The Conversation -- May 5, 2025

North Carolina. Carolina Journal: "A federal judge has ordered the North Carolina State Board of Elections to certify Democrat Allison Riggs as the winner of the 2024 state Supreme Court election. The decision rejects ballot challenges from Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin. US Chief District Judge Richard Myers placed a one-week hold on his decision to give Griffin time to appeal. Myers rejected a state Supreme Court decision in April that placed at least 1,675 and as many as 5,700 ballots from the fall election in question. The state's highest court endorsed a ballot 'cure' process to deal with the disputed ballots. Most of those ballots were tied to overseas voters who provided no photo identification. A smaller number involved 'never residents' who had checked a box on a voter form indicating they had never lived in North Carolina or the United States. Myers' decision preserves Riggs' 734-vote lead over Griffin out of more than 5.5 million ballots cast last fall." ~~~

     ~~~ Judge Myers' order is here, via the Carolina Journal.

Aishvarya Kavi of the New York Times: Donald "Trump said on Monday that he 'had nothing to do with' a depiction of himself as the pope that was shared on his and White House social media accounts over the weekend, distancing himself from the apparently A.I.-generated image that has agitated Catholics. 'I had nothing to do with it,' Mr. Trump said while taking questions in the Oval Office. 'Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the pope, and they put it out on the internet. That's not me that did it, I have no idea where it came from -- maybe it was A.I....' Mr. Trump, responding to a question about Catholics who are displeased with the image of him dressed in white papal robes and a ceremonial headdress, also attempted to downplay the mounting criticism. 'They can't take a joke,' Mr. Trump said, quickly telling the reporter, 'You don't mean the Catholics; you mean the fake news media. The Catholics loved it.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So let me get this straight: an A.I. gnome hacked into both Trump's personal social media account and his White House account and posted a picture of him decked out as Pope Francis?? And Press Secretary Barbie Blondie didn't put out a statement denouncing the hacks & gnomes? Very credible, Donnie; very credible.

Michael Bender & Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Monday sought to force Harvard University back to the negotiating table by informing the nation's oldest and wealthiest college that it would not be eligible for any new federal grants. That decision was relayed in a contentious letter to Alan M. Garber, the president of Harvard, from Linda McMahon, the education secretary, who blasted the school for 'disastrous mismanagement.'... Ms. McMahon's three-page letter, which deployed the use of all-capital letters to emphasize words, overflowed with familiar grievances from Mr. Trump and other conservative critics of Harvard. The missive said the college had 'made a mockery of this country's higher education system.' It accused the university of 'ugly racism,' mentioned 'humiliating plagiarism scandals' and lashed out at the university's leadership." Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Here's McMahon's letter, via the Education Department. (You have to click on it to blow it up to readable size.)

David Yaffe-Bellany & Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "Senate Democrats are demanding changes to cryptocurrency legislation pending in Congress, responding partly to growing evidence that the Trump family is using its connections and ... [Donald] Trump's power to profit from crypto trading. The pushback intensified late last week after a closed-door meeting among Senate Democrats in which Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, told colleagues they should not commit to voting for the so-called GENIUS Act, a bill backed by the crypto industry. For months, the bill had appeared to be gliding toward passage, with support from both parties, and it was scheduled for a procedural vote this week. But in the meeting, Senate Democrats expressed concern that the legislation would directly benefit the Trump family's crypto business, citing reporting by The New York Times.... Those ethical concerns have contributed to a broader unease about the bill among Democrats. Several senators have also pointed to other issues, arguing that the legislation lacks sufficient protections against money laundering."

Hamed Aleaziz of the New York Times: "The Trump administration is offering a cash stipend and travel home to undocumented immigrants who willingly leave the United States, officials said on Monday, its latest effort to increase deportations. The policy, which will offer $1,000 and a flight home to each immigrant who leaves, is part of the Trump administration's push to persuade immigrants to deport themselves as a way to help the president meet lofty immigration promises."

Pam Belluck of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Monday asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to sharply restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone -- taking the same position as the Biden administration in a closely watched case that has major implications for abortion access. The court filing by the Justice Department is striking, given that ... [Donald] Trump and a number of officials in his administration have forcefully opposed abortion rights.... And so far in his second term, his administration has taken steps to curtail programs that support reproductive health. The court filing was the first time the Trump administration has weighed in on the lawsuit, which seeks to reverse numerous regulatory changes that the Food and Drug Administration made, starting in 2016, that greatly expanded access to mifepristone. The Trump administration's request made no mention of the merits of the case.... Rather, echoing the argument that the Biden administration made shortly before Mr. Trump took office, the court filing asserts that the case does not meet the legal standard to be heard in the federal district court in which it was filed."

Marie: I skipped over the Big News yesterday that Trump said he would not seek a third term. That was my mistake. Here's why: his full answer is one that only someone far too ignorant to be president* could utter: ~~~

     ~~~ Nnamdi Egwuonwu of NBC News: "... Donald Trump offered his clearest indication yet that he will leave the White House at the end of his second term ... in an ... interview with NBC News' 'Meet the Press.'... 'It's something that, to the best of my knowledge, you're not allowed to do. I don't know if that's constitutional that they're not allowing you to do it or anything else,' Trump said." Emphasis added. A YouTube short video is here for the listening, in case you can't believe he said that. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I do understand that ordinary Americans might not be able to cite the 22nd Amendment, it content or its history. And why should they? But anyone who even thinks about running for POTUS must know the job is term-limited and should know, in general, why that is. I don't see how it's possible for someone who has publicly flirted with a third term not to know that it's unconstitutional. BTW, I've never thought Trump would go to the trouble of running for a third term. If he's still alive in 2028, he'll very likely declare a national emergency (he does that a lot already) and attempt to stay on. He is just the more ignorant ass who ever wore out the leather in the chair behind the Resolute desk.

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link.

~~~~~~~~~~

At the top of today's Comments, Akhilleus has a good, very short summary of the Presidency* of Donald Trump.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. -- Donald Trump, January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021

I don't know. -- Donald Trump, when asked if he had to uphold the Constitution, May 2025 ~~~

