The Ledes

Friday, April 4, 2025

CNBC: “Job growth was stronger than expected in March, providing at least temporary reassurance that the labor market is stable, the Labor Department reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls increased 228,000 for the month, up from the revised 117,000 in February and better than the Dow Jones estimate for 140,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the unemployment rate moved up to 4.2%, higher than the 4.1% forecast as the labor force participation rate also increased.”

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OR here's a link generator. The one I had posted died, then Akhilleus found one, but it too bit the dust. He found yet another, which I've linked here, and as of September 23, 2024, it's working.

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Note for Readers. It is not possible for commenters to "throw" their highlighted links to another window. But you can do that yourself. Right-click on the link and a drop-down box will give you choices as to where you want to open the link: in a new tab, new window or new private window.

Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

Marie: Sorry, my countdown clock was unreliable; then it became completely unreliable. I can't keep up with it. Maybe I'll try another one later.

 

Public Service Announcement

Zoë Schlanger in the Atlantic: "Throw out your black plastic spatula. In a world of plastic consumer goods, avoiding the material entirely requires the fervor of a religious conversion. But getting rid of black plastic kitchen utensils is a low-stakes move, and worth it. Cooking with any plastic is a dubious enterprise, because heat encourages potentially harmful plastic compounds to migrate out of the polymers and potentially into the food. But, as Andrew Turner, a biochemist at the University of Plymouth recently told me, black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid." This is a gift link from laura h.

Mashable: "Following the 2024 presidential election results and [Elon] Musk's support for ... Donald Trump, users have been deactivating en masse. And this time, it appears most everyone has settled on one particular X alternative: Bluesky.... Bluesky has gained more than 100,000 new sign ups per day since the U.S. election on Nov. 5. It now has over 15 million users. It's enjoyed a prolonged stay on the very top of Apple's App Store charts as well. Ready to join? Here's how to get started on Bluesky[.]"

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Wherein Michael McIntyre explains how Americans adapted English to their needs. With examples:

Beat the Buzzer. Some amazing young athletes:

     ~~~ Here's the WashPo story (March 23).

Back when the Washington Post had an owner/publisher who dared to stand up to a president:

Prime video is carrying the documentary. If you watch it, I suggest watching the Spielberg film "The Post" afterwards. There is currently a free copy (type "the post full movie" in the YouTube search box) on YouTube (or you can rent it on YouTube, on Prime & [I think] on Hulu). Near the end, Daniel Ellsberg (played by Matthew Rhys), says "I was struck in fact by the way President Johnson's reaction to these revelations was [that they were] 'close to treason,' because it reflected to me the sense that what was damaging to the reputation of a particular administration or a particular individual was in itself treason, which is very close to saying, 'I am the state.'" Sound familiar?

Out with the Black. In with the White. New York Times: “Lester Holt, the veteran NBC newscaster and anchor of the 'NBC Nightly News' over the last decade, announced on Monday that he will step down from the flagship evening newscast in the coming months. Mr. Holt told colleagues that he would remain at NBC, expanding his duties at 'Dateline,' where he serves as the show’s anchor.... He said that he would continue anchoring the evening news until 'the start of summer.' The network did not immediately name a successor.” ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “MSNBC said on Monday that Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary who has become one of the most prominent hosts at the network, would anchor a nightly weekday show in prime time. Ms. Psaki, 46, will host a show at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, replacing Alex Wagner, a longtime political journalist who has anchored that hour since 2022, according to a memo to staff from Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president. Ms. Wagner will remain at MSNBC as an on-air correspondent. Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s biggest star, has been anchoring the 9 p.m. hour on weeknights for the early days of ... [Donald] Trump’s administration but will return to hosting one night a week at the end of April.”

New York Times: “Joy Reid’s evening news show on MSNBC is being canceled, part of a far-reaching programming overhaul orchestrated by Rebecca Kutler, the network’s new president, two people familiar with the changes said. The final episode of Ms. Reid’s 7 p.m. show, 'The ReidOut,' is planned for sometime this week, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The show, which features in-depth interviews with politicians and other newsmakers, has been a fixture of MSNBC’s lineup for the past five years. MSNBC is planning to replace Ms. Reid’s program with a show led by a trio of anchors: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, the TV journalist, the people said. They currently co-host 'The Weekend,' which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings.” MB: In case you've never seen “The Weekend,” let me assure you it's pretty awful. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: "Joy Reid is leaving MSNBC, the network’s new president announced in a memo to staff on Monday, marking an end to the political analyst and anchor’s prime time news show."

Y! Entertainment: "Meanwhile, [Alex] Wagner will also be removed from her 9 pm weeknight slot. Wagner has already been working as a correspondent after Rachel Maddow took over hosting duties during ... Trump’s first 100 days in office. It’s now expected that Wagner will not return as host, but is expected to stay on as a contributor. Jen Psaki, President Biden’s former White House press secretary, is a likely replacement for Wagner, though a decision has not been finalized." MB: In fairness to Psaki, she is really too boring to watch. On the other hand, she is White. ~~~

     ~~~ RAS: "So MSNBC is getting rid of both of their minority evening hosts. Both women of color who are not afraid to call out the truth. Outspoken minorities don't have a long shelf life in the world of our corporate news media."

 

Contact Marie

Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

Constant Comments

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts. — Anonymous

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolvesEdward R. Murrow

Publisher & Editor: Marie Burns

I have a Bluesky account now. The URL is https://bsky.app/profile/marie-burns.bsky.social . When Reality Chex goes down, check my Bluesky page for whatever info I am able to report on the status of Reality Chex. If you can't access the URL, I found that I could Google Bluesky and ask for Marie Burns. Google will include links to accounts for people whose names are, at least in part, Maria Burns, so you'll have to tell Google you looking only for Marie.

Friday
Apr042025

The Conversation -- April 5, 2025

 If you're looking for a nice family activity to participate in today, get started at this HandsOff! page, which will guide you to protest events in your area. (Also linked yesterday.)

Brian Evans, et al., of CNBC: "The stock market was pounded for a second day Friday after China retaliated with new tariffs on U.S. goods, sparking fears ... Donald Trump has ignited a global trade war that will lead to a recession. Here’s a tally of the stock market damage: The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 2,100 points, or 5.5% on Friday, its biggest decline since June 2020 during the pandemic. This follows a 1,679 point decline on Thursday and brings the drawdown from its record to more than 14%. The S&P 500 nosedived 5.8%, also the biggest decline since June 2020. The benchmark shed 4.84% on Thursday and is now off 17% off its recent high. The Nasdaq Composite. home to many tech companies that sell to China and manufacture there as well, dropped 5.6%. this follows a nearly 6% drop on Thursday. The measure is 22% lower than its December record, a bear market in Wall Street terminology. The selling was broad with only 14 members of the S&P 500 higher on the day. Major market indexes closed at their lows of the session." (Also linked yesterday.) 

Tony Romm of the New York Times: “... Mr. Trump responded to the day of chaos by striking a defiant tone. Having decamped from Washington to Mar-a-Lago, his home in Florida, he declared on Truth Social: 'MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE.' Instead, the president insisted in another post that his strategy was 'ALREADY WORKING,' as he held up a newly released and better-than-expected jobs report, which reflected that U.S. hiring increased in the month before the announcement of his tariffs. At one point, the president even circulated another user’s video that argued 'Trump is purposely CRASHING the market,' in a bid to force the Fed to lower interest rates. He later called on Mr. Powell to do just that, demanding that the independent chair of the central bank 'STOP PLAYING POLITICS.' And Mr. Trump eventually turned his attention to China, attacking the country for having 'PLAYED IT WRONG' by retaliating against the United States.”

Arden Farhi & Kathryn Watson of CBS News: "As stocks continued to slide..., [Donald] Trump is speaking at a $1 million dollar-a-person candlelight dinner Friday at Mar-a-Lago, according to an invitation reviewed by CBS News. The fundraiser is for MAGA Inc, a super PAC that supports Mr. Trump. MAGA Inc. can raise unlimited money but is barred from coordinating directly with Mr. Trump's campaign arm. The fine print for the Friday's invitation says the president is attending as a guest speaker and not soliciting donations. Another $1 million-a-head MAGA Inc. dinner is scheduled for April 24 in Washington, according to the invitation. Donors can 'co-host' that dinner for $2.5 million or become a 'host' for $5 million.... [Because he was busy playing golf game with Saudi princes and all, Trump also missed] Friday's midday dignified transfer of four U.S. soldiers who died in a training accident in Lithuania."

I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things. -- Donald Trump, March 2016

