The Conversation -- May 26, 2025
Sam Roberts of the New York Times: “Charles B. Rangel, the former dean of New York’s congressional delegation, who became the first Black chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, only to relinquish that position when he was censured for an ethics violation, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 94.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Akhilleus's mention of walking his dog Rocket (see today's Comments) reminded me of a day I was walkng my dog Bronte in downtown Manhattan when I heard a familiar voice: it was Gov. Mario Cuomo giving a little extemporaneous speech on the steps of City Hall. I stopped to join the small crowd gathered to hear him. Even though Cuomo was speaking off the cuff, it was quite a fine little speech. Afterwards, the governor approached me (because of Bronte, I think), and we had a little chat. I walked on, and I heard someone else speaking on another set of steps nearby. It was Charlie Rangel, also speaking extemporaneously about some issue of the day. His speech was every bit as powerful as Cuomo's. These men were not only exceptional orators; they were also very smart guys who knew what they were orating about. ~~~
~~~ By contrast, there's this Bloated Numbskull: ~~~
~~~ From a New York Times liveblog: Donald “Trump highlighted the sacrifices of military veterans during a Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery in which he also boasted about his plans for a military parade in Washington next month. Earlier, in a series of posts on social media, Mr. Trump wished Americans a 'HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY'; assailed those who he said spent the past four years trying to 'destroy' the country; attacked judges who have blocked his immigration policies; and said he would seek to redirect to trade schools at least $3 billion in grants the administration has revoked from Harvard University.”...
Erica Green: “Trump has used parts of his address to valorize himself. He referenced'a republic that I am fixing after a long and hard four years,' and also bragged about returning to the presidency in time to host the next editions of the soccer World Cup and the Summer Olympics. 'God did that,' he said of the timing.”
All Talk, No Walk. David Sanger of the New York Times: “Mr. Trump’s rare criticism of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia came after a weekend of the largest bombardment of Ukrainian cities over the past three years, mostly aimed at civilian targets.... The Russian attacks also happened only days after Mr. Trump had what he described publicly as an 'excellent' two-hour phone call with Mr. Putin that Mr. Trump promised would immediately lead to direct peace negotiations.... Mr. Trump has never linked [Russia's] attacks [on Ukraine citizens] with his own decision, reaffirmed last week, to refuse to join the Europeans in new financial sanctions on Russia, or to offer new arms and help to the Ukrainians. The result is a strategic void in which Mr. Trump complains about Russian’s continued killing but so far has been unwilling to make Mr. Putin pay even a modest price.... The pattern is a familiar one, several outside experts and former government officials said. Mr. Trump signals he is pulling back from a conflict he often describes as Europe’s war, then expresses shock that Mr. Putin responds with a familiar list of demands that amount to a Ukrainian surrender, followed by accelerating attacks. Mr. Trump episodically insists he is 'absolutely' considering sanctions, including on Sunday.” Related stories linked below.
Marie: Here's to the memory of my husband Aldo Scaglione, who was a partigiano during World War II: ~~~
More on that Commencement Speech/Grievance Oration via RAS via digby digby from Chris Jackson on X: "Donald Trump broke tradition today at West Point — leaving halfway through commencement and skipping the time-honored handshake with graduating cadets. Last year, President Biden stayed to shake the hand of every single one of the 1,000+ graduates. Because he respects them. Trump just sees props. Absolutely disgraceful." digby has more on that "inspirational speech."
You can check this Democracy Labs interactive map to see how much your Congressional district would lose in Medicaid funds if the House bill -- currently sitting in the Senate -- is passed into law. Thanks to RAS for the lead.
~~~~~~~~~~
Man Controls International Economy via Involuntary Brain Farts. Erin Doherty of CNBC: “... Donald Trump said Sunday that he agreed to an extension on the 50% tariff deadline on the European Union until July 9. 'I received a call today from Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, requesting an extension on the June 1st deadline on the 50% Tariff with respect to Trade and the European Union,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.... The extension comes after Trump last week suggested a 'straight 50% tariff' [to be imposed beginning June 1] on the EU, saying that the 27-nation bloc 'has been very difficult to deal with.'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Alan Rappeport & Ana Swanson of the New York Times: “In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said that he had spoken to Ursula von der Leyen ... about his recent threat to enact the tariffs on June 1 if a trade deal could not be reached in the next week.”
