Donald
Trump's second term as president is built on a simple tactic that has
provided him with a devious advantage – expect and demand that major
American institutions follow established norms and standards, even as he
refuses to follow any rules himself.
ABC News offers us the latest example, which figures, since ABC News refuses to learn this lesson.
The
network on June 8 suspended Terry Moran, a senior national
correspondent, after he posted a sharply worded but knowingly nuanced
analysis on social media about Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of
staff for policy and the architect of an immigration policy deeply
rooted in the enjoyment of suffering and strife.
The Trump administration was quick to play the victim, a response as predictable as the sunrise.
Vice
President JD Vance, whom you may recall from his maliciously bogus
claims about immigrants eating dogs and cats in Ohio during the 2024
election, whined on social media that Moran has posted a "vile smear"
about Miller, "dripping with hatred."
White
House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted that she found Moran's
"rampage" to be "unhinged and unacceptable" and had reached out to ABC
News "to inquire about how they plan to hold Terry accountable."
Yes,
this is the same Karoline Leavitt who routinely talks about "freedom of
speech" while trying to reshape the White House press corps into a
supportive choir of Trump sycophants.
Accountability in Trump's world is compulsory for others but never acknowledged for themselves.
He
is a bully. You cannot let a bully break all the rules and still play
by the rules yourself. That just sends the message to the bully that he
can get away with anything.
Influential
Republican Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) has joined with Democrats to oppose
the Trump administration's threat to cut $1.1 billion from the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to Politico.
The
proposed cuts are part of a recissions package introduced last week by
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) "to cut $9.4 billion
previously greenlit by Congress, mainly for foreign aid," the report
stated.
So that is a problem for Mr. Chump that we can all see. It is not one of the many voices in his head. At MSNBC, Rachel Maddow addresses another problem for The Convicted Felon and it is also one that is visible to We The People:
What is the most important story in the country right now?
In
this moment, there is no question of what the United States is up
against. The intentions of Donald Trump are not a mystery. There’s no
suspense. There’s no ambiguity. We know exactly who he is and exactly
what he wants. It’s as plain as day.
But
the question we are contending with, the real black box, the real
drama, the story that does need to be dug up and told in our country
because it is as yet undecided, is this: Will he succeed? Will he get
what he wants?
That question will be answered
not by Trump or his actions, but by the people of this country. And so
the most important story of our time is this one: What is this country
going to allow him to do?
This is an attempted
authoritarian overthrow of the United States Constitution and the U.S.
government. This is the attempted imposition of a dictatorial regime.
The question now is whether it will work. The answer won’t come from the
White House; it will come from the streets, the courts, the states and
in Congress. The strength of the movement against Trump is what will
determine our fate as a country. Because what we’re seeing over and over
again is that organizing against him works. Fighting him in court
works. Pushing back works. Protesting in the streets works.
We are in hot water with a man in the Oval Office who clearly is suffering from dementia and is battling monsters he feels are real but truly only exist in his increasingly senile brain.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Chump continues to tank the economy but still
makes time to attack Los Angeles, Senator Elizabeth Warren has some
findings regarding DOGE, Junior continues to put the health of all
Americans at risk, and much more.
Donald
Trump clearly wants the public to believe he recently struck a trade
deal with China. The president did not actually reach such an agreement,
but he’s leaned into his fictional narrative with great enthusiasm
lately.
Last Thursday, for example, the
Republican published an item to his social media platform, noting that
he’d spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping about “the intricacies of
our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal.” Soon after, during an
Oval Office event, he again touted the same “trade deal.”
A
day later, Trump posted a follow-up item, announcing the members of a
delegation who would travel to London to meet with Chinese officials
about “the Trade Deal.”
The bad news is that
the “trade deal” in question does not exist, no matter how many times
the American president pretends otherwise. The good news is that
administration officials will actually have some discussions with their
Chinese counterparts. NBC News reported:
About
a month ago, Trump announced what he characterized as a “deal” with
China, but the closer one looked at the details, the more the truth came
into focus. Georgetown University professor Abraham Newman wrote a great piece for MSNBC that explained,
"While the U.S. did avoid a major economic calamity, this is not a
deal. The U.S. blinked. ... Far from some diplomatic coup, the U.S.
climb down reflects the economic risks of maintaining such high
tariffs.”
Complicating
matters, while the White House and Beijing reached a tentative
agreement that paused the two countries’ tit-for-tat tariffs, both
countries have since accused each other of violating the agreement.
All
of which brings to mind Peter Navarro, the White House’s top trade
adviser, who boasted in April, “We’re going to run 90 deals in 90 days.”
