The Conversation -- June 5, 2025

Marie: I had to be away for much of the day, and during that time, the Big Beautiful Silence ended as predicted ~~~

~~~ Cat Zakrzewski, et al., of the Washington Post: “The alliance between ... Donald Trump and Elon Musk spectacularly imploded Thursday as the world’s most prominent bromance collapsed into mutual public trolling.... The breakup also highlighted the political and financial risks each man could now face from a prolonged quarrel: Musk, who spent at least $288 million in 2024 to help elect Trump and other Republicans, accused the president of 'such ingratitude' and publicly mused about starting a third party. Trump responded by threatening Musk’s government contracts. The stock price of Tesla, the electric vehicle company Musk owns, fell sharply, down 14 percent at the market close. The public unraveling began in the Oval Office where Trump spoke to reporters at the start of a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. 'Elon and I had a great relationship,' he said. 'I don’t know if we will anymore.'... Musk volleyed back, declaring it was 'time to drop the really big bomb'  that Trump 'is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day DJT!'” ~~~

     ~~~ Michelle Price of the AP: “'He hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that will be next,'  Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office, presaging the rest of his day.  'But I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.'... The tech entrepreneur even shared a post on social media calling for Trump’s impeachment and skewered the president’s signature tariffs, predicting a recession this year.... 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' Trump wrote on his social media network. 'Go ahead, make my day,' Musk quickly replied on X. Hours later, Musk announced SpaceX would begin decommissioning the spacecraft it used to carry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station for NASA.” ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the New York Times liveblog, which adds both details & context. 

Ana Swanson & David Pierson of the New York Times: “China and the United States agreed on Thursday to hold more trade talks in hopes of breaking an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals that has begun to threaten the global economy. The promise of fresh discussions followed a phone conversation between the leaders of the two superpowers that ... [Donald] Trump described as 'very positive.' Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that his call with Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, had focused entirely on the trade relationship between the nations, which has soured in recent months in a dispute over the export of critical minerals used in an array of industries. The president implied that the two leaders had resolved issues surrounding mineral exports, which China had recently halted to the United States, though he did not provide details. He said his trade team would meet again soon with Chinese officials, in a yet-to-be-determined location.”

Sarah Kliff & Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times: “Millions of Obamacare enrollees would lose health coverage under the Republicans’ major policy bill, which would make coverage more expensive and harder to obtain. Most of the proposals in the bill, which passed the House last month, are technical changes — reductions to enrollment periods, adjustments to formulas, and additional paperwork requirements. But together, they would leave about four million people uninsured in the next 10 years, the Congressional Budget Office reported Wednesday. 'In many ways, it’s sort of repeal by paper cut,' said Audrey Morse Gasteier, the director of the state marketplace in Massachusetts. Alongside these proposals is another challenge to the program: Additional Obamacare funding is set to expire at the end of the year, and Republicans do not plan to extend it. If they don’t, the C.B.O. estimates an additional 4.2 million Americans would lose coverage.... Taken together, proposed changes and the expiration of the subsidies could threaten the viability of the Obamacare markets themselves.... These losses would be in addition to those from the bill’s many changes to Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled. Cuts to Medicaid are expected to cause 7.8 million more people to be uninsured by the end of a decade.”

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: “The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled in favor of a straight woman who twice lost positions to gay workers, saying an appeals court had been wrong to require her to meet a heightened burden in seeking to prove workplace discrimination because she was a member of a majority group. The decision came two years after the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions programs in higher education and amid the Trump administration’s fierce efforts to root out programs that promote diversity. The ruling will place further pressure on employers and others to eliminate affirmative action and other initiatives that seek to provide opportunities to members of historically disadvantaged groups. Nearly half of the federal appeals courts had required men and white people and other members of majority groups to meet a more demanding standard when they sued for workplace discrimination. In eliminating that requirement, the court said that a federal civil rights law demanded equal treatment of all individuals.” The AP report is here.

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Marie: Some day, perhaps not some day soon, we will experience a day where none of what I think is "news" is about something crazy or cruel or corrupt or stupid (or a combination thereof) that Donald Trump does. This is definitely not that kind of day. In fact, it's a 25th Amendment kind of day. I suspect the old boy dove off the deep end when the pool was empty.

Chris Cameron of the New York Times: Donald “Trump ordered his White House counsel and the attorney general on Wednesday to investigate former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his staff in Mr. Trump’s latest attempt to stoke outlandish conspiracy theories about his predecessor. In an executive order, Mr. Trump put the power and resources of the federal government to work examining whether some of Mr. Biden’s presidential actions were legally invalid because his aides had enacted those policies without his knowledge. The executive order came after Mr. Trump shared a social media post over the weekend that claimed Mr. Biden had been 'executed in 2020' and replaced by a robotic clone, following a pattern of suggestions by the president and his allies that Mr. Biden was a mentally incapacitated puppet of his aides. The former president called such claims 'ridiculous and false' in a statefeloment on Wednesday after the order’s release.” The AP's story is here. 

David Nakamura, et al., of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Wednesday restricted the entry of travelers to the United States from more than a dozen countries, resurrecting and expanding sweeping restrictions from his first term that are expected to draw swift legal challenges. The presidential proclamation, slated to go into effect June 9, fully restricts the entry of individuals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also partially restricts the entry of travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The Trump administration, in a document circulated Wednesday evening, cited national security concerns and said the president made his decision after reviewing a State Department report. Authorities said the ban was necessary to compel foreign governments to cooperate with their agenda and enforce the country’s immigration laws.... In a video released by the White House, the president referred to the attack Sunday that injured a dozen demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado.... Federal authorities said the attack was carried out by an immigrant from Egypt who arrived on a visa. Egypt is not on the list of countries* whose citizens will be restricted or barred from entering the United States.” (Also linked yesterday.) The AP report is here. Related story on the family of the accused attacker linked below. ~~~

     ~~~ *Marie: Evidently executive orders don't have to make sense. AND they are apt to be nonsensical when the POTUS* is batshit crazy: ~~~

~~~ Michael Bender of the New York Times: Donald “Trump said on Wednesday that he would prevent Harvard University’s international students from entering the country, an aggressive move the school called 'illegal.' Mr. Trump, in the same proclamation, also urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider revoking current visas for Harvard students. The extraordinary action marks the first time Mr. Trump has tried to directly use the power of the presidency against Harvard, an indication of how personal the effort to inflict distress on the Ivy League university has become for him.... 'I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,' Mr. Trump wrote in the proclamation.... Mr. Trump’s order appeared to be a direct rejoinder to Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the District of Massachusetts, who said last month that she would block an effort by the Department of Homeland Security to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students. She has not yet formally issued her injunction.” (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.) The Guardian's story is here.

Sharon Otterman of the New York Times: “The Trump administration escalated its attack on Columbia University on Wednesday by taking a warning shot against its accreditation, a key credential that U.S. universities need to receive federal student aid. The federal Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which two weeks ago found that Columbia violated civil rights laws by 'acting with deliberate indifference' toward the harassment of Jewish students, sent a letter on Wednesday to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the nongovernmental organization that accredits Columbia. The letter said that because Columbia was in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws, the Education Department believes it fails to meet the standards for accreditation.” (Also linked yesterday.) Politico's story is here. 

Jacob Bogage & Theodoric Meyer of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump is pursuing an agenda that would add trillions of dollars to the soaring national debt, ignoring warnings from Wall Street, Republican deficit hawks and his outgoing cost-cutting champion. Though Trump ran for office in part on pledges to slash the size of the federal government and rein in the debt, his record so far has been less fiscally disciplined. His administration this week asked Congress to cancel a little more than $9 billion in spending in the current fiscal year — a fraction of a federal budget that has grown to nearly $7 trillion. The government has already spent nearly $170 billion more in the fiscal year that began in October than it did by this point in the previous year. The tariffs that the White House has said would produce a gusher of new revenue face an uncertain future, challenged in court and subject to revision as Trump negotiates with foreign trading partners.”

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

~~~ Alicia Parlapiano, et al., of the New York Times: “There’s no question that ... [Donald] Trump’s proposal to stop taxing tips has broad appeal. It’s popular in polling, lawmakers in both parties support it, and now a version of the idea is on its way to becoming law. But the effect of the policy would actually be quite narrow. About 3 percent of American workers receive tips, but about a third of those employees would not see a gain from the change. That’s because of the way Republicans structured the policy in the tax legislation they passed through the House recently. Here’s who would benefit under their plan — and who wouldn’t.” (Also linked yesterday.)  More on Trump's Big Bad Bill linked below.

Heather Cox Richardson: “Just hours after ... Donald J. Trump posted on social media [Tuesday] that '[b]ecause of Tariffs, our Economy is BOOMING!' a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said the opposite. Founded in 1961, the OECD is a forum in which 38 market-based democracies cooperate to promote sustainable economic growth. The OECD’s economic outlook reports that economic growth around the globe is slowing because of Trump’s trade war. It projects global growth slowing from 3.3% in 2024 to 2.9% in 2025 and 2026. That economic slowdown is concentrated primarily in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China. The OECD predicts that growth in the United States will decline from 2.8% in 2024 to 1.6% in 2025 and 1.5% in 2026. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released two analyses today of Trump’s policies that add more detail to that report. The CBO’s estimate for the effect of Trump’s current tariffs — which are unlikely to stay as they are — is that they will raise inflation and slow economic growth as consumers bear their costs.”

Jeff Cox of CNBC: “Private sector job creation slowed to a near standstill in May, hitting its lowest level in more than two years as signs emerged of a weakening labor market, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday. Payrolls increased just 37,000 for the month, below the downwardly revised 60,000 in April and the Dow Jones forecast for 110,000. It was the lowest monthly job total from the ADP count since March 2023.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: “... Donald Trump on Wednesday angrily urged Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates, minutes after the payroll firm ADP reported its lowest private-sector jobs number in years. 'ADP NUMBER OUT!!! “Too Late” Powell must now LOWER THE RATE,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'He is unbelievable!!!' the president said of the central bank chairman, whom he has frequently pressured to shave borrowing rates in hopes of spurring economic growth.”  (Also linked yesterday.)  MB: Gosh, I wonder if just maybe Trump's tariffs, not interest rates, account for the weak jobs market. It doesn't matter, of course, because nothing is Trump's fault. Ever. Not even this: ~~~

~~~ Zach Everson of Forbes: "Of the roughly 115 retail food establishments inspected in Somerset County[, New Jersey,] in May, Trump’s [Bedminister] club received the lowest score — 32 out of 100. All but one other venue scored 60 or higher, according to a county records search.... Trump’s Bedminster club continues to serve alcohol nearly a year after New Jersey declined to renew its liquor license, citing questions over whether ...  Trump’s felony convictions disqualify him under state law. The club has a temporary permit, which is set to expire on June 30." Thanks to laura h. for the link. The page is firewalled, and I didn't get through it, but I copied the bit laura copied in today's Comments. If you haven't used up your Forbes freebies this month (might be only one), you're good. (Also linked yesterday.)  

