The Conversation -- March 12, 2025
Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell blocked the Trump administration from enforcing central provisions of an executive order that seeks to punish the law firm, Perkins Coie, by barring its attorneys from interacting with federal agencies or even entering federal buildings. Howell said the 'retaliatory animus' of Trump's order is 'clear on its face' and appears to violate constitutional restrictions on 'viewpoint discrimination.' The executive order, which Trump issued last week, 'runs head on into the wall of First Amendment protections,' the judge concluded." The Washington Post's report is here.
Theodoric Meyer & Liz Goodwin of the Washington Post: "Senate Democrats say they are prepared to vote to reject the Republicans' government funding bill, threatening a shutdown if lawmakers do not strike a deal.... Not enough Democrats support the bill to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster, Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) said on the Senate floor Wednesday, with less than 72 hours before the government is set to shut down. Instead, Democrats are seeking a bill -- known as a continuing resolution, or CR -- to keep the government open through April 11 while the two parties complete work on their long-stalled spending bills. 'Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input -- any input -- from congressional Democrats,' Schumer said. 'Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate' to advance the bill." MB: This is not what I predicted; so let's see if Democrats stick to their guns here.
Jonah Bromwich & Anusha Bayya of the New York Times: "Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate detained by the Trump administration last weekend, have not been able to hold a private conversation with their client since his arrest. That revelation came during a hearing in Manhattan federal court Wednesday, as lawyers for Mr. Khalil and the government appeared in front of a judge, Jesse Furman, to discuss Mr. Khalil's detention, which has raised concerns about free speech protections amid President Trump's immigration crackdown. Mr. Khalil ... is being held at a facility in Louisiana. He has not been charged with any crime.... Judge Furman has ordered the government not to deport Mr. Khalil while his case is pending.... A park outside the courthouse was flooded with hundreds of protesters, some wearing kaffiyehs and black masks and waving posters, banners and signs reading 'Free Mahmoud.' They were joined by the actor Susan Sarandon...." ~~~
~~~ Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) explains the importance of Khalil's case: ~~~
Jennifer Schuessler of the New York Times: "The chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Shelly C. Lowe, left her position on Wednesday 'at the direction of President Trump,' the agency said. Dr. Lowe, a scholar of higher education and the first Native American to lead the agency, was nominated by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in October 2021 and confirmed by the Senate in February 2022. Michael McDonald, the agency's general counsel, was named its acting chairman on Wednesday."
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Marie: Is Trump destroying the U.S. system of government, American ideals and the U.S. economy because he's stupid, ignorant, selfish, cruel and vindictive? Or because he's all these things and the destruction is the plan? (After writing this, I found Sanger linked on the NYT "Politics" page: ~~~
~~~ David Sanger of the New York Times: "In a span of only 50 days..., [Donald] Trump has done more than any of his modern predecessors to hollow out the foundations of an international system that the United States painstakingly erected in the 80 years since it emerged victorious from World War II.... To live in Washington these days is to feel as if one is present at the destruction.... But perhaps the more remarkable thing is that Mr. Trump is eroding the old order without ever describing the system he envisions replacing it with. His actions suggest he is most comfortable in the 19th-century world of great-power politics...." This is a gift link.
Ana Swanson & Jeanna Smilak of the New York Times: Donald "Trump's sweeping tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum went into effect on Wednesday, escalating America's trade spats with global competitors, including close allies already reeling from his on-and-off approach to trade penalties. Mr. Trump's tariffs of 25 percent on the metals hit imports that enter the United States from any country in the world. The move, which many domestic steel and aluminum makers support, is expected to raise costs for American manufacturers of cars, tin cans, solar panels and other products, potentially slowing the wider U.S. economy.... The president is threatening to impose a raft of other tariffs, including on foreign cars and against countries that he says discriminate against the United States. His approach has been met with a market slump....
