The Conversation -- May 27, 2025

"The New Dark Age." Adam Serwer of the Atlantic: "The warlords who sacked Rome did not intend to doom Western Europe to centuries of ignorance.... The same cannot be said of the sweeping attack on human knowledge and progress that the Trump administration is now undertaking -- a deliberate destruction of education, science, and history, conducted with a fanaticism that recalls the Dark Ages that followed Rome's fall. Every week brings fresh examples.... By destroying knowledge, Trumpists seek to make the country more amenable to their political domination, and to prevent meaningful democratic checks on their behavior. Their victory, though, would ... annihilate some of the most effective systems for aggregating, accumulating, and applying human knowledge that have ever existed. Without those systems, America could find itself plunged into a new Dark Age.... One obvious cost is the damage to technological, scientific, and social advancement. Another will be the impossibility of self-governance, because a public denied access to empirical reality cannot engage in self-determination as the Founders imagined.... Like the catastrophic loss of knowledge in Western Europe that followed the fall of Rome, it is a self-inflicted calamity. All that matters to Trumpists is that they can reign unchallenged over the ruins." Thank you to laura h. for this gift link.

Pardons for Sale. Price: $1MM PLUS. Ken Vogel of the New York Times: Paul "Walczak, a former nursing home executive who had pleaded guilty to tax crimes days after the 2024 election, submitted a pardon application to ... [Donald] Trump around Inauguration Day.... Still, weeks went by and no pardon was forthcoming.... Then, [his mother Elizabeth] Fago was invited to a $1-million-per-person fund-raising dinner last month that promised face-to-face access to Mr. Trump at his private Mar-a-Lago club.... Less than three weeks after she attended the dinner, Mr. Trump signed a full and unconditional pardon.... The case of Ms. Fago and Mr. Walczak is the latest example of the president's willingness to use his clemency powers to reward allies who advance his political causes, and to punish his enemies." MB: According to the report, The son is a crook who stole $10MM of nurses' withholding taxes, and the mother was involved in handling Ashley Biden's stolen diary.

Peter Eavis of the New York Times: Donald "Trump and some members of Congress want to revive a depleted American shipbuilding industry to compete with China, the world's biggest maker of ships by far.... Last month, Mr. Trump issued an executive order aimed at revitalizing American shipbuilding.... It is such a daunting goal that some shipping experts say it is destined to fail.... The Philadelphia yard won't have space for new orders until 2027, and other American shipyards are so tied up with filling orders for the Navy that they don't have the capacity to produce commercial vessels. It takes far longer to build ships in the United States than in Asia, and costs nearly five times as much. The Philadelphia yard makes roughly a ship and a half a year, compared with around a ship a week at Hanwha's larger facilities in its home country.... In the last 10 years, Chinese shipbuilders delivered 6,765 commercial ships, nearly half of global deliveries, according to data from BRS Shipbrokers. Japan delivered 3,130, South Korea 2,405 and the United States just 37."

Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: "NPR sued ... [Donald] Trump on Tuesday over his executive order that aims to end federal funding for NPR and PBS. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington by NPR and other public radio organizations..., said Mr. Trump's order violated the Constitution and the First Amendment's protections for freedom of speech. 'The president has no authority under the Constitution to take such actions,' the lawsuit said. 'On the contrary, the power of the purse is reserved to Congress.'"

Susan Svrluga of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration leveled another blow at Harvard University on Tuesday, directing federal agencies to cancel or redirect contracts with the Ivy League school. According to a senior administration official, the U.S. General Services Administration will send a letter to federal agencies Tuesday asking them to identify any contracts with Harvard and whether they can be canceled or redirected elsewhere. The review would include about 30 contracts that federal agencies currently hold with Harvard, worth about $100 million, according to a Trump administration official...."

Nahal Toosi of Politico: "The Trump administration is weighing requiring all foreign students applying to study in the United States to undergo social media vetting -- a significant expansion of previous such efforts, according to a cable obtained by Politico. In preparation for such required vetting, the administration is ordering U.S. embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for such student visa applicants, according to the cable, dated Tuesday and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio."

Mattathias Schwartz of the New York Times: "A federal judge [-- Brian Murphy of the District Court in Massachusetts --] expressed frustration on Monday night with the government's failure to give due process to a group of deportees the administration is trying to send to South Sudan but is now holding in Djibouti, as he had mandated last week.... On Monday night, Trina Realmuto, a lawyer for the migrants in the case, confirmed that her team had not been given phone access to them." Politico's report is here.

Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: 'An enduring rift among Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's cadre of senior advisers has divided the Pentagon's front office and fueled internal speculation about his long-term viability in the Cabinet post after several episodes that attracted White House scrutiny.... The conflict within Hegseth's inner circle persists even after he purged several political appointees in April and attempts to portray a sense of unity among his remaining brain trust. His claims, however, are belied by continued behind-the-scenes dysfunction, brought on by unresolved personality conflicts, inexperience, vacancies in key leadership roles and a steady-state paranoia over what political crisis could emerge next, current and former officials said."

Hugo Lowell of the Guardian: "The White House has lost confidence in a Pentagon leak investigation that Pete Hegseth used to justify firing three top aides last month, after advisers were told that the aides had supposedly been outed by an illegal warrantless National Security Agency (NSA) wiretap. The extraordinary explanation alarmed the advisers, who also raised it with people close to JD Vance, because such a wiretap would almost certainly be unconstitutional and an even bigger scandal than a number of leaks. But the advisers found the claim to be untrue and complained that they were being fed dubious information by Hegseth's personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, who had been tasked with overseeing the investigation.... One Trump adviser recently told Hegseth that he did not think ... any of the fired aides ... had leaked anything, and that he suspected the investigation had been used to get rid of aides involved in the infighting with his first chief of staff, Joe Kasper."

Rachel Roubein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that his agency would no longer recommend the coronavirus vaccine for healthy pregnant women and healthy children -- a rare move that bypasses the traditional system of vaccine recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a 58-second video posted on X, Kennedy said the vaccine had been removed from the CDC's immunization schedule for those two groups of people.... Currently, the CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older receive the coronavirus vaccine annually."

Isabel Kershner & Fatima AbdulKarim of the New York Times: "... on April 6, near ... a village in the West Bank where most of the residents have U.S. citizenship, Israeli soldiers gunned down Amer Rabee a 14-year-old Palestinian American boy who was born in New Jersey.... The Israeli military has accused Amer and two of his friends of hurling rocks toward the highway and endangering civilians. It described the boys as 'terrorists,' and said its soldiers had 'eliminated' one and shot the two others. Amer's family and one of the surviving boys deny the accusation, saying that they were picking almonds. Amer was shot multiple times in his upper body.... Amer's killing has added to accusations that the Israeli military uses excessive force and operates with impunity.... Amer's death has also raised questions about the American response to helping its own citizens. Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker of New Jersey have called for an American-led investigation into Amer's death, but the Trump administration has remained largely noncommittal."

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Erica Green of the New York Times: Donald "Trump memorialized the nation's fallen soldiers in a speech at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, recognizing the families of servicemen and servicewomen who died fighting for their country hours after airing grievances and attacking his political opponents on social media.... He also used the occasion, traditionally a solemn day of tributes, to indirectly criticize his predecessor, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., for his border policies while valorizing his own return to office.... In his remarks, he largely stuck to his efforts in recent weeks to connect his return to office to a restoration of the nation's military might.... It was a starkly different tone than he used on social media before the remarks. On Truth Social, he posted a message that did not mention veterans but wished a 'HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THATSPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY THROUGH WARPED RADICAL LEFT MINDS.' ​Trump also railed against what he called 'USA HATING JUDGES.'...

