The Conversation -- May 9, 2025
Tracey Tully, et al., of the New York Times: "Federal officials arrested the mayor of Newark on Friday while he and three members of Congress were protesting at a new immigration detention facility that is expected to play a central role in ... [Donald] Trump's mass deportation effort. The mayor, Ras J. Baraka, was taken to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark, his aides said. Federal officials described the protest as a 'stunt,' and Alina Habba, a lawyer for Mr. Trump whom he had named as New Jersey's interim U.S. attorney, announced Mr. Baraka's arrest in a social media post." MB: A lawful protest is not a stunt; it is protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution. In addition, the members of Congress were at the facility as part of their Congressional oversight function.
Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times: "David H. Souter, a New Hampshire Republican who was named to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush and who over 19 years on that bench became a mainstay of the court's shrinking liberal wing, died on Thursday at his home in New Hampshire. He was 85." Marie: David Souter was my neighbor, and this is my loss. He was the kindliest person one could hope to know.
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Justice Sonia Sotomayor, speaking to hundreds of lawyers at an American Bar Association event on Thursday night, urged the legal profession to toughen up. 'If you're not used to fighting, and losing battles, then don't become a lawyer,' she said. 'Our job is to stand up for people who can't do it themselves.... Right now..., we can't lose the battles we are facing.' Justice Sotomayor spoke in general terms, but her remarks came against the backdrop of immense stress on lawyers and the legal system from the Trump administration.... Justice Sotomayor's remarks came in a charged setting, at an awards ceremony at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.... Accepting an award on Thursday [at the same event], Judge [J. Michelle] Childs appeared to address the Trump administration's attacks on the courts. 'We're not trying to be activist judges,' she said. 'We're just trying to uphold the Constitution.'"
Liz Crampton & Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal judge Friday ordered the immediate release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Tufts University Ph.D. student whose video-recorded detention by masked federal agents drew national scrutiny amid a crackdown by the Trump administration. U.S. District Judge William Sessions III ruled that Ozturk had been unlawfully detained in March for little more than authoring an op-ed critical of Israel in her school newspaper. '... There is no evidence here ... absent consideration of the op-ed,' the Clinton-appointed judge said, describing it as an apparent violation of her free speech rights. He also said Ozturk had made significant claims of due process violations....Sessions said the Trump administration's targeting of Ozturk could chill the speech of 'millions and millions' of noncitizens.... Sessions' order, while expressing severe doubts about the constitutionality of Ozturk's detention and deportation, only applies to her immediate confinement. Efforts by the Trump administration to deport Ozturk will continue in immigration court." The New York Times report is here.
Ellie Houghtaling of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: "Manufacturers say Trump has made opening U.S. factories impossible.... Businesses across the country are crunching the numbers and realizing that, despite Donald Trump's insistence, they can't balance out his tariff hikes across the supply chain. 'Some manufacturers who had plans to open factories in the country say the new duties are only adding to the significant obstacles they already faced,' Bloomberg reported Friday. That's because the supply chain to produce those goods in the United States simply isn't there, requiring companies to import raw materials and factory equipment -- which Trump's tariffs have made unaffordable -- from abroad. And Trump's unpredictable approach to announcing and enacting or even retracting his tariffs has added confusion and significant volatility to the market, making businesses less likely to invest in large, long-term projects such as factory development."
Paul Krugman: "Yesterday 'the president' announced a trade 'deal' with 'Britain.' IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING, I'M TRYING TO EMULATE TRUMP'S STYLE, WITH RANDOM QUOTATION MARKS AND BLOCK CAPITALS, PLUS EXCLAMATION POINTS AT WEIRD PLACES! Anyway, as I predicted yesterday, it was indeed a 'deal' as opposed to an actual deal. There was very little substantive content. The 10 percent overall tariff on imports from Britain remained, although extra tariffs on British steel and cars were removed. Hey, children only need two dolls and five pencils, but the wealthy need their Rolls Royces, Jaguars and Bentleys. Britain, for its part, made vague promises to increase access for some U.S. agricultural products, and may be buying some Boeing jets. Claims of a major deal were, in short, fake news. This was all about creating the illusion that Trump's tariffs are accomplishing something.