~~~ Joe DePaolo of Mediaite: "'Your Secretary of State says everyone who's here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process,' [NBC's Kristin] Welker said [in an interview of Donald Trump for 'Meet the Press']. 'Do you agree, Mr. President?' 'I don't know,' Trump replied. 'I'm not a lawyer. I don't know.' 'Well, the Fifth Amendment says as much,' Welker replied. '... it might say that, but if you're talking about that, then we'd have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials. We have thousands of people that are some murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.... And I was elected to get them the hell out of here and the courts are holding me from doing it.' Welker then asked...: 'But even given those numbers that you're talking about, don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?' Trump replied: 'I don't know. I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said. What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.'" Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Jonathan Swan has the New York Times story, but he doesn't make Trump's ignorance of his oath as clear as DePaolo does. Swan also covers other aspects of the interview. Welker, BTW, should have followed up when Trump claimed not to know he had to defend the Constitution: "Are you saying your oath of office is meaningless, Mr. P*?" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You could successfully argue, I think, that when a sitting president* doesn't know he has to abide by his oath of office, the 25th Amendment should kick in. Needless to say the likelihood that JayDee & the Butt Lickers will invoke the 25th Amendment is right between nil and zero. So I'd say impeachment and conviction are in order. (Yeah, I know, fat chance. But the point is, Donald Trump admitted on national teevee that he has no intention to -- and no idea of how to -- do his job.) We all know Trump is not abiding by the Constitution. But when he flat-out says he has no idea of whether or not he must do so, he has admitted he has not defended the Constitution for the four years and three months he has been president*, so he has never fulfilled the duties of the presidency. ~~~

     ~~~ NBC has posted what is describes as the full transcript of Welker's interview of Trump. It's not clear whether this is the transcript as-aired or as-taped. He has a very bad brain and he said a lot of things. ~~~

~~~ Jared Gans of the Hill: Donald "Trump took credit for the positive parts of the economy and blamed his predecessor for the lagging parts as voters increasingly express concerns about the economy. Trump told NBC News's Kristen Welker in an interview that aired Sunday on 'Meet the Press' that only 'certain aspects' of the economy are a result of his actions. 'I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he's done a terrible job,' Trump said. 'He did a terrible job on everything.'" ~~~

~~~ The Emperor Don. Kaia Hubbard of CBS News: Donald "Trump said he would talk to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about making Canada the 51st state. But the president said he didn't expect it to get to the point of using military force -- though he wouldn't commit to the same for Greenland. 'Something could happen with Greenland, I'll be honest,' Trump said in an interview with NBC News' 'Meet the Press' that aired on Sunday. He said that 'we need that for national and international security,' but he added 'I don't see it with Canada....' 'We need Greenland very badly,' he added. 'Greenland is a very small amount of people we'll take care of, and we'll cherish them and all of that, but we need that for international security.'" ~~~

~~~ AND He Wants to Invade Mexico. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: Donald "Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had pressed Mexico's president to let U.S. troops into the country to help fight drug cartels, an idea she summarily rejected. Mr. Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One from Palm Beach, Fla., to Washington that it was 'true' he had made the push with President Claudia Sheinbaum. The proposal, first reported by The Wall Street Journal last week, came at the end of a lengthy phone call between the two leaders on April 16, The Journal said.... He said, 'If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, we would be honored to go in and do it. I told her that. I would be honored to go in and do it. The cartels are trying to destroy our country. They're evil.' He said, 'The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can't even think straight.'" The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Right. Because girls are fraidy-cats too timid to handle the big jobs.

Devlin Barrett & Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: Donald "Trump said on Sunday that he wanted federal law enforcement agencies to work on restoring Alcatraz, now a museum, to a functioning maximum-security prison. Repeating one of his constant refrains that the United States had become a dangerous, lawless place, Mr. Trump wrote on social media that he wanted Alcatraz, an island in San Francisco Bay, to be enlarged and rebuilt to house America's most ruthless and violent offenders. We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our country illegally.' It was not immediately clear how his musing could be put into action, given that any such project would be extraordinarily expensive and that the administration already planned to cut billions of dollars from the Justice Department budget. Mr. Trump said he had instructed the Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Department and the Homeland Security Department to work on his idea, along with the F.B.I. -- a curious choice given that the bureau plays no role in incarcerating people convicted of crimes." An AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Come to think of it, Alcatraz would make a great Elba on which to exile Our Napoleon. His own island, from which, on a clear day, he would have a view of the city he hates the most. And yes, playing a loop of Obama speeches on the Alcatraz loudspeaker system would be swell.

"WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN! -- Trump. Brooks Barnes of the New York Times: Donald "Trump said he would impose a 100 percent tariff on movies 'produced' outside the United States, proclaiming in a social media post on Sunday that the issue posed a national security threat. Mr. Trump said he had authorized Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative, to begin the process of taxing 'any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.' Mr. Trump added, 'This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat.' ... The Motion Picture [A]ssociation]'s latest economic impact report, based primarily on government data and released in 2023, showed that the film industry generated a positive U.S. balance of trade for every major market in the world. As is often the case with Mr. Trump's declarations on social media, it was not entirely clear what he was talking about." The Guardian's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Andrea Shalal & Tim Reid of Reuters: Donald Trump said "the American movie industry was dying a 'very fast death' due to the incentives that other countries were offering to lure filmmakers....In 2023, about half of the spending by U.S. producers on movie and TV projects with budgets of more than $40 million went outside the U.S., according to research firm ProdPro. Film and television production has fallen by nearly 40% over the last decade in Hollywood's home city of Los Angeles, according to FilmLA, a non-profit that tracks the region's production.... Former senior Commerce official William Reinsch ... said retaliation against Trump's film tariffs would be devastating. 'The retaliation will kill our industry. We have a lot more to lose than to gain,' he said...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As far as I can tell, Donald Trump intends to disrupt every aspect of our lives. Millions of Americans won't be able to buy new cars or repair their old cars. They can't afford movies and toilet paper and coffee and bananas. Trump's purpose, I suppose, is to fill the Treasury's coffers with tariff revenues, so he can justify tax breaks for himself and a few other billionaires. But that's almost the benign explanation. He may just want to make everyone else as miserable as he is. I blame every elected member of Congress who has not gone all out to stop this madman.

The Corruption Presidency*: Cashing In on and For Dad. Eric Lipton & David Yaffe-Bellany of the New York Times: "A contest of sorts has played out across Europe, the United States and the Middle East in recent days as ... [Donald] Trump's two older sons have pursued a blitz of family moneymaking ventures capitalizing on their father's name and power, each seemingly trying to outdo the other. It is a rush to cash in that involves billions of dollars with few precedents in American history. A luxury hotel in Dubai. A second high-end residential tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Two cryptocurrency ventures based in the United States. A new golf course and villa complex in Qatar. And a new private club in Washington. In many cases these new deals promoted over the last week will personally benefit not only Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., but also President Trump himself.... Donald Trump Jr. rejected any suggestion that he was trading on his fathers name, saying he has been a businessman his entire adult life. He then took a swipe at Hunter Biden, who sold paintings while his father ... served as president.... What distinguishes the work of Mr. Trump's two sons [from previous presidential relatives' business dealings] is that several of these ventures, including the real estate deals and crypto efforts, bring revenues that benefit the president himself as well."

It Ain't Funny, McDonald. Michelle Boorstein & Anthony Faiola of the Washington Post: "... church leaders, politicians and pundits blasted ... Donald Trump on Sunday for sharing an AI-generated image of himself on a throne in the cassock and miter of the pontiff.... 'This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys being a clown,' former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi wrote in a social media post Saturday.... The image, shared late Friday by both Trump and the White House, drew quick condemnation.... 'The Bible tells us, "Make no mistake: God is not mocked" (Galatians 6:7),' wrote the Rev. Thomas Paprocki, the bishop of Springfield, Illinois. 'The Pope is the Vicar of Christ. By publishing a picture of himself masquerading as the Pope, President Trump mocks God, the Catholic Church, and the Papacy....'"

Karishma Mehrotra of the Washington Post: "As ... Donald Trump has moved quickly to overhaul America's immigration system, his administration terminated the legal status of thousands of international students -- known as SEVIS records -- and in some cases revoked their visas. In certain instances, the government has cited students' past legal violations, some as minor as parking tickets, while in other cases no reason has been provided. After a wave of legal challenges, the Department of Homeland Security reversed course last month, saying it would restore SEVIS records. But [those] ... who have already lost their visas, say they remain in limbo.... The United States hosts more than 300,000 students from India, more than from any other country; nearly 100,000 Indians are employed through the [Optional Practical Training] program. Half of the 327 visa revocation cases tracked by the American Immigration Lawyers Association involved Indian nationals.... More than 1 million international students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy in the past academic year...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yes, but the primary recipients of those billions are universities, and Donald Trump hates universities and he hates the well-educated and he hates brown-skinned foreigners. So, you see, it all makes perfect sense to a twisted old man.

Steven Beschloss: "There his cabinet members were on Wednesday, bowing down to their Great Leader who has provided the nation 100 days of brilliance and perfection. It was enough to make a Constitution-loving American choke. It made me wonder whether these desperate sycophants are trying to turn our country into a North Korea-style dictatorship.... Wednesday's repellant obedience was no aberration, a simple tribute to the governing style of North Korea's rulers. Trump is now determined to hold a multimillion-dollar military parade in Washington, D.C. on June 14, his 79th birthday.... This news emerges at the same time as Trump is threatening to rename Veterans Day on November 11 to 'Victory Day for World War I,' excluding every living veteran. He also foolishly proposed changing Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) on May 8 to 'Victory Day for World War II,' even though Americans continued to sacrifice their lives in the Pacific theater for months after the Nazis surrendered that day in 1945. Like a child who loves a parade and an extreme narcissist who demands constant praise, an uneducated White House occupant who cares more about self-service than service to country or the Constitution is holding America hostage." Thanks to laura h. for the link.

I expect more from the government than this kind of very shoddy work.... [If this were a criminal case,] I'd throw you out of my chambers. -- U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema to DOJ lawyer ~~~

