The Conversation -- May 14, 2025

Here are the New York Times' live updates of whatever grift and graft Donald Trump is up to today in his corruption sojourn to the Middle East.

Katherine Doyle of NBC News: “... Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would cease sanctions against war-torn Syria 'to give them a chance at greatness,' as he seeks to strengthen ties to Saudi Arabia and others.... Trump will meet with Syria's new president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, an announcement confirmed by the White House shortly before the president began speaking. In his speech, Trump presented Middle Eastern leaders with a vision of a future steeped in prosperity, business deals and technological advances, which the president treated as an antidote to historic divisions. His rhetoric stood in contrast to the words of former President Joe Biden, who deemed the kingdom “a pariah” before taking office and struggled to regain diplomatic footing with Saudi leaders during his presidency. Instead, Trump offered an image of rising regional powers steeped in homegrown economic self-development, while holding up his host as a model.... Earlier, the two leaders [Trump & Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman] signed a landmark $600 billion investment agreement, marking a high point of the day’s ceremonial events. As Trump offered heavy flattery to his host, he also took aim at his predecessors in Washington....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Remember, The CIA concluded that bin Salman arranged the brutal murder (WashPo link) of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi for criticizing the Saudi regime. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: “Behind the scenes, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other aides told Trump that his own voters were in danger if the tariffs did not come down.... That gave them a path to initiating negotiations with the Chinese, which culminated this past weekend in Geneva with a partial deal to reduce tariffs between the world’s two biggest economies. One White House official cautioned, however, that multiple factors contributed to the trade talks in Switzerland.... Since the inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump administration officials have announced new or revised tariff policies more than 50 times, according to a tally by The Washington Post.... Some of his plans have been strikingly short-lived.... 'The reason why the tariffs go up and come back down is businesses or markets are pressuring him to back off,' [Dartmouth economist Douglas Irwin] said. 'The only special interest guiding President Trump’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people,' said White House spokesman Kush Desai.” MB: That might be partially true if you were talking only about white people. But it really isn't the truckers and farmers Trump cares about; it's his poll numbers.

Aaron Gregg of the Washington Post: “Car prices crept upward in April as tariffs took effect and global automakers braced for billions of dollars in potential extra costs. Cox Automotive’s first batch of Kelley Blue Book vehicle price data since the Trump administration’s auto tariffs took effect showed that the average transaction price for a new vehicle increased 2.5 percent last month. That’s compared to a typical increase of 1.1 percent for April over the past decade.... Even those vehicles assembled in the United States will face higher component costs, analysts say. Automakers also saw a surge of demand in the first three months of the year, as many consumers sought to get ahead of impending tariffs. That temporary buying frenzy is one factor that has pushed car prices upward every week since the auto tariffs were announced in March, Cox Automotive analyst Jonathan Smoke said.... Even vehicles that aren’t imported are becoming more expensive, he said.”

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "Inflation was slightly lower than expected in April as ... Donald Trump’s tariffs just began hitting the slowing U.S. economy, according to a Labor Department report Tuesday. The consumer price index, which measures the costs for a broad range of goods and services, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2% for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.3%, its lowest since February 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said." (Also linked yesterday.)

Hamed Aleaziz & Michael Crowley of the New York Times: “On the same day that dozens of white South Africans arrived in the United States as refugees, at the invitation of ... [Donald] Trump himself, his administration said thousands of Afghans could be deported starting this summer. Mr. Trump’s immigration policies are riddled with contradictions, epitomized by Monday’s arrival of a chartered jet, paid for by the American government, carrying dozens of Afrikaners who say they are facing racial discrimination at home. The Trump administration’s focus on white Afrikaners, an ethnic minority that ruled during apartheid, is particularly striking as it effectively bans most other refugees and targets legal and illegal immigrants alike for deportation. Those include Afghans who were granted 'temporary protected status' after the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, many of whom had risked their lives to help American forces....