Navarro added that such a plan “is possible” in part because “the boss
is going to be the chief negotiator.”
Roughly
two months later, the grand total currently stands at zero. Generous
observers might be inclined to give Trump credit for striking a deal
with the U.K., but as The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank summarized in his latest column, that deal is really more of a “vaguely phrased framework with Britain that still hasn’t been made public.”
That
90 deals in 90 days? Announced in April? July 8th would be the
deadline. The administration wasn't pressured by Congress. This
wasn't, "Show progress or get out of Iraq." This was a brag that Chump
and his people announced and made.
Viewers
of THE 11TH HOUR WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE knew that boast was empty because
Stephanie spoke of this repeatedly and addressed with multiple
guests.
Donnie has
dementia so he may not have realized how untrue the boast was but
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent had to know that was never going
to happen.
Donnie Dementia
flaps his gums and is so far gone that he never realizes when the clock
ticks out and he's yet again been unable to keep his word.
President
Donald Trump’s signature trade policy is threatening to backfire by
upending other top priorities: the revival of US manufacturing and the
American Rust Belt.
In Illinois, Trump’s
tariffs prompted a compressor maker to delay a key equipment purchase
after an ambitious factory revamp. Rockwell Automation Inc., a
Wisconsin-based producer of factory tools, says some manufacturers are
putting projects on hold because of uncertainty over costs and future
demand. Snap-on Inc. is seeing similar hesitancy among car mechanics.
The
warnings underscore the rising worry that turbulence from Trump’s trade
wars will smother the progress US manufacturers have already made
revving up American factories. Manufacturing payrolls fell by 8,000 last
month, the most this year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
US and Chinese negotiators will resume trade talks Monday in London, as
the world’s two largest economies look to resolve disputes over tariffs
and technology.
In the US, perhaps nowhere is
the anxiety higher than in the Midwest, which is still home to the
nation’s highest concentration of manufacturing employment even after
bleeding jobs early this century from the rise of offshoring.
“Overall,
it is going to be a drag on the US economy,” said Gus Faucher, chief
economist for PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh, calling the
tariffs a tax that will raise prices. “In particular, it’s going to be a
drag on the Midwestern economy.”
Businesses
hit by tariffs should start reviewing their bonus policies and how
deeply they may need to cut executive payouts if they hope to avoid a
public backlash, lawyers have said.
Partners at
the Silicon Valley law firm Cooley said that while pay was probably the
last thing on bosses’ minds as they scramble to adapt to Donald Trump’s
unpredictable tariff policies, pay committees should start assessing
their options soon.
“Many will
encounter rising material costs and reduced profit margins,
particularly given the significant pressure on the supply chain,” a memo
by its top lawyers said.
“Taken together with
the recent stock market volatility, companies (both public and private)
will need to address the impact of these challenges on their business
and, importantly, consider the effects on director and executive
compensation programs.”
Cooley
– whose clients have included Netflix, Apple, Meta, and Twitter before
its takeover by Elon Musk and rebrand as X – said that without a proper
review of pay policies, companies may end up handing big bonuses to
bosses while the rest of the workforce suffers from cost cuts and job
losses.
That may be due to remuneration
policies that do not automatically account for the impact of so-called
“black swan events”, such as a dramatic U-turn in US trade policy or a
global pandemic.
Jason Ma (FORTUNE) reports
a number of economists are stating the big problem for the economy,
even bigger than the tariffs, is going to be the disappearance of
immigrants from the US.
It's
day five of Chump's attack on Los Angeles. A lot of propaganda out
there as Chump tries to get support for his illegal move of sending in
the National Guard for a protest that is not violent. Wally, Cedric,
Betty, Ann, Isaiah, Elaine and I did a joint humor post about our inept
FBI:
It's a humor
post. But the linked part is real and the actual words. The FBI has,
for 75 years now, had a Most Wanted list. Yesterday they added an
unnamed person to the list. It's some guy that threw rocks.
Yes,
the list that once boasted names of serial killers and Osama bin Laden,
now boasts a rock thrower. A rock thrower. They consider him armed
and dangerous To which we added:
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND
DANGEROUS . . . ESPECIALLY IF THE UNNAMED AND UNKNOWN PERSON IS STANDING
NEAR OR IN THE HISTORIC ROCK GARDEN AT THE LAPD ELYSIAN PARK ACADEMY.
An unknown rock thrower is now the ten most wanted person by the FBI.
Let that soak in and then grasp how idiotic and out of touch Chump and his administration truly are.