"Meanwhile, however..., a bill that would have helped expand the use of stablecoins -- cryptocurrencies that, unlike Bitcoin and other early entrants, are supposed to have a fixed value in dollars -- stalled in the Senate. To advance, the GENIUS Act (gag) needed 60 votes on a procedural measure. With every Democrat and 3 Republicans voting no, it only got 48 votes.... Republicans tried to ram through a bill that literally had no text.... The $Trump and $Melania memecoins have been used for what amounts to brazen bribery. So has USD1, the stablecoin recently introduced by World Liberty Financial, the Trump family crypto firm.... We're talking billions of dollars in direct payments to the president and his relatives. If we were still a serious country, Trump's crypto corruption would lead to his immediate impeachment and removal from office."
Katherine Long of Politico: "David Steiner, a member of the FedEx board of directors, has been appointed as the next postmaster general and CEO of the United States Postal Service, the letter carrier's board of governors announced Friday. Steiner is set to replace former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who resigned in March, and current acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino.... Steiner's appointment has already faced pushback given his ties to FedEx, a leading private competitor of USPS. Union leaders were quick to denounce Steiner, The Washington Post first reported Tuesday, arguing that his appointment further encourages the privatization of postal services."
Josh Funk of the AP: "The air traffic controllers directing planes into the Newark, New Jersey, airport lost their radar Friday morning for the second time in two weeks. The Federal Aviation Administration said the radar at the facility in Philadelphia that directs planes in and out of Newark airport went black for 90 seconds at 3:55 a.m. Friday. That's similar to what happened on April 28."
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The new pope is from the United States. Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, who was born in Chicago and is an Augustinian who has spent most of his career as a missionary in South America. He will be Pope Leo XIV. ~~~ Here are yesterday's AP updates. The New York Times live updates for Thursday are here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Today's New York Times live updates are here.
... the bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them, to suffer with them, and to look for ways that he can better live the gospel message in the midst of his people. -- Robert Cardinal Prevost, Vatican Website, 2024 ~~~
~~~ Motoko Rich, et al., of the New York Times: "As an American, [Pope Leo XIV] is uniquely positioned to stand in contrast to the energized conservative Catholicism in his home country, and has pushed back forcefully against the militant vision of Christian power that the Trump administration has elevated.... Despite his American roots, the Chicago-born polyglot, 69, is viewed as a churchman who transcends borders. The Vatican's official news website framed him not as the first pope from the United States, but the second pope from the Americas. He served for two decades in Peru, where he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen, then rose to lead his international religious community, the Order of St. Augustine. Under Pope Francis, he held one of the most influential Vatican posts, running the office that selects and manages bishops globally."
Chico Harlan & Emily Wax-Thibodeaux of the Washington Post profile Pope Leo XIV.
Anumita Kaur of the Washington Post: "... while his positions on some of the church's hot-button issues remain unclear, [Pope Leo XIV] has signaled continuity with his predecessor, who challenged norms, embraced migrants and the poor, and sought to build an inclusive church.... A native of Chicago, Leo XIV voted in Illinois's Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016, according to voter registration records."
Catherine Pepinster in the Guardian on the significance of the new Pope's name choice.
Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance congratulated Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.... Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Thursday, Trump called the election of an American pope 'a great honor.'... In a congratulatory post on Truth Social, the president also said he looks forward to meeting with Leo, adding, 'It will be a very meaningful moment!'" MB: Notice that in neither of Trump's remarks is it clear who's who: who merits the honor and who will benefit from a meaningful moment?
