The Conversation -- March 23, 2025
Chris Hayes gives us the best overview of Elon's Excellent Pentagon Field Trip. Even your MAGA cousin could understand and enjoy this:
And speaking of All Things Elon, this one might be too complex for your MAGA cousin, but in today's Comments, RAS got to the heart of the DOGE hoax: ~~~
~~~ Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: "Senior tax officials are bracing for a sharp drop in revenue collected this spring, as an increasing number of individuals and businesses spurn filing their taxes or attempt to skip paying balances owed to the Internal Revenue Service.... Treasury Department and IRS officials are predicting a decrease of more than 10 percent in tax receipts by the April 15 deadline compared with 2024, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share nonpublic data. That would amount to more than $500 billion in lost federal revenue; the IRS collected $5.1 trillion last year. For context, the U.S. government spent $825 billion on the Defense Department in fiscal 2024.... The prediction, officials say, is directly tied to changing taxpayer behavior and ... Donald Trump's rapid demolition of parts of the IRS." ~~~
~~~ Josh Marshall of TPM was gobsmacked. RAS notes that he wrote on Bluesky: "So look at that. DOGE has cost the US Treasury fucking half a trillion dollars. HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS. This is your cost savings." ~~~
~~~ Marie: The name "DOGE" --Department of Government Efficiency -- was always a joke. Musk let it be known the joke was some kind of insider meme based on a Shiba Inu cryptocurrency thing. Ha ha. But the real joke was always on us taxpayers and citizens: the name DOGE is no more about increasing government efficiency than the deadly "Peacemaker" and "Sea Swallow" missiles are gentle lovely white doves and elegant terns. The name DOGE is a cover for the real purpose of the program, and that real purpose is to gut and discredit the federal government and the staff who work for us. If you want to know why Musk is smiling all the time his Tesla stock is tanking, it's because he (a) Trump will give him his money back in government contracts, and (b) he's pulling a fast one on millions and millions of the rubes like those of us whose intelligence H.L. Mencken doubted. That's the real "insider joke," and Musk isn't copping to it.
The visit from the United States cannot be seen in isolation from the public statements that have been made. -- Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen ~~~
~~~ U.S. Imperialists Invade Greenland, Bring Child. Maggie Haberman & Maya Tekeli of the New York Times: "Usha Vance, the second lady, is scheduled to join the White House national security adviser, the energy secretary and other U.S. officials to visit Greenland this week, amid ... [Donald] Trump's continued push to take over the island, officials said on Sunday. In a statement, the Trump administration said Ms. Vance will visit Greenland with one of her children on Thursday, to visit historical sites and attend a national dog sled race.... Separately, Michael Waltz, the national security adviser, is expected to tour a U.S. military base, two U.S. officials said. Chris Wright, the energy secretary, is expected to join him, according to another person with knowledge of the visit, as the Trump administration increases its focus on Arctic security and the Western Hemisphere.... Mr. Trump has continued to ratchet up his talk of seizing Greenland...."
Sahil Kapur of NBC News: "A defiant Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed that he won't step aside as the chamber's top Democrat, rejecting calls from some House colleagues and liberal advocates critical of his move to help pass a Republican funding bill.... Schumer also rejected comparisons to then-President Joe Biden's refusal to step down as the 2024 nominee, in response to a question about whether he's making the same mistake."
Robert McFadden of the New York Times: "Max Frankel, who fled Nazi Germany as a boy and rose to pinnacles of American journalism as a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent for The New York Times and later as its executive editor during eight years of changing fortunes and technology, died on Sunday at his home in Manhattan. He was 94." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Unfortunately, this is what I remember Frankel for: "Mr. Frankel was widely criticized in 1991 when The Times profiled Patricia Bowman, who had accused William Kennedy Smith, a nephew of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, of raping her in Palm Beach, Fla. As well as detailing her background, the article named her, called her an aggressive driver, said she had borne a child out of wedlock and quoted a woman anonymously as saying Ms. Bowan 'had a little wild streak.' Readers and even staff members accused the paper of sexism." The female reporters at the Times went ballistic; there was an angry meeting. Frankel still didn't get it. In fairness, there was much more to him than this one incident, and he hired quite a number of women into positions previously reserved for men.
