The Conversation -- May 21, 2025
Trump Uses Oval Office to Embarrass U.S. Again. Erica Green & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "In an astonishing confrontation in the Oval Office on Wednesday..., [Donald] Trump lectured President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa with false claims about a genocide against white Afrikaner farmers, even dimming the lights to show what he said was video evidence of their persecution.... By the end, with the stunned South African president looking on, Mr. Trump began flipping through a stack of papers, apparently showing white victims of violence in South Africa: 'Death, death, death,' he said. The meeting had been expected to be tense, given that Mr. Trump has suspended all aid to the country and created an exception to his refugee ban for Afrikaners, fast-tracking their path to citizenship even as he keeps thousands of other people out. But the meeting quickly became a stark demonstration of Mr. Trump's belief that the world has aligned against white people, and that Black people and minorities have received preferential treatment. In the case of South Africa, that belief has ballooned into claims of genocide.... The meeting with Mr. Ramaphosa on Wednesday was also striking because of the ways in which Mr. Trump dismissed attempts to push back on his fringe claims by those who knew most about them." The NBC News story is here. Politico's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Bill McCarthy of AFP: "... Donald Trump brandished a stack of printed articles at the White House Wednesday that he claimed documented a genocide taking place against white people in South Africa. Mixed into the deck of papers he unveiled before South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa, however, was a months-old blog post featuring a photo from the Democratic Republic of Congo.... [Trump] held up a February article about tribalism in Africa from a little-known [MB: right-wing] website called 'American Thinker.' It featured a blown-up image showing Red Cross workers in protective gear handling body bags. 'Look, here's burial sites all over the place,' said Trump. 'These are all white farmers that are being buried.' But the image is a screengrab from a February YouTube video of Red Cross workers responding after women were raped and burned alive during a mass jailbreak in the Congolese city of Goma, according to its caption." Emphasis added.
Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Boston said on Wednesday that the Trump administration had violated an order he issued last month barring officials from deporting people to countries not their own without first giving them sufficient time to object. The finding by the judge, Brian E. Murphy, was one of the strongest judicial rebukes the administration has faced so far in a series of contentious cases arising from its sprawling deportation agenda. It was not immediately clear what punishment, if any, Judge Murphy intended to mete out..., but he asked for a list of names of everyone involved so he can notify them that they might all face criminal contempt penalties. The judge's decision came at a hearing in Federal District Court in Boston to consider an emergency motion filed by lawyers for a group of men who they said were deported after being told they were being sent to South Sudan.... While much of the discussion at the court hearing took place under seal, Judge Murphy said that the government had given the deported men little more than 24 hours' notice that they were being removed from the United States -- a time frame that he described as 'plainly insufficient.'" Politico's report is here.
Ry Rivard of Politico: "The 'hasty arrest' and swift dismissal of a trespassing charge against Mayor Ras Baraka suggests a worrisome misstep' by interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba, a federal judge said Wednesday afternoon. U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa granted what he called the 'embarrassing retraction' of the misdemeanor charge following a May 9 incident at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark that unfolded in a tussle between federal authorities and three members of Congress and resulted in the arrest of the city's Democratic mayor, who is also running for governor.... 'Your office must operate with a higher standard than that,' he said." The Washington Post's report is here.
⭐Eric Lipton & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "The United States has accepted a 747 jetliner as a gift from the government of Qatar, and the Air Force has been asked to figure out a way to rapidly upgrade it so it can be put into use as a new Air Force One for ... [Donald] Trump, a Defense Department spokesman confirmed Wednesday.... The plane, which industry executives estimated is worth about $200 million, will require extensive work before it can be considered secure enough to carry Mr. Trump, Pentagon officials have acknowledged.... Maintaining the staff and equipment for three planes [-- i.e., this gift-bribe plane plus the two currently used as AF1] is extraordinarily expensive, an estimated $135 million a year for each plane, according to the Pentagon. And it could cost $1 billion or more to retrofit the Qatari plane to get it ready for use as Air Force One, a process that former Air Force officials said could take longer than finishing the job Boeing is already doing to deliver the replacements for the current two planes....
