The Conversation -- February 27, 2025
Here's Lawrence O'Donnell Thursday night on that lying Cabinet meeting:
NYT Says Stupid Trump Tricks Are Straining the Economy. Alan Rappaport of the New York Times: "The United States economy is starting to show signs of strain as ... [Donald] Trump's abrupt moves to shrink federal spending, lay off government workers and impose tariffs on America's largest trading partners rattle businesses and reverberate across states and cities. Funding freezes and firings of federal workers combined with the prospect of costly trade wars are souring consumer sentiment, raising inflation expectations and stalling business investment plans, according to recent economic surveys. Local economies are also bracing for a sudden withdrawal of fiscal support, forcing officials to contemplate tax increases or municipal bond offerings to stabilize their budgets. While Mr. Trump has acknowledged that his policies could bring some initial pain, the early warning signs suggest that his blunt approach could come with more ominous risks to the economy." ~~~
~~~ Nevertheless, He Persists. Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "Tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico would go into effect on March 4 'as scheduled...,' [Donald] Trump said on Thursday morning, claiming that those countries were still not doing enough to stop the flow of drugs into the United States. China will also face an additional 10 percent tariff next week, on top of the 10 percent he imposed earlier this month, the president wrote in a post on Truth Social. 'Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels,' he said. 'A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China.' He added that the levies were necessary until the flow of drugs 'stops, or is seriously limited.'... The post Thursday appeared to be an attempt by Mr. Trump to clarify his plans, after his remarks at the White House on Wednesday sowed confusion about whether the tariffs had been delayed." MB: Because Trump doesn't know WTF he's doing. This is an item in a liveblog. Politico's story is here.
Ha Ha. Tommy Christopher of Mediaite: "A hot mic caught ... Donald Trump telling a Fox News host to praise his first cabinet meeting as the press filed out -- a moment that was cut off in the official White House feed.... TRUMP [to Lawrence Jones of Fox]: 'Lawrence, say we did a great job, please. Okay? Say it was unbelievable!'" MB: Oh, and that bit that didn't make it into the White House feed: it came from the AP -- you know, the news outlet Trump banned from some availabilities. Thanks to Akhilleus & RAS for the link.
Federica Coco of the Washington Post: "Unemployment claims in Washington, D.C., jumped to 2,046 for the week ending Feb. 22, a 20 percent increase from the previous week as ... Donald Trump and Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service rolled out federal layoffs and buyouts. Since Trump assumed office, some 8,730 workers in the city have filed for unemployment insurance. It is unknown how many are federal workers."
Ellen Knickmeyer, et al., of the AP: "The Trump administration said it is eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development's foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, putting numbers on its plans to eliminate the majority of U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad. The cuts detailed by the administration would leave few surviving USAID projects for advocates to try to save in what are ongoing court battles with th administration. The Trump administration outlined its plans in both an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press and filings in one of those federal lawsuits Wednesday.... Wednesday's disclosures also give an idea of the scale of the administration's retreat from U.S. aid and development assistance overseas, and from decades of U.S. policy that foreign aid helps U.S. interests by stabilizing other countries and economies and building alliances....
"Widely successful USAID programs credited with containing outbreaks of Ebola and other threats and saving more than 20 million lives in Africa through HIV and AIDS treatment are among those still cut off from agency funds, USAID officials and officials with partner organizations say. Meanwhile, formal notifications of program cancellations are rolling out."
~~~ Sam Stein of the Bulwark: "On Thursday morning, foreign aid officials woke up to see the details of [Marco Rubio's] cuts [to USAID program]. The reaction was justified shock. Programs that the administration had suggested it believed were worth continuing were now being terminated. That includes efforts to combat the AIDS epidemic -- such as George W. Bush's famed PEPFAR program -- that have been a source of bipartisan pride for decades.... It wasn't lost on those inside the agency that news of the terminations was leaked to the Free Beacon, the conservative outlet that has become a clearinghouse for critical reporting on USAID functions."
Marcia Brown of Politico: "The Trump administration touted a nearly $1 billion plan Wednesday to combat the spread of avian flu and mitigate skyrocketing egg prices as the outbreak rips through poultry flocks across the United States. But the measures come as the Agriculture Department is struggling to rehire key employees working on the virus outbreak who were fired as part of the administration's sweeping purge of government workers. Roughly a quarter of employees in a critical office testing for the disease were cut, as well as scientists and inspectors."