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Our liberties depend on lawyers' willingness to represent unpopular people and causes, including in matters adverse to the federal government. Our profession owes every client zealous legal representation without fear of retribution, regardless of their political affiliation or ability to pay. -- Keker, Van Nest & Peters, a San Francisco law firm, in a statement
[Donald Trump's memo threatening lawyers] attacks the very foundations of our legal system by threatening and intimidating litigants who aim to hold our government accountable to the law and the Constitution.... [The executive branch] should neither fear nor punish those who challenge it and should not be the arbiter of what is frivolous -- there are protections in place to address that.... This moment calls for courage and collective action, not capitulation, among lawyers and the legal profession. -- Vanita Gupta, civil rights lawyer and former Justice Department official ~~~
~~~ Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: Donald "Trump broadened his campaign of retaliation against lawyers he dislikes with a new memorandum that threatens to use government power to punish any law firms that, in his view, unfairly challenge his administration. The memorandum directs the heads of the Justice and Homeland Security Departments to 'seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable and vexatious litigation against the United States' or in matters that come before federal agencies. Mr. Trump issued the order late Friday night.... Since being sworn into office he has targeted three firms, but the new memo seems to threaten similar punishment for any lawyer or firm who raises his ire." ~~~
~~~ Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "Donald Trump ... on Friday night ... ordered his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to refer what she determines to be partisan lawsuits to the White House and recommend punitive actions that could harm the firms involved. The directives were outlined in a sweeping memo in which Trump alleged that too many law firms were filing frivolous claims designed to cause delays. It came after a week of setbacks, in which a slew of judges issued temporary injunctions blocking the implementation of Trump's agenda. Trump's memo directed Bondi to seek sanctions against the firms or disciplinary actions against the lawyers. But imposing sanctions is up to federal judges, and perhaps in recognition of the uncertainty that his attorney general would prevail, Trump also ordered referrals to the White House.... The memo, as a result, created a formal mechanism for Trump to unilaterally decide whether to impose politically charged sanctions through executive orders.... Trump also directed Bondi to open a review into the 'conduct' of lawyers and their respective law firms in litigation against the federal government reaching back to the start of his first term in 2017 -- and recommend whether it warranted additional punitive actions." ~~~
~~~ Marie: What should an attorney general do when the president* orders her to perform illegal and/or unconstitutional acts? Well, push back, then refuse to follow the order, then -- if all that fails -- resign. The judiciary committees of both houses should call Bondi up immediately to testify as to her intentions. Of course they won't. ~~~
President Trump is attempting to dismantle the constitution and attack the rule of law in his obsessive pursuit of retribution against his political opponents. Today's White House Memo targets not only me and my law firm, but every attorney and law firm who dares to challenge his assault on the rule of law.... Elias Law Group will not be deterred from fighting for democracy in court. There will be no negotiation with this White House about the clients we represent or the lawsuits we bring on their behalf. -- Marc Elias, Chair, Elias Law Group, in a statement
Trump Names New Fighter Jet After ... Trump. Connor Stringer of the Telegraph, republished by Yahoo! News: "Donald Trump appears to have named America's next-generation fighter jet in tribute to himself. Mr Trump, America's 47th president, announced Boeing had been awarded the contract to build the air force's new F-47 fighter jet. The jets will be built as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program which will replace Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor. The F-47 will be a crewed aircraft built to enter combat alongside drones.... Despite online chatter that the president named the plane after himself, he told the press conference: 'It will be known as the F-47s, the generals picked that title.'" Thanks to RAS for the lead. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Trump's claim is not believable. Trump seems to be so out of it that he probably doesn't remember that he named the F-47 for himself. As RAS pointed out in yesterday's thread, on the same day he "forgot" he named a fighter jet for himself, he also claimed he didn't sign a significant anti-immigrant proclamation which he did indeed sign, AND he claimed he knew nothing about a highly-irregular Pentagon war-plans briefing for his top donor Elon Musk. Save to your "Trump -- 25th Amendment" file. ~~~
~~~ Matt Viser of the Washington Post examines Trump's claim that he did not sign the proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act: "Did Trump misspeak? Is he trying to deflect responsibility for a decision under heavy legal scrutiny by suggesting he was merely following through on an idea proposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio? And if he didn't sign it, who -- or what -- did?... Trump's signature appears on the digital image of the proclamation available for viewing with the Federal Register, the government repository of official documents." MB: This is a gift link.