"On Tuesday, Mr. Trump threatened to double the tariffs on Canadian metal after Ontario had responded to Mr. Trump's previous tariffs by putting a surcharge on electricity exported to the United States. Within hours, Ontario had suspended its surcharge, and Mr. Trump walked back his threats. The metal tariffs, and other levies to come, are likely to again worsen trade disputes.... On Wednesday, Europe swiftly announced tariffs on up to $28 billion worth of goods in response. The metal tariffs mainly affect U.S. allies...." The AP's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Ana Swanson, et al., of the New York Times: Donald "Trump escalated his fight with Canada on Tuesday, threatening to double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and pressing to turn one of America's closest traditional allies into the 51st state. After several tense hours, both sides backed down, at least for now. It was the latest in a week of chaotic trade moves, in which the president startled investors and businesses that depend on trade and clashed with some of the country's closest trading partners. In a post on his social media Tuesday morning, Mr. Trump wrote that Canadian steel and aluminum would face a 50 percent tariff, double what he plans to charge on metals from other countries beginning Wednesday. He said the levies were in response to an additional charge that Ontario had placed on electricity coming into the United States, which was in turn a response to tariffs Mr. Trump imposed on Canada last week. By Tuesday afternoon, leaders had begun to relent. The premier of Ontario, Canada's most populous province, said he would suspend the electricity surcharge, and Mr. Trump said at the White House he would 'probably' reduce the tariff on Canadian metals." ~~~
~~~ Ellen Francis of the Washington Post: "The European Union hit back Wednesday at ... Donald Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs, unveiling a two-stage retaliation that would cover billions of dollars' worth of products.... The E.U. executive branch, the European Commission, said its response would cover roughly $28 billion in U.S. exports. Starting April 1, the bloc will reimpose tariffs dating to Trump's first term, including on products such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles and bourbon. It will then place extra measures on more than $19 billion in products in mid-April after consulting with E.U. member states." ~~~
~~~ Peter Beaumont of the Guardian: "A growing international move to boycott the US is spreading from Scandinavia to Canada to the UK and beyond as consumers turn against US goods. Most prominent so far has been the rejection by European car buyers of the Teslas.... About 15% of its value was wiped out on Monday alone.... In Canada, where the American national anthem has been booed during hockey matches with US teams, a slew of apps has emerged with names such as 'buy beaver', 'maple scan' and 'is this Canadian' to allow shoppers to scan QR barcodes and reject US produce from alcohol to pizza toppings.... In Sweden, about 40,000 users have joined a Facebook group calling for a boycott of US companies -- ironically including Facebook itself -- which features alternatives to US consumer products.... In Denmark, where there has been widespread anger over Trump's threat to bring the autonomous territory of Greenland under US control, the largest grocery company, the Salling group, has said it will tag European-made goods with a black star to allow consumers to choose them over products made in the US.... What is striking is how quickly the second Trump administration has become a target for both consumer anger and ethically minded companies."
Nancy Codes & Caitlin Yilek of CBS News: "Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defended ... [Donald] Trump's economic policies Tuesday, saying they are 'worth it' even if they lead to a recession. 'These policies are the most important thing America has ever had,' Lutnick told CBS News in an interview when asked whether they would be worth it if they lead to a recession. 'It's worth it.' But he quickly added, 'The only reason there could possibly be a recession is because the Biden nonsense that we had to live with. These policies produce revenues. They produce growth. They produce factories being built here.'" MB: I remind Howard there that "the Biden nonsense" produced the best economy in the world.
Here's a press release from Rep. Richie Neal (D-Mass.), ranking member of the House Ways & Means Committee, dated March 6: "Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today introduced Resolutions to terminate President Trump's unlawful use of 'emergency' authorities to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The Resolutions end the Administration's abuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which it has used to justify tariffs based on a fabricated national emergency. They are cosponsored by Representatives Richard Neal, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee; Joaquin Castro, Ranking Member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee; Rick Larsen, Ranking Member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee; Suzan DelBene; and Greg Stanton. 'The Administration's 25% tariffs on two of our closest allies and largest trading partners are nothing more than a tax on American families -- driving up prices, killing jobs, and threatening our economy. This isn't what Americans voted for. Trump has already broken his promise to lower costs, and these tariffs will only make it worse. My resolutions will end this sham emergency and protect American consumers,' said Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks." MB: Congress should retake its Constitutionally-mandated power to control tariffs. But it won't, will it? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: I looked for an easy-to-understand explanation of how Congress Constitutionally (and now only theoretically) controls tariffs. I didn't find one right off, but as luck would have it, Rachel Maddow did the job for me: ~~~
~~~ Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "House Republican leaders on Tuesday quietly moved to shield their members from having to vote on whether to end ... [Donald] Trump's tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, tucking language into a procedural measure that effectively removed their chamber's ability to undo the levies. The maneuver was a tacit acknowledgment of how politically toxic the issue had become for their party, and another example of how the all-Republican Congress is ceding its power to the executive branch.... They essentially declared the rest of the year one long day, nullifying a law that allows the House and Senate to jointly put an end to a disaster declared by the president. House Democrats had planned to force a vote on resolutions to end the tariffs on Mexico and Canada, a move allowed under the National Emergencies Act.... That would have forced Republicans -- many of whom are opposed to tariffs as a matter of principle -- to go on the record on the issue at a time when Mr. Trump's commitment to tariffs has spooked the financial markets and spiked concerns of reigniting inflation."
Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "... on Tuesday afternoon..., Trump ... turned the South Lawn of the White House into a car lot, converting one of the country's most revered public spaces into a billboard for a company run by one of his closest allies [Elon Musk]. And for the afternoon, he made no secret of the fact that he was attempting to boost the financial fortunes of one of his supporters -- whose cars, he noted, could be had for the low, low price of $35,000.... In a remarkable scene, Trump spent about 30 minutes talking with reporters as he kicked the tires on some of the five Teslas that had been parked on the drive of the White House for his shopping pleasure.... The president endorsed Tesla, calling it 'a great product, as good as it gets.' He endorsed Musk, saying he is 'a great patriot, and you should cherish him.' And then, he bought a car.