Steven Nelson & Diana Glebova of the New York Post: "Newly elected Pope Leo XIV spent years amplifying criticism of ... [Donald] Trump's policies on social media -- with the Catholic Church's first American leader taking particular aim at the Republican's hard-line immigration stance. Leo XIV, until Thursday known as Robert Francis Prevost, 69, shared or retweeted the opinions of colleagues using his verified account @drprevost on X.... His final X post before being elected by the Conclave in the Sistine Chapel was a retweet of a message from Philadelphia-based Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo, who on April 14 slammed Trump's partnership with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele on deportation of illegal migrants. 'As Trump & Bukele use Oval to [laugh emoji] Feds' illicit deportation of a US resident ... once an undoc-ed Salvadorean himself, now-DC [auxiliary bishop] Evelio [Menjivar] asks, "Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?"' the tweet reads.... Prevost was also an active participant in US political discussion during Trump's first term -- in 2017 retweeting a post from Palmo that said, 'Calling refugee bans "a dark hour of US history," [Chicago Archbishop] Blase [Cupich] says "the world is watching as we abandon our commitment to American values"'." AND more. A New York Times story is here. ~~~
~~~ Kevin Manahan of NJ.com: "... Catholic cardinals elected a new pope who has spent the past year condemning [JD] Vance and Donald Trump's cruelty toward immigrants and poor.... Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, used his social media to ask Vance and Trump questions about decency. In April 2025, he retweeted a post highlighting Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjívar's condemnation of the deportation of a U.S. resident. 'Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?' the man who would become the first American pope asked. In February, he shared an essay that criticized Vance and Trump's support of deportations and the United States' treatment of migrants. That same month, he shared an article == 'JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others' -- refuting Vance's interpretation of Christian teachings to justify MAGA's policies.... Provost also shared an article from Cardinal Dolan of New York in 2015 titled, 'Why Donald Trump's anti-migrant rhetoric is so problematic.' Democratic pollster Matt McDermott tweeted: 'The new Pope's Twitter suggests he is pro gun reform, supports climate action, backed Black Lives Matter, strongly opposed to MAGA immigration policies -- and clearly has no patience for JD Vance.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ MAGA Meltdown. Kate Riga & Nicole Lafond of TPM: The MAGAverse is very unhappy with the new Pope. Here's a good deal more of the same from Justin Baragona of the Independent.
The Atlantic wins the ASME 2025 Best Cover Award for our October 2024 issue. Inspired by the visual language of old Ray Bradbury and Stephen King paperbacks, Justin Metz created this illustration -- among the only covers without a headline or typography in our history. https://theatln.tc/o0BM860L
— The Atlantic (@theatlantic.com) May 8, 2025 at 5:22 PM
[image or embed]
~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link.
Natalie Allison, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump on Thursday announced a new trade pact with the United Kingdom, the first of dozens of agreements he is seeking with countries around the world. Joined by Peter Mandelson, the newly installed British ambassador in Washington, Trump said the U.K. had agreed to increase market access for U.S. exporters, including domestic chemicals, machinery, and other industrial products. The U.K. also agreed to 'fast-track' American goods, Trump said. Trump also said 'both countries will become stronger with steel,' but the details of what that consisted of remained unclear.... 'It is an agreement in concept. There's a lot of details to be worked out,' Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Fox Business. Critics have expressed skepticism of the significance of the 'deals' the White House is attempting to negotiate in strikingly little time." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: BTW, the U.S. has a trade surplus with the U.K., so it is not one of the countries Trump has been whining were "ripping us off" by selling more to Americans than U.S. businesses sold to them. So this first deal to negotiate a deal does not solve the "problem" Trump claimed was the reason for the tariffs that are punishing American consumers. If you're unsure about what to think about this "deal," please see RAS's commentary, below, on the "Big Announcement." ~~~
~~~ Paul Krugman: "Reportedly [the Trump 'deal'] will mainly be a 'framework' for an actual deal that may or may not happen sometime in the future. This is the tariff equivalent of 'concepts of a plan' for health care. In other words, this will be smoke and mirrors, an attempt to persuade the gullible that Trump's tariffs are actually working.... We can be sure of one thing: It won't lead to any significant opening of the British market to U.S. goods. Why? Because that market was already wide open before Trump stomped in. The most important thing to understand about Trump's trade war is that it's an attempt to solve a problem that only exists in his imagination. He keeps insisting that other countries are engaged in unfair trade, but the reality is that most of our important trading partners impose very low tariffs on U.S. products[.]...