Aaron Weiner of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration is giving federal agencies until mid-April to suggest relocations of bureaus and offices out of the D.C. region, a move that would have widespread impacts on the local economy. In a guidance issued Wednesday to the heads of all executive departments and agencies, the directors of the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management laid out steps for compliance with ... Donald Trump's order to eliminate 'waste, bloat and insularity' in the government. Part of that is a directive to submit 'any proposed relocations of agency bureaus and offices from Washington, D.C. and the National Capital Region to less-costly parts of the country' by April 14." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I propose moving the White House and all executive offices to Guam. (Sorry, Guam.) It's "where America's day begins" and the weather is pretty nice, so Trump & the Trumpettes should be fine in tents. (Hope they do okay in the typhoons.) Guess they'll have to get used to the "biodiversity." (Don't worry, Donald; it's not what you think!) But the beach-front real estate development potential is phee-nominal!
Everything Trump Does Is Wrong. Annabelle Timset of the Washington Post: "Openly transgender service members will be disqualified from serving in the U.S. military and will soon be removed from the ranks, according to a Pentagon memo that marks a significant shift from previous Defense Department policy that prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. The memo was made public Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by LGBTQ+ rights groups against an executive order signed last month by ... Donald Trump, which stated that the 'medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria' were 'inconsistent' with the high standards expected of U.S. troops. An earlier memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said that people with a history of gender dysphoria would no longer be able to join the military, but that they would be 'treated with dignity and respect.' The new memo goes a step further in stating that current service members will be removed if they have gender dysphoria or a history of it."
Andrew Duehren of the New York Times: "... the economic agenda Republicans are now putting together on Capitol Hill would by and large help rich Americans, all while teeing up cuts to programs that provide health care and food to the poor.... Democrats ... are hammering Republicans for planning to take from the poor to give to the rich.... 'They're cutting taxes in a regressive manner and cutting spending, which is also regressive,' said Kyle Pomerleau, who studies tax policy at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank."
Marie: About that Essential Minerals Shakedown where Ukraine must fork over its valuable minerals in exchange for, well, nothing from the U.S. It's been irritating the hell out of me and maybe for no good reason: ~~~
~~~ digby: It turns out those essential minerals may not be so valuable, after all. "Trump will claim that he just made a thousand trillion dollar deal that will make America rich and end the war and bring peace on earth or whatever. But in reality, it looks like it's much less than meets the eye. If it guaranteed continued support for Ukraine, it would definitely be worth it. But as it stands it's just another fluff job to make Dear Leader feel like a winner. But since Trump's almost completely drive by a seething desire for revenge against people he believes have wronged him (and Zelensky is one of them) maybe it makes sense for Zelensky to pretend like he's been forced to grovel and capitulate to Trumps demands in order to at least keep him from making things worse." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. MB: I really, really hope digby is right.
Amanda Marcotte of Salon: "For ambitious women who wanted to climb the ranks of Republican politics, anti-feminism has long been the steadiest of ladders. The propaganda value of their gender outweighed their party's larger hostility to women in leadership. But now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned and Donald Trump is back in the White House, many on the right feel they no longer need to hide the naked sexism fueling their movement.... There has been growing support in Christian nationalist circles 'for the repeal of the 19th Amendment and support a "household vote" system in which men vote on behalf of their families.' Hegseth's former sister-in-law reports she heard him echo similar sentiments.... House Republicans passed a bill (which stalled in the Senate) this session to require citizens to have a passport or birth certificate matching their name to vote. This would be a back-door ban on voting for any woman who took her husband's last name and doesn't have a passport, an estimated 69 million women.... Similarly, there's been a slowly rising volume on the right of talk about banning no-fault divorce...." Read on. Thanks to RAS for the link.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "The Trump administration moved forward on Wednesday with plans for more mass firings across the government, hours after ... [Donald] Trump reiterated his support for Elon Musk and his effort to shrink the federal bureaucracy.... Russell T. Vought, the head of the White House budget office, and Charles Ezell, the acting head of the Office of Personnel Management, circulated a memo to government leaders calling for agencies to prepare plans for additional 'large-scale reductions' in the federal work force in March and April. Denigrating the federal bureaucracy as 'bloated' and 'corrupt,' the seven-page memo called for agencies to be drastically cut -- in some instances to the fullest extent allowed by the law. One line in the memo said agencies 'should focus on the maximum elimination of functions that are not statutorily mandated.' The memo said that plans for the next stage of the cuts should be submitted by March 13. Plans for 'phase 2' of the cuts should be submitted by April 14....