"Trump made no mention of the increased scrutiny Tesla has faced in recent years from government regulators, who under the Biden administration raised concerns about the safety of the company's advanced driver-assistance programs. Nor did he revive his long-standing critique of electric vehicles, which he has said are too expensive and don't go far enough on a charge.... A White House official said the president is paying for the vehicle with his own money. The person declined to say whether the White House counsel reviewed the use of staff and official resources for the event. Federal regulations prohibit White House staffers (though not the president himself) from using their government positions to endorse or promote private companies or products.... Tesla stock, after a large sell-off Monday, ended the day up nearly 4 percent." The New York Times story is here. ~~~
~~~ Lawrence O'Donnell noted that Trump did not actually buy a vehicle since he signed nothing. Meanwhile, I'll bet execs at other U.S. automakers are seething. ~~~
~~~ Alex Gangitano & Miranda Nazzaro of the Hill: Donald "Trump hinted he would be open to labeling individuals who carry out violence at Tesla dealerships as 'domestic terrorists' following a string of violent demonstrations at the electric vehicle company's showrooms across the U.S.... 'Those people are going to go through a big problem when we catch them. We've got a lot of cameras up, we already know who some of them are. We're going to catch them. And they're bad guys. They're the same guys that screw around with our schools and universities, the same garbage,' Trump [said]."
Trump is not the only administration employee hawking products for profit at the office: ~~~
~~~ All the Best People. Carl Gibson of AlterNet: "The communications director for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was recently caught doubling as a fashion influencer on social media -- while using her government office as a backdrop in an apparent violation of federal rules. That's according to a Tuesday article in CNN, which reported that McLaurine Pinover posted videos of herself modeling clothing to her Instagram account from her OPM office. Some of those videos included affiliate links to sites where the clothing she was wearing was being sold. Pinover was eligible to be paid commission based on site visitors who bought those clothing items after clicking the links from Pinover's videos. CNN further reported that Pinover was working as an influencer while simultaneously 'defending mass layoffs of federal workers' as an employee of OPM's communications office.... Pinover's Instagram handle, @getdressedwithmc, was apparently deleted several minutes after [CNN] contacted her." ~~~
~~~ Here's Pinover modeling her outfits at OPM. You can get that skirt on the right for a mere $475. What a bargain! ~~~
Michael Bender & Dana Goldstein of the New York Times: "The Education Department announced on Tuesday that it was firing more than 1,300 workers, effectively gutting the agency that manages federal loans for college, tracks student achievement and enforces civil rights laws in schools. The layoffs mean that the department, which started the year with 4,133 employees, will now have a work force of about half that size after less than two months with ... [Donald] Trump in office. In addition to the 1,315 workers who were fired on Tuesday, 572 employees accepted separation packages offered in recent weeks and 63 probationary workers were terminated last month.... Sheria Smith, the president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, which represents more than 2,800 workers at the Education Department, said the Trump administration had 'no respect for the thousands of workers who have dedicated their careers to serve their fellow Americans' and vowed to fight the cuts.'" Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Cory Turner & Jonaki Mehta of NPR: "Minutes [after Sheria Smith made that statement], AFGE Local 252 told NPR that Smith was laid off, along with all five of the chapter's other union officers." ~~~
~~~ Here's Why Trump Is Dumping the Education Department. Bianca Toness of the AP: "The equity goal of the Education Department, which was founded in 1980, emerged partly from the anti-poverty and civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s. The act creating the department described its mission, in part, as: 'To strengthen the Federal commitment to ensuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual.'... As the Trump administration moves to dismantle the Education Department..., [what is not] clear is what could happen with ... its mission [to promote] equal access for students in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal."
First, Kill All the Poor People. Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "The Trump administration intends to eliminate Environmental Protection Agency offices responsible for addressing the disproportionately high levels of pollution facing poor communities, according to a memo from Lee Zeldin, the agency administrator. In the internal memo, viewed by The New York Times, Mr. Zeldin informed agency leaders that he was directing 'the reorganization and elimination' of the offices of environmental justice at all 10 E.P.A. regional offices as well as the one in Washington.... The decision comes after Mr. Zeldin canceled hundreds of grants this week, many of them designated for environmental justice.... Mr. Zeldin's move effectively ends three decades of work at the E.P.A. to try to ease the pollution that burdens poor and minority communities, which are frequently located near highways, power plants, industrial plants and other polluting facilities. Studies have shown that people who live in those communities have higher rates of asthma, heart disease and other health problems, compared with the national average." Zeldin described the environmental effort as "forced discrimination." ~~~
~~~ Marie: That is, according to Zeldin, because wealthy white people are less apt to live in areas with disproportionately high levels of pollution, reducing or eliminating that pollution is discriminating against the rich white people; they aren't receiving that special attention, attention they don't need because they're already living in relatively healthy environments. Needless to say, this makes absolutely no sense; it's one of those fake rationales loathsome people dream up to try to excuse the inexcusable.
And Of Course This Is Happening. Ryan Reilly, et al., of NBC News: "The Trump administration is gutting the Justice Department's unit that oversees prosecutions of public officials accused of corruption, three sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told NBC News. The unit, the Public Integrity Section, has overseen some of the country's most high-profile and sensitive prosecutions. Now, though, only a small fraction of its employees will remain, and the unit will no longer directly handle investigations or prosecutions, two sources said. Prosecutors in the unit, which had housed dozens of employees, are being told to take details to other positions within the department. Its current cases will be reassigned to U.S. attorneys' offices around the country." MB: I'm surprised "integrity" isn't on Trump's list of banned words.