"During his remarks on Monday, after musing about returning to office for a second term in time to host soccer's World Cup and the Summer Olympics -- a quirk of timing he attributed to divine intervention -- Mr. Trump highlighted the upcoming [U.S. Army's 250th] anniversary celebration, which he said 'blows everything away.' Mr. Trump said that in some ways he was glad that he didn't have a consecutive second term in the White House because he would have otherwise missed hosting all three events. 'Can you imagine?' he said. 'I missed that four years, and now look what I have. I have everything. Amazing the way things work out.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yes, Donald. God wanted you to "have everything." And to spoil "everything" for the rest of the world. The ancient Gnogtics called the Hebrew god the "Demiurge," an imperfect creator-god who was "impious in his arrogance." I guess they got that right. ~~~

     ~~~ Gregory Svirnovskiy of Politico: "... Donald Trump rang in Memorial Day with an address at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, departing from his somber message to slam the Biden administration, reaffirm his support for embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and look ahead to the coming 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics."

Astha Rajvanshi of NBC News: "The Kremlin on Monday pushed back at ... Donald Trump's comments that dubbed ... Vladimir Putin 'crazy,' mulling whether the American leader was suffering from 'emotional overload.' While thanking Trump for 'helping start' the negotiation process between Moscow and Kyiv, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said these talks went 'hand in hand with an emotional overload of absolutely everyone and with emotional reactions.'" MB: Every leader in the world knows Donald Trump is an unbalanced loon, and Putin is one of the few not afraid to say so.

All Talk, No Walk. David Sanger of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump's rare criticism of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia came after a weekend of the largest bombardment of Ukrainian cities over the past three years, mostly aimed at civilian targets.... The Russian attacks also happened only days after Mr. Trump had what he described publicly as an 'excellent' two-hour phone call with Mr. Putin that Mr. Trump promised would immediately lead to direct peace negotiations.... Mr. Trump has never linked [Russia's] attacks [on Ukraine citizens] with his own decision, reaffirmed last week, to refuse to join the Europeans in new financial sanctions on Russia, or to offer new arms and help to the Ukrainians. The result is a strategic void in which Mr. Trump complains about Russian's continued killing but so far has been unwilling to make Mr. Putin pay even a modest price.... The pattern is a familiar one, several outside experts and former government officials said. Mr. Trump signals he is pulling back from a conflict he often describes as Europe's war, then expresses shock that Mr. Putin responds with a familiar list of demands that amount to a Ukrainian surrender, followed by accelerating attacks. Mr. Trump episodically insists he is 'absolutely' considering sanctions, including on Sunday." Related stories linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.)

Stephanie Saul of the New York Times: Donald "Trump floated a new plan on Monday for the $3 billion he wants to strip from Harvard University, saying in a social media post that he was thinking about using the money to fund vocational schools. 'I am considering taking THREE BILLION DOLLARS of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land,' Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform." A CBS News report is here. MB: If trade schools that apply for the grants are training people for jobs that exist, then I'm all for giving them billions of dollars. But it's counterproductive to take that money from Harvard to scratch Trump's bullying itch.

Sabrina Malhi of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump announced on Monday his pardon of former Culpeper County, Virginia, sheriff Scott Jenkins, who was convicted of federal bribery and fraud charges in December. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Jenkins was a victim of the 'Biden Department of Justice, and doesn't deserve to spend a single day in jail.' Jenkins was sheriff for 12 years before being voted out of office after his indictment on bribery charges. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for accepting more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for appointing wealthy businessmen as unpaid auxiliary deputies. Prosecutors said the men paid for badges so that they could avoid traffic tickets and carry concealed firearms without a permit.... The Justice Department issued a news release in March [i.e., during the Trump administration] applauding the original conviction and condemning Jenkins's actions." ~~~

     ~~~ Stacey Dec of ABC News: "Scott Jenkins ... was set to report to jail on Tuesday. 'Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden DOJ,' Trump wrote in a statement on Truth Social. 'In fact, during his trial, when Sheriff Jenkins tried to offer exculpatory evidence to support himself, the Biden Judge, Robert Ballou, refused to allow it, shut him down, and then went on a tirade.... As we have seen, in Federal, City, and State Courts, Radical Left or Liberal Judges allow into evidence what they feel like, not what is mandated under the Constitution and Rules of Evidence,'... Trump praised Jenkins as 'a wonderful person, who was persecuted by the Radical Left "monsters," and "left for dead."'"

     ~~~ Marie: Why, Donald, I wholeheartedly agree with you. Why should Sheriff Jenkins "spend a single day in jail" for taking a measly $75K in bribes when you take hundreds of thousands -- nay, millions -- of dollars in bribes from "wealthy businessmen," emirs and such every chance you get. And there you sit, a free man. Equal justice under the law, I say.

More on that Commencement Speech/Grievance Oration via RAS via digby from Chris Jackson on X: "Donald Trump broke tradition today at West Point -- leaving halfway through commencement and skipping the time-honored handshake with graduating cadets. Last year, President Biden stayed to shake the hand of every single one of the 1,000+ graduates. Because he respects them. Trump just sees props. Absolutely disgraceful." digby has more on that "inspirational speech." (Also linked yesterday.)

Paul Krugman on Trump's tariff threats: "... let me offer some advice, to the Commission and the EU as a whole: Don't try to appease Trump. You can't make any substantive concessions, because your policies toward U.S. exports are already quite favorable. And even giving Trump some kind of symbolic, meaningless win will only embolden him, confirming his false belief that 'they've treated us very badly over the years.'... The EU and the US both have significant tariffs on a few of each others' products, but until Trump went on his rampage average tariffs were very low -- less than 2 percent -- in both directions. Trump and those around him rant about European value added taxes, and it's true that US producers have to pay, for example, 19 percent to sell to German consumers. But so do German producers! A VAT is a sales tax, not an import barrier.... There's less to that European [trade] surplus than meets the eye. Yes, Europe sells us more goods -- physical stuff like cars and olive oil -- than it buys. But we sell them a lot more services, things like financial services and software design. Trump only talks about our deficit in goods, but our deficit in goods and services is significantly smaller." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't think Trump understands the first thing about services because they are not something he can "see" the way he can see a Volvo. One piece of evidence Trump doesn't get it: one of our important exports to Europe (and elsewhere) is scientific services. And the Trump administration is doing everything it can to destroy the U.S.'s scientific ingenuity. In fact, I've seen several articles (at least one of which I think I linked way back when) about how European countries are happily offer employment to the scientists the U.S. trained and Trump fired. We may recognize the short-term costs of Trump's stupid ideas, but the long-term costs are likely to be much greater.

Mattathias Schwartz, et al., of the New York Times: "The Trump administration is trying to deport a group of eight migrants to South Sudan, a country on the brink of civil war. The men, who are from countries including Vietnam, Cuba and Mexico, are currently believed to be held at an American military base in the East African nation of Djibouti, after a federal judge ordered the administration not to turn them over to the government of South Sudan.... The Trump administration is attempting to ... [send] large groups of people to dangerous places like South Sudan, Libya or a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, with little or no due process, even if their countries of origin are willing to take them back.... The administration's ultimate goal, experts say, may be to shape the behavior of other immigrants through fear."

