seen in the photos swimming in the contaminated water. Dumbarton Oaks Park is downstream from Piney Branch, a tributary of Rock Creek that receives about 40 million gallons of untreated sewage and storm water overflow each year, according to the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: The D.C. police should arrest Kennedy for child endangerment.
OMG. Josh Gerstein & Katherine Tully-McManus of Politico: “The leadership of the Library of Congress is in apparent dispute after the White House moved Monday to install Justice Department’s No. 2 official as its new acting chief. A DOJ official said ... Donald Trump appointed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting Libarian of Congress. But the official who now holds that post, Robert Randolph Newlen, disputed a change had been made in an email to library staff Monday morning. 'Congress is engaged with the White House and we have not received direction from Congress about how to move forward,' Newlen wrote in an internal email to Library of Congress employees. Newlen took over as acting Librarian of Congress Thursday after Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, cutting short her 10-year term.
“White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that Trump had dismissed Hayden because 'she did not fit the needs of the American people.' Leavitt described as 'quite concerning' Hayden’s work on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs.... Leavitt also claimed Hayden was 'putting inappropriate books in the library for children,' a puzzling assertion since the Library of Congress is not a lending library and researchers have to be at least 16.” (See clarification in Miller & Barrett's report below.) (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~ Marie: You will, no doubt, recognize Todd the Librarian as one of Felonious Trump's many defense attorneys. You also might have noticed we have less and less of a government and more and more of a Trumpocracy where Trump's cronies (minus the ones he's discarded along the way) are "in charge" of everything and necessarily don't do much other than run errands for the boss. In any event, our "government" is becoming a farcical outfit run principally in service to the king. As for Press Secretary Pouty Barbie, she clearly has never been inside the Library of Congress.
~~~ Update. Maya Miller & Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: “... staff members at the Library of Congress pushed back, insisting that Congress must have input and refusing to give two other top Justice Department officials whom Mr. Blanche chose for senior positions there access to the agency’s headquarters on Capitol Hill.... Staff members ... called the U.S. Capitol Police as well as their general counsel, Meg Williams, who told the two officials that they were not allowed access to the Copyright Office and asked them to leave.... [Blanche's employees] then left the building willingly, accompanied to the door by Ms. Williams.... It is primarily a research facility limited to people 16 years or older, but it also has a children’s reading room.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update 2. Katherine Tully-McManus, et al., of Politico: “Top congressional leaders are pushing back against ... Donald Trump’s attempt to replace two Library of Congress leaders, with the dispute over presidential powers over the institution leaving its future in question Monday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a brief interview that congressional leaders 'want to make sure we’re following precedent and procedure' in naming a replacement for Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress whom Trump dismissed Thursday.... While the president nominates the Librarian of Congress for Senate confirmation, the library itself is part of the legislative branch.” MB: Wait a minute, Thune. You're talking about replacing the ibrarian Trump fired. The Librarian of Congress. How is it that you're allowing the President* to fire the Librarian of Congress without cause? Without Congressional input or review. Without nuthin'?
Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor White People. Teo Armus & Emily Wax-Thibodeaux of the Washington Post: “A group of about 50 White South Africans landed at Dulles International Airport on Monday as refugees, coming to the United States under a humanitarian designation meant for people fleeing war or persecution that the Trump administration has suspended for all other groups worldwide.... Donald Trump has said the Afrikaners — a minority group descended from Dutch settlers in South Africa — are facing racial discrimination due to a land redistribution law in that country that seeks to correct an imbalance in property ownership stemming from four decades of apartheid rule. No land seizures have been carried out under that law. But Trump claimed Monday that a genocide was taking place in South Africa, an allegation government officials there say lacks any evidence.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: The WashPo reporters don't mention it, but I saw a clip on MSNBC in which a reporter asked the Trump official who greeted the Afrikaners why they were admitted to the U.S. when all others were barred. The official, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, replied that the Afrikaners were better able to assimilate in the U.S. and did not pose a challenge to our national security (unlike non-white people, one infers). On another MSNBC program, Eddie Glaude said that among its various characteristics, Team Trump was running a white nationalist administration. IMO, that is an appropriate description. And this Afrikaner refugee program -- again, just my opinion -- is purposely flaunting that white nationalist agenda. ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE. Amanda Friedman of Politico: “Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Monday that the U.S. will terminate the temporary protected status program for Afghanistan, a move that could lead to the deportation of over 9,000 Afghans residing in the country. Noem said in a statement that the conditions in Afghanistan have improved sufficiently to warrant the program’s termination. Afghans’ temporary protected status will expire on May 20 and the elimination of the program will take effect on July 12.... However, the Trump administration has considered exempting Christians from its campaign to deport Afghan refugees.... Refugee rights groups have condemned the administration, saying that many Afghans protected by the program have aided U.S. national security efforts. The nonprofit #AfghanEvac, which helps Afghan families resettle in the U.S., called the move 'unconscionable.'”