"Congress typically reviews and approves spending on any new major Pentagon programs.... The Senate majority leader, John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, said this month that Congress would be asking questions about any possible use of the Qatari plane as Air Force One.... Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic minority leader, tried and failed on Wednesday to pass a bill in the Senate that would ban the use of a foreign jet as Air Force One. 'This is about ensuring our national security, and about not wasting taxpayer dollars on an utterly senseless deal,' Mr. Schumer said, calling the deal 'the largest foreign bribe in modern history.'... Congress has not yet taken any formal vote to accept the plane as a gift from Qatar. The Constitution requires that Congress sign off on any large gift to the president." The CBS News story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Besides all the other excellent reasons not to accept this gift-bribe, I find it damned embarrassing that in a mere four months we have gone from being a powerful nation to one that is so poor and needy it has to go begging to a postage-stamp-sized country to please, please give us an old hand-me-down plane so our stupid, philistine president* can ride the friendly skies in one he thinks is fancier than the old junkers he already has.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) responds to the arrest of Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.). Thanks to Patrick for the link. Raskin's righteous rank, as Patrick wrote, is well-worth your time: ~~~
Marie: I am limited in the number of gift links to the NYT & WashPo I can post. However, I sometimes come across what look like gift links to the NYT on other sites. So I wish someone who does NOT have a subscription to the New York Times would tell me if these links I describe as "looks like a gift link" really are gift links or if I'm just subjecting people to false hopes & subscription sales pitches. You can tell me in the Comments section or write to me at constantweader@gmail.com
Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "It's fitting that a political movement whose slogan is the backward-looking 'Make America Great Again' -- and whose tribune, Donald Trump, appears to live in an eternal 1990 of his own mind -- is waging war on the American future. This war has four theaters of conflict.... [1] Trump is waging war on constitutional government, with a full-spectrum attack on the idea of the United States as a nation of laws and not men....[2] The MAGA movement is waging war on the nation's economic future, rejecting two generations of integration and interdependency with the rest of the world in favor of American autarky.... [3] The White House is also fighting a pitched battle against a sustainable climate future.... [4] [The movement is] an assault on the nation's capacity to produce scientific, technological and medical breakthroughs." Looks like a gift link.
Ashley Wu & Albert Sun of the New York Times: "The Trump administration has taken a flurry of actions to drive up deportation numbers as part of its large-scale immigration crackdown. These efforts include expanding the group of people who can be targeted for removal, speeding up the deportation process for others and, in some cases, tightening the rules for legal immigrants. Below is an explanation of those efforts and an accounting of the millions of immigrants who may be affected." This is a gift link. MB: Trump doesn't just want to take the U.S. back in time; he wants to take it to another place: like Nazi Germany. If you don't belong to the master race, get out! If you don't worship him, get out! ~~~
~~~ And if the cops profile you, or arrest you without cause, or beat up on you, or kill you -- tough! ~~~
~~~ Jacey Fortin, et al., of the New York Times: "The Trump administration moved on Wednesday to scrap proposed agreements for federal oversight of police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville, Ky., as part of a broader abandonment of efforts by previous administrations to overhaul local law enforcement across the United States. Justice Department officials said they planned to drop cases filed after incidents of police violence against Black people in Minneapolis and Louisville, and to close investigations into departments in Memphis; Phoenix; Oklahoma City; Trenton, N.J.; and Mount Vernon, N.Y., as well as a case against the Louisiana State Police. In those cities and states, Justice Department officials said, they were retracting Biden-era findings that police departments had violated the constitutional rights of residents and were declaring those findings to be misguided."
Here is the Washington Post's obituary for Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who died today.
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Oliver O'Connell of the Independent (May 14): "Looming down from the pillared front of the neo-classical facade [of Washington, D.C.'s Department of Agriculture building] is an enormous, brooding picture of ... Donald Trump, adapted from his official presidential portrait. Another banner further along the front of the building depicts President Abraham Lincoln. Both include the USDA logo and the text: 'Growing America Since 1862.'... The picture of Trump is reminiscent of portraits of leaders hanging from public buildings, often seen in dictatorships, monarchies, and in descriptions in George Orwell's 1984 of 'Big Brother.' X users described the Trump installation as 'fashy looking,' having a 'North Korean aesthetic,' and giving off 'Saddam Hussein vibes.'" Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See his commentary at the top of today's thread. MB: Sorry I missed this one.
He's No Neville Chamberlain. (Because Neville Wasn't a Snivelling Quitter.) David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump told President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and other European leaders after his call with Mr. Putin that Russia and Ukraine would have to find a solution to the war themselves, just days after saying that only he and Mr. Putin had the power to broker a deal. And he backed away from his own threats to join a European pressure campaign that would include new sanctions on Russia, according to six officials.... Their account sheds light on Mr. Trump's decision to throw up his hands when it comes to a peace process that he had previously promised to resolve in just 24 hours.... Monday's developments left Mr. Putin with exactly what he wanted: not only an end to American pressure, but the creation of a deep fissure inside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, between the Americans and their traditional European allies, who say they are going ahead with sanctions anyway....