Ian Swanson of the Hill: Donald “Trump offered some of his toughest remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, saying he was 'not happy' at all with Putin after the latest deadly attacks in Ukraine. 'Yeah, I’ll give you an update, I’m not happy with what Putin’s doing. He’s killing a lot of people and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,' Trump told reporters who asked for an update on Russia. 'I’ve known him a long time. Always gotten along with him. But he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people and I don’t like it at all. OK. We’re in the middle of talking and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don’t like it at all,' Trump continued in remarks from Morristown, N.J., where he was preparing to take Air Force One back to Washington, D.C. Trump also said he’s 'surprised at what he’s seeing.'” (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. More on the Ukraine/Russia war linked below. ~~~
~~~ Ian Swanson of the Hill: Donald “Trump in a new post on Truth Social on Sunday night accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having gone 'absolutely' crazy and said if he did not stop what he was doing, it would lead to the downfall of his country. The social media comments came after Trump had issued some of his toughest comments about Putin earlier in remarks to reporters in New Jersey. 'I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!,' Trump wrote. 'He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever,' Trump said. 'I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!'”
Here's a part of Trump's West Point speech I missed: ~~~
~~~ Michaela Bramwell of Buzzfeed: "Since Saturday..., [Donald Trump] has received widespread criticism for sporting a MAGA hat at the graduation and for rambling incoherently about 'inappropriate' topics.... For around 30 seconds, Trump ranted about real estate developer William Levitt and his 'trophy wife,' whom Trump claims 'didn't work out too well.'... Since its posting on X, the speech clip has since ramped up over 6.5 million views, and commenters have expressed anger and disappointment about Trump being seemingly unprepared for the moment. 'Imagine spending four grueling, incredible years at one of the best universities in the entire world with the goal of serving your country for five more, and this is the commencement address you get,' one person wrote." ~~~
~~~ Here's some more context from Katie Hawinson of the Independent. ~~~
~~~ David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) mocked ... Donald Trump after he aired his political grievances to cadets during a rambling commencement speech at West Point over the weekend.... 'I am tired of it,' Crockett said Sunday in response to the president's diatribe. "I mean, he literally sounds like someone who is broken out of the insane asylum. Like, he just be all over the place.... Like, get him some ADHD medicine, if nothing else, because I don't know where he's ever going to go.... And I don't think that those that have gone through West Point expected to have their commander-in-chief address them and start talking about trophy wives or start talking about how he had so many investigations.'"
Matt Bai of the Washington Post: “This weekend..., I listened to the new Bruce Springsteen release that has ... Donald Trump thundering like Zeus. I found it moving and thought-provoking ... because the songs he chose to include in this live compendium have taken on new meaning since the years in which he wrote them.... Springsteen opened his show in Manchester, England, this month with a searing condemnation of Trump. He said, in part: 'My home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.' Trump responded by calling Springsteen 'dumb as a rock' and a 'dried out “prune”' and saying he would investigate the rock star, like he does pretty much everyone he doesn’t like. Springsteen (who is apparently harder to intimidate than law firms, university presidents and media executives) decided to release an excerpt from the concert, titled 'Land of Hope & Dreams,' making sure that his comments about Trump were the first things on it.” Bai meditates on the new meanings he sees in “My City of Ruins” (first recorded in 2002); “Long Walk Home” (2007); and “Land of Hope and Dreams” (written in the late ’90s and recorded in 2012).