~~~ Then there's this re: Elon's very special briefing: ~~~
~~~ Aila Zehra of the Hill: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, sent a memo Friday saying that members of the Department of Defense (DOD) may be subjected to polygraph tests in a new investigation into alleged leaks at the Pentagon. Kasper mentioned 'recent unauthorized disclosures' of sensitive information but stopped short of specifying any details about the alleged leaks. The memo came just hours after ... Elon Musk said those who are leaking 'maliciously false information' to news outlets will be 'found' and prosecuted. Musk, whose companies have contracts with the DOD, issued the warning Friday morning after The New York Times reported that he was set to be briefed on the U.S. military's secret plans if a war with China were to take place."
Giselle Ewing of Politico: "... Donald Trump is demanding a 'full throated apology' from Maine Gov. Janet Mills in his spat with the state over transgender athletes, implying his administration will continue to target the state unless he gets one. The Democratic governor got into an argument with the president during a governors' meeting at the White House in February, telling the president 'we'll see you in court' when he threatened to pull federal funding from the state if it failed to comply with his order to ban trans athletes from playing in women's and girls sports. His administration subsequently opened overlapping investigations into Maine, including probes launched by the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Agriculture. The president in a Saturday morning Truth Social post demanded Mills deliver a 'full throated apology' for her earlier comments and promise to never pose a 'challenge' to the federal government again. 'While the State of Maine has apologized for their Governor's strong, but totally incorrect, statement about men playing in women's sports while at the White House House Governor's Conference, we have not heard from the Governor herself, and she is the one that matters in such cases,' Trump wrote.... It was not clear what apology from the state of Maine he was referencing, or what apparent case was being settled.z' ~~~
~~~ Marie: Ewing's construction -- "The Democratic governor got into an argument with the president" -- makes it seem that Mills started the argument with Trump. The opposite is the case. Trump sought out Mills at a meeting with governors (NYT link), and he challenged her to comply with his executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. When she said Maine would comply with state and federal law, Trump pulled his "L'état c'est moi" routine, claiming, "we are the federal law" and "you better do it." I get that Politico is a right-wingish outfit, but its reporters should know better than to slant straight news stories. ~~~
~~~ Heather Cox Richardson has some thoughts on Trump's bullying Mills: "Exactly what she is supposed to be apologizing to him for is unclear, unless it is that she stood up to him, a rare enough event that at the time, Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times noted: 'Something happened at the White House Friday afternoon that almost never happens these days. Somebody defied ... [Donald] Trump. Right to his face.' [MB: linked above] At the White House, Governor Mills was not only reinforcing the rule of law in the face of an authoritarian who is working to shatter that principle; she was standing up to a bully who claims to be protecting women and girls but who has bragged about sexual assault, been found guilty of sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll, and barged in on teenaged girls dressing in the Miss Teen USA changing room. Trump's political stances have also belied his claim to protect women. He has worked to deny women and girls access to health care, including the right not to die needlessly from a miscarriage. He has undermined women's right to control their own bodies and defunded or stopped the programs that protect their right to be safe from domestic violence and sexual assault. He has ended programs designed to protect women's employment and has fired women from positions of authority."
~~~ Oh, would that Columbia U.'s interim president Katrina Armstrong had Mills' fortitude: ~~~
~~~ The Capitulator. Troy Closson, et al., of the New York Times: "Columbia University's concession on Friday to a roster of government demands as it sought to restore about $400 million in federal funding is being widely viewed as a watershed in Washington's relationships with the nation's colleges.... Columbia's moves on Friday -- revealed in a letter to the campus from the interim president, Dr. Katrina A. Armstrong -- were essentially an opening bid in negotiations with the federal government to let the $400 million flow again. But the Trump administration has not publicly said what other concessions it might seek from Columbia or the dozens of other universities, from Hawaii to Harvard, that it has started to scrutinize since taking power on Jan. 20.... Washington's tactics against Columbia during the past month have shaken university leaders from coast to coast." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This is why, in general, in a time of crisis, you do not choose a medical doctor or an architect (Armstrong has degrees in both fields) to lead a large institution. I assume that Armstrong excels in her areas of expertise, but they are not history and they are not negotiating with a ruthless dictator. Moreover, unlike many a medical doctor, she has not sought to activate her heroism gene. This is a shameful moment for the academy.