Hegseth Is Peddling Nonsense. Thomas Ricks in Politico Magazine: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is fond of talking about the need to focus on 'warfighting.' He wants 'lethality,' bigtime. That sounds tough, so it plays well on Fox News. But ... the more you know about military operations, the more you understand that you don't want to focus on fighting. That gets people killed -- like your kids or grandkids.... The best way to win wars is by helping other countries be ready.... Another Hegseth target is too many officers at big military commands. He wants to 'downsize, consolidate, or close redundant headquarters.'... But when you get yourself into a real war, you know what is essential? Smart, well-trained staff officers who know how to write, calculate and plan on the fly.... Yes, that might sound boring on the campaign trail or evening news. But remember that knowing how to actually wage war alongside allies is the way to victory. Not this macho nonsense Hegseth is peddling." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Whether or not you think Ricks has it just right, what is abundantly clear is that the American people have given immense military power to immature boys in men's bodies: Trump, Hegseth, Rubio, et al. This is a recipe for disaster on a truly Earth-shattering scale. Drunk Pete can hardly wait to get in the Situation Room during a hot war and live-text friends and family about all the dramatics; "Dr. Strangelove" come to life.

You can check this Democracy Labs interactive map to see how much your Congressional district would lose in Medicaid funds if the House bill -- currently sitting in the Senate -- is passed into law. Thanks to RAS for the lead. (Also linked yesterday.)

Sam Roberts of the New York Times: "Charles B. Rangel, the former dean of New York's congressional delegation, who became the first Black chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, only to relinquish that position when he was censured for an ethics violation, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 94." (Also linked yesterday.) The AP's obituary is here. ~~~

~~~ Marie: Akhilleus's mention of walking his dog Rocket (see today's Comments) reminded me of a day I was walkng my dog Bronte in downtown Manhattan when I heard a familiar voice: it was Gov. Mario Cuomo giving a little extemporaneous speech on the steps of City Hall. I stopped to join the small crowd gathered to hear him. Even though Cuomo was speaking off the cuff, it was quite a fine little speech. Afterwards, the governor approached me (because of Bronte, I think), and we had a little chat. I walked on, and I heard someone else speaking on another set of steps nearby. It was Charlie Rangel, also speaking extemporaneously about some issue of the day. His speech was every bit as powerful as Cuomo's. These men were not only exceptional orators; they were also very smart guys who knew what they were orating about.

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Arkansas. Ali Watkins & Mark Walker of the New York Times: "A manhunt entered its second night in northern Arkansas after a former police chief convicted of first-degree murder and rape slipped out of a high-security prison, dressed in a fake law enforcement uniform. The search began Sunday afternoon, during a routine inmate count. Grant Hardin -- one of about 1,000 housed at Calico Rock North Central Unit -- had already been missing for 15 to 20 minutes before anyone noticed, officials say. Mr. Hardin, 56, who had previously served as the police chief in Gateway, Ark., escaped around 2:50 p.m., county officials said. He is considered extremely dangerous." The reporters recite some of Hardin's history. He is one evil guy.

Louisiana, etc. Isabella Kwai of the New York Times: "The authorities in Louisiana and Texas on Monday captured another three of the 10 inmates who made a brazen escape from a New Orleans jail this month, leaving two still at large. Six people were also arrested and charged for helping two of the escaped inmates, the Louisiana State Police said. The escape on May 16, one of the largest jailbreaks in Louisiana history, set off a manhunt by the police and the FBI. Investigators have said the escapees likely had help on the inside, and a dozen people have charged with aiding them before and after the break."

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This historic honor matches the weight of our times. It speaks to our enduring tradition and friendship, to the vitality of our constitutional monarchy and our distinct identity, and to the historic ties that crises only fortify. -- Canadian PM Mark Carney, in a statement

Translated to American English: Screw you, Donald. We have a real king. ~~~

~~~ Canada/U.K. Rob Gillies of the AP: "Britain's King Charles III arrived Monday in Ottawa on a visit that Canada's leader says will underscore his nation's sovereignty amid ... Donald Trump's talk of the United States annexing its northern neighbor.Trump's repeated suggestion that the U.S. annex Canada prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to invite Charles to give the speech from the throne that will outline his government;s agenda for the new Parliament. The king is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.... Carney, the new prime minister and a former head of the Bank of England, and Canada's first Indigenous governor general, Mary Simon, the king's representative in Canada, greeted the king and Queen Camilla at the airport."

Israel/Palestine, et al. Kelby Vera of the Huffington Post: "Israel's former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he now believes his country's relentless assault on the Palestinian people amounts to 'war crimes' and must be stopped. Addressing the people of Israel in an article written in Hebrew and published by Haaretz on Thursday, Olmert, who served from 2006 to 2009, condemned current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for 'waging a pointless war, without a clear goal or plan, and with no chance of success,' according to Google's translation of the piece.... 'What we are doing in Gaza is a war of extermination: indiscriminate, unrestrained, brutal, and criminal killing of civilians,' he said." ~~~

~~~ Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "In recent weeks, partners such as the United States, Britain and France have become more willing to place Israel under overt pressure, culminating in ... [Donald] Trump's call on Sunday for the war to wind down. 'Israel, we've been talking to them, and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation as quickly as possible,' Mr. Trump told reporters in New Jersey shortly before boarding Air Force One. Those comments contrast with the public position Mr. Trump held entering office in January, when he blamed Hamas rather than Israel for the war's continuation.... The German government, normally a steadfast supporter of Israel, expressed unusually strong criticism of Israel's expanded attacks in Gaza. 'What the Israeli Army is doing in the Gaza Strip right now -- I honestly don't understand what the goal is in causing such suffering to the civilian population,' said Friedrich Merz, Germany's new chancellor, during an interview broadcast on television on Monday. The German shift came days after a similarly worded intervention from the right-wing Italian government, another ally of Israel that has previously avoided such strong condemnation of Israel. 'Netanyahu must halt the raids on Gaza,' said Antonio Tajani, the Italian foreign minister.... In turn, those comments followed a coordinated effort by Britain, Canada and France to criticize Israel's decision to expand its operations in Gaza."

Donald Trump, spreading bad economic news among our (former) friends ~~~

~~~ Sweden. Jared Gans of the Hill: "Volvo announced it plans to cut 3,000 positions as ... [Donald] Trump's tariffs continue to rattle the auto market. The Sweden-based car company said in a release Monday that the move is part of its 'cost and cash action plan' that is designed to build a stronger company as the industry faces 'considerable challenges in its external environment.' The release states that the layoffs will primarily affect office-based positions in Sweden, representing 15 percent of its global office-based workforce."

The Conversation -- May 26, 2025

Sam Roberts of the New York Times: "Charles B. Rangel, the former dean of New York's congressional delegation, who became the first Black chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, only to relinquish that position when he was censured for an ethics violation, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 94." ~~~

~~~ Marie: Akhilleus's mention of walking his dog Rocket (see today's Comments) reminded me of a day I was walkng my dog Bronte in downtown Manhattan when I heard a familiar voice: it was Gov. Mario Cuomo giving a little extemporaneous speech on the steps of City Hall. I stopped to join the small crowd gathered to hear him. Even though Cuomo was speaking off the cuff, it was quite a fine little speech. Afterwards, the governor approached me (because of Bronte, I think), and we had a little chat. I walked on, and I heard someone else speaking on another set of steps nearby. It was Charlie Rangel, also speaking extemporaneously about some issue of the day. His speech was every bit as powerful as Cuomo's. These men were not only exceptional orators; they were also very smart guys who knew what they were orating about. ~~~

~~~ By contrast, there's this Bloated Numbskull: ~~~

     ~~~ From a New York Times liveblog: Donald "Trump highlighted the sacrifices of military veterans during a Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery in which he also boasted about his plans for a military parade in Washington next month. Earlier, in a series of posts on social media, Mr. Trump wished Americans a 'HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY'; assailed those who he said spent the past four years trying to 'destroy' the country; attacked judges who have blocked his immigration policies; and said he would seek to redirect to trade schools at least $3 billion in grants the administration has revoked from Harvard University."...

Erica Green: "Trump has used parts of his address to valorize himself. He referenced 'a republic that I am fixing after a long and hard four years,' and also bragged about returning to the presidency in time to host the next editions of the soccer World Cup and the Summer Olympics. 'God did that,' he said of the timing."