As economists have repeated ad nauseam, [the U.S. trade] deficit doesn't reflect unfair foreign trade policies. It is, instead, the flip side of large flows of capital into the United States, which historically reflected the fact that the U.S. was perceived as an attractive place to invest. Even if Trump manages to score some actual deals, as opposed to concepts of deals, they won't change that logic. If his strategy does manage to reduce the trade deficit, it will do so only by destroying America's attractiveness to foreign investors, which may be an achievable goal." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
Edith Olmsted of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: ... Donald Trump said Thursday that it was 'a good thing, not a bad thing' that he'd crippled the international economy, putting workers' livelihoods in jeopardy. During a press briefing in the Oval Office, Trump downplayed concerns over job security sparked by a significant drop in cargo volumes as a result of his sweeping tariff policy and ongoing trade negotiations with China. One reporter said that traffic at U.S. ports ;has really slowed, and now thousands of dockworkers and truck drivers are worried about their jobs,' before being interrupted by the president. 'That means we lose less money, you know?...,' Trump replied. He claimed that China had been making 'over a trillion, 1.1 trillion, in my opinion.... And frankly if we didn't do business, we would have been better off.... So, when you say it slowed down, that's a good thing, not a bad thing.'... America's trade deficit with China was just $295.4 billion in 2024.... [And] a deficit isn't money lost...." Watch the video. What you're seeing is a lunkhead proving his stupidity on national teevee. ~~~
~~~ Marie: A reasonably intelligent person evaluates new information and incorporates it into his views, even when that new information contradicts and amends his previous understanding. BUT. Here a reporter explains, politely, that Chinese products sold in the U.S. create American jobs. Rather than assimilating that information, Trump shrugs and smugly contradicts the reporter. She mentions dock workers and truckers, but there are millions of people who benefit from the sale of foreign products in the U.S. The people who build all the equipment the dockworkers and truckers use, the jobbers and vendors who sell the products, the advertisers who advertise them, the media who run the ads, the consumers who purchase and use the products. And so forth -- not to mention all the Americans who are free to do creative jobs instead of spending their days screwing tiny screws in tiny electronics parts as Howard Lutnick imagines.
Going Riding in My Rolls ... Without My 30 Barbie Dolls. Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News: "Luxury British carmakers like Rolls-Royce, Range Rover and Aston Martin will be getting a tariff reprieve under the outlines of a trade agreement ... Donald Trump announced Thursday while doubling down on his threats to continue tariffs on toys. Shortly after announcing he would reduce the tariff on British cars to 10%, from 27.5%, Trump said he would keep steep tariffs on toymaker Mattel -- even if the company moves its overseas production out of China, where it makes around 40% of its toys.... Trump has repeatedly dismissed the impact of price increases on children's items produced in China, including toys and strollers, which are largely made there, though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said exemptions for baby products were 'under consideration.'"
Tommy Christopher of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump raged at Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell after he defied the president's demands to lower interest rates and blew off his relentless pressure campaign.... Thursday morning, Trump wrote [on his social media site,] '"Too Late" Jerome Powell is a FOOL, who doesn't have a clue. Other than that, I like him very much! Oil and Energy way down, almost all costs (groceries and 'eggs') down, virtually NO INFLATION, Tariff Money Pouring Into the U.S. -- THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF "TOO LATE!" ENJOY!'" MB: Yo, Donald. The reason the Fed didn't lower rates is that your whimsical tariffs have upset the U.S. and world economy. Maybe you should listen to what Powell himself said: that "uncertainty about the economic outlook has increased further" and "risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen.'" That's on you, Fathead. You're the FOOL. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Krugman (linked above) had the same reaction I had: "Actually, I'm baffled by the quotation marks around 'eggs.'" And, Krugman writes of "Trump's evident disconnect from reality. Prices are, in fact, going up, with a notable upturn in the inflation expected by businesses[.]"