Bill Shaner, a local, Worcester, Massachusetts, reporter, in Mother Jones: Shaner witnessed an arrest and detention of an alleged undocumented woman (name still unknown). The local police, who claimed not to be helping the federal agents (departments unclear), in fact showed up in force to protect the agents from residents trying to stop the detention or at least see a warrant (that didn't happen). The local cops arrested two people, one a 16-year-old girl who is the daughter of the detained woman, the other a community activist. Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: I urge you to read this report. This is happening in a town near you (and in this particular case, near me). (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post: “In the weeks since [Tufts Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk's] arrest, similar scenes have become commonplace. Reports and social media posts from across the country document federal agents seizing targeted individuals (and likely some number of non-targeted ones) while wearing plainclothes and face coverings. The mass deportation effort Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail has unfolded less like a careful, accountable police operation than the emergence of a secret police force acting on behalf of the chief executive. This is almost certainly not an accident.... Radley Balko..., author of 'Rise of the Warrior Cop,' explained in an email to me that this desire for anonymity is likely a function of numerous overlapping impulses.... 'The masking ... [is] mostly about intimidation.'... This overlaps with another motivation: impunity. “Just based on my own research and reporting, I think there’s a strong correlation between cops who think they’re above the law,' Balko said, 'and cops who shield their faces and refuse to give names and badge numbers.' Trump has made very clear that he has little interest in confronting police corruption or abuse....
“'These are public employees that are accountable to the public and accountable to Congress,' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) said in a social media post on Saturday. 'And this idea that we are going to allow some kind of paramilitary force to bloom that is not in any way … accountable to the Constitution of the United States? We’ve got another thing coming.' This lack of accountability, she said, was what was 'actually anti-American' — given that it served 'to attack free speech, to attack the powers of Congress, to erode our ability to investigate and conduct oversight.'” (Also linked yesterday.)
Niraj Chokshi of the New York Times: “In the four years since its first flight, Avelo Airlines has gained loyal customers by serving smaller cities like New Haven, Conn., and Burbank, Calif. Now, it has a new, very different line of business. It is running deportation flights for the Trump administration. Despite weeks of protests from customers and elected officials, Avelo’s first flight for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement appears to have departed on Monday morning from Mesa, Ariz.... Commercial carriers typically avoid this kind of work so as not to wade into politics and upset customers or employees. The risks for Avelo are perhaps even greater because a large proportion of its flights either land or take off from cities where most people are progressives or centrists who are much less likely to support Mr. Trump’s hard-line immigration policies.... But ... the money the company stands to make from ICE flights is too good to pass up, the airline’s founder and chief executive, Andrew Levy, said last month in an internal email.... The Democratic governors of Connecticut and Delaware denounced Avelo, while lawmakers in Connecticut and New York released proposals to withdraw state support, including a tax break on jet fuel purchases, from companies that work with ICE.”