All Talk, No Walk. David Sanger of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump's rare criticism of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia came after a weekend of the largest bombardment of Ukrainian cities over the past three years, mostly aimed at civilian targets.... The Russian attacks also happened only days after Mr. Trump had what he described publicly as an 'excellent' two-hour phone call with Mr. Putin that Mr. Trump promised would immediately lead to direct peace negotiations.... Mr. Trump has never linked [Russia's] attacks [on Ukraine citizens] with his own decision, reaffirmed last week, to refuse to join the Europeans in new financial sanctions on Russia, or to offer new arms and help to the Ukrainians. The result is a strategic void in which Mr. Trump complains about Russian's continued killing but so far has been unwilling to make Mr. Putin pay even a modest price.... The pattern is a familiar one.... Mr. Trump signals he is pulling back from a conflict he often describes as Europe's war, then expresses shock that Mr. Putin responds with a familiar list of demands that amount to a Ukrainian surrender, followed by accelerating attacks. Mr. Trump episodically insists he is 'absolutely' considering sanctions, including on Sunday." Related stories linked below.

Marie: Here's to the memory of my husband Aldo Scaglione, who was a partigiano during World War II: ~~~

More on that Commencement Speech/Grievance Oration via RAS via digby from Chris Jackson on X: "Donald Trump broke tradition today at West Point -- leaving halfway through commencement and skipping the time-honored handshake with graduating cadets. Last year, President Biden stayed to shake the hand of every single one of the 1,000+ graduates. Because he respects them. Trump just sees props. Absolutely disgraceful." digby has more on that "inspirational speech."

You can check this Democracy Labs interactive map to see how much your Congressional district would lose in Medicaid funds if the House bill -- currently sitting in the Senate -- is passed into law. Thanks to RAS for the lead.

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Man Controls International Economy via Involuntary Brain Farts. Erin Doherty of CNBC: "... Donald Trump said Sunday that he agreed to an extension on the 50% tariff deadline on the European Union until July 9. 'I received a call today from Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, requesting an extension on the June 1st deadline on the 50% Tariff with respect to Trade and the European Union,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.... The extension comes after Trump last week suggested a 'straight 50% tariff' [to be imposed beginning June 1] on the EU, saying that the 27-nation bloc 'has been very difficult to deal with.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Alan Rappeport & Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said that he had spoken to Ursula von der Leyen ... about his recent threat to enact the tariffs on June 1 if a trade deal could not be reached in the next week."

Ian Swanson of the Hill: Donald "Trump offered some of his toughest remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, saying he was 'not happy' at all with Putin after the latest deadly attacks in Ukraine. 'Yeah, I'll give you an update, I';m not happy with what Putin's doing. He's killing a lot of people and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin,' Trump told reporters who asked for an update on Russia. 'I've known him a long time. Always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people and I don't like it at all. OK. We're in the middle of talking and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don't like it at all,' Trump continued in remarks from Morristown, N.J., where he was preparing to take Air Force One back to Washington, D.C. Trump also said he's 'surprised at what he's seeing.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. More on the Ukraine/Russia war linked below. ~~~

~~~ Ian Swanson of the Hill: Donald "Trump in a new post on Truth Social on Sunday night accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having gone 'absolutely' crazy and said if he did not stop what he was doing, it would lead to the downfall of his country. The social media comments came after Trump had issued some of his toughest comments about Putin earlier in remarks to reporters in New Jersey. 'I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!,' Trump wrote. 'He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever,' Trump said. 'I've always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!'"

Here's a part of Trump's West Point speech I missed: ~~~

~~~ Michaela Bramwell of Buzzfeed: "Since Saturday..., [Donald Trump] has received widespread criticism for sporting a MAGA hat at the graduation and for rambling incoherently about 'inappropriate' topics.... For around 30 seconds, Trump ranted about real estate developer William Levitt and his 'trophy wife,' whom Trump claims 'didn't work out too well.'... Since its posting on X, the speech clip has since ramped up over 6.5 million views, and commenters have expressed anger and disappointment about Trump being seemingly unprepared for the moment. 'Imagine spending four grueling, incredible years at one of the best universities in the entire world with the goal of serving your country for five more, and this is the commencement address you get,' one person wrote." ~~~

     ~~~ Here's some more context from Katie Hawinson of the Independent. ~~~

     ~~~ David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) mocked ... Donald Trump after he aired his political grievances to cadets during a rambling commencement speech at West Point over the weekend.... 'I am tired of it,' Crockett said Sunday in response to the president's diatribe. "I mean, he literally sounds like someone who is broken out of the insane asylum. Like, he just be all over the place.... Like, get him some ADHD medicine, if nothing else, because I don't know where he's ever going to go.... And I don't think that those that have gone through West Point expected to have their commander-in-chief address them and start talking about trophy wives or start talking about how he had so many investigations.'"

Matt Bai of the Washington Post: "This weekend..., I listened to the new Bruce Springsteen release that has ... Donald Trump thundering like Zeus. I found it moving and thought-provoking ... because the songs he chose to include in this live compendium have taken on new meaning since the years in which he wrote them.... Springsteen opened his show in Manchester, England, this month with a searing condemnation of Trump. He said, in part: 'My home, the America I love, the America I've written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.' Trump responded by calling Springsteen 'dumb as a rock' and a 'dried out "prune"' and saying he would investigate the rock star, like he does pretty much everyone he doesn't like. Springsteen (who is apparently harder to intimidate than law firms, university presidents and media executives) decided to release an excerpt from the concert, titled 'Land of Hope & Dreams,' making sure that his comments about Trump were the first things on it." Bai meditates on the new meanings he sees in "My City of Ruins" (first recorded in 2002); "Long Walk Home" (2007); and "Land of Hope and Dreams" (written in the late '90s and recorded in 2012).

Erica Green of the New York Times: "In his drive to purge diversity efforts in the federal government and beyond..., [Donald] Trump has expressed outright hostility to civil rights protections. He ordered federal agencies to abandon some of the core tenets of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, on the basis that they represented a 'pernicious' attempt to make decisions based on diversity rather than merit. But in recent weeks, Mr. Trump has turned to those same measures -- not to help groups that have historically been discriminated against, but to remedy what he sees as the disenfranchisement of white men.... Across the government, agencies that have historically worked to fight discrimination against Black people, women and other groups have pivoted to investigating institutions accused of favoring them." Green goes into details of this hypocritical misuse of civil rights laws. ~~~

~~~ Speaking of "pernicious," here's a way Trump and his allies aim to limit voting rights for women (and others): ~~~

~~~ Patrick Marley & Yvonne Sanchez of the Washington Post: "Some Republican-led states are moving to require voters to prove their citizenship, as Texas advances a controversial measure that could make it harder for eligible voters to get on the rolls because of changed names, mislaid paperwork or database errors. Voting rights advocates and Democrats warn the plans could prove particularly tricky for people who change their names, including women who do so when they get married or divorced, because their legal names don't match the ones on their birth certificates. Supporters call the criticism overblown, saying most Americans can readily show they are citizens. The emerging laws are part of a GOP push led by ... Donald Trump to tighten requirements to cast ballots. Voting by noncitizens is both illegal and rare, and the attempts to crack down on voting by foreigners could drive down participation from a much larger pool of legitimate voters, according to election experts.... Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly made false claims that large numbers of immigrants are illegally voting. The president signed an executive order in March aimed at requiring citizenship documents to register to vote, but a judge blocked his directive last month. Four states require voters to provide proof of citizenship, and others are rushing to join them."