Erica Green of the New York Times: “In his drive to purge diversity efforts in the federal government and beyond..., [Donald] Trump has expressed outright hostility to civil rights protections. He ordered federal agencies to abandon some of the core tenets of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, on the basis that they represented a 'pernicious' attempt to make decisions based on diversity rather than merit. But in recent weeks, Mr. Trump has turned to those same measures — not to help groups that have historically been discriminated against, but to remedy what he sees as the disenfranchisement of white men.... Across the government, agencies that have historically worked to fight discrimination against Black people, women and other groups have pivoted to investigating institutions accused of favoring them.” Green goes into details of this hypocritical misuse of civil rights laws. ~~~
~~~ Speaking of "pernicious," here's a way Trump and his allies aim to limit voting rights for women (and others): ~~~
~~~ Patrick Marley & Yvonne Sanchez of the Washington Post: “Some Republican-led states are moving to require voters to prove their citizenship, as Texas advances a controversial measure that could make it harder for eligible voters to get on the rolls because of changed names, mislaid paperwork or database errors. Voting rights advocates and Democrats warn the plans could prove particularly tricky for people who change their names, including women who do so when they get married or divorced, because their legal names don’t match the ones on their birth certificates. Supporters call the criticism overblown, saying most Americans can readily show they are citizens. The emerging laws are part of a GOP push led by ... Donald Trump to tighten requirements to cast ballots. Voting by noncitizens is both illegal and rare, and the attempts to crack down on voting by foreigners could drive down participation from a much larger pool of legitimate voters, according to election experts.... Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly made false claims that large numbers of immigrants are illegally voting. The president signed an executive order in March aimed at requiring citizenship documents to register to vote, but a judge blocked his directive last month. Four states require voters to provide proof of citizenship, and others are rushing to join them.”
Kate Shaw in a New York Times op-ed: “In violation of numerous laws or longstanding presidential practice (or both), [Donald Trump] has ordered the removal of many high-level officials who normally retain their positions regardless of who is in the Oval Office. Some of these high-level officials have successfully challenged their removal in the lower courts. But on Thursday, in a case involving members of the National Labor Relations and Merit Systems Protection Boards, the Supreme Court quietly blessed some or all of these firings [in a supposedly temporary, procedural finding].... The decision was radical.... Over the last four months, the legal world — and the country — has been plunged into chaos, and the Supreme Court bears a heavy dose of responsibility.... Many of its decisions involving the presidency — including last year’s on presidential immunity — have enabled the president to declare himself above the law....The court may believe that it retains the ultimate authority to check presidential lawlessness, even as it signs off on the elimination of many other constraints on presidential power. The danger is that by the time the court actually tries to exercise that authority, it may be too late.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: What we are experiencing is a disruption at best, or an end at worst of our quasi-democratic system of government. And what we're discovering is that it takes many people -- determined people -- to make this happen. These determined people do not necessarily get together in dark room and plot against the state. Rather, they have come to a tacit agreement to overlook the law and logic, tradition and precedent, moral rectitude and the common good. They are members of the administration, of Congress and of the highest court. Together or separately, they are making something happen. Something that is very bad for the rest of us, here and in the wider world. ~~~
~~~ Now that Peter Baker has come to understand this, he is wondering, "Where are you people?"
~~~ “A Death of Outrage.” Peter Baker of the New York Times: “When Hillary Clinton was first lady, a furor erupted over reports that she had once made $100,000 from a $1,000 investment in cattle futures. Even though it had happened a dozen years before her husband became president, it became a scandal that lasted weeks and forced the White House to initiate a review. Thirty-one years later, after dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Jeff Bezos agreed to finance a promotional film about Melania Trump that will reportedly put $28 million directly in her pocket — 280 times the Clinton lucre and in this case from a person with a vested interest in policies set by her husband’s government. Scandal? Furor? Washington moved on while barely taking notice. The Trumps ... have done more to monetize the presidency than anyone who has ever occupied the White House. The scale and the scope of the presidential mercantilism has been breathtaking.... Yet a mark of how much Mr. Trump has transformed Washington since his return to power is the normalization of moneymaking schemes that once would have generated endless political blowback, televised hearings, official investigations and damage control.... There will be no official investigations because Mr. Trump has made sure of it.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Marie: Trump seems to be so over Bibi, because here's the international diplomat he sent to Israel: ~~~
~~~ Jerusalem Post: "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem landed in Israel on Sunday following the murder of Israeli embassy employees in Washington, per the instructions of ... Donald Trump. Noem is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and will arrive at the Western Wall on Sunday." MB: I hope she found the right outfits to wear for this trip. (Also linked yesterday.)
Anumita Kaur & Julia Ledur of the Washington Post: “More than 1 million international students attend colleges across the United States each year, bringing billions of dollars to the American economy and bolstering the nation’s science and technology sectors. Many of them now find themselves in the crosshairs of the Trump administration’s battle to exert control over some of the nation’s elite universities. Those students have been a critical part of U.S. institutions of higher education for decades, contributing to the nation’s economy and research, experts say.... NAFSA [the Association of International Educators] estimates that international students contributed nearly $44 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2023-2024 school year, including paying for tuition, fees, accommodations, transportation and incidentals like shopping.” And they contribute to the U.S. in other ways: by participating in scientific studies and other cutting-edge research, by starting-up U.S. companies, and by allowing universities to expand their curricula for all students.
