When compared to the Trump administration’s mass firings at the federal level, his massive, expensive military parade in the nation’s capitol seemed a harebrained plan, especially when further cuts to federal programs are coming. The price tag on the day’s events have been bandied about in the $45 million range, but is likely to creep higher…which taxpayers will never gain knowledge about. Trump explained to NBC News’ Kristen Welker the cost will be “peanuts compared to the value of doing it,” but Ja’han Jones of MSNBC says that claim is debatable at best, the actual value of hosting such a parade, is more reminiscent of dictatorships as it features dozens of military vehicles and thousands of service members. Or as Adam Kinzinger says, the waste and corruption of the Trump administration, and the president wanting a military themed 79th birthday party, has more to do with Trump’s disinterest in being president and his desire to be worshipped, and his interest in entertaining. Submitted cartoon captions on Robert Reich’s blog read: “It’s not just a birthday — it’s a national emergency in red, white and ego,” and “They’re marching to the beat of a draft dodger!” and “It’s my birthday too, but all I got was 1 doll.”

Last week satirist Andy Borowitz wrote his version of the impending parade: “Donald J. Trump’s long-wished-for military parade was abruptly cancelled on Saturday after it emerged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had inadvertently invited the Houthi rebels. Though Hegseth defiantly told reporters, ‘I did not text parade plans,’ a mass invite from his Signal account was sent to the Houthis, Iran’s Supreme Leader, and The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg. In an official statement, the Houthis said they were ‘saddened’ to lose the chance to show off their military hardware, adding, ‘We already packed our drones.'” Not attending the actual festivities were many GOP lawmakers who were heading home for the weekend for personal reasons, not enticed by Trump’s promise of an “incredible” display.” Louisiana Senator John Kennedy said, “The United States of America is the most powerful country in all of human history. We’re a lion, and a lion doesn’t have to tell you it’s a lion. I would save the money, but if the president wants to have a parade, he’s the president, and I’m not.” Senator Rand Paul said he has “never been a fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street” and likened the expected imagery to the Soviet Union and North Korea, adding, “So if you asked me, I wouldn’t have done it.” A Politico survey found only seven out of fifty lawmakers on the House side who would attend. Threatening weather may have accounted for a low turnout, but Trump wasn’t discouraged — “tanks won’t be affected. It doesn’t affect the soldiers. They’re used to it. They’re tough,” said Cadet Bone Spurs.

Regrettably, after months of planning, and public ballyhoo, the event came to fruition, and was ruled a whopping belly flop — the ballyhoo becoming a bally-boo-hoo for Trump and his hangers-on who were coerced into sitting on the viewing stand with him. The tiny crowd size, bored and uncoordinated marchers, rusty and clunky machinery, and the humiliation for the crypto sponsors whose logos were prominently displayed, all provided ammo for social media to explode with ridicule. It was far from being a feather in the cap of America’s would-be dictator as he looked bored, disinterested, and appearing to nod off a few times. Ditto for Melania and the MAGA hostages. For the president to know that his grand parade was sharing TV screens with the massive ‘No Kings’ protest rallies across the nation and the world only emphasized his desperation and weakness in a country that was forcefully objecting to the moral squalor of his leadership. Andy Borowitz says the short version of the D.C. event is a ‘sad trombone’: wah-wah-wah-wah! Maybe next time Trump wants to celebrate himself with an ostentatious display of military hardware, he should hire a consultant who knows how to produce this kind of show: Kim Jong-Un. A joke on X: “MAGA estimates that 51 million to 1.2 billion people attended Trump’s parade.”

The MoveOn website reported: “Two very different visions of America were on display. In Washington, D.C., Donald Trump staged a grossly expensive and ‘profoundly low energy’ military parade — a spectacle featuring squeaky tanks, troops, and weapons rolling through our nation’s capitol on his 79th birthday. It was a sparsely attended, and ultimately, empty attempt to show force by a historically weak president who governs through fear because he cannot lead through trust.” It is estimated that as many as five million people were in the streets in 2,100 peaceful ‘No Kings‘ protests — “a massive display of the power we hold when we stand together for democracy, dignity, and hope,” says MoveOn. In April three million protesters attended 1,300 ‘Hands Off’ rallies, and with last week’s five million, the movement is obviously growing, but it’s only the beginning and we have to keep the energy flowing. Historians who study social movements worldwide have coined the ‘3.5% rule,’ which says historically few authoritarian governments have withstood 3.5% of their population peacefully mobilized against them in a sustained show of solidarity. Today’s movement will have to grow to around eleven million people who remain steadfast in protesting the MAGA regime, so the momentum is moving toward reaching that goal.

Alix Bedeen writes on Daily Kos of Florida’s Governor DeSantis making a statement that “vehicular manslaughter is morally okay, as long as you’re hitting a dirty, ICE-hating liberal.” He is quoted as saying, “If you’re driving down one of those streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety, and so if you drive off and you hit one of those people, that’s their fault for impinging on you.” After chaos ensued when President Trump sent in troops to quell protests in Los Angeles, inspiring protesters in other states to do likewise, DeSantis took the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos in an attempt to bury his own family scandals which have been jeopardizing the political futures of he and his wife. The governor was called out by the Orlando Sentinel for omitting “LGBTQ and Hispanic communities” from the annual Pulse nightclub shootings statement honoring those victims, as a flagrant display of racism and homophobia. Bredeen concludes with, “Then again, DeSantis’ idea of protecting his constituents is arming daycare workers, so what’s running over a protester every now and then?”

MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart and authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat discussed Florida’s Brevard County sheriff, Wayne Ivey, after his press conference threatening ‘No Kings’ protesters in his jurisdiction. Ivey said, “If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains because we will kill you, graveyard dead. We’re not going to play. If you try to mob rule a car in Brevard County, gathering around it, refusing to let the driver leave, you’re most likely going to get run over and dragged across the street. If you spit on us, you’re going to the hospital, then jail. If you hit one of us, you’re going to the hospital, jail, and most likely get bitten by one of our big, beautiful dogs.” As Ben-Ghiat shook her head in amazement, Capehart asked her to comment. She said, “Unfortunately, what happens when you have a culture of institutionalized lawlessness, and where the head of our government tried to overthrow the government, and is calling protesters insurrectionists, having incited a violent insurrection of his own, there’s a kind of encouragement for all kinds of broad state security forces, including law enforcement, state militias, and the military to feel empowered to be lawless themselves, and to speak like that.”

Lisa Needham writes on The Daily Beast that Senator Jeff Hawley wants an investigation into ‘The Insurrection’ — not the January 6, 2021 affair, the 2025 protests in Los Angeles to be more exact. The Missouri Senator is going to blow this whole criminal conspiracy wide open, using the same old, tired GOP delusion that left wing demonstrators are not spontaneous or authentic but are instead paid puppets funded by dark money masters led by George Soros. Hawley has sent letters to groups he alleges are funding the protests, demanding their donor lists, which Needham finds just a touch McCarthy-ish. She writes that sending letters to organizations disfavored by the government, asserting that participation in that group is criminal, and demanding donor names is pretty much an accurate shorthand description of the McCarthy era. The groups Hawley has singled out are the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which is actually a communist group. The New York Post has reported that, “The radical group, CHILRA, had received around $450,000 in grants for ‘citizenship education and training’ between October 2021 and September 2024 from DHS — the very agency the group was protesting.” Needham snarks, “Ah, yes. The well-known ‘you can’t protest the government if you ever got money from the government’ exception to the First Amendment.” Hawley, in his letters, says, “Bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct.” Hmmm — must not pertain to January 6? He doesn’t stop at donor lists — he also wants all internal communications related to protest planning, coordination, or funding; all financial documents related to protests over immigration enforcement; all contracts and grant applications related to immigration enforcement; travel records for anyone supported or reimbursed for protests activities; and all media strategies. Seems that he has forgotten the well-known photo of him raising his fist in support of the gathered January 6 insurrectionists who were poised for the Capitol onslaught, and his answer that, “Trump keeps his campaign promises” when asked about the president’s blanket pardon for his horde of lawbreakers.

We’ve all seen the powerful, yet horrifying, images on TV or social media from the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles with the escalation of law enforcement and police violence, but the citizens are not letting up in defense of their neighborhoods. One protestor’s confrontation with California National Guard officers at the Los Angeles VA Clinic has gone viral as he stands his ground, bravely addressing the armed, uniformed unit. “You’re tough with your assault rifles and your sticks. You should be standing here with us. You’re on the wrong side of history,” he begins. His diatribe continues: “We know you got a job to do. But you took an oath to the Constitution, not to the fascists in the White House. Think about what you’re doing now. Think about what this means, coming into our community. Peaceful community…people working their jobs. They send men in military fatigues. Weapons of war in our communities, and you stand here and you allow it. I am sick and tired of it. You should be sick and tired of it.” Then asking the officers, “You think any of these people in the White House sending you these commands care about you? Not one of them do. They laugh at you. Our president laughs at you. He called you fools. He said the people who died overseas in the military were chumps. That’s who you’re defending right now.” As the video continues he says, “Think about your place in history, ladies and gentlemen. Ask yourself when you wake up tomorrow. I don’t know if you have kids. Ask yourself the future you want for your children. Is it this? You can answer me. Is it this? Do you feel good about this? You’re tough looking behind your masks and your fatigues with your weapons, but how do you feel on the inside? This is our community, and we will fight for it if we have to.” The protester’s video has been seen over 350,000 times, being reposted by countless news media outlets and social media users, viewers being moved by his courage and his potent message. Many called his accomplishment true patriotism, the sign of a leader who should be running for political office, and one Tiktok poster felt it gave all on the sidelines a great reminder: “You can always be the hero.”

Satirist Andy Borowitz reveals that the president had arrived at what he felt was a great solution: “In what critics are calling an inflammatory move, Donald J. Trump announced on Tuesday that he was sending Stephen Miller to Los Angeles to act as a human repellant. ‘No one empties a room faster than Stephen,’ Trump said. ‘He’s better than teargas.’ But Trump’s plan faces a stiff legal challenge from human rights lawyers, who argue that the use of Stephen Miller violates the Geneva Convention.”

A couple of years ago, Trump was interviewed by Fox News’ Bret Baier, who asked The Don what he considered the most important issue for the country, which brought up the usual suspects — the economy, border security, ‘woke,’ but his main concern was “respect.” “Basically, respect all over the world. We don’t have it anymore. We had tremendous respect in 2020. We don’t have respect anymore. We have to get that respect back. And if we don’t, we have some big problems,” he opined. MSNBC’s Steve Benen writes, “This has been a rhetorical staple for the Republicans for quite a while. In fact, on the campaign trail last year, the told a Pennsylvania audience, referring to his White House tenure: ‘We were the most respected country in the world. We were the most respected that we were ever respected. We were never more respected than we were four years ago.'” Of course, Benen calls this statement “utterly bonkers,” but now that the president has returned to the Oval Office, it’s suddenly even worse. The Pew Research Center released the results of international surveys measuring Trump’s support in 24 nations across the globe, making it clear that results were awful. Majorities express little or no confidence in Trump’s ability to handle specific issues, and when asked about Trump’s personal characteristics, most describe him as arrogant and dangerous, while relatively few see him as honest. Benen writes that broadly speaking, good news for the White House was hard to find in the data, much of the world holding Trump in low regard, his unpopularity tarnishing the stature of the country, with favorable ratings dropping by double digits in several countries. The PRC showed George W. Bush unpopular, with Barack Obama’s support high; followed by Trump’s first term numbers awful, then bouncing upward under <b>Biden</b> — now, the numbers are continuing to slide downward.

While some argue that the new numbers are irrelevant, since Trump has prioritized an ‘America First’ theme, the lack of international backing shouldn’t matter — the problem being that Trump has invested enormous amounts of time and energy to make the opposite argument. Most will remember that the Republican worldview is that the USA has been an international laughingstock for decades, but Trump has argued that thanks to how awesome his awesomeness is, he has restored the nation’s global stature, seeing it as one of his most important accomplishments. As Trump ended his first term, in his farewell address he told the country, “The world respects us again. Please don’t lose that respect.” However, the Pew research from September 2020 notes, “In several countries, the share of the public with a favorable view of the US is as low as it has been at any point since the Center began polling on this topic nearly two decades ago.” Benen concludes, “And yet, the president can’t let go of this lie. A few weeks ago, by way of his social media platform, Trump wrote: ‘Our Nation is staging one of the greatest and fastest comebacks in history. In just 4 short months, we are respected again, respected like never before.’ He similarly added in February, just a couple of weeks after his second inaugural, ‘We are respected all over the world, like never before.’ All of this was the opposite of the truth. It also reinforces the fact that Trump is failing, not by some random metric, but by one of the standards that he personally elevated above all others.”

After the president and the First Lady made a rare public appearance at the new and MAGA-friendly Kennedy Center for the presentation of ‘Les Misérables,’ Jimmy Kimmel on his show, expressed concern about the state of their marriage. “It was the opening night, led by their self-appointed chairman of the board,” he said in his opening monologue, as he showed a photo of their appearance, joking, “There he is, Don Valjean and Lady Misérable.” Kimmel surmised, noting their body language, “That is the look of a couple that just realized they have to sit next to each other for three hours. Napoleon Bone-a-Spurs was accompanied by Melania as required under Section B, Subsection 3 of their prenup, which states, ‘Mrs. Trump shall accompany her husband to no fewer that two public appearances per calendar year, during which she shall refrain from open displays of revulsion, disgust, and or hatred, regardless of current mood or events.” Kimmel who has always used the cold, distant relationship of the couple, continued it throughout his monologue. “But Melania, from all accounts, she loved this show. Her favorite song was ‘On My Own.” “They really do seem so close, closer than ever, the way they were holding hands on the way in…,” — as he showed a photo of Trump holding Melania’s thumb as they entered the theater — “…in karate that’s known as a ‘thumb lock.'” Some performers in the play refused to appear knowing that the Trumps would be in the audience, and news reports indicate that loud boos were heard as the First Couple entered, soon to be overshadowed by cheers and clapping from the MAGA attendees. Trump was probably echoing the words of Groucho Marx: “I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.”

B.B.B., SPEEDING TO THE CLIFF, POPCORN, BRAINS, BILE, HATE

It appears that the honeymoon is over — they’ve made the break-up official — Trump and Musk are kaput! For a few hours there was talk of a reconciliation of sorts, but the president seemed to enjoy the attention he was getting followed by the uptick in his favorability ratings. Plus, Musk was accusing his ex-pal of associating with the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, claiming that Pam Bondi is withholding portions of the Epstein Report because Trump is featured prominently throughout. Despite his denials of any hanky-panky or criminality, the many photographs, news items and his own earlier comments regarding Epstein still cast a cloud of suspicion over his past. Trump obviously was fed up with the most insufferable person in the universe stealing the show from him, so his responses to Musk’s attacks on the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ brought threats of cancellation of SpaceX and Tesla contracts with the government, prompting Musk’s call for impeachment and elevation of JD Vance to the presidency. The spark for the feud began with Musk decrying passage of the pending budget which increases the federal deficit to an insane figure, as well as the proposed bill not codifying his DOGE tax cuts after he and his team of marauders whacked government agencies to death. Though Musk has suggested starting a third political party to attract “the 80% of the center-leaning voters,” most think that action would be disastrous.

Many Democrats, Ro Khanna in particular, have brought up the notion that their party should reach out to the billionaire to counter Trump and his minions — or maybe it’s the money? But as Mike Nellis writes on his Endless Urgency blog on Substack, “There’s a massive difference between someone who’s genuinely trying to figure out which party will help them feed their family or retire with dignity, and a corrupt billionaire who dropped $300 million to elect Trump and the Republican Congress simply to buy influence, expand his government contracts, and clear out officials who stand in his way. This isn’t some redemption arc. A ketamine-fueled Twitter meltdown is not a moral awakening. And more importantly, Elon Musk has done real, lasting damage. He’s spread lies that have weakened this country and eroded public trust in its institutions. He’s destroyed lives through reckless DOGE cuts. He’s exposed our private data to God knows who. He is not an ally.” Nellis says he should be nowhere near the Democratic tent, that he doesn’t get to flip sides like a typical opportunistic billionaire anymore, because he’s operated way beyond the pale and would only turn against the party if he doesn’t get his way. Justifiably, Americans complain of the entrenched corruption in Washington which existed before Trump, which he has only been able to amp up with nothing of importance getting accomplished — and nobody being held accountable for rigging the system. So the Democrats should be wary of a driverless Trojan Tesla!

Tesla’s stock price managed to rebound on the Friday following the initial heated online skirmishes, even with the president making known his intention to sell or give away the bright red Tesla he bought (?) from Elon after their White House Car Lot promotion a couple of weeks ago. Politico reported that Trump aides scheduled a call with Musk to cool off the rhetoric, and Trump claimed, “It’s going very well, never done better,” yet the president says he has no plans to speak to Musk himself — too busy with more important things, Bibles to sell, meme coins to promote, planes to refurbish. One Trump aide said, “The president is making it clear: this White House is not beholden to Elon Musk on policy. By attacking the bill the way he did, Musk has clearly picked a side.” Stephen Colbert on ‘The Late Show,’ told his audience that “the thinkable happened” between Musk and Trump, saying, “In an interview on CBS This Sunday, Musk tried to distance himself from Trump,” as he played a video clip of the billionaire saying, “It’s not like I agree with everything the administration does.” Colbert countered with, “Yeah, Musk doesn’t think Trump was right about everything — his hat does,” as he showed the familiar photo of Musk wearing the baseball cap imprinted with ‘Trump Was Right About Everything’ on it. “Now Donald Trump is a Tesla owner who hates Elon Musk? He’s never been more relatable,” Colbert said. Continuing, Colbert speculates, “Apparently, the ketamine has worn off. That’s got to be a hell of a hangover.” Colbert visualizes Musk coming down from his hangover, realizing, “Oh my God, I spent $288 million to elect who? I have how many children?”

Jimmy Kimmel reported that things were quickly turning ugly between ‘the girls,’ as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez termed the participants of the Trump-Musk fight. “On Friday, Trump gave Elon Musk the key to the White House. And I guess he better change the locks, because today Musk had something very nasty to say about Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill. Boy, when he’s off ketamine, he is a lot less fun.” To Musk’s complaint that Congress would ‘bankrupt’ the country, Kimmel reality checked Elon with, “Elon, bro, were you not paying attention when Trump said he was gonna run the country like one of his businesses? I’m not sure who to root for. It’s like Diddy versus R. Kelly. For Elon Musk to call this a disgusting abomination is really saying something, because this is the man who created this disgusting abomination,” as he showed a photo of a Tesla Cybertruck. Kimmel says Trump was managing to restrain himself, without lashing out at Musk — probably for 288 million reasons, but it’s only a matter of time. “Between Elon and Melania, Trump now has two foreigners who won’t sleep with him,” he cracked. Jimmy Fallon on ‘The Tonight Show,’ sees the relationship going “off a cliff faster than a self-driving Tesla.”

Seth Meyers on ‘The Late Show,’ pondered why Musk waited so long to make the explosive claim that the Trump/Epstein Files rumors are true, and why he chose to associate with the president if he is a reprehensible pedophile. “Also, if we are to take you at your word Elon: You already knew that and it wasn’t a dealbreaker?” he asks. “Musk thought he was in control, now he’s realizing he’s not and he’s pretty bummed. Man, it’s all so sad. Just last week, Trump gave him a ceremonial golden key he stole from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.” On The Street Roundtable, investor Mark Cuban commented on the Musk/Trump feud writing, “All I’ll say is that I bought a bunch of popcorn.” Asked if he saw this split coming, he bluntly replied, “Yes.” Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney and fixer, put out the word that Musk needs to be alert about incoming retribution from the Trump camp following their bitter exchange of words. “They are going to drop the hammer on him out of nowhere, when he least expects it. That’s the playbook. And, again, this is political guerrilla warfare at the highest level.” From his own experience, he predicts that retaliation will be in the form of personal smears, weaponization of the Justice Department, and targeting the Musk businesses. Cohen believes the clash was inevitable because of the outsized egos of the two. “Elon Musk has massive power, and here’s the problem with that: Trump craves relevance, Musk craves dominance — very big difference — an immovable force trying to smash into something that’s indestructible. This is going to be a war like nobody has seen, maybe in all of history.” The Fixer suggests that Musk is only the latest in a long list of men who wanted to influence Trump by “whispering in his ear,” pointing to Rudy Giuliani and Jared Kushner. “It doesn’t end well for anybody. And it’s not going to end well for Elon Musk. You’re never more powerful than the President of the United States. And you’re never richer than the country.”