"Late on Wednesday, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that further empowered DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency, to scrutinize and withhold payments by agencies.... The order also appeared to enact a freeze on all government credit cards used by employees -- with exceptions for disaster relief and 'other critical services' -- for the next 30 days." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Doesn't "bloated and corrupt" better describe Donald Trump? ~~~
~~~ President* Musk Holds His First Cabinet Meeting. Alex Gangitano of the Hill: Elon "Musk ... was dominant at the opening of the Cabinet meeting, offering a number of sharp comments toward the federal workforce while standing and taking questions from the press.... Musk ... defended his email demanding all federal workers report their accomplishments to his office, calling it a 'pulse check' and saying anyone with a heartbeat and neurons could complete it.... 'There are fictional individuals collecting paychecks,' Musk said of the government, though he did not offer specific evidence that people are fraudulently getting paychecks.... 'Is anyone unhappy with Elon? If you are, we'll throw them out of here,' Trump asked the room [of actual Cabinet secretaries] at one point...." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ In the Court of the Deranged, a Black-Capped Man Is King. Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times: "About 12 minutes into the first meeting of his new cabinet..., [Donald] Trump addressed the elephant in the room.... The elephant was standing 10 feet away, dressed all in black, hovering over the head of the table at which the president and the members of his cabinet sat.... The president tried to pretend all was well, but he seemed to understand on Wednesday that there was trouble in his court. 'ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON,' he posted a few hours before the meeting. 'The Media will see that at the Cabinet Meeting this morning!!!' The cabinet members stared expectantly at Mr. Musk as he stood up a few minutes into the meeting and began to hold forth.... Mr. Musk spent much of the rest of the meeting standing over the table at which the cabinet sat. He spoke far more than anyone else, other than Mr. Trump.
"Mr. Musk explained to the cabinet members that he had sent that demand to their employees only after clearing it with the president.... This was a reversal of the way things usually work in Washington -- it used to be that underlings would take the fall even if the boss was to blame. Now the underling was publicly pointing the finger at the boss to mollify the other underlings he had trampled over, while the boss nodded along."
~~~ Where's Amy? Marie: Wait, wait! I read that the White House has confirmed that a woman named Amy Gleason was in charge of DOGE. Why wasn't she the person lording it over the Trump Cabinet? ~~~
Dan Diamond & John Hudson of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk on Wednesday acknowledged that the U.S. DOGE Service 'accidentally canceled' efforts by the U.S. Agency for International Development to prevent the spread of Ebola -- but the billionaire entrepreneur insisted that the initiative was quickly restored. 'We will make mistakes. We won't be perfect. But when we make a mistake we'll fix it very quickly,' Musk said at a meeting of ... Donald Trump's Cabinet officials.... 'So we restored the Ebola prevention immediately. And there was no interruption.' Yet current and former USAID officials said that ... USAID's Ebola prevention efforts have been largely halted since Musk and his DOGE allies moved last month to gut the global-assistance agency and freeze its outgoing payments, they said. The teams and contractors that would be deployed to fight an Ebola outbreak have been dismantled, they added. While the Trump administration issued a waiver to allow USAID to respond to an Ebola outbreak in Uganda last month, partner organizations were not promptly paid for their work, and USAID's own efforts were sharply curtailed compared to past efforts to fight Ebola outbreaks." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Rachel Maddow said last night on-air that Musk treated the "accidental cancellation" as a joke; he chuckled when he falsely congratulated his team and himself for restoring aid with no interruption of service. ~~~
~~~ Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "During his cabinet meeting on Wednesday..., [Donald] Trump casually mentioned that Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, intended to fire 65 percent of employees, an incision so deep that officials said it would hobble the E.P.A. Mr. Trump said Mr. Zeldin 'thinks he's going to be cutting 65 or so percent of the people from environmental. And we're going to speed up the process, too, at the same time.' Within minutes, managers at the agency said they received a White House memo telling them to prepare for mass layoffs. The memo, which was sent to leaders of multiple agencies, said that the federal government 'is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt.' It did not mention the 65 percent goal, but laid out steps for the E.P.A. to prepare for what is known as a reduction in force, which would result in eliminating jobs. Hours later, an E.P.A. official said Mr. Trump was referring to overall agency budget cuts and not a 65 percent reduction in personnel." MB: Because Donald is a figurehead and doesn't know what's really going on. ~~~
~~~ Unvaccinated Child Dies in Measles Outbreak. RFKJ Says "Meh." Devi Shastri & Amanda Seitz of the AP: "A child who wasn't vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas, state officials said Wednesday, the first U.S. death from the highly contagious respiratory disease since 2015. The school-aged child had been hospitalized and died Tuesday night amid the widespread outbreak, Texas' largest in nearly 30 years. Since it began last month, a rash of 124 cases has erupted across nine counties.... Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation's top health official and a vaccine critic, said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is 'watching' cases, though he did not provide specifics on how the federal agency is assisting. He dismissed Texas' outbreak as 'not unusual' during a Wednesday meeting of ... Donald Trump's Cabinet members." MB: A "rash" of cases? Really? (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: No, RFKJ is wrong. This outbreak is unusual, and the death of a child (in the Cabinet meeting, he said two children, so maybe he knows something we don't) from measles is the first U.S. death from measles in a decade, according to ABC News. Dismissing this outbreak as "not unusual" is horrifying. Not only that, RFKJ claimed that the people hospitalized were in placed hospitals only so they could be "quarantined." No, they're in hospital because they have severe respiratory difficulties caused by measles; they can't breathe, you lying POS.