Kriston Capps, et al., of the Washington Post: "The future of a vast collection of public artwork is in doubt as the Trump administration plans to fire workers who preserve and maintain more than 26,000 pieces owned by the U.S. government, including paintings and sculptures by renowned artists, some dating to the 1850s. Fine arts and historic preservation workers at the General Services Administration told The Washington Post that at least five regional offices were shuttered last week and that more than half of the division's approximately three dozen staff members were abruptly put on leave pending their terminations.... The agency is looking to end its lease for a storage facility in Northern Virginia that holds hundreds of paintings and sculptures, including pieces sponsored by the Depression-era Works Progress Administration.... Some of these works are literally part of the buildings, such as Ben Shahn's 1942 fresco 'The Meaning of Social Security' plastered onto the wall of the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Washington. Staffers wonder what would happen to those works if buildings were sold." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Who wants to see some shabby old 19th- and 20th-century paintings when Trump can probably find some new portraits of, well, Trump and maybe some nice clown paintings, too (though no combo Trump-as-clown paintings, of course).
Edward Wong of the New York Times: "A senior official at the main U.S. aid agency, which is being dismantled by the Trump administration, told employees to clear safes holding classified documents and personnel files by shredding the papers or putting them into bags for burning, according to an email sent to the staff. The email, sent by Erica Y. Carr, the acting executive secretary, told employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development to empty out the classified safes and personnel document files on Tuesday. 'Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,' Ms. Carr wrote.... The Federal Records Act of 1950 requires U.S. government officials to ask the [National Archives] for approval before destroying documents. The documents being destroyed could have relevance to multiple court cases that have been filed against the Trump administration and the aid agency.... By Tuesday evening, at least two groups had made court filings to try to get judges to prevent the destruction of more documents at U.S.A.I.D. They said the agency had failed to comply with record-keeping requirements...." ~~~
~~~ Missy Ryan & John Hudson of the Washington Post: "The efforts [to destroy documents] triggered immediate alarm on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers took steps to remind the administration of its obligation to comply with laws prohibiting the destruction of government information.... Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (New York), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration did not appear to be complying with the Federal Records Act, which governs the handling of government documents and other material. 'Haphazardly shredding and burning USAID documents and personnel files seems like a great way to get rid of evidence of wrongdoing when you're illegally dismantling the agency,' Meeks said in a statement." the NBC News story, which RAS linked yesterday, is here.
Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "Interim D.C. U.S. attorney Ed Martin has sent another letter to a Democratic congressman and critic of ... Donald Trump, demanding information in what Democratic lawmakers say is a potential abuse of his prosecutorial power. Martin demanded that Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Virginia) provide information about a business founded by Vindman and his brother to help arm Ukraine to fight Russia. Martin asked for detailed ownership and government funding records of the business, called Trident Support LLC, where Eugene Vindman served as president and his twin brother, Alexander Vindman, was chief executive. Martin also asked about $150,000 that Vindman disclosed receiving from Georgetown University.... The letter is the latest among an estimated 20 inquiries that people close to Martin estimate he has sent since taking office Jan. 20.... In his letters or past public comments, Martin has indicated that the recipients have something in common -- playing a role in criticizing or employing critics of Trump, his appointees or allies, or investigating complaints against his lawyers." ~~~
~~~ Marie: IOW, Martin is admitting he is misusing his Justice Department position to intimidate political opponents.
Eric Tucker of the AP: "A law firm targeted by ... Donald Trump over its legal services during the 2016 presidential campaign sued the federal government Tuesday over an executive order that seeks to strip its attorneys of security clearances. The order, which Trump signed last week, was designed to punish Perkins Coie by suspending the security clearances of the firm's lawyers as well as denying firm employees access to federal buildings and terminating their federal contracts.... Lawyers representing Perkins Coie said in their lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, that the executive order was an illegal act of retaliation. They called on a judge to block it from being implemented. A hearing was set for Wednesday afternoon. The lawsuit notes that the two primary attorneys whose work appears to have most angered Trump left the firm years ago and accounted for a tiny fraction of the firm's more than 1,200 attorneys." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This isn't just about security clearances and federal contracts. If Perkins Coie employees cannot enter any federal building, none of those 1,200 attorneys can represent any client in any federal case.
Theodore Schleifer & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Elon Musk has signaled to ... [Donald] Trump's advisers in recent days that he wants to put $100 million into groups controlled by the Trump political operation, according to three people.... Mr. Musk has signaled he wants to make the donations not to his own super PAC, which ... has spent heavily on Mr. Trump in the past, but to an outside entity affiliated with the president.... It is unheard-of for a White House staffer, even one with part-time status, to make such large political contributions to support the agenda of the boss."
Aamer Madhani & Zeke Miller of the AP: "U.S. officials have not determined who was behind an apparent cyberattack on the social media site X< that limited access to the platform for thousands of users.... The comments came after Elon Musk ... claimed in an appearance on Fox Business Network&'s 'Kudlow' show that the cyberattackers had 'IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area' without going into detail on what that might mean. Cybersecurity experts quickly pointed out, however, that this doesn't necessarily mean that the attack originated in Ukraine." Related stories linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.)
Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The House passed legislation on Tuesday to fund the government through Sept. 30 and avert a shutdown at the end of the week, in a party-line vote that reflected how Republican fiscal hawks have swallowed their concerns about spending in deference to President Trump. The move sent the measure to the Senate, where Democrats are facing a political dilemma over whether to support it and hand Mr. Trump wide leeway to continue his assault on federal programs and workers, or oppose it and risk being blamed for a government shutdown. The bill would keep last year's spending levels largely flat, but would increase spending for the military by $6 billion. It would slightly decrease spending overall, because it would not include funds for any projects in lawmakers' districts or states. And it would force a cut of more than $1 billion from the District of Columbia's budget for the rest of the fiscal year." The AP story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Chuck will do whatever option is lamest. ~~~
~~~ Rachel Bade in Politico Magazine: "With Tuesday's spending vote, the president vanquished some of his final foes inside the GOP.... Seven weeks into his second term, Trump is redefining GOP orthodoxy.... He has shattered Republicans' long history of muscular globalism in favor of an 'America First' posture, sidelining an entire wing of the GOP. He's leaned into protectionist economics in a way Republicans have long shunned and somehow convinced longtime free market champions to defend his policies.... But the turnabout on the House floor has been especially stark. Without much drama at all, he's convinced even the most skeptical Republicans to extend a spending deal negotiated in part by Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer.... It's just the latest reminder: It's Trump's party, and what he says goes."
Annie Karni of the New York Times: "A Republican lawmaker abruptly adjourned a congressional hearing on Tuesday after being challenged for referring to Representative Sarah McBride, Democrat of Delaware and the first openly transgender lawmaker in Congress, as a man. The Europe Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs panel was in the middle of a hearing on arms control and U.S. assistance to Europe when its chairman, Representative Keith Self of Texas, introduced his colleague by calling her 'Mr. McBride.'... [Ms. McBride] briefly registered her displeasure by returning Mr. Self's slight, responding, 'Thank you, Madam Chair,' before proceeding with her remarks. But Representative William Keating of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, was not willing to move on.... 'You will not continue it with me unless you introduce a duly elected representative the right way,' he said [to Mr. Self after a brief exchange in which Self refused to address Rep. McBride as 'Ms.'] With that, Mr. Self then adjourned the session." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Self obviously has his own personal sexual issues. He's 71 years old. It's way past time for him to get psychological help.
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Texas, et al. Kelly Cho of the Washington Post: "Los Angeles County in California, Suffolk County in New York and Howard County in Maryland detected their first confirmed cases of measles this year, while Oklahoma reported two possible cases, local health authorities said this week. The spread of the highly infectious disease comes as an outbreak of more than 200 cases has continued to grow in Texas, and as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned health-care workers and potential travelers to 'be vigilant' ahead of spring and summer travel.... In Canada, at least 146 confirmed cases have been detected this year up to March 6, along with 22 probable cases." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Better slather on that cod liver oil, folks. Say what? You're supposed to ingest it? Ugh! I'm here to tell you that applying it to your skin or drinking it are equally ineffective remedies for measles. So, you know, whatever.
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Greenland Elections. Christian Jepesen, et al., of the New York Times: "Voter turnout [for Greenland's parliamentary elections Tuesday] was at its highest in 12 years, so much so that polling stations on the sparsely populated island, which is partly controlled by Denmark, were kept open late to accommodate long lines.... With all votes counted early Wednesday morning, the winner was Demokraatit, a party that has been critical of Mr. Trump's rhetoric. It has taken a moderate stance on the subject of independence from Denmark, which most Greenland politicians support as a long-term goal.... Mr. Trump, in an address to Congress last week, declared that the United States would take control of it 'one way or the other.' On Sunday, two days before the election, he made a direct pitch to Greenland's 56,000 people. 'We are ready to INVEST BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to create new jobs and MAKE YOU RICH,' he wrote in a social media post. But Greenlanders have been clear that despite Mr. Trump's entreaties, they don't want to be absorbed by the United States, with polls showing that at least 85 percent oppose it."
Ukraine, et al. Somebody Pulled Trump Off the Ledge Here. Matthew Lee of the AP: "The Trump administration said Tuesday that it would immediately lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and its intelligence sharing with Kyiv, a week after imposing the measures to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter talks to end the war with invading Russian forces. Ukraine also said it was open to a 30-day cease-fire in the war with Russia, subject to Kremlin agreement. The announcements emerged as senior officials from Ukraine and the United States opened talks in Saudi Arabia focused on ending Moscow's three-year war against Kyiv and hours after Russia shot down over 300 Ukrainian drones. It was Ukraine's biggest attack since the Kremlin ordered the full-scale invasion of its neighbor. Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel later this week to Moscow, where he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin...." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Andrew Kramer & Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "Ukraine said it would support a Trump administration proposal for a 30-day cease-fire with Russia, an announcement that followed hours of meetings on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, where the United States agreed to immediately lift a pause on intelligence sharing with Kyiv and resume military assistance. The talks in the coastal city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, brought new momentum to cease-fire negotiations that had faltered after a public confrontation at the White House between the Ukrainian and U.S. presidents."
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Reader Comments (26)
Enough!!
Aside from that whack job Fetterman, Democrats have a chance to stand up to the fat king and his evil court.