"'The policy since the beginning of the Trump administration has been to put pressure on the victim, Ukraine, rather than the aggressor, Russia,' Bridget A. Brink, the former [U.S.] ambassador and a longtime Foreign Service officer, wrote after [resigning her ambassadorship to Kyiv] last month. 'Peace at any price is not peace at all -- it is appeasement.' But Mr. Trump discovered that he could not get peace at any price, because Mr. Putin rejected his overtures. Mr. Trump, of course, is usually a fan of financial pressure: He routinely threatens tariffs and sanctions against allies and adversaries alike...."
~~~ "Trump's Deference to Putin Stunned European Leaders." Barak Ravid & Dave Lawler of Axios: "Ukrainian President Zelensky and five other European leaders joined a conference call with ... [Donald] Trump immediately after his call with Vladimir Putin on Monday hoping to hear that Putin had agreed to a ceasefire -- or the U.S. would impose penalties on him for refusing to do so. Instead, Trump said Putin had agreed to negotiate, stressed the U.S. wouldn't be involved in those negotiations, and pushed back against the idea of imposing sanctions on Putin at the current time, two sources who were on the call and a third source briefed on the call told Axios.... Trump gave the impression he was getting closer to withdrawing from the issue altogether. Some leaders on the call seemed 'surprised' or 'shocked,' the sources said.... Leaders on the call seemed surprised that Trump seemed relatively content with what he heard from Putin, and presented it as a new development, even though the Russian leader did not seem to have changed his position at all, the sources said." (Also linked yesterday.)
Carl Gibson of AlterNet, republished by the Raw Story: "The state of the United States' economy is much shakier than previously thought under ... Donald Trump's leadership, according to on major international bank. The New Republic reported Tuesday that Deutsche Bank managing director Jim Reid, who is the bank's global head of macro research and thematic strategy, is now expressing increasing worry that Trump's policies are gradually wrecking the economy. In a memo obtained by Fortune, Reid remarked that the recent decision by Moody's to downgrade the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA1 for the first time in history could be a harbinger of tougher economic times in the near future. 'Yesterday felt like we were somewhere along the line of a "death by a thousand cuts" with regards to the U.S. fiscal situation,' Reid wrote."
Trump Doesn't Want to Be President* of the United States. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump argued that a GOP budget bill should help only Republican states instead of benefiting Democratic governors. 'We're going to make a couple of tweaks,' Trump said of his 'one big beautiful bill' during a Tuesday trip to Capitol Hill. 'I mean, we don't want to benefit Democrat governors, although I would do that if it made it better, but they don't know what they're doing.... 'We want to benefit Republicans. They are the ones that are going to make America great again,' he added. 'The Democrats are destroying our country.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: I think Trump made these remarks in regard to his new opposition -- he was for it before he was against it -- to expanding the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes, the so-called SALT deduction. States led by Democrats typically have higher state & local taxes because those states do more to aid residents. Republican House members who represent districts in states led by Democrats have been pushing to expand the deduction, which was unlimited until Republicans passed the first bill for billionaires during Trump's first terms.
More on the state of the U.S. economy and on negotiations re: this year's bill for billionaires linked below.
Amy Wang & Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the government will move forward on construction of a multibillion-dollar 'Golden Dome' missile defense system that will use a constellation of satellites and space-based weapons to intercept ballistic attacks on the United States.... Trump said Tuesday that his administration had settled on an architecture for the project and claimed that the system could be operational within three years.... Trump has already allocated $25 billion in the federal budget toward the construction of the Golden Dome in the massive budget bill that Republicans ... aim to pass in the coming weeks. Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that deploying and operating just the space-based interceptors of the new missile defense system could cost anywhere from $161 billion to $542 billion over the next two decades." ~~~
~~~ Joe Sommerlad of the Independent: "A group of 42 Democrats has written to the Pentagon's Inspector General demanding an investigation after it was reported that Elon Musk's company, SpaceX, could win a lucrative contract to help build ... Donald Trump's new 'Golden Dome' anti-missile defense system. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Tammy Duckworth have responded by expressing their concerns in a letter to acting Pentagon Inspector General Steven A Stebbins, demanding transparency about the bidding process.... According to CNN..., [Musk] has lobbied [DOD Secretary Pete] Hegseth for a role in the project. SpaceX is reportedly pitching to win the contract to shape the Dome's 'custody layer,' a constellation of satellites that would detect missiles, track their trajectory, and determine if they are heading towards the U.S." ~~~
~~~ Worst-Possible Co-President Quits. For Now. Theodore Schleifer, et al., of the New York Times: Elon "Musk, the world's richest person, has signaled that he wants to turn back to his business empire. He has made himself increasingly scarce in Washington. And months after he served as the 2024 election's biggest donor, he said on Tuesday that he planned to spend 'a lot less' in future elections. It was the latest sign that Mr. Musk is fading into the background of American politics -- at least for now.... Asked if his thinking stemmed from the 'blowback' he had faced for helping to guide the Trump administration -- a role that has created wide-ranging conflicts of interest -- Mr. Musk dodged the question and left the door open for future outlays on elections.... Mr. Musk has not left Mr. Trump's side completely: He accompanied the president last week for part of a Middle East trip that raised new questions about how the tech billionaire, his family and his companies are benefiting financially from his government role."