~~~ Lena Sun & Rachel Roubein of the Washington Post: "Trump officials have canceled a federal vaccine advisory committee meeting expected to be held next month that was intended to help select the makeup of next winter's influenza vaccine. This is the second federal vaccine advisory panel that has been postponed or canceled since Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, was sworn in as health and human services secretary." The NBC News story is here.
No More Birds, No More Bees. No More Bushes, No More Trees. Marie: I thought Akhilleus was kidding when he wrote in yesterday's Comments "that a biodiversity conference in Hawaii was canceled because Fat Hitler's Agriculture Secretary thinks biodiversity is DEI." But no. He found that Secretary Brooke Rollins has proudly posted a press release announcing the Department has cancelled a "frivolous Biden-era contract" for $11K for a conference room rental for a USDA biodiversity meeting in Hawaii. It's quite impressive that in only a month, the Trump administration has figured out how to end life on earth. In addition, Karl Schneider of the Indy Star reports that "The USDA revoked a federal tree-planting grant to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful in a move the nonprofit's CEO said may be the result of anti-DEI initiatives coming from the Trump Administration.... The use of the words 'biodiversity' and 'equity' may have been the reason the grant was revoked, [Jeremy] Kranowitz [-- president of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful --] hypothesized." They. Are. Nitwits. (Also linked yesterday.)
Supposed DOGE "Savings" Are So Much Bull. Jane Timm of NBC News: "DOGE's 'wall of savings' and list of canceled contracts include many eye-popping 'receipts.'... There's just one problem: Many of the so-called receipts aren't receipts at all. They're negotiated agreements with known government contractors, who might provide future services.... The agreements are known as blanket purchase agreements (BPAs), working more like a catalog of things the government might buy than a placed order. But listed alongside actual orders for goods and services on DOGE's 'wall of savings,' they create a wildly exaggerated and false impression of government spending. The wall of savings includes more than 60 listed 'contracts' that are clearly labeled as BPAs on the DOGE site, while many others are identified as BPAs in federal records -- often easily spotted because of their high, round numbers. NBC News counted more than $1 billion value in DOGE's list of canceled contracts from BPAs."
FAA Joins Team Corruption. Ian Duncan, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Federal Aviation Administration is close to canceling a $2.4 billion contract to overhaul a communications system that serves as the backbone of the nation’s air traffic control system and awarding the work to Elon Musk's Starlink.... The move to cancel a major contract in favor of a venture led by Musk ... would represent a significant test of protections against conflicts of interest in government projects. It would be an especially extraordinary step for the typically cautious FAA, whose systems are vital to the safety of millions of air travelers every day. The existing contract was awarded to Verizon in 2023, with the aim of upgrading a platform that different air traffic control facilities and FAA offices use to communicate with one another. Musk has personally taken aim at Verizon on his social media platform X in recent days, saying on Monday: 'The Verizon system is not working and so is putting air travelers at serious risk.'... A team of employees from SpaceX, Starlink's parent company, has been working inside the FAA in recent days, charged by the Trump administration with helping modernize the agency's aging technology."