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “A federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration on Wednesday to take steps toward giving nearly 140 Venezuelan immigrants who were deported to El Salvador in March under a rarely invoked wartime law the due process that they had been denied. In a sweeping and at times outraged opinion, the judge, James E. Boasberg, compared the expelled men to characters in a Kafka novel. Judge Boasberg also asserted that they were likely to prevail in their claims that President Trump had treated them unfairly by deporting them without hearings to a brutal Salvadoran prison under the expansive powers of the wartime statute, known as the Alien Enemies Act. Judge Boasberg did not weigh in on the question of whether Mr. Trump had invoked the act lawfully when he expelled the men, who are accused of being members of the street gang Tren de Aragua, to the prison in El Salvador on March 15. He simply asserted that the White House had stripped them of their rights by not allowing them to contest their deportations before they were flown into the custody of jailers at the so-called Terrorism Confinement Center, also known as CECOT.” ~~~

     ~~~ Judge Boasberg's ruling is here, via the courts. Politico's report, by Josh Gerstein & Kyle Cheney, is here. 

Maria Sacchetti, et al., of the Washington Post: “A federal judge on Wednesday barred the Trump administration from deporting the wife and children of an Egyptian man accused of throwing molotov cocktails at a pro-Israel demonstration in Colorado after immigration officials detained them and vowed to immediately expel them from the country. U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher in Colorado found that deporting the family 'without process' could cause irreparable harm and said he was issuing his order 'due to the urgency this situation presents.' He scheduled a hearing in the case for June 13. The development came after lawyers for Hayam El Gamal and her five children filed an emergency petition earlier in the day arguing that their detentions were illegal. The family’s attorneys wrote that officials violated their constitutional rights and other federal laws by depriving them of due process and protection from being punished for another person’s alleged crimes.”

Alan Feuer & Mattathias Schwartz of the New York Times: “The Trump administration has brought back to the United States a Guatemalan man who was wrongfully deported to Mexico, albeit to an uncertain future, his lawyers said on Wednesday. Trina Realmuto, a lawyer for the man, known only by his initials, O.C.G., said that she expected him to remain in federal custody as the administration determined how to handle his case. Last week, the Justice Department said it would comply with a federal judge’s order to 'facilitate' the return of O.C.G., a gay man who was sent to Mexico this year despite having told American authorities that he had experienced violence there and was afraid to go back. That administration officials obeyed the instructions of the judge, Brian E. Murphy of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts, was a significant departure from the defiant stance that the White House has staked out in other immigration matters.” A CBS News story is here.

Jack Healy of the New York Times: “An immigrant waitress from Hong Kong whose looming deportation brought home the reality of President Trump’s immigration crackdown to her conservative Missouri hometown was freed on Wednesday after more than a month in jail.... Her lawyer, Raymond Bolourtchi, said ... Ming Li Hui, better known as Carol to everyone in Kennett, Mo...., had been released under a federal immigration program that offers a 'temporary safe haven' to immigrants from Hong Kong and a handful of other countries who are concerned about returning there. The so-called deferred enforced departure gives Ms. Hui a reprieve but does not guarantee her future in the United States.... Ms. Hui, who was born in Hong Kong, entered the United States 20 years ago on a short-term tourist visa and stayed long past its expiration, in the process building a life, having three children and becoming a beloved waitress serving waffles and hugs to the breakfast crowd at a diner in Kennett....”

Julia Ainsley, et al., of NBC News: "Immigration and Customs Enforcement made the most immigrant arrests in a single day in its history Tuesday, detaining more than 2,200 people, according to a source familiar with the arrests and an ICE spokesperson who confirmed the numbers, as the agency responds to pressure from the White House to rapidly and dramatically increase arrests. Hundreds of the people who were arrested had been enrolled in ICE’s Alternative to Detention (ATD) program.... Under the program, ICE releases undocumented immigrants who are deemed not to be threats to public safety and then keeps track of them through ankle monitors, smartphone apps or other geolocating programs, along with periodic check-ins at ICE facilities. At least some of the arrests appear to be the result of a new ICE tactic: Immigration attorneys across the country told NBC News that some of their clients on ATD were asked in a mass text message ICE sent out to show up ahead of schedule for check-ins at ICE offices, only to be arrested when they arrived." ~~~

~~~ 

Marie: Even on matters that Trump supposedly cares a lot about, he is making decision that appear to be designed to lead to failure. Take, for instance, the appointment of little Tommy Fugate. ~~~

~~~ All the Best People, Ctd. Hanna Allam of ProPublica: “A year after graduation [from college], the 22-year-old [Thomas Fugate] with no apparent national security expertise is now a Department of Homeland Security official overseeing the government’s main hub for terrorism prevention, including an $18 million grant program intended to help communities combat violent extremism. The White House appointed Fugate, a former Trump campaign worker who interned at the hard-right Heritage Foundation, to a Homeland Security role that was expanded to include the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships. Known as CP3, the office has led nationwide efforts to prevent hate-fueled attacks, school shootings and other forms of targeted violence.... In the past seven weeks, at least five high-profile targeted attacks have unfolded across the U.S., including a car bombing in California and the gunning down of two Israeli Embassy aides in Washington. Against this backdrop, current and former national security officials say, the Trump administration’s decision to shift counterterrorism resources to immigration and leave the violence-prevention portfolio to inexperienced appointees is 'reckless.'” Allam describes two theories as to why Fugate was assigned to run CP3.

Jill Cowan of the New York Times: “The Trump administration said it would pull roughly $4 billion in federal funding for California’s long-planned high-speed train, a project that has, over decades, become an avatar for the country’s declining ability to complete transformative new infrastructure. In a report sent to the state’s high-speed rail authority on Wednesday, Drew Feeley, the acting head of the Federal Railroad Administration, wrote that the project has repeatedly blown past projected deadlines by years, and cost estimates by billions of dollars. It gave California 30 days to respond to the findings of the review before what it said was a likely decision to revoke the funding.... A spokesman for the state rail authority said the state intended to keep the project moving forward.”

Ha! Maura Judkis, et al., of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump’s latest attempt to assert control over an elite American cultural institution has turned into a high-stakes Washington standoff. In defiance of Trump’s announcement last Friday that he was firing her, Kim Sajet — the director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery — has continued to report for work, conducting meetings and handling other museum business as she did before.... Writing on Truth Social, Trump had declared he is firing Sajet because she 'is a highly partisan person' and because she is a 'strong supporter of DEI.'...  Trump has not provided a legal reasoning to support his authority to fire Sajet. Top congressional Democrats have asserted the president does not have legal authority for the firing.... [The Smithsonian] is not a traditional government agency nor part of the executive branch, and hiring and firing decisions have historically been handled by the Smithsonian’s secretary, rather than its Board of Regents. The Smithsonian’s current secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, is widely expected to discuss the president’s attempt to oust Sajet at the board meeting Monday.” ~~~

     ~~~ Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times sees Trump's attempt to fire Sajet as a symptom of a much broader malady: “It is Trump’s compulsion to dominate — his ego-driven quest for mastery over everything and everyone he encounters — that has shaped the latent potential for a monarchical presidency into something as close to reality as we’ve yet seen in American life.... We should treat Trump and his openly authoritarian administration as a failure, not just of our party system or our legal system, but also of our Constitution and its ability to meaningfully constrain a destructive and system-threatening force in our political life. And while we can stipulate the extent to which Trump’s rise was contingent on the particular choices of particular people, it is also true that a less countermajoritarian and antidemocratic system might have kept Trump out of office.”

Liz Whyte of the Wall Street Journal, replished by MSN: “Passing the GOP’s 'One Big Beautiful Bill' in its current form would push about 11 million people out of Medicaid or other forms of health coverage, leaving them uninsured by 2034, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.”

Andrew Duehren of the New York Times: “The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday that the broad Republican bill to cut taxes and slash some federal programs would add $2.4 trillion to the already soaring national debt over the next decade, in an analysis that was all but certain to inflame concerns that President Trump’s domestic agenda would lead to excessive government borrowing.... The United States government currently has roughly $29 trillion in public debt, and the budget office had previously forecast that it would grow by roughly $21 trillion over the next decade, reaching nearly $50 trillion in 2034, as a growing share of Americans take advantage of government retirement support. With a roughly $3.8 trillion tax cut at its core, the Republican bill had long been expected to significantly add to that debt....”