Podcast co-hosts Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer, on Pod Save America, are speculating that the leak behind the story printed in The New York Times regarding Elon Musk’s drug use may have been initiated by none other than Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff. The writing style and a photo of a pillbox with which Musk travels seem to incriminate Miller in the podcasters’ eyes, along with other White House rumors. The relationship between Musk and Miller has always been tense, and with Miller’s wife leaving DOGE to go to work for Musk full-time, along with the Trump/Musk split, it seems a perfect revenge factor for the occasion. Also suspicious is Musk’s unfollowing of Miller on X, at the outset of the big blowup. Pfeiffer joked that perhaps Katie Miller “drafted some of these tweets” for Musk in his battle with the president. ABC News correspondent, Terry Moran, who recently interviewed President Trump in the White House with a heated sit-down conversation, has been suspended by his network for criticizing Stephen Miller in a social media post. “The thing about Stephen Miller is not that he is the brains behind Trumpism. Yes, he is one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into policy. But that’s not what’s interesting about Miller. It’s not the brains. It’s bile. Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He’s a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate. Trump is a world-class hater. But his hatred is only a means to an end, and that end is his own glorification. That’s his spiritual nourishment.”

Moran’s post was immediately followed by posts from White House Secretary Karoline ‘Creepy’ Leavitt and Vice President JD Vance, urging ABC News to hold Moran accountable. So, in a statement to TVLine, a spokesperson said: “ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others. The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards — as a result, Terry Moran has been suspended pending further evaluation.” A 28-year veteran of ABC, Moran is the network’s senior national correspondent, an anchor for ABC’s live streaming service, and is lead for the network coverage of the Supreme Court.

The Washington Post has revealed that during Musk’s time in the White House he was busy laying siege to sensitive government databases, including the ones that handle Social Security. IT staffer, Daniel Berulis, recalls that he detected large data transfers, accompanied by sign-in attempts from Russia, after DOGE took control of the agency’s systems. The DOGE staff insisted that their actions in the system not be tracked, as they chain-sawed their way to slash government jobs and budgets, a request that was supported by both the president and his administration. Musk and his goons transmitted massive amounts of undetected data using a Starlink Wi-Fi terminal that was installed atop the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which raised concerns of security officials, yet installation was approved and completed with Trump’s blessing. Communicatons officials within the White House were kept out of the loop initially, with DOGEers only intending to “address dead zones” in the White House environs; however, the insiders saw the move as intentionally bypassing systems that track the transmission of data which normally provide names and time stamps. “Starlink doesn’t require anything. It allows you to transmit data without any kind of record or tracking,” said a White House insider. “White House IT systems had very strong controls on network access. You had to be on a full-tunnel VPN at all times. If you are not on the VPN, White House-issued devices can’t connect to the outside. With a Starlink connection, that means White House devices could leave the network and go out through gateways — bypassing security.” Sources are uncertain if the Starlink terminal remains, or if Musk took back all his marbles when he exited the capitol.

MSNBC political analyst, Steve Benen, writes on the MaddowBlog of the East Coast/West Coast militaristic events set in motion by President Trump, the first being the much-criticized parade to fill the streets of DC with military hardware and US Army troops on June 14 — a birthday party for the Army AND Donny. Then, there’s the Trump-ordered California National Guard presence in Los Angeles which Benen’s report prefaces with The Associated Press summary: “Tensions in LA escalated Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Trump’s extraordinary deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. In recent months, federal officials, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, have engaged in overly aggressive and legally dubious tactics while executing the White House’s deportation agenda, sparking a predictable public backlash. As NBC News reported, it was against this backdrop that ICE officers on Friday carried out raids in three locations across the city, where dozens of people were taken into custody.” Governor Newsom condemned the raids, saying, “These are chaotic federal sweeps aiming to fill an arbitrary arrest quota,” and after protests erupted, Trump made his announcement that 2,000 National Guard troops would be called in to quell the protesters. The New York Times reported, “Governors almost always control the deployment of National Guard troops in their states, this being the first time since 1965 that a president has activated a state’s NG force without a request from that state’s governor,” and reminding us that Lyndon Johnson had sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights demonstrators.

Despite Governor Newsom’s objections to the president’s order, Trump celebrated the “great job” the troops were doing — before the guardsmen had even arrived on the scene, being consistent with The Don’s general approach to reality and truth. Both Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass joined in, accusing Trump of “inciting and provoking violence, creating mass chaos, and militarizing cities — the acts of a dictator, not a president.” Border Czar Tom Homan threatened to arrest state and local elected officials, prompting Newsom to dare the czar to give that a try, and signaling that California would be filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for activating the state’s National Guard. Benen says there’s no reason to believe the situation will improve quickly, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatens to raise the bar by throwing US Marines into fray. House Speaker Mike Johnson, with his Cheshire Cat smile, opined that active-duty Marines shouldn’t be seen as “heavy-handed.” Trump told reporters that he’s meeting with US military leaders regarding the LA “invasion and occupation,” renewing speculation that the MAGA pack might be preparing to invoke the Insurrection Act. The president also disclosed that he was directing Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion.” Kristi Noem has changed her tune from her time as South Dakota governor, when she announced that if President Biden tried to federalize National Guard troops, it would constitute a “direct attack on states’ rights” and spark a “war” between Washington and GOP-led state governments. Trump’s posted online, “Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” and he later told reporters that he expects to have US troops “everywhere.”

In his New York Times column, David French wrote, “It’s too early to declare a constitutional crisis, and in any case, debating the label we attach to any new event can distract us from focusing fully on the event itself. But each new day brings us fresh evidence of a deeply troubling trend: America is no longer a stable country, and it is growing less stable by the day.” Steve Benen reminds us that presidential candidate Trump in 2024 referred to Americans he disagreed with as “scum,” as he talked about possible deployment of the National Guard or the US military on American soil against those he labeled “the enemy from within.” Benen says, “At the time, it led many to wonder whether Trump, if returned to power, might be will to use — or in this case, abuse — military resources to stifle dissent. Republicans characterized such concerns as hysterical and paranoid. Eight months later, those fears are suddenly relevant anew.”

For the past three months, Andy Borowitz in his The Borowitz Report, has profiled in his Sunday columns ‘Traitor of the Week’ — “snakes who are enabling the fascist Trump regime,” he writes. In a “free and fair election” his subscribers have named Mitch McConnell as ‘America’s Top Traitor,’ and as Andy says, “It was a tough competition,” with Stephen Miller ending up in second place. Mitch McConnell’s disgraceful behavior during the Trump era, “also known as the Fourth Reich,” confirms that Moscow Mitch “would indeed be a worthy replacement for ‘quisling’ in the dictionary.” Borowitz continues: “Before Trump was elected, McConnell had already spent decades doing everything in his power to make the United States unfit for human habitation. Specifically, he worked tirelessly to ensure that as many Americans as possible were killed by guns.” The aftermath of a mass shooting was never the right time to discuss gun legislation — or threaten the profits of the NRA overlords! Andy says, “It was his behavior during Trump’s second impeachment trial clinched his place in the pantheon of American quislings. After Trump incited the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, McConnell said, ‘If this isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is.’ The House of Representatives heartily agreed, voting to impeach Trump for a historic second time.” McConnell declined to work toward securing votes to convict Trump in the Senate, and even voted to acquit, yet he continued to excoriate the president for being practically and morally responsible for his provocations that day. But Mitch wasn’t done — he endorsed Trump for president in 2024! Borotwitz sees Mitch now being worried about his place in history — “snugly between Benedict Arnold and Judas Iscariot” — so in trying to redeem himself, he voted against Trump cabinet nominees Hegseth, RFK Jr., and Gabbard, votes which are totally meaningless in light of his vote to acquit Trump. Get your popcorn ready for the eventual tribunal!

The date’s just around the corner in case you need to mark your calendars — June 14, which is Trump’s birthday — plus the massive DC military parade he has scheduled in his own honor to mark his 79th year. Oh sure, it’s the 250th anniversary of the US Army but it won’t be about honoring the values that define that branch of service — it’s simply about glorifying The Man in the gold lamé uniform. Trump attempted a similar display in 2018, supposedly to honor Veteran’s Day, but forceful public backlash swamped that effort when cooler heads in the administration prevailed. Sunny Hostin on The View expressed his opinion against our Bone Spur Dictator, saying, “I don’t think people are going to be supportive of this…I think it’s a distasteful display for our armed services because they aren’t about pomp and circumstance. They’re about discipline, pride, service, things like that.” Co-host Whoopi Goldberg spoke against the frivolous, internationally provocative, waste of taxpayer money, adding, “Are you still taking my tax money? If you’re gonna take my tax money, throw my money towards the veterans, rehiring them, I don’t want to pay for your birthday party.” A display of military might to recognize a would-be king is a sure hallmark of an autocratic regime, not a democracy showing respect to those in uniform, where we stand up for the principles they defend, and their loyalty toward the Constitution, not to a narcissistic man-child who deserves total disdain.
Satirist Andy Borowitz wrote his ambitious scenario for the birthday parade: “Donald J Trump’s plan to hold a military parade on his birthday imploded on Thursday when he was unable to produce an authentic birth certificate. Though White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the missing document as an ‘administrative error,’ the Joint Chiefs of Staff disagreed, stating, ‘Without a birth certificate, we have no evidence of when or where President Trump was born.’ Trump reportedly begged his wife, Melania, to swear under oath that he was born on June 14, but she refused, telling him, ‘You never remember my birthday.’ The birth certificate controversy drew strong reactions across the political spectrum, including former President Barack Obama, who exclaimed, ‘I knew it.'”

Press secretary Leavitt was given a new monicker last week, ‘Creepy Karoline,’ by a former Trump White House lawyer, when she accused the three judges on the Court of International Trade of “undermining the US on the world stage,” as the court dismissed Trump’s illegal tariff rulings. Lawyer Ty Cobb, on CNN, took a jab at “Creepy” and let fly at the president, calling him a “ranting wounded narcissist.” Congress has had the tariff power for almost fifty years, with the seated president being able to exercise that duty only in a national emergency, therefore the three-member court ruled unanimously that Trump had exceeded his authority in levying tariffs — the first to attempt this. This action, of course, riled the president and his MAGA team, sending “Creepy” to the briefing room to attack the “activist judges” who “railroaded sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations.” Cobb responded to the on/off tariff policies against random countries that the president has no clue about, by saying, “I don’t think “Creepy Karoline”, when she speaks…I don’t think anybody in America takes her seriously on a matter of substance. She is not learned by any imagination.” He also pointed out that one of the judges, conservative Tim Reif, is a Trump appointee, a highly regarded expert on trade law, who likely is respected by several on the Supreme Court, where the ruling may end up. Conservative activist Leonard Leo, formerly head of the Federalist Society, and a sugar-daddy to a couple of unnamed Supreme Court justices, was instrumental in recommending Reif and other judges who Trump appointed to their posts. But now, Leo is in Trump’s view, “a sleazebag, a bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America,” as he posted to Truth Social. Didn’t we try to tell him that very thing, many bribes ago? Trump had best watch his step, since Leo is also close with Supreme Court Justices Barrett, Gorsuch, and Cavanaugh, so his mouth, and his tiny typing fingers, will only make for a rockier path.

As Michael Tomasky writes in The New Republic, Trump was given a temporary win when a federal appeals court stayed the International Court of Trade’s decision regarding his illegal imposition of tariffs, a stay granted on an administrative basis only. Another Trump setback resulted when a federal judge ruled that Harvard University can continue admitting foreign students for now, in overruling yet another of the administration’s efforts to derail the university by forbidding foreign enrollees, a nakedly ideological, authoritarian attack. Tomasky says, “The administration is losing these cases for a simple reason: They’re breaking the damn law. They’re invoking old and obscure laws and insisting that they confer upon them the authority to do things they don’t have the authority to do. They’re trying to stretch other laws and regulations to suit their authoritarian purposes. In other words, these initiatives and the way the Trump administration is going about them — using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act as ostensible legal cover for obviously illegal deportations — are part of a larger plan…they’re all just smaller parts of a broader assault on the rule of law itself. They’re pieces of a puzzle, and the puzzle, once filled in, will show a Republican-dominated legislative branch that has willingly conceded most of its authority, a judicial branch that has been stripped of its own, and a unitary executive — King Donald — with all the power in his hands. So Stephen Miller is right, in a way. There is a judicial coup going on in this country. It’s just that it’s being waged by Trump, Miller, and their gang of rogues against the judges, not the other way around.”

The People for the American Way website says that Federal courts have been doing what they are supposed to do: interpreting the law, enforcing the Constitution, and acting as a check on presidential power — which isn’t going over well with Trump. A study for the month of May reveals rulings against the Trump administration stand at a 96% loss rate — 26 out of 27 cases, the rule of law in action! The opposition to administration positions came roughly equally from judges appointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents, exhibiting the extremes and the unlawfulness of the Trump agenda. Rather than adjusting course, the MAGA crowd in Congress are attempting to break the courts entirely as seen in the latest version of the House budget bill, by slipping in a provision to limit judges’ ability to hold administration officials in contempt when they violate court orders, a direct, calculated attack on judicial independence. Trump has even reposted someone’s suggestion that he release terrorists near the homes of Supreme Court justices who have ruled against him. Not merely rhetoric, but a coordinated attempt to delegitimize and intimidate any court that refuses to rubber stamp his pronouncements. He doesn’t want impartial legal minds — only legal enforcers, collaborators to advance his agenda and shield him from accountability. No guardians of justice needed for the gates!

NBC is reporting that National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard is asking for help from Trump’s staff and from former intel officials, about how to get the president’s attention directed towards weighty matters. He is well-known for delving into inconsequential subjects that grate on him, quick to criticize and insult others on trivia that shouldn’t concern the ‘leader’ of the free world, and to divert the attention of the electorate from the destructiveness of the administration. One insider admits that not only is Trump disinterested in the President’s Daily Brief — “he doesn’t read. He’s on broadcast all the time.” Gabbard wants to take steps to tailor the briefing, which is a written digital document with photos, to the presidents’s interests and habits, some suggesting that it look and feel like a Fox News broadcast! Should this plan be implemented, a Fox News producer would be brought in with a network personality’s presentation, which could include graphics, pictures, and maps, and animated features similar to a video game. And perhaps, a pacifier, bunny slippers, a Happy Meal, and a blankie?

With his time in Washington drawing to a close, Elon Musk played his incredibly pathetic victim card, by lashing out at President Trump’s attempt to make him the administration’s go-to-scapegoat, saying, “DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything.” As Musk told The Washington Post, “So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.” As if ketamine-cavorting on the stage with a chain saw is viewed as a completely normal, adult action, Elon? As asked on the odactionnews.com website, “If he really believed bankrolling Trump’s return to the White House would buy him the wannabe dictator’s loyalty, then perhaps he’s not nearly the genius he desperately wants us all to think he is?” This shift in the billionaire’s tone follows the backlash over the massive federal layoffs and firings, and a disastrous first quarter for Tesla sales, as he retreats from his West Wing post. Though Musk has seemingly exited as a DOGE honcho, he says he would like to modernize the broken computer systems within the federal government. In a CBS Sunday Morning interview, he told David Pogue he was disappointed in Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ which saw narrow approval in the House. He whined, “You know, I was like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not decrease it, and undermines the work the DOGE team is doing,” adding, “I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both. My personal opinion.” No mention of his vanity project in  SpaceX’s Starship rocket which blew up in flight on the third attempt to achieve orbit, showering the debris of Musk’s ego over the Caribbean — the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” termed “an improvement” to sate the US taxpayers whose wallets are being depleted.

As Dan Rather writes on his ‘Steady’ blog, “All the money in the world couldn’t rescue Elon Musk from Washington politics. The Beltway bunch made their decision: ‘Enough!’ they said. And just like that, Musk is relegated to the end of the receiving line. As Harry Truman once quipped of Washington, ‘If you want a friend, get a dog.'” Rather says that all that cash to help elect the president, yet the MAGA faithful can’t hide the most important numbers: approval ratings. Musk’s are terrible — worse than Trump’s, if you can believe that — and Musk’s stench is rubbing off on his former “first buddy.” During his four-month tenure, Musk quickly became one of the most disliked unelected officials ever, but the nail in his political coffin was hammered in earlier April after he had invested $20 million in the campaign to elect a Republican-backed Wisconsin Supreme Court judge who lost by double digits. MAGA will take his money, but now he’s a loser in Trump World who, as Rather says, “…is devoting his time and money to keeping his rockets in the air and his car business afloat.” Sure! With the $38 billion in US government funding toward his contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits, according to The Washington Post. Rather concludes with, “You’re welcome, Elon.”

Steve Schmidt continues his barrage on ‘The Warning’ against the MAGA regime, picking up Senator Elizabeth Warren’s phrase “orgy of corruption” to describe Trump’s Bitcoin dinner at his Virginia golf club a couple of weeks ago. Schmidt adds to her context by describing Trump as America’s Nero merged with Caligula, as King Donald expands his belief that he and his cronies have a license to break the law and steal. Business Insider reports: The official backers of Trump’s meme coin, $Trump, are hosting a gala at the president’s DC-area private golf club. The top 220 holders of the digital token were invited to join the president. On average they spent over $1 million on the coin to secure a seat according to NBC News, and the lucky ones spent $394 million on the coin, per research conducted by blockchain analytics company Nansen. Criticism from congressional Democrats and government ethics organizations clashed with White House defense spokesperson Anna Kelly who said, “The president is working to secure GOOD deals for the American people, not for himself. President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public — which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media.” Cost for each attendee varies, with each of the top seven spending more than $10 million and those spending less than $100,000 filling the 24 cheap seats. With his $20 million investment, Chinese billionaire Justin Sun, is the top holder of Trump’s meme coin, and he was “awarded” a Trump Golden Tourbillon watch by the president, valued at $100,000. Sun founded the cryptocurrency, Tron, and also has some investments in the Trump Crime Family’s crypto project, World Liberty Financial. Under President Biden, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Sun with fraud and market manipulation, but last February after his investing in WLF, the SEC miraculously asked the court to pause the lawsuit.

Schmidt says, “Donald Trump is engorging himself like a locust. He is selling out America to a bevy of Arab and Chinese billionaires, while chaining America’s billionaires to his throne with leashes that let them partake in the taking — so long as they stay quiet and in line. The appeasement of Trump’s corruption and aggressions has become table stakes in the new American economy, where the free enterprise system is being replace by a gangster economy where the rule of law and transparency fade to black. There is economic misery ahead for the American people, and crazy Donald doesn’t care.” Schmidt points out the sad truth, writing that after over 120 days of chaos, incompetence, corruption, cruelty, betrayal and idiocies of unprecedented magnitude, MAGA and Trump remain more trusted than Democrats; nothing seems like it is on the level because nothing is — the great tragedy of 21st century America. “Donald Trump is a rotten man who leads a rotten movement that has assembled a rotten government that practices arson by day and malice by night. The simple truth of this moment is clear as day. We live in the age of the taker, and soon there won’t be much left to take,” he concludes.