The Wages of Musk-Trump. Stephanie Armour of the Washington Post: “Federal health agencies investigated [an outbreak last fall of] ... E. coli bacteria ... that killed one person and sickened nearly 90 people in 15 states.... But most people have never heard about this outbreak, which a Feb. 11 internal Food and Drug Administration memo linked to a single lettuce processor and ranch as the source of the contamination.... Officials never issued public communications after the investigation nor identified the grower who produced the lettuce. At that time, the decision was made by the Trump administration not to release the names of the grower and processor because the FDA said no product remained on the market.... The administration also has withdrawn a proposed regulation to reduce the presence of salmonella in raw poultry, according to an April USDA alert. It was projected to save more than $13 million annually by preventing more than 3,000 illnesses, according to the proposal....
“From failing to publicize a major outbreak to scaling back safety alert specialists and rules, the Trump administration’s anti-regulatory and cost-cutting push risks unraveling a critical system that helps ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply, according to consumer advocates, researchers and former employees at the FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture.... Public health advocates warn companies and growers will face less regulatory oversight and fewer consequences for selling tainted food products as a result of recent FDA actions. The administration is disbanding a Justice Department unit that pursues civil and criminal actions against companies that sell contaminated food and is reassigning its attorneys.”
The Wages of Musk-Trump, Ctd. Sophie Gardner of Politico: “Water safety officials usually spend Memorial Day weekend warning families that more toddlers die from drowning than any other cause. This year, fewer people will know about the risk. In April..., Donald Trump laid off the team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responsible for tracking and publicizing drownings. That team also worked with partners like the YMCA and the American Red Cross to get at-risk children into swimming lessons. That collaboration has halted.... Drowning deaths rose during the pandemic, hitting 4,300 in 2023, the most recent data, compared to around 4,000 in 2019. They rose even more among the youngest children, ages 1 to 4, for whom drowning is the No. 1 cause of death — numbers published by the soon-to-be-terminated team.”
The Wages of Musk-Trump, Ctd. Scott Dance, et al., of the Washington Post: “Twice a day, every day, meteorologists around the world simultaneously release weather balloons. But in recent months, fewer balloons are being launched in many corners of the United States. In some cases, helium or hydrogen shortages are to blame. In more cases, the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal government have reduced the number of meteorologists who conduct balloon launches from Weather Service forecast offices. Since then, up to 30 launches have been missed each day, representing around 17 percent of total daily launches. Even though the agency has taken steps to make balloon launches a higher priority, and is working to address the staffing gaps, there aren’t always enough staff on hand in some offices to do them. That means forecasters have a less detailed picture of what is happening in the air to drive everyday weather patterns, as well as severe and potentially deadly ones. Here is how weather balloons work — and why the missed balloon launches matter.”
The Wages of Musk-Trump, Ctd. Federica Cocco & Dana Munro of the Washington Post: “Federal spending cuts are beginning to have a more pronounced impact on the Washington region’s job market, new data suggests, with fewer white-collar jobs available while thousands of residents who’ve lost theirs are looking for work. Job postings in the District this month are down 17 percent since January, according to a report by the jobs site Indeed, driven by steep drops in listings for administrative assistants, human resources specialists and accountants — positions that are common inside federal agencies or companies with federal government contracts. The broader metro area is showing similar signs of contraction, with overall postings down more than 10 percent — far outpacing the national average.”
The Hyperbolic Semantics of the Trumpocracy. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: “Words such as 'terrorism,' 'antisemitism,' 'invasion' and 'treason' are used by the administration to heighten claims that its opponents (actual or ideological) are dangerous to the nation rather than simply to the president’s agenda.... The rationales [for punitive actions] are scattershot because — as is so often the case with this president — the desired outcome preceded the evidence.” MB: And leave us not forget the claim of “genocide” against White South Africans. (The actual “genocide” seems to have been that one White Afrikaner couple was murdered during a robbery of their home.)