Kate Shaw in a New York Times op-ed: "In violation of numerous laws or longstanding presidential practice (or both), [Donald Trump] has ordered the removal of many high-level officials who normally retain their positions regardless of who is in the Oval Office. Some of these high-level officials have successfully challenged their removal in the lower courts. But on Thursday, in a case involving members of the National Labor Relations and Merit Systems Protection Boards, the Supreme Court quietly blessed some or all of these firings [in a supposedly temporary, procedural finding].... The decision was radical.... Over the last four months, the legal world -- and the country -- has been plunged into chaos, and the Supreme Court bears a heavy dose of responsibility.... Many of its decisions involving the presidency -- including last year's on presidential immunity -- have enabled the president to declare himself above the law....The court may believe that it retains the ultimate authority to check presidential lawlessness, even as it signs off on the elimination of many other constraints on presidential power. The danger is that by the time the court actually tries to exercise that authority, it may be too late." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What we are experiencing is a disruption at best, or an end at worst of our quasi-democratic system of government. And what we're discovering is that it takes many people -- determined people -- to make this happen. These determined people do not necessarily get together in dark room and plot against the state. Rather, they have come to a tacit agreement to overlook the law and logic, tradition and precedent, moral rectitude and the common good. They are members of the administration, of Congress and of the highest court. Together or separately, they are making something happen. Something that is very bad for the rest of us, here and in the wider world. ~~~

~~~ Now that Peter Baker has come to understand this, he is wondering, "Where are you people?"

     ~~~ "A Death of Outrage." Peter Baker of the New York Times: "When Hillary Clinton was first lady, a furor erupted over reports that she had once made $100,000 from a $1,000 investment in cattle futures. Even though it had happened a dozen years before her husband became president, it became a scandal that lasted weeks and forced the White House to initiate a review. Thirty-one years later, after dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Jeff Bezos agreed to finance a promotional film about Melania Trump that will reportedly put $28 million directly in her pocket -- 280 times the Clinton lucre and in this case from a person with a vested interest in policies set by her husband's government. Scandal? Furor? Washington moved on while barely taking notice. The Trumps ... have done more to monetize the presidency than anyone who has ever occupied the White House. The scale and the scope of the presidential mercantilism has been breathtaking.... Yet a mark of how much Mr. Trump has transformed Washington since his return to power is the normalization of moneymaking schemes that once would have generated endless political blowback, televised hearings, official investigations and damage control.... There will be no official investigations because Mr. Trump has made sure of it." (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Trump seems to be so over Bibi, because here's the international diplomat he sent to Israel: ~~~

~~~ Jerusalem Post: "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem landed in Israel on Sunday following the murder of Israeli embassy employees in Washington, per the instructions of ... Donald Trump. Noem is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and will arrive at the Western Wall on Sunday." MB: I hope she found the right outfits to wear for this trip. (Also linked yesterday.)

Anumita Kaur & Julia Ledur of the Washington Post: "More than 1 million international students attend colleges across the United States each year, bringing billions of dollars to the American economy and bolstering the nation's science and technology sectors. Many of them now find themselves in the crosshairs of the Trump administration's battle to exert control over some of the nation's elite universities. Those students have been a critical part of U.S. institutions of higher education for decades, contributing to the nation's economy and research, experts say.... NAFSA [the Association of International Educators] estimates that international students contributed nearly $44 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2023-2024 school year, including paying for tuition, fees, accommodations, transportation and incidentals like shopping." And they contribute to the U.S. in other ways: by participating in scientific studies and other cutting-edge research, by starting-up U.S. companies, and by allowing universities to expand their curricula for all students.

The Wages of Musk-Trump. Stephanie Armour of the Washington Post: "Federal health agencies investigated [an outbreak last fall of] ... E. coli bacteria ... that killed one person and sickened nearly 90 people in 15 states.... But most people have never heard about this outbreak, which a Feb. 11 internal Food and Drug Administration memo linked to a single lettuce processor and ranch as the source of the contamination.... Officials never issued public communications after the investigation nor identified the grower who produced the lettuce. At that time, the decision was made by the Trump administration not to release the names of the grower and processor because the FDA said no product remained on the market.... The administration also has withdrawn a proposed regulation to reduce the presence of salmonella in raw poultry, according to an April USDA alert. It was projected to save more than $13 million annually by preventing more than 3,000 illnesses, according to the proposal....

"From failing to publicize a major outbreak to scaling back safety alert specialists and rules, the Trump administration's anti-regulatory and cost-cutting push risks unraveling a critical system that helps ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply, according to consumer advocates, researchers and former employees at the FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture.... Public health advocates warn companies and growers will face less regulatory oversight and fewer consequences for selling tainted food products as a result of recent FDA actions. The administration is disbanding a Justice Department unit that pursues civil and criminal actions against companies that sell contaminated food and is reassigning its attorneys."

The Wages of Musk-Trump, Ctd. Sophie Gardner of Politico: "Water safety officials usually spend Memorial Day weekend warning families that more toddlers die from drowning than any other cause. This year, fewer people will know about the risk. In April..., Donald Trump laid off the team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responsible for tracking and publicizing drownings. That team also worked with partners like the YMCA and the American Red Cross to get at-risk children into swimming lessons. That collaboration has halted.... Drowning deaths rose during the pandemic, hitting 4,300 in 2023, the most recent data, compared to around 4,000 in 2019. They rose even more among the youngest children, ages 1 to 4, for whom drowning is the No. 1 cause of death '' numbers published by the soon-to-be-terminated team.'

The Wages of Musk-Trump, Ctd. Scott Dance, et al., of the Washington Post: "Twice a day, every day, meteorologists around the world simultaneously release weather balloons. But in recent months, fewer balloons are being launched in many corners of the United States. In some cases, helium or hydrogen shortages are to blame. In more cases, the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal government have reduced the number of meteorologists who conduct balloon launches from Weather Service forecast offices. Since then, up to 30 launches have been missed each day, representing around 17 percent of total daily launches. Even though the agency has taken steps to make balloon launches a higher priority, and is working to address the staffing gaps, there aren't always enough staff on hand in some offices to do them. That means forecasters have a less detailed picture of what is happening in the air to drive everyday weather patterns, as well as severe and potentially deadly ones. Here is how weather balloons work -- and why the missed balloon launches matter."

The Wages of Musk-Trump, Ctd. Federica Cocco & Dana Munro of the Washington Post: "Federal spending cuts are beginning to have a more pronounced impact on the Washington region's job market, new data suggests, with fewer white-collar jobs available while thousands of residents who've lost theirs are looking for work. Job postings in the District this month are down 17 percent since January, according to a report by the jobs site Indeed, driven by steep drops in listings for administrative assistants, human resources specialists and accountants -- positions that are common inside federal agencies or companies with federal government contracts. The broader metro area is showing similar signs of contraction, with overall postings down more than 10 percent -- far outpacing the national average."

The Hyperbolic Semantics of the Trumpocracy. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Words such as 'terrorism,' 'antisemitism,' 'invasion' and 'treason' are used by the administration to heighten claims that its opponents (actual or ideological) are dangerous to the nation rather than simply to the president's agenda.... The rationales [for punitive actions] are scattershot because -- as is so often the case with this president -- the desired outcome preceded the evidence." MB: And leave us not forget the claim of "genocide" against White South Africans. (The actual "genocide" seems to have been that one White Afrikaner couple was murdered during a robbery of their home.)

Jessica Silver-Greenberg, et al., of the New York Times: "Earlier this year, the Trump administration agreed to spare ... [nine] large law firms from executive orders that could have crippled their businesses in exchange for commitments from those firms to collectively provide nearly $1 billion in pro bono legal work and represent clients from all political points of view. Now individuals and organizations allied with Mr. Trump are starting to request that the firms make good on the free legal work they committed to perform.... Many of the requests have come from veterans, one of the groups that the president suggested the firms could help.... Some veterans have viewed the deals as an open invitation to ask for free legal work.... The firms are unsure about how to satisfy the terms of their pro bono commitments, or how to keep track of the work that might qualify as part of those commitments...."

