The Conversation -- November 25, 2024

⭐Alan Feuer, et al., of the New York Times: "The special counsel Jack Smith asked two courts on Monday to effectively shut down the federal criminal cases he brought against ... Donald J. Trump last year, bowing to a Justice Department policy that says it is unconstitutional to pursue prosecutions against sitting presidents. The twin requests ... were an acknowledgment that Mr. Trump will re-enter the White House in January unburdened by federal efforts to hold him accountable through charges of plotting to subvert the last presidential election and holding on to a trove of highly classified material following his first term in office.... In both of the court submissions, Mr. Smith made clear that his moves to end the charges against Mr. Trump were a necessity imposed on him by legal norms, rather than a decision made on the merits of the cases or because of problems with the evidence....

"While Mr. Smith sought to end the criminal cases before Mr. Trump was inaugurated, he did not definitively close the door on the possibility of the prosecutions one day being revived. In both filings, his requests were for dismissals 'without prejudice,' leaving open the possibility that the charges might be refiled after Mr. Trump leaves office for the second time.... Hours after Mr. Smith submitted his requests, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who is overseeing the election interference case in Washington, issued a brief order dismissing the proceeding." The reporters do not indicate whether Judge Chutkan dismissed the case with or without prejudice. ~~~

     ~~~ Politico's story, by Kyle Cheney & Josh Gerstein, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Smith's Motion to Dismiss in the insurrection/election interference case is here. His Motion to Dismiss the Appeal as to Trump in the stolen classified documents case is here.

     ~~~ Marie: And the bright side for me -- the side that makes me regret I have not appreciated Donald Trump more -- is that he has given me something that few others could -- you see, he has almost made me shed all reason and succomb at long last to a deep belief in an eternal afterlife where I might live in perfect unison with the Lord and the Cosmos. And how has Trump brought me to this near-epiphany? Because he has proved, once and for all time, that there is not, that there cannot be -- any fucking justice in this life on Earth. ~~~

~~~ Oh, and a Monty Python Galaxy shoutout to Trump's poorly-educated MAGA droolers, too:

And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth ~~~

"Special Relationship" No Longer So Special. Matt Honeycombe-Foster of Politico: "Elon Musk fired the latest shots in his war with the British government over the weekend, branding the U.K. a 'tyrannical police state,' boosting a petition calling for a fresh general election, and sharing a documentary by a jailed far-right activist to his millions of X followers. The X owner and adviser to ... Donald Trump has spent much of the year feuding with Britain's new center-left Labour government. In his latest attack, Musk responded to a post about a viral online petition calling for an immediate general election in the U.K., which only went to the polls in July and returned Labour in a landslide.... Over the summer..., [Musk] leaped on the killing of three schoolgirls in the seaside town of Southport to offer his thoughts on policing in the U.K., spread inaccurate claims about the government's response, and accuse [Prime Minister Keir] Starmer of running a 'two-tier' justice system that treats white people more harshly.... Pressed on the string of comments Monday, Starmer's official spokesperson said the prime minister 'looks forward to working with President Trump and .. his whole team, including Elon Musk' to develop 'the special U.K.-U.S. relationship." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I find this astonishing. This is not how someone who holds an informal but influential position in a government-in-waiting treats the nation's closest ally. So I guess we have to assume international alliances will be changing. Drastically. A real president-elect would tell Musk his services were no longer required. But Trump doesn't know how to be a real president, and Musk doesn't know how to behave. And neither of these arrogant little brats thinks he has to learn.

Ana Marie Cox in the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: "For the members of this new [Trump] administration, favor-trading is their most obvious skill and slick morals the defining character trait. In a normal situation, these things would be blots on a résumé In the Trump world, consequence-free bad behavior is the résumé. Hell, given the propensity of Trump administrations to become a snakepit, it's also a survival skill.... Hegseth appears to believe that male sexual aggression is ... to be celebrated. Writing about Trump's refusal to back down from the 'grab her by the pussy' footage, he lauded Trump for 'not playing by the rules of a game that was stacked against him -- and against all patriotic Americans.'... Seizing what others would deny you or say you don't deserve is the whole point of Trumpism."

Jason Wilson of the Guardian: "Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, has attacked several key US alliances such as Nato, allied countries such as Turkey and international institutions such as the United Nations in two recent books, as well as saying US troops should not be bound by the Geneva conventions. At the same time, the man who would head America's gigantic military has tied US foreign policy almost entirely to the priority of Israel.... Elsewhere, Hegseth appears to argue that the US military should ignore the Geneva conventions and any international laws governing the conduct of war, and instead 'unleash them' to become a 'ruthless', ncompromising' and 'overwhelmingly lethal' force geared to 'winning our wars according to our own rules'."

Leah Douglas & Ted Hesson of Reuters: "U.S. farm industry groups want ... Donald Trump to spare their sector from his promise of mass deportations, which could upend a food supply chain heavily dependent on immigrants in the United States illegally. So far Trump officials have not committed to any exemptions, according to interviews with farm and worker groups and Trump's incoming 'border czar' Tom Homan. Nearly half of the nation's approximately 2 million farm workers lack legal status, according to the departments of Labor and Agriculture...." MB: Better start turning the soil for a nice little victory garden, because -- as Forrest M. & others have been discussing -- there will be hardly anybody willing to pick your lettuce and corn, and you won't be able to afford what-all does get harvested.

Miriam Elder, in a New York Times op-ed, remembers the "internal emigration" that occurred when many Russians abandoned political activism for apolitical domestic pursuits when Putin returned to power in 2012. "Aliona Doletskaya, a former editor in chief of Russian Vogue..., [created] her own 'internal Copenhagen' to shut out the horrors outside." Elder urges Americans not to emulate the Russians who gave up. "... something binds these men who seek power with no controls -- the creation of internal enemies, the constant shock moves to keep people on their toes, their viselike grip on the information environment, as well as the anger and exhaustion they provoke in their critics.... A new approach is necessary if America is to avoid the fate that befell so many Russians." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As for me, I don't want an "internal Copenhagen." I want to move to Copenhagen! I want to be there, to sit in the Glyptotek gardens, surrounded by nice, reasonable Danish people. Alas, that's not really possible, so I'm stuck living amidst dumb, selfish slackers, a population with the mentality and morality of 13-year-old juvenile delinquents.