It's all part of the nonsense to inflame and frighten the US public.
And to flood the zone with lies because facts don't look good for Chump.
For
example? Last night on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell
discussed how, in his first term, Chump spoke of how a president could
not just send the national guard into a state.
LA Mayor Karen Bass also spoke with Rachel last night to get the truth out and what has taken place.
BREAKING: Kamala Harris issues statement on Los Angeles.
June 8, 2025 at 6:33 PM
6.7K reposts
382 quotes
23.3K likes
Chump
lies to try to garner support for his abuse of office. He and his
whole administration are nothing but liars. I am so sick of the liars.
It's bad enough that they
break the law and they don't have any background that should have made
them a Cabinet Secretary but when they lie about it on top of that? Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy (USA TODAY) reports:
Health
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired all 17 members of a committee
that advises the federal government on vaccine safety and will replace
them with new members, the Department of Health and Human Services
announced on June 9.
At issue is the Advisory
Committee for Immunization Practices, which makes recommendations on the
safety, efficacy, and clinical need of vaccines to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. It comprises medical and public health
experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in the
civilian population of the United States.
“Today
we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific
pro- or anti-vaccine agenda,” said Kennedy Jr., who has a history of
controversial views on vaccines. “The public must know that unbiased
science—evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from
conflicts of interest—guides the recommendations of our health
agencies.”
Kennedy Jr.'s decision
marks a reversal from what a key Republican senator said the Trump
Cabinet member had promised during his confirmation hearings earlier
this year. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, the chair of the Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, said Kennedy had
promised to maintain the committee's current composition.
"If
confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without
changes," Cassidy said.
As
Lawrence O'Donnell observed last night, Junior has no accomplishments of
his own and has just gotten through life on his father's name -- a name
he degrades daily.
He lies to Congress --
even Republicans in Congress -- and he destroys public health. He's not
qualified for this job and we will be dealing with his garbage for
years. Nikki McCann Ramirez (ROLLING STONE) adds:
Last month, Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" commission released a
report that reiterated his own conspiracies about vaccines - and was riddled with citation errors and outright fake research. The so-called MAHA report alluded to disproven claims
from vaccine skeptics that the vaccine schedule recommended for
children in the United States is overloaded and potentially harmful.
The attack against the independent vaccine advisory board is the latest
instance in which Kennedy has attempted to mold the nation's leading
public health systems around his own pseudoscientific agenda - with the
health of millions of Americans in the balance.
We're
late in nothing this but let's get in now. Plan will be to explore it
in the next snapshot. From Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:
Warren Highlights 130 Potential Acts of Corruption in Musk’s 130 Days in Government
Since Election Day, Musk’s staggering net worth has increased by over $100 billion.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth
Warren (D-Mass.) released a new report entitled, “Special Interests over
the Public Interest: Elon Musk's 130 Days in the Trump
Administration.”
The report provides 130 examples of unethical or potentially corrupt
actions that benefit Musk or his companies — one for each day of Musk’s
service as a Special Government Employee. While serving as an adviser
during the Trump transition, as a “Special Government Employee” in the
White House, and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE),
Musk has increased his net worth by over $100 billion. Meanwhile, many
pending enforcement actions,creating at least $2.37 billion in potential
liability for his companies, are now either stalled or have been
dismissed.
The new report includes a list of 130 actions by Musk or Trump
administration officials that broke ethics norms and precedent or may
have violated laws regarding federal employees’ participation in matters
in which they have a financial interest, laws against bribery and
gratuities, or the rules prohibiting use of government positions for
private gain — all while benefiting Musk’s companies.
The report breaks these actions into 15 main categories, including:
Official government time and resources have been spent promoting Musk’s businesses.
Under the Trump Administration, federal government agencies —
perhaps influenced by Musk or seeking his favor — have entered or
explored new lucrative contracts for his companies and turned to his
companies’ services.
During the Trump Administration, federal agencies have dropped
investigations into Musk companies, declined to enforce regulations
against them, or foregone penalties that appear to have been warranted.
Largely guided by Musk’s DOGE, the Trump Administration has
hamstrung the agencies overseeing Musk’s companies, gutting their staff,
throwing sand in the gears of their operations, and embedding DOGE
staff loyal to Musk.
Agencies have pursued policy changes and regulatory approvals that benefit Musk’s companies.
Musk received special access to sensitive government meetings,
classified information, and proprietary government data that can boost
his companies.
Musk has been involved in selecting and installing personnel loyal
to him in agencies that regulate or contract with his companies.