“Mr. Trump said on Monday that the United States had 'essentially extended citizenship” to [Afrikaners] because he said they were victims of a genocide. There have been murders of white farmers, a focus of Afrikaner grievances, but police statistics show they are not any more vulnerable to violent crime than others in the country. Three decades after the end of apartheid, white South Africans continue to dominate land ownership. They are also employed at much higher rates than Black South Africans and are much less likely to live in poverty.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: While Trump's immigration policies may be "riddled with contradictions," this stark contrast between his policy for Afrikaners and his policies for everybody else is not one of them. It's a very consistent general policy adhering to the tenets of white nationalism. Trump has been a virulent racist all his adult life.

Jeremy Roebuck & Marianne LeVine of the Washington Post: “A federal judge in Pennsylvania on Tuesday became the first in the nation to allow ... Donald Trump’s invocation of a wartime law to fast-track deportations of accused Venezuelan gang members. But U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines described the administration’s process for carrying out those removals as “constitutionally deficient” and ordered the government to give targeted migrants at least 21 days’ notice and an opportunity to challenge their deportations in court. The ruling from Haines — whom Trump appointed during his first term in the White House — breaks with decisions earlier this month from federal judges in Colorado, New York and South Texas. They each concluded that it was unlawful for Trump to invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to remove alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang outside of the usual immigration court process. All three judges then barred or temporarily paused such deportations in their districts. Hours after Haines’s ruling on Tuesday, a judge in West Texas also temporarily barred Alien Enemies Act deportations.” The AP report is here.

Mitch Smith & Dan Simmons of the New York Times: “The Wisconsin judge arrested last month and accused of helping an undocumented immigrant evade federal agents was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday on charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of proceedings. The indictment of the judge, Hannah C. Dugan of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, was a routine but significant step in the Justice Department’s case against her. The Trump administration has defended the prosecution as a warning that no one is above the law, while many Democrats, lawyers and former judges have denounced it as an assault on the judiciary.” The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story is here.

David Fahrenthold & Jeremy Singer-Vine of the New York Times: “Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is no longer claiming credit for killing dozens of federal contracts after The New York Times reported last week that they had already been reinstated. The Times had identified 44 revived contracts, and 43 of them were still featured on the group’s online 'Wall of Receipts' as of last week. Then, late Sunday, Mr. Musk’s group deleted those claims for 31 of the contracts from its website, eliminating $122 million of the savings it claimed to have achieved by cutting federal contracts. Those savings had actually disappeared days or weeks before, when federal agencies reversed cancellations they had made at the behest of Mr. Musk’s group.... The presence of revived contracts on DOGE’s list of 'terminations' was the latest in a series of data errors that have inflated its success at saving money.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's ridiculous that reporters have to do DOGE's records-keeping for them. If the boys are so lax in their public-facing calculations, think of all the mistakes they're making in scooping up the billions of records that hold our personal data.

Amudalat Ajasa of the Washington Post: “The Environmental Protection Agency plans to rescind and reconsider limits on four different 'forever chemicals' under a landmark drinking water standard implemented last year by President Joe Biden.... The drinking water rules were adopted as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to limit public exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), hazardous chemicals linked to range of serious illnesses. The original rule covered six common PFAS contaminants, including PFOA, a known human carcinogen, and PFOS, a likely carcinogen. The EPA estimates that more than 158 million Americans are exposed to PFAS through their drinking water.”

Tom Jackman & Keith Alexander of the Washington Post: “On his last full day as interim U.S. attorney for the District, Ed Martin on Tuesday said he will review the pardons issued by President Joe Biden and the actions of prosecutors in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot cases as he shifts to new roles in the Justice Department. Then, having been stymied in his attempt to become permanent top prosecutor in the District by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Martin sprayed criticism at local judges, the attorney general of D.C., the mayor and city leaders of D.C., and he suggested that perhaps the District should no longer have home rule.... Martin also called the news conference to announce that an immigration task force had arrested 189 people in recent days in the D.C. region, 181 for immigration violations and eight on criminal charges.... In removing Martin from the U.S. attorney’s office, Trump assigned him two jobs in the Justice Department: to head the 'Weaponization Working Group' and also to serve as the U.S. pardon attorney.”