Marie: Some experts have expressed concern that the unscrupulous Trump administration and its allies would try to fake, suppress or withhold calculations and estimates that were unhelpful to its goals. Well, lookie here: ~~~

~~~ Tony Romm of the New York Times: “Even before House Republicans learned the full price of their tax package on Wednesday, one of the bill’s chief authors, Representative Jason Smith of Missouri, was sowing doubt about the accuracy of the estimate.... In the bitter war over the nation’s fiscal future, President Trump and his Republican allies have united around a new foe: the economists and budget experts who have warned about the costs of the party’s tax ambitions. Republican leaders have set about trying to discredit any hint of unfavorable accounting on their signature legislation as they race to enact it before the president’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.... They reserved their fiercest criticism for the Congressional Budget Office, a team of nonpartisan aides who helped to author the price check issued on Wednesday. Mr. Trump and his advisers have tried to paint the budget office as historically inaccurate and overly political.” And here: ~~~

... there hasn’t been a single staffer in the entire Congressional Budget Office that has contributed to a Republican since the year 2000. But guess what, there have been many staffers within the Congressional Budget Office who have contributed to Democratic candidates and politicians every single cycle since. So unfortunately, this is an institution in our country that has become partisan and political. -- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, briefing, June 3 

When we asked about this claim, a White House official defended it as 'a verifiable fact' and she provided a link to Federal Election Commission records, showing 250 contributions since 2000 made by people who listed the CBO as their employer. But there are also stupid facts — and this one is remarkably dumb.... The FEC list of contributions does not demonstrate that the agency, run by a Republican, has turned 'partisan and political' on behalf of Democrats. Instead, it shows a handful of low-level employees made a bunch of small contributions to Democrats.... The White House apparently thought it was clever to go back 25 years. But let’s not forget, before 2011, Donald Trump donated more to Democrats than Republicans. That’s a verifiable fact too, but we would not claim it means much today. -- Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post

~~~ Ben Casselman of the New York Times: “The Bureau of Labor Statistics is cutting back its collection of data on consumer prices, raising questions about the reliability of federal economic statistics under ... [Donald] Trump. Every month, a small army of government workers visits stores and other businesses across the country to check prices of eggs, underwear, haircuts, and tens of thousands of other goods and services. The data collected is the basis for the inflation measures that determine cost-of-living increases in union contracts and Social Security benefits and that guide policymakers at the Federal Reserve when they set interest rates, among other applications. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is part of the Labor Department, said on Wednesday that it was reducing its collection of price data 'in areas across the country' and that it had stopped gathering data entirely in Buffalo; Lincoln, Neb.; and Provo, Utah. The agency did not give a specific reason for the cuts, but said it 'makes reductions when current resources can no longer support the collection effort.'” MB: IOW, the Musk Chainsaw Effect.

Rachel Scott & Will Steakin of ABC News: "Elon Musk is continuing his attacks on ... Donald Trump's signature bill on Wednesday with a barrage of posts on X slamming the megabill, saying in one that no one 'should be able to stomach it,"'while another instructed his more than 200 million followers to call members of Congress to 'KILL the BILL.' Musk, who until recently had largely scaled back posting about politics, on Wednesday alone has already posted or helped amplify posts on X criticizing the bill more than 25 times. 'Mammoth spending bills are bankrupting America! ENOUGH,' Musk wrote in one post. In another, Musk was more forceful, writing, 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.'... Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Wednesday morning that Musk was 'flat wrong' about his criticisms on the spending bill and its effect on the deficit -- adding that he tried to call the tech billionaire Tuesday night, but Musk didn't answer." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So far, nothing from Trump. I read or heard somewhere that Musk still "owes" Trump $100MM in promised PAC contributions. If that's true, it helps explain the Big, Beautiful Silence. But it can't last. Even for $100MM. ~~~

     ~~~ Adam Cancryn & Jake Traylor of Politico: “... Donald Trump is frustrated with Elon Musk for slamming the administration’s chief legislative priority, but isn’t taking it personally — a distinction that’s helped keep a lid on the White House’s response so far. Yet as Musk’s attacks stretch into their second day, administration officials are wondering how long the peace will hold.... Within the West Wing, [Trump's] aides dismissed Musk’s complaints about the bill’s size and deficit spending, arguing instead that Musk is upset primarily because it eliminates tax credits that stood to benefit his electric car company Tesla.... The White House has publicly downplayed the rift, emphasizing that Musk is now a private citizen and that he still agrees with Trump on a host of other issues.” ~~~

Cashing In. Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: President Biden's “former press secretary said she has written a book that will detail working in a 'broken White House' and her decision to leave the Democratic Party and become an independent. The book from former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ... will describe 'the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision,' according to the publisher, Legacy Lit. It is set for release Oct. 21.... Speaking at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics in February, Jean-Pierre said the 'toughest thing' to see in the three weeks between the president’s halting debate performance and dropping out of the race was the 'firing squad' from fellow Democrats.” The CBS News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Eli Stokols of Politico: “Karine Jean-Pierre’s announcement that she’s leaving the Democratic Party — timed with the rollout of a new book — has detonated long-simmering grievances among her former White House colleagues about Jean-Pierre’s pursuit of celebrity and personal media exposure while serving as then-President Joe Biden’s press secretary. The attention-grabbing ploy lit up Democratic and Biden alumni texting groups and reignited frustrations that burned for years about Jean-Pierre.... 'Everyone thinks this is a grift,' [a] former official said of Jean-Pierre’s book project.” ~~~

     ~~~ Andrew Solender of Axios: "House Republicans' longstanding frustrations with Elon Musk are spilling out in an unprecedented way behind closed doors after he criticized them for supporting ... [Donald] Trump's ;One Big, Beautiful Bill.'... In some lawmakers' telling, the internal GOP frustration didn't come about overnight. It's been stewing for months — and Musk has now opened the floodgates. 'He's a complete joke. He had no idea what the f*** he was doing, whatsoever,' said one House Republican.... 'Nobody really wanted him here. We couldn't wait to get rid of him.'... Even now, many House Republicans expressed extreme reluctance to put their names to even mild criticism of the mercurial billionaire."

Geoffrey Fowler of the Washington Post: tested five A.I. chatboxes on their ability to read, summarize and fact-check various forms of writing as well as speeches by Donald Trump. “All told, I asked 115 questions about the assigned reading to ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Meta AI and Gemini. Some of the AI responses were astoundingly good. Others were so clueless they sounded like 'Seinfeld’s' George Costanza. All the bots barring one made up — or 'hallucinated' — information, a persistent AI problem.” Thanks to unwashed for the link. ~~~~~~~~~~

Florida/Michigan. Paul Campos in LG&$ follows U. Michigan president Santo Ono's sudden change-of-heart on defending academic freedom. How could it be that a prestigious state university president wouldn't stand up for academic freedom? Campos has it all figured out. Thanks to RAS for the link. Still, it didn't work out for Ono -- see WashPo report under "Florida" below. And, as we were saying, Campos' post conforms with our contention that university presidents' salaries have ballooned." (Also linked yesterday.)

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The Conversation -- June 4, 2025

David Nakamura, et al., of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Wednesday restricted the entry of travelers to the United States from more than a dozen countries, resurrecting and expanding sweeping restrictions from his first term that are expected to draw swift legal challenges. The presidential proclamation, slated to go into effect June 9, fully restricts the entry of individuals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also partially restricts the entry of travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The Trump administration, in a document circulated Wednesday evening, cited national security concerns and said the president made his decision after reviewing a State Department report. Authorities said the ban was necessary to compel foreign governments to cooperate with their agenda and enforce the country’s immigration laws.... In a video released by the White House, the president referred to the attack Sunday that injured a dozen demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado.... Federal authorities said the attack was carried out by an immigrant from Egypt who arrived on a visa. Egypt is not on the list of countries whose citizens will be restricted or barred from entering the United States.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Evidently executive orders don't have to make sense. 

Michael Bender of the New York Times: Donald “Trump said on Wednesday that he would prevent Harvard University’s international students from entering the country, announcing an aggressive move six days after a federal judge said she would halt the administration’s efforts to disqualify those students from receiving visas. Mr. Trump, in the same proclamation, also urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider revoking current visas for Harvard students.... On Thursday, Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the District of Massachusetts said she would block an effort by the Department of Homeland Security to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students.... But Judge Burroughs has not yet issued an injunction, and the administration has continued seeking options for keeping international students out of the country.” At 9:45 pm ET Wednesday, this is a breaking news story.

Sharon Otterman of the New York Times: “The Trump administration escalated its attack on Columbia University on Wednesday by taking a warning shot against its accreditation, a key credential that U.S. universities need to receive federal student aid. The federal Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which two weeks ago found that Columbia violated civil rights laws by 'acting with deliberate indifference' toward the harassment of Jewish students, sent a letter on Wednesday to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the nongovernmental organization that accredits Columbia. The letter said that because Columbia was in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws, the Education Department believes it fails to meet the standards for accreditation.”

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

~~~ Alicia Parlapiano, et al., of the New York Times: “There’s no question that ... [Donald] Trump’s proposal to stop taxing tips has broad appeal. It’s popular in polling, lawmakers in both parties support it, and now a version of the idea is on its way to becoming law. But the effect of the policy would actually be quite narrow. About 3 percent of American workers receive tips, but about a third of those employees would not see a gain from the change. That’s because of the way Republicans structured the policy in the tax legislation they passed through the House recently. Here’s who would benefit under their plan — and who wouldn’t.”

Jeff Cox of CNBC: “Private sector job creation slowed to a near standstill in May, hitting its lowest level in more than two years as signs emerged of a weakening labor market, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday. Payrolls increased just 37,000 for the month, below the downwardly revised 60,000 in April and the Dow Jones forecast for 110,000. It was the lowest monthly job total from the ADP count since March 2023.” ~~~

~~~ Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: “... Donald Trump on Wednesday angrily urged Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates, minutes after the payroll firm ADP reported its lowest private-sector jobs number in years. 'ADP NUMBER OUT!!! “Too Late” Powell must now LOWER THE RATE,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'He is unbelievable!!!' the president said of the central bank chairman, whom he has frequently pressured to shave borrowing rates in hopes of spurring economic growth.” MB: Gosh, I wonder if just maybe Trump's tariffs, not interest rates, account for the weak jobs market. It doesn't matter, of course, because nothing is Trump's fault. Ever. Not even this: ~~~

~~~ Zach Everson of Forbes: "Of the roughly 115 retail food establishments inspected in Somerset County in May, Trump’s [Bedminister] club received the lowest score — 32 out of 100. All but one other venue scored 60 or higher, according to a county records search.... Trump’s Bedminster club continues to serve alcohol nearly a year after New Jersey declined to renew its liquor license, citing questions over whether President Trump’s felony convictions disqualify him under state law. The club has a temporary permit, which is set to expire on June 30." Thanks to laura h. for the link. The page is firewalled, and I didn't get through it, but I copied the bit laura copied in today's Comments. If you haven't used up your Forbes freebies this month (might be only one), you're good. 

Paul Campos in LG&$ follows U. Michigan president Santo Ono's sudden change-of-heart on defending academic freedom. How could it be that a prestigious state university president wouldn't stand up for academic freedom? Campos has it all figured out. Thanks to RAS for the link. Still, it didn't work out for Ono -- see WashPo report under "Florida" below. And, as we were saying, Campos' post conforms with our contention that university presidents' salaries have ballooned.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

History illustrates, in no uncertain terms, the dangers of state-dictated ‘scientific truths.’... State-sponsored programs in Nazi Germany based on the ‘science’ of eugenics led to the genocide of millions of Jews, people with disabilities, and people identifying as L.G.B.T.Q.+ who were deemed to have ‘life unworthy of life.’ -- Six Thousand-Plus Scientists, Open Letter ~~~