~~~~~~~~~~

Joel Gray, star of the Broadway musical and film "Cabaret," which premiered in 1966, in a New York Times op-ed: "The parallels between the rise of fascism in 1930s Berlin as depicted in the show and the mounting tensions of the 1960s in America were both obvious and ominous.... The 1960s were a time of social upheaval, but also a time of hope.... Now, in 2024, we find ourselves in a different, far more precarious moment. The recent election of Donald Trump to a second term has left many Americans, particularly those who fought so hard against the forces of authoritarianism and hate, feeling drained and disillusioned.... The democratic election of an authoritarian figure, the normalization of bigotry, the complicity of the frightened masses -- none of these are new themes.... The democratic election of an authoritarian figure, the normalization of bigotry, the complicity of the frightened masses -- none of these are new themes."

Alex Woodward & Oliver O'Connell of the Independent: Donald Trump "is reportedly preparing to issue an order following his inauguration on January 20 that would effectively ban trans people serving in the military -- and then medically discharge the thousands of currently serving trans service members in the armed forces. In his first term in office, Trump declared that the US would no longer 'accept or allow' trans people in the military, citing 'tremendous medical costs and disruption,' he wrote in 2017. The ban took effect in 2019. President Joe Biden reversed that policy, which was the subject of several lawsuits. Now, Trump is expected to immediately rescind Biden's order and go further by ejecting currently-serving trans troops, according to The Times, citing sources familiar with the president-elect's plans." See related Advocate story, linked below.