He’s at the peak of just not giving a fuck anymore. -- White House Official, speaking of Trump in April 2025 ~~~

~~~ You know that formula that Trump used to determine tariff rates? Well, guess whose idea it was? Wacky ex-con Peter Navarro's. And guess who chose it over a menu of other, more nuanced formulae? Yes, yes, the dullest tool in the shed, Donald Trump. ~~~

     ~~~ Natalie Allison, et al., of the Washington Post: “After its debut in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, the crude math drew mockery from economists as Trump’s new global trade war prompted a sharp drop in markets.... Inside and outside the White House, advisers say Trump is unbowed even as the world reels from the biggest increase in trade hostilities in a century. They say Trump is unperturbed by negative headlines or criticism from foreign leaders. He is determined to listen to a single voice — his own — to secure what he views as his political legacy.” The article examines the, uh, decision-making process that led to the tariff fiasco. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ For more on Peter Navarro's expertise and how he got to such an important position that he could persuade Donnie Dimwit to singlehandedly destroy the world's economy, here's Rachel Maddow. I've started the video 5-1/2 minutes in to get right to the Navarro bit, but that first 5:30 is an excellent summary of "where we're at," as the kids say, so you may want to back the video on up for that, too: ~~~

     ~~~ I, Marie Burns, will never tire of citing the expert opinions of Brian Remus, though occasionally I do rely on the compelling arguments of Erin Rumbas. (You may find a few of studies conducted by Erin's researcher Amber N. Ruis creeping into my denser works, although Amber's results are more apt to appear in the footnotes.) Anyhow, like Navarro, I use plenty of expert analyses to back up my theories. (This is a joke; you may have to watch the video to get it, unless you're a typoglycemiac.)

David Lynch of the Washington Post: “The tariff barrage that ... Donald Trump unleashed this week on the world economy marks a decisive end to an era of freewheeling globalization that was shaped by American policymakers, business executives and consumers. The United States is now abandoning the system that made it rich and powerful, gambling that it can become more prosperous by waging a global trade war on friend and foe alike. Trump’s new protectionism breaks with international economic policies that were pursued by more than a dozen American presidents as the nation grew into a superpower that boasted a $30 trillion economy, the world’s largest and most innovative.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Justin Wolfers in a New York Times op-ed: “These tariffs are going to hurt. A lot. By my calculations, this round of tariffs may be 50 times as painful as the ones Donald Trump instituted in his first term. That means they are going to reshape your life in much more fundamental ways.... Small tariffs create small problems. Big tariffs create huge ones. Take Mr. Trump’s 25 percent tariff on vehicles, which is expected to raise their prices by roughly $4,000. Many families, like mine, will probably decide not to buy a second car. That creates far bigger problems than an aging washer [would have caused a family because of Trump's 2018 tariffs on washing machines].... And it’s not just cars. These are across-the-board tariffs, so they will distort virtually every purchase you make.... Mr. Trump’s latest tariffs will lead folks to rethink not only whether to replace their washing machines — as they did in 2018 — but also their dryers, refrigerators, stoves, groceries, clothes, cars and even everyday essentials. [The effects of Trump's tariffs] multiply, which means their costs rise in the square of the tariff rate. That leads to some pretty painful arithmetic.”

Colby Smith of the New York Times: “Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, warned that ... [Donald] Trump’s tariffs risk stoking even higher inflation and slower growth than initially expected, as he struck a more downbeat tone about the outlook, despite the economy so far remaining in a 'good place.'... Mr. Powell characterized the risks of that outcome, which he warned could include higher unemployment, as 'elevated.' 'While tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation, it is also possible that the effects could be more persistent,' he said in a speech at a conference in Arlington, Va., on Friday.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Meredith Hill of Politico: “Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon said he plans to introduce a companion bill to the bipartisan Senate legislation aimed at reclaiming Congress’ authority over tariffs, becoming the first House Republican to openly challenge the powers ... Donald Trump is using to launch a massive global trade war.... The Senate bill introduced Thursday by Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) would limit a president’s power to impose tariffs, including allowing Congress to vote to end any tariff at any time. It would also require the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of imposing any duty and for Congress to explicitly approve any new tariffs within 60 days. Four additional Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors to that bill. Bacon’s move is a rare step in the deeply Trump-loyal House Republican conference. Speaker Mike Johnson has no plans to bring any legislation limiting Trump’s tariff authority to the House floor, and House Republicans voted for a measure several weeks ago that effectively barred any lawmaker from trying to force a vote to end the president’s emergency declaration he’s used to implement tariffs.”


Quelle Idiot! Roger Cohen
of the New York Times: “'FREE MARINE LE PEN!' With this blunt call, a strange one in that the French far-right leader is walking the streets of Paris..., [Donald] Trump has waded into the politics of an ally, condemning her conviction this week on embezzlement charges and her disqualification from running for public office. The conviction was 'another example of European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech,' Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. Elon Musk, his billionaire aide, drove home the point: 'Free Le Pen!' Mr. Musk echoed on his social media platform X. More than an extraordinary American intervention in French politics, the statements ignored the overwhelming evidence arrayed against Ms. Le Pen, who was convicted of helping orchestrate over many years a system to divert European taxpayers’ money illicitly to offset the acute financial difficulties of her National Rally party in France.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Katie Mettler & Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: “A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to ask the government of El Salvador to release a man U.S. immigration officers mistakenly deported to a mega-prison there last month, in an emergency ruling after his lawyers argued that the man was at imminent risk of death. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland ordered the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego García, the husband of a U.S. citizen and longtime Maryland resident, to the United States by no later than 11:59 p.m. on Monday. As the judge issued her order, supporters outside the courtroom cheered.” This is a developing story. (Also linked yesterday.) Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Let's see how forcefully the Trumpies make the ask. ~~~

     ~~~ The WashPo story has been updated. And it does now reflect just how hard the administration plans to offer a measure of justice to Abrego Garcia: “The Trump administration immediately appealed the ruling Friday. Officials have argued that they have no power to return Abrego García because he is in the custody of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele.'We suggest the Judge contact President Bukele because we are unaware of the judge having jurisdiction or authority over the country of El Salvador,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an email.” The best thing about Leavitt is that you wouldn't feel ashamed or sorry at all if you slapped her in her smug, petulant, mean-girl face.

Anemona Hartocollis of the New York Times: “A federal judge ordered Friday that the case to free Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts student from Turkey, from immigration detention should be moved to a court in Vermont, denying a government demand to hold the proceedings in Louisiana, where she is being held. Ms. Ozturk, a legal resident on a student visa, was swept up by the government as part of what the Trump administration has described as a campaign against antisemitic activists on campus. In a hearing on Thursday, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the government had stealthily transferred her from Massachusetts, where she was arrested, to Louisiana without informing her lawyers where she was. The lawyer, Adriana Lafaille, suggested the government was seeking a court that would favor its case. Louisiana has one of the most conservative appeals courts in the country.... In her ruling on Friday, Judge Denise Casper of U.S. District Court in Boston, said that Vermont was the proper venue because Ms. Ozturk was being held there overnight at the time that her lawyers — not knowing where she was — filed a petition for her release in Boston. Normally, a petition to free someone would be filed in the jurisdiction where the person was confined.”

Yes, They're Coming for Us. Maria Luisa Paul of the Washington Post: “... recent news reports of at least seven alleged cases have alarmed attorneys, civil rights advocates and immigration scholars who say they reveal the dangers of a system accelerating with few safeguards. As the Trump administration pushes for mass deportations, expands federal enforcement and shutters oversight offices, experts warn citizens are increasingly at risk of getting caught in the dragnet.... Investigations by media outlets, research institutes and oversight agencies have revealed that ICE has arrested, detained, deported and issued detainers — requests to local jails to hold a person in custody — for thousands of citizens since the agency was created in 2003. One 2011 study estimated that roughly 1 to 1.5 percent of deportees are U.S. citizens.” ~~~

~~~ Oops! Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration mistakenly sent an urgent notice this week to some Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion saying it was terminating their provisional legal status in seven days and ordering them to leave the United States 'immediately,' frightening immigrants and advocates across the country. 'A message was sent in error to some Ukrainians' who entered the United States under the Uniting for Ukraine program, said Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. She said the 'parole program has not been terminated.'... The notice, which advocates provided to The Washington Post, echoed rhetoric that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem has deployed on social media to target undocumented immigrants, ordering immigrants to leave, threatening to rescind their work permits and warning they could be criminally prosecuted or fined if they fail to depart.... Rabbi James Greene ...  of Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, which aids immigrants and refugees,” called the language of the email “shameful.”

Okey-doke. Now we have a better picture of Trump's immigration plan:

     ~~~ Scripps News Group: Donald "Trump on Thursday showed reporters an example of the gold card he has proposed that would give immigrants a pathway to citizenship in exchange for a $5 million purchase price. 'You know what that is?' Trump asked as he held up the card. 'It's the gold card, the Trump card.... For $5 million, this can be yours.' The card ... Trump showed to reporters bore his image and signature and the words 'The Trump Card.' It was marked with its $5 million purchase price. The cards are part of a program through which foreigners could fast-track a path to U.S. citizenship. Such a program would be similar to the existing EB-5 visa program, which the U.S. began in 1990 to encourage job creation by foreign investors. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said the 'gold card' system would replace the EB-5 visa program." Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Marie: The competition is intense for the Trump Brownnoser of the Week, but kudos to the person who designed that "Trump card"; s/he might have won the prize. Update: RAS thinks it's a crap AI design.

Adam Liptak & Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: “The Supreme Court on Friday let the Trump administration temporarily suspend $65 million in teacher-training grants that the government contends would promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, an early victory for the administration in front of the justices. The court’s order was unsigned, which is typical when the justices act on emergency applications. The temporary pause will remain in effect while the case is appealed. The decision was 5 to 4, with five of the court’s conservatives — Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M. Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Brett M. Kavanaugh — in the majority. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. voted with the court’s three liberal justices in dissent.... The grants at issue in the case helped place teachers in poor and rural areas and aimed to recruit a diverse work force reflecting the communities it served.” Politico's story is here. MB: Evidently only white teachers can give kids of every race a proper patriotic American education.

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has traditionally been a powerful guardrail in American government. It has issued interpretations of the law that bind agencies across the executive branch, decided which proposed policies were legally permissible or out of bounds and approved draft executive orders before they went to presidents to be signed. But in ... [Donald] Trump’s second term so far, the office has largely been sidelined. As Mr. Trump issues policy after policy pushing legal limits and asserting an expansive view of his power, the White House has undercut its role as a gatekeeper — delaying giving it senior leadership and weakening its ability to impose quality control over executive orders. Its diminished voice is shifting the balance of legal power in the executive branch toward the White House, speeding up Mr. Trump’s ability to act but creating mounting difficulties for the Justice Department lawyers who must defend the government in court.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Jeremy Roebuck of the Washington Post: “Attorney General Pam Bondi [on] Friday ... appeared to foreclose the possibility of a Justice Department investigation into the [top administration officials' use of Signal for sensitive discussions]. 'Those cases would have to be referred to me. They have not been referred to me,' Bondi said, speaking at an unrelated news conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She referred to reports Thursday that the Pentagon’s inspector general will launch his own internal review, and she repeated denials by top officials that the material at issue was classified.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I found this report confusing. The IGs report to their department heads, but according to their own FAQ page, the agency head can't prevent them from conducting an audit or an investigation. Therefore, Bondi has no control over the Pentagon IG's investigation nor indeed over any investigation the DOJ's IG might choose to conduct.

It turns out that RFKJ is as big a liar as his boss. Very impressive: ~~~

~~~ Adam Cancryn of Politico: “When HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday that he planned to rehire 20 percent of the employees he’d just terminated, he insisted such a move was 'always the plan.' Turns out, it wasn’t the plan at all. HHS has no intention of reinstating any significant number of the staffers fired as part of a mass reduction-in-force on Tuesday, despite Kennedy’s assertion that some had been mistakenly cut, a person familiar with the department’s plans told Politico. The layoffs eliminated roughly 10,000 jobs across HHS, gutting several public health offices and purging prominent senior scientists from the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health. They came after the department had already jettisoned 10,000 people who took early retirement and voluntary separation offers encouraged by the Trump administration.... The chaos has deepened concerns about HHS’ ability to function under Kennedy’s leadership, prompting criticism from public health experts and industry officials and fueling fears that the cuts will weaken the nation’s defense against a range of health threats.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: One thing nobody seems to mention is that the drastic cuts in services across the federal government will do very little (or nothing) to reduce costs to taxpayers (and others). First, of course, is the fact that employee salaries are a small part (less than 5 percent) of federal expenditures. But some of the services the feds have provided for decades are so important or necessary or popular that other entities will try to fill the gap. When those other entities are state or local governments, taxpayers will pay for them. And there's a good chance that it will cost more to start up these new local facilities, & to run multiple new agencies to do the same thing that the feds had mastered as a one-stop-shop. Private groups -- foundations, charities, churches -- may take up some of the slack, and somebody has to fund those groups and do that work. The Trump/Musk "efficiencies" and not at all a boon to the taxpayer; the only beneficiaries will be those like Trump & Musk and their cronies who corruptly benefit from the ruse.

Margot Sanger-Katz & Rebecca Robbins of the New York Times: “The Trump administration on Friday rejected a Biden plan that would have required Medicare and Medicaid to cover obesity drugs and expanded access for millions of people. Under the law that established Medicare’s Part D drug benefits, the program was forbidden from paying for drugs for 'weight loss.' But the Biden administration’s proposal last November had attempted to sidestep that ban by arguing that the drugs would be allowed to treat the disease of obesity and its related conditions. Expanding coverage of the drugs would have cost the federal government billions of dollars. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the federal expense would amount to about $35 billion over 10 years. The decision announced Friday was part of a larger 438-page regulation updating parts of Medicare’s Part D drug benefits and Medicare Advantage, the private insurance plans that about half of Medicare beneficiaries now use.”

Zach Montague of the New York Times: “A federal judge permanently barred the Trump administration on Friday from limiting funding from the National Institutes of Health that supports research at universities and academic medical centers, restoring billions of dollars in grant money but setting up an almost certain appeal. The ruling by Judge Angel Kelley, of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts, made an earlier temporary order by her permanent and was one of the first final decisions in the barrage of lawsuits against the Trump administration. But it came about in an unusual way: The government asked the court to enter that very verdict earlier on Friday so it could move ahead with an appeal. The decision nonetheless was an initial win for a diverse assortment of institutions that conduct medical research. After the Trump administration announced the policy change in February, scores of research hospitals and universities issued dire warnings that the proposal threatened to kneecap American scientific prowess and innovation, estimating that the change could force those institutions to collectively cover a nearly $4 billion shortfall.”

Senate Passes Screw-You Budget Blueprint. Catie Edmondson & Maya Miller of the New York Times: “The Senate approved Republicans’ budget blueprint just after 2:30 a.m. on Saturday to clear the way for passing ... [Donald] Trump’s domestic agenda, after Democrats forced an overnight session to protest the G.O.P. push to deliver what the president has called 'one big beautiful bill' of spending and tax cuts. The 51-to-48 vote, mostly along party lines, was a crucial step in the Republican effort to fast-track budget legislation through Congress and shield it from a filibuster through a process known as reconciliation. Disagreements between Republicans in the House and the Senate about what should be in that bill had paralyzed them for weeks, but they have forged a fragile and complex compromise allowing them to move forward. Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine were the only Republicans who voted to oppose the measure. The budget blueprint goes next to the House, which must adopt it before lawmakers in both chambers can set to work drafting the legislation laying out the specific tax and spending cuts they want to enact.... The budget resolution itself leaves big questions unresolved.” ~~~

     ~~~ During the vote-a-rama that preceded passage of the blueprint, all of the Democrats' amendments failed. But “Senators did vote 51 to 48 to adopt an amendment offered by [Dan] Sullivan [R-Alaska]vowing to protect Medicare and Medicaid.” The AP's report is here. ~~~

~~~ The budget plan passed only because of a tremendous stunt Senate GOP leadership pulled: ~~~

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: “... as ... Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader..., maneuvers to push through ... [Donald] Trump’s domestic agenda, including a huge tax cut, he is making an end run around the filibuster through procedural sleight of hand, alarming members of both parties.... At issue is the Republican use of a complex process known as budget reconciliation to try to deliver trillions of dollars in tax cuts later this year.... It is the only way to shield major legislation from a filibuster....But the exception is intended to be narrow. In exchange for filibuster protection, lawmakers must follow a rigorous set of budgetary rules meant to ensure that the legislation in question will not add to the deficit.