Alan Blinder of the New York Times: “Harvard University expanded its lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday, hours after the government said it was ending about $450 million in research funding to the school. The battle between the administration and the nation’s oldest university has been intensifying since April 11, when the government sent Harvard a list of intrusive demands in a mistakenly emailed missive. After the university refused to comply, the government froze more than $2 billion in grants, which prompted the school to sue in federal court in Boston. But the litigation has done little to cow the federal government. Last Monday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon warned Harvard against even applying for federal grant money 'since none will be provided.'”

Benjamin Guggenheim & Meredith Hill of Politico: “... Donald Trump won more than he lost in the House GOP’s newly unveiled tax legislation, though some of his priorities were slimmed down and his bid to raise taxes on some financial heavyweights wasn’t included. The bill — which the House tax-writing committee will take up Tuesday — not only delivers on his promise to make a slew of his expiring 2017 tax cuts permanent, but also includes tax relief for tips, seniors and overtime work. Trump also got his request to give taxpayers a deduction for the interest they pay on auto loans, and to limit deductions for the purchase of sports teams. The bill leaves a placeholder to at least triple the state and local tax deduction, after Trump promised blue-state Republicans during the presidential campaign that he would 'get SALT back,' a break prized by their constituents that is now capped at $10,000. The exact contours are still up for discussion, though, Speaker Mike Johnson said. In an homage to Trump’s populist base, Republicans would create a new tax-preferred savings plan called a 'MAGA account' for children under the age of 8.” ~~~

     ~~~ Kevin Freking & Lisa Mascaro of the AP on what's in the legislative package so far.

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: “Lawmakers bickered, protesters shouted and senators came to take in the moment as [the House Energy & Commerce Committee] considered ... [Medicaid cuts as part of an effort] to enact ... [Donald] Trump’s domestic agenda.... Capitol Police officers ultimately removed five people — three in wheelchairs — as the dozens of lawmakers on the panel looked on. (The Capitol Police later said that officers had arrested 26 people for illegally protesting inside a congressional building.)... [The] meeting ... went all evening and was expected to continue well into Wednesday — one committee member estimated it could take as long as 28 hours — as Republicans and Democrats sparred over the plan, a key part of major legislation to enact ... [Mr.] Trump’s domestic agenda. It unfolded as the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee met to consider a $2.5 trillion tax proposal that would extend Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts; temporarily fulfill his campaign pledges not to tax tips or overtime pay; roll back subsidies for clean energy; and create a new type of tax-advantaged investment account for children. Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee tried unsuccessfully to extend tax credits that have helped people buy insurance on the Obamacare marketplaces. The subsidies are scheduled to expire at the end of the year, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that more than four million people will lose coverage as a result.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: My thanks to the protesters and to any committee members who tried to insert language that would help ordinary people rather than only rich ones.

Tony Romm of the New York Times: “Across the country, state leaders are beginning to express alarm about the budgetary fallout from ... [Donald] Trump’s economic agenda, warning that they will not be able to pick up the bill if the federal government reduces its funding for major public services. To governors and other officials..., the fear is that Washington could sharply curtail federal programs that help states improve their infrastructure, respond to natural disasters, expand education and provide a suite of health, housing and nutrition benefits to the poor. But Mr. Trump has made no secret about the fact that many of his preferred budget cuts are meant to help offset his costly and ever-expanding legislative ambitions, including his desire to cut taxes....The Trump administration proposed $163 billion in cuts targeting a staggering array of federal climate, education, health and housing programs, while increasing military spending and funding the president’s pledge to conduct more aggressive deportations. Explaining the recalibration, Russell. T. Vought, the White House budget director, denounced broad categories of federal spending as wasteful or 'woke.' Mr. Vought added that some of the proposed cuts reflected a belief that federal services 'could be provided better by state or local governments (if provided at all).'”

Eric Bazail-Eimil & Robbie Gramer of Politico: “A number of Republican lawmakers are souring on ... Donald Trump’s plans to accept a luxury Boeing 747 aircraft as a gift from Qatar — a rare series of rebukes of the president by his allies in Congress. Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Tuesday became the most prominent Republican to express discomfort with the deal, telling reporters there are 'lots of issues associated with that offer which I think need to be further talked about.'... [Rand Paul & Ted Cruz also expressed reservations.] The senators’ remarks have made the outrage over the potential deal a rare bipartisan moment in Washington, as Democrats and some of the most fervent backers of the president outside of government unite to slam the plans. The U.S. and Qatar have a warming, yet complicated relationship. Despite its past material support for terror groups, Doha emerged as a critical mediator in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and members of the Trump administration had ties to Qatar before entering government.”