Odactionnews.com reports that “the hallowed halls of Congress will soon have a new World’s Dumbest American Senator as Alabama knuckle dragger and man who once argued white nationalism isn’t actually racist at all really,” formally announced his plans to leave the upper chamber and run for governor of his state. Tommy Tuberville as a governor represents “one small step for a simpleton, one giant leap backwards for Alabamakind.” He declared on Fox News, “Today, I announce that I will be the future Governor of the great state of Alabama,” which was quickly followed by the launch of his campaign website. One complication he will have to overcome is his state of Florida residency, requiring that he move back home. Tuberville said, “I’ve still got eighteen months to go with President Trump to make America great again. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’m going to help this country and help the great state of Alabama. I’m a football coach. I’m a leader. I’m a builder. I’m a recruiter and we’re going to grow Alabama.” A first-term senator, and a longtime college football coach for Auburn University, Tuberville remarked, “Either way, I’m looking at where I can help the people of Alabama the most. At the end of the day, a job’s a job. It’s like coaching — I always looked at the job as what does it need? Can you help fix it? Can you make it better? It’s a different level, with Trump sending more money and more power back to the states. It gives you a better advantage.” The dim-witted senator will be remembered for placing a hold on all 450 military promotions in 2023 over the Pentagon’s previous policy of allowing service members to be reimbursed for travel to receive abortion care following the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade. He finally relented after holding out for ten months due to political pressure from his own party, though nothing changed at the time in the Defense Department. The New Republic reminds us that he lied about his father getting five bronze stars in WW1, and tried to goad Trump into taking back the Panama Canal, as well as spreading vaccine misinformation in defense of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As Malcolm Ferguson writes, “The upcoming gubernatorial campaign is sure to provide more classic, alarmingly ignorant moments from Coach Tuberville.”

Talk about shameless, gaffe-ridden loyalty to Trump and the MAGA horde, Dan Rather says Senator Joni Ernst must have missed the memo from above that GOP lawmakers should avoid holding town hall meetings only to get taken down by the electorate who won’t bend to politicians trying to spin the unspinnable. Ernst likely thought a 7:30 a.m. scheduling would be too early for her constituents to show up, but that was only her first mistake. As she tried to explain the cuts to Medicaid from Trumps ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ one attendee yelled, “People will die!” The senator dismissed the declaration with, “Well, we are all going to die,” prompting a loud chorus of jeering. Trying to settle the crowd, her folksy, “Oh, for heaven’s sake, folks,” not only didn’t work, her original repudiation toward the audience member grew legs and spurred commentary across the country. The Des Moines Register, hardly a liberal publication, printed her “Well, we are all going to die,” quote as a large font, all-caps headline after her town hall. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said that her constituents would rather die in old age, instead of dying at 40, because losing health care risks an early death. Nathan Sage, a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq, said, “It was a jaw-dropping moment. How the hell can you say something like that? The crowd was already hot. She was there to answer questions and get out. It showed she doesn’t care about us.” Rather says it appears she just cares about Trump. She initially opposed the nomination of Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, but eventually caved to the president’s pressure campaign; otherwise, she has been lockstep loyal to Trump — which is not playing well currently in deep-red Iowa.

GIVING NOTHING, WHO’S ON FIRST, WINGED PALACE, TROPHIES

For a short time it was nice for followers of President Trump’s Truth Social media platform, when they read his simple message, “`HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!” However, his short wish was actually a temporary replacement for an earlier, typical, Trumpian all-caps, ugly screed unleashed upon the opposition, which was full of typos that needed corrections by his handlers. Upon reposting the edited original, Trump added more all-caps sentences, perhaps toning it down only marginally, with praise for himself and his administration’s “great progress.” A post on Sunday night found The Don going after Vladimir Putin for escalating Russian attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine, dubbing him as “absolutely crazy,” rebuking the largest drone attack in the three-year war. The month of May marks the bombardments on Ukraine as record-setting, with Russia breaking its record on aerial attacks three times, as it assembles forces for a summer offensive according to analysts. Trump has threatened more sanctions for Russia as he loses patience with Vlad, but he also is critical of Ukraine’s Zelensky who is being too verbose in his criticism of lack of global support, in Trump’s view. So, Putin needs to back off, Zelensky needs to shut his mouth, or Trump’s coveted Nobel Peace Prize fades to black — a trophy that holds the highest significance in settling the war to our dear leader.

Satirist Andy Borowitz writes in The Borowitz Report of Trump’s Memorial Day activity: “In what has become a Memorial Day tradition for him, on Monday Donald J. Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Podiatrist. Trump made his annual pilgrimage to pay homage to the heroic doctors who issued bogus diagnoses to ensure that their privileged patients never answered the call of duty. In an emotional tribute, Trump thanked the fallen foot specialists who bravely risked their medical licenses so that others facing military service could be free. Choking back tears, he said, “They gave everything so people like me could give nothing.”

Observers are being wary about who is actually in charge in the Oval Office, with the president signing over 150 executive orders in the same ritualized event — cameras present, staff standing by along with invited guests — and the chief executive appearing to barely know what he is signing. Trump is marginally attentive as the White House Staff Secretary reads a brief summary of the order, as the president interjects with a question or two which may indicate he hasn’t read it or is unfamiliar with it, whether only a few pages or many. The Daily Beast reports of one instance when Trump asked, “Are we doing something about the regulatory here?” Answering were several businessmen who were in attendance, and Interior Secretary Burgum, with a “you are sir,” followed by Trump asking, “Is that it?” “That’s all we have for you now, sir,” came the answer, as Trump then invited questions about the orders to be addressed to the “brilliant” experts, rather than toward him. Critic Fred Wellman, a graduate of West Point (and an Army vet of 22 years service), political consultant, and graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, simply says, “He is not in charge.” Investment banker Evaristus Odinikaeze, remarked, “‘Is that it?’ while signing orders he doesn’t understand, parroting talking points he didn’t write, and pretending it’s leadership — peak performative confusion.”

Former running mate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Nicole Shanahan, recently speculated that somebody is “controlling” Kennedy’s decisions in his role at the Department of Health and Human Services, following the announcement that Dr. Casey Means was named to become the next Surgeon General. Shanahan says she was promised that neither Casey nor her brother, Calley, would be working in HHS, if she gave her support toward Kennedy’s Senate confirmation, being assured that much more qualified people would be considered. She said, “I don’t know if RFK lied to me, or what is going on. It has been clear in recent conversations that he is reporting to someone regularly who is controlling his decisions — and it isn’t President Trump.” Could it be the infamous brain worm?

Politico reports that after the DOGE/Elon Musk destruction of government agencies, Trump and his gang “have gone awfully quiet on the world’s richest man.” Musk was a constant at the White House, always given space on the president’s social media posts and in his fundraising email grifts, the Tesla/X-world CEO has fallen into disfavor, hardly mentioned in briefings, with only quietude among congressional members. Musk could only serve as a special government employee for 130 days, ending in late May, but he leaves in his wake the DOGE staff who will continue to work with Trump’s cabinet “to make our government more efficient,” says Press Secretary Leavitt. It has become apparent that the $2 trillion savings promised will not come about. It also seems that Trump started a Truth Social blackout of Musk after he experienced a 10 point, humiliating loss in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race after plunking down $21 million for Trump’s preferred candidate in a low-profile, non-partisan judicial contest. Without a doubt, Wisconsin’s electorate found Musk’s onstage cheesehead antics, and his handing out checks for a million bucks to some voters to be over the top. “He’s finished, done, gone. He polls terrible. People hate him. He’d go to Wisconsin thinking he can buy people’s votes, wear the cheese hat, act like a 9-year old…it doesn’t work. It’s offensive to people,” said an anonymous GOP operative. A Marquette University Law School poll found that 58% of respondents disapproved of Musk and his DOGE-boys secretive task force, and 60% disapproved of Musk personally. Musk himself is likely pulling away due to his personal business downturns, with Tesla profits plummeting 71% in the first quarter, and with grumblings emanating from the board members in all his holdings. He and Trump don’t see eye to eye on the new tariffs, with Trump continuing to stir up more confusion globally.

Politico sees Republicans still are attempting to stay in the good graces of Musk, hoping his massive fortune and X social media platform continue to support their campaigns, even as he signals that he might wind down his political activity which would be a big blow after his massive support in 2024. GOP strategist Alex Conant said, “Anytime the biggest donor says he’s going to pull back, that’s a concern for the party. These megadonors, you have to earn their support every cycle. He says he’s planning to pull back, but if we have a presidential nominee in ’28 that excites Musk, you can see him doubling down.” Musk was asked if his decision was because of blowback, saying, “If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason. In terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future. I think I’ve done enough.” Republican strategist Brian Seitchik argues, “Musk has the luxury of changing his mind at a moment’s notice. He has the luxury of being angry, irritated or inspired in the coming months and will decide how to spend. It would simply mean that Republicans have less money. It’s not as though they have no money.” Democratic Representative Greg Casar of Texas pointed out that Musk was recently on Capitol Hill, meeting with Republicans on energy and artificial intelligence, saying on X, “Elon Musk isn’t gone, and we can’t let Republicans pretend he is, just because he’s unpopular now. We have to keep the pressure until we actually Fire Elon Musk.” “Anyone actually believe he’s stepping back?” asks Representative Mark Pocan. “Musk is just hiding in the closet, but he’s still in the room.”

Musk’s troubles were exacerbated this past weekend, when social media platform X went down temporarily, along with other glitches, resulting in a multitude of complaints and comments by users. He posted that, “I’m back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms. I must be super focused on X/xAI and Tesla (plus Starship launch), as we have critical technologies rolling out. As evidenced by the X uptime issues this week, major operational improvements need to be made.” One commenter posted, “And, this was the guy Trump brought in to make government more efficient?” The Washington Post wrote, “Politics has been central to Musk’s identity over much of the past year, but his latest obsession has faded into disenchantment over the personal costs and difficulties in producing results. Musk has also become deeply concerned for the personal safety of his family. He also did not anticipate the level of backlash against him personally or against his companies, including incidents of violence at Tesla facilities.” Musk was present at a Cabinet meeting on April 30, where President Trump told him, “We all want to thank you for your help. You really have sacrificed a lot.” But as Janna Brancolini wrote on The Daily Beast, “Everyone knows, though, how strongly Trump feels about losers.”

Andy Borowitz found another topic that deserves one of his satirical treatments: “Vowing to usher in a ‘golden age of chocolate,’ on Wednesday Donald J. Trump called for Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory to be reopened. ‘I saw a show about it on TV, and it never should have been allowed to close down,’ he said. ‘It never would have happened if I was president. What was done to Willy Wonka was a disgrace,’ he said, adding that the chocolatier had been ‘treated very unfairly.’ We used to make beautiful chocolate in this country,’ he said. ‘We’re not winning at chocolate anymore.'” Anybody? Mary Rose and Ian Mackenzie?

One thing — for real — that Trump sees as a winning move is acceptance of the Boeing 747 ‘Flying Palace’ luxury jet from Qatar that he insists will be converted into Air Force One — after taxpayers foot the bill for a $1 billion+ makeover to meet security regulations for a US president. The bribe was formally confirmed by NewsNation as the Defense Department and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took possession “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations” this past week. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in his statement, “The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States,” referring further questions to the US Air Force. The $400 million bribe for the 13 year-old jet is akin to accepting the castoff socks and underwear for an item that is no longer good enough for the royal family of Qatar, but our orange-hued president sees the gold fixtures and trappings to be fit for his kingly aspirations. The upgrade to the ‘Flying Palace’ is estimated to be a three- or four-year project, ready for use about the same time as the two new Boeing jets that have been on order since the first Oval Office desecration of Trump Inc. Boeing attributes their three-year production delay to a worker’s strike, complicated nature of new upgrades such as enhanced self-defense systems, and completing security clearances of the various contractors.

According to a Civiqs poll for Daily Kos, 55% of registered voters believe it to be unethical for Trump to accept the plane, which he claims will temporarily serve as the new Air Force One, which would then be transferred into the ownership of his future presidential library, BUT made available for his private use after leaving office! Only 19% of voters believe the bribe to be ethical, and another 22% don’t see it as an ethics issue, but Democrats are overwhelmingly critical — 92% saying it’s unethical, and even 55% of independents agree it crosses the line. Trump defends the ‘transferral,’ saying it would be “stupid” not to accept the “gift,” but he insists upon ignoring the emoluments clause of the Constitution which bans federal officials from accepting gifts, payments, or favors from foreign powers without Congressional approval. The White House and Department of Justice argue that the gift was not unconstitutional because it was not given to an individual — so it becomes a gift to an individual when the taxpayers GIVE it to an ex-president? King Donald is the only modern US president to challenge the restrictions, but then he’s been allowed to profit from all his side hustles of Bibles, guitars, meme coins, and taking advantage of that official presidential seal. Democratic voters refuse to let this slide, and if the rest of the electorate can catch up, the Trump Crime Family may find the ConGame to be nearing a finale. Andy Borowitz writes that, “Qatar inked a historic agreement to acquire a president of the United States, but critics argued that the president it bought was in poor condition and not fully functional. Additionally, the critics noted, he was preowned, having previously been purchased by Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk, and dozens of others. For his part, the emir brushed off such criticism, telling reporters,’He can’t possibly be worth less than that [crappy] old 747.'” One critic commented, “This is like a combination of ‘Fixer Upper’ and ‘Pimp My Ride.’ It’s going to cost a lot of money.” Considering that the aircraft will need to be stripped of its interior, its outer skin and down to the airframe for retrofitting and reassembly of the gold toilets, who wants to place bets on the timeline?

NBC News reports that “the White House has scrubbed its website of transcripts from President Trump’s speeches and appearances, hiding his lies, unhinged comments, and even moments when world leaders have rebuked his statements.” Those transcripts were on the website as recently as last week, but a shift in the administration’s communications policy, leaving only videos of those moments with no accompanying transcripts. While the transcripts exist, with official government stenographers recording Trump’s public appearances, nothing appears on the website. So, the question is — what is being hidden? Does this further tighten control over Trump’s image, even with mainstream media declining to report stories that may be critical of him? Or are larger issues concerning the president’s mental and physical health prompting the White House to obscure his blathering from the public? Aren’t we entitled to see the colorful rant about washing his hair, as he signed an executive order on water pressure? How about the one closer to home, when he raved about “invading Los Angeles to open up the water”? Or the one about his promise to bring down the price of eggs, which he said he accomplished with a 93% reduction? Know anybody out there who bought eggs for $0.13 per dozen? And of course, who wouldn’t want to read the transcript of his discourse on the word ‘groceries‘? Also missing is the recent Oval Office ambush of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, when Trump presented his “white genocide” diatribe with fake web pages to embarrass his guest, who was obviously taken aback. Those transcript omissions make it perfectly clear that the White House wants to hide the president from his critics.

One recent appearance that Trump’s handlers would like to be erased completely is his speech to the West Point graduates last weekend, a speech that appropriately fell on its face with the audience. Again, the president tried to make his attendance into a political rally, airing grievances, drifting off-script into the brambles, bragging about his election victory in November and whining about being investigated. He had to be thoroughly disappointed in the response, which resulted in his leaving the event quickly without shaking the hands of the graduates, to get to the golf course. Wearing his red MAGA cap, Trump delivered what strategist and lawyer Aaron Parnas called a “‘strikingly unconventional’ school address, blending political rhetoric, off-the-cuff remarks, and personal anecdotes, deviating sharply from the traditional tone of such events.” The Don made headlines with his ‘trophy wives’ comments, one observer calling it a complete lack of presidential decorum. His opinion given to the grads on marrying “trophy wives,” when he advised them, “A lot of trophy wives doesn’t (sic) work out,” raised not a few eyebrows. Minor league baseball franchise owner, Lou DiBella, posted on X, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States! A lesson on trophy wives; how inspiring for our future Army officers at their commencement. Nice MAGA hat…how appropriate! Consider this one instead on next graduation day.” Economist Patrick Chovanec suggested, “The only difference between a MAGA hat and KKK hood is that the KKK were ashamed to show their faces.” Veteran Daniel Larsen added, “Orange blob menace psychopath convicted felon MAGA cult leader rambled and dissembled. Wearing that hat to a West Point commencement is high crimes and misdemeanors. Impeach this idiot.”

And speaking of Melania, sources say that she has spent fewer than two weeks at the White House since inauguration day in January, appearing with the president at the Pope’s funeral and at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Some sources say that her fourteen day presence might be a generous estimate, but is discounted by Paolo Zampolli, a modeling agent, who says, “She loves the White House and loves her role of serving as our First Lady.” Just not living there full time? Even regulars at Mar-a-Lago say she is scarce around the Florida resort. Melania just announced she is releasing a new audiobook in a few months — to be narrated in an artificial intelligence version of her voice — not a new offering, only her 2024 memoir which was entitled ‘Melania.’ The English version is on sale for $25, a seven hour slog, with various foreign language versions expected in the future. Admirers have written, “Thanks for making America elegant again!” Something’s missing there!

Writer Fran Lebowitz doesn’t mention anything about the term ‘First Lady,’ but in the Fran Lebowitz Reader, she says, “Lest you get the impression that I am totally opposed to the word ‘lady,’ I rush to assure you that I think it is a perfectly nice word when used correctly. The word ‘lady’ is used correctly only as follows: a) To refer to certain female members of the English aristocracy. b) In reference to girls who stand behind lingerie counters in department stores, but only when preceded by the word ‘sales.’ c) To alert a member of the gentle sex to the fact that she is no longer playing with a full deck. As in, ‘Lady, what are you — nuts or something?’ d) To differentiate between girls who [are ‘easy’] and girls who [aren’t]. Girls who are ‘easy’ are tramps. Girls who aren’t are ladies. This is, however, an archaic usage of the word. Should one of you boys happen upon a girl who [isn’t ‘easy’], do not jump to the conclusion that you have found a lady. What you have probably found is a lesbian.” A favorite Fran quote: “Original thought is like original sin: both happened before you were born to people you could not possibly have met.” Fran gets the last word.

Uh-oh…time to start packing our bags? Allison Detzel writes on the MSNBC website that three Yale professors who are experts in their knowledge and study of authoritarianism are concerned enough about the “democratic emergency” in this country to cross the border to continue their teaching in Canada. They believe the rise of fascism in the US has become so dire that they have decided to leave, with professor Marci Shore referring to Nazi Germany of 1933, and saying, “…the lesson is you get out sooner rather than later. We’re like people on the Titanic, saying, ‘Our ship can’t sink. We’ve got the best ship. We’ve got the strongest ship.’ And what you know as a historian is that there is no such thing as a ship that can’t sink.” The exits of these highly-respected educators comes as a result of the Trump administration’s crackdown on higher education, with investigations into dozens of universities over the policies of diversity, equity and inclusion, part of the effort to get them to toe the line and bow down to the new regime in DC. Accusing the universities of favoring antisemitism by allowing pro-Palestinian protests, funding has been cut to many of the institutions, with Harvard being hit particularly hard with cuts and freezing of funds amounting to nearly three billion dollars. As promised during his presidential campaign, the targeting of his perceived enemies and those who publicly criticize his policies are simply victims in the  continuation of his “I am your retribution” mantra. Professor Jason Stanley fears persecution if he stays at Yale, and will go to the University of Toronto “because I want to do my work without the fear that I will be punished for my words. In times as these, it’s essential to set up centers of resistance in places of relative safety.” Stanley shares his colleagues’ concerns, but says he isn’t leaving explicitly because of Trump, a personal reason being his marriage to Marci Shore.

Professor Timothy Snyder, author of his small but familiar book, ‘On Tyranny,’ wrote in the Yale Daily News, that ‘conversations about freedom and unfreedom’ have become harder to have in this country. He warns Americans who believe fascism is only a foreign predicament, saying, “Talking about American exceptionalism is basically a way to get people to fall into line. If you think that there’s this thing out there called ‘America’ and it’s exceptional — that you don’t have to do anything, whatever is happening, it must be freedom. And so then, what your definition of freedom is gets narrowed, and soon you’re using the word ‘freedom’ but what you’re talking about is authoritarianism.” Snyder’s 2017 book, ‘On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century,’ is a worthy read, with a frontispiece quote by Leszek Kolakowski: “In politics, being deceived is no excuse.”