“The Senate parliamentarian is in charge of interpreting and enforcing those rules, and ordering lawmakers to strip out any provisions that do not comply. But this year, Senate Republicans are saying they will rely on their own interpretation of the budget rules where it concerns their tax cut plans, sidestepping the parliamentarian altogether. They are doing so in order to claim that extending tax cuts enacted in 2017 and set to expire at the end of this year, a move estimated to cost about $4 trillion over a decade, would actually cost nothing because the tax cuts are already in place.” Emphasis added. ~~~

~~~ Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post: describes the GOP attempt to hide the ball as “Orwellian”: “[Trump's tax] cuts are very expensive. Not only do they include extensions of the 2017 tax law provisions (set to expire this year), but they also lower corporate rates as well as carveouts for tips, auto loan payments and other goodies. In total, Trump’s preferred tax agenda could cost between $5 trillion and $11 trillion over the next decade.” Rampell puts the blame not on Thune but on Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Budget Committee and who claims to have magical super-arithmetic powers to determine the baseline budget.

Marie: Did you think big law firms might be headed by cynical, oneygrubbing, amoral cowards? You know, like the stereotypical ones you see on teevee? Well, yes, yes, they are. ~~~

~~~ The Bigger They Are, the Harder Their Hearts. Ben Protess of the New York Times: “More than 500 law firms on Friday threw their support behind some of their embattled peers, declaring that ... [Donald] Trump’s recent crackdown on the law firm industry poses 'a grave threat to our system of constitutional governance and to the rule of law itself.' The firms, 504 in all, signed a so-called friend of the court brief that was filed on behalf of Perkins Coie, the first firm to receive an executive order restricting its business. Perkins Coie sued the Trump administration, and a judge has temporarily blocked the president’s order, which jeopardized its ability to represent government contractors and limited its access to federal buildings.... Not a single top 20 firm by revenue, as ranked by American Lawyer, signed [the brief], including Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins or Gibson Dunn. Yet in recent days, a few large firms did add their signatures, including Covington & Burling, No. 28 in American Lawyer’s rankings; and Arnold & Porter, No. 47. Two other big firms that received executive orders and are also challenging them in court, WilmerHale and Jenner & Block, also signed. All told, nearly 10 firms in the top 100 signed the brief. Other friend of the court briefs were also filed in support of Perkins Coie, including one signed by both the A.C.L.U. and the Cato Institute, the Washington-based libertarian think tank.”

Vimal Patel of the New York Times: “Former President Barack Obama urged universities to resist attacks from the federal government that violate their academic freedom in a campus speech on Thursday. He also said schools and students should engage in self-reflection about speech environments on their campuses.... In his remarks on Thursday, Mr. Obama also called on law firms, which have also faced threats from the Trump administration, to stand for their principles, even if they risked losing business. Mr. Obama told the crowd, which included college students, that everyone should stand up for the rights of others to say wrong and hurtful things.” Here's a video of a portion of President Obama's remarks. MB: I am distressed by his elder-statesman caution. Measured tones are fine, but the message should be forceful.

Philip Marcelo of the AP: “Prosecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison for disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos after he pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York argued in a court filing Friday that a significant sentence was warranted because the New York Republican’s 'unparalleled crimes' had 'made a mockery' of the country’s election system. 'From his creation of a wholly fictitious biography to his callous theft of money from elderly and impaired donors, Santos’s unrestrained greed and voracious appetite for fame enabled him to exploit the very system by which we select our representatives,' the office wrote. Prosecutors also argued that Santos had been 'unrepentant and defiant' for years, dismissing the prosecution as a 'witch hunt' and refusing to resign from Congress as his web of lies was debunked.... A federal judge on Long Island is scheduled to decide Santos’ sentence during a court hearing April 25.” MB: Won't Trump pardon this obvious mini-Trump replica doll?

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New York. He Seems Nice. Santul Nerkar & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: “A violent felon whose sentence was commuted by ... [Donald] Trump was arrested Friday and charged with violating the terms of his supervised release after he was accused of a string of crimes that included assaulting a 3-year-old child. The man, Jonathan Braun, was arraigned in Federal District Court in Brooklyn before Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto. Prosecutors asked Judge Matsumoto that Mr. Braun be held indefinitely without bail. The judge, noting the violent nature of Mr. Braun’s accused repeated offenses, ordered that he not be released.... Mr. Braun ... appeared agitated throughout the proceeding. He complained about his legal representation and gave the middle finger to people sitting in the courtroom.... It was the fifth time that Mr. Braun had been arrested since Mr. Trump commuted his 10-year sentence just before leaving office in 2021, which was among a raft of last-minute clemencies granted to those with ties to the president. Mr. Braun’s sentence was commuted after his family used a connection with Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law who was a senior White House adviser, to get the matter before Mr. Trump....

[Besides making predatory loans that resulted in a $20 million FTC fine & a state ban from working in the cash-advance business,] Mr. Braun has also been accused of crimes that include swinging a pole that contained intravenous bags at a nurse; threatening a synagogue congregant who had asked him to stop talking during services; punching his wife and 75-year-old father-in-law; and grabbing a nanny’s breast as he touched himself.” MB: Poor Trump. The things he must do for the in-laws.

North Carolina. Eduardo Medina & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: “In the prolonged legal battle over a North Carolina Supreme Court seat, a state appeals court panel ruled on Friday that tens of thousands of voters would need to promptly verify their eligibility or have their ballots thrown out. The decision could lead to the results of the November election being overturned. The ruling was a win for Judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican who narrowly lost the election in November and challenged the result. His opponent, Justice Allison Riggs, is one of two Democrats on the seven-member Supreme Court. The case has tested the boundaries of post-election litigation and drawn wide criticism. Judge Griffin’s legal argument centers on a claim that some 65,000 people who voted early or by mail in the Supreme Court election did not provide required proof of identity — either the last four digits of a Social Security number or a driver’s license number — when they registered.” (Also linked yesterday.) The NBC News report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "Barring an act of consc[i]ence on the part of the Republican-controlled top North Carolina appellate court or the federal courts — LOL — this election will be outright stolen by retroactively changing the rules for one election held in North Carolina and none of the others."

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Ukraine, et al. Constant Méheut of the New York Times: “A Russian missile strike Friday on Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine [that is the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky], killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 50, local officials said. It was the latest in a series of Russian attacks on urban centers in recent days that have caused significant civilian casualties despite ongoing cease-fire talks. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih’s defense council, said on social media that five children were among the dead. He said the missile struck a residential neighborhood, with a playground nearby. Other officials warned the death toll could rise as rescuers continued to search the rubble for victims.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Russian War Crimes. Kim Barker of the New York Times: “In recent months, Ukrainian and international human-rights officials have accused Russian troops of executing Ukrainian soldiers who have surrendered instead of taking them as prisoners of war, as required under the Geneva Conventions treaties that outline how nations should treat enemy forces and civilians during armed conflict. A recent U.N. report decried an 'alarming spike' in Russian executions of Ukrainian prisoners. In December, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman office announced that 177 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been executed on the battlefield since the beginning of the war; of those, 109 were killed in 2024 alone. Russians have killed at least 25 additional Ukrainian soldiers since then, according to Artem Starosiek, who runs Molfar, a Ukrainian consultancy that supports the war effort and analyzed videos to come up with that tally. The Times could not independently verify that count.... Five Ukrainian drone pilots said in interviews that they had watched as drone videos showed their fellow soldiers surrendering, only to be killed. On Telegram, such videos have become commonplace.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Friday
Apr042025

The Conversation -- April 4, 2025

Brian Evans, et al., of CNBC: "The stock market was pounded for a second day Friday after China retaliated with new tariffs on U.S. goods, sparking fears ... Donald Trump has ignited a global trade war that will lead to a recession. Here’s a tally of the stock market damage: The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 2,100 points, or 5.5% on Friday, its biggest decline since June 2020 during the pandemic. This follows a 1,679 point decline on Thursday and brings the drawdown from its record to more than 14%. The S&P 500 nosedived 5.8%, also the biggest decline since June 2020. The benchmark shed 4.84% on Thursday and is now off 17% off its recent high. The Nasdaq Composite. home to many tech companies that sell to China and manufacture there as well, dropped 5.6%. this follows a nearly 6% drop on Thursday. The measure is 22% lower than its December record, a bear market in Wall Street terminology. The selling was broad with only 14 members of the S&P 500 higher on the day. Major market indexes closed at their lows of the session."

Katie Mettler & Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: “A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to ask the government of El Salvador to release a man U.S. immigration officers mistakenly deported to a mega-prison there last month, in an emergency ruling after his lawyers argued that the man was at imminent risk of death. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland ordered the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego García, the husband of a U.S. citizen and longtime Maryland resident, to the United States by no later than 11:59 p.m. on Monday. As the judge issued her order, supporters outside the courtroom cheered.” This is a developing story. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Let's see how forcefully the Trumpies make the ask. 

Okey-doke. Now we have a better picture of Trump's immigration plan:

     ~~~ Scripps News Group: Donald "Trump on Thursday showed reporters an example of the gold card he has proposed that would give immigrants a pathway to citizenship in exchange for a $5 million purchase price. 'You know what that is?' Trump asked as he held up the card. 'It's the gold card, the Trump card.... For $5 million, this can be yours.' The card ... Trump showed to reporters bore his image and signature and the words 'The Trump Card.' It was marked with its $5 million purchase price. The cards are part of a program through which foreigners could fast-track a path to U.S. citizenship. Such a program would be similar to the existing EB-5 visa program, which the U.S. began in 1990 to encourage job creation by foreign investors. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said the 'gold card' system would replace the EB-5 visa program." Thanks to RAS for the link.

     ~~~ Marie: The competition is intense for the Trump Brownnoser of the Week, but kudos to the person who designed that "Trump card"; s/he might have won the prize.

I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things. -- Donald Trump, March 2016