The Collaborators. Andrew Duehren & Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to help homeland security officials locate immigrants they are trying to deport, according to three officials..., in a shift toward using protected taxpayer information to help ... [Donald] Trump's mass deportation push. Under a draft of an agreement between the I.R.S. and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the tax agency would verify whether immigration officials had the right home address for people who have been ordered to leave the United States.... Many undocumented immigrants file tax returns with the I.R.S., giving the agency information about where they live, their families, their employers and their earnings. The I.R.S. has long encouraged undocumented immigrants to pay their taxes, giving people without Social Security numbers a separate nine-digit code called an individual taxpayer identification number to file their returns.... I.R.S. officials had resisted earlier requests from the Department of Homeland Security to turn over information about unauthorized immigrants, warning that doing so could violate federal law." ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post story, which broke the news, is here.
This looks like the kinds of things we thought only happened in other countries, and it's happening to people who come from those places and came here to get away from it.... You're not supposed to have people disappear in the United States. -- Michelle Brané, a former Biden appointee, now trying to get information on those sent to El Salvador ~~~
~~~ More News from the Banana Republic. The Disappeared. Arelis Hernández & Maria Paúl of the Washington Post: "... lawyers say the lack of information about the Venezuelan migrants deported under the Alien Enemies Act is nearly unprecedented.... The families and lawyers of dozens of ... Venezuelan and Salvadoran men who had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say their relatives and clients have ... disappeared over the pas week, with no explanation provided by the government over where they may be.... The White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have not released the names of the men sent to El Salvador and did not respond to questions regarding when family members or lawyers will be notified."
Ellen Barry, et al., of the New York Times: "... DOGE cuts have already sparked chaos and confusion within the [Veterans Affairs department], which provides care to more than nine million veterans. The Trump administration has said it plans to eliminate 80,000 V.A. jobs, and a first round of terminations has halted some research studies and slashed support staff.... Among the most consequential orders is the requirement that thousands of mental health providers, including many who were hired for fully remote positions, now work full time from federal office space.... Many found no way to ensure patient privacy...."
~~~ ⭐King of the Kleptocrats. Here's (Some of) What You Get for A $250 Million-Plus. Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "Within the Trump administration's Defense Department, Elon Musk's SpaceX rocketry is being trumpeted as the nifty new way the Pentagon could move military cargo rapidly around the globe. In the Commerce Department, SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service will now be fully eligible for the federal government's $42 billion rural broadband push, after being largely shut out during the Biden era. At NASA, after repeated nudges by Mr. Musk, the agency is being squeezed to turn its focus to Mars, allowing SpaceX to pursue federal contracts to deliver the first humans to the distant planet. And at the Federal Aviation Administration and the White House itself, Starlink satellite dishes have recently been installed, to expand federal government internet access.... In selected spots across the government, SpaceX is positioning itself to see billions of dollars in new federal contracts or other support, a dozen current and former federal officials said....
"The boost in federal spending for SpaceX will come in part as a result of actions by President Trump and Mr. Musk's allies and employees who now hold government positions.... Already, some SpaceX employees, temporarily working at the F.A.A., were given official permission to take actions that might steer new work to Mr. Musk's company. The new contracts across government will come in addition to the billions of dollars in new business that SpaceX could rake in by securing permission from the Trump administration to expand its use of federally owned property."
Iago Hale & Michael Kantar in a New York Times op-ed: "Since its establishment in 1898, the United States Department of Agriculture's National Plant Germplasm System and the scientists who support it have systematically gathered and maintained the agricultural plant species that undergird our food system in vast collections such as ... one in Aberdeen[, Idaho]. The collections represent a towering achievement of foresight that food security depends on the availability of diverse plant genetic resources. In mid-February, Trump administration officials at what has been labeled the Department of Government Efficiency fired some of the highly trained people who do this work. A court order has reinstated them, but it's unclear when they will be allowed to resume their work. In the meantime, uncertainty around additional staffing and budget cuts, as well as the future of the collections themselves, reigns.... Our food system is only as safe as our ability to respond to the next plant disease or other emergent threat, and a strong N.P.G.S. is central to our preparedness.... With a trivial investment of 0.000008 percent of the federal budget, N.P.G.S. scientists quietly enable and safeguard our food system, worth around $1.5 trillion. Talk about return on investment."