Elizabeth Dwoskin, et al., of the Washington Post: "Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are interviewing job candidates and seeking advice from experts in Washington and Silicon Valley -- pushing a sweeping vision for the 'Department of Government Efficiency' past the realm of memes and viral posts into potential real-world disruption.... Top Musk surrogates from his business empire ... are involved in planning..., along with a coterie of Musk friends and Silicon Valley leaders.... Richard J. Pierce, a George Washington University professor who specializes in administrative law, said the Wall Street Journal piece [Musk & Ramaswamy wrote touting their plan] shows Musk and Ramaswamy are 'utterly ignorant' of the realities of federal law, which mandates strict [and costly] procedures for repealing existing regulations.... Said Tobin Marcus, an Obama administration advisor, 'Their "move fast and break things" ethos suggests they'll do something sweeping. But ... creating multiple years of legal limbo for many industries is not a great recipe for driving business investment.'" ~~~

~~~ Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "Trump, Musk and Ramaswamy have huge ambitions and no humility about ... [their planned] wholesale attack on federal agencies[, which is] designed to eliminate thousands of regulations, reduce the federal workforce by an order of magnitude that could cripple the delivery of vital services, and effect cost savings that would amount to nearly one-third of the federal budget, or the entire discretionary part of the budget and then some.... Trump's motivation is more about punishment and retribution.... He is prepared to fire the team that worked with special counsel Jack Smith on two indictments.... The [Musk-Ramaswamy] plan is premised, in part, on recent Supreme Court rulings that limit the power of the agencies to write and impose regulations and that Musk and Ramaswamy say give the president considerable latitude to make big changes." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You will notice how Balz normalizes the plan by comparing it with earlier failed efforts to cut government spending and by inviting a well-meaning "expert" to comment, sometimes favorably, on the Muskaswamy endeavor.

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are weighing vast changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, seeking to limit the powers and funding of a federal watchdog agency formed in the wake of the 2008 banking crisis. The early discussions align the GOP with banks, credit card companies, mortgage lenders and other large financial institutions, which have chafed at the CFPB under Democratic leadership and sought to invalidate many of its recent regulations, including its efforts to spare consumers from what the Biden administration calls 'junk fees.' By design, the CFPB has a broad mandate to protect Americans from unfair, deceptive or predatory financial practices. Its current Democratic leader, Rohit Chopra, has been aggressive, pursuing a host of rules to shield people from medical debt, make it easier for them to switch banks, and limit the fees they face from overdrawing their checking accounts."

Marie: Again, this whole game plan is so fascistic it would be laughable if not so horrible. Donald and his "Domestic Efficiency" buddies are following fascist SOP by starting with banning a group that is already marginalized (so relatively helpless): trans people. Why, I don't even personally know a trans person. (Well, I don't think I do.) So, what, me worry? Then they're going for bureaucrats. I mean, who likes having to go beg some bureaucrat to let us put an addition on the house or collect an earned benefit? Sure, maybe I know some schoolteachers or a neighbor who's a fireman, but they're not like Washington bureaucrats, are they? So another relatively unpopular group. Then it will be "woke" "liberal elites": college professors, overpaid celebrities, left-wing press, well-to-do urbanites who live in highrises & have season tickets to the opera -- in other words, people whom "normal Americans" can't relate to. And sooner or later, it's everybody who doesn't fit into and comply with the fascist ideology.

But, Hey, So Far Everybody's Happy. Anthony Salvanto, et al., of CBS News: "Donald Trump's incoming administration starts off with mostly good will from the public: a majority of Americans overall are either happy or at least satisfied that he won and are either excited or optimistic about what he'll do as president. Trump's handling of his presidential transition gets approval from most Americans overall and brings near-universal approval from his voters, along with a net-positive response about his selections for Cabinet posts, in particular, Sen. Marco Rubio, who is Trump's pick to be secretary of state. After inflation and the economy so dominated the election, Americans are more inclined to think his administration will bring down prices for food and groceries rather than raise them, and his voters overwhelmingly say that."

Trudy Ring of the Advocate: "U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, has introduced a bill to deny transgender identity. Marshall Wednesday introduced the Defining Male and Female Act of 2024, which a press release from his office calls 'a bill to codify legal definitions of male, female, and sex to ensure they are based on biology rather than ideology.' It would write a binary definition of sex into federal law. 'In human beings, there are two -- and only two -- sexes: male and female, which refer to the two body structures (phenotypes) that, in normal development, correspond to one or the other gamete -- sperm for males and ova for females,' the legislation says.... Marshall pointed to his experience as a medical doctor as justification for the bill."

The Conversation -- November 24, 2024

It's still a clown car, but it ain't funny. And who'd'a guessed? -- it's not running on ethical.

Ken Bensinger & David Fahrenthold of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump is keeping secret the names of the donors who are funding his transition effort, a break from tradition that could make it impossible to see what interest groups, businesses or wealthy people are helping launch his second term. Mr. Trump has so far declined to sign an agreement with the Biden administration that imposes strict limits on that fund-raising in exchange for up to $7.2 million in federal funds earmarked for the transition. By dodging the agreement, Mr. Trump can raise unlimited amounts of money from unknown donors to pay for the staff, travel and office space involved in preparing to take over the government.... And unlike with campaign contributions, foreign nationals are allowed to donate to the transition.... Mr. Trump is the first president-elect to sidestep the restrictions, provoking alarm among ethics experts." ~~~