He’s at the peak of just not giving a fuck anymore. -- White House Official, speaking of Trump in April 2025 ~~~

~~~ You know that formula that Trump used to determine tariff rates? Well, guess whose idea it was? Wacky Peter Navarro's. And guess who chose it over a menu of other, more nuanced formulae? Yes, yes, the dullest tool in the shed, Donald Trump. ~~~

     ~~~ Natalie Allison, et al., of the Washington Post: “After its debut in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, the crude math drew mockery from economists as Trump’s new global trade war prompted a sharp drop in markets.... Inside and outside the White House, advisers say Trump is unbowed even as the world reels from the biggest increase in trade hostilities in a century. They say Trump is unperturbed by negative headlines or criticism from foreign leaders. He is determined to listen to a single voice — his own — to secure what he views as his political legacy.” The article examines the, uh, decision-making process that led to the tariff fiasco.

David Lynch of the Washington Post: “The tariff barrage that ... Donald Trump unleashed this week on the world economy marks a decisive end to an era of freewheeling globalization that was shaped by American policymakers, business executives and consumers. The United States is now abandoning the system that made it rich and powerful, gambling that it can become more prosperous by waging a global trade war on friend and foe alike. Trump’s new protectionism breaks with international economic policies that were pursued by more than a dozen American presidents as the nation grew into a superpower that boasted a $30 trillion economy, the world’s largest and most innovative.”

Colby Smith of the New York Times: “Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, warned that ... [Donald] Trump’s tariffs risk stoking even higher inflation and slower growth than initially expected, as he struck a more downbeat tone about the outlook, despite the economy so far remaining in a 'good place.'... Mr. Powell characterized the risks of that outcome, which he warned could include higher unemployment, as 'elevated.' 'While tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation, it is also possible that the effects could be more persistent,' he said in a speech at a conference in Arlington, Va., on Friday.”

Quelle Idiot! Roger Cohen of the New York Times: “'FREE MARINE LE PEN!' With this blunt call, a strange one in that the French far-right leader is walking the streets of Paris..., [Donald] Trump has waded into the politics of an ally, condemning her conviction this week on embezzlement charges and her disqualification from running for public office. The conviction was 'another example of European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech,' Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. Elon Musk, his billionaire aide, drove home the point: 'Free Le Pen!' Mr. Musk echoed on his social media platform X. More than an extraordinary American intervention in French politics, the statements ignored the overwhelming evidence arrayed against Ms. Le Pen, who was convicted of helping orchestrate over many years a system to divert European taxpayers’ money illicitly to offset the acute financial difficulties of her National Rally party in France.”

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has traditionally been a powerful guardrail in American government. It has issued interpretations of the law that bind agencies across the executive branch, decided which proposed policies were legally permissible or out of bounds and approved draft executive orders before they went to presidents to be signed. But in ... [Donald] Trump’s second term so far, the office has largely been sidelined. As Mr. Trump issues policy after policy pushing legal limits and asserting an expansive view of his power, the White House has undercut its role as a gatekeeper — delaying giving it senior leadership and weakening its ability to impose quality control over executive orders. Its diminished voice is shifting the balance of legal power in the executive branch toward the White House, speeding up Mr. Trump’s ability to act but creating mounting difficulties for the Justice Department lawyers who must defend the government in court.”

North Carolina. Eduardo Medina & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: “In the prolonged legal battle over a North Carolina Supreme Court seat, a state appeals court panel ruled on Friday that tens of thousands of voters would need to promptly verify their eligibility or have their ballots thrown out. The decision could lead to the results of the November election being overturned. The ruling was a win for Judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican who narrowly lost the election in November and challenged the result. His opponent, Justice Allison Riggs, is one of two Democrats on the seven-member Supreme Court. The case has tested the boundaries of post-election litigation and drawn wide criticism. Judge Griffin’s legal argument centers on a claim that some 65,000 people who voted early or by mail in the Supreme Court election did not provide required proof of identity — either the last four digits of a Social Security number or a driver’s license number — when they registered.”

Constant Méheut of the New York Times: “A Russian missile strike Friday on Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine [that is the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky], killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 50, local officials said. It was the latest in a series of Russian attacks on urban centers in recent days that have caused significant civilian casualties despite ongoing cease-fire talks. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih’s defense council, said on social media that five children were among the dead. He said the missile struck a residential neighborhood, with a playground nearby. Other officials warned the death toll could rise as rescuers continued to search the rubble for victims.”

Russian War Crimes. Kim Barker of the New York Times: “In recent months, Ukrainian and international human-rights officials have accused Russian troops of executing Ukrainian soldiers who have surrendered instead of taking them as prisoners of war, as required under the Geneva Conventions treaties that outline how nations should treat enemy forces and civilians during armed conflict. A recent U.N. report decried an 'alarming spike' in Russian executions of Ukrainian prisoners. In December, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman office announced that 177 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been executed on the battlefield since the beginning of the war; of those, 109 were killed in 2024 alone. Russians have killed at least 25 additional Ukrainian soldiers since then, according to Artem Starosiek, who runs Molfar, a Ukrainian consultancy that supports the war effort and analyzed videos to come up with that tally. The Times could not independently verify that count.... Five Ukrainian drone pilots said in interviews that they had watched as drone videos showed their fellow soldiers surrendering, only to be killed. On Telegram, such videos have become commonplace.”

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If you're looking for a nice family activity to participate in Saturday, get started at this HandsOff! page, which will guide you to protest events in your area. (Also linked yesterday.)

Heather Cox Richardson: “Today, before the stock market opened, Trump posted on his social media site: '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!!!'... Trump justified the tariffs by declaring that the U.S. is in the midst of a national emergency, but this afternoon he left the White House for a long weekend in Florida, where his private Doral resort outside of Miami is holding the first domestic golf tournament of the season of LIV Golf, which is financed by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. Trump’s tariffs are not an economic policy. Tariffs are generally imposed on products, not on nations.... While Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CBS, 'You’re going to see employment leaping starting today,' in fact, both automaker Stellantis and appliance manufacturer Whirlpool announced layoffs because of the tariffs. Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo points out that building and establishing a new plant in the U.S. will take a minimum of three to five years even if investors are inclined to support one, but Victoria Guida reported in Politico that corporate executives are saying they cannot invest in manufacturing until they can project costs, and Trump is far too unpredictable to enable them to do that with any confidence....”

     ~~~ Marie: Do read on. Richardson covers quite a few important points, the most salient, IMO, is this: "Ending systems of global free trade dovetails with the idea of getting rid of the international rules-based order created after World War II." That "rules-based order" "provide[s] ways in which countries could protect their sovereignty and work out their differences without going to war." Emphasis mine. (As for that golf outing with the Saudis ~~~

     ~~~ Erik De La Garza of the Raw Story: “... Donald Trump created an uproar Thursday evening after reports emerged that he would skip the dignified transfer of the four U.S. soldiers who died in Lithuania for a golf event.... 'Thousands of Lithuanians lined the streets with dignity and respect to honor the four lost American soldiers,' Matt McDermott posted on X. 'Trump prioritized golf over their dignified transfer.'”) ~~~

~~~  Jonathan Last of the Bulwark takes an intensely bleak view of U.S. prospects: "It took just 71 days for Donald Trump to wreck the American economy, mortally wound NATO, and destroy the American-led world order. He did this with the enthusiastic support of the entire Republican party and conservative movement. He did it with the support of a plurality of American voters. He did not hide his intentions. He campaigned on them. He made them the central thrust of his election. He told Americans that he would betray our allies and give up our leadership position in the world.... Half of the electorate — the 77 million people who voted for Trump — as either fundamentally unserious, decadent, or weak. And no empire can survive the degeneration of its people.... There is no going back....

~We have a deeply stupid government — from our economically illiterate president to our craven and foolish secretary of state, from the freelancing billionaire dilettante who is gutting American soft power to the vaccine-denying health secretary who is firing as much talent as he can. From the senior economics advisor who thinks comic books are good investments, to the senators who voted to confirm this cabinet of hacks, to the representatives who stumble over themselves justifying each new inane MAGA pronouncement. But also, we have the government we deserve."

Brian Evans, et al., of CNBC: "Stocks plummeted Thursday, sending the S&P 500 back into correction territory for its biggest one-day loss since 2020, after ... Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs, raising the risk of a global trade war that plunges the economy into a recession. The broad market index dropped 4.84% and settled at 5,396.52, posting its worst day since June 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Tumbled 1,679.39 points, or 3.98%, to close at 40,545.93 and mark its worst session since June 2020. The Nasdaq Composite  plummeted 5.97% and ended at 16,550.61, registering its biggest decline since March 2020. The slide across equities was broad, with more than 400 of the S&P 500′s constituents posting losses. Thursday’s moves sent the S&P 500 to its lowest level since before Trump’s election win in November. The benchmark now sits about 12% from its record close touched in February. Shares of multinational companies tumbled." (Also linked yesterday.)

Christian Shepherd, et al., of the Washington Post: “China said Friday that it will impose a 34 percent tariff on U.S. goods, matching levies targeting China by ... Donald Trump that Beijing called 'inconsistent with international trade rules.' The announcement was made by China’s State Council, the country’s cabinet, which also condemned 'unilateral bullying' by the United States in a statement. China’s Ministry of Commerce also announced a slew of non-tariff measures Friday, including the suspension of export licenses for 16 U.S. firms over allegations of products having military applications, and adding 11 companies to its 'unreliable entities list.'... China’s measures came as stock markets in Asia and Europe fell sharply Friday....” Politico's story is here.

John Tasker of CBC News: "Liberal Leader [MB: and Prime Minister] Mark Carney said Thursday ... Donald Trump's move to levy tariffs on virtually every country will 'rupture the global economy,' torpedo economic growth and prompt devastating consequences for workers and businesses in this country and around the world. Carney said Trump's tariffs against Canadian goods are 'unjustified, unwarranted and, in our judgment, misguided,' and the country must hit back with what he called carefully calibrated and targeted countermeasures' to make it clear Canada will not stand for this sort of economic broadside. The Liberal leader said the government will levy a tariff on U.S.-made vehicles that are not compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, to match what the Americans did to the Canadian auto industry Wednesday."

Max Boot of the Washington Post: “... assuming that Americans continue to buy as many imports as they did last year, [Donald Trump's] plan would amount to an $880 billion annual tax hike that will be paid not, as Trump insists, by foreigners but by U.S. businesses and consumers. That’s 2.9 percent of gross domestic product, which would make this the largest tax increase since 1942. And that’s not even counting the cost of the likely retaliation from affected nations — or the billions lost in the stock market in response to Trump’s announcement. If Trump were trying to implement an income tax hike of similar magnitude by executive order, it would be plainly unconstitutional. Everyone knows that only Congress can set tax rates. What’s different about tariffs? On its face, nothing. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution states: 'The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.' The McKinley Tariff that Trump has said he admires was not an executive order signed by President William McKinley; it was legislation sponsored by McKinley when he was chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. So, too, the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act — which did much to worsen the Great Depression — was passed by Congress.” Read on. Boot explains why at least one expert calls Trump's imposition of tariffs under supposed emergencies to be abuses of power. (Also linked yesterday.)

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: Trumpslapped some surprisingly high tariffs on key allies — including Israel and Vietnam — while sparing nations such as Russia, Cuba and North Korea altogether.... [Also not on the list: Vatican City, Burkina Faso, Seychelles, Somalia and Belarus.] The charts [he displayed (images linked here yesterday)] listed the percentages that the countries allegedly are taxing U.S. goods next to each country and territory under the heading 'Tariffs Charged to the U.S.A.,' with the following in smaller print: 'Including Currency Manipulation and Trade Barriers.' Trump then just charged most countries half of what they purportedly were charging us. But that’s not where the numbers appear to actually come from. As financial journalist James Surowiecki quickly figured out, the White House seems to have used a very simplistic formula: Our trade deficit with that country, divided by the country’s exports to us. That’s a measure of something, but it’s not, strictly speaking, about tariffs. It’s about a trade imbalance. The White House denied Surowiecki’s claim, pointing to a mathematical formula featuring Greek symbols. But when that formula is deconstructed, it appears as simple as he claimed.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Hilarious. The White House dummkopfs think if you slap some Greek symbols onto a super-simple algebraic equation (X = A/B), it's suddenly higher mathematics that only an MIT professor can grasp.

Ben Leonard of Politico: “Sen. Chuck Grassley, a senior Republican lawmaker from the farm-heavy state of Iowa, is spearheading new legislation that would reassert Congress’ authority over tariffs amid ... Donald Trump’s trade war escalation. The measure, jointly introduced Thursday with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), would limit the president’s power to impose tariffs. It would require the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of such an imposition and for Congress to explicitly approve any new tariffs within 60 days. The bill also would allow Congress to end any tariff at any time. It’s highly unlikely this proposal will ever become law. Still, support from Grassley — who chairs the Judiciary Committee, sits on the Finance Committee and is third in line for the presidency as the Senate’s president pro tempore — sends a strong signal about the GOP’s growing unease with Trump’s actions and the party’s willingness to say something about it.” ~~~

~~~ Lie Down, Roll Over, Play Dead. Katherine Tully-McManus, et al., of Politico: “Meanwhile, Republicans on Capitol Hill — who could use their own votes to stop the new tariffs cold — made clear they had no intention of acting anytime soon.... In interview after interview Thursday, as the markets sunk deeper and deeper, senators made clear they would not be sticking their necks out on the issue.... One bipartisan proposal introduced Thursday by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) would limit presidential power on tariffs.... But only a handful of Senate Republicans expressed interest in that measure....” BUT ~~~

~~~ Sahil Kapur & Scott Wong of NBC News: “The fallout from ... Donald Trump's aggressive new tariffs has spurred Congress into action, with a growing number of Republicans joining Democrats to express interest in using their power to restrain him. After the GOP-led Senate delivered a rare rebuke to Trump on Wednesday by voting to undo his tariffs on Canada, lawmakers in both chambers are weighing additional steps to rein him in. Senators are eyeing other mechanisms to rescind Trump’s existing tariffs while limiting his ability to impose new ones. And Democrats in the House are exploring ways to force a vote to revoke Canadian tariffs, putting out feelers to attract support from Republicans. These efforts have a high bar for success as any resolution to undo Trump’s tariffs, or new law affecting his powers, would have to get around a presidential veto.”