~~~ Mark Berman & Jeremy Roebuck of the Washington Post: "Justice Department lawyers defending the Trump administration's policies are encountering mounting criticism and frustration from federal judges, a sign of deepening tension between the executive branch and courts weighing its aggressive uses of power. In recent hearings and rulings, judges appointed by presidents of both parties have criticized the statements and behavior of administration officials, accusing them of defying court orders, submitting flimsy evidence, providing inadequate answers to questions and even acting like toddlers. It is not only DOJ lawyers who are frustrating the courts: Judge Beryl Howell called a memo she ordered AG Pam Bondi and budget director Russell Vought to issue 'a temper tantrum ... worthy of a 3-year-old.'" ~~~

~~~ Paul Rosenzweig in the Atlantic: "In recent decades, the Department of Justice has become ... the locus in the federal government for professional, apolitical enforcement of the law, which is in itself a rejection of the kingly prerogative. That is why Donald Trump's debasement of the DOJ is far more than the mere degradation of a governmental agency; it is an assault on the rule of law. His attack on the institution is threefold: He is using the mechanisms of justice to go after political opponents; he is using those same mechanisms to reward allies; and he is eliminating internal opposition within the department.... The DOJ's independence from political influence, long a symbol of its probity (remember how scandalous it was that Bill Clinton had a brief meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch?), is now nonexistent." Thank you to laura h. for this gift link.

Joseph Cox of 404 Media: "A hacker has breached and stolen customer data from TeleMessage, an obscure Israeli company that sells modified versions of Signal and other messaging apps to the U.S. government to archive messages.... TeleMessage was recently the center of a wave of media coverage after Mike Waltz accidentally revealed he used the tool in a cabinet meeting.... The hack shows that an app gathering messages of the highest ranking officials in the government -- Waltz's chats on the app include recipients that appear to be Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard, and JD Vance -- contained serious vulnerabilities that allowed a hacker to trivially access the archived chats of some people who used the same tool. The hacker has not obtained the messages of cabinet members, Waltz, and people he spoke to, but the hack shows that the archived chat logs are not end-to-end encrypted between the modified version of the messaging app and the ultimate archive destination controlled by the TeleMessage customer." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This site requires a sign-in procedure that I could never complete. I received repeated messages asking me to sign in after I'd signed in. Update: It worked after eight tries. What a pain!

Pence Receives JFK Profile in Courage Award. Michael Casey of the AP: "Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday repeatedly invoked the Constitution and said it is what 'binds us all together' after receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Pence received the award for his refusal to go along with ... Donald Trump's efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election. The award recognizes Pence 'for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021,' the JFK Library Foundation said. 'To forge a future together, we have to find common ground,' Pence said. 'I hope in some small way my presence here tonight is a reminder that whatever differences we may have as Americans, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand. It's what binds us across time and generations.... It's what makes us one people.'"

New York Times: "The Conversation has been a staple of The Times's Opinion p ages since 2017. But after eight years, the weekly dialogue between the liberal columnist Gail Collins and her conservative colleague Bret Stephens has come to an end. The editor Aaron Retica joins Gail and Bret to answer reader questions and discuss how they've managed years of civil conversations -- for the first and last time in audio."

~~~~~~~~~~

"The Anti-Trump Bump." Matina Stevis-Gridneff of the New York Times: Donald "Trump has been back in power for only three months, but already his policies, including imposing tariffs and upending alliances, have rippled into domestic political battles around the world. While it is too soon to say that anti-Trump forces are on the rise globally, it is clear that voters have Mr. Trump somewhere on their mind as they make decisions.... In both [Canada and Australia], before Mr. Trump was inaugurated, the center-left ruling parties had been in poor shape and appeared poised to lose power. The front-runners in polls were the conservative parties, whose leaders flirted with Trumpian politics both in style and in substance. Within weeks following Mr. Trump's return to power..., both countries' conservative leaders lost not just the elections -- they even lost their own seats in Parliament.... In Singapore, the argument for stability in times of turmoil also appeared to help the incumbent People's Action Party."