Erich Wagner & Natalie Alms of Government Executive: "Most of the Social Security Administration's regional commissioners have decided to retire at the end of this week, following mysterious meetings with agency leaders about plans to slash its workforce. At least five of the eight regional commissioners whose offices oversee and support the agency's frontline offices across the country are leaving.... The Social Security Administration had largely been spared by the Trump administration's early efforts to cut staff across government, receiving exemptions for frontline workers from the 'deferred-resignation' program, Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, and the purge of workers who had been recently hired or promoted. But that apparently changed this week, triggering the wave of retirement announcements."
VA Chief Doesn't Know What He's Doing. Tara Copp & Carla Johnson of the AP: "The Department of Veterans Affairs has temporarily suspended billions of dollars in planned contract cuts following concerns that the move would hurt critical veterans' health services, lawmakers and veterans service organizations said Wednesday. The pause affects hundreds of VA contracts that Secretary Doug Collins a day earlier described as simply consulting deals, whose cancellation would save $2 billion as the Trump administration works to slash costs across the federal government. 'No more paying consultants to do things like make Power Point slides and write meeting minutes!' Collins posted to X Tuesday, in a post that was then lauded by Elon Musk.... The Associated Press has obtained the full list of 875 affected contracts, which shows the cuts would affect everything from cancer care to the ability to assess toxic exposure. The list ... generat[ed] significant concern not just among Democrats but also Republican lawmakers. The VA said in a statement to the AP that its review of the contracts 'is ongoing and not final.'" The Washington Post's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: I get that incompetence is part of the plan. Unfortunately, that's the part of the plan these dimwits are most successful at carrying out.
Sabrina Rodriguez & Sammy Westfall of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump posted to his Truth Social account late Tuesday an apparently AI-generated video that takes viewers on a dreamlike journey through an alternate-reality version of the Gaza Strip, remade according to his proposal for the United States to 'own' the territory.... 'No more tunnels, no more fear. Trump Gaza is finally here,' a voice sings to an electronic dance beat. 'Trump Gaza, shining bright. Golden future, a brand-new life.'... It features AI-generated shots of a massive gold statue of Trump towering over a traffic circle, a toddler holding a large gold balloon of Trump's head and bazaar-like gift shops lined with Trump figurines. In several scenes, dollar bills fall from the sky, including over a suit-clad Musk dancing on the beach.... On Wednesday morning, critics of the president took to social media to slam his posting of the video, with many describing it as callous and disturbing.... Even on his own platform, Truth Social, some viewers found the video strange or distasteful." Thanks to RAS for the heads-up. MB: I thought about posting the video here. But, no, it's too offensive. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Akhilleus had some thoughts about the video in yesterday's Comments.
Evan Hurst reports on how JayDee defines masculinity. Whatever your own thoughts may be, I doubt they're the same as JayDee's. Thanks to RAS for the link. Not that there's anything wrong with enjoying a beer with the boys and yukking it up over some trash talk about the ladies.
DOJ Nominees Testify Trump Can Ignore Court Orders. Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: "Lawyers for ... [Donald] Trump in line to take top jobs at the Justice Department sparred with Democrats on Wednesday over whether the administration could simply ignore some court orders -- an early skirmish in a larger fight over the White House's efforts to claim more sweeping presidential powers. The debate, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, unfolded as three nominees testified during a confirmation hearing to join the upper ranks of the Justice Department. Two of the nominees, Harmeet K. Dhillon and D. John Sauer, have long worked as personal lawyers for Mr. Trump. The third, Aaron Reitz, selected to lead the Office of Legal Policy, was questioned about an old social media post in which he suggested that Mr. Trump follow the example set by President Andrew Jackson, who ignored a Supreme Court order in 1832. 'There is no hard and fast rule about whether, in every instance a public official is bound by a court decision,' he said Wednesday.... Democrats have raised concerns that the Trump administration might ignore not just lower court decisions, but also appellate decisions or Supreme Court rulings.... Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, said some Supreme Court decisions were wrong and should have been fought more vigorously by government officials." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Sauer was the attorney who argued before the Supreme Court that the president* should be immune from prosecution for ordering a Navy SEAL team to assassinate his political opponent.