This looks like a joke in which someone is supposed to ask, "How expensive ARE Easter Eggs?" But it's a real New York Times headline: "Easter Eggs Are So Expensive Americans Are Dyeing Potatoes."


Maggie Haberman
, et al., of the New York Times: Donald “Trump fired six National Security Council officials after an extraordinary meeting in the Oval Office with the far-right activist Laura Loomer, who laid out a list of people she believed were disloyal to the president, U.S. officials said on Thursday.... The decision came after Ms. Loomer vilified the staff members by name during the meeting on Wednesday, when she walked into the White House with a sheaf of papers attacking the character and loyalty of numerous N.S.C. officials. Michael Waltz, the national security adviser, joined later in the meeting and briefly defended some of his staff, though it was clear he had little if any power to protect their jobs. It was a remarkable spectacle: Ms. Loomer, who has floated the baseless conspiracy theory that the Sept. 11 attacks were an 'inside job' and is viewed as extreme even by some of Mr. Trump’s far-right allies, was apparently wielding more influence over the staff of the National Security Council than Mr. Waltz, who runs the agency.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Julian Barnes of the New York Times: “The head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command was removed from his job on Thursday, according to the top Democrats on the congressional intelligence committees. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut condemned the ouster of Gen. Timothy D. Haugh, who led both the spy agency and the military command.... A spokeswoman for Cyber Command said she could not confirm General Haugh’s removal, and referred questions to the Pentagon, which did not respond to a request for comment. A White House spokeswoman did not confirm the ouster. But a U.S. official briefed on the matter said Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and outside adviser to ... [Donald] Trump, called for General Haugh’s removal during her Oval Office meeting on Thursday. Mr. Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to fire General Haugh....

“'I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first — I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this administration,' Mr. Himes said.... Current and former officials said General Haugh’s deputy at the National Security Agency, Wendy Noble, was also removed from her post, and potentially reassigned to another position at the Pentagon. Current and former officials said General Haugh’s deputy at the National Security Agency, Wendy Noble, was also removed from her post, and potentially reassigned to another position at the Pentagon.... [An] official] said neither General Haugh nor Ms. Noble was told why they were being removed, only that 'your services are no longer required.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: “The firings were advocated for by far-right activist Laura Loomer during a meeting with ... Donald Trump on Wednesday, she confirmed to The Washington Post on Thursday evening.... 'NSA Director Tim Haugh and his deputy Wendy Noble have been disloyal to President Trump,' Loomer said in a post on X early Friday. 'That is why they have been fired.' Loomer told The Post that she urged Trump to dismiss Haugh because he was 'handpicked' by Gen. Mark A. Milley, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2023 when Haugh was nominated to lead Cyber Command and the NSA. As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff..., Milley would have had a role in helping select the nominee for Cyber Command.... Noble was reassigned to a job within the Pentagon’s Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. The NSA is part of the department.” The NBC News story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Got that? A crazy right-wing extremist and conspiracy theorist who hates Muslims and says 9/11 was an "inside job" is making personnel decisions for the National Security Agency and has fired -- among others -- the head of the agency, who is a decorated four-star Air Force general. BUT ...

     ~~~ Dan Nexon in LG&$: "Frankly, the explanation being leaked — that an unhinged conspiracy theorist talked Trump into removing Haugh and Noble is the best-case scenario. As numerous people have pointed out, this is also what we’d expect to see if Haugh and Noble refused an illegal surveillance order."

Alex Horton & Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: “The Pentagon inspector general’s office said Thursday that it will scrutinize disclosures made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth using the unclassified messaging app Signal, as he and other top Trump administration officials coordinated a highly sensitive military operation last month in Yemen, complying with a request from Republicans and Democrats in Congress. Steven A. Stebbins, the Pentagon’s acting inspector general, said in a memo to Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg that the review will 'determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business.' It also will 'review compliance with classification and records retention requirements,' Stebbins wrote.”

Like Taking Candy from a Whiney Baby. Robyn Dixon & Catherine Belton of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration has twice claimed major progress in peace talks over the war between Russia and Ukraine, with partial ceasefires on energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea, only to see all sides present wildly different interpretations on what had been agreed on as the fighting continues.... Critics contend that the U.S. negotiation team is no match for the hardened ex-Soviet officials with decades of negotiating experience and knowledge of Ukraine.... The U.S. team is not made up of experienced Russia experts, said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, while Trump’s main Russia envoy, Steve Witkoff, is a property developer and friend of the president.... 'The Russians expect that Trump may be the gift that keeps on giving to Russian foreign policy goals,' said Gabuev, including 'destroying transatlantic unity, which has been [a] Russian foreign policy goal for many years, if not centuries.'”

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “A federal judge in Washington said on Thursday that there was a 'fair likelihood' that the Trump administration had violated an order he issued last month to stop deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th-century wartime law. Speaking at a hearing, the judge, James E. Boasberg, said that he was likely to wait until next week to issue a ruling about whether the White House was in contempt of court for having ignored his order. The announcement that he would delay a final decision came after he spent nearly an hour in a remarkable interrogation of a Justice Department lawyer [Drew Ensign].... Mr. Ensign often stumbled as he tried to respond to Judge Boasberg’s inquiries. He repeatedly said that he either did not know the answers or asserted that the information was protected by attorney-client privilege.... Justice Department lawyers have repeatedly stonewalled Judge Boasberg’s efforts to query them about what administration officials knew about his order stopping the flights and when they knew it.” Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: There are many reasons I'm not a judge. One of them is that I would have thrown Ensign in jail right then and there to see if a nice time-out in solitary confinement would help refresh his memory as to who-all might have earned the privilege of joining him.

Kari Lake Defies Court Order. Minho Kim of the New York Times: “The Trump administration has failed to disburse congressionally approved funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the news network originally set up to counter Soviet propaganda during the Cold War, despite a judge’s order to keep it operating, according to court filings and officials at the news organization. The news group, known as RFE/RL, has not received nearly $12 million for its April funding from the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the federal entity overseeing it. The unusual delay in the disbursement has forced the news organization, which relies almost exclusively on congressional funding, to furlough some of its staff and cut parts of its programming.... The U.S. Agency for Global Media also canceled satellite contracts for RFE/RL on Thursday, potentially hampering the delivery of Russian-language programs from the news outlet.... Around 40 partner stations in Europe that broadcast Radio Free Europe’s live programs in Russian rely on satellites.... Kari Lake, a Trump-appointed special adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, said in a statement on Thursday that the administration had not disbursed the funding in an effort to increase oversight and ensure accountability.”

Cheyenne Haslett of ABC News: "On the heels of terminating 10,000 jobs from the Department of Health and Human Services this week, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told ABC News some programs would soon be reinstated because they were mistakenly cut.... Kennedy's comments were in response to a question about a branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that monitors lead exposure levels among children and manages prevention across the country. The program was gutted on Tuesday. 'There were some programs that were cut that are being reinstated, and I believe that that's one,' Kennedy said. Kennedy did not provide details on what other programs might be reinstated, or when.... Despite calling some program cuts a 'mistake,' Kennedy has maintained that no 'essential services' or 'frontline' jobs would be impacted by HHS's massive restructuring. That was news to Erik Svendsen, the director of the division that oversaw the CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention branch, who told ABC News in an interview that the work was completely stopped. Svendsen had not received any indication it would be reinstated or continued through another part of the CDC.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I make plenty of "mistakes" myself, but I think I'd figure out -- if I was slashing my way through the CDC -- that an office with the title "Lead Poisoning Prevention" was engaged in preventing lead-poisoning. And if had no idea whether or not lead-poisoning was a bad thing that should be, you know, prevented, I'd ask. Please don't tell us "mistakes were made." This has all been purposeful destruction of public services, most of which taxpayers anticipate will services they expect the government to provide. ~~~

     ~~~ Sophie Gardner of Politico lists some of the CDC services that Kennedy/DOGE have cut in their "restructuring" effort.

Anemona Hartocollis, et al., of the New York Times: “The Trump administration intends to block $510 million in federal contracts and grants for Brown University, expanding its campaign to hold universities accountable for what it says is relentless antisemitism on campus, according to two White House officials familiar with the plans. Brown became the fifth university known to face a potentially dire loss of federal funding, leaving other universities that the administration has targeted wondering when their turn might come.”

Michael Bender & Stephanie Saul of the New York Times: “The Trump administration sent Harvard a list of demands on Thursday that would have to be met to end a government review of $9 billion the school receives in federal funding.... The conditions largely follow the playbook the Trump administration used to force Columbia University to comply with its demands last month, after canceling $400 million of that school’s federal grants and contracts. In both instances, the government asked Harvard and Columbia to impose bans, with few exemptions, on masking.... The Trump administration also pressured the universities to intensify efforts to hold student groups 'accountable,' cease admissions practices based on race, color or national origin and revamp policies on campus protests. Harvard would also be required to 'commit to full cooperation' with the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that enforces immigration policies, including deportations.” MB: I guess we can imagine what “full cooperation” with Homeland Security/ICE means.

Jennifer Schuessler of the New York Times: “Cultural groups across the country have received letters informing them that their grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities were canceled, stirring fears of great harm to museums, historical sites and community projects of many kinds. Starting late Wednesday night, state humanities councils and other grant recipients began receiving emails telling them their funding was ended immediately. Instead, they were told, the agency would be 'repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the president’s agenda.'”

Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: “A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order Thursday that stops the Trump administration from pulling back more than $11 billion in public health funding from state and local health departments.  Judge Mary McElroy of the federal district court in Rhode Island granted a 14-day restraining order to a group of 23 states and the District of Columbia that filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this week.” (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.

Everything Old Is New Again. Jill Lepore in a New York Times op-ed: “... I was ... struck at how little of what [Elon] Musk proposes is new and by how many of his ideas about politics, governance and economics resemble those championed by his grandfather Joshua Haldeman, a cowboy, chiropractor, conspiracy theorist and amateur aviator.... Mr. Musk’s grandfather was also a flamboyant leader of the political movement known as technocracy. Leading technocrats proposed replacing democratically elected officials and civil servants — indeed, all of government — with an army of scientists and engineers under what they called a technate. Some also wanted to annex Canada and Mexico.... Under the technate, humans would no longer have names; they would have numbers.... [An] army of technocrats would eliminate most government services.... Decades ago, in the desperate, darkest moment of the Depression, technocracy seemed, briefly, poised to prevail against democracy.... The chief reason for technocracy’s failure was democracy’s success. [President Franklin] Roosevelt was inaugurated on March 4 and immediately began putting the New Deal in place while calming the nation with a series of fireside chats.” MB: I've made this a gift link. Lepore points out other things about Haldeman's career that Musk has emulated. The bright side of Lepore's op-ed: maybe the Musk/Trump phenomenon will be short-lived.