~~~ Brooke Harrington in the Atlantic: In appointing Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy to reorganize the federal government & slash spending, Trump has established "a new political arrangement...: a broligarchy, in which tremendous power is flowing to tech and finance magnates, some of whom appear indifferent or even overtly hostile to democratic tradition.... Though some of them have previously opposed Trump because of his immigration or tariff policies, the broligarchs share his politics of impunity: the idea that some men should be above the law.... The broligarchs' sense of their innate superiority has led many of them to positions on taxation quite similar to Trump's.... The Trump-friendly broligarchs' political ascendancy turns the rallying cry of the Boston Tea Party on its head, achieving representation with minimal taxation.... The broligarchs are distinct from old-school American oligarchs in one key respect: Their political vision seeks to undermine the nation-state system globally.... Cryptocurrency is the financial engine of the broligarchs' political project." This is a gift-link from laura h. and well-worth a read. Thank to her. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I never got the point of cryptocurrency beyond the scam aspects of it (proved beyond reasonable doubt when Trump got involved in crypto), but Harrington explains how the bros plan to weaken the U.S. and other nation-states -- by replacing the fiat money with crypto, in which they are heavily invested.

Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has picked Brooke Rollins, a former Trump White House policy adviser, to serve as agriculture secretary.... Rollins is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group that has put together proposals for a second Trump term. The institute, which has nonprofit status, was launched in 2021 by a group of Trump administration veterans.Like the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, AFPI has sought to provide policy recommendations for the next Republican presidential administration to efficiently stand up an executive branch that will swiftly undo President Joe Biden's legacy..... The organization is chaired by Linda McMahon, Trump's pick for education secretary.... With Rollins, Trump has now announced the full lineup of his proposed Cabinet secretaries."

Mark Berman & David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "Again and again, when Donald Trump has faced scandal and scrutiny, Pam Bondi was there to defend him. Bondi said the Justice Department's special counsel investigation into whether Trump associates coordinated with Russian interference in the 2016 election needed to be dissolved. She declared that the 45th president's first impeachment in 2019 was a 'sham.' And when Trump was indicted four times after leaving office, Bondi was blunt about who deserved legal scrutiny -- and it wasn't the former president. 'The prosecutors will be prosecuted, the bad ones,' Bondi declared on Fox News in 2023, soon after Trump's fourth set of criminal charges. 'The investigators will be investigated.'"

The Drink-Bleach Brigade. Emily Anthes & Emily Baumgaertner of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump's choices [to lead health agencies] ... have all pushed back against Covid policies or supported ideas that are outside the medical mainstream, including an opposition to vaccines. Together, they are a clear repudiation of business as usual.... Robert F. Kennedy Jr., [slated to lead HHS,] has a long track record of spreading falsehoods about vaccines and using his nonprofit, Children's Health Defense, to promote a database of misleading interpretations of research data. He once asserted publicly that 'there's no vaccine that is, you know, safe and effective.'... Dr. David Weldon, Mr. Trump's pick to lead the C.D.C., has also promoted anti-vaccine views.... While in Congress, Dr. Weldon was known for pushing the false notion that thimerosal, a preservative compound in some vaccines, had caused an explosion of autism cases.... Mr. Trump's choice for F.D.A. commissioner, Dr. Martin Makary -- a pancreatic surgeon at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine -- has been broadly supportive of childhood vaccines. But he has questioned the benefits of certain shots.... Dr. Makary has become known -- in opinion articles and on podcasts and spots on Fox News -- for critiquing vaccine mandates and many other parts of U.S. Covid policies, and for arguing that doctors have underestimated natural immunity." ~~~

     ~~~ Ken W. copied part of an article by Tara Haelle, published in Nature in October, that speaks to "the staggering success of vaccines": "

"A May study in the Lancet estimated that vaccines against 14 common pathogens have saved 154 million lives over the past five decades -- at a rate of six lives every minute. They have cut infant mortality by 40 percent globally and by more than 50 percent in Africa. Throughout history vaccines have saved more lives than almost any other intervention.... The Lancet study found that each life saved through immunization resulted in an average 66 years of full health, without the long-term problems that many diseases cause. Vaccines play a role in nearly every measurement of health equity, from improving access to care, to reducing disability and long-term morbidity, to preventing loss of labor and the death of caretakers."

     ~~~ MB: Ken copied this excerpt without attribution or quotation marks. I've gone back in and added a proper citation. But PLEASE, I ask you all not to pass off the writing of others as your own. It's just by chance that I caught this and was able to identify the real writer.