Israel. Erika Solomon & Rawan Ahmad of the New York Times: "It has been more than 60 days since Israel ordered a halt to all humanitarian aid entering Gaza -- no food, fuel or even medicine.... Israel says it will not relent until Hamas releases the hostages it still holds after a two-month cease-fire collapsed in March. It has argued that its blockade is lawful, and that Gaza still has enough available provisions. But humanitarian groups and European officials accuse Israel of using aid as a 'political tool' -- and warn that the total blockade violates international law. The severity of the siege means it now affects nearly every part of the lives of the roughly two million people trapped inside Gaza, compounding the struggles of a population that has lived for nearly two decades under the partial blockade imposed by Israel and backed by Egypt after Hamas seized control of the enclave in 2007."

Lior Soroka of the Washington Post: "The Israeli government has approved a plan to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip, which would include the occupation of the territory, an Israeli official said Monday morning. Israel's security cabinet unanimously approved the new Gaza war plan at a meeting Sunday night, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions."

--40--

The Conversation -- May 4, 2025

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. -- Donald Trump, January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021

I don't know. -- Donald Trump, when asked if he had to uphold the Constitution, May 2025 ~~~

~~~ Joe DePaolo of Mediaite: "'Your Secretary of State says everyone who's here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process,' [NBC's Kristin] Welker said [in an interview of Donald Trump for 'Meet the Press']. 'Do you agree, Mr. President?' 'I don't know,' Trump replied. 'I'm not a lawyer. I don't know.' 'Well, the Fifth Amendment says as much,' Welker replied. '... it might say that, but if you're talking about that, then we'd have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials. We have thousands of people that are some murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.... And I was elected to get them the hell out of here and the courts are holding me from doing it.' Welker then asked...: 'But even given those numbers that you're talking about, don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?' Trump replied: 'I don't know. I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said. What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.'" Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonathan Swan has the New York Times story, but he doesn't make Trump's ignorance of his oath as clear as DePaolo does. Swan also covers other aspects of the interview. Welker, BTW, should have followed up when Trump claimed not to know he had to defend the Constitution: "Are you saying your oath of office is meaningless, Mr. P*?" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You could successfully argue, I think, that when a sitting president* doesn't know he has to abide by his oath of office, the 25th Amendment should kick in. Needless to say the likelihood that JayDee & the Butt Lickers will invoke the 25th Amendment is right between nil and zero. So I'd say impeachment and conviction are in order. (Yeah, I know, fat chance. But the point is, Donald Trump admitted on national teevee that he has no intention to -- and no idea of how to -- do his job.) We all know Trump is not abiding by the Constitution. But when he flat-out says he has no idea of whether or not he must do so, he has admitted he has not defended the Constitution for the four years and three months he has been president*, so he has never fulfilled the duties of the presidency.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump took to Truth Social in the wee hours of Saturday morning to lash out at the legal system. On Thursday, Trump-nominated U.S. District Judge Fernandez Rodriguez permanently blocked the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security from transferring or removing Venezuelans held under the Alien Enemies Act in the Southern District of Texas.... Early Saturday, Trump wrote, 'Can it be so that Judges aren't allowing the USA to Deport Criminals, including Murderers, out of our Country and back to where they came from? If this is so, our Country, as we know it, is finished! Americans will have to get used to a very different, crime filled, LIFE.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Looking forward to "LIFE" in a country where everyone, including "Criminals," among them "Murderers," are afforded due process. Could someone please show Donald Trump what to capitalize and how to punctuate? I will never get used to a "crime filled comma LIFE."

Independent: "... Donald Trump has posted an AI-generated image of himself in papal regalia, just 11 days after Pope Francis' death. The image, posted on Truth Social, shows ... Trump dressed in white wearing a papal hat ... with a large crucifix hanging around his neck. It comes after the president joked that he'd like to be the pontiff when asked who he would like to succeed Pope Francis. He said to reporters on the White House lawn: 'I'd like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.'" Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Marie: After ripping Trump over his ascension to the papal throne, Akhilleus got to wondering about convert JayDee's response to Trump's insult to Pope Francis and to Catholics everywhere: "Hey, isn't Shady Vance supposed to be Catholic now? I'm guessing he'd be one of those right-wing Tridentine Catholics who see the Mass in English as an outrage. He might even be one of those Opus Dei nuts. So what does he think of his master's latest insult to a billion Catholics? What's that, Shady? No biggie? Oh, right. This is another one of those spineless sycophants whose principles and beliefs change depending on how they might benefit him personally. Maybe he can dress up as Pius XII. Hitler's pope." (See yesterday's Comments thread.) ~~~

     ~~~ Let's See What JayDee Really Said. Katherine Long of Politico: "Vice President JD Vance defended ... Donald Trump after he posted an AI image of himself as pope on Truth Social, dismissing the post as a joke. 'As a general rule, I'm fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen,' Vance wrote in a post on X on Saturday responding to a question from Bill Kristol, editor-at-large at The Bulwark, on whether or not Vance was 'fine with this disrespect and mocking of the holy father.'... The official X account for the New York State Catholic Conference criticized Trump's post, which was also reposted by the White House X account. 'There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us,' they wrote." MB: Why, it's almost as if Akhilleus can devine the future! ~~~