Lauren Weber of the Washington Post: “The Senate confirmed Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in a party line vote of 53-45 Thursday, placing him in charge of overseeing more than $1 trillion in annual spending. Cementing his turn from daytime TV star to D.C. bureaucrat, Oz leveraged his physician bona fides to waltz through the confirmation process and helm the agency that regulates health insurance for millions of Americans. The massive budget of Oz’s agency makes it a target for efforts to cut government spending. Oz dodged questions in his confirmation over whether he would oppose cuts to Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Sean Burch of the Wrap: “Another Washington Post staffer is ditching the paper over owner Jeff Bezos’ recent changes to its coverage. Eugene Robinson, the longtime political columnist, told staff on Thursday he is leaving WaPo after 45 years due to the 'significant shift' Bezos recently implemented, where the opinion section will focus on the 'two pillars' of personal liberties and free markets.” Interesting that one of the richest people in the world suffers from the Dunning-Kruger effect. No, Jeff, you're really not good at running a newspaper.

~~~~~~~~~~

Europe. Adam Satariano of the New York Times: “European Union regulators are preparing major penalties against Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, for breaking a landmark law to combat illicit content and disinformation.... The penalties are set to include a fine and demands for product changes.... These are expected to be announced this summer and would be the first issued under a new E.U. law intended to force social media companies to police their services.... European authorities have been weighing how large a fine to issue X as they consider the risks of further antagonizing Mr. Trump amid wider trans-Atlantic disputes over trade, tariffs and the war in Ukraine. The fine could surpass $1 billion, one person said, as regulators seek to make an example of X to deter other companies from violating the law, the Digital Services Act.... The investigation began in 2023, and regulators last year issued a preliminary ruling that X had violated the law.”

South Korea. Michelle Lee of the Washington Post: “South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office Friday, when the country’s Constitutional Court unanimously upheld a parliamentary vote to impeach him over his effort to impose martial law. The court said Yoon had undermined the authority of the National Assembly and other democratic institutions, and had 'gravely violated' his duties to the people and as commander in chief when he mobilized troops to try to seize political control of the legislature in December.... Yoon was not in court but in a statement after the resounding decision, he apologized for his 'shortcomings' and thanked the public.... The ruling was welcomed with cheers by the crowds outside the court, where those calling for Yoon’s removal were gathered, amid a heavy police presence.” The Guardian's story is here.

Thursday
Apr032025

The Conversation -- April 3, 2025

If you're looking for a nice family activity to participate in Saturday, get started at this HandsOff! page, which will guide you to protest events in your area.

Brian Evans, et al., of CNBC: "Stocks plummeted Thursday, sending the S&P 500 back into correction territory for its biggest one-day loss since 2020, after ... Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs, raising the risk of a global trade war that plunges the economy into a recession. The broad market index dropped 4.84% and settled at 5,396.52, posting its worst day since June 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Tumbled 1,679.39 points, or 3.98%, to close at 40,545.93 and mark its worst session since June 2020. The Nasdaq Composite  plummeted 5.97% and ended at 16,550.61, registering its biggest decline since March 2020. The slide across equities was broad, with more than 400 of the S&P 500′s constituents posting losses. Thursday’s moves sent the S&P 500 to its lowest level since before Trump’s election win in November. The benchmark now sits about 12% from its record close touched in February. Shares of multinational companies tumbled."

Max Boot of the Washington Post: “... assuming that Americans continue to buy as many imports as they did last year, [Donald Trump's] plan would amount to an $880 billion annual tax hike that will be paid not, as Trump insists, by foreigners but by U.S. businesses and consumers. That’s 2.9 percent of gross domestic product, which would make this the largest tax increase since 1942. And that’s not even counting the cost of the likely retaliation from affected nations — or the billions lost in the stock market in response to Trump’s announcement. If Trump were trying to implement an income tax hike of similar magnitude by executive order, it would be plainly unconstitutional. Everyone knows that only Congress can set tax rates. What’s different about tariffs? On its face, nothing. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution states: 'The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.' The McKinley Tariff that Trump has said he admires was not an executive order signed by President William McKinley; it was legislation sponsored by McKinley when he was chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. So, too, the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act — which did much to worsen the Great Depression — was passed by Congress.” Read on. Boot explains why at least one expert calls Trump's imposition of tariffs under supposed emergencies to be abuses of power.

Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: Donald “Trump fired six National Security Council officials after an extraordinary meeting in the Oval Office with the far-right activist Laura Loomer, who laid out a list of people she believed were disloyal to the president, U.S. officials said on Thursday.... The decision came after Ms. Loomer vilified the staff members by name during the meeting on Wednesday, when she walked into the White House with a sheaf of papers attacking the character and loyalty of numerous N.S.C. officials. Michael Waltz, the national security adviser, joined later in the meeting and briefly defended some of his staff, though it was clear he had little if any power to protect their jobs. It was a remarkable spectacle: Ms. Loomer, who has floated the baseless conspiracy theory that the Sept. 11 attacks were an 'inside job' and is viewed as extreme even by some of Mr. Trump’s far-right allies, was apparently wielding more influence over the staff of the National Security Council than Mr. Waltz, who runs the agency.”

Lauren Weber of the Washington Post: “The Senate confirmed Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in a party line vote of 53-45 Thursday, placing him in charge of overseeing more than $1 trillion in annual spending. Cementing his turn from daytime TV star to D.C. bureaucrat, Oz leveraged his physician bona fides to waltz through the confirmation process and helm the agency that regulates health insurance for millions of Americans. The massive budget of Oz’s agency makes it a target for efforts to cut government spending. Oz dodged questions in his confirmation over whether he would oppose cuts to Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.”

Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: “A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order Thursday that stops the Trump administration from pulling back more than $11 billion in public health funding from state and local health departments.  Judge Mary McElroy of the federal district court in Rhode Island granted a 14-day restraining order to a group of 23 states and the District of Columbia that filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this week.”

The top online headlines this morning are mostly like this one by the AP: "Dow drops 1,500 as US stock market leads a worldwide sell-off following Trump’s tariff shock."

~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the clip CNN played while waiting for Trump to come out on the lawn and announce his plan to further wreck the world's economy. Seems appropriate as it's pretty much what Trump has in store for us:

~~~ David Lynch & Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will impose a new 10 percent tariff on all imported goods along with an additional punitive import tax tailored for each of about 60 countries that his advisers say maintain the most unfair barriers against U.S. products. The president’s long-awaited tariff plan is designed to spur a renaissance in domestic manufacturing and to fill government coffers with tax revenue, even as many economists warn that he is steering the U.S. economy toward slower growth and higher prices.... After returning to the White House on a wave of public anger over inflation, Trump is now asking voters to put up with a renewed period of rising prices in return for the distant promise of rebuilding domestic manufacturing. Already, economists are warning that Trump’s tax increase on imported goods will mean sticker shock on some of Americans’ most important purchases, including groceries, cars and homes.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Bear in mind that when Trump & the Trumpettes boast about the Trump tariffs bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues, they are talking about collecting that money from U.S. consumers. You and me. We're going to fill federal coffers in service of tax breaks for the ultra-rich.

Kevin Breuninger of CNBC reproduces the full list of Trump's so-called "reciprocal tariffs."

Joe Rennison, et al., of the New York Times: “Markets around the world shuddered on Thursday after ... [Donald] Trump announced across-the-board 10 percent tariffs on all U.S. trading partners except Canada and Mexico, as well as even higher tariffs on dozens of America’s other main trading partners. Futures on the S&P 500, which allow investors to trade the index outside normal trading hours, slumped over 3 percent. Asian markets fell sharply, with benchmark indexes dropping more than 3 percent in Japan, and nearly 2 percent in Hong Kong and South Korea.... The initial market reaction suggested that the scale of the tariffs on Wednesday had come as a surprise, and analysts were still trying to figure out how the figures had been derived.... The administration had adjusted its estimates of the tariffs imposed on the United States to include adjustments for what it deemed currency manipulation or even other taxes, with analysts questioning the analytical basis for doing so.... The dollar slid as Mr. Trump spoke from the White House Rose Garden.” An NBC News story is here.

Michelle Lee, et al., of the Washington Post: “China is promising to retaliate against ... Donald Trump’s 'typical bullying' with unspecified countermeasures, while the European Union said it is working on its response, as allies and adversaries alike reeled Thursday from what Trump billed as a 'Liberation Day' tariffs blitz.... European political and business leaders awaking to the specifics of the tariff spikes added their shock, outrage and confusion to the global chorus.... Beneath the diplomatic restraint were anger and fears of spreading economic chaos.... The size of the tariffs stunned the United States’ allies in particular.... The [27-member] European Union, which was hit with a 20 percent blanket tariff, is ready to respond if talks with Washington fail, said the head of the E.U. executive branch, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 'There seems to be no order in the disorder. No clear path through the complexity and chaos,' she said in a statement describing the tariffs as a 'major blow.'” An AP story is here.

Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post: “Trump’s speech announcing a huge increase in tariffs on American trading partners was riddled with falsehoods and misleading statements on trade that he has made for years. But now they are determining policy that will increase the costs of goods for many Americans. Here’s a quick sampling, in the order in which he made them. We’re sure we missed some — and some claims still require more checking.”

RAS longs for the good old days when "people in [Trump's] first administration ... would steal papers off of FH's desk or not pass along his idiotic ideas to others to try to figure out how to implement them." Out of sight, out of mind, the guy with a memory that awed the medical profession would forget the hairbrained ideas and the world would move on, unfettered by the crazy brain farts of the day.

Rachel Pannett & Niha Masih of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Wednesday announced far-reaching tariffs on most of the United States’ trading partners. So far-reaching, in fact, that they include a remote, sub-Antarctic island group inhabited mainly by penguins — and a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean known for its polar bears.... [For instance,] Heard Island and McDonald Islands ... are unoccupied by humans and had zero trade with the U.S. last year.... The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the Atlantic, faces tariffs of 41 percent, compared with 10 percent for Britain itself.” The reporters list quite a few odd places to impose tariffs and/or to impose tariffs different from those of the country they're part of. The Guardian's story is here. MB: No doubt this is just another screw-up of the entirely slap-dash “system” Trump used to impose the tariffs in the first place. It is not likely that the Arctic island of Jan Mayen, whose only inhabitants are 18 people operating a meteorological station and airfield, has “looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” the U.S., as Trump claimed these places were doing.

Paul Krugman: “... based on what [Trump] said, he’s gone full-on crazy. It’s not just that he appears to be imposing much higher tariffs than almost anyone expected. He’s also making false claims about our trading partners — not sure in this case whether they’re lies, because he may be truly ignorant — that will both enrage them and make it very hard to back down. Basically, he’s claiming that the rest of the world is placing very high tariffs on U.S. products, and that he’s imposing 'reciprocal' tariffs that are only half what they impose on us. [For instance,] The EU, like the United States, has generally low tariffs; the average tariff it charges on US goods is less than 3 percent. So where does this 39 percent number [Trump claims the E.U. places on U.S. products] come from? I have no idea.... You have to wonder whether Elon Musk’s Dunning-Kruger kids are now producing tariff numbers. But you know that having once claimed that Europe charges tariffs more than 10 times as high as reality, Trump will never drop that claim.”

Marie: It's good to see that the WashPo also is putting "reciprocal" in quotation marks in more than one article. That is, the Post is acknowledging that the tariffs are not "reciprocating" any other nation's tariffs. ~~~

~~~ Heather Cox Richardson: “... financial journalist James Surowiecki figured out [where] the White House [got those numbers it claims other countries are charging the U.S. in tariffs. Someone] 'just took our trade deficit with [each] country and divided it by the country’s exports to us.' He called it 'extraordinary nonsense.' Washington Post economic writer Catherine Rampell posted that she was reluctant to amplify Surowiecki’s theory that the tariff rates were based on such a 'dumb calculation,' but then the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative confirmed it.... 'Never before has an hour of Presidential rhetoric cost so many people so much,' former treasury secretary Lawrence Summers posted. 'The best estimate of the loss from tariff policy is now [close] to $30 trillion or $300,000 per family of four.' 'The Trump Tariff Tax is the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history,' posted former vice president Mike Pence.... Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) ... suggests [the tariffs] are a way to make private industry dependent on the president the same way he has tried to make law firms and universities dependent on him. Industries and companies 'will need to pledge loyalty to Trump in order to get sanctions relief.'... While Trump imposed tariffs on Australia’s remote Heard and McDonald Islands, which are uninhabited except by wildlife like seals and penguins, it did not put tariffs on Russia.” ~~~

Paul Krugman again: “... it may be even worse than [what James Surowiecki calculated]. The Trump formula is apparently what you get if you ask ChatGPT and other AI models to make tariff policy[.]... I speculated [earlier] that Elon Musk’s Dunning-Kruger kids might be responsible for those tariff numbers. That now looks like a distinct possibility.... [Krugman publishes the findings of a young man who plugged the question 'how to impose tariffs easily' into several AI apps and the AI answers used the same formula.] The key point is that Trump isn’t really trying to accomplish economic goals. This should all be seen as a dominance display, intended to shock and awe people and make them grovel, rather than policy in the normal sense.... How can anyone, whether they’re businesspeople or foreign governments, trust anything coming out of an administration that behaves like this?”

James Fallows on Substack: "This post is about tariffs, the latest bit of chaos through which Donald Trump is satisfying his major need, which is to dominate minute-by-minute news coverage.... This is a historically reckless moment in US economic policy. And even by Trump-era standards it’s a historically shameful moment for the Republican Party. Its leaders know that their alpha-figure is launching a dollars-and-Euros version of the Iraq war. And they stand by, grinning and clapping."

Oh, what can be done? Trump says he has his Article II that lets him do whatever he wants. Actually, no. Rachel Maddow reminded us last night that even though President Biden left Trump with an economy that the Economist called "the envy of the world," Trump immediately declared the state of the economy to be a national emergency. Bu law, the fake emergency gives the president* the power to impose tariffs. BUT. The Congress can declare the emergency over. So you'll be very surprised to learn what the Senate did last night: ~~~

~~~ Robert Jimison of the New York Times: “The Senate on Wednesday approved a measure that would block some of the tariffs ... [Donald] Trump has imposed on Canada, with a handful of Republicans joining Democrats to pass a resolution that would halt levies set to take effect this week. The measure is all but certain to stall in the House, where G.O.P. leaders have moved preemptively to shut down any move to end Mr. Trump’s tariffs. But Senate passage of the measure on a vote of 51 to 48 — just hours after Mr. Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on more than 100 trading partners, including the European Union, China, Britain and India — sent a signal of bipartisan congressional opposition to the president’s trade war.... Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the lone Republican sponsor of the resolution. But three other G.O.P. senators ... joined him in support: Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky....