Know-It-All Twerp Corrects Chief Justice. Avery Lotz of Axios: "Vice President JD Vance characterized Chief Justice John Roberts' recent statement that the judiciary can 'check the excesses' of the executive as a 'profoundly wrong sentiment' in a New York Times interview published Wednesday.... 'I saw an interview with Chief Justice Roberts recently where he said the role of the court is to check the excesses of the executive,' Vance said on the NYT's 'Interesting Times' podcast. 'I thought that was a profoundly wrong sentiment.' To Vance, checking the power of the executive is 'one-half of' Roberts' job. 'The other half of his job is to check the excesses of his own branch,' the vice president said. 'You cannot have a country where the American people keep on electing immigration enforcement and the courts tell the American people they're not allowed to have what they voted for,' he continued.... Vance said the courts were making an effort to 'quite literally overturn the will of the American people.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: You might wonder why I didn't link the NYT interview myself. (It's linked in Lotz's post.) That's because the interviewer is Ross Douthat. It's my theory that Douthat & Vance are identical twins separated at birth.
Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: "The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation of Andrew M. Cuomo, a front-runner in the New York City mayoral race, after Republicans accused him of lying to Congress about decisions he made during the coronavirus pandemic as governor, according to two people.... The inquiry, begun about a month ago by the U.S.attorney's office in Washington, comes after senior Justice Department officials in February demanded the dismissal of an indictment of the city's current mayor, Eric Adams, on corruption charges. That puts the Trump administration in the unusual position of having ended a criminal case against the leader of the nation's largest city and opened one into his chief rival in the span of a few months. Mr. Adams is running for re-election as an independent, and Mr. Cuomo is leading the Democratic primary field in the polls. The existence of the investigation is sure to fuel further criticism that ... [Donald] Trump and his administration are wielding the Justice Department as a cudgel to achieve political ends and punish his perceived enemies. Mr. Trump routinely calls for criminal inquiries of political foes and people who have crossed him, often based on what legal experts say are flimsy claims.... His appointees at the Justice Department have increasingly signaled a willingness to use their investigative and prosecutorial powers to carry out Mr. Trump's wishes." The CBS news story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Barrett correctly reports on the parts played by the champions of fake investigations: Rep. Jim Comer (R-Ky.), and crazy former acting D.C. U.S. attorney Ed Martin , as well as Crazy Eddie's replacement Jeanine Pirro (Mrs. Boxwine to us). But maybe the real reason for "investigating" the equally loathsome Cuomo is that Let-Them-Drink-Bleach Trump is jealous of him because Cuomo's Covid press conferences were more popular than Trump's loopy Covid pressers.