~~~ Marie: I'm not a very religious person, but I find this image disrespectful to Francis's memory, to his admirers, and to Roman Catholics who revered him as the holiest of men. The Hitler image, on the other hand, seems quite appropriate. ~~~

~~~ Amanda Taub of the New York Times: "First developed by a German lawyer named Ernst Fraenkel in the 1930s, the dual-state theory posits that authoritarianism can take hold in small pockets, even while the broader legal system appears to function more or less normally.... 'You can have a world in which there's the ordinary law that most people benefit from,' said Aziz Huq, a law professor at the University of Chicago who recently wrote about the dual-state theory for The Atlantic. 'But running alongside that is this kind of legal abyss in which people fall, and never get out of.'... Today, scholars say, the Trump administration appears to be claiming the right to create its own legal abyss.... Some of the most vulnerable targets have already been swallowed up. And if left unchecked, the legal abyss can grow ever wider." This is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You have to admit that the "dual state theory" fits well into Trump's general world view; that is, that he is not subject to rules that apply to everybody else; similarly, he can defame us, deprive us of property or human rights or whatever, but if we so much as criticize his actions, we may be guilty of (and punishable for) treason. There exists in his mind a double standard in which he, and he alone, is above the law. His cronies may enjoy the benefit of that double standard, too, but their privilege is transitory and conditional; he can and will grant or rescind it on a whim.

Katherine Long & Ben Johansen of Politico: "The future of Voice of America remains in flux after a federal appellate court Saturday paused a ruling reversing the dismantling of the embattled news outlet -- a day after journalists were told they would soon return to work. A Justice Department email sent to attorneys representing VOA employees on Friday said the agency would begin a 'phased return' to office and resume programming next week. But by Saturday afternoon, a divided D.C. Circuit Court panel issued a stay of a lower court order that would have restored the outlet. VOA was set to begin its return after being off the air for almost two months, after the Trump administration halted programming in a March 14 executive order targeting a number of federal agencies and offices including the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the parent agency of the government-funded media outlet. Now, plans for the outlet are immediately unclear...." ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Savage of the Guardian: "As Donald Trump's executive order in March led to the shuttering of Voice of America (VOA)..., he quickly attracted support from figures not used to aligning themselves with any US administration. In Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, the hardline editor-in-chief of the state broadcaster RT described it as an 'awesome decision'. The Global Times, an English-language Chinese state media publication, crowed that the broadcasters had been discarded by the White House 'like a dirty rag'... Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, whose regime has been accused of repressing political opposition, described Trump's move as 'very promising'... As the world mark[ed] Press Freedoms Day on May 3, observers are now warning that in countries where free media is weak, America's withdrawal from this geopolitical balancing act will have far-reaching effects.... At the same time, there are signs that media freedom elsewhere is eroding, with arrests and deportations of journalists in Turkey, including the BBC's correspondent Mark Lowen, and dire warnings over threats to press freedom in Serbia."

Bondi Defies Court Order. Erica Orden of Politico: "The Justice Department failed to publicly disclose documents in the now-dismissed corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams by a Friday deadline, in apparent defiance of a court order. The documents in question could shed light on the evidence and legal arguments prosecutors presented to a judge in order to obtain a search warrant in the investigation of the mayor, who is running for reelection. That material may be particularly revelatory because the public likely won't see any other evidence related to the case, now that it has been dismissed.... The documents in question are potentially valuable to media outlets, which sought their unsealing, and to voters. And they are also in demand by the New York City Campaign Finance Board, which also asked [U.S. District Judge Dale] Ho to make them public."

Isabelle Taft of the New York Times: "The Trump administration sued Colorado and Denver on Friday, accusing the state, city and their leaders of impeding federal immigration actions, the latest salvo in the White House's fight to compel local governments to help carry out deportations. The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Colorado and includes Gov. Jared Polis and Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver as defendants, specifically challenges state and city laws that restrict or prohibit cooperation with federal agencies. One state law prohibits officers from holding someone solely on the basis of a civil immigration detainer, a request that a detainee not be released. Other state laws prevent state and local officials from sharing information with federal immigration authorities and stop local jails from working with the federal government to house people detained for civil immigration violations. The lawsuit also challenges a Denver measure that bans the use of city resources to assist with immigration enforcement, and a 2017 executive order from the mayor that aimed to 'establish Denver as a safe and welcoming city for all.'"

Maya Miller of the New York Times: "... Republicans in Congress have embarked on a spree of deregulation, using an obscure law to quietly but steadily chip away at Biden-era rules they say are hurting businesses and consumers. In recent weeks, the G.O.P. has pushed through a flurry of legislation to cancel regulations on matters large and small, from oversight of firms that emit toxic pollutants to energy efficiency requirements for walk-in freezers and water heaters. To do so, they are employing a little-known 1996 law, the Congressional Review Act, that allows lawmakers to reverse recently adopted federal regulations with a simple majority vote in both chambers. It is a strategy they used in 2017 during Mr. Trump's first term and are leaning on again as they ... make the most of their governing trifecta of the House, the Senate and the White House."

Michael de la Merced of the New York Times: "Warren E. Buffett has been at the forefront of American capitalism for decades as the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate he built into a $1.1 trillion colossus. By the end of the year, he is preparing to give up that role. Mr. Buffett said at Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting on Saturday that he plans to ask the company's board to approve making Gregory Abel, his heir apparent, the chief executive by the end of the year.... He will remain chairman of Berkshire -- turning that role over to his son Howard Buffett upon his death -- and remains the company's single biggest shareholder, with a roughly 14 percent stake that is worth about $164 billion.... Earlier [Saturday], he criticized Trump's trade policies.... 'Trade should not be a weapon,' Mr. Buffett said...."

~~~~~~~~~~

Texas. Hank Sanders of the New York Times: "A South Texas community, mostly made up of SpaceX employees, voted 212 to 6 in favor of establishing a new city called Starbase.... The community, known to locals as Boca Chica, covers about 1.5 square miles on a spit of land that brushes up against the Mexican border. SpaceX broke ground in the area in 2014, and it has since become the company's central hub and launch site, as well as home to hundreds of its employees."

~~~~~~~~~~

Australia. Victoria Kim & Yan Zhuang of the New York Times: "Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia has won a second term, completing a stunning turnaround for his governing center-left Labor Party that trailed in the polls for months as a festering cost-of-living crisis weighed on voters. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the country's public broadcaster, called the election for Mr. Albanese just a half-hour after the last polls closed on Saturday. It was a resounding defeat of the conservative opposition led by Peter Dutton. He began the campaign riding dissatisfaction with the status quo, but was hamstrung by a string of missteps and an association with some of President Trump's messaging and policies. Mr. Dutton, the leader of the Liberal Party, also lost his parliamentary seat in the conservative stronghold of Queensland, which he had held since 2001. His loss echoed the ouster of Canada's conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, whose defeat was seen as a rejection of his embrace of Mr. Trump." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. As Ken writes, it looks like Trump has elected yet another liberalish world leader who -- were it not for Trumpleblunders -- likely would have lost his election. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Zoya Sheftalovich of Politico: "Here are five takeaways from [Anthony] Albanese's triumphant return from the polling doldrums.... [1.] [Conservative Peter] Dutton's embrace of MAGA policies backfired spectacularly.... [2.] Australia is facing a cost-of-living crisis, with rising inflation, unaffordable housing and persistently high interest rates squeezing households. Albanese focused his campaign on these voter concerns, and policies he said would address them. Dutton, meanwhile, chiefly fought a culture war.... [3.] Amid rising support in the polls for far-right parties including the Trumpet of Patriots and Pauline Hanson's One Nation, Dutton sought to undercut their appeal by taking on some of their policies and aping their language.... [4.] Seeking to defend his signature policy against ferocious attacks from the Labor Party and the Greens, Dutton made a crucial gaffe in the final leaders' debate of the campaign. He said he would be on board with a nuclear power plant in his electorate of Dickson.... [5.] Ultimately, Albanese ran a mostly positive campaign built around the promise he'd make voters" lives better and stand up for fairness and kindness."

Israel. Aaron Boxerman & Natan Odenheimer of the New York Times: "Israel will mobilize thousands of reserve soldiers to bolster its campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the military announced on Saturday night, as the country appeared poised to expand its offensive in the Palestinian enclave. The call-up suggested the Israeli government was preparing to shift tactics in an attempt to force Hamas to agree to its terms for an end to the war." ~~~

     ~~~ Associated Press: "Malnutrition and hunger are becoming increasingly prevalent in the Gaza Strip as Israel's total blockade enters its third month. A shortage of food and supplies has driven the territory toward starvation, according to aid agencies. Supplies to treat and prevent malnutrition are depleted and quickly running out as documented cases of malnutrition rise." Photographs tell the story here, and they are excruciating to view. MB: Remember that Donald Trump & Marco Rubio have sought to deport legal residents for protesting -- as is their Constitutional right to do -- the atrocities Israel has visited on Gaza.

The Conversation -- May 3, 2025

Independent: "... Donald Trump has posted an AI-generated image of himself in papal regalia, just 11 days after Pope Francis' death. The image, posted on Truth Social, shows ... Trump dressed in white wearing a papal hat ... with a large crucifix hanging around his neck. It comes after the president joked that he'd like to be the pontiff when asked who he would like to succeed Pope Francis. He said to reporters on the White House lawn: 'I'd like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.'" Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