Someone who forgot that you don’t have to make big waves to ruffle the feathers of MAGA this week, was former FBI Director James Comey — who made what should be regarded as only a ripple effect. Seeing a rock and sea shell formation on the beach that someone left behind, a layout reading ‘8647,’ he photographed it and posted it to Instagram, — and the “interesting” post then ramped up the retribution rampagers. The number ’86’ has long been a slang term that means ‘to eliminate’ or ‘get rid of,’ as in: “Get out, and stay out.” Unfortunately, the number ’47’ relates to Donald Trump being the 47th President of the US, so MAGA accused him of threatening or encouraging another assassination attempt. Comey surely knew what ’86’ means, but he apologized , taking down the post, and writing: “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. That didn’t occur to me when I saw it. But I am opposed to violence, so I took the post down.” That wasn’t enough for Team Retribution within the DOJ and Secret Service to forego an investigation, or Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, to say he should be in jail — and we can be certain that trickster Roger Stone is lining up the firing squad. Gabbard told Fox Host Jesse Waters that Comey should automatically be locked up — no investigation, no evidence, no due process, just throw away the key for ‘threatening’ a president. A David Schuster piece on BlueAmp mentions the plight of Kilmar Abrego Garcia who sits in a jail in El Salvador following his deportation without benefit of a court hearing or judicial ruling, despite a 9-0 Supreme Court decision that his return must be ‘facilitated‘ by the Trump administration. Schuster says MAGA World keeps proving Comey’s point: “The threat is not on the beach. It’s coming from inside the house — the White House.”

Still being bandied about by Trump and his Eichmann clone, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, is the threat of suspending habeas corpus — the right of a person to challenge their detention in court — which would be a dramatic escalation of the administration’s immigration policy, and a curtailment of a right enshrined in the Constitution. Miller was asked by a reporter, “First, you know, President Trump has talked about potentially suspending habeas corpus to take care of the illegal immigration problem. When could we see that happen in the future?” Miller raised the specter that it may be necessary because of undocumenteds “invading” the country. “The Constitution is clear, and that, of course, is the supreme law of the land, that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in time of invasion. So, it’s an option we’re actively looking at.” The Constitution allows for the suspension in extraordinary circumstances, Article I saying writs of habeas corpus “shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.” Our history shows it has been done four times — during the Civil War, the reconstruction period in South Carolina, in the Philippines during the 1905 insurrection, and in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Miller sees a threat from the undocumented migrants, and a similar argument was used by Trump to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, which in his view allowed him to remove noncitizens with no due process, among them Kilmar Abrego Garcia, purported to be a member of Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. Two Trump-appointed judges concluded that use of the act was unlawful because the administration failed to prove a Tren de Aragua invasion, but Miller responded that the administration’s decision would come down to whether the “courts do the right thing or not.” Legal experts say the issue is not as simple as Miller suggests, and that a president cannot suspend habeas corpus without authorization from Congress, making any unilateral suspensions by Trump unconstitutional.

In a recent interview, Trump told the interviewer he didn’t know whether the Constitution required him to uphold due process rights of non-citizens, complaining it would present an extraordinary burden of providing individual hearings for millions of immigrants scheduled for deportation. As he wrote on Truth Social, “Our Court System is not letting me do the job I was Elected to do. Activist judges must let the Trump Administration deport murderers, and other criminals who have come into our country illegally, WITHOUT DELAY!!!” Trump’s unmerciful cheerleader, Miller, rages against what he terms a “judicial coup” of rulings upholding the due process rights of immigrants, scoffing at the notion that Trump’s so-called “terrorists” have the right to contest their deportations, their only “right” being deportation. Robert Reich reminds us of four things to remember: 1) The Constitution clearly guarantees “due process” to all “person[s]. The word “person” makes no distinction between citizens and non-citizens. 2) The Supreme Court has long held that this promise extends to immigrants in deportation proceedings. In 1993, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that “It is well established that the Fifth Amendment entitles aliens to due process of law in deportation proceedings.” 3) Due process doesn’t always require a full trial, however. Immigrants are entitled to: a) Notice of the charges against them in a “notice to appear,” outlining the reasons for potential deportation. b) The opportunity to present evidence before an immigration judge to show why they should not be deported. c) A judgement based on the facts of the case and applicable immigration law. d) The right to appeal the decision to a higher court. 4) The right to habeas corpus is fundamental to our legal system. Defendants have used habeas corpus to challenge detentions by governments since 13th-century England and the Magna Carta. Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 84, “The subjecting of men to punishment for things which, when they were done, were breaches of no law, and the practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.” Reich asks, “What happens if ICE decides that the definition of an ‘American citizen’ doesn’t apply to someone who has spoken out against the regime, for example? What happens if habeas corpus is suspended and all Americans are in danger of arbitrary punishment? A growing number of jurists have framed this fight as existential for all Americans’ fundamental rights, not just those of immigrants. They’re right.”

In one of his posts, Reich says we are living in a time of “monsters” who roam the globe: Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, Xi, Modi, Erdogan, and others, who are destroying countless lives, fueling hate, spreading fear. He asks, “What is our moral obligation as human beings in the face of this? How do we maintain integrity in a time of monsters?” Some are in denial and have stopped listening to the news, preferring not to know what the monsters are doing, and he understands that it’s too painful to hear about the abductions and deportations in our country, the deaths in Ukraine and Gaza, human rights abuses in China and Turkey, and the violence in Kashmir. Being immobilized by grief, some cannot abide the inhumanity and suffering, sinking into despair, believing nothing will be done. Others are resigned to what’s happening, believing their only choice is to keep quiet for fear of reprisals from the monsters; and no matter what one feels, guilt should not be a response — “we are only human.” However, it’s also important to know that these attitudes help the monsters thrive and grow — believing nothing can be done, or assuming nothing will be done, or believing silence is a practical choice, only fueling more monstrosity. Reich relates the story of New York social worker, Emily Feiner, who went to Republican Congressman Mike Lawler’s town hall and asked him ‘what would it take for him to refuse to go along with Trump?’ His non-answer drove her to persist, so she was told to leave, refusing to do so. State troopers then lifted the 64-year old from her chair to deposit her outside the meeting hall, with catcalls erupting from the attendees, shouting, “Shame, shame, shame!” Feiner was subsequently labeled a “radical far-left” activist by Lawler, though she is only an average American, sometime-Republican voter, who has now had enough. She does not deny what is happening, going to town halls to express her views, and asking questions. She’s not in despair, but is filled with positive energy, and is not silent as she actively resists the monsters and their agents to hold them accountable. Reich believes that if enough of us emulate Emily by standing up, the monsters cannot win — we will prevail, ending up with a democracy stronger than it was before the time of monsters.

Steve Schmidt was appalled by the gilded parade of Trump and his entourage in Saudi Arabia last week, saying, “The images of Donald Trump’s arrival in Saudi Arabia are disgraceful and without precedent. What the American people [witnessed] is an ‘Eras’ tour [a la Taylor Swift] of corruption and crony capitalism that beggars belief and description, while being broadcast in the plain light of day. It is a death march and a celebration of decay, collapse and the shattering of free market capitalism in favor of a new Trump gangsterism that picks winners and losers.” His posse for this trip consisted of about 20 business leaders from Tesla, IBM, Boeing, Amazon, Halliburton, Citigroup, Google, Coca-Cola, Uber, LinkedIn, and The LA Times — just a simple mom-and-pop collection of small-business owners! Schmidt continues, “Trump has come to the Arab thugs, hat in one hand, with weapons systems dangling from the other, looking for more for Trump, while telling the American people that they must have less for America. When historians look back at this era there will never be a lack of fascination over our anesthetized culture and indifferent population that was the frog in the pot for 10 long years before the water boiled. The lies spilling over the American people from Trump and his propagandists aren’t just absurd, but ludicrously so. America’s politicians, billionaires and CEOs have turned aggressive against the American people, the US Constitution, free market capitalism, the rule of law, personal liberty and democracy. It will be up to all of us to help instruct them with a memorable teachable moment. Each day the reckoning draws closer — it is coming. A judgement will be rendered over the obscenities at hand, for there has never been a worse lot of Americans who have ever gathered together with temporary power, and more profoundly betrayed the interests of the people who gave it to them in the entire history of America. Donald Trump thinks he has a license to steal and take, and more incredibly, the scumbags who surround him and compete for his affections and a chance to taste his detritus, think they have a license to steal. There is a terrible price to be paid for indifference and not caring — America is paying for it now, but soon the indifferent will start caring again. That’s why Donald, cocooned by his arrogance, will never see it coming.”

The Onion, in a post aimed at Gangster Trump and his minions, quotes an individual who is complaining about having to read the Terms and Conditions before he is able to download a ‘stupid app’ to bribe the president. He longs for the old days when it was a straightforward procedure, like “doing a dead drop of a briefcase in a parking garage,” but nowadays he has to link his bank account to a cryptocurrency exchange, making space on his phone by deleting some apps he uses to bribe other world leaders and public officials. Plus, he now must ‘create a wallet’ and convert all his funds into special tokens, hardly a simple and streamlined procedure. Further, he expects he will be getting push notifications to inform him about new opportunities to funnel money to the president and his family. However, The Onion reports a glitch in the process as a result of Chinese spyware that came with the app — what a headache! Sounds almost plausible?

Donald Trump now has more work to do in his retributions procedures, with Bruce Springsteen rising to the top of the list following his ‘Land of Hope and Dreams’ tour in Manchester, England. Springsteen’s message to his audience attacked Trump, charging him with leading “a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration,” which only raised Trump’s hackles even more in light of the rocker’s endorsement of candidate Kamala Harris in October 2024, and a history of endorsements to include Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. In giving his seal of approval to Harris, Springsteen called Trump “The most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime. Perhaps not since the Civil War has this great country felt as politically, spiritually, and emotionally divided as it does at this moment. It doesn’t have to be that way.” A couple of days following ‘The Boss’s’ fiery description of the MAGA regime, Trump lashed out to call the artist “a dried-out prune of a rocker.” The president posted on Truth Social, “I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — just a pushy, obnoxious JERK who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our country.” Patting himself on the back yet again, Trump suggests the country “would be gone by now” absent his election, and warned Springsteen of repercussions from MAGA World should he make similar comments during his domestic shows. “Springsteen is ‘dumb as a rock,’ and couldn’t see what was going on. This dried-out ‘prune’ of a rocker ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country. That’s just ‘standard fare.’ Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!” cautioned the president.

With his fiery juices flowing, Trump then launched into other performers on Truth Social, asking, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?'” Swift has long been a Trump critic and they have exchanged comments and insults in the past. David Gura of Bloomberg News posted on X: “Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which concluded in December, sold $2,077,618,725 in tickets — double the gross ticket sales of any other concert tour in history.” In reaction to Trump’s dissing of Swift, Representative Jamie Raskin quoted words from Springsteen’s ‘Badlands’ recording: “Poor man wanna be rich. Rich man wanna be king. The king ain’t satisfied ’til he rules everything.” Other posts on social media called The Don’s comments simply distractions to cover his new Qatari plane brouhaha, retail price hikes from his tariffs, or the fact that he’s ripping away Medicare and Medicaid from millions of Americans. Political analyst Larry Sabato said, “77 million Americans voted for a president who spends his time on Air Force One (the real one) trashing Swift and Springsteen.” On a roll, Trump couldn’t stop, so now it’s on to investigating not only Springsteen, but Beyoncé, Oprah, and Bono, accusing the Kamala Harris campaign of paying them illegally to endorse her under the guise of performance fees. Trump is throwing around ridiculously large expenditures that were paid — no proof or backup, of course, but the Federal Elections Commission shows much lower fees were paid to production companies for staging the events — which would include payroll, sound and lighting equipment — all of which cannot be donated to political campaigns. In all likelihood, Donny is still digging — many more lies to tell and lives to shatter before he rests, a monster on the edge!

Carley Suthers writes on BuzzFeed, “As an American, I’ll be the first to admit that we can be a bit weird. While all countries have habits and behaviors that make them unique, the US takes that to a bit of an extreme, much to the bafflement of others.” She picks up a feed on social media platform Reddit, where a member posted an invitation to followers to submit comments about things about the US that don’t make sense, yet are considered ‘normal’ by most Americans. One commenter feels that second- and third-generation Americans who boast about having Irish, German, etc. roots in other countries should simply face the reality that they are Americans, with nothing in common with those countries. Another feels Americans are weird about religion, citing tour guides on European trips explaining that most locals are not practicing believers — just following a tradition, and not having their whole personas wrapped around religious beliefs. Several felt that allowing a waiter to take your credit card, walk into another room out of sight, before bringing back the receipt, is completely wild and ripe for credit card fraud. Likely speaking from experience, another feels that teenagers should not have jobs while in high school, which wastes the remainder of their childhood between work, study, and school attendance — no time to hang out with friends and socialize to develop relationships. Another submission reads, “The incongruity between blind flag-worship and constantly desecrating the flag by putting it on everything — if you like the flag so much, don’t turn it into a swimsuit!” One submission bashes ‘tipping’ with, “Why is it ok to underpay certain jobs in hopes that the consumers will pay extra to provide a living for employees — employers should pay employees, period!” Americans who buy pickup trucks as their ‘normal’ family vehicle, but rarely haul anything, strikes another as unusual. ‘Pharmaceutical ads’ grate on a few people, who dislike hearing several speeded-up seconds of ‘possible side effects’ before being advised to get a doctor’s recommendation. One ‘weirdness’ with several commenters targets our health care system. One says, “Our healthcare system is trash. So many people can’t afford health insurance, so they slowly wither away or go broke to stay healthy. Horrific!” The topper has to be the follower who wrote, “Honestly? Electing a bankrupt reality TV host as president and then doubling down eight years later, like it was a subscription you forgot to cancel. That’s not politics — that’s a national cry for help!”

A post on Quora begins, “Trump is not the president.” Attribution is to Jesse Dollemore and it continues, “I have long suspected something similar, as have many others. There are too many things Trump does not know — too many people, he says, are responsible for the things he does not know; too many things he does are because Laura Loomer, Bobby Kennedy, Stephen Miller, etc. tell him to do those things. He has no idea what half the things he signs are about. They have to be explained. There are aides in the Oval Office in every presser having to explain things to him. Trump is a narcissistic old man, on the edge of dementia, loving the idea of being powerful and respected and feared by all, but woefully incompetent. It bewilders him that people hate him, it makes him furious, and he lashes out with insane posts, night after night. His handlers reassure him with compliments, thank him, and tell him what a genius he is.” No president? Seems like MANY presidents! David McAfee writes on the Raw Story blog, that a Washington Post analysis says Trump could be “out of the loop.” Reporter Aaron Blake wrote, “The president appears to be taking a backseat in his own presidency despite criticizing his predecessor for being asleep at the wheel, suggesting himself that ‘he’s not involved in major decisions.'” Blake’s article says, “One of the major themes of President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign was the idea that Joe Biden had no idea what was happening around him, but less than four months after taking over from Biden, it’s Trump who, in his own telling, is often unaware of major events surrounding him and directly involving his administration.” He highlights, in addition to ‘pleading ignorance’ on some issues,Trump has also distanced himself from certain administration moves — as if he had little or nothing to do with them, suggesting he played virtually no role in the selection of his new candidate for surgeon general, Casey Means. “I don’t know her,” Trump said in his announcement. “There’s certainly a question about how much Trump actually is out of the loop and how much he’s just saying that. Trump’s record for dishonesty is nearly without compare. When it comes to some of the more sensitive issues, he could benefit from distance from these decisions, but this seemingly hands-off approach also reared its head in his first term, particularly when it came to the administration’s COVID response,” writes Blake. He concludes, “And it’s certainly a notable posture from the man who said his predecessor was hopelessly disengaged and repeatedly talked about how bad it was to have people who aren’t president call the shots.”

As CNN reports, Trump influencer Laura Loomer can get President Trump on his direct phone line, but she can’t get a seat in his briefing room, even as the White House opens its doors to a new class of media personalities consisting of online commentators, podcasters, web video hosts and partisan influencers — leaving her as one of the most prominent figures in the pro-Trump digital ecosystem remaining on the outside looking in. Loomer explained to CNN, “I do think there’s a fear that I may ask questions about the loyalties of people in the White House, and they fear me having a national and global microphone to ask these questions.” For instance, she wanted to know why Hunter Biden still had Secret Service protection once Trump took office, so the president revoked that privilege in March, but she also questions why the White House legal team isn’t pushing to disqualify judges she sees as conflicted. And most of all, why certain staffers with what she claims are questionable allegiances have been hired in the first place. “I would hold people accountable,” Loomer continues. “Not to be malicious toward anyone in the administration but to support the America First agenda.” CNN says the White House did not respond to their request for comment on this. Loomer’s skepticism of Trump’s White House is a right-wing rarity, since most of her peers amplify the presidents actions, echoing the administration’s talking points or attack outside critics; she, on the other hand, often directs her fire to target perceived traitors inside the government and maximizing pain on is enemies. A few weeks ago, following a Loomer phone call, and a followup Oval Office meeting, Trump dismissed several national security aides that she flagged, and more recently he reassigned national security adviser Michael Waltz to be ambassador to the UN, following weeks of public criticism by Loomer regarding Waltz’s staffing appointments. Following this shakeup, she posted on X, ‘Loomered‘ — a term used to describe those who draw her anger, soon to find their jobs and reputations in jeopardy. Describing herself as an investigative journalist on X, and with her twice-weekly broadcast on alt-right video platform, Rumble, she said, “Contrary to what’s been said, Trump doesn’t hire the best people. That’s why it’s so important there’s people to help support the president, because nobody’s perfect. Show me any other independent ‘new media’ reporter that’s having more of an impact on the Trump administration than me, with the president calling me for private meetings — but I don’t meet the standards of the esteemed press team? It’s a joke.” Loomer’s confrontational style, her past inflammatory rhetoric, and promotion of conspiracy theories, and being out of step with the tone of those so far granted access is why she is being held at arm’s length, and in the view of Trump’s first press secretary, Sean Spicer, she is viewed more as an influencer. “All those details matter,” Spicey said.

So, influencer and MAGA disciple Loomer says she is “deeply disappointed” in Trump for accepting a luxury jet from what she called “jihadists in suits,” reports Malcolm Ferguson in The New Republic. The gift of a Boeing 747-8 from Qatar’s royal family is to be upgraded, at taxpayer expense, into the new Air Force One, replacing the 40 year old aircraft now in use, and making it one of the most lavish gifts given to a US president. The president claims it will not be used by him following his presidency, as it will be given to his presidential library. “Loomer was quick to voice her distaste for the move, even as it was rooted in Islamophobia,” writes Ferguson. She continued her diatribe, saying, “It’s going to be hard for the administration to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and obliterate Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah when Qatar funds the Muslim Brotherhood, harbors Hamas, and the US just accepted a $400 million jet from Qatar. We are watching an Islamic takeover of our country in real time. And I say that as someone who would take a bullet for Trump. I’m so disappointed.”

Greg Sargent writes in The New Republic, that our know-nothing president in his “intensive daily reading of complex policy papers,” noticed in the title of a government initiative created by President Biden, a ‘woke’ term — ‘equity’ — leading him to conclude, of course, the initiative was designed to aid undeserving minorities. Perceiving it to be reverse racism toward Whites, he immediately announced on Truth Social he had cancelled the program, fuming, “It’s RACIST. No more woke handouts based on race!” The program, the Digital Equity Act, contained mega-amounts of money for governments in GOP-run states, as well a Democratic ones, to expand high-speed internet access in underserved communities, including red states’ rural areas. Much of the money has already been approved, following submission of states’ proposals, explicitly designed by GOP governments to serve their rural constituents. Many proposals have not been approved, and with Trump’s clumsy interference, reductions or complete blockage of funds is now possible. Senator Patty Murray says his cutoff is illegal, and states are likely to sue, as Republicans see their own voters threatened. Trump posted on social media, “I have spoken to my wonderful Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, and we agree that the Biden/Harris so-called “Digital Equity Act” is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL. No more woke handouts based on race! The Digital Equity Program is a RACIST and ILLEGAL $2.5 BILLION DOLLAR giveaway. I am ending this IMMEDIATELY, and saving Taxpayers BILLIONS OF DOLLARS!” Sargent says, “It’s anybody’s guess how serious Lutnick really is about this. But if the Commerce Department, which is implementing this law, follows Trump’s command, it will do all it can to halt these payments.” In her statement, Senator Murray says, “It’s insane that Trump is blocking resources to help make sure kids in rural school districts can get online all because he doesn’t like the word ‘equity.’ My Republican colleagues will need to explain to their constituents why the rural schools they represent won’t get this funding for hotspots or laptops in the meantime.” Somebody needs to get ‘Loomered.’