What if the president*-elect picked as advisor who's more hard-right-crazy than John Bolton? Oh ~~~

     ~~~ Edward Helmore of the Guardian: "Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton has laid into Sebastian Gorka, the president-elect's pick for counter-terrorism chief, as a 'conman' whose selection is not 'going to bode well for counter-terrorism efforts when the [national security council's] senior director is somebody like that'.... Democratic National Committee spokesperson Alex Floyd called Gorka 'a far-right extremist who is as dangerous as he is unqualified to lead America's counter-terrorism strategy'."

Alex Horton & John Hudson of the Washington Post: "Sebastian Gorka, the pugilistic commentator who leveraged fears about Islam as a threat to Western civilization into a short-lived role in the first Trump administration, is poised for a second run inside the White House. Gorka was tapped to serve as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism..., Donald Trump said Friday night. Previously, Gorka was an adviser on national security matters for Trump for seven months until his abrupt exit. The role, which doesn't require Senate confirmation, will position Gorka to provide counsel and input on issues he has focused on for years, including hard-line approaches on militant groups and immigration. But if his previous role at the Trump administration is any indication, he is poised to ruffle feathers even among reverent Trump loyalists and other Republicans, who have described him as fringe and underqualified.... 'Almost universally, the entire team considers Gorka a clown,' said a person close to the national security transition team. 'They are dreading working with him.'"

⭐Gabor Scheiring, a former member of the Hungarian parliament, in Politico Magazine: "Trump's goal this time is to remake the American government to enhance his power. He ... he is following a playbook pioneered by Hungary's Viktor Orbán.... Modern-day autocracies come to power through elections, leading to electoral autocracies. These regimes are built from within the democratic system.... Orbán's power grab program runs on two components that you can think of as hardware and software. The populist hardware consists of hijacked institutions. The software is made up of populist discourses and narratives that are used to create and enlist the consent of the ruled. Dismantling the hardware of the Orbán-Trump project requires first defeating its software.... When economic grievances and cultural resentments combine, they create a potent force, generating consent for the autocrat to do what it takes to change the hardware.... Project 2025 echoes Orbán's playbook, pushing to dismantle liberal influence in the 'administrative state' and strengthen executive power." Scheiring has some suggestions for undermining Trump's rule.

Max Bearak of the New York Times: "Negotiators at this year's United Nations climate summit struck an agreement early on Sunday in Baku, Azerbaijan, to triple the flow of money to help developing countries adopt cleaner energy and cope with the effects of climate change. Under the deal, wealthy nations pledged to reach $300 billion per year in support by 2035, up from a current target of $100 billion. Independent experts, however, have placed the needs of developing countries much higher, at $1.3 trillion per year.... As soon as the Azerbaijani hosts banged the gavel and declared the deal done, Chandni Raina, the representative from India, the world's most populous country, tore into them.... 'It is a paltry sum,' Ms. Raina said.... Speakers from one developing country after another, from Bolivia to Nigeria to Fiji, echoed Ms. Raina's remarks and assailed the document in furious statements."

Robert McFadden of the New York Times: "Fred R. Harris, a maverick Oklahoma Democrat who served eight years in the Senate and who lost a race for his party's 1976 presidential nomination in a populist campaign that challenged politics as usual and proposed radical changes for America, died on Saturday in Albuquerque. He was 94."

The Conversation -- November 23, 2024

All the Best People

Marie: Well, the best, only if you think "Dangerous Clown Car" is the best. Frankly, Trump's choices sound like who-all your right-wing cousin Jed would pick. Jed lives in rural North Dakota and recently -- thanks to a Biden program -- gained access to cable teevee and the Internet. How would Jed, who is not very bright but has an overactive mean streak, make his picks? "Oh, that one, yeah. I seen him on the teevee. He kicks ass. Them liberals won't what hit 'em in the backside." "Oh, that one, she's hot." "Ha ha, that ole boy, he's rich as shit and he's gonna make those commies in China wish they never heard of him." "That other one. He looks like a weaselly nerd, but he'll Project-2025 the grins off those smart-ass revenuers and regulators." "That one, I heard she was a lady wrestler. I'm picking her for education where she'll keep the kids in line." "And that one, he'll make sure nobody sticks no needles in you to where you catch the autism." "Yup, yup, seen that one on the teevee." "And that one, too."

Isaac Arnsdorf, et al., of the Washington Post: "The day after former congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to lead the Justice Department, Trump pushed ahead with a burst of fresh announcements for planned appointments and nominations, including some controversial picks.... Trump ... nam[ed] hedge fund executive Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary following days of hand-wringing over the position that is fifth in the line of succession and of keen interest to global investors. He also said he'd bring back his first-term budget director, Russell Vought, a key author of the Project 2025 policy blueprint who has advocated for unilaterally rejecting spending that Congress authorized, firing federal workers and taking control of independent regulators.