~~~ Marie: I'm not a very religious person, but I find this image disrectful to Francis's memory, to his admirers, and to Roman Catholics who revered him as the holiest of men. The Hitler image, on the other hand, seems quite appropriate. ~~~

~~~ Amanda Taub of the New York Times: "First developed by a German lawyer named Ernst Fraenkel in the 1930s, the dual-state theory posits that authoritarianism can take hold in small pockets, even while the broader legal system appears to function more or less normally.... 'You can have a world in which there's the ordinary law that most people benefit from,' said Aziz Huq, a law professor at the University of Chicago who recently wrote about the dual-state theory for The Atlantic. 'But running alongside that is this kind of legal abyss in which people fall, and never get out of.'... Today, scholars say, the Trump administration appears to be claiming the right to create its own legal abyss.... Some of the most vulnerable targets have already been swallowed up. And if left unchecked, the legal abyss can grow ever wider." This is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You have to admit that the "dual state theory" fits well into Trump's general world view; that is, that he is not subject to rules that apply to everybody else; similarly, he can defame us, deprive us of property or human rights or whatever, but if we so much as criticize his actions, we may be guilty of (and punishable for) treason. There exists in his mind a double standard in which he, and he alone, is above the law. His cronies may enjoy the benefit of that double standard, too, but their privilege is transitory and conditional; he can and will grant or rescind it on a whim.

Australia. Victoria Kim & Yan Zhuang of the New York Times: "Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia has won a second term, completing a stunning turnaround for his governing center-left Labor Party that trailed in the polls for months as a festering cost-of-living crisis weighed on voters. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation ... called the election for Mr. Albanese just a half-hour after the last polls closed on Saturday. It was a resounding defeat of the conservative opposition led by Peter Dutton. He began the campaign riding dissatisfaction with the status quo, but was hamstrung by a string of missteps and an association with some of ... [Donald] Trump's messaging and policies. Mr. Dutton, the leader of the Liberal Party, also lost his parliamentary seat in the conservative stronghold of Queensland, which he had held since 2001. His loss echoed the ouster of Canada's conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, whose defeat was seen as a rejection of his embrace of Mr. Trump." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. As Ken writes, it looks like Trump has elected yet another liberalish world leader who -- were it not for Trumpleblunders -- likely would have lost his election.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jeff Stein & Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post: "The White House released a partial budget proposal Friday calling for $163 billion in cuts to federal spending in the next fiscal year, pushing reductions to health care, education and many other government programs while boosting spending on defense and homeland security. The White House's 2026 fiscal budget plan would codify for next year many of the spending cuts already unilaterally implemented this year by ... Donald Trump or ... Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service. The administration has struggled to convince Republicans in Congress to enshrine even a small portion of those cuts into law, and the courts have also ordered the White House to resume much of the spending, leaving the fate of the changes unclear for now." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: Donald "Trump's budget drew harsh criticism on Friday from a trio of powerful Republican senators, who rejected what they said were woefully inadequate resources for the military, and suggested they would ignore his plan and ensure that Congress provided far more money for their priorities. In separate statements, the senior Republicans -- Senators Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee; Susan Collins of Maine, the chairwoman of the appropriations committee; and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on defense -- expressed their disdain for Mr. Trump's proposal." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "Elon Musk and SpaceX are big winners in Donald J. Trump's 2026 spending plan. [Mr.] Trump is delivering on Mr. Musk's wish list at both NASA and the Pentagon to reorient federal spending on space in a way likely to drive billions of dollars in new business to Mr. Musk's space technology company, if Congress signs off on the budget plan. At the Pentagon, Mr. Trump is calling for a massive jump in spending, an extraordinary 13 percent increase, almost entirely through allocations in a Congressional budget reconciliation plan under consideration. The jump would happen while many other federal agencies would be slashed, in part to supercharge federal spending in two areas where SpaceX is positioned to profit: a vast missile defense system and space missions to Mars and the moon." MB: Oh, please, could we get a huge fleet of Cybertrucks, too. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "Two of ... [Donald] Trump's favorite targets -- the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- will have their funding cut nearly in half under Mr. Trump's proposed budget, which also wipes out a $4.1 billion program that helps low-income Americans pay their heating and cooling bills. The budget blueprint, released Friday, advances, in hard numbers and biting words, Mr. Trump's assault on the nation's universities and scientific research enterprise. It calls the N.I.H., the world's premier biomedical research agency, 'too big and unfocused,' and proposes to cut its funding to $27 billion from roughly $48 billion.... 'NIH has broken the trust of the American people with wasteful spending, misleading information, risky research, and the promotion of dangerous ideologies that undermine public health,' the budget document declares. It goes on to effectively accuse the institutes of funding research that led to the coronavirus pandemic, and says the N.I.H. has 'also promoted radical gender ideology to the detriment of America's youth.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Attack of the Giant Philistine. Michael Paulson of the New York Times: Donald "Trump proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities in the budget he released Friday, taking aim once again at two agencies that he had tried and failed to get rid of during his first term. The endowments, along with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, were among the entities listed in a section titled 'small agency eliminations' in his budget blueprint for the next fiscal year.... Since Mr. Trump returned to office this year, his administration has taken aim at the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, canceling most of their existing grants and laying off a large portion of their staffs."

Jack Ewing of the New York Times: "The United States imposed 25 percent tariffs on imported auto parts on Saturday that could sharply raise prices for new and used vehicles as well as for repairs and insurance. The latest tariffs, which President Trump ordered in March as part of his plan to promote domestic manufacturing, come after the 25 percent levies on imported cars that took effect in early April. This second round of duties on imported parts will have a broader impact because even cars made in the United States often have engines, transmissions, batteries or other components produced in other countries. The administration said on Tuesday that the tariffs were intended 'to protect national security by incentivizing domestic automobile production and reducing American reliance on imports of foreign automobiles and their parts.'"

Daisuke Wakabayashi & Mike Isaac of the New York Times: "The expansion of the loophole for tariff-free shipments of goods nearly a decade ago gave rise to Temu, Shein and other low-cost online retailers offering items straight from Chinese factories at unfathomable discounts. It also unleashed something else -- a cascade of billions of dollars of digital advertising that provided a windfall for Meta, Alphabet and other technology industry giants. Temu and Shein, jockeying for the attention of American shoppers, blanketed seemingly every inch of the internet with their ads. In the last two years, only Amazon spent more on online advertising in the United States than Shein or Temu. Now, the advertising bonanza might be coming to an end after the demise of the shipping loophole that spurred it.... 'They've already pulled back their advertising pretty heavily,' [an e-commerce analyst] said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Yesterday we learned that Tim Apple had told analysts that Trump tariffs would cost Apple $900MM. Now this. So giving Trump a million dollars -- as Apple, Google & Meta did -- is just not enough of a bribe. They shoulda known. BTW, Congress could stop all this NOW. But most Congressional Republicans won't budge. They'd rather you had to pay more for a new car and for the insurance you already have on your old cars than risk the wrath of their Lord & Master.

Andrew Duehren, et al., of the New York Times: Donald "Trump said on Friday that Harvard would lose its tax-exempt status, repeating his intent to enlist the Internal Revenue Service in his feud with the wealthy research university and upend the school's finances. 'We are going to be taking away Harvard's Tax Exempt Status. It's what they deserve!' Mr. Trump wrote on social media. It was not immediately clear if the I.R.S. was in fact moving forward with revoking Harvard's tax-exempt status, a change that could typically occur only after a lengthy process." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The story has been updated. New Lede: "Harvard University signaled Friday that it would resist ... [Donald] Trump's renewed threat to revoke the school's tax-exempt status, a move for which it said there was 'no legal basis' as the president escalated his bitter dispute with the nation's oldest university."

No American president has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue.... In purpose and effect, this action draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: 'The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.' -- Judge Beryl Howell, introduction to opinion

Right. Shakespeare put those words in the mouth of one Dick the Butcher, an ignorant, nasty character who was suggesting an expedient way for a rebel pretender to the throne to deal with the problems of governance. As Howell, writes, the rebel leader "promptly assumes the tactic as part of his plan to assume power...." We are back to the Late Middle Ages now. -- Marie

Zach Montague of the New York Times: "A federal judge ruled on Friday that an executive order ... [Donald] Trump signed in March targeting the law firm Perkins Coie was unconstitutional and directed the government not to enforce its terms, which had threatened to upend the firm's business. The ruling was the first time a court had stepped in to permanently bar Mr. Trump from trying to punish a law firm he opposes politically. Skipping a trial and moving directly to a final ruling, Judge Beryl A. Howell of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia wrote that attempts to bring the firm to heel under the threat of retaliation amounted to unlawful coercion, and imperiled its lawyers' ability to freely practice law." Politico's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ You can read Judge Howell's memorandum opinion here, via the court. The link to her order is here.

Another Loss for Donald Trump's Rolling Spite Program. Sam Levin of the Guardian & Agencies: "The Trump administration has agreed not to freeze funds to Maine schools, a win for a state that was targeted by the president over its support of transgender rights. In a settlement disclosed on Friday, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it would halt all efforts to withhold funds for a child nutrition program in Maine. The USDA had suspended those dollars after Maine officials said the state would not comply with Donald Trump's demands that trans girls be barred from participating in girls' sports. In February, when the president directly threatened to revoke funding from the state at a White House meeting with governors, Janet Mills, Maine's Democratic governor, had responded, 'We'll see you in court,' in a widely shared exchange."

Chutzpah is lying to dodge the draft and then asking the Army to celebrate your damn birthday. -- Mrs. Betty Bowers on Bluesky (thanks to laura h. for the link) ~~~