Sheryl Stolberg, et al., of the New York Times: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation's health secretary, on Saturday instructed leaders of the nonprofit he founded to take down a web page that mimicked the design of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's site but laid out a case that vaccines cause autism. The page had been published on a site apparently registered to the nonprofit, the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense. Mr. Kennedy's action came after The New York Times inquired about the page and after news of it ricocheted across social media. The page was taken offline Saturday evening. 'Secretary Kennedy has instructed the Office of the General Counsel to send a formal demand to Children's Health Defense requesting the removal of their website,' the Health and Human Services Department said in a statement." ~~~
~~~ Stephen Simpson of the Texas Tribune: "With its measles outbreak spreading to two additional states, Texas is on track to becoming the cause of a national epidemic if it doesn't start vaccinating more people, according to public health experts. Measles, a highly contagious disease that was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, has made a resurgence in West Texas communities, jumping hundreds of miles to the northern border of the Panhandle and East Texas, and invading bordering states of New Mexico and Oklahoma. Based on the rapid spread of cases statewide -- more than 200 over 50 days -- public health officials predict that it could take Texas a year to contain the spread. With cases continuously rising and the rest of the country's unvaccinated population at the outbreak's mercy, Texas must create stricter quarantine requirements, increase the vaccine rate, and improve contact tracing to address this measles epidemic before it becomes a nationwide problem, warn infectious disease experts and officials in other states." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. Akhilleus also gave a shoutout yesterday to Bobby Castor-Oil Kennedy for the pivotal role he has played in bringing a highly-communicative disease back to the U.S.A.
The court effectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding.... [The president] now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy's SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold on to power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. -- Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Trump v. U.S., dissent ~~~
~~~ Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court's decision last year in Trump v. United States gave the president of the United States criminal immunity for 'official acts,' defined as anything that could involve or plausibly extend to the president's core duties.... The dissenting justices in the case, led by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, warned that the ruling would, in effect, make the president a king.... In his second term as president, Donald Trump has claimed royal prerogative over the entire executive branch.... And it is clear, as well, that Trump attributes this monarchical power to Chief Justice John Roberts.... Trump is trying to provoke a confrontation with the federal judiciary, which, at this moment, is the only institution in the American political system that can -- and will -- exercise direct power against the administration." Bouie does not trust Roberts to stand up to Trump.
Tobi Raji of the Washington Post: "The number of Tesla owners trading in their cars surged to a record high in March, compounding the troubles of an automaker that has been embroiled in controversy since CEO Elon Musk became a central figure of ... Donald Trump's administration. Of all vehicles traded in at dealerships for new or used cars through March 16, 1.4 percent were Tesla cars from model year 2017 or newer -- the highest share on record, according to data from U.S. car shopping website Edmunds.... Musk's company has faced declining stock price and consumer boycotts since the start of the year.... Some Tesla owners have also begun to express buyer's remorse, fearing their car signals to others that they support Musk.... The share of people considering buying a new Tesla has also dropped, according to Edmunds." One expert said the drop in Tesla's popularity is merely a reflection of the fact that more companies "are getting into the EV space." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Fortunately for Elon, his co-president* & their collaborators are making up for any Tesla shortfall by ensuring that we taxpayers fund Elon's other projects (story linked above). And of course the co-president and his commerce-secretary/fellow-billionaire are promoting Tesla, too (WashPo link).
Salvado Rizzo of the Washington Post: "Jessica D. Aber, a longtime prosecutor who rose to become one of the few women to lead the prestigious U.S. attorney's office in Northern Virginia, died overnight at her home in Alexandria, according to her former colleagues. Ms. Aber's death, at age 43, came two months after she resigned as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to make way for ... Donald Trump to select her successor. President Joe Biden had nominated her to the post in 2021....Alexandria police said officers responded to a call for service at Aber's home shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday and found her deceased, adding that the Virginia medical examiner would determine the cause and manner of death." An NBC4 (Washington) report is here.
Naomi Nix of the Washington Post: "An arbitration ruling bars author Sarah Wynn-Williams from promoting her memoir tarnishing Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg with what the social media giant says are lies.... [Meta] public relations staffers and executives have been working in overdrive the past two weeks to discredit Wynn-Williams and her anecdote-rich memoir.... Meta's criticism has hardly curbed the memoir's popularity. Wynn-Williams's book is getting the kind of news coverage and social media chatter that many first-time authors can only dream of, having debuted at No. 1 earlier this month on the New York Times bestseller list for nonfiction and sold well ever since."