Dan Mangan of CNBC: "... Donald Trump said Thursday that he will pull his controversial nomination of Ed Martin to be the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia. Trump's move came as Martin, who had drawn criticism for his advocacy of Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendants, faced the strong likelihood of the Senate not confirming him. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, on Tuesday said he would not support Martin's nomination, dealing what appeared to be a final blow to his chance of winning confirmation. Tillis cited Martin's support for Capitol riot defendants. 'I have to be straight. I was disappointed,' the president said.... Trump also said, 'We have somebody else that will be announcing over the next two days who's gonna be great.'" At 12:15 pm ET, this was a breaking story. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ But Martin has not one but two new government jobs. Infamous for implementing a pardon for at least one of his own clients, Trump found just the right work for Martin. Joshua Chapin of ABC 7 News Washington, D.C.: "Ed Martin is now the Director of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Pardon Attorney for the Department of Justice...." ~~~
~~~ Not to worry, people! When the Senate nixes a Trump nominee, Donald Trump can always find a worse one to replace the terrible one he started with, as he just did when he withdrew the name of a nominee for surgeon general who supported Covid vaccines and replaced her with an anti-vaxxer who doesn't hold a medical license. ~~~
~~~ Can He Do That? Maybe Not. Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: Donald "Trump said on Thursday that he would name the Fox News personality Jeanine Pirro, whose false statements about the 2020 election were part of a lawsuit against the network, the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, hours after he was forced to pull his first choice. Selecting Ms. Pirro, the former Republican district attorney of Westchester County, N.Y., resolves a thorny dilemma for the president, who said hours earlier that he would withdraw his nomination to permanently install the interim U.S. attorney, Ed Martin, under pressure from Senate Republicans.... Mr. Trump appeared to be relying on an aggressive interpretation of his appointment powers, and his installation of Ms. Pirro could face a legal challenge. A ruling striking down her appointment could disrupt criminal cases brought on her authority, while one upholding it would expand Mr. Trump's power to bypass the Senate....
"Federal law that gives the president the power to appoint anyone as an interim U.S. attorney for 120 days when that position is vacant. It also says that if the appointment expires, a federal court can appoint its own choice as interim top prosecutor until there is a Senate-confirmed official. The traditional understanding of that law is that it gives the president a one-time 120-day window, after which the courts can appoint someone. To be sure, Mr. Trump would not be limited to the court's choice: He could immediately fire anyone he did not like. But after 120 days, he would be limited to naming an acting U.S. attorney under a different law, the Vacancies Reform Act. That would narrow his choices to someone the Senate had already confirmed to another position in his administration, or who had been a senior Justice Department official for at least 90 days before the position became vacant -- effectively meaning someone who served in the Biden administration....
"Ms. Pirro has several attributes that have endeared her to Mr. Trump: She is on his television every day, defending him with husky-voiced vehemence as a member of 'The Five' talk show on Fox; she incurred personal risk to trumpet his election lies; and she is apparently willing to ditch a lucrative TV career, on short notice, to bail him out of an embarrassing jam.... Ms. Pirro was among the Fox hosts named in a lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for questioning the validity of ballot tabulations on Fox's broadcasts. Fox settled the case and was forced to acknowledge that statements by Ms. Pirro and others were false.... In 2021, during the final hours of his first term, Mr. Trump pardoned Ms. Pirro's former husband -- and Mr. Trump's onetime lawyer -- Albert J. Pirro Jr., who was convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion charges in 2000...." The CBS News story is here.