Paul Kane & Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: “In a rare bipartisan effort to defend its institutional authority, Congress is quietly resisting ... Donald Trump’s attempt to assert control over the Library of Congress — a move that experts say threatens the separation of powers and the integrity of the legislative branch’s premier research body. Pushing back on Trump’s designation of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting librarian, lawmakers said Tuesday that control of the institution remains with its top career official, Robert R. Newlen. Newlen told staff at the library that he is the acting head.... The president installed Blanche — a close Trump ally and his former defense attorney — as the acting head of the library just days after he abruptly fired Carla Hayden, the first woman and African American to serve as librarian of Congress, on Friday, nine years into her 10-year term....

“'We made it clear that there needs to be a consultation around this — that there are equities that both Article I and Article II branches have [with] the Library of Congress,' Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) told reporters Tuesday, referring to the legislative and executive branches, adding that Trump administration officials had met with members of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, which oversees the library. Still, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) attacked Republicans as 'a compliant rubber stamp' for Trump’s agenda and said Democrats would 'look into' the president’s firing of Hayden. He hinted at possible litigation.”

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: “Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic minority leader, intends on Tuesday to put a hold on all Justice Department political appointees awaiting Senate confirmation until he gets more information on plans by ... [Donald] Trump to accept a luxury airliner from Qatar. Mr. Schumer’s expected announcement of his blockade of administration nominees comes after he and other Senate Democrats assailed Mr. Trump on Monday for his decision to accept the jet, which is estimated to be worth as much as $500 million and would serve as Air Force One. 'This is not just naked corruption,' Mr. Schumer plans to say, according to remarks prepared for a Senate floor speech. 'It is also a grave national security threat.'”

Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: “The credentials committee of the Democratic National Committee voted on Monday to void the results of the internal party vote that made David Hogg a party vice chair, ruling that the election had not followed proper parliamentary procedures. The decision — which came after roughly three hours of internal debate and one tie vote — will put the issue before the full body of the Democratic National Committee. It must decide whether to force Mr. Hogg and a second vice chair, Malcolm Kenyatta, to run again in another election later this year. Mr. Hogg, 25, an outspoken survivor of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., has prompted a fierce backlash over his plans to spend up to $20 million through another organization he heads, Leaders We Deserve, on primary campaigns against incumbent Democrats.... Mr. Kenyatta expressed frustration on social media — both with the committee’s decision and all the attention on Mr. Hogg....” MB: Looks to me as if the Old Guard can't deal with the kidz. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Jennifer Szalai of the New York Times reviews a book by Jake Tapper & Alex Thompson about Joe Biden's decision to run for a second term: The book “is a damning, step-by-step account of how the people closest to a stubborn, aging president enabled his quixotic resolve to run for a second term. The authors trace the deluge of trouble that flowed from Biden’s original sin: the sidelining of Vice President Kamala Harris; the attacks on journalists (like Thompson) who deigned to report on worries about Biden’s apparent fatigue and mental state; an American public lacking clear communication from the president and left to twist in the wind.... The people closest to Biden landed on some techniques to handle (or disguise) what was happening: restricting urgent business to the hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; instructing his writers to keep his speeches brief so that he didn’t have to spend too much time on his feet; having him use the short stairs to Air Force One.” MB: The link, which I acquired from another source, looks like a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Reid Epstein of the New York Times: “A forthcoming book that promises explosive new details on former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s mental and physical decline while in the White House has revived the subject of how his aides and top Democrats handled his decision to run for re-election. The book, 'Original Sin,' by Jake Tapper of CNN and Alex Thompson of Axios, chronicles how Mr. Biden’s advisers stomped out discussion of his age-related limitations, including internal concerns of aides, external worries of Democratic allies and scrutiny by journalists.... As he forgot familiar names and faces and showed his physical frailty, the authors write, aides wrapped him in a protective political cocoon. At the same time, the book is so reliant on anonymous sourcing — very few aides or elected officials are quoted by name — that it reveals the enduring chill that Mr. Biden’s loyalists have cast over a Democratic Party still afraid to grapple publicly with what many say privately was his waning ability to campaign and serve in office. Already, Mr. Biden has begun pushing back against reporting on the end of his presidency, re-emerging for interviews to try to shape his legacy. The book does not contain any astonishing revelation.... Instead, it is a collection of smaller occurrences and observations reflecting his decline.... Here are six takeaways.”