⭐The Chief Justice Enabler. Zach Montague, et al., of the New York Times: "Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Wednesday night handed the Trump administration a victory for now in saying that the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department did not need to immediately pay for more than $1.5 billion in already completed aid work. A federal judge had set a midnight deadline for the agencies to release funds for the foreign aid work, which was withheld in the wake of the president's Day 1 directive to gut U.S. spending overseas.... Chief Justice Roberts issued an 'administrative stay,' an interim measure meant to preserve the status quo while the justices consider the matter in a more deliberate fashion. The chief justice ordered the challengers to file a response to the application on Friday, and the court is likely to act not long after." The CBS News story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Roberts is likely one of those undeserving federal bureaucrats who wastes our hard-earned money by receiving free copies of newspapers -- like Washington, D.C.'s Bezos Post -- AND Roberts is not stupid. So he knows he is killing people, including children. But, hey, let's go with an "administrative stay." Now, if anything sounds like the "deep state," that's it.
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday over an employment discrimination suit filed by a straight woman who twice lost positions to gay workers. The case comes 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. While some conservative groups have hoped the case will yield a major statement on efforts to diversify the workplace, it seemed likely to produce a modest decision saying merely that a key civil rights law applied equally to all employees.... The court seemed likely to issue a brief and perhaps unanimous decision in favor of the woman, Marlean A. Ames." (Also linked yesterday.)
Peter Baker seems very exercised these days and is being exceptionally prolific: ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "The decision by President Trump's team to handpick which news organizations can participate in the White House press pool that questions him in the Oval Office or travels with him on Air Force One is a step in a direction that no modern American president of either party has ever taken. The White House said it was a privilege, not a right, to have such access, and that it wanted to open space for 'new media' outlets, including those that just so happen to support Mr. Trump. But after the White House's decision to bar the venerable Associated Press as punishment for its coverage, the message is clear: Any journalist can be expelled from the pool at any time for any reason." Baker likens Trump's move to the time 15 years ago when President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia pushed journalist Yelena Tregubova out of the Kremlin press pool. "The rest of the press pool got the message and eventually became what the Kremlin wanted it to be: a collection of compliant reporters who knew to toe the line or else they would pay a price.... One day, a bomb exploded outside Tregubova's apartment.... In the years since, independent journalists have been fired, arrested, poisoned or even killed.... Yevgenia Albats, a leading Russian journalist who had to flee her country under threat of arrest after the 2022 invasion [of Ukraine], said the developments in Washington over the past five weeks resemble the early days of Mr. Putin's reign." ~~~
~~~ Ben Johansen of Politico: "Reversing decades of precedent, the White House Correspondents' Association announced Wednesday that it would no longer coordinate shared coverage of ... Donald Trump in an escalating dispute over press access to official events. The association, which represents more than 60 news organizations that regularly cover the president, said it would no longer manage the rotating cast of reporters who attend White House events or compile the shared accounts of news.... 'This board will not assist any attempt by this administration or any other in taking over independent press coverage of the White House,' WHCA President Eugene Daniels, a Politico journalist, said in a statement to association members. 'Each of your organizations will have to decide whether or not you will take part in these new, government-appointed pools.' Their decision came after the White House, angered over coverage of the administration, has excluded certain organizations from news events in what the correspondents association see as retribution that undermines freedom of the press under the First Amendment and exceeds familiar tensions between presidents and the media." ~~~
Bezos argues for personal liberties. But his news organization now will forbid views other than his own in its opinion section.... There is no doubt in my mind that he is doing this out of fear of the consequences for his other business interests. -- Marty Baron, former WashPo executive editor, in a statement
This is what Oligarch ownership of the media looks like.... The second-richest guy in the world, Bezos, owns The Washington Post. He has now declared that the editorial page of that paper is going Trump right-wing. Surprise, Mr. Musk agrees. We must support independent media. -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), on X ~~~