~~~ Olivia George & Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's long-held hopes of soldiers marching and armored vehicles rolling down the streets of the nation's capital are moving closer to reality, as the White House confirmed Friday that he intends to host a military parade this summer to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th birthday. The parade is scheduled for June 14, the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army and, coincidentally, Trump's 79th birthday.... The parade will accompany a fireworks display and a day-long festival on the National Mall with military demonstrations, musical performances and a fitness competition, [an Army spokesperson] said." MB: Those fireworks, BTW, are made in China, so they will cost us taxpayers 245 percent of what they would have cost before Birthday Boy slapped those tariffs on them.

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "As the grave consequences of the administration's policies become apparent, Trump and his lieutenants have retreated to a fantasyland.... As the situation worsens around him, [Trump's] lies seem all the more absurd. He maintained this week that 'gasoline's down' in price (it's flat) and that 'tourism is way up' (it's way down) that 'eggs are down 87 percent' (he seems to make up a new percentage with each telling) and 'groceries are down' (they're up) and that DOGE has 'found hundreds of billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse' (even Musk's own dubious and double-counted figures don't say that)." (Also linked yesterday.)

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to let members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have access to sensitive records of the Social Security Administration. The administration has filed a barrage of such applications in recent weeks, including one in an immigration case on Thursday. Several of them await decisions from the justices, who are also set to hear arguments on May 15 on the scope of permissible injunctions in challenges to ... [Donald] Trump's efforts to do away with birthright citizenship. Mr. Trump and his allies have complained bitterly about lower court judges who have blocked his initiatives...." The AP story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A couple of days ago, we learned from Julia Angwin in a New York Times op-ed that "DOGE is assembling a sprawling domestic surveillance system for the Trump administration -- the likes of which we have never seen in the United States." So allowing them to get their grubby paws on Social Security data obviously is a really bad idea. (I suspect they already have it and have walked it out of the building.)

Worse Than We Thought. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Attorney General Pam Bondi has rolled back a constraint on leak inquiries that the Justice Department imposed more than a decade ago, making it easier for investigators to get around a legal bar on search warrants to seize news gathering records. The safeguard was imposed in 2013 after the revelation that the F.B.I. had portrayed a Fox News reporter as a criminal to bypass restrictions on seizing reporters' emails. The change was part of a revised regulation Ms. Bondi issued this week involving leak inquiries. Most of the discussion has focused on how investigators can once again use court orders, subpoenas and search warrants to go after reporters' information, ending a flat ban on those tactics imposed in 2021 by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. Essentially, Ms. Bondi returned to the standard in place before Mr. Garland's intervention. But a close reading shows that in doing so, she also deleted a key section of the earlier regulation that had emerged from the Fox News incident. The section had limited the ability of investigators to sidestep a 1980 law that generally bars search warrants for newsroom records."

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "The U.S. Justice Department has reached an agreement to settle the wrongful death case brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by police in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, lawyers for both sides told a federal judge Friday.... No final deal has been signed and terms have not been disclosed, said Robert Sticht, a lawyer for the conservative group Judicial Watch, which is representing Babbitt's family.... Babbitt's family filed suit in June 2024, saying she had been 'ambushed' by police, and the case had been set for trial in July 2026 before the Justice Department changed course after ... [Donald] Trump returned to office. The settlement would come as Trump has cast Babbitt as a martyr, and sought to rewrite the history of the assault on the Capitol as a heroic act of collective patriotism, not a violent effort to overturn an election." The CBS News story is here. MB: That is, the payoff is yet another cost of the Trump presidency*.