As noted above, on May 7, Trump announced he was nominating Dr. Casey Means to be surgeon general instead of his initial choice, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, igniting criticism since Means is only a wellness influencer who didn’t finish her medical residency at Stanford, therefore lacking a valid medical license. As one social media posting pointed out, “The US is the only country where one needs a license to cut hair, but not so to practice medicine at the highest level.” The president praised her qualifications, though she is closely linked to the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ ideology championed by none other than Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump posted on Truth Social, “Casey has impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of HHS, Robert Kennedy, to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans. Her academic achievements, together with her life’s work, are absolutely outstanding. Dr. Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in US History.” Later, as he was faced with questions about her qualifications, he was backtracking about his selection of an individual who never finished her residency. “Because Bobby thought she was fantastic,” he answered to a questioner’s query about why she was qualified to be America’s top doctor, adding, “I don’t know her.” Means completed her undergraduate degree and medical school at Stanford, but never finished her surgical residency, though she ultimately finished enough postgraduate work to qualify for a medical license in Oregon before turning to alternative medicine. In her public appearances, and in her book, ‘Good Energy,’ she claims that her residency experience left her disillusioned with the state of modern medicine, purporting to now be “working towards a healthier and happier planet by empowering people to understand their health and the limitless potential within them.” Oregon public records indicate her medical license has been inactive since January 2024, so it remains to be seen if her nomination will hold up to congressional scrutiny, despite Kennedy’s defense of her on X. The People website quotes RFK as saying, “The attacks that Casey is unqualified because she left the medical system completely misses the point of what we are trying to accomplish with MAHA. Casey is the perfect choice for Surgeon General precisely because she left the traditional medical system — not in spite of it.” Kennedy accuses the medical industry and media outlets of paying influencers to “vilify” Means, adding, “But it will not work.” Sure, but can she cut hair, Bobby?

Being a fanatical Trump supporter seemed to be qualification enough for the president to raid the Fox Network once again for one of his new appointments. Fox News host Jeanine Pirro is such an unhinged individual that the network took her show off the air following the 2020 election out of fear that she would use it to launder deranged conspiracy theories about a ‘stolen election,’ but Trump praised her Fox News career last week, appointing her interim US attorney for the District of Columbia, dumping US Attorney Ed Martin as a nominee who showed weakness for a Senate confirmation. If you’re keeping score, Pirro is person number 23 with Fox history, picked by Trump for his second Oval Office occupancy. Martin’s Achilles heel seemed to be his legal support for January 6 defendants. Pirro was elected as a Westchester County Court Judge in New York in 1990, then later served as the county’s district attorney prior to her losing run for US Senate in 2005 — for which she is still in debt to the tune of $600,000, not to mention failure to file mandatory financial reports. She then experienced a landslide defeat for state attorney general, and the following year began her Fox sojourn for two decades, serving as a legal analyst, hosting the weekend program Justice with Judge Jeanine, and co-hosting the weekday panel show The Five.

After Trump’s 2016 victory, Pirro essentially became a Fox shill and propagandist in what the late Simon Maloy termed “advocacy for the president that is so aggressive that it often borders on insane.” She called for a “cleansing” of the FBI and the Justice Department, firing individuals “who should be taken out in handcuffs.” Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions was urged to resign if he was “unwilling to protect Trump and prosecute his enemies,” and then getting a suspension for pointing out that Representative Ilhan Omar’s hijab was a sign of her adherence to Sharia Law, and not the US Constitution. Pirro vehemently defended Trump’s ‘stolen election’ lies in 2020, prompting Fox to preempt her first broadcast following the election; yet when she was allowed to return, she provided conspiracy-minded segments promoting the false claims, including attacks on technology company Dominion Voting Systems — segments which provided ammo for Dominion in its lawsuit against Fox, resulting in a massive payout for Fox in the court decision. The lawsuit gave some insight into how her Fox colleagues viewed her, with Fox executive David Clark explaining he had taken her show off the air initially because, “I don’t trust her to be responsible. If she offers any pushback against guests, it will only be token.” Internal emails reveal her executive producer described her as a “reckless maniac” who is “nuts,” and “should never be on live television, promoting her conspiracy theories.”

But Fox being what it is, it’s hard to fire a Trump supporter, so Pirro got a promotion to The Five, using that position to furiously denounce the legal cases against Trump, along with the prosecutors and jurors involved in the cases. After a jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts in New York, she said, “We have gone over a cliff in America. This is a new era in America, and I think it goes against the ilk of who we are as Americans and our faith in the criminal justice system.” After Trump’s return to the Oval Office, she kept showering him with praise, saying, “Donald Trump is not panicked and neither should we be because he’s bringing us to the golden age, and that’s the end of it.” Her years of denunciation of the Justice Department’s failing to serve Trump’s will and throwing his political enemies in jail, now opens up her own opportunities for doing just that. The Daily Dose of Democracy website advises us, “Strap in, folks! Donald Trump has turned to yet another Fox teevee talker for yet another top post…Jeanine Pirro will apparently take a break from drunkenly shouting about her many phobias on the Fox New airwaves to become the interim US Attorney for DC…the same Judge Jeanine who was named in the $787 million Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit for spreading election lies, and whose convicted husband was granted a last-minute pardon by Trump in 2021 for tax evasion. Someone at Saturday Night Live better get Cecily Strong and her wine goblet on speed dial.” And, indeed that happened…Cecily appeared on SNL last week as Jeanine in the opening sketch along with the regulars portraying Trump and Hegseth (who, true to his promise to ‘put down the bottle’ during his tenure as Defense Secretary is sated by Mama Bird Jeanine to Baby Bird Pete). The Lincoln Project says all one has to do to get a Trump job is wend your way onto Fox News and praise Donald like you’re on a Russian propaganda network — don’t try to tell anybody Pete Hegseth or Jeanine Pirro got their nominations based on qualifications! TLP’s favorite Pirro fact is that she has been nominated for two Daytime Emmy awards, losing both times, and the hope is that she goes 0 for 3.

Brian Karem headlines his thoughts on Salon, “When facts become seditious, it’s time to hit the panic button.” Karem mentions the cabinet meeting of a couple of weeks ago, where for two hours, Trump “reveled in their professed unconditional love and appreciation,” with “Pam Bondi telling the president ‘no one has ever done anything better in the history of mankind,’ or something like that,” and Pete Hegseth texting the entire meeting to his family and a reporter from The Atlantic on his Signal app. “According to Elon Trump, or Donald Musk, the president has brought the world to the brink of Nirvana,” observes Karem, but “we have to come to grips with an unshakeable truth — free speech no longer exists. Every positive thing that Trump claims he’s done, he can back up because he’s stifled dissent. Everything his detractors say he’s done to the detriment of the country begins and ends with the same reason. Without dissent, without facts, without the ability to speak truth to power, you cannot have due process. You cannot educate. You cannot inform, and you certainly can’t govern democratically. Today, if we’re not kissing the ring, we aren’t wanted. What Trump wants and needs is a roomful of sycophants and media influencers who applaud the lunacy that has destroyed free speech. That’s why Trump is an unmitigated disaster, and the next 1,360 days will be fraught with peril. But, on the upside, your Uber driver speaks English.”

BORSCHT BELT SCHTICK, DONNY TWO DOLLS, CLOWN SHOW FASCISM

We’ve known for some time that Senator, and former football coach, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama is lost somewhere in a cornfield maze of his own making, as apparently he doesn’t know which state his resides within. Kyle Whitmire of AL.com writes that he may not meet the state’s residency requirements as he plans to run for the governorship, which has stricter prerequisites than that of a senate officeholder. The senator is accused of living in Florida since 2023, and voting records bolster these suspicions argues Whitmire, who points out that a seven year state residency is necessary. If Tuberville is a true Alabama resident, his income tax filings should be evidence, but no disclosure has been forthcoming, as he maintains that his wife’s homestead exemption in Auburn, as far back as 2018, is proof enough of his residency despite the fact that the senator’s name is absent from the deed. Election records show that both spouses voted in Florida in late 2018. Senate records from 2023 reveal that Tuberville made several trips to the Florida panhandle, and Whitmire challenges him to show his utility bills — “where he flushes his toilet probably tells us more than his homestead exemption,” he contends. Seems ripe for a political challenger to take him to court on the issue.

Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas is still hot on the case for designating Marjorie Taylor Greene the dumbest member of Congress for spending more time currying favor with Donald Trump and the MAGA crowd, than she has spent working for the people of Georgia. The MAGA majority has seated her on powerful committees, within which she’s more concerned with picking fights, then going on social media to secure her cable news appearances — no way to solve the country’s problems. In the same vein, Andy Borowitz takes on Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, asking if there exists a more grating assclown, which he doubts. Andy wrote in his book ‘Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber’ that over the past fifty years, mass media have rewarded politicians who can entertain over those who can think — designating it the ‘Age of Ignorance,’ appropriately. He splits this into three stages: Ridicule, Acceptance, and Celebration. In the Ridicule stage, ignorance resulted in career-ending mockery, spurring dumb politicians to fake intelligence. The Acceptance stage sees ignorance modified into congenial, a sign that the politician was authentic, down-to-earth, and a somewhat normal person — allowing dumb politicians to be as dumb as they really are. The Celebration stage, today’s condition, allows ignorance to take precedence over knowledge: wearing a dunce hat is elevated over expertise. Being ill-informed is the criterion, forcing smart politicians to fake dumbness. Borowitz puts into this highly-educated stable of moronic politicians the likes of Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Elise Stefanik, and the aforementioned John Kennedy, with space for an ever-expanding membership.

Last week, the ‘sage of Omaha,’ Warren Buffett announced his upcoming retirement from Berkshire Hathaway, proclaiming, “Trade should not be a weapon,” as he pointed to President Trump’s current war. Steve Schmidt wrote in his ‘The Warning’ blog that it is Trump’s weapon in a declared world war, one that he is losing. Schmidt argues that this has come to pass despite all of Trump’s previous warnings, and it is now too late to stop the looming devastation of the American economy, with no place to run, no place to hide. The catastrophe resulting from the war of madness and aggression could have been stopped, but that time has slipped by us, allowing the zealots and sycophants to lie to their dictator with words allowing him to embark on his supposed strategy — no plan beyond the execution, no vision on how it ends. In Schmidt’s estimation it was launched by Trump’s ego, drafted by incompetents, and executed by nihilists, echoing Steve Bannon’s 2017 wish to “bring it all crashing down.” Schmidt believes that millions in Trump’s cult of malice are about to have their dependency broken, Jonestown style, a la the Jim Jones People’s Temple massacre in Guyana. However, his favorite strategist, thinker and leader who was as profoundly dumb as Donald Trump is General George Armstrong Custer, who Schmidt characterizes as ‘American political dumb, DOGE dumb.’ Custer was brave — better than his contemporary peers who possess none of his virtues — but graduated last in his West Point class, though he exhibited such fearlessness as the youngest Union general in the Civil War, he took his cavalry experience West to fight the Lakota. One story has him separating from his men to chase a buffalo into hostile territory, drawing his revolver to shoot the beast, only to miss and blow his horse’s brains out. Lost and stranded alone, he was fortunate to be happened upon by a few of his contingent’s scouts, a perfect parallel for Trump and his tariffs, minus the rescue element, temporary though it may have been for the general and his trusting troops.

Schmidt says, “The chances that Trump was a secret genius, and that Trump Derangement Syndrome were a real thing have all been disproven by events, and reduced to absolute zero over the first 100 days of his term. There are no manufacturing plants returning, no jobs coming back, no golden age, no nothing. America will be weaker, poorer and isolated. All of it because of Donald Trump, his henchmen and women, and the easily conned and deeply ignorant American voter. What comes next is catastrophe. Waves of meanness, capriciousness, cruelty, insanity and nonsense spewed forth from Trump and his family, while the overwhelming majority of the American media was the last to figure out that Trump meant every word of his toxic Borscht Belt schtick. Trump was feted and celebrated by America’s media mandarins, who saw a golden calf, where most saw an orange buffoon. With a few exceptions, Trump steamrolled everyone in front of him with the same ease that he emasculated Jeb, Little Marco and Ted Cruz — ambitious men with no core, only great ambitions and fragile egos, being susceptible prey for Trump. All of it begs some questions: how stupid is this movement and how much dumber can it get? This country is in crisis because the concept of democracy is in danger. It is endangered because of the lassitude of the citizenry, the malice of a fascist movement, and a dishonest billion-dollar media industry that revels in conflict. At the same time, it is repulsed by the truth because it is too contentious for liars who demand coddling and accommodation in the name of ‘balance’ and ‘fairness.’ The American media isn’t a stakeholder in the epic fight underway for American democracy besides being billion-dollar economic players. That’s the only ‘balance’ they are interested in. All the democracy talk is marketing schtick — they don’t mean a word. The problem is that the fascists mean everything they say. That’s the truth! They have conviction, and mostly, the opposition does not. It is what makes this tragedy. It’s a tragedy that should not be, but is. Just like Donald’s trade war.” The bigger the fool, the more they are loved.

In a Cabinet meeting last week, President Trump admitted that his foolish tariffs will lead to empty store shelves across the nation, but that’s just fine because China made a trillion dollars selling us stuff during Biden’s administration — we don’t need any more material goods. “Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally,” The Don said. Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC’s ‘The Last Word’ commented that he sounded like a gangster, giving him the name ‘Donny Two Dolls’ as a possible character on ‘The Sopranos’ TV series. The meeting which resembled a North Korean People’s Committee meeting which pours praise onto Dear Leader Kim Jong Il, had a round-robin of comments by Trump’s cabinet members as they told Dear President how fabulous he is. So, like good Communist Kim, Trump is telling Americans that they must suffer and go without for the greater good, so that he may have his way on trade policy, not to mention the hideous, distasteful, and costly gilded bawdy house décor that he is implementing in the White House at taxpayer expense. We can celebrate that in his first 100 days the president has made economic recessions great again. A Mike Luckovich cartoon shows that Trumpty Dumpty has fallen from a brick wall, is lying on the ground with a cracked shell, long red necktie all askew, and All The King’s Men looking on with praise: “Great fall, sir!” and “Way to stick the landing!”

In line with Steve Schmidt’s contention that media outlets today are kowtowing to the Trump administration, Scott Pelley of CBS’ 60 Minutes made an on-air criticism of its corporate owner, Paramount Global, a couple of weeks ago. This unusual step was prompted by the resignation of Bill Owens, a CBS News veteran of almost 40 years, 26 of which were spent as head of 60 Minutes. Pelley says the sudden turn of events was hard on Bill, and difficult for the staff who admired him greatly for his insistence on accuracy and fairness in their coverage. However, Paramount Global had stepped in to start supervising news content in subtle ways, with Owens feeling that he had lost the independence that honest journalism requires. The reason lies with Dear Leader Trump who not only has sued CBS News for $20 billion over a ‘fake news’ story during the 2024 presidential campaign, but Trump appointed FCC Chairman, Brendan Carr, will be overseeing approval of Paramount’s $8 billion sale to Skydance Media, a $2.4 billion windfall for Shari Redstone’s family holding company, controller of Paramount. Shari Redstone looks to pocket over $500 million personally, with the administration’s approval. She has recused herself from deliberations in the Trump/CBS lawsuit, even as she has signaled her desire for a settlement with Trump, which is likely to result in a payment to The Don, and probably an admission of wrongdoing. Legal experts have said that Trump’s suit is without merit, foreseeing an easy CBS victory, but Paramount is favoring the white flag in view of the pending sale’s approval — a mob shakedown by Donny Two Dolls and his Luca Brasi, Brendan Carr. Mr. Carr has also intimated that the sale is sketchy unless the company ends its DEI efforts, telling Bloomberg, “Any businesses that are looking for FCC approval, I would encourage them to get busy ending any sort of their invidious forms of DEI discrimination.” Paramount has sent a staff memo noting the company would move to eliminate its DEI goals, but Carr will see to it that the FCC’s review is thorough. Elon and crew are standing by to be of service!

Cliff Schecter writes on Blue Amp that Trump is once again fantasizing about tanks rumbling down the streets of DC, not to stop a coup or a domestic terror attack, but to feel like a boy — a real boy! “I know he doesn’t get the concept of democracy — much like tariffs, multiplication, multi-syllabic words, vegetables, a fitting suit or running a business that doesn’t go arse-up to name a few — so I’ll try to explain it to him: Let’s learn a little history, Donny you mega-jingoistic cod-piece. Our founders feared standing armies, because they knew a permanent military was a military to be used — often, just because it was there. And here you are.” Schecter notes that “the National Guard wasn’t even created until 1903. Militias carried a lot of the load (ya know, those ‘well-regulated ones for whom the Second Amendment was actually intended? As opposed to your next-door neighbor Billy Bob a-fixin’ to git hisself 47 AR-15s, just because.” He goes on to say that even between World Wars I and II, our military was badly underfunded because that fear remained in our DNA. Dwight Eisenhower, upon leaving the presidency in 1961, infamously warned about the ‘military industrial complex’. But, as Hafiz Rashid in The New Republic laments, “Donald Trump may finally get his long-desired military parade, citing an unnamed source that he has chosen June 14 which is the 250th anniversary of the US Army, Flag Day, and only coincidentally his own 79th birthday. The four-mile procession would go from the Pentagon in Arlington to the White House.” Trump’s yen for such a grand parade goes back to his first term after seeing a French parade in 2017, with his desire to top that display. Pushback by both the military and the DC government put that one to bed, with cost estimates to the two entities around $92 million and $21 million, respectively. An angry Trump abandoned the idea, accusing the DC politicians of a ‘holdup’ over costs. Then, Mayor Muriel Bowser said, “I finally got through to the reality star in the White House with the realities of parades, events, and demonstrations in Trump America.” Now, Mr. Trump holds the cards with his overhaul of the military leadership, plus placement of top lawyers in all branches of the military, with the DC pols cowering out of fear that Trump will follow through on threats to take over the local government. The president has set up a federal task force on DC crime fighting that does not include a single local official, indicating that he will continue to interfere with operations within the city — to include his massively wasteful parade to sate his ego, spending millions of local and federal dollars despite his claims of waste, fraud and abuse eliminations. As the recently departed comedian and actor, Ruth Buzzi, once said, “Scientists say the universe is made up entirely of neurons, protons and electrons. They seem to have missed morons.” Rest in peace, Ruth.

“In 100 days, Trump has invented something new: Clown-Show Fascism,” says Michael Tomasky in his piece in The New Republic. “The administration is a serious threat to democracy. They’re also laughably incompetent. But the result is no laughing matter.” Tomasky reminds us that the president’s April 2 ‘Liberation Day,’ when he blew up the markets with his tariffs announcement, was actually the second Liberation Day declaration — the first being announced in his January 20 inauguration speech, when he said, “That is why each day under our administration of American patriots, we will be working to meet every crisis with dignity and power and strength. We will move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety, and peach for citizens of every race, religion, color, and creed. For American citizens, January 20, 2025, is Liberation Day.” The author asks, “How is that working out? There is much to say about these 100 days. The odor of fascism is unmistakeable — and entirely intentional. The bullying of universities and law firms; the probably illegal firings of those 18 inspectors general; the ghastly executive order instructing the Justice Department to investigate two US citizens for expressing their political views; the purposeful lawlessness of so many actions, designed to force showdown after showdown at what Trump assumes will be a pliant Supreme Court; the daily inventions of reality peddled by Karoline Leavitt, Cabinet officials, and not least, Trump himself.”

Tomaksy says we should think about the average Americans, who are having a hard time. He poses another key line from the inaugural address: “I will direct all members of my Cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.” Tomasky’s response is, “Gee! That doesn’t seem to have happened. Inflation is down a bit, largely because energy prices have fallen.” He points out that price decreases are a function of overproduction, that electric vehicle production in China has an effect, but gives Trump credit for our fears of a recession. Worry that Trump’s tariff war will spark inflation is seen in polling, with 71% believing that is our fate — even 47% of Republicans in agreement. To the many variants of fascism — Nazism being only one — there is Italian fascismo, Spain’s Francoism, Ukraine’s Banderism, South Korea’s Ilminism, plus neofascism, crypto-fascism and Islamofascism, to which Tomasky adds clown-show fascism. He describes his addition as “a regime marked simultaneously by hubristic and defiant assaults on the democratic and constitutional order on the one hand, on the other, a nearly laughable incompetence in just about every other area of the regime’s activity. Trump’s constant about-faces and walk-backs on tariffs have been an international embarrassment. Elon Musk’s DOGE has fired federal workers willy-nilly only to turn around and rehire many after the Musketeers realized they weren’t deep-state bloodsuckers and the work they did was kind of essential, after all — you know, like the people who tend the country’s nuclear weapons stockpile.” Tomasky summarizes that it can be hilarious to watch, but consequences are no laughing matter, and not how it’s supposed to work in a democracy — only 1300+ days to go!