Caroline Linton of CBS News: "House Speaker Mike Johnson, who shepherded ... [Donald] Trump's 'one big, beautiful bill' through Congress, said Sunday that the Medicaid work requirements ... have a 'moral component' to them because people on Medicaid who 'refuse' to work are 'defrauding the system.'... He said there are 4.8 million Americans on Medicaid who are 'able-bodied workers, young men, for example, who are not working, who are taking advantage of the system.'... He added, 'when you make young men work, it's good for them, it's good for their dignity, it's good for their self-worth, and it's good for the community that they live in.' Johnson also claimed some of those who are on Medicaid and SNAP are undocumented immigrants, although they are not eligible to receive food stamps or Medicaid." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It looks as if Bible Mike made these assertions on a Sunday School day, but that did not stop him from lying. According to the Kaiser Foundation, "Among adults under age 65 with Medicaid who do not receive benefits from the Social Security disability programs, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and who are not also covered by Medicare, 92% were working full or part-time (64%), or not working due to caregiving responsibilities (12%), illness or disability (10%), or school attendance (7%) (Figure 1). The remaining 8% of Medicaid adults reported that they are retired, unable to find work, or were not working for another reason." So likely a few slackers & scammers as human nature would have it (for example, see Trump, Donald), but for the most part, those Medicaid recipients who can work, do. Moreover, the Kaiser reports notes that a "CBO [Congressional Budget Office] analysis [of an earlier work-requirement bill, which did not pass into law] also showed the policy would increase the number of people without health insurance ... but would not increase employment." ~~~

~~~ Sen. Ron Johnson, ever vying with Sen. Potato Head (R-Ala.) to hold the title of Stupidest U.S. Senator, is amazing. Even when Ron is right about something, he manages to be wrong about it, too: ~~~

     ~~~ Megan Lebowitz of NBC News: "As the Senate prepares to consider the sprawling domestic package that House Republicans passed last week, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he thinks there are 'enough' Republicans to 'stop the process' in order to prioritize stronger reductions in spending and the national deficit. The Wisconsin Republican has criticized the bill's impact on the deficit, characterizing outsize spending as 'mortgaging our children's future.' The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the bill would add $2.3 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years. Johnson said in an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union' that congressional Republicans should examine spending 'line by line, like DOGE has done' to find areas to eliminate." MB: He's right that the Congress could and probably should reduce the deficit rather than increase it. But the debt is not "mortgaging our children's futures." Our children, in fact, will profit from repayment of the debt because it is their parents who are the majority lenders of the debt (though other countries now hold about 30% of the debt). Plus of course it is laughable to assert that Chainsaw Elon and the Boys from DOGE examined spending "line by line."

~~~~~~~~~~

Canada. Amanda Coletta & Karla Adam of the Washington Post: "On Tuesday, King Charles III will become only the second monarch in Canada's history to participate in the ... [opening session of Canada's Parliament]. From a walnut throne adorned with a spray of gold maple leaves, Charles, who is Canada's head of state, will deliver the Speech from the Throne. His presence, at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's invitation, is widely viewed as sending a subtle message of resistance to ... Donald Trump. Amid the president's talk of erasing the 'arbitrary' U.S.-Canada border and making Canada the 51st state -- 'never say never,' he told Carney this month, after being told once again that the country is 'not for sale' -- Charles and Queen Camilla's two-day visit is meant to underscore Canada's sovereignty, said Ralph Goodale, Canada's high commissioner to the United Kingdom.... Trump's threats to annex the largest of Charles's realms have posed an extraordinary diplomatic headache for the 76-year-old monarch, who is supposed to be apolitical and yet has to balance the competing interests of his prime ministers."

Israel/Palestine, et al. Waafa Shurafa & Samy Magdy of the AP: "Israeli strikes killed at least 52 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including 36 in a school-turned-shelter that was struck as people slept, setting their belongings ablaze, according to local health officials. The military said it targeted militants operating from the school.... Israel says it plans to seize full control of Gaza and facilitate what it describes as the voluntary migration of its over 2 million population, a plan rejected by Palestinians and much of the international community." ~~~

~~~ Patrick Kingsley & Jin Yu Young of the New York Times: The head of a group overseeing a contentious new aid program in the Gaza Strip resigned on Sunday, hours before the program was set to start operating, saying that he had found it impossible to perform the job independently. Jake Wood, the executive director of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, stepped down after reports in several news outlets, including The New York Times, raised questions about the group's independence and its connections with Israel.... Mr. Wood's departure followed growing acrimony within the traditional aid sector about efforts by Israel to replace the current aid system in Gaza with one overseen by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new and untested group founded late last year. The foundation has hired private contractors, including one run by a former C.I.A. officer, to secure and distribute food from four sites in areas of southern Gaza under Israeli military control.... Responding to Mr. Wood's departure, the foundation said its operations would begin without him -- as soon as Monday -- and would be feeding more than 1 million Palestinians, or roughly half of Gaza's population, by the end of the week."

Marie: Here is Putin's response to the scolding Trump gave him yesterday: ~~~

~~~ Ukraine/Russia, et al. Constant Méheut & Daria Mitiuk of the New York Times: "Russia unleashed one of its largest drone and missile barrages of the war on Ukraine overnight, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens across the country in an hourslong assault that Ukrainian officials said showed Moscow had no interest in a truce. It was the second large-scale attack in two nights and the third in just a week, part of a broader, recent escalation by Russia that has brought a spike in civilian casualties despite cease-fire negotiations. Ukraine has also stepped up its own air attacks on Russian territory, though on a smaller scale and with far fewer civilian deaths. The overnight strikes underscored how months of diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire have failed to yield a breakthrough as President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has dragged his feet on agreeing to any temporary truce, adding conditions that he knows Ukraine will not accept. And after threatening for weeks to walk away from the negotiations..., [Donald] Trump now appears to be doing exactly that, telling President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine last week that Russia and Ukraine would have to find a solution to the war themselves." ~~~

~~~ Isobel Koshiw, et al., of the Washington Post: "Ukraine is increasingly worried about securing more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems, as stockpiles sent during the Biden administration are drying up and the new administration is resistant to sending more.... Ukraine's dire need for Patriots was apparent over Memorial Day weekend when its air defense forces failed to intercept any of the nine ballistic missiles launched Saturday night and early on Sunday.... Donald Trump condemned Russia over the attacks late Sunday but did not make any promises of additional military aid.... The main additional military aid Ukraine has requested from the Trump administration is more Patriot missiles and launchers, 'which, frankly, we don't have,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday. Rubio said the United States is instead 'encouraging' its NATO allies to donate Patriot missiles and systems from their stockpiles.... A European diplomat in Kyiv said that U.S. manufacturer Raytheon is still in the process of expanding its production lines to meet post-2022 demand.... Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, however, believe that the Trump administration would be willing to sell the country more Patriots rather than send them as aid, as the previous administration did." -54-

The Conversation -- May 25, 2025

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link.

Man Controls International Economy via Involuntary Brain Farts. Erin Doherty of CNBC: "... Donald Trump said Sunday that he agreed to an extension on the 50% tariff deadline on the European Union until July 9. 'I received a call today from Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, requesting an extension on the June 1st deadline on the 50% Tariff with respect to Trade and the European Union,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.... The extension comes after Trump last week suggested a 'straight 50% tariff' [to begin June 1] on the EU, saying that the 27-nation bloc 'has been very difficult to deal with.'"

Ian Swanson of the Hill: Donald "Trump offered some of his toughest remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, saying he was 'not happy' at all with Putin after the latest deadly attacks in Ukraine. 'Yeah, I'll give you an update, I'm not happy with what Putin's doing. He's killing a lot of people and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin,' Trump told reporters who asked for an update on Russia. 'I've known him a long time. Always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people and I don't like it at all. OK. We're in the middle of talking and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don't like it at all,' Trump continued in remarks from Morristown, N.J., where he was preparing to take Air Force One back to Washington, D.C. Trump also said he's 'surprised at what he's seeing.'"

Marie: Trump seems to be so over Bibi, because here's the international diplomat he sent to Israel:

Jerusalem Post: "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem landed in Israel on Sunday following the murder of Israeli embassy employees in Washington, per the instructions of ... Donald Trump. Noem is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and will arrive at the Western Wall on Sunday." MB: I hope she found the right outfits to wear for this trip.

Kate Shaw in a New York Times op-ed: "In violation of numerous laws or longstanding presidential practice (or both), [Donald Trump] has ordered the removal of many high-level officials who normally retain their positions regardless of who is in the Oval Office. Some of these high-level officials have successfully challenged their removal in the lower courts. But on Thursday, in a case involving members of the National Labor Relations and Merit Systems Protection Boards, the Supreme Court quietly blessed some or all of these firings [in a supposedly temporary, procedural finding].... The decision was radical.... Over the last four months, the legal world -- and the country -- has been plunged into chaos, and the Supreme Court bears a heavy dose of responsibility.... Many of its decisions involving the presidency -- including last year's on presidential immunity -- have enabled the president to declare himself above the law.... The court may believe that it retains the ultimate authority to check presidential lawlessness, even as it signs off on the elimination of many other constraints on presidential power. The danger is that by the time the court actually tries to exercise that authority, it may be too late." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: What we are experiencing is a disruption at best, or an end at worst, of our quasi-democratic system of government. And what we're discovering is that it takes many determined people to make this happen. These people do not necessarily get together in dark room and plot against the state. Rather, they have come to a tacit agreement to overlook the law and logic, tradition and precedent, moral rectitude and the common good. They are members of the administration, of Congress and of the highest court. Together or separately, they are making something happen. Something that is very bad for the rest of us, here and in the wider world. ~~~