"Trump also announced plans to bring back controversial foreign policy aide Sebastian Gorka.... Alex Wong, a former representative for North Korea and a State Department adviser, was named to return as the principal deputy to the national security adviser....Trump's choice for labor secretary, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Oregon), flipped the usual Republican pattern because organized labor lobbied for her while business leaders objected. He named Janette Nesheiwat, a medical contributor on Fox News, as his pick for surgeon general; former congressman Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Johns Hopkins surgeon and public health expert Marty Makary as Food and Drug Administration commissioner; and retired football player and former Texas state representative Scott Turner for secretary of housing and urban development." The AP's report is here. ~~~

~~~ Marie: Sneaking in Sebastian Gorka, the (alleged!) Hungarian Nazi, was deft.

Alan Rappeport & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump picked Scott Bessent to serve as Treasury secretary on Friday, tapping a billionaire hedge fund manager to lead an economic agenda that is expected to be built around raising tariffs and cutting taxes. Mr. Bessent, the founder of the investment firm Key Square Capital Management, has emerged as a central economic adviser to Mr. Trump over the past year. He has called for rolling back government subsidies, deregulating the economy and raising domestic energy production. Unlike many on Wall Street, Mr. Bessent, 62, has also defended the use of tariffs, which are Mr. Trump's favorite economic tool." See also AlterNet story, linked below, re: Walmart's honest admission that that its customers would pay the costs of tariffs.

To the Victor Go the Spoils. Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "As Mr. Trump dangles new and potentially more expensive tariffs [than he imposed in his first term], many companies are already angling to obtain relief. Lawyers and lobbyists in Washington say they are receiving an influx of requests from companies that want to hire their services.... While Mr. Trump has often promised to 'drain the swamp' in Washington, some have argued that these trade rules did the opposite. Tracking by OpenSecrets ... showed that the number of clients lobbying Congress on trade issues ticked up noticeably once Mr. Trump took office.... One recent economic study also found evidence that Trump officials had used the exemption process to reward their supporters and punish opponents. The study, which looked at nearly 7,000 company applications, found that an increase in past contributions to Republicans raised the likelihood of a company's receiving an exemption. A history of past contributions to Democrats, meanwhile, decreased a company’s chances of winning a lucrative exemption."

Charlie Savage, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump on Friday picked a key figure in Project 2025 to lead the Office of Management and Budget, elevating a longtime ally who has spent the last four years making plans to rework the American government to enhance presidential power. The would-be nominee, Russell T. Vought, would oversee the White House budget and help determine whether federal agencies comport with the president's policies. The role requires Senate confirmation unless Mr. Trump is able to make recess appointments. The choice of Mr. Vought would bring in a strongly ideological figure who played a pivotal role in Mr. Trump's first term, when he also served as budget chief. Among other things, Mr. Vought helped come up with the idea of having Mr. Trump use emergency power to circumvent Congress's decision about how much to spend on a border wall.... In an interview with The New York Times in 2023, Mr. Vought laid out an agenda of eliminating the independence of certain regulatory agencies that operate outside the direct control of the White House, such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission." Politico's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "Project 2025 may not what have been what the marginal Trump supporter was voting for, but it's sure what they're going to get."

Lauren Gurley of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump selected Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Oregon) to lead the Labor Department, following some heavy lobbying from the Teamsters union.... Teamsters President Sean O'Brien thanked Trump in a post on the social media platform X on Friday.... Chavez-DeRemer's selection was a surprise in Washington and marked an unusual nod toward the labor movement, whose rank-and-file members often embraced Trump during the election. DeRemer, 56, is a moderate Republican who has served on bipartisan congressional caucuses and supported pro-union legislation. She lost her reelection bid this month. Her nomination was fiercely opposed by many business leaders."