Rubio Takes Side of Nazi-like German Party. Jennifer Hansler of CNN: "A remarkable exchange played out on X on Friday as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the government of key ally Germany of 'tyranny in disguise' for designating the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as an extremist entity. In a post Friday afternoon, the top US diplomat slammed the classification made by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, which allows it to increase surveillance of the political party. Vice President JD Vance later echoed the rebuke of the move in his own post on the social media platform. 'Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition,' Rubio wrote on his official State Department X account. 'That's not democracy -- it's tyranny in disguise.'... In a direct reply on X more than three hours later, the German Foreign Office pushed back. 'This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law,' the account posted. 'It is independent courts that will have the final say.... We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped,' the foreign office wrote.... [Leaders of] the far-right party .. have engaged in anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and xenophobic rhetoric, including calling for the mass expulsion of immigrants."

Julian Barnes & Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times: "The C.I.A. plans to cut more than 1,000 staff positions through attrition over the next few years as the Trump administration shrinks the federal government, according to officials briefed on the plans. The agency does not plan any more mass firings. About 80 recently hired employees were let go in March. The C.I.A. is also firing officers who had worked on diversity issues, although a judge has temporarily halted that effort. For the next rounds of reduction, the agency plans, for now, to use normal attrition, including retirements and resignations." ~~~

~~~ Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "The C.I.A. fired its top doctor after she was targeted by far-right activists who have worked to oust government officials they see as disloyal, according to a lawsuit filed Friday evening. Late last year, the C.I.A. recruited the doctor, Terry Adirim, to take a top medical job as the director of the agency's Center for Global Health Services. Within days, Ivan Raiklin, a far-right provocateur, accused her of being the 'architect' of the Pentagon's Covid-19 vaccine mandate. Dr. Adirim, 61, had served in a top medical role in the Defense Department in 2021 when Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III mandated that all service members receive a Covid vaccination. Mr. Raiklin, who has called himself ... [Donald] Trump's 'secretary of retribution,' is a former Green Beret who became an intense critic of the Covid vaccine. He published a 'Deep State Target List' of 350 individuals he accused of treason. According to the suit, Mr. Raiklin also singled out Dr. Adirim for criticism."

Camille Baker of the New York Times: "Five former National Weather Service directors have taken the unusual step of signing onto an open letter warning that cuts to the organization by the Trump administration may soon endanger lives. 'N.W.S. staff will have an impossible task to continue its current level of services,' they write in the letter, dated Friday. 'Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.' Hundreds of Weather Service employees, or about 10 percent of the agency's total staff, have been terminated or accepted buyout offers since ... [Donald] Trump began his second term, according to the letter."

Brennan Leach, et al., of NBC News: "Some Senate Republicans are raising concerns about an exclusive dinner and White House tour ... Donald Trump is offering top investors in his $TRUMP meme token. 'This is my president that we're talking about, but I am willing to say that this gives me pause,' said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming, who has been spearheading a legislative push on cryptocurrency regulation in the Senate.... While using untraceable crypto currency to pay for access to the president raised questions for some senators, there are no laws barring Trump and the organization from proceeding as planned*.... Trump's move generated intense criticism from Senate Democrats. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and Adam Schiff, of California, requested an ethics probe into the dinner." ~~~

     ~~~ *Marie: These meme coins are not "crypto currency." More important: It is not true that this particular Trump grift is legal. U.S.. law states that government property cannot be used for personal profit. (And here.) The White House is, of course, government property. This isn't just about an ethics violation; it's about breaking existing law, IMO.

Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Adam Jentleson, the former chief of staff to Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, was so alarmed with his ex-boss's erratic behavior last year that he wrote a lengthy letter to his doctor warning that the senator was spiraling out of control and that his mental health issues could cost him his life.... Mr. Fetterman's behavior, according to former aides who are still connected to his diminishing circle, is still at times a cause of concern. Other former members of his staff, speaking on the condition of anonymity, report that their colleagues sometimes were frightened to be in the senator's presence, if he was in an amped-up mood. They have also long been warned never to get in a car if Mr. Fetterman is behind the wheel because of his dangerous driving habits. His volatile and concerning behavior, which aides noticed last year was taking a turn for the worse, has only increased since the election, people who have spent time with him said. That has coincided with a period when his politics have become more conservative.... Mr. Fetterman said in a statement that 'my ACTUAL doctors and my family affirmed that I'm very well.'"

Josh Kovensky of TPM: "In a little-noticed lawsuit filed last week, the America First Legal Foundation sued Chief Justice John Roberts and the head of the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts. The case ostensibly proceeds as a FOIA lawsuit, with the Trump-aligned group seeking access to judiciary records. But, in doing so, it asks the courts to cede massive power to the White House: the bodies that make court policy and manage the judiciary's day-to-day operations should be considered independent agencies of the executive branch, the suit argues, giving the President, under the conservative legal movement's theories, the power to appoint and dismiss people in key roles. Multiple legal scholars and attorneys TPM spoke with reacted to the suit with a mixture of dismay, disdain and laughter. Though the core legal claim is invalid, they said, the suit seems to be a part of the fight that the administration launched and has continued to escalate against the courts.... Stephen Miller, the longtime Trump aide, founded the America First Legal Foundation in April 2021, describing it as the 'long-awaited answer to the ACLU.'"

Jessica Glenza of the Guardian: "The US supreme court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson condemned the Trump administration's attacks on the judiciary in a cutting speech at a judicial conference on Thursday evening. Without mentioning Donald Trump by name, Jackson spoke of 'the elephant in the room' and rhetoric from the White House 'designed to intimidate the judiciary'. ' Across the nation, judges are facing increased threats of not only physical violence, but also professional retaliation just for doing our jobs,' said Jackson, according to the New York Times. 'And the attacks are not random. They seem designed to intimidate  those of us who serve in this critical capacity.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Jackson's unusually pointed comments received a standing ovation from the judges and lawyers in attendance. Her 18-minute fulmination is the strongest public statement by any member of the Supreme Court since the Trump administration began denouncing judges who have blocked Trump's policies...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Christine Chung of the New York Times: "... disruptions [at Newark Airport over the past week], which stretched into Friday with delays averaging over two hours, have highlighted ongoing air traffic control staffing issues. The troubles prompted United Airlines, Newark's largest carrier, to cut nearly three dozen round-trip flights per day at the hub beginning this weekend, the carrier's chief executive, Scott Kirby, announced on Friday."

Mark Walker of the New York Times: "Federal transportation safety officials were investigating on Friday after two commercial flights aborted landings because an Army helicopter had entered the airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where helicopter traffic has been restricted since a fatal collision in January."