Secretary Noem, what is habeas corpus? -- Sen. Maggia Hassan (D-N.H.) in a Senate hearing Tuesday
Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country. -- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department has flagrantly violated residents' Constitutional rights to petition for writs of habeas corpus, responding
Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people. If not for that protection, the government could simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold them indefinitely for no reason.... Habeas corpus is the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea. -- Sen. Hassan, responding ~~~
~~~ Steve Benen of MSNBC: "... Noem is ... a college graduate with a degree in political science; she served several years as a state legislator; she served several more years as an elected member of Congress; she was twice elected to serve as the governor of her home state; and she's now leading ... a department that's currently in the process of seizing people in the United States. If anyone should have a rudimentary understanding of what habeas corpus is, it's the secretary of homeland security.... As part of the same congressional hearing, Noem also proceeded to argue that Donald Trump has the constitutional authority to suspend habeas corpus, but that was wrong, too: The Constitution includes this provision as a constitutional power in Article I [that is, it is a Congressional prerogative (with strict limitations)]. In a healthier political environment, a fiasco such as this one would lead to credible discussion about whether Noem should be forced to resign in embarrassment." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. Please see his commentary below. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Michael Gold of the New York Times: "Ms. Noem's answer, which echoed the Trump administration's expansive view of presidential power, flipped the legal right on its head, turning a constitutional shield against unlawful detention into broad presidential authority." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Joe Patrice of Above the Law has fun dinging Noem. A sampling: "Friends, if you thought Noem's testimony last week sucked, she's politely asking you to hold her beer.... Normally, Senators grilling witnesses on remedial points of law is a stupid waste of time, but this isn't some esoteric point of law... it's the administration's public argument!... [Noem] had a second shot and still missed. Apparently understanding the Constitution presents a harder target than one of her puppies.... The language is found in Article I and therefore the correct tweaking of Noem's answer would be 'suspending habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president Congress has....' This is why she interjects 'President Lincoln used it!' because some hapless aide must have armed her with this half-remembered fact...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: A real president wants his advisors and Cabinet to be more knowledgeable than he is, especially within the parameters of their own responsibilities. We do not have a real president. Update: OR, as Scott Lemieux puts it in LG&$ re: Noem: "Ideally, Trump would like every member of his cabinet to be as dumb, ignorant, and authoritarian as he is, and you have to say on that score you can't dispute that he's been mostly successful."
Hamed Aleaziz, et al., of the New York Times: "A federal court ordered the Trump administration on Tuesday to maintain custody of migrants on a deportation flight that immigrants' lawyers said was headed to South Sudan, a transfer the judge said appeared to violate an injunction he issued in April. 'I am not going to order that the plane turn around,' said the judge, Brian E. Murphy of the Federal District Court in Boston. Instead, he said, any migrants in Department of Homeland Security custody must not leave U.S. control once the plane landed, at least until a hearing Wednesday to determine whether they had received adequate due process.... 'Based on what I have been told,' [the judge] said, 'this seems like it may be contempt.'... Immigration lawyers at the hearing on Tuesday said at least two migrants had been told they were going to be deported to South Sudan, a violence-plagued country in Africa that the State Department advises Americans not to travel to.... 'Where is the plane?' Judge Murphy asked. 'I'm told that that information is classified, and I am told that the final destination is also classified,' [the Justice Department lawyer] Perez said." Update: The link newly provided seems to be a gift link. The CBS News story is here.
Adam Taylor & Martine Powers of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration has devised plans to spend up to $250 million earmarked for foreign assistance to fund instead the removal and return of people from active conflict zones, including 700,000 Ukrainian and Haitian migrants who fled to the United States amid extreme, ongoing violence back home, according to draft internal documents reviewed by The Washington Post.... In addition to Ukrainians and Haitians, the draft documents also mention Afghans, Palestinians, Libyans, Sudanese, Syrians and Yemenis, saying they, too, could be targeted as part of the voluntary deportation program. The U.N.-affiliated migration office does not support the return of people to any of those places, the draft documents say.... Critics of the proposal, including former government officials, said it is inhumane and counter to long-held U.S. ideals for the Trump administration to push people seeking refuge to return to countries where they are at risk of being killed. They also raised questions about whether such a plan represents a misuse of foreign aid funds designated primarily to support refugees and their resettlement." (Also linked yesterday.)
Greg Jaffe of the New York Times: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that he had directed his chief spokesman to convene a panel to review the U.S. military's chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and to ensure that senior military officials were held accountable. In a memo to senior Pentagon leaders, Mr. Hegseth said that the department had been reviewing the operation that led to the deaths of 13 U.S. troops and 170 civilians at Kabul International Airport. He suggested that the effort led by Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, would be more comprehensive than previous reviews. Mr. Hegseth's selection of his chief spokesman to conduct such an inquiry was highly unusual and appeared to reflect a skepticism that uniformed military leaders would hold each other accountable....