~~~ Marie: BTW, I think it was Jen Psaki of MSNBC who said yesterday that Pirro is the 21st Fox "News" personality Trump has nominated or appointed. ~~~`````
~~~ To balance things out, Trump gets rid of the good ones: ~~~
Donald Trump's unjust decision to fire Dr. Hayden in an email sent by a random political hack is a disgrace and the latest in his ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history and turn back the clock. -- Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader
Her dismissal is not just an affront to her historic service but a direct attack on the independence of one of our most revered institutions. -- Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) ~~~
~~~ Tim Balk of the New York Times: "The Trump administration fired the librarian of Congress, Carla D. Hayden, on Thursday, drawing swift outcry from Democrats. Dr. Hayden was the first African American and first woman to serve as the head of the institution. Dr. Hayden, appointed as the 14th librarian of Congress by President Barack Obama in 2016, had overseen the library through President Trump's first term. The library, the oldest government-run cultural institution in the United States, only rarely gets a new leader. Dr. Hayden was its first since 1987. She was fired in a two-sentence email from Trent Morse, the deputy director of White House personnel, according to a screenshot released by Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch. 'On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately,' the email said.... 'Thank you for your service.'" ~~~
~~~ Nikole Hannah-Jones of the New York Times: "The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission is seeking to fire the administrative judge who became a symbol of resistance after she spoke out against a Trump administration directive for the agency to pause its discrimination investigations regarding transgender people. The judge, Karen Ortiz, received notice on Wednesday that she was being placed on paid administrative leave pending the process to remove her from the position she's held for more than six years. The commission enforces laws against employment discrimination in the federal government and the private sector. In letters reviewed by The New York Times, Ms. Ortiz's supervisor, New York District Office Acting District Director Arlean Nieto, said she was seeking to terminate Ms. Ortiz for 'conduct unbecoming of a federal employee' and failing to follow the agency's email policy. Ms. Ortiz gained national attention in February when someone leaked her email to the commission's acting chairwoman, Andrea Lucas, calling on her to resign. Ms. Ortiz accused Ms. Lucas of following the 'illegal and unethical orders of our president' and violating the Constitution." ~~~
~~~ Christopher Flavelle of the New York Times: "Cameron Hamilton, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was pushed out of the job on Thursday.... His ouster came a day after he told members of Congress that FEMA -- which ... [Donald] Trump has suggested should be disbanded -- was vital to communities 'in their greatest times of need' and should not be eliminated.... Many other senior leaders have been fired or decided to leave as the agency has faced an uncertain future.... On Tuesday, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary whose agency includes FEMA, testified before lawmakers that FEMA should be eliminated. Mr. Hamilton, appearing before Congress on Wednesday, said instead that FEMA 'must return to its roots,' helping state and local governments respond to disasters. 'Communities look to FEMA in their greatest times of need,' Mr. Hamilton told lawmakers, 'and it's imperative that we remain ready to respond to those challenges.'... State officials from around the country, including Republicans, have urged the White House not to dismantle the agency." MB: In keeping with Trump's personnel program, I suggest Sean Hannity to replace Hamilton. (Or, even though he no longer works at Fox, Tucker Carlson might be a good choice. Can't you just see Tucker wading through the muck in a pair of those white DeSantis boots?)
Chris Cameron of the New York Times: Donald "Trump on Thursday attacked a law signed by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. aimed at expanding high-speed internet access, calling the effort 'racist' and 'totally unconstitutional' and threatening to end it 'immediately.' Mr. Trump's statement was one of the starkest examples yet of his slash-and-burn approach to dismantling the legacy of his immediate predecessor in this term in office. The Digital Equity Act, a little-known effort to improve high-speed internet access in communities with poor access, was tucked into the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that Mr. Biden signed into law early in his presidency. The act was written to help many different groups, including veterans, older people and disabled and rural communities. But Mr. Trump, using the incendiary language that has been a trademark of his political career, denounced the law on Thursday for also seeking to improve internet access for ethnic and racial minorities, raging in a social media post that it amounted to providing 'woke handouts based on race.' In reality, the law barely mentions race at al, only stating that racial minorities could be covered by the program while including a nondiscrimination clause that ... [relies on] language taken from the Civil Rights Act of 1964.... It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Trump had carried out his threat to end the grants, which were appropriated through Congress.
Trump's Crypto-Grift. Drew Harwell & Jeremy Merrill of the Washington Post: "At least 67,000 new or small-time crypto investors ... have bet on Trump's meme coin, pouring $15 million into the volatile venture endorsed by Trump and benefiting his personal wealth, a Washington Post analysis found. But virtually all of them bought near the coin&'s peak, just before the inauguration, and 80 percent of them have seen the value of their holdings nosedive, The Post's analysis shows.... The president's team ... has made millions in trading fees from transactions for the meme coin, even when its value goes down." (Also linked yesterday.)
Marie: There must be a catch here, but I don't know what it is. ~~~
~~~ Andrew Duehren of the New York Times: Donald "Trump has asked House Speaker Mike Johnson to include a tax hike on rich Americans in the sprawling fiscal package lawmakers are putting together.... Mr. Trump wants to create a new top income bracket for people making more than $2.5 million per year, the people said, and to tax income above that level at a rate of 39.6 percent. The president brought up the idea to Mr. Johnson in a call on Wednesday.... Such a change would roll back one of the tax cuts that Mr. Trump signed into law in 2017 as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That measure reduced the rate on income earned in the top bracket to 37 percent from 39.6 percent." MB: It's possible that with all the accounting tricks available to the ultra-rich, Trump is able to keep his own annual taxable income to less than $2.5MM, or at least not much higher than that.