~~~ Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. This Is Not Mrs. Graham's Washington Post. Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: "Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, announced a major shift to the newspaper's opinion section on Wednesday, saying it would now advocate 'personal liberties and free markets' and not publish opposing viewpoints on those topics. Mr. Bezos said the section's editor, David Shipley, was leaving the paper in response to the change. 'I am of America and for America, and proud to be so,' Mr. Bezos said. 'Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America's success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical -- it minimizes coercion -- and practical; it drives creativity, invention and prosperity.' In his note, Mr. Bezos said that he had asked Mr. Shipley whether he wanted to stay at The Post, and that Mr. Shipley had declined. 'I suggested to him that if the answer wasn't "hell yes," then it had to be "no,"' Mr. Bezos wrote." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Washington Post Staff: "Bezos said that The Post no longer needs to offer a 'broad-based opinion section' because of a diversity of opinions available online.... Post publisher and CEO William Lewis told staffers in an email Wednesday that the change was not about 'siding with any political party.'" MB: Looks as if Jennifer Rubin, a Post columnist who left the paper a couple of weeks ago, saw the Bezos scrawl on the wall. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: I suppose we can't be sure that this is what Bezos actually believes (it probably is) or just another gesture of "anticipatory obedience." But the effect is the same. ~~~
~~~ Margaret Sullivan in the Guardian: "Especially in light of the billionaire's other blatant efforts to cozy up to Donald Trump, Bezos's move is ... like a death knell for the once-great news organization he bought in 2013.... Bezos no longer wants to own an independent news organization. He wants a megaphone and a political tool that will benefit his own commercial interests. It's appalling. And, if you care about the role of the press in America's democracy, it's tragic.... Bezos is sacrificing the Post's reputation and any hope for its financial stability on the altar of personal gain.... I foresee a mass subscriber defection from an outlet already deep in red ink; that must be something businessman Bezos is willing to live with.... It's all about getting on board with Trump...." ~~~
~~~ Robert Reich: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk & Mark Zuckerberg "were in the first row at Trump's inauguration. They, and other billionaires, have now exposed themselves for what they are. They are the oligarchy. They continue to siphon off the wealth of the nation. They are supporting a tyrant who is promising them tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks that will make them even richer, and destroying democracy so they won't have to worry about 'parasites' (as Musk calls people who depend on government assistance) demanding anything more from them.... When [billionaires] talk of 'personal liberties and free markets' they mean their own liberties to become even richer and more powerful, as the rest of America slides into worse economic insecurity and fear." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Jared Sexton: "Presently, the oligarchical class is carrying out a bold-faced takeover of the federal government, deleting the social safety net as if it is an unused icon on a desktop, solidifying complete control over our economy and culture, and working hand-in-hand with despotic regimes around the world in order to quell resistance and gain complete dominion over the resources necessary to sustain themselves and continue their personal pursuits. As climate change worsens and the consequences come into sight, and as the Neoliberal order fractures and evolves into authoritarianism, they fully recognize it is time to pounce and take what they believe is rightfully theirs.... Both parties laid this foundation. The rank and file in Washington, D.C. and in corporate America fed this thing until it grew into this form.... We are witnessing the moment they have chosen to assert what they believe is their right to take control." Thanks to laura h. for the link. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Sexton's essay is very much worth reading. He doesn't offer an antidote, but I have one. It's quite simple, and Congress enshrined it in our Constitution more than a hundred years ago. It's the income tax. Of course more than one type of tax would be required to rein in the oligharchs. But the real problem is both simple and obvious: they have too much money. What if the maximum any American could take home was $500,000 a year? That's plenty of incentive -- along with social incentives like fame and admiration -- for these titans to be inspired to do what innovative work they may do. It's also -- in today's dollars -- more than enough to live on very comfortably. It is not enough to buy corrupt politicians and take over the federal government (or as Musk, for instance, is trying to do in Wisconsin, to take over state governance as well). What the corrupt Congress is doing right now -- lowering taxes on the oligarchs at the expense of the needy -- is precisely the opposite of what the country needs to survive them.
Marie: It appears that the Bezos Post opinion page has not been activated just yet. ~~~
~~~ Lee Hockstader of the Washington Post: During an Oval Office meeting Monday, "Trump, indulging his passion for fairy tales, said Europeans were just lending aid to Kyiv and would 'get their money back.' That's when [French President Emmanuel] Macron cut him off, placing a hand gently on Trump's forearm. 'No,' said the French president, who had already deployed ample flattery for 'dear Donald.' 'In fact, to be frank, we paid 60 percent of the total effort, and it was through -- like the U.S. -- loans, guarantees, grants.' Macron ignored Trump's yeah-sure-pal smirk and pressed his point: Europe, whose total aid to Ukraine exceeds Washington's, has 'provided real money, to be clear.' And it would not be joining Trump in gouging Kyiv with demands for payback.... As for Trump's demand that Kyiv sign over future proceeds from state-owned mineral rights as recompense for past U.S. aid -- half a trillion dollars was his original demand -- Europeans are appalled. 'It's mafia stuff,' an ambassador told me.... Europe's sense of panic is mounting."