~~~ Somini Sengupta of the New York Times: Donald “Trump has ordered what he called a restoration of a 'gold standard science' across federal agencies and national laboratories. But the May 23 executive order puts his political appointees in charge of vetting scientific research and gives them the authority to 'correct scientific information,' control the way it is communicated to the public and the power to 'discipline' anyone who violates the way the administration views science. It has prompted an open letter, signed by more than 6,000 scientists, academics, physicians, researchers and others, saying the order would destroy scientific independence. Agency heads have 30 days to comply with the order.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ “The Suicide of a Superpower.” Max Boot of the Washington Post: “Even as ... [Donald Trump] wants to showcase U.S. military power, he is doing grave and possibly irreparable damage to the real sources of U.S. strength, including its long-term investment in scientific research. Trump is declaring war on science, and the casualty will be the U.S. economy. Since the 1940s, when the University of Chicago, Columbia University and the University of California played a central role in the Manhattan Project, the engine driving U.S. economic and military competitiveness has been federal support of research universities. That partnership has produced most of the key inventions of the information age, including the internet, GPS, smartphones and artificial intelligence. Federal support of university research has also made possible the success of the United States’ world-leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.... Now Trump is sabotaging a research and development pipeline that is the envy of the world.... Trump is undercutting long-term U.S. military and economic competitiveness with his anti-intellectual animus. The weapons systems that will be paraded in Washington on June 14 won’t be of much help to the United States in the future if it falls behind in the R&D race with China.” This is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ David Ignatius  of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration’s assault on American higher education is a tragic mistake. Its destructive effects could last for a generation. And the worst aspect, perhaps, is that this destruction isn’t accidental. It’s a consequence of the anti-elitist crusade against government funding for research that was proclaimed in Project 2025 and other MAGA manifestos.... On the wall of Ulrich Mueller’s neurobiology lab at Johns Hopkins University is a map with pins that show all the different countries where his research fellows were born. It’s a visual representation of what makes American science so powerful — and why that primacy is threatened.... The freedom and diversity of American higher education have operated like a magnet, attracting the world’s most brilliant minds and spinning off trillions of dollars in wealth.... But ... as the Trump administration has slashed research funding for Johns Hopkins and other great universities, Mueller said that every prominent European scholar there has been recruited by foreign universities that see a chance to poach our talent.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I know you don't need much convincing when it comes to Musk's Boot's [thanks to NiskyGuy for the catch] point, but he does sum up some of the ways in which Trump is bludgeoning scientific development. Trump's sustained attack on science is just one of the reasons I suspect that Trump is purposely trying to destroy the United States. I don't know if he's doing this because he's working as an agent of a foreign government or because he truly has no idea what "Makes American Great." My guess would be that the latter is more likely but that malign world leaders have at least influenced him and pointed him down the path to destruction. 

Peter Baker of the New York Times: “In the Oval Office one day last week..., [Donald] Trump renewed his no-holds-barred attack on the nation’s oldest university. 'They’re totally antisemitic at Harvard,' he declared. Just 10 hours later, he posted an image of himself striding down a street with the caption, 'He’s on a mission from God and nothing can stop what is coming.' Shown in the shadows, watching with approval, was a cartoon figure commonly seen as an antisemitic symbol. The appearance of the figure, the alt-right mascot, Pepe the Frog, was the latest example of Mr. Trump’s extensive history of amplifying white supremacist figures and symbols, even as he now presents himself as a champion for Jewish students.... 

“As a younger man, Mr. Trump kept a book of Adolf Hitler’s speeches in a cabinet by his bed, according to his first wife. During his first term as president, he expressed admiration for some aspects of the Nazi Führer’s leadership, according to his chief White House aide at the time. In the past few years, he has dined at his Florida estate with a Holocaust denier while his New Jersey golf club has hosted events at which a Nazi sympathizer spoke. Since reclaiming the White House, Mr. Trump has brought into his orbit and his administration people with records of advancing antisemitic tropes, including a spokeswoman at the Pentagon. His vice president, secretary of state and top financial backer have offered support to a far-right German political party that has played down atrocities committed by the Nazis. And just last week, Mr. Trump picked a former right-wing podcaster who has defended a prominent white supremacist to head the Office of Special Counsel.”

Donald the Corrupt. Ailia Zehra of AlterNet: "Pilgrim’s Pride and Ripple, two of the largest donors to ... Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration, have both experienced favorable outcomes following their substantial contributions, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Critics have raised concerns about potential political influence, citing the timing of the donation and subsequent approval. Pilgrim’s Pride, a leading U.S. chicken processor, reportedly donated $5 million to the inauguration fund. Shortly thereafter, its Brazilian parent company, JBS, received approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a long-sought dual listing on the New York Stock Exchange. According to The Journal's report, this approval, despite JBS's controversial history, including bribery charges and a $110 million fine, marked a significant milestone for the company. Ripple, a leading cryptocurrency firm, made a significant contribution of approximately $4.9 million to Trump's second inauguration. In March, Ripple also reached a settlement with the SEC, resolving a protracted legal dispute that had begun in 2020.... Several donors have been appointed to prominent positions within the administration. Oil companies that contributed $1 million or more were able to avoid tariffs after meeting with Trump early in the administration, per the report." ~~~

     ~~~ This could be a gift link to the underlying Wall Street Journal article. It worked for me this morning. Pilgrim's Pride and Ripple were the top two donors, according to the report.

Catie Edmondson & Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: “The White House formally asked Congress on Tuesday to claw back more than $9 billion in federal funds that lawmakers had already approved for foreign aid and public broadcasting, seeking to codify spending cuts put forward by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. In a package compiled by the Office of Management and Budget, officials outlined 22 programs targeted by ... [Donald] Trump in executive orders and by DOGE. The bulk of the rollbacks — $8.3 billion — are aimed at foreign aid spending. The rest — $1.1 billion — would rescind funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. The proposal comes as the White House has aggressively challenged Congress’s power of the purse and made clear it is willing to steer around the legislative branch to unilaterally control federal spending. In this case, though, the administration is going through normal channels and asking Congress to go along with its efforts to redirect federal money. Lawmakers can approve such a measure by a simple majority vote in both chambers.” ~~~

     ~~~ An NPR story centers on Trump's ask to cut public broadcasting funds. The AP report is here. See also Nicole Lafond of TPM on this, linked below.