This morning on NPR, Chris Coons was grilled (the sort of tough journalistic digging reserved for Democrats and only for Democrats—the traitors are never put on the hot seat) about what his party will do if the government shuts down and Fat Hitler and his humeda-humeda-humeda bobble head butcher, Bible Mike, blame Democrats for everything bad in the world. Coons, usually pretty reliably articulate started going off about a veteran friend who had served his country in many capacities being summarily axed by the Mad Doggies.
Okay, I get the outrage, which is both real and necessary, but let’s get it together. Democrats need to stop chasing their tails like some crazy dog in a YouTube video and start looking like an opposition party with a plan, that believes in Resistance!!!
The answer is, and should be…”Government shutdown? What fucking government? Fat Hitler and the Mad Doggies have already shut it down. Let them fix it.”
Fuckers.
But we all know what’s gonna happen. Chuck Schumer, alumni of the Merrick Garland School of Namby Pamby, will say “Oh, we have to be reasonable.”
FUCK…THAT!!
We need the kind of “Holy shit!” coverage we aren’t getting yet, but will if the government does officially shut down. Reasonable?? The only reasonable course of action is to let these motherfuckers stew in their own shit soup. Do Not Help Them!!!
I’m reading that Democrats will try to get an agreement from Bible Mike that there won’t be any more eviscerations if they sign on to this ridiculous budget (which is slated to gut Medicaid).
First of all, that weasel can’t guarantee shit. And if you trust anything Fat Hitler promises, I have an all expenses paid trip to Mars on a Musky rocket that may or may not blow up waiting for you. Step right up.
A shutdown gives Democrats the kind of resistance platform they need to say “Enough!” (But first they have to tie Hakeem Jeffries up and put him in a closet while they make the announcement.)
Enough already.
But will they? I’ve got an old plugged nickel, but I’ve kind of grown attached to it so I ain’t betting it.
On second thought…
Maybe Democrats won’t get the kind of response they need from the MSM.
Here’s Jake Tapper listening, with zero pushback, to some MAGA flack saying the downturn in the economy is all Biden’s fault.
That’s right. Fat Hitler’s psychotic whiplash tariff turmoil isn’t responsible for anything (because he’s never responsible for anything bad). He was handed an economy in terrible shape.
Never mind that Biden took the god awful mess he inherited from the Orange Monster and turned it into a powerhouse, the envy of the world.
Nope. It’s all Biden’s fault.
Jake Tapper’s response to this ridiculous lie?
“Wow. No kidding?”
Fuck me.
Test, test, test…
Lutnik lunacy?
Tariffs are "worth it?"
Maybe for plutocrats who wish to bring the hoi polloi to heel...
What we're seeing is a bald declaration of class war.
Pity half the country hasn't noticed.
David Frum, in The Atlantic, is seeking an answer to Marie's question but is frustrated by the 'Trumpsplainers' out there delivering easily disproved bromides.
Don't trust the Trumpsplainers
"The past few weeks have felt like a Cold War thriller in which an enemy agent somehow infiltrates the top of the United States government. Soldiers fighting for democracy have been abandoned to die in the field. The U.S. president vows to annex Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal. Long-established alliances are suddenly teetering. Economic bungling has pushed the country toward recession. The only beneficiaries of this bizarre series of MAGA outrages have been America’s geopolitical enemies.
....
To survive a dangerous environment requires accurate assessments of the predators on the prowl.
Inventing an alternative Trump—one more rational and less malignant than the actual Trump—may assuage anxiety. But only temporarily. The invention soon collapses under the burden of its own untruth, wasting time in which the victims of its fiction could have taken more effective action to protect themselves."
For those of you looking for a respite from this country, may I present Gary Stevenson, a recent discovery for me. He's articulate and explains what the chaos factor is doing, among other things. And Ken, yes, we've been in a class war and our side is losing.
https://www.youtube.com/@garyseconomics
Pinover pinup?
Haven't written this one yet but have thought the Pretender assault on DEI is missing a letter: Another E, for Ethics, which would make the enemy DEEI.
Get Ready
"Be Prepared
Trump is sabotaging the economy, but we shouldn't assume public opinion will follow automatically.
Brian Beutler
Donald Trump has done rapid, serious damage to the U.S. economy, and the MAGA elite knows it.
Saturated as the Trump movement is in fantasies and conspiracy theories, many of the people who manufacture myths for the Republican base do keep abreast of material reality. They fear being caught by surprise. They don’t feel any obligation to prepare for and mitigate risks on behalf of American citizens, but rather to generate storylines about looming crises that hold Trump personally harmless, or paint him as victim or hero."
Another Perfect Week
How long until the corporate masters pick up on this "rest of the year constitutes one day" along with there are 24 hours in a day. All those hourly workers finding a few cents on their next week's paycheck. And at least half the Supremes would buy into that weak a legal argument like that.
Also I guess Biden could have gotten his student debt relief to happen if he had just fired all the people who were tasked with tracking the debts and collecting the money.
Winning
"Five of the billionaires who attended Donald Trump's inauguration have lost a combined $210 billion in wealth since then, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index"
"Maddow Mocks Meeting of Trump and Gorbachev Impersonator in 1987"
Good advice
Just do what you can, together.