“The resolution targets the emergency powers Mr. Trump invoked in February to impose sweeping tariffs on Canada[, which he (falsely) claimed was a major source of fentanyl coming into the U.S.].... Mr. Trump imposed the tariffs in an executive order that cited the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, a Cold War-era law that has most often been used to impose sanctions on rogue states and human rights violators. Mr. Trump lobbied Republicans intensely to oppose the effort. In a series of social media posts on Tuesday, he attacked G.O.P. backers of the resolution and tried to convince them to reconsider, warning others against from breaking ranks and defying his executive order. In one post, he named the four Republican defectors and said they were 'playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels.'” Politico's story is here.

Jack Ewing of the New York Times: “Tariffs on imported vehicles took effect Thursday, a policy that ... [Donald] Trump said would spur investments and jobs in the United States but that analysts say will raise new car prices by thousands of dollars. The 25 percent duty applies to all cars assembled outside the United States. Starting May 3, the tariff will also apply to imported auto parts, which will add to the cost of cars assembled domestically as well as auto repairs. There will be a partial exemption for cars made in Mexico or Canada that meet the terms of free trade agreements with those countries. Carmakers will not have to pay duties on parts like engines, transmissions or batteries that were made in the United States and later installed in cars in Mexican or Canadian factories.”


Matthew Goldstein
of the New York Times: “Another big law firm has reached an agreement with the Trump administration over the kind of free legal services its lawyers can provide to head off an executive order that could impair its business.... Donald J. Trump announced on Truth Social that Milbank had agreed to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services to causes supported by his administration and the law firm.... The law firm also agreed to use a merit-based system and to not engage in 'illegal D.E.I. discrimination.' It also promised not to deny representation to a client because of his or her political views. The Trump administration has focused on firms that employed lawyers involved in investigations of Mr. Trump and his prior administration, or who have hired lawyers who have been critical of the president. Milbank recently hired Neal Katyal, a frequent critic of Mr. Trump who was an acting solicitor general during the Obama administration....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Huh. I'm no lawyer, but if Goldstein's reporting is correct, this agreement doesn't sound like a cave to me. (1) Assuming that Milbank normally does $100 million in pro bono work over whatever time period the agreement may specify (no indication in the report that any timeframe is specified), then this is no big deal because the firm does not have to do any work for clients whose case it doesn't "support." (2) Not engaging in illegal employment discrimination is no concession at all. Obviously, a law firm cannot knowingly & wantonly violate employment law. (3) As for promising not to deny services to people for their political views, who knows why a firm accepts or does not accept its clients? Any number of factors can figure into the equation and "he's a frigging Nazi" isn't necessarily the deciding factor. I'll bet a big law firm has lawyers (or can hire lawyers) who are smarter than the saps who are willing to work for Donald Trump. I think maybe those saps, including the Sap-in-Chief, have been had.

Joanna Slater & Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: “... during a National Governors Association event at the White House on Feb. 21..., Trump demanded that Maine comply with his executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. [Gov. Janet] Mills [D] replied that Maine would follow state and federal law. Trump threatened to cut off all funding to the state. 'See you in court,' Mills responded. Since that one-minute interaction, the small New England state has been subjected to unusual, overlapping investigations and arbitrary reversals of funding, turning it into a test case for the Trump administration’s approach to perceived adversaries. Officials in Maine have spent weeks in a state of 'whiplash and worry,' in the words of one educator, hit with probes that are unlike anything experts say they have seen. Trump’s initial clash with Mills appeared to stem from the case of a single transgender high school athlete who won a state track-and-field event. But the potential ramifications for Maine swiftly spiraled outward to encompass funding for marine research, tens of millions of dollars in Department of Agriculture grants to the University of Maine and the ability of parents to automatically apply for Social Security numbers for their newborns. Those moves were subsequently rolled back, thanks largely to the intervention of Sen. Susan Collins, the powerful Republican who represents Maine.”

Rachel Bade of Politico: “... Donald Trump has told his inner circle, including members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will be stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role as governing partner, ubiquitous cheerleader and Washington hatchet man. The president remains pleased with Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role.... Musk’s looming exit comes as some Trump administration insiders and many outside allies have become frustrated with his unpredictability and increasingly view the billionaire as a political liability, a dynamic that was thrown into stark relief Tuesday when a conservative judge Musk vocally supported lost his bid for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat by 10 points. It also represents a shift in the Trump-Musk relationship from a month ago, when White House officials and allies were predicting Musk was 'here to stay' and that Trump would find a way to blow past the 130-day time limit.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: “Elon Musk made himself the face of a humiliating political defeat in Wisconsin on Tuesday night. He’s rubbed cabinet members the wrong way and alienated several advisers close to ... [Donald] Trump. Republican lawmakers face angry questions about Mr. Musk’s influence from their constituents when they return to their districts. It will come as a relief to many in Mr. Trump’s orbit when Mr. Musk completes his 130-day service as a special government employee, which according to federal law is due to end in late May or early June. But the president has no intention of cutting ties with the world’s richest man, even after he leaves government, according to two people with knowledge of the president’s thinking. Mr. Musk has become, for better or worse, an essential component of both Mr. Trump’s political operation and the broader Republican Party apparatus. He’s the party’s moneyman, having committed $100 million to Mr. Trump’s outside groups, on top of the nearly $300 million he spent on the 2024 election. And he controls the most important media channel in G.O.P. politics — the website X ... — which makes Republicans terrified of getting on his bad side.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So Republicans are terrified of Trump, and now they're terrified of Musk, and of course that's all because they're terrified of the voters. Maybe what would save the U.S. from Trump would be to get a bunch of psychiatrists & psychologists to treat these cowering fraidycat GOP members of Congress for their anxiety disorders.

Before and After. Giselle Ewing of Politico: Elon “Musk catapulted the [Wisconsin] state Supreme Court election into national view, vocally backing conservative candidate Brad Schimel — who also clinched ... Donald Trump’s endorsement — and pouring millions into the efforts to get him elected. The Wisconsin election, Musk claimed, would decide the trajectory of not only the whole country, but perhaps all of'Western civilization' and 'the future of the world,' as he said in a Spaces conversation on X hours before polls closed Tuesday.... Musk changed his tune in the hours following the crushing defeat, seemingly indicating that the loss was all part of a bigger plan. 'I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain,' Musk replied to an X user early Wednesday morning.” MB: I wonder why Musk's friend Trump didn't much appreciate his “positional gain” in 2020? (Also linked yesterday.)

Waltz built the entire NSC communications process on Signal. -- NSC Group Chat Participant ~~~

~~~ Dasha Burns of Politico: “National security adviser Mike Waltz’s team regularly set up chats on Signal to coordinate official work on issues including Ukraine, China, Gaza, Middle East policy, Africa and Europe, according to four people who have been personally added to Signal chats. Two of the people said they were in or have direct knowledge of at least 20 such chats. All four said they saw instances of sensitive information being discussed.... These latest revelations show that the NSC’s reliance on Signal is widespread and part of standard operations.... Veteran national security officials have warned the practice potentially violates regulations on protecting sensitive national security information from foreign adversaries, and federal recordkeeping laws if the chats are automatically deleted.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff of the Washington Post: “The U.S. Naval Academy has removed nearly 400 books from its library to comply with directives from the Trump administration on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, a U.S. Navy spokesman said.... The military academies did not initially follow suit because leaders thought the order, given its K-12 focus, didn’t apply to them as colleges, according to a U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. But after the Capital Gazette published a story saying the Naval Academy was not removing DEI materials, the academy soon received new directions from defense leaders to review its materials and remove anything that promotes DEI.... [On Tuesday,] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ... told over 4,000 of the school’s students and faculty that what he called past distractions — such as DEI measures — weakened the military.”

Marie: Ah, you thought I was a silly old alarmist when I said we all were in danger. Okay, I'm no expert. But take it from someone who's been there ~~~

~~~ American Stasi. “Our Police State Has Arrived.” M. Gessen of the New York Times: “Those of us who have lived in countries terrorized by a secret police force can’t shake a feeling of dreadful familiarity.... 'It’s the unmarked cars.'... It’s the catastrophic interruption of daily life, as when a Tufts University graduate student ... was grabbed on a suburban street by half a dozen plainclothes agents, most of them masked.... It’s the forced mass transports of immigrants.... It’s the growing irrelevance of the law and the helplessness of judges and lawyers.... It’s the chilling stories that come by word of mouth.... ICE is coming to your workplace, your street, your building.... It’s the invisible hand of the authorities.... It’s the shifting goal posts.... It’s the lists.... It’s the denunciations by concerned citizens.... And, as the historian Timothy Snyder has pointed out, if due process is routinely denied to noncitizens, it will be denied to citizens too, simply because it is often impossible for people to prove that they are citizens.... The United States has become a secret-police state. Trust me, I’ve seen it before.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Isabella Kwai of the New York Times: “A federal judge in Northern California ordered the restoration of legal funds for migrant children who enter the United States alone, temporarily reversing a Trump administration decision last month that had left children at risk of deportation. Nonprofit groups had been fighting the decision since they received notice from the federal government on March 21 that it would terminate funding for legal services for unaccompanied children in immigration court. The halt in funding, according to a complaint filed by the groups, had put some 26,000 children at risk of being cut off from their lawyers and disadvantaged them in adversarial immigration proceedings. The government had argued that the funding was discretionary and that it was not obligated to provide legal representation for the children. But Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of San Francisco disagreed, saying on Tuesday that by terminating the funding, the government had potentially violated its obligations to protect children from human trafficking.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oddly enough, the judge saw something wrong with sending toddlers to court to fend for themselves against Trump's unscrupulous anti-immigration apparatus.

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “Lawyers for a Maryland man who was inadvertently deported last month to a notorious Salvadoran prison despite an order that he could remain in the United States angrily urged the judge overseeing his case on Wednesday to force the Trump administration to bring him back as soon as possible. In a court filing, the lawyers for the man, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, furiously took issue with almost every aspect of the case. To start, they said, Trump officials had acknowledged on Monday night that they had made an 'administrative error' by flying Mr. Abrego Garcia to El Salvador on March 15 even though a U.S. immigration judge had already determined that he might face torture there. The lawyers also expressed shock that the administration was maintaining that it had little power to get Mr. Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national whose wife and child are both American citizens, out of custody.”

Maria Sacchetti & Artur Galocha of the Washington Post: Donald Trump “praised ICE for arresting 'dangerous' immigrants [and getting them off the streets], but a Post review found many were already behind bars.... The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not dispute The Post’s findings.”

Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: “Alongside extensive reductions to the staff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Trump administration has asked the agency to cut $2.9 billion of its spending on contracts, according to three federal officials with knowledge of the matter. The administration’s cost-cutting program, called the Department of Government Efficiency, asked the public health agency to sever roughly 35 percent of its spending on contracts about two weeks ago. The C.D.C. was told to comply by April 18, according to the officials. The cuts promise to further hamstring an agency already reeling from the loss of 2,400 employees, nearly one-fifth of its work force. On Tuesday, the administration fired C.D.C. scientists focused on environmental health and asthma, injuries, violence prevention, lead poisoning, smoking and climate change.

“Separately, H.H.S. last week abruptly discontinued C.D.C. grants of about $11.4 billion to states that were using [Covid-19] funds to track infectious diseases and to support mental health services, addiction treatment and other urgent health issues. At least some of the contracts may not be implemented because the people overseeing them have been dismissed.” ~~~

Apoorva Mandavilli & Roni Rabin of the New York Times: “The extensive layoffs of federal health workers that began on Tuesday will greatly curtail the scope and influence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the world’s premier public health agency, an outcome long sought by conservatives critical of its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services shrinks the C.D.C. by 2,400 employees, or roughly 18 percent of its work force, and strips away some of its core functions. Some Democrats in Congress described the reorganization throughout H.H.S. as flatly illegal. 'You cannot decimate and restructure H.H.S. without Congress,' said Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, and a member of the Senate health committee. 'This is not only unlawful but seriously harmful — they are putting Americans’ health and well-being on the line,' she added....