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Tuesday ratcheted up pressure on Senate Republicans to quickly embrace and pass legislation carrying his domestic agenda, intensifying a battle inside the G.O.P. about what should be in the measure and how much it should cost. The deepening divisions are threatening the fate of the sprawling bill, which includes large tax cuts; reductions to Medicaid, food assistance and clean energy programs; and additional money for border security and the military. They erupted online on Tuesday after Mr. Trump lashed out at an outspoken Republican opponent of the legislation and as Elon Musk ... castigated its supporters, denouncing the bill as 'a disgusting abomination.' Mr. Trump began the day lashing out on social media at Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, for refusing to back the bill, claiming that Mr. Paul had little understanding of the measure and adding: 'His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can’t stand him.'... 'I call on all of my Republican friends in the Senate and House to work as fast as they can to get this Bill to MY DESK before the Fourth of JULY,' Mr. Trump wrote.” ~~~

~~~ Musk Calls Trump Bill a “Disgusting Abomination,” Bible Mike Is “Disappointed.” Giselle Ewing of Politico: “Elon Musk came out swinging against ... Donald Trump’s 'Big Beautiful Bill' on Tuesday, slamming the reconciliation package as a 'disgusting abomination' in a massive break from the president just days after stepping away from his role in the administration. 'I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,' Musk wrote on his social media platform X. 'This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.'... Musk ... went on to criticize the bill for setting up Congress to 'increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!)' and saddle Americans with 'crushingly unsustainable debt.'... Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of two Republican defections against the bill last month, was quick to boost Musk’s tirade, writing 'He’s right' in a post on X. And Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who Trump criticized repeatedly earlier Tuesday for his opposition to the bill, came out in support of Musk.... Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also jumped on the post.... But the message came as a blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson.... Musk 'coming out and panning' the GOP megabill is 'very disappointing,' Johnson told reporters at the Capitol, 'and very surprising in light of the conversation I had with him.'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Kate Conger, et al., of the New York Times: Elon Musk “did not target any specific members of Congress, but hinted that he might support efforts to unseat those who backed the bill in the 2026 midterm elections. 'In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,' he wrote.... His super PAC, America PAC, spent about $20 million in the last election cycle to boost Republicans running for the House. And a different PAC he backed spent $10 million to help Republicans in the Senate.” More on the Big Bad Bill linked below.

     ~~~ Nicole Lafond of TPM: “The world’s richest man is, of course, not bothered by the ways in which Republicans plan to gut the social safety net program outlined in the bill. Rather he believes it does too much to actually fund the government and it rubs up against his Department Of Government Efficiency work. Before officially exiting the Trump administration ... Musk told CBS News that he believed the size of the 'massive spending bill' 'undermines' the work that his DOGE cronies have been doing for the past five months. That work has, of course, been constitutionally backwards, if not illegal, as he’s used a sweeping mandate from Trump as an opening to freeze and rescind funds that were appropriated by Congress.”

Trump's Anti-U.S. Steel & Aluminum Tariffs Go into Effect. Ana Swanson & Ian Austen of the New York Times: “U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports doubled on Wednesday, as ... [Donald] Trump continued to ratchet up levies on foreign metals that he claims will help revitalize American steel mills and aluminum smelters. The White House called the increased tariffs, which rose to 50 percent from 25 percent just after midnight Eastern time, a matter of addressing  'trade practices that undermine national security.' They were announced during Mr. Trump’s visit to a U.S. Steel mill last week, and appear to be aimed at currying favor with steelworkers and the steel industry, including those in swing states like Pennsylvania, where U.S. Steel is based.... But companies that use steel and aluminum to make their products criticized the tariffs, saying they would add costs for American consumers. Robert Budway, the president of the Can Manufacturers Institute, said doubling the steel tariff would further increase the cost of canned goods at the grocery store.... An economic analysis published by the U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent, bipartisan government agency, suggested that while the steel and aluminum tariffs levied in Mr. Trump’s first term helped American steel and aluminum producers, they hurt the broader economy by raising prices for many other industries, including automaking.... 

“The higher levies have already rankled close allies that sell metal to the United States, including Canada and Europe.... Canada is the largest foreign supplier of both steel and aluminum to the United States. Mexico, Brazil, South Korea and Germany are also major suppliers of steel, while the United Arab Emirates, China and South Korea supply the United States with small amounts of aluminum.”

Karoun Demirjian & John Ismay of the New York Times: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to review the names of vessels honoring prominent civil rights leaders, including Harvey Milk, who was one of the country’s first openly gay elected officials and a Navy veteran. News of Mr. Hegseth’s decision, reported earlier by Military.com, comes just days into Pride Month, which celebrates the contributions of luminaries in the L.G.B.T.Q. community. Instead, Mr. Hegseth’s order was intended as a rebuke of Pride Month, keeping with the Trump administration’s drive to expunge diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the federal government, according to a senior defense official familiar with the decision. Mr. Milk is one of several trailblazers whose name has been identified for possible removal from naval vessels. According to a senior official familiar with a memo from John Phelan, the secretary of the Navy, they include Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, another Supreme Court justice, who became a feminist icon; Harriet Tubman, who, after being born into slavery, became an abolitionist instrumental in the Underground Railroad; Lucy Stone, a prominent abolitionist and suffragist; Medgar Evers, a civil-rights leader who was assassinated by a member of the Ku Klux Klan; Cesar Chavez, a labor leader; and Dolores Huerta, another labor leader.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The Navy should review the names of those ships, then publicly declare, "The United States Navy is proud to honor these great Americans." ~~~

     ~~~ The CBS News story, by Emily Watson, et al., is here. The lede differs from the NYT report: "The U.S. Navy plans to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named after the slain gay rights leader and Navy veteran, and is considering renaming multiple naval ships named after civil rights leaders and prominent American voices, CBS News has learned." Anne Flaherty of ABC News agrees with CBS News: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to strike the name of pioneering gay rights activist Harvey Milk from one of its ships, orchestrating the change as Pride month celebrations take place, according to sources." IOW, Hegseth already has ordered the name change of the USNS Harvey Milk, rather than order a "review" of the name of the ship.

Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: “The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it had revoked a Biden administration requirement that hospitals provide emergency abortions to women whose health is in peril, including in states where abortion is restricted or banned. The move by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a branch of the department led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was not a surprise. But it added to growing confusion around emergency care and abortions since June 2022, when the Supreme Court rescinded the national right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade.... The administration did not explicitly tell hospitals that they were free to turn away women seeking abortions in medical emergencies. Its policy statement said hospitals would still be subject to a federal law requiring them to provide reproductive health care in emergency situations. But it did not explain exactly what that meant.” ~~~

     ~~~ The AP's report is here. The administration's published release is here. If you're wondering what the administration “guidance” means, read the Press release and both the NYT & AP stories. And good luck.

Alexander Tin of CBS News: "A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said Tuesday she was resigning from her role overseeing updates to the agency's COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, following an order by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to force an update to the agency's guidance. "My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role," Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos wrote in an email to some members of the agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).... The process to update the CDC's influential vaccine recommendations is closely watched by experts because they are tied to federal policies and programs, including liability protections, vaccines for uninsured children and requirements for insurance coverage. The committee had been set to vote on updated recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines at a meeting later this month, before Kennedy usurped the process to impose his own changes to the guidance."

All the Best People, Ctd. Hiroko Tabuchi of the New York Times: “Michael Boren, founder of a billion-dollar tech company, Idaho ranch owner and Trump donor, has clashed with the U.S. Forest Service for years. He was accused of flying a helicopter dangerously close to a crew building a Forest Service trail, prompting officials to seek a restraining order. He got a caution from the Forest Service, and criticism from his neighbors, when he built a private airstrip on his Hell Roaring Ranch in a national recreation area. And in the fall, the Forest Service sent a cease-and-desist letter accusing a company that Mr. Boren controlled of building an unauthorized cabin on National Forest land. Now, Mr. Boren is Mr. Trump’s nominee to oversee the very agency he has tussled with repeatedly. On Tuesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on Mr. Boren’s nomination to be the under secretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment, a role that would put him in charge of the Forest Service.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I can't find much of an update on how Boren's Senate hearing went. There's this ABC News story, which appears to have been written prior to the hearing, though it kinda pretends to have been completed afterwards. AND there's this this NPR one-liner that reads, "Michael Boren, an ally of President Trump, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate to run the U.S. Forest Service. It's an agency he's frequently fought with as a wealthy, private landowner." An audio that aired on NPR's "Morning Edition" and that accompanies the one-line story is more expansive.

Needless to say, Boren isn't the only under-secretary-level administration appointee who is unsuitable for any government job. For instance, there's this guy: ~~~

~~~ Haley Wilt of NOTUS: “Darren Beattie, the State Department’s acting undersecretary for public diplomacy ... once said 'competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work' and has frequently praised the Chinese government’s repressive tactics.... [Beattie] is ... leading the department’s 'free speech' priorities since his appointment earlier this year. Beattie has also repeatedly endorsed mass sterilization for some Americans, people he views as 'low-IQ trash.'... Beattie has long been a controversial figure: He was fired from his speechwriting job during the first Trump administration for appearing at a conference attended by known white nationalists. But his influence as an online MAGA ideologue has only grown in the years since. He has condemned NATO, American foreign policy and argued a partnership between Russia and China against western countries isn’t necessarily a bad thing.... [Although Beattie has previous criticized Secretary of State Marco Rubio,] Rubio has emphasized his support for Beattie’s work.... 'Darren Beattie persistently traffics in white nationalist ideology,' [44 Democratic lawmakers] wrote in the letter. 'For a senior American diplomat to espouse these reprehensible, fringe views in representing the United States on the world stage would be categorically destructive to U.S. global standing.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Via Heather Cox Richardson, who has more on Beattie. AND Marcie Jones of Wonkette adds more in a you-can't-make-this-stuff-up report.

Matt Krupnick for ProPublica: “The Trump administration has proposed cutting funding for tribal colleges and universities by nearly 90%, a move that would likely shut down most or all of the institutions created to serve students disadvantaged by the nation’s historic mistreatment of Indigenous communities. The proposal is included in the budget request from the Department of the Interior to Congress, which was released publicly on Monday. The document mentions only the two federally controlled tribal colleges — Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute — but notes the request for postsecondary programs will drop from more than $182 million this year to just over $22 million for 2026. If Congress supports the administration’s proposal, it would devastate the nation’s 37 tribal colleges and universities, said Ahniwake Rose, president and CEO of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which represents the colleges in Washington, D.C.”

Ag Department Pauses Aspect of Musk's Big Brother Project. Zach Montague of the New York Times: “The Trump administration has backed off a demand that states hand over personal information about food stamp recipients in the face of a lawsuit brought by a coalition of public interest groups. An Agriculture Department official said in a sworn statement filed in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia over the weekend that the agency was pausing its plans, announced last month, to create a database of Americans who receive nutrition benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The move was a rare instance of the Trump administration proceeding cautiously amid litigation, relenting for now before potential intervention by a judge.... The data the department requested from state administrators includes identifying details on recipients including home addresses, federal tax returns and social security numbers. A group of individuals and nonprofits quickly filed a lawsuit challenging the policy on personal privacy grounds.... The lawsuit raised broader concerns about the data-collection efforts driven by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency team he has left in place.... At the same time the Agriculture Department was canvassing data from states, Mr. Musk’s team was also contacting third-party companies that process bank transactions tied to the benefits in an attempt to build out the database, according to emails first reported by NPR.”

Alan Feuer & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: “In case after case, the Trump administration has taken a similar approach to the numerous legal challenges that have emerged in recent weeks to ... [Donald] Trump’s aggressive deportation plans. Over and over, officials have either violated orders or used an array of obfuscations and delays to prevent federal judges from deciding whether violations took place. So far, no one in the White House or any federal agency has had to pay a price for this obstructionist behavior, but penalties could still be in the offing. Three judges in three different courthouses who have been overseeing deportation cases have said they are considering whether to hold the administration in contempt.”

Amy Harmon of the New York Times: “The U.S. Bureau of Prisons must provide transgender inmates with hormone therapy and social accommodations such as gender-appropriate clothing while a lawsuit over the issue proceeds, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. The ruling, by Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also certified a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 1,000 inmates who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The lawsuit claims the Trump administration’s policy denying gender-related treatment to prisoners violates their Eighth Amendment right to medical care and the Administrative Procedure Act, which prohibits “arbitrary and capricious” actions by federal agencies. In his order, Judge Lamberth said it was not necessary to address the constitutional issue at this stage of the case because the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on Administrative Procedure Act grounds. Under the act, he wrote, the Bureau of Prisons 'may not arbitrarily deprive inmates of medications or other lifestyle accommodations that its own medical staff have deemed to be medically appropriate without considering the implications of that decision.'”

Newark Mayor Sues Trump Lawyer for Malicious Prosecution. Tracey Tully of the New York Times: “Mayor Ras J. Baraka of Newark, a Democratic candidate for governor who was arrested last month outside an immigration detention center, filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, that argues that his arrest was motivated by political malice, not justice. The lawsuit also names Ricky Patel, a supervising agent with Homeland Security Investigations who led the arrest of Mr. Baraka on May 9 outside a 1,000-bed detention center near Newark Liberty International Airport that has become a flashpoint in ... [Donald] Trump’s immigration crackdown. Mr. Baraka’s lawsuit accuses the federal authorities of false arrest and malicious prosecution. It also accuses Ms. Habba of defamation. The suit comes as polling locations opened Tuesday for six days of early voting ahead of a June 10 primary that has pitted Mr. Baraka against five other Democrats.” Politico's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Joyce Vance covers the Baraka suit, and a few other matters: "There are so many different legal stories right now that it’s hard to know where to look. But there is a throughline: Donald Trump continues to try to accumulate power that belongs to other branches of government and exercise as much of it as possible, without any restrictions. In other words, he is trying to undo the checks and balances the Founding Fathers put in place. It’s the unitary executive theory on steroids. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the news, remember, that’s a feature, not a bug. He needs all of that noise to distract enough people for enough time because Trump is attempting to assume the role of dictator or autocrat, call it what you like." BTW, that photo of Trump & Habba-Hubba-Hubba "celebrating" is rather compromising, though I don't suppose Melanie minds.