Dan Diamond & Rachel Roubein of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump on Friday night named three doctors to oversee the nation's vaccine supply, disease response and other responsibilities central to America's public health, plucking physicians who bring a mix of conservative credentials and Fox News appearances. Trump picked Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon, to lead the Food and Drug Administration, a roughly $7 billion agency.... Makary emerged as a prominent critic of the FDA and other public health agencies during the coronavirus pandemic, contending that officials pursued overly harsh vaccination mandates and did not countenance alternative strategies, such as the protections conferred by infections, also known as 'natural immunity.'...

The president-elect defied some predictions by picking Dave Weldon, an internal medicine physician and former GOP congressman, to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.... Weldon, as a congressman in the 2000s, sought to remove vaccine safety oversight from CDC and transfer it to an independent agency, arguing that the CDC suffered from conflicts of interest.... Weldon and Makary were recommended by [Robert F.] Kennedy [Jr.]'s advisers.... Trump surprised many in his own party by announcing Janette Nesheiwat, a family and emergency medicine physician, to be the next U.S. surgeon general.... Nesheiwat, who has a limited national profile, is [a Fox 'News' contributor and] the sister-in-law of Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Florida), whom Trump has chosen as his national security adviser. Her sister, Julia Nesheiwat, served as homeland security adviser in the first Trump administration."

Christina Jewett of the New York Times on Dr. Martin Makery [rhymes with "quackery"???], whom Trump has chosen to run the F.D.A. "In recent months, Dr. Makary has publicly sought to align his views with the current pronouncements of" RFK, Jr., who would be his boss. MB: Still, Makery sounds lessy goofy than Bobby Junior and -- unlike Bobby -- Makery is well-credentialed.

Joseph Goldstein of the New York Times has more on Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Trump's choice for surgeon general and frequent Fox "News" guest.

Carl Gibson of AlterNet: Sebastian Gorka, "a former aide to ... Donald Trump in his first administration has just received a high-profile appointment to the White House National Security Council (NSC) -- despite being a member of a far-right group with ties to Nazi Germany.... In 2017, NBC News reported that Gorka was photographed wearing a medal associated with the Hungarian organization Vitezi Rend (which translates to 'valiant order'), and that he occasionally signs his name with a lowercase 'v' which order members use as an identifier. NBC also cited Jewish newspaper the Forward's report that three Vitezi Rend leaders confirmed that Gorka was a lifelong member. The Forward reported in early 2017 that the State Department described Vitezi Rend as having been 'under the direction of the Nazi Government of Germany.' During World War II, members of the group helped deliver hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews into the hands of the Hitler regime, which massacred nearly all of them."

Diana Falzone of Mediaite: ... Donald Trump was misled by cabinet nominees Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth about the extent of the misconduct allegations against them, according to several sources who spoke with Mediaite. One source [said the contents of the House Ethics report on Gaetz] were far more damning than Gaetz had led the president-elect to believe.... Another source, who served on the Trump campaign, told Mediaite that when Gaetz was confronted about the allegations of sexual misconduct against him he 'denied, denied, denied.'... A source said Hegseth -- who has been married three times and has pursued multiple extra-marital affairs -- was asked if there were any scandals from his past and even if he had ever signed a non-disclosure agreement. 'He told the campaign there's no issues,' said the source. 'There's no assault issues. There's no NDA. Compounding lies.'...

"Underlying all of this: each time the media reports on the alleged sexual misconduct of Hegseth and Gaetz -- as well as Trump's pick for education secretary Linda McMahon and her alleged role in concealing sex abuse during her tenure as a WWE executive -- Trump's own sexual misconduct is mentioned." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: So Trump is angry because his nominees got caught (allegedly!) committing serious sex crimes, and what so perturbs Trump is that those crimes evoke Trump's own sex-related crimes and (alleged! and adjudicated) sex crimes. But the fact that his Defense Secretary nominee has advocated in writing for using the military to violently attack liberal Americans does not seem to bother Trump at all. ~~~