Musk appeared to redirect foreign aid and immigration policy toward
his personal parochial interests rather than the public’s interest.
Musk companies reportedly use the promise of federal assistance — or
threat of federal penalties — to extract better deals from business
partners and competitors.
The Trump Administration weaponizes federal enforcement powers against Musk’s enemies.
Musk’s influence-peddling in Congress will benefit his bottom line.
Musk secured deals with foreign nations and companies, often after
using his unique access to Trump Administration policy discussions and
staff.
Musk’s family members also receive new business opportunities – soon after Musk becomes top advisor to the president.
Musk uses his influence to meddle in the political and judicial
processes in ways that could help protect his political — and financial —
interests.
Despite his calls for the government to practice “maximum
transparency,” Musk has failed to inform the American people of critical
information about his potential conflicts of interest.
###
And we'll wind down with another press release from Senator Warren's office:
“The full extent of DOGE’s
role and influence at ED remains unknown…” “This [is]... dangerous
for... an agency that handles an extensive student loan portfolio and a
range of federal aid programs for higher education.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren
(D-Mass.) led senators in pushing the Acting Inspector General of the
U.S. Department of Education (ED) to open an investigation into new
information obtained by her office revealing that DOGE may have gained
access to “two of [Federal Student Aid] FSA’s internal systems:
Financial Management System (FMS) and Partner Connect,” in addition to
sensitive borrower data. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Ben Ray
Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith
(D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard
Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined the letter as well.
Following DOGE’s “takeover” of ED, the senators opened an
investigation into the matter. In response, ED disclosed that DOGE
supported a review of FSA’s contracts, and to conduct this review, ED
granted “one employee [] read-only access” to two of FSA’s internal
systems, which both hold sensitive personal information for people on
Title IV loan and grant programs.
ED also disclosed that it had since “revoked” that employee’s access
to both of those systems. Alarmingly, ED did not indicate why the DOGE
employee’s access had been revoked, whether this employee has retained
access to any other ED databases, and what actions the Department has
done to ensure that student loan borrowers’ sensitive information would
not be released or misused.
“Because of the Department’s refusal to provide full and complete
information, the full extent of DOGE’s role and influence at ED remains
unknown,” wrote the senators. “This lack of clarity is
not only frustrating for borrowers but also dangerous for the future of
an agency that handles an extensive student loan portfolio and a range
of federal aid programs for higher education.”
The senators are requesting that the ED OIG conduct a review to
determine whether ED adhered to the Privacy Act, and also determine the
impact of DOGE’s new plans to consolidate Americans’ personal
information across government databases.
Senator Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign in a coordinated effort to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education:
On May 20, 2025, Senator Warren and 27 other senators pushed for full funding for the Office of Federal Student Aid.
On May 14, 2025, Senator Warren led a Senate forum
entitled “Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are
Raising Education Costs for Families,” highlighting the consequences of
Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of
Education (ED) and President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for working-
and middle-class students and borrowers.
On May 13, 2025, Senator Warren agreed
to meet with Education Secretary Linda McMahon and promised to bring
questions and stories from Americans across the country to highlight how
the Trump administration’s attacks on education are hurting American
families.
On May 6, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren highlighted
the consequences of President Trump and Secretary Linda McMahon’s
reckless dismantling of the Department of Education for American
families in a Senate forum.
On April 24, 2025, Senator Warren launched a new investigation
into the harms of President Trump’s attacks on the Department of
Education, seeking information on the impact of the Trump
administration’s actions from the members of twelve leading
organizations representing schools, parents, teachers, students,
borrowers, and researchers.
On April 10, 2025, following a request
led by Senator Warren, the Department of Education’s Acting Inspector
General agreed to open an investigation into the Trump administration’s
attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
On April 2, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter
to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Department of
Government Efficiency’s proposed plan to replace the Department of
Education’s federal student aid call centers with generative artificial
intelligence chatbots.
On April 2, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren launched
the Save Our Schools campaign to fight back against the Trump
administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED)
and highlight the consequences for every student and public school in
America.
On March 27, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led
a letter to Acting Department of Education Inspector General (IG) René
Rocque requesting that the IG conduct an investigation of the Trump
Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
On March 20, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders led
a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Trump
Administration’s decision to slash the capacity of Federal Student Aid
to handle student aid complaints.
On February 24, 2025, in a response to Senator Warren, Secretary McMahon gave her first public admission that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education.
On February 11, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim sent
Linda McMahon, Secretary-Designate for the U.S. Department of Education,
a 12-page letter with 65 questions on McMahon's policy views in advance of her nomination hearing.