PRO TIP: It’s helpful to read stuff before voting on it. -- Rep.  Ted Lieu [D-Calif.], responding to a complaint by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene [R-Ga.] that the Big Bad Bill contained a provision she didn't know about ~~~

~~~ Regrets, They Have a Few. Michael Gold of the New York Times: “It turns out that the sprawling legislation to advance tax and spending cuts and to cement much of ... [Donald] Trump’s domestic agenda included a raft of provisions that drew little notice or debate on the House floor. And now, Republicans who rallied behind the bill are claiming buyer’s remorse about measures they swear they did not know were included.... Members of Congress, divided bitterly along partisan lines and often working against self-imposed political deadlines, have become accustomed to having their leaders throw together huge pieces of legislation at the very last moment — and often do not read the entirety of the bill they are voting on, if they read any of it at all. At the same time, the polarization of Congress means that few pieces of legislation make it to the floor or to enactment — and the few 'must pass' bills that do are almost always stuffed full of unrelated policy measures that would otherwise have little hope of passing on their own.”

Thune Says He's Doing a Great Job Appeasing Trump. Jordain Carney of Politico: “John Thune is wasting no time moving ... Donald Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill' through the Senate. The Senate majority leader laid out a rat-a-tat tempo for the coming weeks in an ... interview with Politico that he hopes will culminate in final passage of the party-line megabill by Republicans’ July 4 deadline. Senate committees will fully release revised text of the bill by the end of next week, Thune said. Panel markups where that text might be debated and potentially amended will be highly optional. And he is already in close consultation with Trump about targeting key senators who will need to be persuaded to back the sprawling legislation.”

Linda Qiu of the New York Times: “As the Senate considers a domestic policy bill to enact the White House’s agenda..., [Donald] Trump and his allies have sought to assuage some lawmakers’ concerns over its price tag and cuts to Medicaid with inaccurate claims. They have dismissed estimates of the effect of the 'one big, beautiful bill' on the deficit as incorrect and described cuts to the health insurance program for poor Americans as simply trimming 'waste, fraud and abuse.' Here’s a fact-check of some of their claims.... Most of the changes to Medicaid have little to do with waste, fraud or abuse as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Daniel Wu of the Washington Post: “Courts across the country are facing a deluge of filings from attorneys and litigants that back their arguments with nonexistent research hallucinated by generative artificial intelligence, prompting judges to fight back with fines and reprimands. The problem reflects well-known issues with AI tools, which are prone to fabricate facts, or in these cases, citations. Soon after AI tools such as ChatGPT began to circulate, attorneys made headlines for submitting error-ridden memos after failing to check AI-assisted work. But mistakes and embarrassed mea culpas have continued to pile up.”  

     ~~~ Marie: I'm not sure why the “experts” are so flummoxed by this problem. AI tools are “prone to fabricate facts” because they are programmed to do so. (As in this “if-then” conditional construct: IF no response to query, THEN fabricate one.) The ABA should determine which AI apps are making up stuff and ban the use of those apps. You can bet the companies that sell or rent those apps will either reprogram them or get out of the AI lawyer business.

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Colorado. Marianne LeVine & Maria Paul of the Washington Post: “The family of the man accused of using molotov cocktails to attack people at a Colorado demonstration to support Israeli hostages in Gaza is being taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an official said Tuesday. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem announced on X that Mohamed Sabry Soliman’s family was being detained. 'We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,' she stated. Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges of attempted murder. He told investigators that he had planned the Sunday attack against the Jewish organization for a year....” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Florida. Lori Rozsa of the Washington Post: “Florida’s university leaders on Tuesday blocked Santa Ono from becoming the University of Florida’s president after a weeks-long campaign against him by conservative commentators who opposed his past support of diversity initiatives. The 17-member Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s public universities, rejected Ono’s candidacy 10-6, with one member absent. The vote came a week after the University of Florida’s board of trustees voted unanimously to make him the school’s next president. Ono, a longtime university administrator, was the only finalist in the selection process. But conservatives in the state, including some who led a social media campaign, criticized Ono’s past support of diversity, equity and inclusion — or DEI — programs. Some also objected to Ono’s handling of pro-Palestinian protests when he was president at the University of Michigan.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yesterday, contributor Ken W. wrote, "American taxpayers have been shorting public university funding for decades. Some here can remember when a CA university education was nearly free and student debt de minimus." I agree with Ken (though I don't know what "CA" stands for). Rozsa's report provides but one of many reasons even state-school tuitions are so high today compared to the affordable tuitions back in the days Ken and I were in school: "Ono was being offered a contract at the state’s flagship university with a base salary of $1.5 million that could have grown to as much as $15 million over five years...." Most university administrators -- and faculty -- made "normal" salaries when we were kids. 

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Ukraine/Russia. Peter Beaumont & Artem Mazhulin of the Guardian: “Ukraine has detonated a massive underwater blast targeting the key road and rail bridge connecting the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula to Russia, damaging its underwater pillars. The operation, claimed by Kyiv’s SBU security service, is the second high-profile operation by Ukraine in days striking significant Russian assets after a sophisticated drone raid on Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet on Sunday.... The latest strike on the 12-mile-long Kerch Bridge – a prestige project of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, which he opened in 2018 – comes amid what appear to be determined efforts by Ukraine to change the narrative promoted by the Trump administration that Kyiv holds few cards in the war.” Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ As President Zelensky himself pointed out in remarks made over the weekend, the attacks Ukraine has carried out are aimed at things, not people. This of course contrasts with Russian attacks, which aim at civilian populations. ~~~

~~~ Washington Post Editors:  “Another inconclusive round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine on Monday was largely overshadowed by recent events on the ground: Russia’s pulverizing missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and a military training ground, followed by Ukraine’s brazen drone attack against five air bases deep inside Russia over the weekend and an apparent underwater bomb assault on the Crimean Bridge, a key Russian supply line, on Tuesday. The Russian attack was unsurprising, marked by the Kremlin’s usual cruelty toward Ukrainian civilians. The Ukrainian attack, by contrast, was as diplomatically pointed as it was unexpected, sending three messages with profound meaning for the war.... Ukraine is showing Trump that it can use its wits and scrappiness to keep fighting.... Kyiv also signaled to Trump and Ukraine’s European allies that, though Ukraine might be outmanned and outgunned, it still has the capacity to inflict considerable damage on Russia’s military and cannot be ignored in any negotiations.... Ukraine might or might not have intended to send a third message — but did so, regardless, in the contrast between its wartime conduct and Russia’s.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As to that last point, there's no might-or-might-not about it. Zelensky said so. 

The Conversation -- June 3, 2025

Marianne LeVine & Maria Paul of the Washington Post: “The family of the man accused of using molotov cocktails to attack people at a Colorado demonstration to support Israeli hostages in Gaza is being taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an official said Tuesday. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem announced on X that Mohamed Sabry Soliman’s family was being detained. 'We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,' she stated. Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges of attempted murder. He told investigators that he had planned the Sunday attack against the Jewish organization for a year....”