Marie's Sports Report. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post: “Pete Rose and 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson are no longer official baseball pariahs. In a seismic decision that will alter the legacies of 17 disgraced individuals, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that those punished with permanent ineligibility will be reinstated after their deaths. Players on MLB’s permanently ineligible list are banned from entry into the Hall of Fame, meaning Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader who died last year at 83, Jackson and the other deceased individuals who were banned will now be eligible for inclusion. A committee dedicated to reviewing the Hall of Fame candidacies of players who starred before 1980 will vote on them at its next scheduled meeting in December 2027.” This is a gift link because the article is interesting for reasons other than the Hall of Fame chances of for Rose & Shoeless Joe. ESPN's story is here.

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California. Tim Arango, et al., of the New York Times: “Lyle and Erik Menendez were resentenced on Tuesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole, setting the stage for their possible release after more than three decades behind bars for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion. The decision, by Judge Michael V. Jesic of Los Angeles Superior Court, came after a day of testimony by family members, who said the brothers had turned their lives around inside prison through education and self-help groups. They urged the court to reduce the brothers’ sentences for the 1989 killings. 'This was an absolutely horrific crime,' Judge Jesic said as he delivered his ruling. But as shocking as the crime was, Judge Jesic said, he was also shocked by the number of corrections officials who wrote letters on behalf of the brothers, documented support that clearly swayed his decision.”

Nebraska. Mitch Smith of the New York Times: “A Democrat, John Ewing Jr., appeared on track to win Omaha’s mayoral race on Tuesday, unofficial county results showed, a victory that would end a long period of Republican leadership in a politically divided city that has outsize importance in presidential elections. Mr. Ewing, the longtime Douglas County treasurer, was leading Mayor Jean Stothert, a Republican who had been seeking a fourth term leading Omaha, which has nearly half a million residents and is Nebraska’s largest city. Though the race was officially nonpartisan, the political affiliations of both candidates were well known to voters. Ms. Stothert conceded to Mr. Ewing in a speech on Tuesday evening.... Nebraska is one of two states, along with Maine, that award an electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district. Mr. Trump won the Omaha-based district in 2016, but lost to the Democratic nominee there in 2020 and 2024.”

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Israel/Palestine. Natan Odenheimer & Ronen Bergman of the New York Times: “Some Israeli military officials have privately concluded that Palestinians in Gaza face widespread starvation unless aid deliveries are restored within weeks, according to three Israeli defense officials familiar with conditions in the enclave. For months, Israel has maintained that its blockade on food and fuel to Gaza did not pose a major threat to civilian life in the territory, even as the United Nations and other aid agencies have said a famine was looming.” MB: This purposeful starving of civilians is medieval & deplorable. I spent much of my life as a knee-jerk supporter of Israel. I'm well over that now.

Even the Pope has at least one close relative who is a colossal jerk: ~~~

Vatican/Florida. Richard Fausset of the New York Times: “[The] ... Facebook posts [of Louis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV's older brother] — no longer publicly viewable — suggest that he has embraced some of the most common complaints and conspiracy theories of the right.... Among other things, he reposted an old video of [former House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, under which the author of the original post referred to her with a vulgar sexist epithet. The original post also insinuated that Ms. Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was gay, echoing a misinformation campaign that spread among those on the right after Mr. Pelosi was brutally attacked by a man who broke into his home in October 2022.... Mr. Prevost ... described himself to [television personality Piers] Morgan as a 'MAGA type.'...” He says he's going to “tone it down” but probably won't change.