Jessica Silver-Greenberg, et al., of the New York Times: “Earlier this year, the Trump administration agreed to spare ... [nine] large law firms from executive orders that could have crippled their businesses in exchange for commitments from those firms to collectively provide nearly $1 billion in pro bono legal work and represent clients from all political points of view. Now individuals and organizations allied with Mr. Trump are starting to request that the firms make good on the free legal work they committed to perform, according to 11 people briefed on the outreach.... Many of the requests have come from veterans, one of the groups that the president suggested the firms could help.... Some veterans have viewed the deals as an open invitation to ask for free legal work.... The firms are unsure about how to satisfy the terms of their pro bono commitments, or how to keep track of the work that might qualify as part of those commitments....”
Caroline Linton of CBS News: "House Speaker Mike Johnson, who shepherded ... [Donald] Trump's 'one big, beautiful bill' through Congress, said Sunday that the Medicaid work requirements ... have a 'moral component' to them because people on Medicaid who 'refuse' to work are 'defrauding the system.'... He said there are 4.8 million Americans on Medicaid who are 'able-bodied workers, young men, for example, who are not working, who are taking advantage of the system.'... He added, 'when you make young men work, it's good for them, it's good for their dignity, it's good for their self-worth, and it's good for the community that they live in.' Johnson also claimed some of those who are on Medicaid and SNAP are undocumented immigrants, although they are not eligible to receive food stamps or Medicaid." ~~~
~~~ Marie: It looks as if Bible Mike made these assertions on a Sunday School day, but that did not stop him from lying. According to the Kaiser Foundation, "Among adults under age 65 with Medicaid who do not receive benefits from the Social Security disability programs, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and who are not also covered by Medicare, 92% were working full or part-time (64%), or not working due to caregiving responsibilities (12%), illness or disability (10%), or school attendance (7%) (Figure 1). The remaining 8% of Medicaid adults reported that they are retired, unable to find work, or were not working for another reason." So likely a few slackers & scammers as human nature would have it (for example, see Trump, Donald), but for the most part, those Medicaid recipients who can work, do. Moreover, the Kaiser reports notes that a "CBO [Congressional Budget Office] analysis [of an earlier work-requirement bill, which did not pass into law] also showed the policy would increase the number of people without health insurance ... but would not increase employment." ~~~
~~~ Sen. Ron Johnson, ever vying with Sen. Potato Head (R-Ala.) to hold the title of Stupidest U.S. Senator, is amazing. Even when Ron is right about something, he manages to be wrong about it, too: ~~~
~~~ Megan Lebowitz of NBC News: “As the Senate prepares to consider the sprawling domestic package that House Republicans passed last week, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he thinks there are 'enough' Republicans to 'stop the process' in order to prioritize stronger reductions in spending and the national deficit. The Wisconsin Republican has criticized the bill’s impact on the deficit, characterizing outsize spending as 'mortgaging our children’s future.' The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the bill would add $2.3 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years. Johnson said in an interview on CNN’s 'State of the Union' that congressional Republicans should examine spending 'line by line, like DOGE has done' to find areas to eliminate.” MB: He's right that the Congress could and probably should reduce the deficit rather than increase it. But the debt is not “mortgaging our children's futures.” Our children, in fact, will profit from repayment of the debt because it is their parents who are the majority lenders of the debt (though other countries now hold about 30% of the debt). Plus of course it is laughable to assert that Chainsaw Elon and the Boys from DOGE examined spending “line by line.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Canada. Amanda Coletta & Karla Adam of the Washington Post: “On Tuesday, King Charles III will become only the second monarch in Canada’s history to participate in the ... [opening session of Canada's Parliament]. From a walnut throne adorned with a spray of gold maple leaves, Charles, who is Canada’s head of state, will deliver the Speech from the Throne. His presence, at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation, is widely viewed as sending a subtle message of resistance to ... Donald Trump. Amid the president’s talk of erasing the 'arbitrary' U.S.-Canada border and making Canada the 51st state — 'never say never,' he told Carney this month, after being told once again that the country is 'not for sale' — Charles and Queen Camilla’s two-day visit is meant to underscore Canada’s sovereignty, said Ralph Goodale, Canada’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom.... Trump’s threats to annex the largest of Charles’s realms have posed an extraordinary diplomatic headache for the 76-year-old monarch, who is supposed to be apolitical and yet has to balance the competing interests of his prime ministers.”