History illustrates, in no uncertain terms, the dangers of state-dictated ‘scientific truths.’... State-sponsored programs in Nazi Germany based on the ‘science’ of eugenics led to the genocide of millions of Jews, people with disabilities, and people identifying as L.G.B.T.Q.+ who were deemed to have ‘life unworthy of life.’ -- Six Thousand Plus Scientists, Open Letter ~~~

~~~ Somini Sengupta of the New York Times: Donald “Trump has ordered what he called a restoration of a 'gold standard science' across federal agencies and national laboratories. But the May 23 executive order puts his political appointees in charge of vetting scientific research and gives them the authority to 'correct scientific information,' control the way it is communicated to the public and the power to 'discipline' anyone who violates the way the administration views science. It has prompted an open letter, signed by more than 6,000 scientists, academics, physicians, researchers and others, saying the order would destroy scientific independence. Agency heads have 30 days to comply with the order.” ~~~

     ~~~ “The Suicide of a Superpower.” Max Boot of the Washington Post: “Even as ... [Donald Trump] wants to showcase U.S. military power, he is doing grave and possibly irreparable damage to the real sources of U.S. strength, including its long-term investment in scientific research. Trump is declaring war on science, and the casualty will be the U.S. economy. Since the 1940s, when the University of Chicago, Columbia University and the University of California played a central role in the Manhattan Project, the engine driving U.S. economic and military competitiveness has been federal support of research universities. That partnership has produced most of the key inventions of the information age, including the internet, GPS, smartphones and artificial intelligence. Federal support of university research has also made possible the success of the United States’ world-leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.... Now Trump is sabotaging a research and development pipeline that is the envy of the world.... Trump is undercutting long-term U.S. military and economic competitiveness with his anti-intellectual animus. The weapons systems that will be paraded in Washington on June 14 won’t be of much help to the United States in the future if it falls behind in the R&D race with China.” This is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I know you don't need much convincing when it comes to Musk's Boot's [thanks to NiskyGuy for the catch] point, but he does sum up some of the ways in which Trump is bludgeoning scientific development. Trump's sustained attack on science is just one of the reasons I suspect that Trump is purposely trying to destroy the United States. I don't know if he's doing this because he's working as an agent of a foreign government or because he truly has no idea what "Makes American Great." My guess would be that the latter is more likely but that malign world leaders have at least influenced him and pointed him down the path to destruction. 

Newark Mayor Sues Trump Lawyer for Malicious Prosecution. Tracey Tully of the New York Times: “Mayor Ras J. Baraka of Newark, a Democratic candidate for governor who was arrested last month outside an immigration detention center, filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, that argues that his arrest was motivated by political malice, not justice. The lawsuit also names Ricky Patel, a supervising agent with Homeland Security Investigations who led the arrest of Mr. Baraka on May 9 outside a 1,000-bed detention center near Newark Liberty International Airport that has become a flashpoint in ... [Donald] Trump’s immigration crackdown. Mr. Baraka’s lawsuit accuses the federal authorities of false arrest and malicious prosecution. It also accuses Ms. Habba of defamation. The suit comes as polling locations opened Tuesday for six days of early voting ahead of a June 10 primary that has pitted Mr. Baraka against five other Democrats.” Politico's report is here.

Musk Calls Trump Bill a “Disgusting Abomination,” Bible Mike Is “Disappointed.” Giselle Ewing of Politico: “Elon Musk came out swinging against ... Donald Trump’s 'Big Beautiful Bill' on Tuesday, slamming the reconciliation package as a 'disgusting abomination' in a massive break from the president just days after stepping away from his role in the administration. 'I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,' Musk wrote on his social media platform X. 'This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.'... Musk ... went on to criticize the bill for setting up Congress to 'increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!)' and saddle Americans with 'crushingly unsustainable debt.'... Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of two Republican defections against the bill last month, was quick to boost Musk’s tirade, writing 'He’s right' in a post on X. And Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who Trump criticized repeatedly earlier Tuesday for his opposition to the bill, came out in support of Musk.... Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also jumped on the post.... But the message came as a blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson.... Musk 'coming out and panning' the GOP megabill is 'very disappointing,' Johnson told reporters at the Capitol, 'and very surprising in light of the conversation I had with him.'”

All the Best People, Ctd. Hiroko Tabuchi of the New York Times: “Michael Boren, founder of a billion-dollar tech company, Idaho ranch owner and Trump donor, has clashed with the U.S. Forest Service for years. He was accused of flying a helicopter dangerously close to a crew building a Forest Service trail, prompting officials to seek a restraining order. He got a caution from the Forest Service, and criticism from his neighbors, when he built a private airstrip on his Hell Roaring Ranch in a national recreation area. And in the fall, the Forest Service sent a cease-and-desist letter accusing a company that Mr. Boren controlled of building an unauthorized cabin on National Forest land. Now, Mr. Boren is Mr. Trump’s nominee to oversee the very agency he has tussled with repeatedly. On Tuesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on Mr. Boren’s nomination to be the under secretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment, a role that would put him in charge of the Forest Service.”

Linda Qiu of the New York Times: “As the Senate considers a domestic policy bill to enact the White House’s agenda..., [Donald] Trump and his allies have sought to assuage some lawmakers’ concerns over its price tag and cuts to Medicaid with inaccurate claims. They have dismissed estimates of the effect of the 'one big, beautiful bill' on the deficit as incorrect and described cuts to the health insurance program for poor Americans as simply trimming 'waste, fraud and abuse.' Here’s a fact-check of some of their claims.... Most of the changes to Medicaid have little to do with waste, fraud or abuse as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service.”

Peter Beaumont & Artem Mazhulin of the Guardian: “Ukraine has detonated a massive underwater blast targeting the key road and rail bridge connecting the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula to Russia, damaging its underwater pillars. The operation, claimed by Kyiv’s SBU security service, is the second high-profile operation by Ukraine in days striking significant Russian assets after a sophisticated drone raid on Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet on Sunday.... The latest strike on the 12-mile-long Kerch Bridge – a prestige project of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, which he opened in 2018 – comes amid what appear to be determined efforts by Ukraine to change the narrative promoted by the Trump administration that Kyiv holds few cards in the war.” Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ As President Zelensky himself pointed out in remarks made over the weekend, the attacks Ukraine has carried out are aimed at things, not people. This of course contrasts with Russian attacks, which aim at civilian populations.

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Tyler Pager of the New York Times: “Many Trump critics argue that the president seems more comfortable combating antisemitism when it dovetails with his broader political objectives — targeting elite universities, cracking down on immigration or fighting with political opponents — than when it involves physically protecting Jews.... When it comes to using the bully pulpit, Trump has been surprisingly slow, or conspicuously quiet, in responding to a string of high-profile attacks against American Jews. In a social-media post on Monday afternoon, Trump condemned Sunday’s attack in Boulder, Colo., where witnesses said a man threw two Molotov cocktails at people attending a peaceful march in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza, wounding at least 12.... But Trump’s post made no mention of Jews or antisemitism. He pinned blame for the attack on former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies and said it was a reminder of 'why we must keep our borders SECURE.' (Soliman, who emigrated from Egypt, had overstayed his visa and applied for asylum, officials at the Department of Homeland Security said.)... Monday was far from the first time Trump has been criticized for a tepid response to a violent episode in which Jews were the targets.” 

Niha Masih of the Washington Post: “In the latest presidential portrait revealed Monday by the White House...,  Donald Trump ... stares at the camera with a serious gaze, in a similar vein to his notable mug shot from two years ago. The White House website and Trump’s official Facebook account updated the pages with the new portrait, hung in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the West Wing.... The new image is a far cry from Trump’s first-term portrait, in which he is smiling at the camera, that is more typical of official photographs.”

Scott MacFarlane of CBS News: "The federal prosecutor who helped lead the largest federal criminal case in American history has resigned his position in the Justice Department. Longtime Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Rosen, the chief of the Justice Department's Capitol Siege Section, has departed for a post with a private law firm. In an interview with CBS News, Rosen said ... [Donald] Trump's pardons of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters continue to shock and alarm the federal investigators who handled the cases. 'The message that [the pardons] send is that political violence towards a political goal is acceptable in a modern democratic society,' Rosen said. 'That, from my perspective, is anathema to a constitutional republic.' Rosen helped oversee a team of Justice Department attorneys as the agency grappled with an historically large onslaught of criminal cases after the Capitol riot...." 

~~~ Rebecca Beitsch of the Hill: “The Justice Department disclosed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading negotiations for the return of a Venezuelan man sent to a Salvadoran prison. The disclosure, made in Monday court filings, is no guarantee the Trump administration will secure the return of a man known only in court documents as Cristian, who was deported in spite of court-ordered protections. But it strikes a less aggressive tone as the Trump administration has otherwise resisted efforts to comply with various court orders requiring them to return migrants who were wrongly removed. The filing notes Rubio’s long-standing relationship with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.” ~~~

~~~ Nicole Acevedo of NBC News: “An athlete, a musician, an exceptional high school student.... This is how community members in Milford, Massachusetts, described Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, an 18-year-old high school junior who was arrested by immigration authorities and sent to a detention center this weekend. Gomes Da Silva was driving his father's car on his way to volleyball practice with some of his teammates Saturday morning when immigration authorities stopped him. Immigration authorities made the traffic stop because they were looking for Gomes Da Silva’s father, who is unlawfully present in the country, according to Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After learning Gomes Da Silva was also unlawfully present in the U.S., ICE officers took him into custody, Lyons said Monday at a news conference. Gomes Da Silva was born in Brazil but has attended Milford Public Schools since he was 6 years old.... His absence [from graduation ceremonies] was palpable during Milford High School’s commencement as his bandmates performed without him, sparking a post-graduation protest demanding his release.” ~~~

~~~ Leah Willingham of the AP: “The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday defended his tactics against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed as they ramp up arrests toward ... Donald Trump’s promises of mass deportations. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said he was 'deeply upset' by an ICE operation at a popular Italian restaurant just before the dinner rush on Friday. A chaotic showdown unfolded outside as customers and witnesses shouted, smoke filled the air, and agents wore heavy tactical gear to face an angry crowd. Todd Lyons, ICE’s acting director, turned emotional when asked to explain why officials wear masks. He said some have received death threats and been harassed online.” ~~~

     ~~~ Bill Kristol Isn't Buying It. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: “Conservative Bill Kristol ripped federal law enforcement officials who wear masks while they arrest immigrants.... 'They shouldn’t wear masks. It’s total nonsense, and it’s for intimidation. It’s not really for their protection. It’s ridiculous.' Kristol said on CNN.” ~~~

~~~ Rachel Maddow believes the agents, who are from a unit not trained to make arrests, just don't know what they're doing.  This video is a pirated copy, so I don't know how long it will last: ~~~

Michael Schmidt & Michael Bender of the New York Times: “The Justice Department quietly approached Harvard University last month with startling claims, even by the extraordinary standards of the Trump administration’s monthslong assault on the elite college. The department signaled that it was reviewing claims of discrimination against white men at The Harvard Law Review, and accused the renowned publication of destroying evidence in an open investigation. The administration demanded that Harvard 'cease and desist' from interfering. In a series of letters that have not been previously reported, the government also disclosed that it had a 'cooperating witness' inside the student-run journal. That witness now works in the White House under Stephen Miller, the architect of the administration’s domestic policy agenda, Trump officials confirmed.... But the aggressive language in the letters from the Justice Department’s two top civil rights lawyers appeared to have overstated the allegations in pursuit of an additional way to punish Harvard. In that way, the episode fits a broader trend in how the administration is wielding federal investigatory powers to impose its political agenda.... The Law Review is independent of Harvard University.... ”

Sheera Frenkel & Aaron Krolik of the New York Times [May 30]: “In March..., [Donald] Trump signed an executive order calling for the federal government to share data across agencies, raising questions over whether he might compile a master list of personal information on Americans that could give him untold surveillance power. Mr. Trump has not publicly talked about the effort since. But behind the scenes, officials have quietly put technological building blocks into place to enable his plan. In particular, they have turned to one company: Palantir, the data analysis and technology firm.... Palantir’s selection as a chief vendor for the project was driven by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.... At least three DOGE members formerly worked at Palantir, while two others had worked at companies funded by Peter Thiel, an investor and a founder of Palantir.... The Trump administration has already sought access to hundreds of data points on citizens and others through government databases, including their bank account numbers, the amount of their student debt, their medical claims and any disability status. Mr. Trump could potentially use such information to advance his political agenda by policing immigrants and punishing critics, Democratic lawmakers and critics have said.” This is a gift link via RAS. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ In yesterday's Comments, laura h. pointed us to this BlueSky thread by a user called Dittie who aggregates reports on said Peter Thiel. It looks as if Thiel may be one tech bro billionaire who has been able to maintain his popularity with Trump and the lackeys in his Cabinet of Deplorables. (Also linked yesterday.)

Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: “The Trump administration said on Monday that it planned to eliminate federal protections across millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness, a move that would allow drilling and mining in some of the last remaining pristine wilderness in the country. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Biden administration had exceeded its authority last year when it banned oil and gas drilling in more than half of the 23 million-acre area, known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The proposed repeal is part of ... [Donald] Trump’s aggressive agenda to  'drill, baby, drill,' which calls for increased oil and gas extraction on public lands and the repeal of virtually all climate and environmental protections.” The Guardian's report is here.

All the Best People, Ctd. Christopher Flavelle & Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: “The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told employees on Monday that he did not know the United States has a hurricane season, according to two people who heard the remarks and said it was unclear if he was serious. The official, David Richardson, has served in the Marines and worked in the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office. After he joined FEMA in May, some FEMA workers expressed concern about his lack of experience in emergency management. The remark, coming a day after the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, could deepen those concerns.... The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said in a statement that Mr. Richardson was joking.... On his first full day as acting administrator, Mr. Richardson told the agency’s employees that if any of them tried to obstruct his agenda, 'I will run right over you.'” The CBS News story is here. MB: Richardson doesn't sound to me like much of a joker. Rather, I would take him for ignorant and mean until proved otherwise.

Anna Merlan of Mother Jones: "On Friday, Elon Musk once again pledged to depart his role at DOGE, taking with him his bad personality, weird public behavior, complicated family life, troubled businesses, alleged regular illegal drug use, compulsive social media habits, exploding rockets, messianic conviction that he control all of earth’s resources so as to colonize Mars, and a remarkably poor track record in his brief life as a quasi-public servant. He leaves behind the incredible destruction DOGE has wrought, and of course, DOGE itself, which will continue its work, as Project 2025 architect and Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought reportedly floats making its cuts permanent without the approval of Congress. But it would be a mistake to think that Musk’s grip on the government is lessening; beyond his continued relationship with the Trump administration, Musk’s companies will still have billions in lucrative and influential federal contracts. And as his recent travel shows, there are clear signs that Musk is also using his relationship with ... [Donald] Trump to pursue business, especially in the Middle East." ~~~