"[Mr. Parnell] will be joined in the review by former Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who in October 2021 pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty, contempt toward officials and willfully disobeying a superior officer, after he excoriated senior military officials in the days after a suicide bombing killed the 13 U.S. troops at Kabul's airport.... Mr. Hegseth largely blamed the Biden administration for the poorly executed end to the war, and seemed to suggest, much as Colonel Scheller did in his video, that uniformed military leaders should have resigned in protest rather than carry out the flawed withdrawal plan.... But the review's narrow scope likely will not include the decisions that led up to the withdrawal, such as the deal ... [Donald] Trump and his first administration made with the Taliban in February 2020. That agreement set a hard deadline for America's retreat from Afghanistan after nearly two decades of war. Nor does it seem likely that the review will look into the sudden collapse of the Afghan military...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Normally, I would say a thorough review of a botched military operation is a necessity. And fresh eyes on an operation that already has been subject to review may be a good idea, too. But this looks more like a political hit job than a thorough review with the aim of pinpointing responsibility and improving operations & practices. I'd guess Parnell has already drafted the summary of the panel's "findings."
Charlie Savage, et al., of the New York Times: "New emails document how a top aide to Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, ordered analysts to edit an assessment with the hope of insulating ... [Donald] Trump and Ms. Gabbard from being attacked for the administration's claim that Venezuela's government controls a criminal gang. 'We need to do some rewriting' and more analytic work 'so this document is not used against the DNI or POTUS,' Joe Kent, the chief of staff to Ms. Gabbard, wrote in an email to a group of intelligence officials on April 3.... The disclosure of the precise language of Mr. Kent's emails has added to the emerging picture of a politicized intervention.... Mr. Kent's interventions have raised internal alarms about politicizing intelligence analysis.... [Mr. Kent] is also Mr. Trump's pending nominee to lead the National Counterterrorism Center...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Now that Kent has proved his incompetence, his cunning AND his loyalty to Trump, of course he's been nominated for a better job.
Rachel Roubein & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "The Food and Drug Administration unveiled plans Tuesday to narrow its approval for updated coronavirus vaccines to older adults and people with at least one health condition that puts them at high risk for severe disease, marking a significant shift in the agency's approach to green-lighting the shots. The new guidelines indicate that updated vaccines will probably be available in the fall for Americans over the age of 65, as well as those older than 6 months who have at least one condition putting them at higher risk of severe illness, such as people with asthma, diabetes, cancer and obesity, in addition to pregnant women. Top FDA leaders estimate more than 100 million Americans would be eligible for the shots under the new framework. In past years, the shots have been broadly recommended, including to children and generally healthy adults. It was not immediately clear whether healthy people under 65 would be able to get the shots or whether insurers would pay for them if so."
Michael Crowley of the New York Times: "A defiant Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed in sometimes personal terms with his former Senate Democratic colleagues on Tuesday, calling their criticism evidence of his success. At a hearing on the State Department budget, several Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee said that they were deeply disappointed in Mr. Rubio and regretted voting for his confirmation. The contentious scene reflected Democratic fury over ... [Donald] Trump's policies, such as the evisceration of U.S. foreign aid programs.... Mr. Rubio, they argued, had betrayed his principles while serving Mr. Trump. 'I have to tell you, directly and personally, that I regret voting for you for secretary of state,' Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, told Mr. Rubio after castigating him for approving huge cuts to aid programs promoting human rights, public health, food assistance and democracy. 'First of all, your regret for voting for me confirms I'm doing a good job,' Mr. Rubio retorted, launching into an unapologetic response that produced shouting and gavel banging as Mr. Van Hollen called portions of Mr. Rubio's answer 'flippant' and 'pathetic.' In January, the Senate confirmed Mr. Rubio ... by a 99-to-0 vote. Many Democrats ... privately hoped Mr. Rubio would check Mr. Trump's disruptive impulses." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Here's the exchange between Van Hollen & Marco. I particularly enjoyed Van Hollen's excellent takedown of Rubio's performance as Secretary. I turned off Marco's retorts after a minute or two, but Akhilleus, who has more fortitude than I, did listen to them yesterday, and his commentary in yesterday's thread is right on, as far as I know. ~~~