Katharine Seelye of the New York Times: "Kitty Dukakis, an activist first lady of Massachusetts and humanitarian who overcame alcoholism and depression with the help of electroconvulsive therapy, then became a proponent of the treatment with her husband, Michael S. Dukakis, the former Massachusetts governor and the 1988 Democratic presidential nominee, died on Friday night at her home in Brookline, Mass. She was 88."
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Dictators Dance the Trump Tarantella on the Grave of Democracy. Anthony Faiola of the Washington Post: "As Trump upends democratic norms at home, his statements, policies and actions are providing cover for a fresh chill on freedom of expression, democracy, the rule of law and LGBTQ+ rights for autocrats around the world -- some of whom are giving him credit. Democratic backsliding in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Turkey long predates Trump; the president has been said to have derived some of his messaging from Orban. But in several nations, including Hungary and Serbia, authorities say openly that Trump's return has helped them serve up what critics say are fresh violations of basic rights. In Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week detained his leading political rival and dozens of others, advocates see Trump's influence as an enabling factor. The new Trump administration 'is bringing together autocrats and would-be autocrats around the world,' said Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe....
"Cuts at USAID have eliminated funding for nongovernmental organizations that promoted the rule of law in countries where democracy is under attack, she said. Meanwhile, the administration's actions at home -- rolling back protections for minorities, the mass deportation of migrants outside normal processes, attacks on judges who stand in the way -- and its decision to vote against a United Nations censure of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, she said, signal a new era in which the United States is no longer seen as a global defender of liberal democracy." ~~~
~~~ Here's one dictator who needs no encouragement: ~~~
~~~ Gaya Gupta of the Washington Post: "When Vladimir Putin heard Donald Trump had been shot in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania last year, the Russian president said he went to his local church, met with his priest and prayed, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday in an interview with Tucker Carlson.... Witkoff said Putin shared the anecdote with him during Witkoff's second visit to Russia in mid-March, which, he added, got 'personal.' Witkoff said Putin gave him a 'beautiful portrait' of Trump that Putin had commissioned by a 'leading' Russian artist, and asked that Witkoff bring the painting back to the White House. Trump 'was clearly touched by it,' Witkoff said...."
Canada/U.S. AP: "For more than 100 years, people in Stanstead, Quebec have been able to walk into Derby Line, Vermont to enter the border-straddling Haskell Free Library and Opera House -- no passport required. But ... U.S. authorities have unilaterally decided to end the century-old unwritten agreement. Coming at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries, the decision is prompting an outpouring of emotion in communities on both sides of the border.... In 2016, then-president Barack Obama hailed the symbolic importance of the library, built in 1901.... Starting in the coming days, only library card holders and employees will be able to cross over from Canada to enter the building through the main door on the U.S. side. And as of Oct. 1, no Canadians will be able to enter the library via the United States without going through the border checkpoint, though there will be exceptions for law enforcement, emergency services, mail delivery, official workers and those with disabilities. The statement acknowledged the library as a 'unique landmark,' but said the border agency was phasing in a new approach for security reasons.” MB: Yes, because who wouldn't be askeert of book-reading Canucks? My god, they're probably woke. And all. RAS linked a CTV News story yesterday.
Israel Palestine, et al. Susannah George, et al., of the Washington Post: "More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the enclave's Health Ministry said Sunday -- a grim indicator of the conflict's continued lethality less than a week since Israel shattered a nearly two-month-old ceasefire, launching airstrikes and ground incursions into the territory.... Despite over a year of heavy bombardment of a strip of land roughly 140 square miles in size, Israel has been unable to completely destroy Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007."
Turkey. Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "A Turkish court on Sunday jailed the mayor of Istanbul pending his trial on corruption charges, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency, hobbling a potential contender in Turkey's next presidential election and the top rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested at his home on Wednesday, four days before he was set to be named the presidential candidate of Turkey's political opposition. He has denied the accusations against him, which Mr. Erdogan's opponents have called a ploy to hinder a popular politician's presidential bid.The court ordered that Mr. Imamoglu be jailed on accusations of corruption pending a trial...."
News Lede
New York Times: "Pope Francis' condition has improved enough that he will be discharged from a hospital in Rome on Sunday and sent to recover in the Vatican for at least two months, his doctors said on Saturday evening. On Sunday, Francis plans to make his first public appearance since he was hospitalized on Feb. 14. He is expected to appear at noon on the 10th-floor balcony of Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he has been staying, to greet the crowd and to impart a traditional Sunday blessing...."
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