~~~ Now that Peter Baker has come to understand this, he is wondering, "Where are you people?"

     ~~~ "A Death of Outrage." Peter Baker of the New York Times: "When Hillary Clinton was first lady, a furor erupted over reports that she had once made $100,000 from a $1,000 investment in cattle futures. Even though it had happened a dozen years before her husband became president, it became a scandal that lasted weeks and forced the White House to initiate a review. Thirty-one years later, after dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Jeff Bezos agreed to finance a promotional film about Melania Trump that will reportedly put $28 million directly in her pocket -- 280 times the Clinton lucre and in this case from a person with a vested interest in policies set by her husband's government. Scandal? Furor? Washington moved on while barely taking notice. The Trumps ... have done more to monetize the presidency than anyone who has ever occupied the White House. The scale and the scope of the presidential mercantilism has been breathtaking.... Yet a mark of how much Mr. Trump has transformed Washington since his return to power is the normalization of moneymaking schemes that once would have generated endless political blowback, televised hearings, official investigations and damage control.... There will be no official investigations because Mr. Trump has made sure of it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Erica Green of the New York Times: Donald "Trump told cadets in a commencement address at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Saturday that they were the first graduates to serve in a 'golden age' of the nation that was a result of his efforts to rebuild the military and reshape American society.... Wearing his red 'Make America Great Again' hat, Mr. Trump leaned into his aggressive agenda to purge diversity, equity and inclusion programs from the government, military and virtually every facet of American life, in making his pitch that the nation was worth fighting for again.... Mr. Trump's crusade against diversity has been particularly pronounced in the military, where there has been an aggressive erasure of the valor of Black people, women and other groups, down to eliminating and obscuring content honoring those buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Mr. Trump has also sought to overhaul the military by making its ranks less diverse. He removed a Black four-star general as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and dismissed high-ranking women. He also banned transgender people from serving in the military." ~~~

     ~~~ Giselle Ewing of Politico: "... Donald Trump addressed West Point graduates in a Saturday morning speech that quickly veered from remarks about American military prowess to what sounded more like a political rally -- tying an institution refashioned under his administration's anti-diversity, equity and inclusion policies to his broader political agenda." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I know Trump is the commander-in-chief, but I hope that had I been the top officer at the West Point ceremony, I would have politely asked him to remove his MAGA hat and offered him an apolitical cap to ward off the sunshine. Had he refused, I would have acknowledged his presence on the stage but would not have given him an opportunity to speak. In light of the political content in the speech he did give, that would have been the better part of valor. And if the West Point campus was the battlefield on which my career died, I would know I had fallen for the American ideal.

Ours is not the only government Donald Trump is corrupting: ~~~

~~~ The Biggest Grifter. Damien Cave of the New York Times: A "$1.5 billion golf complex outside [Vietnam's] capital, Hanoi, as well as plans for a Trump skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, are the Trump family's first projects in Vietnam -- part of a global moneymaking enterprise.... And as that blitz makes the Trumps richer, it is distorting how countries interact with the United States. To fast-track the Trump development, Vietnam has ignored its own laws, legal experts said, granting concessions more generous than what even the most connected locals receive. Vietnamese officials, in a letter obtained by The New York Times, explicitly stated that the project required special support from the top ranks of the Vietnamese government because it was 'receiving special attention from the Trump administration and ... Donald Trump personally.'... Vietnamese officials ... face intense pressure to strike a trade deal that would head off President Trump's threat of steep tariffs, which would hit about 30 percent of Vietnam's exports.... The line between Trump the president and Trump the tycoon is now seen by diplomats, trade officials and corporations worldwide as so obviously blurred that governments feel more compelled than ever to favor anything Trump-related."

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times: "How can Americans best defend their democracy from their president? In my last column, I recounted three lessons from other countries where popular movements have made headway challenging authoritarian rulers. Critics of ... [Donald] Trump have frankly been fairly ineffective -- witness his election and the way his approval ratings have risen in some polls lately -- but Trump does give us a great deal to work with. He is immensely vulnerable. Drawing upon these lessons from my last column, here are what I see as the most promising lines of attack for his critics: [1] Trump is deeply corrupt.... [2] Trump is hurting you in the pocketbook.... [3] Trump looks down on you and thinks he can manipulate you." See also Akhilleus's commentary in today's thread on the necessity to defend against Trump.

I thought Donald Trump was so upset about possible antisemitism that he has been forced to heavily sanction universities and law firms. So how did this happen? ~~~

~~~ Gabby Deutch of the Jewish Insider (May 23): "Kingsley Wilson, a deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense who has come under fire from Democratic and Republican lawmakers and Jewish communal organizations for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories, has been promoted to serve as the department's press secretary, the Pentagon announced on Friday."

Sam Biddle of the Intercept (May 22): "The U.S. intelligence community is now buying up vast volumes of sensitive [personal] information that would have previously required a court order, essentially bypassing the Fourth Amendment. But ... there's simply too much data on sale from too many corporations and brokers. So the government has a plan for a one-stop shop. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is working on a system to centralize and "streamline" the use of commercially available information ... like location data derived from mobile ads, by American spy agencies, according to contract documents reviewed by The Intercept.... The ODNI has previously defined 'sensitive' CAI as information 'not widely known about an individual that could be used to cause harm to the person's reputation, emotional well-being, or physical safety.'" Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Great news for hackers, too! Now they have to hack into only one place to get all your personal data. Hey, guys, start with Drunk Pete's phone. ~~~

     (~~~ See also this Washington Post report, linked here May 7.)