~~~ Mike Masnick of Techdirt: "Picture this: You’re a researcher who has spent years developing a grant proposal, gone through layers of expert review, and received National Science Foundation (NSF) approval. Then some kid barely out of college — whose main qualification appears to be founding a company that puts ads on the blockchain — logs into a Zoom meeting, pays more attention to his fingernails than the discussion, and kills your grant with an uninterested thumbs down. Welcome to science under DOGE. This isn't hyperbole.... Meet Zachary Terrell, DOGE’s apparent authority on scientific merit. Fedscoop identified him as one of three DOGE operatives deployed to NSF.... Terrell’s apparent qualifications for overruling decades of scientific expertise? A 2022 bachelor’s degree from Kansas State and a brief career in crypto."

Will Lockett, an independent journalist, on Substack: "After nine test flights, [SpaceX] still [hasn’t] figured out how to prevent Starship from blowing up or disintegrating.... We will look back at this period in history and realise that letting a billionaire’s ego drive innovation  —  rather than as part of a collective effort, as seen with Apollo and the Saturn V — was a grave mistake." Thanks to laura h. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have no idea whether or not Lockett is correct in all of his particulars. But at least on the surface, it seems obvious to a layperson that entrusting the "adolescent" (see Matt Bai column, linked below) billionaire designer of the ugly, dysfunctional Cybertruck with billions of taxpayer dollars to develop a huge spaceship was not a good idea. Maybe we should cut our $7,000,000,000 (yeah, all those zeroes) losses and look for Plan B, which might require the application of some of the caution we've seen coming from those boring, plodding goverment engineers.

Big Bad Bill Attacks Obamacare. Paige Cunningham of the Washington Post: “Congressional Republicans are pursuing changes to the Affordable Care Act that would mean 10.7 million fewer Americans using its insurance marketplaces and Medicaid, a huge reduction that some view as a way to accomplish part of the health-care coverage cancellation that failed in 2017. They’re not branding it a repeal of ... Barack Obama’s signature health care law this time around, and this year’s effort wouldn’t erase its marketplaces or Medicaid expansion. Congress tried that the last time ... Donald Trump was in office but abandoned it amid an outcry from the health care industry, advocates and voters. But the GOP plan making its way through Congress would sharply increase the number of people without health insurance, largely by narrowing the path for poor Americans to gain coverage and making it easier for them to be booted off it. It would target the twin pillars of Medicaid expansion and federally subsidized insurance marketplaces, with new rules Republicans say will reduce waste, fraud and abuse.”

Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post: “Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) continued to distance himself from his fellow Democrats on Monday, telling an audience that he has lost support from liberals for his belief that border security is important and his support for Israel. Speaking with his fellow senator from Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick, a Republican, at an event celebrating bipartisanship, Fetterman praised ... Donald Trump for removing the United States from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and pushing for an agreement between Japanese-owned Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel. He said his party had make a 'mistake' on border security.”

Joni Ernst, if you want to know how a real Republican senator handles a bully GOP president*, take a lesson from your colleague Lisa Murkowski. Like you, Murkowski is afraid of Trump (she has said so), but unlike you, she stands up to him. You may boast you know how to make pigs squeal, but when it comes to the one in the White House.... See yesterday's Conversation for links to Joni Ernst's weird story. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

 

     ~~~ you kinda make me think of a fat ole sow rolling around in your own shit. ~~~

     ~~~ Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: “Senator Lisa Murkowski was listing all the ways that ... [Donald] Trump’s efforts to slash the federal government had harmed Alaska, from the funding freezes on programs the state depends on to the layoffs of federal workers who live there, when she delivered something of an understatement. 'It’s a challenging time right now,' she recently told a crowd at a state infrastructure conference here in the state’s largest city. 'I could use nice words about it — but I don’t.' At a time when the Republican Congress has grown increasingly deferential to Mr. Trump, Ms. Murkowski has veered in the opposite direction from her party, using sharp words and her vote on the Senate floor to push back on him and his administration time and again.” MB: Needless to say, I disagree with a lot of Murkowski's policy prescriptions. I would. But I respect her for being one of the few GOP senators who has the fortitude to stand up to a bully who is threatening her constituents -- and her. (Also linked yesterday.)

Deciding Not to Decide. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: “The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would not hear a major Second Amendment challenge to a Maryland law banning semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15. As is the court’s practice, its brief order gave no reasons. The move, over the objections of three conservative justices, let the ban stand and reflected the court’s intermittent engagement with gun rights. It has issued only three significant Second Amendment decisions since recognizing an individual right to own guns in 2008. The Maryland law was enacted in 2013 in response to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut the previous year. It banned many semiautomatic rifles and imposed a 10-round limit on gun magazines. In dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should have considered the question, which the justices have repeatedly declined to resolve.... 

“Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch said they too would have heard the case but did not provide reasons. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, who could have supplied the fourth vote needed to add the case to the court’s docket, issued a statement saying the question was significant and could soon warrant review but that he hoped additional opinions from lower courts could assist the justices on the issue. He wrote that the Supreme Court 'should and presumably will address the AR-15 issue soon, in the next term or two.'” (Also linked yesterday.)

Friends of the Court, Not of Trump. Adam Liptak of the New York Times: “A powerful sign that [Donald] Trump’s tariff-driven trade war is at risk came in a friend-of-the-court brief filed in April by a coalition that included many prominent conservative and libertarian lawyers, scholars and former officials. The brief was also a signal of a deepening rift between Mr. Trump and the conservative legal movement, one that burst into public view last week with the president’s attacks on the Federalist Society, whose leaders helped pick the judges and justices he nominated in his first term. Among the people who signed the brief in the tariffs case was Richard Epstein, who teaches at New York University and is an influential libertarian legal scholar. 'You have to understand that the conservative movement is now, as an intellectual movement, consistently anti-Trump on most issues,' he said.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ You can read the brief here, via the (right-wing) Hoover Institution. The caption includes a list of the amici. (Also linked yesterday.)

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Colorado. Ben Brasch, et al., of the Washington Post: “The man accused of attacking an event organized by a Jewish group, injuring 12 people, faces a federal hate crime charge and several felonies, including attempted murder charges. Authorities said they are investigating the incident as a targeted act of terrorism. Mohammed Sabry Soliman, 45, yelled 'Free Palestine' as he used a makeshift flamethrower and tossed an incendiary device into the crowd at the Colorado pedestrian mall, where there was an event calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, police said Sunday, citing witness accounts. Law enforcement recovered 16 unused molotov cocktails after the incident, authorities said during a news conference Monday. A criminal complaint said Soliman 'specifically targeted the “Zionist Group” that had gathered in Boulder, having learned about the group from an online search,' and that he had been planning the attack for a year.... The attack quickly became a flash point on the right over immigration, as the Department of Homeland Security said Soliman entered the country on a B-2 tourist visa in August 2022. The visa expired in February 2023, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, though Soliman applied for asylum in September 2022.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course the right is emphasizing the fact that Soliman is an immigrant, though it's not clear to me that he is here illegally since the courts can't seem to decide for sure, for sure if someone who has applied for asylum is here legally or illegally. BUT I heard on the news that Soliman had attempted to get a gun to use in this attack but was not able to purchase one because he is not a citizen. So for me, the lesson is that -- as terrible and sickening as his crimes were (one of his victims reportedly was an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor) -- this nutter would have killed a lot of innocent people had he had access to a firearm. He's a living advertisement for strict gun laws. Lives were saved because a lunatic was not permitted to obtain a gun. 

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Israel/Palestine. Patrick Kingsley & Rawan Ahmad of the New York Times: “Israeli soldiers opened fire on Tuesday morning near crowds of Palestinians walking toward a new food distribution site in southern Gaza, the Israeli military said. The Gaza health ministry said that the troops killed at least 27 people and wounded dozens. The military said the troops fired near 'a few' people who had strayed from the designated route to the site and who did not respond to warning shots. The statement called them “suspects” and said they had “posed a threat” to soldiers, but a military spokeswoman declined to explain the nature of the perceived threat. It added that was 'aware of reports regarding casualties, and the details of the incident are being looked into.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: We are rightly upset when a crazy individual injured & attempts to kill innocent people. The incident is cause for the POTUS* & other high government officials to comment and condemn the man and for the state and the national government to bring such criminal charges against him that he will not ever again walk free. But what happens day after day in Gaza is not a crazed individual committing atrocities but a state we support with our tax dollars committing those atrocities, then time and again making excuses for its actions. These are coldblooded, state-sanctioned, mass murders of the people the state is starving.