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, said last week the layoffs would affect primarily administrative functions. But according to information gathered by The New York Times..., the reductions were more broadly targeted. Scientists focused on environmental health and asthma, injuries, lead poisoning, smoking and climate change were dismissed. Researchers studying blood disorders, violence prevention and access to vaccines were let go. The agency’s center on H.I.V. and sexually transmitted diseases was among the hardest hit, losing about 27 percent of its staff. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which makes recommendations on how to keep workers safe, was all but dissolved. What remains is a hobbled C.D.C., with a smaller global footprint, devoting fewer resources to environmental health, occupational health and disease prevention, public health experts said.”

     ~~~ Marie: A paramount reason one does not task Elon Musk & his teenaged-boy fan club with controlling government spending is that these people are so arrogant and stupid that they think they're invincible. They are sure they will never need medical attention -- and they don't give a rat's ass for the poor, weak people who -- unlike them -- do seek medical help.

Maggie Astor of the New York Times: “When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services in February, he promised 'radical transparency' and declared that 'both science and democracy flourish from the free and unimpeded flow of information.' But when the Trump administration laid off thousands of employees on Tuesday, the targets included the very people who communicated the health department’s work to Americans. Some of those employees were press officers, but many worked behind the scenes — on social media, newsletters, information campaigns and personal outreach — to translate complicated scientific studies into accessible guidance and to ensure that the recommendations and cutting-edge research produced in the department’s dozens of offices reached the people who needed them.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Read a couple of articles in the New York Times, and you might think RFKJ is a liar.

Perry Stein of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump said he plans to nominate D.C. defense attorney Stanley Woodward for associate attorney general, which is the third-highest position at the Justice Department and oversees its civil rights, environmental and civil divisions. Woodward is the latest example of Trump’s tapping for powerful jobs lawyers who defended him and his allies in criminal cases during the Biden administration. If Woodward is confirmed, the top three people at the Justice Department will have personally represented Trump in some capacity over the past six years. Woodward worked in private practice during Trump’s first term and rose to prominence when he represented Trump co-defendant and personal aide Walt 'Waltine' Nauta in the classified documents case....” MB: It definitely is not the DOJ anymore. It's the DODD: Department of Donald's Defense.

Court Validates (and Upgrades) Adams' Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card. William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: “A judge on Wednesday dismissed corruption charges against Eric Adams, ending the first criminal case against a New York City mayor in modern history and underscoring how ... [Donald] Trump’s Justice Department is using prosecutorial power to advance his agenda. The judge, Dale E. Ho of Federal District Court in Manhattan, refused to let the government retain the option of reinstating the charges, as Mr. Trump’s Justice Department had sought. The department had argued that the bribery and fraud charges should be dropped for three reasons: They were brought too close to the mayoral election; the U.S. attorney who brought the case had created 'appearances of impropriety'; and, most importantly, the prosecution was hindering the mayor’s cooperation with Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown. Judge Ho roundly rejected all three arguments. 'Everything here smacks of a bargain: Dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,' the judge wrote in his 78-page decision....

“Judge Ho in his opinion discounted the Justice Department’s claims that the case had been brought for political reasons by the Manhattan federal prosecutors. 'There is no evidence — zero — that they had any improper motives,' he wrote.... The judge said that granting the government’s request to dismiss the charges without prejudice, which would have allowed it to bring them again, 'would create the unavoidable perception that the mayor’s freedom depends on his ability to carry out the immigration enforcement priorities of the administration, and that he might be more beholden to the demands of the federal government than to the wishes of his own constituents.'” (Also linked yesterday.) More on Adams linked below under "New York."

Lisa Friedman & Claire Brown of the New York Times: “Over the last few months, Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has made explosive accusations against the Biden administration, accusing it of 'insane' malfeasance in its handling of $20 billion in climate grants. Now, as a legal battle ensues over those funds, many of Mr. Zeldin’s claims remain unsupported, and some are flat-out false.... The $20 billion ... was awarded to eight nonprofit groups ... to finance projects ... such as solar panels on community centers and geothermal systems to heat and cool subsidized housing.... The [E.P.A.], which has worked to block the nonprofits from accessing the money, is now being sued by several of the organizations for breach of contract.... In its most recent court filing on March 26, the E.P.A. offered another argument for canceling the grants, claiming the climate funds no longer align with the Trump administration’s priorities.” The article cites a number of bizarre false claims Zeldin has made, including one dependent upon a Project Veritas video. Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The truth seems to be, not surprisingly, that Zeldin will do & say anything to keep the Environmental Protection Agency from protecting the environment. Remember, the purpose the the Trump administration is to render government agencies dysfunctional. This is the way of tyrants: they rob everything of meaning, leaving the public confused and disheartened. So Trump names his derivative media platform "Truth Social," a name in which both words connote the opposite of its owner, a lying narcissisist. He calls the best efforts to report the real news "fake news." Honorable attempts to bring him to justice are "hoaxes." He and his goons destabilize and frighten lonely, elderly people by threatening "Social Security." "Medicare" may no longer provide "care" and "Medicaid" may no longer give "aid." By radically destroying objective truth, they reckon they can establish their own "truth"/propaganda and get away with murder (say, shooting someone on Fifth Avenue).

Cate Cadell of the Washington Post: “Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called for FBI Director Kash Patel to investigate Elon Musk’s ties to the Chinese government, arguing that the U.S. DOGE Service’s access to millions of Americans’ sensitive data poses an unacceptable conflict of interest, given Beijing’s regulatory power over the tech billionaire’s vast business operations in China.... Raskin also requested details on Musk’s and his associates’ travel to China, asking that the law enforcement agency present a report to the committee by April 15....” MB: Not. Going. To. Happen. (Also linked yesterday.)

More Trouble for Ed Martin. Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: “A Senate fight over ... Donald Trump’s controversial choice for top prosecutor in Washington escalated as Sen. Dick Durbin (Illinois) and all other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee called for interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin to face questions under oath at a confirmation hearing, and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) vowed to block attempts to jam through a vote. While the Senate Judiciary Committee does not typically hold hearings for U.S. attorney nominees, 'Mr. Martin is a nominee whose objectionable record merits heightened scrutiny by this Committee,' Durbin and nine other members wrote Tuesday to the panel’s chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).... Grassley spokeswoman Clare Slattery responded that the Judiciary Committee 'doesn’t hold hearings' on U.S. attorney or U.S. marshal nominations.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: “... in their zeal to deliver ... [Donald] Trump’s domestic policy agenda in 'one big beautiful bill' of spending and tax cuts, Senate Republicans are trying to steer around the parliamentarian, busting a substantial congressional norm in the process. The strategy would allow them to avoid getting a formal thumbs up or thumbs down on their claim that extending the tax cuts that Mr. Trump signed into law in 2017 would cost nothing — a gimmick that would make it easier for them cram as many tax reductions as possible into their bill without appearing to balloon the deficit.... Rather than have [parliamentarian Elizabeth] MacDonough weigh in, they asserted that Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, as chairman of the Budget Committee, could unilaterally decide the cost of the legislation, citing a 1974 budget law. Senate Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a new budget resolution they planned to put to a vote as early as this week. And Mr. Graham declared in a statement that he considered an extension of the 2017 tax cuts to be cost-free.... The approach amounts to a rewriting of the strictly governed reconciliation process, and a backdoor way to knock down a crucial Senate guardrail on a simple majority vote — using the so-called nuclear option in a move akin to eliminating the filibuster.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is akin to GOP House leadership's ploy to get around the law that requires a vote on "privileged resolutions" (like one ending Trump's fake national emergencies) within 15 days. The "new rule," slipped into a funding bill, declares that a "day" lasted to the end of the year. That way, Bible Mike has sole control over what legislation comes up for a vote.

We are deeply concerned that the administration’s response is failing to meet both our moral and strategic objectives — sending a signal to countries around the world that our adversaries are more reliable and trustworthy than the United States. -- Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Chris Coons, et al., to Rubio & Bessent ~~~

~~~ Edward Wong of the New York Times: “Democratic senators sent a letter to the Trump administration on Wednesday criticizing what they called the paltry U.S. aid response to the earthquake in Myanmar, where China and Russia have sent rescue and relief teams. The six senators said in the letter that the United States appeared to be failing the first test of its ability to respond to a humanitarian crisis in the wake of the Trump administration’s drastic cuts to foreign aid and dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development, the main aid agency.... [The letter] was organized by the offices of Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the ranking member on the Banking Committee, and Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, who is on the Foreign Relations Committee. The other senators who signed were Tim Kaine of Virginia, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jeff Merkley of Oregon. The senators sent it to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.” The letter linked in the story comes directly from the Senate committee, so it is not firewalled.

Adam Liptak & Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: “The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a truck driver fired for failing a drug test after using a product which was falsely advertised to be free of THC may sue the manufacturer under a federal racketeering law. In a 5-to-4 decision, written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the court sided with Douglas Horn, the driver, in a decision that could make it easier for people to sue companies under a federal racketeering statute that was originally aimed at fighting organized crime. Justice Barrett wrote that the product’s manufacturer, a company called Medical Marijuana Inc., was fighting a battle with that plain language of the racketeering law.... Justice Barrett was joined in the majority with the court’s three liberal justices, along with Justice Neil M. Gorsuch. Justice Clarence Thomas filed a dissent, as did Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh who was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What? What? Gorsuch sided with a truck driver against a business??? Unpossible!

Awww! Obama photobomb. (Also linked yesterday.) 

~~~~~~~~~~

New York. Sally Goldenberg of Politico: “Mayor Eric Adams is opting out of New York City’s Democratic primary and running for reelection as an independent — embarking on narrow path as he further isolates himself from the city’s dominant political party.... In an interview [with Politico] Monday, Adams said he would “mount a real independent campaign” that relies on 'a solid base of people' outside Manhattan, with an emphasis on ethnic minorities who boosted him to victory four years ago. He lamented how the bribery charges federal prosecutors hit him with in September — which a judge dismissed Wednesday — 'handcuffed' him, and he promised to be 'uninhibited' on the campaign trail.” The New York Times story is here. ~~~

~~~ Free at Last, Free at Last. Dana Rubestein & Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times: “Hours after a federal judge granted the Trump administration’s request to dismiss the corruption charges against him, [New York City Mayor Eric] Adams suggested at a news conference in front of Gracie Mansion that Mr. Trump’s Justice Department was doing God’s will. 'Jesus stepped in and he uses who he uses,' Mr. Adams said at the news conference, seemingly referring to the Justice Department officials who moved to drop his case. 'New Yorkers stop me all the time trying to find the rationale behind this,' Mr. Adams said. 'And I found it in this book.' Then he held up a copy of 'Government Gangsters' by the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist who has spread misinformation about the agency he now runs, arguing that Americans are the victims of an unbridled cabal of federal officials referred to by Mr. Patel and others as the 'deep state.' Mr. Adams turned Mr. Patel’s book so that the audience could read the title and waved it for emphasis. 'I’m going to encourage every New Yorker to read it,' he said. Read it and understand how we can never allow this to happen to another innocent American.'”

Wisconsin. Scott Cacciola of the New York Times: “In urging 'disaffected patriots' to head to the polls on Tuesday and cast ballots in Wisconsin’s election, the political advocacy group Look Ahead America relied partly on a fairly perfunctory get-out-the-vote strategy: It spammed about 250,000 residents on Monday with a text message that reminded them of the issues at stake. That text message came with a twist: It was accompanied by a provocative photo catered to the gender of the intended recipient. Men received a photo of Emily Ratajkowski — a supermodel and a longtime supporter of Bernie Sanders — in a bikini, while women received a photo of a topless man cradling a puppy.... [The photo of the shirtless man] had been taken by the photographer Mike Ruiz for a calendar series that raises funds for Louie’s Legacy Animal Rescue.... 'I am disgusted that they used a beautiful philanthropic project to save animals in dire need, a project which means so much to me, to spread their propaganda,' he said in an email.” Ms. Ratajkowski did not comment.