All the Best People. Andrew Duehren of the New York Times: "Billy Long, a former Republican congressman from Missouri whom ... [Donald] Trump has tapped to lead the Internal Revenue Service, encouraged people to claim a tax credit that the I.R.S. has said does not exist.... Mr. Long's effort [for which he was paid] to promote the tax credit, along with his peddling of a separate, fraud-ridden pandemic-era tax break, will be under close scrutiny on Tuesday when he appears before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing. After leaving Congress in 2023, Mr. Long, who had no background in tax, began working with a web of entities that made questionable promises to taxpayers of large I.R.S. refunds, according to his financial disclosure and previous reporting by The New York Times.... The I.R.S., responding to a request from Senate Democrats, told lawmakers..., 'We can confirm that these tax credits do not exist.'... 'Taxpayers who claim credits that don't exist are subject to penalties and possible examination. Furthermore, promoters of these credits may be subject to civil or criminal penalties.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The Trump Plutocracy Hums Along. Tobias Burns of the Hill: "Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said Tuesday he has recordings of business associates of ... [Donald] Trump's pick to lead the IRS, former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), saying they expect to get favors from him once he is in office. Wyden cited recordings of two instances of people saying they expect to receive favorable treatment from Long. 'Our staff investigators have on tape now, tax promoters saying you met with them at the inauguration and promised [them] a favorable private letter ruling,' Wyden said Tuesday during Long's confirmation hearing in the Senate Finance Committee. Long has worked as a tax credit promoter, an industry that pushed tax credits to businesses as the government sent out $5 trillion in rescue stimulus during the pandemic. Wyden's revelation about the recordings came at the end of Long's confirmation hearing, and Long was not given a chance to respond, though he defended his work as a tax promoter throughout the hearing, specifically with regard to the disputed 'tribal' tax credits, which Democrats contend do not exist." ~~~
~~~ Freddie Brewster of the Lever: "Former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) ... was invited to attend Trump's inauguration as the guest of a financial services CEO who said Long promised him benefits for his company, according to a recording obtained by The Lever. The executive also stated that Long planned to give a top government job to a campaign donor at an embattled financial firm. Companies peddling tax schemes 'don't have to worry' about regulatory crackdowns under Long's oversight, added the executive. In a corporate Zoom recording provided to The Lever by Sen. Ron Wyden's (D-Ore.) office, Terry Kennedy, CEO of financial services company Appreciation Financial, noted he helped Long attend Trump's inauguration.... According to Kennedy, Long promised to give him a 'private letter ruling' -- a special IRS determination that helps taxpayers with complex IRS issues avoid potential tax violations, according to the tax agency." MB: Apparently Long is a factotum Trump is making head the IRS to help Trump's wealthy friends wiggle out of any nasty tax obligations. This of course is not just a favor to rich people; it means everyone else ultimately will have to pay to make up for the losses from high-earner tax avoidance.
~~~ Marie: Trump doesn't pick the Worst Possible Candidates by accident. He is mocking the very notion of government for the people.
Sahil Kapur & Frank Thorp of NBC News: "In a surprise move, the Republican-led Senate quickly passed the 'No Tax on Tips Act' on Tuesday, giving its official stamp of approval to an idea that has gained traction since ... Donald Trump campaigned on it last year. The legislation would create a tax deduction worth up to $25,000 for tips, limited to cash tips that workers report to employers for withholding purposes on payroll taxes. The tax break would also be restricted to employees who earn $160,000 or less in 2025, an amount that will rise with inflation in coming years. It was introduced in January by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and a bipartisan group of co-sponsors including Nevada's two Democratic senators, Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto. Rosen brought the bill up in the Senate for a 'unanimous consent' request Tuesday.... None of the 99 other senators objected to Rosen's proposition, which led to the legislation's passing.... The bill now goes to the House, where Republicans have been seeking to include a version of the proposal in their sweeping party-line package for Trump's agenda." The Washington Post's report is here.
Alicia Parlapiano & Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times: "The United States hit its record debt level at the end of 1945, after a world war and the Great Depression. That record, in which the debt was briefly larger than the size of the entire economy, is almost certain to be broken in the next several years. Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office published in January showed that the country was on track to overtake it in 2032 -- and that was before the Republicans' large tax and spending bill was taken into account. Under the G.O.P. megabill being considered in the House, budget experts now say, the U.S. debt would blow past the record even sooner and climb significantly higher in coming decades. America has had periods of high debt before, but they have tended to occur during wars, recessions or other major shocks. Generally, federal deficits have been lower during periods of low unemployment. Today, there is no war or recession to easily explain the rapidly increasing pace of borrowing."
Ben Leonard of Politico: "Tax cuts in House Republicans' megabill would lead to increased assets for the richest Americans, while reducing them for the lowest-income households through cuts to federal spending on Medicaid and food aid, according to a new preliminary analysis from the [MB: nonpartisan] Congressional Budget Office. The analysis, requested by top Democrats, gives fuel to Democrats' attacks on the bill that it would lead to gains for wealthy Americans while taking away benefits for lower-income people.... House Republicans' package ... would make major changes to Medicaid, including new work requirements and other policies that CBO has estimated would lead to millions losing coverage.... 'This is what Republicans are fighting for -- lining the pockets of their billionaire donors while children go hungry and families get kicked off their health care,' Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said in a statement."