Sam Seder vs MAGA, DEI Debate
I figured the reason behind eliminating the Department of Education was because they took over many of the student loan administration, taking profits out of the vulture bank executive pockets.
@NiskyGuy: I wasn't aware of the change in student loan financing, but what you say is correct & your suggestion sure makes sense.
I went back to school in the 1990s. I didn't need a college loan so I didn't apply for one. But the university must have sold my name & address to banks because I got a lot of letters from banks offering me wonderful, wonderful loans. Reading the letters, I could see that young people with little or no experience handling their own finances would think those loans were great deals.
How we got here.
It might astound impartial observers the speed with which Trump and Musk have demolished the United States as a political, social, and economic entity but not if one considers the essential fragility of our system of governance.
The wonderful thing about liberal democracy, as refined over hundreds, even thousands of years, is that, by the 20th century, it becomes a system reliant more on a kind of social compact, a gentlemen’s agreement, if you will, than military force.
The agreement, at least in theory, relies on a balance between the governed and those doing the governing, and a mutual agreement that disputes should be settled either politically, at the ballot box, or legally in the courts, rather than through the use of police or military force imposing the will of a ruling class on everyone else.
Although the concepts of fairness and equality have only sporadically been met, they have served as aspirational goals, even if more often than not, they have not been achieved. We at least (some of us, that is) pretended they were goals supported by the Constitution, and by moral and ethical standards.
Over the decades of the 20th century we began to further refine our understanding of the importance of these aspirations, especially after seeing first hand how the horrors of a system dedicated to the opposite goals played out. Civil rights gained a foothold. The complexities of true equality under the law were finally being considered at the highest levels, both politically and legally. The solutions were not always elegant (affirmative action, eg), but they were serious attempts to deal with issues that had been pummeled by generations of bigotry, political shenanigans, and violence.
The social compact seemed to hold, at least for a while. But forces opposed to the existential constitutional balances were hard at work unraveling that gentlemen’s agreement. McCarthyism, white supremacy, and anti-government fervor bubbled up from the sewers. But the sewer rats had no collective foundation on which to coordinate their assault on the American Experiment.
But all at once, they did: the Powell Memo. A roadmap to control and domination, taking advantage of that basic sense of American fairness, and exploiting every crack in the system they could find. They would unravel democracy from the inside.
Then Reagan killed the Fairness Doctrine, and obliterated rules of media ownership that kept single groups from dominating the airwaves in a single market.
Enter Hate Radio, Fox, disinformation on a galactic scale. Then, pack the courts with judges who could provide legal cover for the coming takeover.
With the media in hand and a Justice system compromised, the real attack could begin.
Bush, Cheney, the unitary executive.
Trump, Musk, full immunity.
The end of America.
It was easy.
Hitler no. 1 took two months to bring down the Weimar constitutional democracy. Hitler no. 2 is going at about the same pace.
When Reagan nominated Robert Bork for the Supreme Court, here is what Ted Kennedy said:
He outlined “Robert Bork’s America” as “a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists would be censored at the whim of government, and the doors of the federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is often the only protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy.”
He had it just about right. Bork’s Revenge. Because with the enemies of democracy, it’s always about revenge.
The end.
Thanks, Marie and others for the paragraphs of information as to what the MAGA world is up to. Or, I should say down to. Because there is no upside to anything reported on today. Just watched the clip of the bald confederate insulting Sarah McBride and it almost made me gag. I am glad someone else stepped in, and for sure, nothing being done in any committee of the House has any legitimacy left, so who cares if the bald fathead adjourned it. They are so confident in their bigotry...
I am terrified that there is to be any Senate vote on the budget to avoid the shutdown and Fetterman the Feckless will vote for it on the shaky grounds he has already remarked upon, and he will tank the whole anti-confederate "plan." If you can call it a "plan." Yes, I would be willing to kidnap him, Schumer and Jeffries if it will mean the Dems stand against the entire illegal construction that is apparently how the MAGA confederates roll.
Also, why does Idiotface (and Crazyface) care if Tesla survives? Since it is an EV, that is something only environmentalists are interested in, and therefore better if it dies... The right is so stupid they spend their days trafficing in stupid statements and then doing or saying the opposite 10 minutes later.
And how comforting to know that the CNBC world can't shut up about the stock market, but they could not care less about the people being fired, let go, disappeared, losing their homes and cars and anything else they make payments on? Gee, I guess it means if the rich richies (and naturally, all we hear out of the mouths of the "titans" is whether or not this country is "wealthy" or "rich" or needs to be...) get what they want, the rest of us should kowtow to the cretins, and should consider it a win if their personal wealth increases on the backs of others of us.
Have a good day, everyone. Tulips are almost ready to bloom, daffodils are up, crocuses dot the lawns, and today I saw budding trees expecting the leaves. That's about as happy as I can get, guys! South Central PA is always glorious in the spring. This year, I expect the MAGAs in the local party will ride horses roughshod over the plants, smacking them with canes-- it's probably illegal to grow anything.