Roger Cohen of the New York Times: "... the tumultuous start to Mr. Trump’s second presidency has seen a great unraveling of a trans-Atlantic bond that brought peace and prosperity of unusual scale and duration, by historical standards. He has taken a wrecking ball to the postwar order; what new dispensation will emerge from the havoc is unclear.... Mr. Trump['s] public humiliation of Volodymyr Zelensky ... seemed to mark a breaking point for Europe, where many leaders saw it as a moral abdication.... Europe ... has seen enough to become determined to throw off what Vice President JD Vance called its 'vassal' status, one in a cascade of insults aimed at NATO allies. One such ally, Mr. Trump says, should cede Greenland to him, and another should welcome absorption into the United States.... Writing in the French daily Le Figaro, [French President Emmanuel Macron and new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz] said they 'will never accept an imposed peace and will continue to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.'... But Europe is scarcely united, whatever the resolve in Paris and Berlin. The nationalist, anti-immigrant, anti-climate-science, anti-transgender wave that swept Mr. Trump into office last year is also potent across a continent where it has empowered Viktor Orban in Hungary and Giorgia Meloni in Italy, among others." (Also linked yesterday.)
Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: "Even as ... Donald Trump and the efficiency-geared U.S. DOGE Service seek to cut programs and dramatically reduce the size of the government workforce, the federal deficit increased by $196 billion so far this fiscal year, as spending on social safety-net services and defense programs continue to climb. The government spent $342 billion more in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 than it did in the same period during the previous fiscal year, the Congressional Budget Office, lawmakers' nonpartisan bookkeeper, reported Thursday. It also brought in $146 billion more, including a 7 percent boost in individual income tax that far outpaced officials' projections. From January through April, the first three and a half months of Trump's term, spending increased by $166 billion.... The largest drivers of the spending are the items that traditionally weigh on the U.S. balance sheet: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid."
Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to proceed with a plan to revoke deportation protections for migrants from four troubled countries. In an emergency application to the justices, Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the justices to lift a block imposed by a lower court on its effort to reverse a Biden administration program that had allowed migrants from certain countries to fly into the United States and remain temporarily.... Under the policy, migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela could fly into the United States if they had a financial sponsor and passed security checks. Approximately 532,000 people entered the country under the program, which allowed them to remain for up to two years.... On March 25, a federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily paused the administration's revocation of the program. The court determined that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lacked authority to categorically revoke parole for all 532,000 people without providing individualized, case-by-case reviews." ~~~
~~~ BUT Bring in the White Folks. Zolan Kanno-Youngs, et al., of the New York Times: "The Trump administration is working to bring the first group of white South Africans it has classified as refugees to the United States early next week, according to officials briefed on the plans and documents obtained by The New York Times. Although the president halted virtually all other refugee admissions shortly after he took office in January, his administration hastily put together a program to allow in white South Africans, who he claims have been the victims of racial persecution in their home country. The administration plans to send government officials to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia for an event marking the arrival of the South Africans, who belong to the white minority Afrikaner ethnic group, according to the memo from the Department of Health and Human Services."
Shayna Jacobs, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into real estate transactions involving New York Attorney General Letitia James ... -- the first known criminal probe of a law enforcement official who took action against ... Donald Trump. A grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia has issued subpoenas over a mortgage application in which James attested that she intended to make a single-family home in Norfolk her primary residence...."