After Midnight. Jacob Bogage & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "The House Rules Committee worked through the night on ... Donald Trump's massive tax and immigration package..., trying to push the bill past a procedural test that would allow for a final vote. Lawmakers were still debating its provisions early Wednesday morning after a committee session that began at 1 a.m. But the GOP's narrow majority is far from unified around the proposal. And although Trump visited the U.S. Capitol for a conservative pep rally Tuesday, warring Republican factions on both sides dug in to oppose what is now officially called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act."
Tyler Pager of the New York Times: "Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had never received a diagnosis of prostate cancer before last week, his spokesman said on Tuesday, pushing back against speculation that there had been some sort of coverup around the illness. The spokesman, Chris Meagher, also said Mr. Biden's last-known prostate-specific antigen test, the most common way to screen for prostate cancer, was in 2014. Mr. Biden would have been 71 or 72 years old at the time. The new details help provide some clarity about Mr. Biden's health records, but they still do not directly give an answer on why Mr. Biden was not regularly screened for prostate cancer throughout his presidency.... But allies of Mr. Biden, 82, and medical experts point to guidelines that advise against P.S.A. screening for men over the age of 70. The guidelines vary slightly across different medical organizations, but doctors generally agree that men of an advanced age should not automatically be screened for prostate cancer.... Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, an oncologist who served as an adviser on the coronavirus pandemic for the Biden administration, said presidents should be held to a higher standard than the average American."
⭐Melissa Quinn of CBS News: "Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia died Wednesday, his family announced. He was 75 years old. Connolly's death comes weeks after he announced that he would not seek reelection in 2026 and would be stepping back from his post as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee because his cancer had returned."
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Louisiana. Michael Levenson of the New York Times: "A maintenance worker has been arrested and charged with helping 10 inmates carry out a brazen escape from a New Orleans jail last week, bolstering the suspicion among investigators that the escape would have been impossible without inside help. The worker, Sterling Williams, 33, who was arrested on Monday, shut off water at the jail, allowing the inmates to remove a metal toilet and sink fixture from a cell wall, the Louisiana attorney general's office said. Mr. Williams told investigators that an inmate had threatened to 'shank him' if he did not shut off the water, according to an affidavit supporting his arrest. The inmates then used an unidentified tool to cut steel bars behind the cell room sink, leaving behind a hole in the wall just big enough to crawl through and a taunting misspelled message: 'to easy LOL.'"
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China, et al. Trump Cedes International Leadership to China. Lily Kuo & Vic Chiang of the Washington Post: "China has pledged to give $500 million to the World Health Organization as Beijing is set to replace the United States as the group's top state donor, expanding China's global influence in the wake of Washington's retreat from international cooperation.... Donald Trump ordered the U.S.'s withdrawal from the WHO in January, which would leave Beijing as the top donor and most powerful member country. 'The world is now facing the impacts of unilateralism and power politics, bringing major challenges to global health security,' [Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong] said on Tuesday in Geneva. 'China strongly believes that only with solidarity and mutual assistance can we create a healthy world together.'"
Israel/Palestine, et al. Aaron Boxerman & Stephen Castle of the New York Times: "Israel's threats to drastically escalate the war in Gaza and its blockade of humanitarian aid to a Palestinian population at risk of famine have drawn the sharpest condemnation yet from some powerful Western allies since the conflict began 19 months ago. On Tuesday, Britain said it was suspending talks with Israel on expanding a free-trade agreement. The day before, Britain, France and Canada issued a rare public reprimand of Israel, demanding it cease the renewed military offensive. 'We have always supported Israel's right to defend Israelis against terrorism,' a joint statement by the three countries said. 'But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.' The message made clear that Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza, the high Palestinian death toll and the abysmal humanitarian conditions in Gaza were pushing some of the country's most powerful international supporters to the limits of what they would tolerate.... The United States, Israel's most powerful patron, has not publicly criticized the renewed Israeli offensive. But ... [Donald] Trump has increasingly bypassed Mr. Netanyahu...."
News Lede
New York Times: "George Wendt, who earned six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his role as the bearish, beer-quaffing Everyman Norm Peterson on the enduring sitcom '"Cheers,' died on Tuesday at his home in Studio City, Calif. He was 76.... Over more than four decades, Mr. Wendt racked up about 170 film and television credits. But he was best known for 'Cheers.' He appeared on every episode of the sitcom during its 11-year run on NBC, beginning in 1982...." -55-
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