Israel/Palestine, et al. Waafa Shurafa & Samy Magdy of the AP: “Israeli strikes killed at least 52 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including 36 in a school-turned-shelter that was struck as people slept, setting their belongings ablaze, according to local health officials. The military said it targeted militants operating from the school.... Israel says it plans to seize full control of Gaza and facilitate what it describes as the voluntary migration of its over 2 million population, a plan rejected by Palestinians and much of the international community.” ~~~
~~~ Patrick Kingsley & Jin Yu Young of the New York Times: “The head of a group overseeing a contentious new aid program in the Gaza Strip resigned on Sunday, hours before the program was set to start operating, saying that he had found it impossible to perform the job independently. Jake Wood, the executive director of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, stepped down after reports in several news outlets, including The New York Times, raised questions about the group’s independence and its connections with Israel.... Mr. Wood’s departure followed growing acrimony within the traditional aid sector about efforts by Israel to replace the current aid system in Gaza with one overseen by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new and untested group founded late last year. The foundation has hired private contractors, including one run by a former C.I.A. officer, to secure and distribute food from four sites in areas of southern Gaza under Israeli military control.... Responding to Mr. Wood’s departure, the foundation said its operations would begin without him — as soon as Monday — and would be feeding more than 1 million Palestinians, or roughly half of Gaza’s population, by the end of the week.”
Marie: Here is Putin's response to the scolding Trump gave him yesterday: ~~~
~~~ Ukraine/Russia, et al. Constant Méheut & Daria Mitiuk of the New York Times: “Russia unleashed one of its largest drone and missile barrages of the war on Ukraine overnight, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens across the country in an hourslong assault that Ukrainian officials said showed Moscow had no interest in a truce. It was the second large-scale attack in two nights and the third in just a week, part of a broader, recent escalation by Russia that has brought a spike in civilian casualties despite cease-fire negotiations. Ukraine has also stepped up its own air attacks on Russian territory, though on a smaller scale and with far fewer civilian deaths. The overnight strikes underscored how months of diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire have failed to yield a breakthrough as President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has dragged his feet on agreeing to any temporary truce, adding conditions that he knows Ukraine will not accept. And after threatening for weeks to walk away from the negotiations..., [Donald] Trump now appears to be doing exactly that, telling President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine last week that Russia and Ukraine would have to find a solution to the war themselves.” ~~~
~~~ Isobel Koshiw, et al., of the Washington Post: “Ukraine is increasingly worried about securing more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems, as stockpiles sent during the Biden administration are drying up and the new administration is resistant to sending more.... Ukraine’s dire need for Patriots was apparent over Memorial Day weekend when its air defense forces failed to intercept any of the nine ballistic missiles launched Saturday night and early on Sunday.... Donald Trump condemned Russia over the attacks late Sunday but did not make any promises of additional military aid.... The main additional military aid Ukraine has requested from the Trump administration is more Patriot missiles and launchers, 'which, frankly, we don’t have,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday. Rubio said the United States is instead 'encouraging' its NATO allies to donate Patriot missiles and systems from their stockpiles.... A European diplomat in Kyiv said that U.S. manufacturer Raytheon is still in the process of expanding its production lines to meet post-2022 demand.... Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, however, believe that the Trump administration would be willing to sell the country more Patriots rather than send them as aid, as the previous administration did.”
12 Comments
Reader Comments (12)
"Republican Chainsaw Massacre Of Medicaid"
Fat Hitler honoring the next generation.
"Donald Trump broke tradition today at West Point—leaving halfway through commencement and skipping the time-honored handshake with graduating cadets.
Last year, President Biden stayed to shake the hand of every single one of the 1,000+ graduates."
The Borowitz Report
Man Feared to Be Cognitively Slipping After Writing Book About Wrong President
RAS,
Interesting that the piece you link refers to storm related problems in North Carolina, specifically, that Biden directed FEMA to cover 100% of debris removal (and also did not personally point the hurricane at North Carolina—are MAGAts really that stoopid?—nor did FEMA allow 26 babies to freeze to death—Helene hit in September; I’ve been in NC in September it ain’t ever close to freezing), but that the MAGA god-king has completely abandoned those people after promising up and down that he personally would show up with a chainsaw and dump truck to clear out downed trees and destroyed structures.