David Litt writes on his Substack blog, Word Salad!, that if our founders had foreseen a Donald Trump presidency, they would have included pictures in the Declaration of Independence for him to understand it. In his faltering attempt to explain what the document means to him, Trump tells Terry Moran in the ABC News interview, “Well, it means exactly what it says, it’s a declaration. A declaration of unity and love and respect, and it means a lot. And it’s something very special to our country.” The commander-in-chief’s answer, had it come from a beauty pageant contestant, would have disqualified her with no chance of wearing a finalist’s crown. Litt is concerned that Trump’s brain worms have brain worms, causing him to give his blah, blah, blah answer. Asking ChatGPT to estimate the grade level of a student who gave such an answer to the question, Litt says the AI chatbot estimated ‘roughly 6th to 8th grade.’ Litt’s purpose in bringing up the Declaration of Independence “is not that Trump hasn’t read it — it’s that the rest of us ought to, and those who have read it need to re-read it with an eye toward understanding how to talk about dealing with this generation’s mad king.” The debate among Democrats rages passive-aggressively about what to focus on — attacks on the rule of law, or kitchen-table issues, which is dragging the president’s approval ratings down? Democrat Team Rule of Law says tariffs come and go, but damage to our democracy will be irreversible; Democrat Team Kitchen Table says stopping Trump raises the need to win elections, and that the electorate cares more about their pocketbooks than the rule of law. To the two teams, Litt says, “It’s my pleasure to scold everybody and say both sides are wrong. Drawing a distinction between the two issues would be like telling a pack-a-day smoker to differentiate between ‘nicotine addiction’ and ‘shortness of breath,’ — talking about one without the other rings hollow. Choosing between democracy and the economy is, in and of itself, the wrong choice. This is all one big issue. We have to treat it that way.”

The Trump administration, and in particular, JD Vance and the head MAGAman himself, have been the butt of jokes and criticisms in the wake of Pope Francis‘ death. Vance started off the previous week by meeting the national champion Ohio State football team in the Oval Office, fumbling and breaking their hard-won trophy in the process. One contributor on X posted that anyone scheduled for meetings with Vance should be shaking in their boots, and with the death of the Pope on the Monday following Vance’s visit on Easter Sunday, the floodgates were opened on social media, making the VP the butt of jokes, confirming him as the anti-Christ. One X user shared similar sentiments, writing, “JD touched a trophy and broke it. Then, he touched the Pope and he broke. I hope he shakes Donald’s hand this week…” Satirist Andy Borowitz contributed on his The Borowitz Report: “JD Vance will represent Satan at Pope Francis’s funeral this weekend, the Devil confirmed on Thursday. In a rare public statement, the Prince of Darkness said that he could not attend the funeral himself because it conflicts with a Tesla board meeting. Explaining his choice of Vance, Beelzebub said, ‘If you can’t have me, JD is the next best thing.’ But longtime Vatican-watcher Harland Dorrinson criticized Satan’s decision to send Vance, noting, ‘With Trump in attendance, this seems like overkill.'”

And indeed, Trump was in attendance as he made doubly sure he was seen, finagling a prized front row seat, though protocol had him, along with First Lady Melania, initially assigned to a third row position. In what was mostly a somber sea of black-clad attendees who followed the requested dress code, there he was resplendent in his bright blue silk suit and blue tie, missing only his bright red clown nose. Melania was respectful in her stylish all-black outfit — blazer dress, gloves, and lace veil, acting as sort of a peace maker between her childish and snub-prone husband and France’s Macron, encouraging him to shake the French president’s hand in the Sign of Peace  portion of the mass in following the custom of shaking hands with other mourners. Several photos reveal that he was probably napping — unlikely that prayer was on his mind — and an adult should have taken away his cell phone which was a playtoy during some of his time at the service. Prior to being seated for the ceremony, Trump and Ukraine’s Zelensky were able to have a short face-to-face meeting, both of whom shared positive words of their discussion afterwards, along with an announcement of a meeting to follow afterwards. Zelensky, also seated in the front row, wore all-black, but kept his vow not to dress formally until the Russian invasion of his country is history. Upon the Ukrainian leader’s appearance as he was seated, spontaneous applause from the assembled echoed across the plaza, which likely raised Trump’s hackles since he got no recognition.

Not willing to extend the Sign of Peace to former president Biden for such a momentous occasion, Trump declined to allow Biden and his entourage to fly with him on Air Force One to the Pope’s funeral, despite President George W Bush’s precedent of inviting his father and Bill Clinton to accompany him to the funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II in 2005. Trump has kept his predecessor front and center as his scapegoat, with The New York Times keeping score on his mentions of Biden at 300 in the first 50 days since January 20 — as he whines about the porous southern border, calling him “the worst president in American history.” In 2022, Trump mocked then-President Biden for his placement in the 14th row at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, maintaining that it was proof that “there’s no respect for the US anymore,” suggesting that if he were still president, he would have received front-row seating. For the Saturday funeral of Pope Francis, Biden was seated much further back, dressed in his black suit and non-protocol blue tie! Doubtless, the Trump-seating brouhaha would have raised the eyebrows of Pope Francis, who dedicated much political capital into confronting The Don, viewing his immigration policies as “un-Christian” and making his concerns known to JD Vance in the hours before his death. Many are saying that the pope rebuked Trump from beyond the grave through Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re’s homily in the Mass, saying, “Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice, imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions. ‘Build bridges, not walls,’ was an exhortation he repeated many times.” The Cardinal ensured that Trump’s call for building a border wall got the final criticism from Pope Francis, which the president had called “disgraceful,” labelling the Pope as “a very political person,” who was questioning his faith. There was no missing the finger pointed at Trump in view of the audience of millions worldwide — yep, the so-called world leader in the embarrassing, look-at-me fluorescent blue suit! It’s doubtful the Vatican could have provided a high chair for the occasion.

The Economist magazine blisters Trump with its latest cover, showing an illustration of a wounded and bandaged US eagle, accompanied by the headline, “Only 1,361 Days to go.” Ron Dicker of HuffPost writes, “The Economist is counting the days until President Donald Trump’s second term is over, showing the amount of time left after his first 100 days is up. He has spent his first months dismantling government agencies, sparking a trade war, defying courts over deportations and trying to strong-arm Ukraine into submitting to its invader, Russia. The Economist summed up his strategy in the cover story, which examines the ‘lasting harm’ he has already done: ‘The method is to bend or break the law in a blitz of executive orders and, when the courts catch up, to dare them to defy the president. The theory is one of unconstrained executive power — the idea that, as Richard Nixon suggested, if the president does something then it’s legal.’ This injured eagle might need more than bandages to heal.” Something legal in Trump’s plans is the installation of two 100-foot flagpoles on the White House grounds. On the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Kimmel said, “Trump took a little stroll around the White House, he did a little location scouting just like he would do at one of his golf courses in deciding where to bury an ex-wife.” Kimmel joked that by installing the flagpoles will “clear up a lot of confusion. For years, whenever I’d see a picture of the White House I’d think, ‘Well, that’s a nice building, but what country is it in? You do have to admit, it is crazy the White House doesn’t have a flag — other than that giant one on top of the White House.” He says the new ones will be high enough to be out of Trump’s hugging range.

Raw Story’s David Edwards posts about a historically Jewish newspaper’s comparing President Donald Trump’s tactics to those used by Germany’s Adolf Hitler prior to WWII: In an op-ed for Forward, author Terrence Petty likened Trump’s demonization of his self-declared enemies to Hitler’s attempt to blame Jews for Germany’s loss in WWI — a tactic known as the Dolchstosslegende, or stabbed-in-the-back legend. “Donald Trump has created an American version of the Dolchstosslegende, propagating a myth that the nation is being led to ruination by Joe Biden and the Democrats, prosecutors who go after Trump, judges who go against him, non-MAGA news media, practitioners of ‘wokeism,’ and elite universities, among others,” Petty wrote. “All of this is utter nonsense, of course, but this American S-I-T-B lie is at the core of Trump’s assaults on democracy.” The author compared Hitler’s first speech as chancellor on February 10, 1933, to Trump’s second inaugural address, which he insisted “reads like a S-I-T-B manifesto.” “For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair,” said Trump in his January speech. Gazing into the future, Petty warns the US may be going through the early stages of authoritarianism, though he notes, “There are signs of hope with some law firms and universities fighting back against Trump’s efforts to coerce them into bending to his will. Citizens are mobilizing, legions of them taking to the streets in protest of his power grabs. Courts have been ruling against his attempts to subvert the law. But none of this seems to faze him, even as appeals play out in rulings against him — he keeps using his authoritarian jackhammer against the foundations of American democracy.”

From the moment he regained office, Trump has been following the autocrat’s playbook, step-by-step by going after universities for disobeying his decrees. He has extorted law firms for existing staff, or previous staff members, who crossed him, and he has targeted for prosecution former aides who challenged him. He has now arrested a federal judge for not helping him round up migrants for deportation, and attacking the free press for not bending to his will. The first day in office saw him release from prison, hundreds of domestic terrorists who assaulted police officers in his name — now a personal militia. Less than 100 days into his term he is straight-up defying the US Supreme Court and is getting away with it — no one being fined, no one going to jail — and terrifyingly, the American public is oblivious to what’s taking place. Trump creates one ’emergency’ after another — the foreign ‘invasion’ by immigrants seeking safety and a better life as did many of our forebears — hardly an invading army of ‘military-aged men’ as Stephen Miller would have it; then, there’s the ‘energy emergency’ for which Trump is trampling environmental laws to allow an increase in petroleum production; next, we have an ‘economic emergency’ prompting Trump to impose outlandish tariffs on any and all countries, despite the fact that the Constitution grants the power of taxation to the Congress. Neither the Supreme Court nor the Congress has an army or a police force to see that the Constitution is followed, so we all are dependent upon the Executive Branch to honor our laws. Yet, simply by fiat, the president can designate any person or group or court judge, ‘terrorist’ or ‘invader,’ should they protest or rule against his policies, then arresting them and sending them away to his gulag in El Salvador. Alarmist? We need to examine our bias of normalcy, our failures of imagination, and remember January 6, 2021 when he unleashed his violent mob on the Capitol. Harvie Wilkinson who served 41 years on the federal appellate court bench, as a Reagan appointee, asks, “If today the executive claims the right to deport without due process and in disregard of court orders, what assurance will there be tomorrow that it will not deport American citizens and then disclaim responsibility to bring them home? And what assurance shall there be that the executive will not train its broad discretionary powers upon its political enemies? We yet cling to the hope that it is not naïve to believe our good brethren in the executive branch perceive the rule of law as vital to the American ethos. This case presents their unique chance to vindicate that value and to summon the best that is within us while there is still time.” Harvie Wilkinson fears for our republic, as we all should be doing.

Trump’s latest attempt to neuter political opposition is his executing yet another memorandum targeting ActBlue, the fundraising platform behind Democratic campaigns and causes, which he claims is accepting foreign contributions, despite the platform’s denial, and an analysis to the contrary by Republican Representative Bryan Stell. The president himself has been accused of accepting Russian bribes, and a political consultant working for Trump-backing Great America PAC, got 18 months in prison for illegally accepting Russian money in 2016. Trump is at present raking in millions from cryptocurrency investors, who are buying his meme coin in a blatantly corrupt pay-to-play effort to meet him, with a dinner and a White House tour — surely with foreign money flowing into his personal coffers. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut wrote on X, “The Trump coin scam is the most brazenly corrupt thing a president has ever done. Not even close.” Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jake Auchincloss have demanded an investigation into the meme coin scam, but Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice has better things to do, of course. The two Massachusetts Democrats say, “Anyone, including the leaders of hostile nations, can covertly buy these coins, raising the specter of uninhibited and untraceable foreign influence over the President of the US, all while Trump’s supporters are left to shoulder the risk of investing in $Trump and $Melania.” Meanwhile, ActBlue continues to raise massive amounts of money, taking in nearly $500 million in 2025 alone as it gears up for the fight against Trump, not being put off by his bullying tactics. Despite assurances from ActBlue that its service will continue, Democratic strategists are “drafting contingency plans and evaluating other options,” leery of a president who has expressed complete disregard for the rule of law, as he attempts to stamp out all political, electoral and ideological opposition. Cory Archibald, communications director at Turn Left PAC, warned, “There is no other fundraising platform that comes even close to the functionality, security, and stability of ActBlue. Democrats need to democratize their campaign tech, and they need to do it yesterday.”

Meanwhile, Trump is still meddling in Canada’s politics, as he fired off another ultimatum on Truth Social as their polls opened on federal election day: “Good luck to the Great people of Canada. Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE  in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st State of the United States of America. No more artificially drawn line from many years ago. Look how beautiful this land mass would be. Free access with NO BORDER. ALL POSITIVES WITH NO NEGATIVES. IT WAS MEANT TO BE! America can no longer subsidize Canada with the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year that we have been spending in the past. It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!” Travis Gettys of Raw Story writes, “The US president has upended relations between the neighboring allies with steep tariffs on Canadian imports and threats to use ‘economic force’ to annex the country as the 51st state.” Thanks to Trump’s policies, analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate the US economy will take a $90 billion hit in lost tourism and export revenue, with many foreign visitors avoiding the US over increased hostility, and reports about Europeans being detained in immigration centers. Canada, in particular, is boycotting US travel and products — with Canadian summer flight reservations seeing a 70% decline, and a 25% decline in bookings from Europe, an overall 10% drop in international visits compared to this same time in 2024. This could amount to an almost $20 billion reduction in international visitor spending.

President Trump maintains he is “actively” negotiating with China on a tariff deal, but China insists his claim is false, and even Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent states that talks have not started. Trump reiterates that President Xi has called him for discussions, with the US president saying, “He’s called. And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf,” but no particulars have been provided. Guo Jiakun, of China’s Foreign Ministry, chimed in with his take, saying, “As far as I know, the two heads of state have not called each other recently. I would like to reiterate that China and the US have not conducted consultations on the tariffs issue.” Earlier, the Ministry told the US to be more polite: “If a negotiated solution is truly what the US wants, it should stop threatening and blackmailing China and seek dialogue based on equality, respect, and mutual benefit. To keep asking for a deal while exerting extreme pressure is not the right way to deal with China and simply will not work.” Trump’s threatening ultimatums have produced chaos world-wide, and fear across American political and economic life — a dynamic that could ultimately undo his presidency as many of those tantrums ring hollow, as seen with his easing up on attempting to fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. David Faris, associate professor at Roosevelt University, explains on Slate, how Trump’s “depressingly familiar loop” keeps playing out: “This loop is now standard operating procedure from the most chaotic White House in history. In fact, it seems to be more or less the only move that this iteration of Trump has, one that he is deploying against everyone from Canada to Harvard University. And it is eerily similar to the nuclear strategy concept of ‘escalate to de-escalate’ — using a shocking act of aggression to convince an adversary to negotiate on your terms.”

Faris says Trump’s strategy isn’t quite working for him because his opponents have taken note of his weakness and his administration’s incompetence, so they’ve essentially rerouted their long-range plans around the United States. “Trump is fundamentally a weak, lame-duck president, whose paper-thin margins in Congress and embarrassing ineptitude at staffing his administration and carrying out his policies are not kinks that will be ironed out with time but rather inescapable features of his already unbearable and disastrous presidency. That weakness, and the servile paralysis of Congress, is leading him to try the same blunt maneuver over and over again, with predictably diminishing returns. Rather than doing the painstaking work of enacting his lunatic agenda through that narrowly divided Congress, Trump has been acting, since Day 1, like a leader who has to resort immediately to vindictive threats and massively escalatory decisions to get what he wants. If it was a useful tactic, Russia would already have deployed it against Ukraine, and China would have come to the negotiating table to plead with Trump to reduce tariffs. Issuing a never-ending stream of escalatory and often nonsensical threats is also no way to run a country, and voters are fast coming around to the understanding that they made a terrible mistake putting this senescent maniac back in power in November. It is not clear how the United States will even survive another 44 months of this circus with anything resembling the status quo, or our battered psyches, intact. But if Trump’s incipient authoritarians ever allow another Democrat to be elected president, that person is likely to discover that some of the damage to America’s reputation and interests is irreversible,” contends Faris.

King George III Redux inhabits the Oval Office now that we’ve reached the tipping point separating democracy from a dictatorship! King Donald is openly flouting the courts and the rule of law in deporting US residents to his mega-prison in El Salvador, and is now threatening to do the same to American citizens who displease him, one of the grievances against King George enumerated in the Declaration of Independence. The test case seems to be in the person of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a legal resident of Maryland who was whisked off the streets and sent to the notoriously evil prison in El Salvador…admittedly a mistake as disclosed in court by a Justice Department official, who was then axed from the job for committing such an error against the administration. In an Oval Office meeting with Salvadoran dictator Nayib Bukele, Trump declared that, “the homegrowns are next…you gotta build about five more places…it’s not big enough.” If Abrego Garcia can be kidnapped and flown to a foreign country’s prison, then American citizens are in jeopardy. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “The Government’s argument…implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person, including US citizens, without legal consequence, so long as it does so before a court can intervene.” Alaska’s Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski, said, “we’re all afraid” of freely speaking out against Trump, simply because she knows from experience that he will respond with petty vengeance and irrational retribution. She, along with every GOP officeholder, is responsible in some fashion for the destructive rise of Trumpism, so it would be remarkable for any one of them to speak up about the dismantling of our democracy. Murkowski sees that the fear of Trump has risen by degrees not seen before, admitting that she is “oftentimes very anxious” about speaking out, even though she has been one of the foremost critics in her party. Responding to a question from her audience about how we should address people who are fearful of the current political climate, her response was, “We are all afraid.” Allowing that statement to briefly sink in, she then said, “It’s quite a statement. We’re in a time and place where — I don’t know, I certainly have not — I have not been here before. And I’ll tell you, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice because retaliation is real. And that’s not right. But that’s what you’ve asked me to do and so I’m going to use my voice to the best of my ability.”

Matt Kerbel from Wolves and Sheep on Substack, writes, “This is a very revealing response, and it seems as though Murkowski recognizes in real time just how revealing it is for a US senator to admit to a constituent she is afraid to use her platform for fear of retaliation and she doesn’t know what to do about it.” Kerbel surmises that she isn’t necessarily worried about political retaliation, since she lost her Republican primary in 2010, but then won re-election through a write-in campaign — a somewhat amazing feat to get over 100,000 voters to spell her name correctly on the ballot — she is worried about her personal safety! Trump’s vindictiveness could also cause problems for Alaska, her constituents and their businesses. Kerbel says, “She is also pulling off the cover of Washington Republicans who are expressing their fears in private.” She expressly said, “We are ALL afraid.” The writer asks, “Is it not right that retaliation is real? That’s what Murkowski appears to be saying, and it is inarguably true. But is she also recognizing as she speaks that it is not right to hold a position of power and be afraid to use it? As Murkowski pivots back to the constituents question, she leaves the impression that what’s not right is her reluctance to speak out.” As she confesses being anxious about herself and using her voice, she then assures her audience, “But that’s what you’ve asked me to do.” Kerbel accuses her of saying less than she probably thinks she does, as she shifts to the future tense, acknowledging things left undone, with a promise that she will do more. He speculates that she will keep a low profile and talk to her colleagues, be a charmer without upsetting the relationships she has built — but in the end, she doesn’t know, and for the sake of the country she needs to figure it out fast. “She will not find an easy answer. But we have reached a moment when, and if, she cannot embrace the uncomfortable, then perhaps the answer is to step aside for someone who can — or let the voters do it next year,” Kerbel concludes.