Ryan Mac & Mark Walker of the New York Times: “The Federal Railroad Administration, the nation’s railroad agency, has brought in the Boring Company, the tunneling firm founded by Elon Musk, to see if it could help with a multibillion-dollar Amtrak project, according to three people familiar with the discussions. Federal Railroad Administration officials have talked with employees at the Boring Company about assessing the costs and progress of the Frederick Douglass Tunnel program, a new tunnel along a busy Amtrak stretch connecting Baltimore to Washington and Virginia. Amtrak ... estimates [the tunnel project] could cost as much as $8.5 billion.... It is the 'single largest infrastructure effort' led by Amtrak, according to a report last year by Amtrak’s inspector general office, which also expressed concerns over ballooning costs and missed deadlines.”
Ana Swanson & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: Donald “Trump’s decision to impose, and then walk back, triple-digit tariffs on Chinese products over the past month demonstrated the power and global reach of U.S. trade policy. But it was also another illustration of the limitations of Mr. Trump’s aggressive approach.... The talks this weekend [between the U.S. and China], and the tariff chaos of the past month, did not appear to generate any other immediate concessions from the Chinese other than a commitment to keep talking.... Through his so-called reciprocal tariffs and maximalist levies on China, the 'Art of the Deal' president is employing a strategy that involves manufacturing trade crises in hopes of extracting quick economic concessions. But when confronting an economic power with similar might and perhaps more willingness to endure pain, Mr. Trump opted to stand down.... The decision to temporarily lower tariffs on China provides a welcome reprieve for businesses, but it will also do little to ease longer-run uncertainty that is weighing on U.S. firms.”
River Davis & Jason Karaian of the New York Times: “Stocks swung sharply higher on Monday after the United States and China agreed to temporarily lower tariffs on each other, a significant step-back in the trade war that’s roiled markets for nearly six weeks. The S&P 500 gained 3.3 percent, its best day since April 9, when a huge rally was spurred by Mr. Trump pausing his 'reciprocal' tariffs on all countries except China. The tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed even higher, rising more than 4 percent. The apparent thaw in relations between the United States and China, even if temporary, was the latest concession offered by the Trump administration, which had sent stocks tumbling last month after announcing unexpectedly high tariffs on dozens of countries.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: I'm sure Trump gets a tremendous thrill out of manipulating the stock market, and I'm nearly as certain that there is insider trading going on. ~~~
~~~ Paul Krugman: "1. A 30 percent tariff is still really, really high, especially combined with the 10 percent tariff we’re imposing on everyone else.... 2.... This was basically Trump running away from the killer rabbit. 3. The prohibitive tariff has been paused, not canceled.... 4. This retreat probably hasn’t come soon enough to avoid high prices and empty shelves." ~~~
~~~ Wall Street Journal Editors: "Rarely has an economic policy been repudiated as soundly, and as quickly, as ... [Donald] Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs — and by Mr. Trump’s own hand. Witness the agreement Monday morning to scale back his punitive tariffs on China — his second major retreat in less than a week. This is a win for economic reality, and for American prosperity. Make that a partial win for reality.... As with last week’s modest British agreement, the China deal is more surrender than Trump victory." MB: This appears to be a gift link; it worked for me.
~~~ Marcie Jones of Wonkette seems strangely unsympathetic to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer having to "haggle with themselves over how much dolls and pencils should cost back home" while Chinese trade reps sampled the fruit platters. "Scott B. and JG ended up with a final offer of 30 percent for 90 days, after Trump had talked himself down to 80 percent on Friday. Hey, those tariffs were supposed to make us RICH RICH RICH and make all the little girls grateful! What happened to that?... Watch Jamieson and Scott B., both looking haggard and miserable, explaining that this is all China’s fault for reciprocating after Trump started the whole thing, leading to an effective embargoing of ourselves. Behold how Scott B.’s heavy pancake is not blended with his neck or hairline at all while he tries to say this is all big strategery, we were just negging, us and China are still a couple!" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: It is refreshing to know that at a moment when Team Trump has floored me that some people are still able to cheerfully mock them. Not only that, Jones' point is well-taken.