@Akhilleus: You forgot one thing, and that one thing is what has made all the difference, I would guess: as you say, the country was governed under a sort of gentlemen's agreement. But that's just it: they were all gentlemen, they were White gentlemen, they were (nominally) Christian gentlemen. Sure, for novelty, they might admit the rare woman (Clare Booth Luce) or person of color (Edward Brooke) or non-Christian (Louis Brandeis) to play at the white Christians gentlemen's club.
But all hell broke loose when people of color and women demanded a significant number of seats at the table. We briefly got our seats, but in so doing, we inadvertently tore up the gentlemen's agreement. The gentlemen on the right, in particular, quit playing by the agreement's clauses and subclauses. White voters hated the new rules, too. And that hatred of the emerging order begat Reagan, the Bushes & Trump. And they, in turn, brought us the Horrible Supremes.
We're here because of the civil rights movement. We're here because of the women's movement. We here because of gay rights. And Native American rights. We're here because so many of us -- the majority of us -- thought we counted just as much as the old White boys. And we were wrong.
We crushed the gentlemen, and because we did, we got Trump. We destroyed the society that kept us in our place, and now the whole place is gone. The arc of history, it appears, does not bend toward justice, after all. It bends back upon itself, seeking the imaginary, idealized bygone days. We may row, row, row our boats, but as Fitzgerald observed, "... we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Adam Gurri
"They're going to fucking wreck the university with one of the best hospital systems in the goddam world"
Wall Street Journal
"Johns Hopkins Plans Staff Layoffs After $800 Million Grant Cuts
Local and international health research efforts are already winding down as the university braces for even more potential cuts"
Paul Krugman gets right to the point
The two most powerful men in America have gone stark raving mad.
"News reports still tend to sanewash what our leaders have been saying, and even selected quotations often make them sound more rational than they are. Fortunately, both are addicted to posting on social media, and you really have to read some of their posts to get a full sense of the madness."
Thanks for your description of where we are, Marie. Also, reading about Johns Hopkins is really a seering thing-- Of course, they aren't alone at having grants grabbed away, but they are top drawer, so it feels more wrenching. I can't really see any "bluesky" or fluffy clouds.
Dumpiepants must have a going list of all the people who ever told him he was a loser, in one way or another. A really lucky loser, for sure, but still, one of the grossest humans ever to walk (shuffle?) the planet. Just seeing him makes me want to stone my teevee, so I watch less and less. But that is appropriate for a second- or third-hand citizen such as myself. Yeesh. The muck is sucking us down. I really thought no one could ever equal Adolf Hitler. He does. Agolf Shitler. (Nope, I never invented that one...) I imagine he has a second in command in Steven Miller. HE is more evil than the flabby dough Vance.
While I think Paul Krugman is correct, and nothing else needs to be said, Charlie Warzel has more to say about elon's state of mind. Elon Musk Looks Desperate
"Tesla isn’t the only Musk venture that’s struggling. SpaceX’s massive new Starship rocket has exploded twice this year during test flights. And Ontario, Canada, has canceled its contract with his Starlink internet company to provide service to remote communities, citing Trump’s tariffs. According to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Musk is $148 billion poorer than he was on Inauguration Day (he is currently worth $333.1 billion).
...
The world’s richest man can be cringe, stilted, and manic in public appearances, but rarely have I seen him appear as defeated as he has of late, not two months into his role as a presidential adviser."
This Pinover person doing her America’s Next Top Model thing from her government office, while collecting a check from taxpayers, is a perfect example of the sort of chiseling moochers and lazy, unqualified grifters who have replaced hard working Americans under the Mad Doggie putsch. Let’s see…she’s the what? The communications director for the Office of Personnel Management?
Huh.
Since the South African Chainsaw Massacre moocher and his pimply faced Hitler Youth do all their scheming and axing of whole departments under cover of darkness, in complete secrecy, I guess there’s no need for a communications director. WTF does she do? She’s an “Influencer”? Another name for carny barker con artist.
So she has plenty of time to goof off and parade around her office in fancy schmancy dresses, pausing only occasionally to sniff that of COURSE all those thousands of honest Americans had to be fired. How on earth else would she get a big office and a government paycheck that allowed her to run her own business off government computers and in a building originally built to house people who actually WORKED FOR A LIVING?!?
But you know what they say about rats. If you see one, there are probably a lot more doing bad shit, gnawing away with their little cheese eating rodent teeth into the foundation of your house.
That’s what we have now. Government by rats, for rats.
I emailed my senators today, Blumenthal and Murphy, urging them to not vote for the repugnant budget proposal.
They want it, let them own it. The R's have already ruined my nest egg.
Kabuki: Kremlin Style!
You just know that Fat Hitler and his kissy-face Kremlin boss have set up this phony baloney business where Fatty gets to “talk tough” about Russia.
Trump has never once challenged Putin and he isn’t about to start now. This prearranged kabuki is for the rubes and to help that fat traitor run after a Nobel Peace prize. Ukraine has a list of conditions a mile long. Putin gets everything he wants, gives up nothing, and is free to restart his Ukraine invasion, or to go after some other European territory he covets at a later date.
Trump simply lacks the balls to throw down with Putin. Two minutes alone with him and Putin would have that coward bent over a chair saying “Thank you, sir, may I have another.”