Murkowski has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration’s policies and the mindless devotion of those within the GOP. She has rebuked the president for casting aside our allies in his alignment with dictator Vladimir Putin, and for his Oval Office performance against Ukraine’s Zelensky. Her opposition to Elon Musk and his DOGE chainsaw’s destruction of government agencies she describes, “as hard as anything I’ve engaged in in the 20-plus years in the Senate,” when she has to face constituents who have been fired from their positions without notice, afraid to speak up from fears of retaliation. Trump backed a challenger in her 2022 reelection campaign, but she was able to be victorious, and even if Musk steps up to finance a challenger for her post, that would not be until 2028. Stephen Colbert, on The Late Show, said the ‘administrative error’ that sent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to rot in the El Salvador prison was a “mistake made on purpose” as a way to publicly threaten American citizens with with same fate. “We’re not on our way to a dictator-ship, we’re on the ship,” as he pondered whether there might be a “break-glass-if-Constitution-stops-working-mechanism.” Colbert also offered his take on Trump’s physician’s comments after the recent physical exam, referring to the president’s “active lifestyle,” especially his “frequent victories in golf events” which contribute to Trump’s well-being. Colbert’s rendering of the statement: “His well-being is also due to a cruel, indifferent universe where good, hardworking people are routinely diagnosed with terminal illnesses, but an objectively evil monster who only eats cheeseburgers and fried chicken lives forever. The world is chaos. There is no God, proven by his frequent victories in golf events.”

Of course the taxpayer is picking up the bill for Trump’s medical care, and also for the physician who narrates the president’s canned, prepared statement on his outstanding condition following the ‘exam.’ Coincidentally, Trump recently signed yet another executive order, this one aiming at a delay in Medicare negotiations for a broad category of prescription drugs, all in response to a lobbying campaign by Big Pharma to fight efforts to rein in its pricing policies. The order, entitled “Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First,”  puts Robert F Kennedy Jr in the forefront to work with Congress to “modify” price negotiations as established under the Biden administration — negotiations which had previously yielded worthy results, despite the industry’s efforts to have the courts overturn the outcome. One specific aspect of the order calls for a four-year extension of the period during which small-molecule prescription drugs are exempt from price negotiations with Medicare, usually not for a period of nine years after FDA approval. Small-molecule drugs, usually taken in pill form, represent 90% of medications currently in circulation, so the four-year extension represents a significant span in which to earn even more profits. Drug policy advocate Steve Knievel, of Public Citizen, warns that by pushing back negotiation dates for drugs will likely reverse any recent progress on this issue, doing the opposite of the executive order’s loftily titled goal. Knievel sees Trump’s proposal undermining Biden’s singular achievement to address forty years of Big Pharma’s price gouging, a “total capitulation to the demands of drug corporation lobbyists that want to continue to overcharge Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers.” The advocacy group ‘Protect Our Care’ said, “Trump just caved to Big Pharma — again. The only winners here are the drug companies.” A group called ‘Seniors 4 Better Care’ is revealed to be a front for a lobbyist-led shell group called the ‘American Prosperity Alliance,’ and its ads deceptively appear to be targeting Trump and his MAGA group, while GOP lawmakers receive pharmaceutical industry campaign cash to support the objectives laid out in Trump’s order, which only echoes lobbyist’s language against any negotiations. Merith Basey of ‘Patients for Affordable Drugs,’ says, “This is yet another attempt by Big Pharma to rig the system in its favor — at the expense of patients.”

Gregg Gonsalves writes in The Nation, “The scope and scale of attacks on the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the firings of thousands of staff, and the broader shutdown of programs and slashing of budgets across HHS are unprecedented. Institutions are reeling, imperiling frontline work to protect public health and aborting progress on new advances in the treatment and prevention of infectious and chronic diseases.” Gonsalves questions ‘why’ this is being done, “some framing the cuts as a response to Kennedy’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda, or an attempt to downsize a government gone wild — anything to try to shoehorn the rationale for these actions into some sort of standard, political logic.” What he sees “is a purge of the administrative state, of universities, of expertise, consistent with China’s Cultural Revolution, or the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia as it dismantled the tsarist civil service, and sans the bloodshed of those events, the comparison is still relevant.” “The goal is to get rid of an entire set of people and institutions in the service of a radical ideology. While the short-term effects of the administration’s policies have been well-articulated, the long-term ones are just as chilling. In less than 100 days, President Trump has created a lasting legacy: We have lost a generation of expertise, of systems built up to care for our nation and provide for our collective future in terms of scientific advances,” he writes. If Trump is gone from the scene, these resources won’t just spring back to life — people are seeking other opportunities, students and trainees are missing their chances to enter their chosen professions and they won’t wait around indefinitely for the political winds to change. Gonsalves says some government agency officials are being offered positions in remote areas of Alaska or Montana to remain in federal service, the consolation being that they aren’t getting a bullet to the head as they are marched into the countryside to face a kind of exile. He writes, “We’re in deep trouble. The midterms, the 2028 elections, should they change the balance of power in Congress or who is in the White House, all come too late. The patient is bleeding out in the waiting room. American science, public health, and healthcare will be damaged for a generation or more.” Answering the ‘why’ this is being done, he concludes, “Because this is what they want — psychologies or philosophies are irrelevant at this moment. We are living through times that are now focused on destruction as a central goal, meant to inflict pain and suffering on millions now and into the future, long after THEY are gone.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is seeing incoming flak after his claims last week regarding what people living with autism CAN’T do, getting slammed after asserting that the disorder is “preventable” and on an epidemic scale in the US. In a press conference, Kennedy quacked that, “These are kids who will never pay taxes,” which prompted Ronny Chieng of the Daily Show to ask, “Wait, that’s what you’re going to lead with? That’s like a big tragedy for you? It’s not even accurate, I mean, autistic people do pay taxes. Are you thinking of art history majors?” Chieng then played a video of conspiracy theorist Kennedy babbling, “They’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go out on a date.” Chieng blasted RFK’s claims as “ridiculous,” saying, “Autistic kids will never write poems? Well, who wants kids to write more poems? That’s something we SHOULD be preventing. Who even made RFK the judge of what makes life worth living? I’m sorry they’ll never know the joy of planting bear carcasses in Central Park.” Rex Huppke of USA Today quotes in his column, Dr. Eric Fombonne, an autism researcher and professor emeritus at Oregon Health and Science University, “Of course it’s ridiculous. If it’s coming from the mouth of the guy who drinks raw milk and brags about eating roadkill, there’s a near-100% chance it’s going to be ridiculous.” Huppke reminds us to not forget who wanted the charlatan in charge of HHS: “This is the Republican Party’s guy. They signed, sealed and delivered him, handing our nation’s health to a snake-oil salesman.”

Under the draconian DOGE budget cuts, the Administration for Community Living will be disbanded and its so-called ‘critical’ programs will be integrated into other HHS agencies — the most important of these being ‘Meals on Wheels,’ known for providing more than 261 million meals to older adults, assistance such as respite care for over 1.5 million family caregivers, and independent-living services to almost 250,000 people with disabilities in 2022 alone. The ACL is budgeted only $2.5 million a year, so it remains to be seen if this is considered a ‘critical program,’ despite Trump’s claim, “We love our seniors.” Richard Festa, executive director of advocacy group ‘Alliance for Retired Americans’ says those are empty words played against the drastic cuts already seen at HHS, leaving many to go hungry due to the needless cuts. Elon Musk’s DOGE posse has already cut billions in funding for maternal health care, research and community programs, leaving providers struggling and expectant mothers without critical care — Brooklyn-based maternal health advocate, Sevonna Brown, had to immediately stop her work after DOGE froze more than $2 million in funding – all this in spite of Musk’s claim that declining birth rates worldwide is a threat to civilization. Time for Musk to go for child number 15? On his show, Jimmy Kimmel reported that Elon has fathered “many mini-Musks” in order to “seed the world in his own image” — not surprising to Kimmel since we already know “he loves babies,” having spent $300 million to get one elected president. Kimmel reports that The Wall Street Journal published “a bonkers account of Musk’s efforts” to recruit women to carry his children, and then buys their silence with multi-million dollar nondisclosure agreements, with sources saying there could be “many more mini-Musks out there that no one knows about.” Kimmel asks, “Who says romance is dead? You’ve heard of ‘Alien v. Predator? Elon might be both.”

The satirical Borowitz Report has Andy writing: “A South African man who invested millions in Donald J Trump is in a ‘state of shock’ after losing a fortune, the man said on Monday. ‘I’m still trying to process what went wrong,’ he said. ‘If Donald Trump can’t make money, who can?’ The man said he was ‘baffled’ that his investment had soured, given Trump’s ‘unparalleled track record of business success.’ ‘I just don’t understand how this happened,’ he said. ‘He seemed so smart on The Apprentice.'”

With the April 15 tax filing deadline behind us, Helaine Olen, managing editor of the American Economic Liberties Project, reports that Intuit, parent company of TurboTax has received its tax refund — in a manner of speaking. TurboTax has spent two decades lobbying against the IRS making it easier for people to file taxes online, and it seems that Intuit’s $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration committee has done the trick — while claiming the donation was “part of our decades-long commitment to bipartisan advocacy.” The trick is on the American taxpayer who will no longer be able to file simple tax returns online for free, with the administration’s elimination of the IRS’ Direct File program. The National Retail Federation’s annual tax return survey says that 40% of US adults will prepare taxes themselves using computer software, which is a $31 billion market for Intuit and H&R Block, after Americans have spent 1.7 billion hours preparing their returns. Contrast this to more than three dozen countries where government sends eligible taxpayers a pre-filled return, which the filer signs and returns if it is accurate — if not, the taxpayer can dispute it. During the Clinton administration, Congress passed a law ordering the IRS to come up with, by 2008, a ‘return free’ offering for people with simple returns — the clock is still ticking on that. Such a system would not be difficult to create, since we are simply sending the government information it already has on W2 and 1099 forms — the complexity lies with the tax prep industry who earn huge profits by charging to perform a service which should cost nothing — it’s all just a make-work scheme even if we don’t see the truth — but now we don’t even have the free option. Enjoy your refund, TurboTax — baby needs new shoes, or maybe a Tesla.

Here’s one to keep an eye on: Trump’s MAGA team has contacted the IRS to review audits of “high profile” friends of the president, one friend being conspiracy theorist Mike ‘My Pillow’ Lindell. Mikey has told a judge that he’s struggling to pay court-imposed sanctions because his finances are “in ruins” and his credit rating has hit bottom among lenders, and is now unable settle with voting software company Smartmatic. With friends in high places, Lindell may not have to face the pending audit at the IRS, but it is suggested this is all just a misunderstanding and that Treasury may have ‘misconstrued’ the request, having to do with Employee Retention Credit from having to lay off hundreds of employees. Accused of failing to hand over financial documents to the court, Lindell claims he has nothing to hide. “They’re not going to silence me. I will keep going until we get to paper ballots being hand-counted and melt these voting machines down and turn them into prison bars,” he said. Jimmy Kimmel joked, “Lindell may be the only person on Earth whose life was better when he was smoking crack.” Watch this space!

GRIFTING GOLF, BUBBA’S SHRIMP, SWEET KKKAROLINE, BE COOL!

Despite the panic on Wall Street over the Trump tariffs fiasco, the president claimed he was “doing just fine” leading up to his annual physical exam on Friday, posting on Truth Social that he “never felt better,” and that the visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center “must be done.” Jimmy Kimmel said on his show, “It’s funny ’cause the rest of us have never felt worse,” predicting Trump would get an “excellent” report if it should be released — pointing out that his promised release of medical records during the 2024 campaign never happened. Kimmel quipped, “Let me guess, his physical strength and stamina are extraordinary, his blood pressure is astonishing and he is by far the healthiest president to have single-handedly tanked the world economy overnight. This man has the Diet Coke button-pressing strength of a man half his age.” Since the July assassination attempt, though Trump’s stamina and strength have been scrutinized, Dr. Marc Siegel says the miraculous survival showed an “adroitness” in the MAGAt leader. Last October over 230 doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals asked for a release of records, with supporters of VP Kamala Harris claiming, “With no recent disclosure of health information from Donald Trump, we are left to extrapolate from public appearances. And on that front, Trump is falling concerningly short of any standard of fitness for office and displaying alarming characteristics of declining acuity.” In November, Florida neurosurgeon Dr. Brett Osborn told Fox News Digital that the president remained in good health, and, “The fact that he attended 120 events in seven months, often multiple rallies in a single day in different states, is proof-positive that Trump has a tremendous amount of stamina, mentally and physically.”

As expected, the Sunday following the Medical Center exam, the White House physician released a memorandum declaring Donald Trump “fully fit” to perform the duties of the presidency, citing his “frequent victories” in golf tournaments as evidence of his robust health. The memo included details of lab work, physical exams, a skin exam and a cognitive test, conjecturing (considering that Trump himself filled in some of the blanks on the document) that The Don is in “excellent health.” Alexa Lisitza reports on BuzzFeed that the president has reportedly spent 18 out of his first 69 days in office on one of his golf courses — working on his swing one-fourth of his second term. From a 2019 Government Accountability Office report, a HuffPost analysis concludes his golf outings have cost the taxpayers about $26,127,531. Social media comments called taxpayer money used on golfing as wasteful, and that DOGE should be looking into reducing this waste of funds, especially since the outings are taking place at Trump-owned facilities where significant chunks of money go directly into his pockets since his entourage of staff and secret service must use the golf carts and other club amenities — no discounts for the help! Another post called his golf habits “the least of my worries, when he’s talking about a third term, with conservatives pretending they care about the Constitution when they demonstrably don’t.” “I’m far less concerned about him golfing than I am with him kicking off wars all across the globe with former allies. Quite frankly, him wasting time golfing is time he isn’t signing more fascist executive orders,” contributed another. Many prefer that he remain on the greens, summed up by UmpireMental7070: “I wish he’d play golf every day. He does less damage to my retirement fund there.”

Chris Hayes of MSNBC’s ‘All In With Chris Hayes’ sees Trump running the US economy like a mad king, saying, “You cannot build a factory or set up a supply line if there’s someone in charge who might burn it down today, or tomorrow, or in 90 days.” Making the US economy analogous to a house in which Trump ignited a fire with his sweeping tariffs, only to watch it burn until he lost his nerve, Hayes says he put out most of that fire, desiring high praise for doing so. Now we’re left with partial, smoldering destruction, unsure of its habitability or whether or not another torch will be thrown into it. Nobody knows, as the domestic and world markets soothe the burns of a loss of over $10 trillion in value following Trump’s initial announcement. Stocks tumbled the day following, and with White House Press Secretary Leavitt’s statement that the president would not change his course, the third day brought another stock plummet — followed by Trump’s social media post asking everyone to “BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well.” A few minutes later he posted a hot stock tip, “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!” Hours later, Trump got cold feet and authorized a 90 day pause on the tariffs, but not before many government officials had taken his hot stock tip seriously and loaded up their portfolios with depressed stocks just in the nick of time as markets rebounded dramatically. Hayes calls Trump, “One erratic man with unilateral power who flits from whim to whim, imposing whatever tariffs he wants whenever he feels like it, doing it mostly to feel powerful and respected to have the rest of the world ‘kiss his butt.’ He is so pleased with himself for saving a few rooms in the house he set on fire. He is also deluded. Prices are still almost certainly going to rise, and growth is likely going to fall. We are still in for that pain. The threat of a global trade war still exists. Fox Business’ Charles Gasparino alleged Trump backed down because…it could destabilize the debt of the US federal government.” Little known fact from history: As Rome burned, Nero signed an executive order on improving shower heads.

A large holder of US bonds — Japan — was allegedly ‘dumping’ its bonds, forcing the administration’s hand. T-Bonds are a foundational asset of the entire global financial system, a famously safe haven in uncertain times, contributing to America’s status as a superpower, with China and Japan being the biggest holders — and not very appreciative of Trump’s antagonistic moves. So with their dumping of bonds, Trump admitted that these actions contributed to his 90-day pause of tariffs, saying, “They were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid…the bond market is very tricky. I was watching it. But if you look at it now, it’s beautiful…I saw last night where people were getting a little queasy.” Chris Hayes says, “Trump thinks that by pressing the PAUSE button and goosing stocks, he has fixed everything. But that gets at another reason why demand for American Treasury bonds is down: the full faith and credit of the US is not what it used to be — not when it is entirely bound up in the whims of one man. You cannot run a national economy — much less a global economy — based on how Trump is feeling and who is kissing his butt from hour to hour.” Stephen Colbert commented on Trump’s ‘BE COOL’ post and his remark that people were “getting yippy,” saying, “Yeah, exactly, Russia was watching Trump tank the economy and going, ‘Yippee!'” On Trump’s boast that the markets had the “biggest day in financial history,” with the S&P 500 index making its largest gain since WWII, Colbert pointed out that ‘biggest’ isn’t the same as ‘best.’ “That’s why on Mother’s Day you don’t give her a mug that says, ‘World’s Biggest Mom,'” he cracked.

A writer on Quora posts: “Our reputation will lie in tatters. Our economy will almost certainly be smaller. Prices will be higher, so quality of living will drop. But that’s the easy part of the forecast. The harder bit? How long it will take to recover. One of the things we learned in Trump’s first term is that a lot of things we thought were laws were really norms that could be ignored by a man without shame or decency. I expected Biden’s four years would be filled with patching those holes, though to a lot of progress was not made due to the split in Congress. Then Retribution Trump returns, and this time even things that are clearly against the law are being violated with impunity. Congress has rendered itself irrelevant, and Trump is now taking aim at both lawyers and the federal courts — which Mike Johnson suggested they just might get rid of, three co-equal branches of government notwithstanding. And we’re only two months in. At this pace, it’s hard to imagine how little of our core principles will be done by the time The First Convicted Felon finishes raping the country. And getting consensus on how to fix the foundational damage will be made worse by the economic issues listed at the outset, as No-One-Has-Time-For-That when you’re struggling to put food on the table. I’ve been asking some smart people how long it will take us to recover. Even among the most optimistic, the fastest prediction I’ve heard is 25 years. Most say, ‘not in my lifetime.’ Which is terrifying.”

Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update host, Colin Jost, started off the segment last week quipping that POTUS “tried to rescue the economy from the disastrous policies of whoever was president last week” with the 90-day tariff delay, and saying, “It’s like listening to Bubba Gump talk about shrimp.” About Trump’s statement that the economic downturn was like treating an ailment, co-host Michael Che declared, “Yeah, but this feels like we took a whole bottle of medicine with a glass of vodka and laid in a warm bath.” Che got a rise from the audience with his one-liner: “It was reported that Elon Musk personally appealed to President Trump to stop his tariff plan, and it worked! The stock market went up like this,” as a photo of Musk and his infamous Nazi-like salute appeared on-screen. Jost ripped Trump and his chaotic tariffs, as well as the tech CEOs who claimed not to see it coming. “The CEOs of many tech companies who supported President Trump’s campaign have said they were surprised by all of his tariffs — well, yeah, I mean, he hardly ever mentioned them,” he said, which was then followed by a video montage of 2024 campaign promises about tariffs he would enforce if elected. The montage concluded with Trump maintaining, “I love tariffs!” Jost added, “Trump announced he was pausing most tariffs for 90 days. Now, 90 days may not seem like a long time, but remember: Trump has only been president for 82 days. Already it feels like a goddamned decade.” Che addressed Trump’s argument that it would be better if America manufactured all its own products, saying, “A new report shows that if iPhones were manufactured in the US, they could cost up to $3,500, which is a lot, but remember: your kids would get an employee discount.”