Karen Zraick of the New York Times: “The Agriculture Department will restore information about climate change that was scrubbed from its website when ... [Donald] Trump took office, according to court documents filed on Monday in a lawsuit over the deletion. The deleted data included pages on federal funding and loans, forest conservation and rural clean energy projects. It also included sections of the U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service sites, and the U.S. Forest Service’s 'Climate Risk Viewer,' which included detailed maps showing how climate change might affect national forests and grasslands. The lawsuit, filed in February, said the purge denied farmers information to make time-sensitive decisions while facing business risks linked to climate change, such as heat waves, droughts, floods and wildfires.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yeah but. Obviously, climate change is, well, changing. So I assume that from time to time, climate scientists updated the government's risk review. There is no suggestion in this story that the review will be updated or that the research to update the review will happen. I don't see that a risk review stuck in 2024 will continue to be of high value over the next 4-year or 4-year-plus period.
Niraj Chokshi, et al., of the New York Times: “As few as three air traffic controllers were scheduled to work on Monday evening at the facility guiding planes to and from Newark Liberty International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said, far fewer than the target of 14 controllers for most of those hours. The staffing crisis added strain to an already troubled aviation system, with flights to Newark delayed by as much as seven hours on Monday. The F.A.A. said in a statement to The New York Times that it had at least three controllers scheduled every hour on Monday evening at a Philadelphia facility that manages Newark’s air traffic. But four people familiar with problems at the airport said that the number of fully certified controllers on duty was at times one or two. Staffing shortages affected flights at the airport for much of the day, forcing the F.A.A. to hold up incoming flights from taking off.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: In case you're wondering, "Who's fault is this, anyway?" this AP report on DOGE cuts to the FAA may help. But it doesn't seem to me that one can pin the staffing shortages on Trump 2.0.
Dana Hedgpeth of the Washington Post: “Several trains on Amtrak’s Northeast line and on the MARC commuter train’s Penn line were canceled Tuesday morning because of a large-scale fire overnight at a warehouse in West Baltimore. No details were given as to when full train service would be restored on either of the lines. Travelers are advised to check with the train services. More than 200 firefighters were battling the seven-alarm blaze at a mattress warehouse that sits near the train tracks, Baltimore Fire officials said Tuesday. At an early-morning briefing, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said the building has two levels below ground that are 'stacked full of mattresses.'”
Anumita Kaur of the Washington Post: “Nearly 60,000 people in the United States will lose their federal housing assistance years before they anticipated, placing them at imminent risk of eviction and potential homelessness. A sweeping effort launched in 2021 allocated $5 billion to rapidly house the most vulnerable people at the height of the coronavirus pandemic: those living on the streets, facing domestic violence or experiencing human trafficking. The emergency housing vouchers initiative — a beefed-up version of the longtime Section 8 program — was slated to last through 2030, granting recipients housing security through the decade with the expectation that they would have the time and resources to wean off the assistance. But the Department of Housing and Urban Development said the money ran out early.... The remaining funds are likely to support families for another 18 months at most, housing officials said.”
Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: “If it becomes law..., Donald Trump and congressional Republicans’ massive bill will reshape much of the federal government — and the U.S. economy. GOP majorities in the House and Senate are attempting to move swiftly to reverse many of President Joe Biden’s legislative accomplishments and cement Trump’s legacy in the tax code, on the southern border and in generations-old anti-poverty benefits. The House’s bill would devote hundreds of billions of dollars to finishing Trump’s border wall, fortifying maritime border crossings, outfitting the Defense Department and more. It would extend the tax cuts that were one of the signature legislative achievements of Trump’s first term, create new savings accounts for newborns and fulfill some — but not all — of the president’s campaign promises.... GOP leaders are using the budget reconciliation process to shepherd the measure, which would allow them to dodge a Democratic filibuster in the Senate and pass it on party lines.... Here’s what’s in the proposal.” ~~~
~~~ Tony Romm of the New York Times: “House Republicans on Monday proposed a series of sharp restrictions on the federal anti-hunger program known as food stamps, seeking to limit its funding and benefits as part of a sprawling package to advance ... [Donald] Trump’s tax cuts. The proposal, included in a draft measure to be considered by the House Agriculture Committee this week, would require states to supply some of the funding for food stamps while forcing more of its beneficiaries to obtain employment in exchange for federal aid. The moves could result in potentially millions of low-income families losing access to the safety net program. But G.O.P. leaders insist that their approach would improve the provision of food stamp benefits while helping to defray the cost of Mr. Trump’s expensive legislative ambitions.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Gosh, the GOP is worse than Marie Antoinette. At least she thought the poor could eat cake (or, more specifically, brioche). Okay, the quote is fictional, but it does show you how careless Congressional Republicans are. One thing they could do to cut the cost of SNAP is to pass a living minimum wage, so people could buy food for their families out of their very own pockets. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour for non-tipped employees ($2.13/hour for some tipped employees). ~~~
~~~ Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post: “It’s never a great time to purge millions of Americans from critical safety-net services. But if we are indeed barreling toward recession, as many economists predict, now is an especially bad time.... Republicans desperately want to cut taxes, with the largest benefits going to higher-income households and businesses. This combination — top-heavy tax cuts financed by low-income benefit cuts — would add up to possibly the largest single transfer of wealth from poor to rich in U.S. history, according to back-of-the-envelope numbers from Bobby Kogan, a former Senate budget staffer and researcher at the Center for American Progress.” Read on. This is an incredibly depressing/doom-and-gloom column.
Last week, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) addressed Congressional Republicans. Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary in yesterday's thread: ~~~
Most major news organizations are covering the federal Sean Diddy Combs sex-trafficking trial. I'm not. Here are the New York Times' live updates of developments yesterday, which was the first day of testimony in the trial. From here on, at least until the verdict, if you're interested in what's happening in the trial, you'll have to seek other sources.
~~~~~~~~~~
Israel/Palestine, et al. Claire Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: “Hamas released Israeli American Edan Alexander from captivity in Gaza after more than 19 months, in a gesture to the Trump administration following direct talks between U.S. and Hamas officials in recent days. Alexander was handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Khan Younis on Monday evening local time, Hamas said in a statement. The ICRC then transferred him to the Israeli military, the Israel Defense Forces said. He is expected to be flown to a facility in southern Israel to undergo initial medical examinations and reunite with his mother, who traveled from New Jersey to meet him. If his health allows, he will then fly to Qatar to meet ... Donald Trump and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, his family told Israeli media.... He was the last living American held hostage in Gaza, and Hamas’s decision to free him was seen as a goodwill gesture amid efforts to reach a ceasefire with Israel.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Here's a hopeful note, maybe not for us in the U.S., but for the world: ~~~
~~~ Vatican. Noah Berlatsky of Public Notice: “... the new pope, like the old pope, does not support MAGA’s christofascist nationalism. MAGA, confronted with the fact that they do not control everything or everyone, responded in their usual fashion — by wailing and gnashing their teeth.... The Vatican had to know that selecting an American, reform-minded, pro-immigrant pope would be perceived by Trump and his followers as a rebuke. Trump is currently the leading exponent of dehumanizing anti-immigrant rhetoric, and of Christian fascism, in the world. Leo’s first homily pointedly referenced the Biblical phrase 'a city set on a hill' — a phrase Ronald Reagan used to refer to America, but which the pope reads as a reference to the Church.... Trump’s uniquely clumsy illiberalism makes him a perfect foil for opponents of fascism across the globe.... Trump’s unfailing ability to make everyone his enemy benefits liberals in Canada, Australia, and Germany, who are trying to fight their own right wing....” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ MB Note to Berlatsky: The Pope would read "a city set on a hill" as "as reference to the Church." It recalls the Sermon on the Mount: "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14)
5 Comments
Reader Comments (5)
Holy crap!
Invasion! We’re being invaded by white people from a shithole country in Africa!
Kill habeus corpus!
Send scumbag lying Democrat immigration haters to MSNBC to tell everyone how we need to forget about posse commitatus and the Constitution. Lives are at stake! Get us 2,000 masked thugs to grab these people off the street and send them to…I dunno…Tristan da Cunha! Yeah! That’ll teach ‘em.