~~~~~~~~~~
Ohio. Daniel Wu of the Washington Post: "In early February, a truck of neo-Nazis ... -- some carrying rifles -- hurled racist slurs and waved flags with red swastikas on a highway overpass leading into [Lincoln Heights, Ohio, a majority-Black town]. Two weeks later, on Sunday, another agitator struck, spreading racist pamphlets from the Ku Klux Klan across Lincoln Heights.... The town originated as a self-governing Black community -- the oldest north of the Mason-Dixon Line, it proclaims on its website -- that lacked public services.... Residents say they are ... suspicious of police officers whom county officials criticized for not cracking down on the neo-Nazi march.... Many of the town's residents are adamant that taking up arms is the only solution, even as some have questioned whether they want their neighbors taking advantage of Ohio's open-carry law to begin an armed watch program.... Residents took up arms shortly after the neo-Nazis left, and community leaders formed the Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch Program to organize them, according to ... the group's spokesman."
~~~~~~~~~~
Austria. Jim Tankersley & Christopher Schuetze of the New York Times: "Three mainstream political parties in Austria said on Thursday that they had reached an agreement to form a new government that excludes the far right, ending five months of roller coaster negotiations after an election last fall. The coalition is set to announce ministerial posts on Friday, but the new chancellor is likely to be Christian Stocker, the head of the People's Party, the biggest coalition partner. The new government is set to include left- and right-of-center parties but not the far-right Freedom Party, which finished first in the September vote."
Israel, et al. Aaron Boxerman, et al., of the New York Times: "Hamas turned over what it said were the remains of four Israeli hostages early on Thursday, according to the Israeli military, and Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners, in the latest such exchange during the initial stage of a fragile cease-fire. Hamas's military wing on Wednesday afternoon named the four Israelis as Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour and Tsachi Idan. They ranged in age from 85 to 49 when they were abducted, and their remains were to be swapped for a group of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Unlike previous handovers, this time, Hamas carried out the transfer without staged displays, which Israel had condemned as 'humiliating ceremonies.' Around the same time on Thursday, a white bus and two cars bearing the emblem of the International Committee of the Red Cross were shown live on Palestinian television departing from Ofer Prison in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the city of Ramallah in the same territory. Dozens of prisoners stepped off the bus. Hundreds more were expected to be released once Israel identified the bodies turned over."
News Ledes
CNBC: "Initial filings for unemployment benefits hit their highest level of the year last week in another potential signs of weakness in the labor market. Jobless claims for the week ended Feb. 22 totaled a seasonally adjusted 242,000, up 22,000 from the previous week's revised level and higher than the Dow Jones estimate for 225,000, according to a Labor Department report Thursday. The level of claims matched the highest since early October 2024 and comes amid questions over broader economic growth and worrying signs in recent consumer sentiment surveys."
CNBC: "High mortgage rates and elevated home prices combined to crush home sales in January. Pending sales, which are based on signed contracts for existing homes, dropped 4.6% from December to the lowest level since the National Association of Realtors began tracking this metric in 2001. Sales were down 5.2% from January 2024. These sales are an indicator of future closings."
New York Times: "Gene Hackman, who never fit the mold of a Hollywood movie star, but who became one all the same, playing seemingly ordinary characters with deceptive subtlety, intensity and often charm in some of the most noted films of the 1970s and '80s, has died, the authorities in New Mexico said on Thursday. He was 95. Mr. Hackman and his wife were found dead on Wednesday afternoon at a home in Santa Fe., N.M., where they had been living, according to a statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff's deputies found the bodies of Mr. Hackman; his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64; and a dog, according to the statement, which said that foul play was not suspected." ~~~
~~~ Update. New York Times: "An investigation was underway on Thursday after the prolific actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead along with their dog at a house in New Mexico, the local authorities said. The bodies of Mr. Hackman, 95, and Ms. Arakawa, 64, were found by sheriff's deputies in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Santa Fe on Wednesday afternoon, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The couple had lived in the Santa Fe area for years. Sheriff Adan Mendoza of Santa Fe County said in a phone interview that an associate of Mr. Hackman and his family had placed an emergency call on Wednesday afternoon after discovering the bodies of the actor and his wife."
New York Times: "Michelle Trachtenberg, a touchstone of millennial youth culture who grew up onscreen, rising to fame as a troubled teenager on the supernatural 1990s series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and as a conniving young socialite on 'Gossip Girl,' was found dead on Wednesday in Manhattan. She was 39. The New York Police Department said in a statement that officers, responding to a 911 call just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, found Ms. Trachtenberg unconscious and unresponsive in a Manhattan apartment. She was pronounced dead by emergency medical workers, who had also responded."
Share Article 