Jon Stewart in his Daily Show opening recently, said, “Our economy is in the midst of a beautiful metamorphosis, turning from a simple caterpillar into a dead caterpillar,” as he introduced a new segment called ‘Trade Wars.’ Stewart derided Trump with a news clip of a Truth Social post reading, “Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid. Don’t be a PANICAN,” as he suggested better nicknames such as ‘hystericats,’ ‘Repussicans,’ and ‘cryin-tologists,’ suggesting Trump’s nickname factory must have been shut down in the tariff war. To the lack of response from Republicans, who don’t seem fazed by the economic ripples, Stewart says, “You are all acting like the tariff regime is a tried-and-true remedy. Oh, and of course, this is the medicine that’s always prescribed! Except the last time it was tried 100 years ago we had a Great Depression.” He closed his monologue by musing on the overall issue with the tariffs. “We continue to blame everybody else in the world that we designed and policed after WWII. We’re the richest country in the world, ever! We’re not the world’s victims. If we have inequalities in this country, that’s on us. It’s not a supply problem, it’s not fair trade for the most part. It’s an investment and distribution problem — it’s our fault. And it’s not saying we can’t make adjustments and renegotiate things, but it didn’t have to be this reckless. You killed the hostage and then went, ‘Oh, ransom?’ Hey mom, look, no economy!”

Tom Boggioni writes in his piece on Raw Story, that White House insiders have no clue what Trump’s tariff endgame will be. Politico’s White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns was asked where the president sees the tariff game going, or is it just sort of ‘every day is another adventure?’ Her reply: “Well, he said this week it’s all about instinct, right? Look, remember how much we were reporting at the outset of this administration that chaos is the strategy? That’s how he’s going about what he’s doing with DOGE. That’s how he’s going about so many aspects of his agenda. He’s doing that with tariffs as well. He wants to keep everyone off balance, he want people to come to the table and negotiate and wonder, you know, how they’re going to do with the White House. The problem is that uncertainty and chaos is not good for markets. It’s not good for consumers and it’s certainly not good for the global economic order and the question of what the endgame is. I think a lot of people around Trump are asking themselves the same thing right now.” Fox News contributor Karl Rove advised President Trump and his administration to stop all the ‘happy talk’ as concerns over the economy grow, urging the White House to ‘temper’ its language around tariffs. Rove explained that consumer sentiment has dropped by 11 points in the last month according to the University of Michigan index, only being worse during the 2008 recession. Rove reminds us: “The important thing to remember is trade makes us richer.”

White House Press Secretary KKKaroline Leavitt was asked why consumer confidence was so low, only to reiterate Trump’s claim that this marked a “period of transition,” and that he “wants consumers to trust in him,” and they should trust in him. “I think there’s great optimism in this economy, great optimism for the American people, a lot of reason for the people to feel optimistic. The president made it very clear when the US is punched, he will punch back harder.”  A writer on Quora posts that “whether Leavitt attended Harvard, or Yale, or a community college isn’t important and it doesn’t appear on her résumé since the job qualifications needed are few — needing only to be a loyal Trump supporter, able to regurgitate everything he says. You can see by the irritable way she responds to questions, even thought that’s her job, that she is simply repeating trigger words and phrases — repeat, defend and praise. That’s it, except for the interjection of a scowl or a condescending remark, or a derogatory comment about Joe Biden which likely gets her brownie points from Daddy, and especially if she makes sure to be rude to as many people as possible while ‘answering questions.’ She doesn’t have to be good at her job as far as providing factual information — she has been proven wrong right to her face as she spews lies to the public. Her job is to honor and worship Trump, promote his false sense of reality, be nasty to any members of the press who oppose his viewpoint, and blame everyone else — no college degree necessary.”

And speaking of education, Education Secretary Linda McMahon spoke on an educational panel last week where she reportedly mistook artificial intelligence (AI) for A.1. Steak Sauce. While discussing the impact of AI on future education and workforce skills innovations, she confused the vinegar-based condiment with artificial intelligence, making the same error repeatedly as she spoke — a bit of an oversight to the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. “Kids are sponges. They just absorb everything. It wasn’t all that long ago that it was, ‘We’re going to have internet in our schools! Now let’s see A1 and how that can be helpful.” Even though the neighborhood kids come home reeking of vinegar, if it’s beneficial, who’s to say otherwise? McMahon’s blunder went viral, and A.1.’s marketing team seized the day by creating an image of a new bottle of their sauce reading, ‘For education purposes only,’ posting it on the company’s Instagram account with the text, ‘Agree, Best To Start Them Early.’ Social media exploded with roasts, critiquing her intelligence, with one person posting, “We’re ruled by the stupidest, most incompetent people in the world,” and another wrote that A.1. Sauce “will help students, and the smarter kids can move up to Thousand Island Dressing.” McMahon is working to dismantle public education and it’s encouraging that she evidently has a head start on everyone.

Satirist Andy Borowitz writes in his The Borowitz Report, that “Attorney General Pam Bondi found a ‘serious breach of the Department of Justice’s code of conduct,’ and that she had terminated a career DOJ employee who was caught with a copy of the US Constitution on his desk. Bondi said that the employee, who had worked at the department for 37 years, had ‘raised suspicions’ by using ‘telltale phrases like due process’ in DOJ memos. At Bondi’s direction, US marshals ransacked his office, discovered the offending document, and frog-marched him out of the building. Bondi took the opportunity to remind all DOJ staffers that the US Constitution is on the Republican Party’s banned reading list.” Earlier this month, the US Naval Academy removed 381 books from its library shelves in response to President Trump’s executive order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion materials and policies in federal facilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Academy to review its titles listings and remove books promoting DEI, whereupon the Academy officials identified nearly 900 books for review, afterward releasing the list of the 381 removed items. Trump’s order against DEI did not apply to US military academies, but Hegseth took it upon himself to order complete compliance, prompting school officials to also remove historic items honoring Jewish female academy graduates, later declared a mistake, with steps being taken to restore the removed pieces. Hegseth’s aggressive push to erase DEI programs and online content has been met with questions from angry lawmakers, local leaders, and citizens over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was quick to point out that Hegseth and the Naval Academy bans works by Maya Angelou, and works on slavery, the civil rights movement and the Holocaust, but excludes Adolf Hitler from its directive. Watch this space…and watch for lots of smoke from the burning pyres.

In an opening monologue last week, Michael Kosta on The Daily Show summed up the first seventy-five days of the Trump administration coup with, “The second Trump administration is off to a roaring start — if you don’t count the economy, inflation, rampant corruption, cyberbullying of allied nations, and we’re all gonna die of measles.” Addressing Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day‘ tariffs, Kosta responded to the president’s Truth Social all-caps post (“THE OPERATION IS OVER! THE PATIENT LIVED, AND IS HEALING. THE PROGNOSIS IS THAT THE PATIENT WILL BE FAR STRONGER, BIGGER, BETTER, AND MORE RESILIENT THAN EVER BEFORE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”), with a deadpanning, “Boy, I feel so much better now.” He advised viewers not to panic about economists’ warnings of a tariff-caused global recession by assuring them that “Trump’s habit of speaking soothing words of comfort in times of need” would see them through the tough times. “Always reassuring when the surgeon comes out screaming at the top his lungs, ‘THE PATIENT IF FINE, EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT. DOES ANYBODY HAVE A MOP?”, he said, mimicking Trump’s all-caps post. He added, “The thing is, the patient didn’t need major surgery. We just needed a teeth cleaning, keep it clean and shiny. No one wants to wake up from heart surgery to their dental hygienist shouting, ‘I THINK HE’S GOING TO LIVE!'”

Trump kicked off his televised ‘Liberation Day‘ tariffs fiasco with a board charting the list winners and losers among the global community, “like a Hollywood game show host,” wrote David Gardner on The Daily Beast. Gardner described the president as being spray-tanned with lacquered hair, gesticulating and bragging as he unveiled the numbers matching his international contestants in his trade revolution. His catchphrase was, “Let’s make America Wealthy Again,” as world leaders looked on in disbelief, and as the stock market started its tumble, with the dollar sliding worldwide. The tariff percentages ranged from a benign ten percent up to a mind-boggling forty-nine percent, which fell onto Cambodia which charges the US ninety-seven percent according to The Don. Trump’s complaint about “foreign scavengers ripping us off for years” revealed that he was being “kind” by charging the “nations that treat us badly” only about half what they supposedly charge us. What a considerate guy, eh? With his game show host smile he added, “We’re going to start being smart, and we’re going to start being very wealthy again.” He is piling onto China a thirty-four percent tariff on top of the twenty percent already being charged Beijing — claiming that President Xi Jinping should be satisfied since they charge us sixty-seven percent, says the chart-bearing Teletubby. One notable omission on the president’s chart: Russia, along with Cuba, North Korea and Belarus. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that those exclusions are because existing economic sanctions already imposed “preclude any meaningful trade.” Watch this space!

Objections to the glut of tariffs quickly came to the fore, with Ross Gerber of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management calling the action “a disaster of idiocy,” and even Republican senators Rand Paul and John Kennedy expressing concern at this major escalation in a global trade war which will soon impact American consumers. Gerber, a major investor in Tesla, being interviewed by CNN’s Laura Coates, could only foresee gloom and doom as he sought a silver lining in the long term. His short term worries aren’t causing him to panic, but he cautions, “We went from almost an ideal market environment over the last year or two, to now complete and utter sort of destruction of the system of trade that we’ve had for a very long time, that has benefitted America greatly with lower prices! That’s the whole reason that this is set up the way it is.” Even Musk’s expected exit from the White House would not be enough to turn Tesla’s fortunes toward positive territory, according to Gerber — Tesla needs a new face to regain stability. His anger at Musk has little to do with his DOGE organization’s haphazard slashing of government agencies, but with his constant delivery of insulting comments toward people, and should he step away from his government position, Gerber doubts that Musk’s attention would be refocused on autos, which has seen neglect for years, but on xAI and other artificial intelligence projects. “It’s not a great time to buy the stock,” he advises. Musk’s only addition to the Tesla lineup since buying the company, has been the Cybertruck which seems to be in constant recall, especially since the glued-on parts are falling off the vehicles as they are driven, so most now view the brand as broken and unfixable.

Because Trump included two rocky and remote islands near Antarctica inhabited only by penguins and seals, with ten percent tariffs, he has provided us with some hilarity in spite of his ego-driven disaster. Heard and McDonald islands are not countries, though he may have mistakenly thought McDonald Island was the home of the Big Mac, from which he might have extracted favors in subsequent negotiations. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow noted that it takes two weeks by sea to get there from Australia — no scheduled airlines and no airports for that quick weekend getaway! She points out that active volcanoes pose a problem, adding, “Those volcanoes, penguins and seals will never menace the American economy again, as they have in the past, by flooding us with their cheap exports of what? Like, fresh air, cool breezes, a waft of eau de penguin, I don’t know. What do they send us? Are you tired of winning, America? Can you just feel the practical economic benefits that MAGA leadership is bringing to us at last? Isn’t it a relief?” The mockery continued with former Representative Tom Malinowski of New Jersey posting, “The Heard Island and McDonald penguins have been taking advantage of us for too long — it’s about time we stood up to them!”

Economists have sounded the alarm over the past few weeks, that any new tariffs will spike prices for domestic consumer products, with import businesses taking on those costs, but then charging customers higher prices to make up for the import costs. Democratic strategist James Carville said, “There’s no policy behind it. It’s just Trump’s ego playing itself out in public, and I think voters are getting very, very apprehensive about this. These policies will hurt a ton of people with new financial burdens you can’t imagine.” He commented that even the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, some of the most conservative people in the country, shared that concern. Following Trump’s big announcement was a cratering of the stock market the day after, as fears of global economic slowdown brought the worst day of loss since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down four percent, losing almost 1700 points, with the S&P 500 down 4.8 percent and the Nasdaq down six percent, marking new lows for Wall Street after months of speculation about Trump’s trade agenda. In his analysis, Michael Arone of State Street Global Advisors said, “The Trump administration may be playing a game of chicken with trading partners, but market participants aren’t willing to wait around for the results. Instead, investors are selling first and asking questions later.”

Trump is quoted as saying, “The markets are going to boom, the stock is going to boom, the country is going to boom. And the rest of the world wants to see if there’s any way they can make a deal.” In the meantime the markets are going ‘BOOM‘ or as Stephen Colbert terms it: “the traditional sound when everything stays intact.” The administration’s officials have diverse messages regarding any deal-making, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick offering conflicting guidance stressing no “backing off” on tariffs, but that deals could be a possibility. Lutnick said, “This stuff has got to stop. America has got to stop being exploited, and you’re going to see America prosper. And then, and only then, will Donald Trump make a deal with each country when they’ve really, really changed their ways. That’s not ‘back off.’ That is, let the dealmaker make his deals when, and only if, these countries change everything about themselves, which I doubt they will.”

The Associated Press called Trump’s sweeping new tariffs “a historic tax hike that could push global order to a breaking point,” about which John Stoehr of The Editorial Board asks, “Why are we still wondering what Trump voters want? He promised. He delivered. What’s the mystery? I ask, because our discourse seems to be invested in the idea that his supporters don’t really want this, and I just don’t mean his hardcore supporters. Resolving this tension is important. The Democrats believe if they can show Trump is going to make things more expensive, they can get them to support Democrats in the midterms. But conventional wisdom also asks us to do something we should not do…treat Trump supporters as if they didn’t understand what they were getting into…treating them like children, that they can’t be responsible for what they did. We shouldn’t do that. Treat them as adults who have THEIR way of understanding tariffs…look at it this way — Trump supporters are going to trust him no matter how incoherent, no matter how dumb…the dumber and more incoherent, the more they trust. His choices trigger reactions, forcing people to choose between those who say tariffs are a tax, or trusting Trump who says it’s a tax cut. Trump has swept them up in his story of a cosmic battle between good and evil, in which the chosen people have been taken advantage of by ‘globalists,’ trying to replace them with foreigners who are ‘poisoning the blood’ of the US, leading toward destruction. The story can be told in a way that appeals to everyone, even nonwhites — the challenge isn’t just hardcore supporters. It’s swing voters, too. Liberation requires personal sacrifice and ‘short term pain.’ So if supporters end up recognizing that policies are impoverishing them, they almost certainly will not attribute their suffering to him — they will blame whomever he tells them to, hence his use of emergency powers usually reserved for wartime. Suffering Trump supporters will bind themselves closely to the president, using this as proof of patriotism and devotion to the cause of justice, with their savior the only one who can relieve them of their condition.”

Stoehr concludes with his observation that the last election was about money — not in the way most may think. “The economy was booming, inflation was down, wages were up, unemployment had rarely been lower — Joe Biden really did grow the economy…almost everyone prospered. But that may have been the problem, because he did more than any president to expand the economic pie to include all those who are usually left behind, especially Black people — Whites feel something is wrong, that something is being taken from them, someone is cheating them, despite their own prosperity. It’s white-power’s zero sum — if America includes ‘them,’ it excludes ‘us.’ Democrats’ beliefs that Trump voters can be won over with economic politics in everyone’s interest won’t cut it. They want economic policies for them, not everyone. And if tariffs end up hurting them, they take comfort in knowing Black people are hurting more. These tariffs are the biggest tax increase of our lifetimes. But that’s what they wanted. He promised. He delivered. No mystery.” Reactions on social media brought one tweet with a Rodney Dangerfieldesque response: “Just got off the phone with my financial advisor; he just told me my 401k is now a 400k.” Another posted a stock heat map, nearly all red, with a superimposed image of VP JD Vance asking, “Have you even said thank you once?”

Trump insists that his ‘Liberation Day‘ tariffs levied around the world will be borne by his victimized nations and not American buyers, but skeptics within his own MAGA gang are not so sure. Republican senators Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, and Susan Collins joined with Democrats in voting against the emergency powers Trump is using to impose a 25% tariff against Canada. And while Senator John Kennedy did not join them, he made known his concerns in a Newsmax interview with anchor Rob Schmitt, saying, “What the president is saying, is if you want to sell stuff to Americans, move your business to America and hire Americans and contribute to our economy, don’t just sell stuff. In the long run, he’s right. But in the long run, we’re all dead.” He added that he’s heard both favorable and disastrous assessments from economists, and even “late-night psychic hotlines” are more accurate in their predictions, as he slammed blind supporters of the policy. “It may not lead to inflation this time. Am I predicting that it will or won’t? No. I’m going to say it again. We’re in uncharted waters and we don’t know. And anybody who tries to tell that they know what the short-term impact is going to be is just lying. Either that or they’re selling deep stupid,” he concluded. The Daily Show’s Michael Kosta says, “We’re basically punishing OTHER countries for selling us stuff that WE want.”

On The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert asked, “Is everyone feeling liberated?” Because…yeah. Today was the first day of trading on Wall Street since Trump slathered our country in honey and staked it down next to a fire ant hill. So, worst day for our economy since COVID. Just a little reminder: this time, he’s the disease. One bit of good news coming out of all this: it’s all pretty solid proof that there is no deep state, because if there was, they would have stopped this. But if they do exist, I just want to say to the cabal of financial and governmental elites who pull all the strings behind the scenes, maybe put a pause on your ‘5G chip JFK Jr adrenochrome chemtrail orgy’ and jump in here, ’cause we’re dying.”

Conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro pulled a 180 on Trump after calling his tariffs “probably unconstitutional” and “pretty crazy” as he broke ranks with the MAGA boss after supporting, fundraising, and voting for the president. He told his seven million YouTube subscribers of his ‘Ben Shapiro Show,’ that “the president’s vision of international trade is mistaken” and that Trump’s belief that the country is getting swindled by trade deficits is completely false. “We are punishing countries that have a low tariff rate with us.” Shapiro says the president’s math is “all wrong,” that his numbers come from the trade deficit which has “nothing to do” with tariff rates. He noted that Madagascar’s tariff percentage was ridiculously high, but “so what?” if there’s a trade deficit. “The idea that we have to chisel out of the people of Madagascar extra dollars from American products or we are getting screwed by the great and powerful nation of Madagascar makes zero sense,” he asserts. Railing against Trump’s basis for MAGA, he said the tariffs are based on “false notions about the American economy” that the nation is failing economically — “this is a myth propagated by both parties.” Shapiro has no desire to support the MAGA-strong wish to return to the 1980s. “America does not suck and has not sucked for several decades, economically,” disagreeing with the notion that the country has been “hollowed out” by de-industrialization and is no longer manufacturing. Scoffing at having a Ford factory job a la 1955, in a non-air conditioned workplace while riveting metal all day is not an ideal job. No thanks! He claims the upper middle class has grown and wages are up, contrary to Trump’s argument that international trade is destroying that strata of workers. “I can name you a period of American history where there was a fairly large surplus in America’s balance of trade: the entire Great Depression,” he offers.

A viral tweet from @frogs4girls asks readers what the coming economic downturn should be called: “So what are we calling this one? Just ‘Great Depression 2’? ‘Greater Depression’? Any suggestions? Anybody?” Respondents contributed: ‘The Yuge Depression,’ ‘The Greatest Depression,’ ‘The Bigly Depression,’ ‘The Great Deux-Pression,’ ‘The Most Beautiful Depression You’ve Ever Seen Believe Me,’ ‘2 Depressed 2 Be Blessed,’ ‘Great DEIpression,’ and the ‘Great Depression 2: Electric Boogaloo.’ Another contributor suggested we call the period ‘Groceries,’ a word Trump seems to have a fascination with, calling it a beautiful, descriptive word, an “old-fashioned” term that he used a lot in his campaign last year. Social media critics mocked his word salad over the word: “Groceries, that unspoken word lost in the sands of time,” or “This is your king, MAGA. This is your Daddy.” Another posted: “Here’s an old-fashioned term that we don’t use enough. It’s schmuck!” JD Vance will be pretending in 2028 that he never met this guy.

President Trump’s all-caps response to the negativity brought on by his tariff escapade, precipitated the stock market’s reaction, prompting Senator Chuck Schumer to call it the “dumbest” recession ever. Usually loyal Republicans who criticized the Trump plan caused the president to attempt to ease everyone’s minds in a most bizarre way: his message of ‘hope’ was a cryptic five-word, all-caps post on Truth Social: “ONLY THE WEAK WILL FAIL!” Sam Barlow on BlueSky posted that those words are his favorite of Jesus‘ teachings from the book of Matthew. A post on X responded that is an apt response from one who has taken six businesses into bankruptcy — including a casino of all things! One X poster wrote: “Seems like what Trump really means is, ‘ONLY THE POOR WILL FAIL!’ because average Americans are perpetually impacted more than anyone on Earth. So, if you’re struggling, when Trump’s tariffs make life worse, it’s your fault.”