Last time we let an illegal immigrant in from that place, he built weird looking trucks that broke apart and caught fire. Then he took over the government and fired thousands of hard working honest Americans. He stole all their personal data and he made everyone report to him personally about what they did the week before. He’s trying to take away their Social Security. He killed contracts with all kinds of companies and awarded those contracts to himself. He hired some teenage idiot named Big Balls and gave him a $100,000 salary to screw Americans!
We have to stop this now!
Our country is on the verge of extinction!
Shoot them all in the legs, those legs that look like watermelons. Throw them to the crocodiles and snakes. Take their kids away. Put their babies in cages!
Then…
What’s that? We don’t do that shit to white people? Only black and brown people?
What if we say they’re all rapists and drug dealers and murderers?
We can’t make up lies like that about white people? Can we photoshop gang signs on their knuckles and THFN arrest them?
No?
Why? Oh…white people.
Shit. Never mind.
“House Republicans on Monday proposed a series of sharp restrictions on the federal anti-hunger program known as food stamps, seeking to limit its funding and benefits as part of a sprawling package to advance ... [Donald] Trump’s tax cuts.”
Okay…in what universe is this considered normal, or even okay?
Let’s take food away from hungry poor people and their children so billionaires can buy another 300 ft yacht with its own helicopter landing pad, 30 member crew and room for 50 guests to eat exorbitant delicacies and drink $1,000 bottles of champagne, and a companion ship loaded with jet skis and other billionaire toys following along in case the guests get bored with all the languorous luxury.
How is this shit not front page news all over the country?
How is Fat Hitler’s Middle East Bribes and Grift Tour not exposed in the same way?
Some guy on The NY Times (too tired to find it now) sniffed that you can’t call it bribery unless there’s a direct and observable quid pro quo. This is the same bag of cash with cartoon dollar signs on it that grift-enabler John Roberts used to talk about.
Guess what, idiots? No one does this. Even Mafia thugs use buffers when collecting payoffs. No one is going to walk up to Fatty and say “Psst…Here’s the dough. Get me that contract.”
Oh wait…isn’t this exactly what is happening with Qatar? Fat Hitler kills an embargo to this country on computer chips they’ve been looking for…and they give him a $400 million plane (loaded with audio and video bugs no doubt).
What’s that? Oh, big cartoon dollar signs are not painted on the plane so it can’t be bribery?
If this were Obama or Biden it’d be bribery quick enough.
Fuckers.
By the by, that 300 ft yacht with the helicopter and companion ship isn’t something I dreamed up.
That’s a description of Mark Zuckerberg’s new toy.
“As digital waves crash against the hull of free speech and fair play, billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s latest shiny toy, LAUNCHPAD, has reportedly hit the water. The astounding 387-foot megayacht features a robust steel hull, paired with an aluminum superstructure and is rumored to have cost the social media mogul around $300 million, making her among the most expensive yachts in the world. A nautical palace equipped with four MTU engines delivering 5,846 horsepower apiece (23,384-hp total), she can reportedly hit max speeds of up to 24 knots (27.6 mph).”
Okay…387 ft. Not 300. Soooorry, Mark.
Hey, Marky Mark must be tired of that old thing already. He needs another. He’s been licking Fat Hitler’s smelly feet, so give him an outrageous tax break. Those poors can dumpster dive for their food.
Poor Zucky needs help.
I sure hope Mark Z. does't take that little boat through the North
Atlantic, where all those icebergs hang out.
What's that you say, "women and children first"
No way, it's billionaires first into the lifeboats first.
The lifeboats are probably fitted out like trump's little plane will be,
fake marble and fake gold.
The May 13, 2025 edition of "The Conversation" on Reality Chex offers a comprehensive roundup of current political events and developments. The platform continues to serve as a valuable resource for readers seeking curated news and insightful commentary. Its commitment to fostering informed discussions is evident in the diverse range of topics covered. For those interested in staying updated on political discourse, Reality Chex remains a go-to source.