The Law & Order Party sure went belly-up right quick: ~~~

~~~ Martin Kaste of NPR: "The Justice Department has drastically scaled back its support for anti-crime initiatives across the country, leaving law enforcement agencies and private groups scrambling to try to replace the money. The cuts were announced in late April, and the Council on Criminal Justice estimates 373 grants were terminated, totaling about $500 million. The sweeping nature of the cuts took many public safety groups by surprise." ~~~

~~~ And How 'bout That New Pardon King? Ed White of the AP: "The U.S. Justice Department's new pardon attorney said he is going to take a 'hard look' at two men who are serving long prison terms for leading a conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 'On the pardon front, we can't leave these guys behind,' Ed Martin Jr. said this week on 'The Breanna Morello Show.... In my opinion these are victims just like January 6,' Martin said, referring to 1,500 people pardoned by ... Donald Trump for crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The arrests of Barry Croft Jr., Adam Fox and other anti-government extremists rocked the home stretch of the 2020 presidential election. Authorities said the cabal wanted to grab Whitmer, a Democrat, at her vacation home and start a civil war. Croft, 49, and Fox, 42, were portrayed as leaders of the scheme. They were convicted of conspiracy in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2022. Croft, a trucker from Delaware, was also found guilty of a weapons charge." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Apparently it is never a crime, no matter how odious, if it is planned or committed against a Democrat.

Abigail Hauslohner & Emily Wax-Thibodeaux of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration's move to end deportation protections for wartime allies who fled to the United States after the fall of Afghanistan has infuriated veterans of the 20-year conflict there, who say the U.S. government is betraying a sacred promise made to some of America's most vulnerable partners. This month Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem announced the administration's termination of temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghans, exposing thousands, potentially, to deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as soon as July, when the policy is to take effect. The fear, veterans and other advocates say, is that anyone who returns to Afghanistan will almost certainly face reprisal by the Taliban.... In announcing an end to Afghans' TPS, the administration said there have been 'notable improvements; in Afghanistan under the Taliban's authoritarian rule.... Human Rights Watch wrote in its 2025 report on Afghanistan that the situation there has 'worsened' over the past year as 'Taliban authorities intensified their crackdown on human rights, particularly against women and girls.' More than half the population needed urgent humanitarian assistance last year, the group found, including nearly 3 million people who faced 'emergency levels of hunger.'"

Trump's EPA Plans Slow Death of Life on Earth. Lisa Friedman of the New York Times: "The Environmental Protection Agency has drafted a plan to eliminate all limits on greenhouse gases from coal and gas-fired power plants in the United States, according to internal agency documents reviewed by The New York Times. In its proposed regulation, the agency argued that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants that burn fossil fuels 'do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution' or to climate change because they are a small and declining share of global emissions. Eliminating those emissions would have no meaningful effect on public health and welfare, the agency said. But in the United States, the power sector was the second biggest source of greenhouse gases, behind transportation, according to the most recent data available on the E.P.A. website. And globally, power plants account for about 30 percent of the pollution that is driving climate change."

Josh Marshall has a nice, short post on the Supreme's do-it-yourself Constitution. Marshall's commentary is in line with Justice Kagan's dissent in yesterday's decision to let Trump run roughshod over "independent" agencies -- except the Federal Reserve.

Abha Bhattarai of the Washington Post: "Millions of Americans are suddenly facing dramatically lower credit scores from delinquent student loans, making it tougher for them to secure housing, insurance, car loans, even employment at a vulnerable time for the U.S. economy.... The slide in credit scores could lead to pricier loans for millions as borrowing costs are near 20-year highs. The Federal Reserve has signaled that it doesn't plan to cut interest rates right away. Already there are signs that lower credit scores are making it harder for more Americans to get loans.... Federal student loan payments were paused early in the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.... Although payments started back up in late 2023, the Biden administration offered a year-long grace period. That ended on Sept. 30, but millions of borrowers have yet to make a payment on their student loans. This month the federal government restarted collection efforts for defaulted student loans and said it plans to resume seizing wages, tax returns and Social Security payments this summer, making the stakes even higher. Nearly 1 in 4 borrowers required to make loan repayments were more than 90 days behind at the end of March...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: An "educational system" that puts millions of young Americans deep in debt, so deep many cannot escape, is a disgrace. We know how to run a system that gives young people the opportunities they need to receive quality educations that prepare them for life and work opportunities. We had one in the 1960s. We not only abandoned that system, the institutional memory of that system is dying with my generation. We cannot blame this critical lapse on Donald Trump, though of course he and his ilk are making it worse. While we bemoan what Trump is doing to scientific research and international students, we should also address what is happening to our own young people seeking university educations.

2020 Presidential Election. Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "As part of his endless promotional tour, Jake Tapper repeats the very commonly repeated fiction that Joe Biden was imposed on an unwilling party by a backdoor elite conspiracy[.] In some detail, Lemieux explains why the nomination was not engineered by an elite cabal of Democratic insiders.

Katharine Seelye of the New York Times: "Susan Brownmiller, the feminist author, journalist and activist whose book 'Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape' helped define the modern view of rape, debunking it as an act of passion and reframing it as a crime of power and violence, died on Saturday. She was 90.... 'Against Our Will,' published in 1975, was translated into a dozen languages and ranked by the New York Public Library as one of the 10 most important books of the 20th century."

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Marie: This is definitely not what I had in mind when I opined we needed a better educational system: ~~~

Texas. Jessica Priest of the Texas Tribune: "The Texas House gave preliminary approval Saturday to a bill that would grant political appointees unprecedented oversight of the state's public universities. Other conservative-led states, including Florida and North Carolina, have sought to influence who leads colleges and what gets taught in classrooms. Texas is poised to go further by shifting some of those responsibilities, traditionally held by professors, to politically appointed university regents. The legislation would also create a state office with the power to investigate universities and would threaten their funding if they don't comply with the law."

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Scott Roxborough of the Hollywood Reporter: "Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi has won the Palme d'Or for best film for It Was Just an Accident at the 78th Cannes international film festival. Panahi, who just a few years ago was imprisoned in Tehran and under a 20-year travel and work ban, returned triumphantly to Cannes, accepting his award from jury president (and vocal Panahi fan) Juliette Binoche. Panahi's film, his first since being released from prison in 2023, is a direct assault on Iran's authoritarian regime. The thriller follows a former political prisoner who kidnaps a man he believes to be his torturer and then debates with other dissidents whether to kill or forgive him." ~~~

     ~~~ Manohla Dargis of the New York Times: "... Panahi had until recently been barred from making movies in Iran or traveling outside the country. Although the restriction has been lifted, he shot]Un Simple Accident' clandestinely.... Panahi, who has been imprisoned several times, drew his inspiration from stories he heard from other inmates while he was at Evin Prison in Tehran."

Ukraine/Russia, et al. Zelensky Shames Trump. Siobhán O'Grady & Serhiy Morgunov of the Washington Post: "Russia launched another massive missile and drone attack across Ukraine early Sunday, killing 12 people, including at least three children -- casting further doubt on Moscow's intentions in an already shaky peace process brokered by ... Donald Trump. he attack, which lasted several hours and followed another large attack the night before, came even as Russia and Ukraine proceeded with a days-long prisoner exchange the two sides agreed to during a rare summit in Istanbul last week. 'The world may go into weekend mode, but the war does not stop for weekends or weekdays. This cannot be ignored,' President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. 'Silence of America and others around the world only emboldens Putin." ~~~

     ~~~ Karen DeYoung, et al., of the Washington Post: "Russia's battlefield strength in Ukraine has started to wane and it could run into serious shortages of manpower and weaponry by next year, even as ... Donald Trump retreats from pressure on Moscow to end the war, according to senior U.S. and European officials and military experts."