The Dog Ate Kash's Homework. Colby Hall of Mediaite: "During a Senate hearing to review the FBI's FY2026 budget request, Director Kash Patel was forced to admit that, despite the law requiring it, he had no such request ready to review. This surprising development came during an awkward back-and-forth with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the ranking Democrat and Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees and approves budget requests. Senator Murray reminded the FBI Director that the budget request was legally required 'last week,' and after the director responded, she surprisedly added, 'And your answer is you just understand you're not going to follow the law?' 'I am following the law, and I'm working with my interagency partners to do this and get you the budget that you are required to have,' Patel explained. Then the discussion went from bad to worse, culminating in Senator Murray calling Patel's preparation for the budget hearing, without a budget, 'insufficient and deeply disturbing.'... His apparent lack of preparation for this fundamental hearing will give no solace to critics convinced he was not prepared for the task at hand." (Also linked yesterday.)
Aishvarya Kavi & Kate Kelly of the New York Times: "Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled an ambitious air-traffic control modernization plan on Thursday, promising to make air travel in the United States safer and more efficient by investing in a raft of new technology. The eight-page framework seeks to upgrade the radio systems that controllers use to communicate with pilots, replace copper wiring with fiber optics, digitize flight data management tools and update deteriorating air-traffic control facilities around the country. It also proposes deploying new technologies to Alaska and the Caribbean to provide more accurate weather and surveillance information. But the framework was missing key details, including how the government would pay for the equipment necessary to modernize a system that the Federal Aviation Agency has struggled to overhaul. The proposals will be dependent on support from Congress for funding. In a 90-minute news conference at the agency's headquarters in Washington that featured dozens of speakers including ... [Donald] Trump, who made remarks over a speakerphone, Mr. Duffy described the overhaul as an urgent mission." ~~~
~~~ Marie: If this is a feasible, well-considered plan, this might be the first useful thing anyone on Trump's Cabinet has done.
Annie Karni of the New York Times: "A divided House on Thursday approved legislation to permanently rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, moving over the taunting objections of Democrats to codify ... [Donald] Trump's executive order renaming the body of water in line with his 'America First' worldview. The 211-to-206 mostly party-line vote to pass the bill amounted to a symbolic show of Republican deference to Mr. Trump, given that Democrats are unlikely to allow the legislation to move forward in the Senate. But it put the G.O.P.-led House on the record backing the president in his effort to rewrite the rules of geography and to dare critics to defy him. Just one Republican, Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, voted no."
David Wallace-Wells of the New York Times: "Today the Gates Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary by announcing its plans to close up shop. Established in 2000..., the foundation quickly became one of the most consequential philanthropies the world has ever seen, utterly reshaping the landscape of global public health, pouring more than $100 billion into causes starved for resources and helping save tens of millions of lives.... The foundation will close its doors, permanently, on Dec. 31, 2045, at least several decades before originally intended. In the meantime, it will be spending down its endowment, as well as almost all of Gates's remaining personal fortune.... Donald Trump is the face of [U.S.] cuts [to humanitarian aid], but the cruelty of his administration is not the only story. After leaping upward in the 2000s, global giving for health grew very slowly through the 2010s.... Over two days in late April, I spoke with [Bill] Gates about the state and legacy of his philanthropic endeavor, its achievements and disappointments thus far and what lies ahead." MB: I think this is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Isaac Schorr of Mediaite: "Microsoft founder Bill Gates didn't mince words in his evaluation of Elon Musk's role in government, fuming that 'the world's richest man' was 'killing the world's poorest children.' Speaking with the The Financial Times, Gates expressed his disgust with Musk's role in shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).... Gates ... told the Times that he'd 'love for him [Musk] to go in and meet the children that have now been infected with HIV because he cut' American aid that had been going to a hospital in Mozambique. Gates's comments came concurrently with an announcement that his own charitable endeavor, the Gates Foundation, would spend an estimated $200 billion over the next 20 years before closing its doors in 2045." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Lede
New York Times: "Joseph S. Nye Jr., an influential figure in shaping American national security policy, who wrote seminal books on foreign affairs, held top jobs at Harvard and in government, and coined the term 'soft power' -- the idea that America's global influence was more than its military might -- died on Tuesday in Cambridge, Mass. He was 88.... Sometimes considered the dean of American political science, Mr. Nye led the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and held senior jobs in theCarter and Clinton administrations." ~~~
~~~ Marie: What a shame he died when that idiot Trump was president*, someone who has done everything he can to eliminate soft-power practices and programs.
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