Yesterday, while walking Rocket, we passed a lady out doing yard work. She had a downed tree that crushed her fence due to the recent severe weather we had hereabouts in recent weeks. She asked if I thought FEMA would help remove it. I said given the way that agency has been downsized and defunded, it might be difficult, but she should ask anyway. She said “You must be a Democrat. You think President Trump downsized FEMA? No. He helps everyone. Joe Biden did that.”
Against my better judgment, I hit back, mostly because I’m tired of these people spitting out lies and expecting that no one will dare challenge their MAGA bullshit.
I said, No, FEMA was fully staffed and funded when Biden left office. She said what about North Carolina? Biden told FEMA not to help Trump voters, only Democrats. I told her that FEMA doesn’t ask who you voted for before helping people, that’s their job. To which she replied, with an air of victory, you obviously don’t watch Fox! They reported that Biden told FEMA to stay away from Republicans.
At this point, I realized I was speaking with a mental patient and gave up.
This is what we’re dealing with. Complete brainwashed idiots.
I grieve for our country. But I sent a telepathic message to Rocket (we can do that) to poop in her yard on the next walk.
Christ.
From the clip above: "... Israel says it plans to seize full control of Gaza and facilitate what it describes as the voluntary migration of its over 2 million population ... "
I wonder what "voluntary" means in this context. Probably "if I don't move I'll starve or be blown up so I need to avoid those."
How many genocidal atrocities have been punished in the past century? Turkiye has yet to acknowledge the deaths and horrors of the removal of Armenians early in WWI. The USSR was never held to account for it's relocations of ethnic groups in the early years of the Soviet Republics (e.g. Crimean Tatars loaded on boxcars and dumped in the middle of Central Asia and Siberia because their homeland had been occupied by German forces in WWII). Ethnic cleansing on a huge scale occurred in almost all of Europe as displaced persons were sorted out after WWII.
(Let's not discuss Native Americans ...)
In all those cases "voluntary" meant "walk or die."
Laura,
I have been hoodwinked in the past by Andy Borowitz, but in this case the report is correct. Jake Tapper has been doing a seemingly never ending victory lap about how he bravely went after Joe Biden and his evil insiders.
This is like complaining about kids playing with matches in the back yard while completely ignoring the serial pyro in the house next door who has burned the town down around his ears while he collected his gold star for ratting out the kids.
About being hoodwinked,
Tom Sullivan
"These AI videos have sprouted up all over the hellsite in the last week. I suspect many of the “creators” are AI enthusiasts and Google employees — and bots — promoting Google’s shiny new thing.
Axios sums it up for me. Google’s new AI video tool floods internet with real-looking clips:
Google’s newest AI video generator, Veo 3, generates clips that most users online can’t seem to distinguish from those made by human filmmakers and actors.
Why it matters: Veo 3 videos shared online are amazing viewers with their realism — and also terrifying them with a sense that real and fake have become hopelessly blurred."
Rio Russia
"For years, a New York Times investigation found, Russia used Brazil as a launchpad for its most elite intelligence officers, known as illegals. In an audacious and far-reaching operation, the spies shed their Russian pasts. They started businesses, made friends and had love affairs — events that, over many years, became the building blocks of entirely new identities.
Major Russian spy operations have been uncovered in the past, including in the United States in 2010. This was different. The goal was not to spy on Brazil, but to become Brazilian. Once cloaked in credible back stories, they would set off for the United States, Europe or the Middle East and begin working in earnest."
Akhilleus,
Thanks for the laugh.
Let us know if Rocket read your mind.
RAS,
The proliferation of pro-trump, pro-MAGA, pro-authoritarian AI fake fuckery is a big reason PoT schemers and Fat Hitler want to make it illegal to monitor and regulate these mendacious videos. Can’t have people hearing that you’re selling them lies that look real.
Ken,
He did! He left a copy of Fatty’s fake Constitution on that lady’s lawn just a few minutes ago. I sure hope she recognizes its most plentiful element.
Dear Marie,
I am saddened to learn of your husband.
And “glad” you honored his memory in today’s publication.
H.O.S.