~~~ Pete Is One Scary-Crazy Dude. Jason Wilson of the Guardian: "Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, has written in a book that he could imagine a scenario in which the US armed forces would be used violently in American domestic politics.... He wrote that in the event of a Democratic election victory in the US there would be a 'national divorce' in which 'The military and police ... will be forced to make a choice' and 'Yes, there will be some form of civil war.' Hegseth's 2020 book exhorts conservatives to undertake 'an AMERICAN CRUSADE', to 'mock, humiliate, intimidate, and crush our leftist opponents', to 'attack first' in response to a left he identifies with 'sedition', and he writes that the book 'lays out the strategy we must employ in order to defeat America's internal enemies'." See also Jonathan Chait's Atlantic piece, gift-linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.)

Katie Lillis, et al., of CNN: "Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's pick to lead the intelligence community, was briefly placed on a Transportation Security Administration list that prompts additional security screening before flights after her overseas travel patterns and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm earlier this year, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Gabbard was quickly removed from the list ... after going public with claims she had been added to a 'secret terror watchlist.' A federal official familiar with the program told CNN there are specified criteria for removing or adding individuals and that no one is removed from the list because of public statements they make. Gabbard has claimed she was put on the list because she had criticized then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris in an interview with Fox News -- something two of the sources flatly denied had anything to do with it."

Philip Bump of the Washington Post details how Pam Bondi, Trump's latest pick for attorney general, has flacked for Trump, usually under suspicious circumstances, so Bump has to write sentences like, "an investigation into the interaction determined there was insufficient evidence to file criminal charges." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Eric Lipton of the New York Times takes up the matter of Bondi's office deciding not to investigate one of Trump's fakiest scams -- Trump "University" -- after Trump gave Bondi an illegal campaign contribution from his fake "foundation." One thing I didn't know: "Mr. Trump also donated to Kamala Harris while she was attorney general of California, and after reviewing the matter, her office also did not pursue."

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "Donald Trump proclaimed that he would be the protector of women. That seems to involve anointing creeps from whom women need protection.... The future is a president who dragged women back to the past by overturning Roe. Trump, who was himself found liable for sexual abuse, moved to elevate three men accused of sexual misconduct -- one with a minor -- to fill three crucial cabinet posts.... It is a searing affront to women.... In putting forward three men accused of sexual misconduct, Trump is conveying that men like himself are the perpetual victims of lies, so it should not be disqualifying. He is turning what he told Billy Bush on the 'Access Hollywood' tape into a presidential mantra: 'When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.'" MB: Dowd's description of Trump going the fights with an entourage is sickening.

Reign of Terror -- This Bit Is in the Planning Stages. Amy Gardner, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump plans to fire the entire team that worked with special counsel Jack Smith to pursue two federal prosecutions against the former president, including career attorneys typically protected from political retribution, according to two individuals close to Trump's transition. Trump is also planning to assemble investigative teams within the Justice Department to hunt for evidence in battleground states that fraud tainted the 2020 election, one of the people said.... It's not clear how quickly or easily Trump could fire career staff... It could take years..., as the untested issue of firing masses of federal workers makes its way through the courts.... Most [of Smith's staff] ... are mid- and upper-level career staffers on detail to the special counsel's team from divisions within the main Justice Department ... or from U.S. attorneys' offices throughout the country." Smith plans to resign before Trump can fire him.

Reign of Terror, Ctd. This Bit Is Playing Out on Xitter. Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that [Elon Musk,] the 'Department of Government Efficiency' co-director, is tweeting out the names and personal details of federal employees, leading to some of his more than 205 million followers to 'launch blistering critiques of ordinary' workers. Ashley Thomas, a little-known director of 'climate diversity' at the U.S. International Development Financial Corp., was targeted by the billionaire, who called her job 'fake.' The tweet received 32 million views and spawned a flood of memes making fun of her and telling her that her job would be over soon, the report stated.... Read the full report here." (It's firewalled.)

digby, speaking of Elon Musk: "He's no genius, I'm sorry. He's a talented entrepreneur, obviously, but there's no reason to believe he understands anything other than that. When it comes to philosophy, ideology, politics, history -- the world -- he's no better than your average right wing troll on Truth Social, operating from a gut that favors bigotry, selfishness and stupidity. He's clueless about government and he's going to crash and burn." As for Musk's relationship with Trump, "It's not going to work out. Right now Trump may be enjoying the fact that the richest man in the world is his BFF. But before too long he's going to realize that the richest man in the world is trying to usurp him -- the most powerful man in the world -- and he's going to get sick of him. At this point I wouldn't bet on Musk being around even 3 months from now."

Michael Schaffer of Politico Magazine: "Trump won less than 50 percent [of the vote].... The numbers might seem a wee bit jarring to anyone who has been listening to Washington's triumphal Republicans and self-flagellating Democrats -- all of whom seem to have internalized a version of the story that involves a romping, stomping Trump triumph.... Trump's victory was described as 'resounding' by news organizations ranging from the Associated Press to the The Washington Post to the The New York Times to POLITICO. Others offered 'commanding win,' 'runaway win' and 'dominant victory.'" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ digby: Despite the Trump campaign's claims that his victory was "massive" and "historic," it was neither. Trump himself has claimed to have won "a powerful mandate." And the whole gang is mighty unhappy outlets like the New York Times & Politico Magazine are reporting the facts about his narrow win.(Also linked yesterday.)

Ben Protess of the New York Times: "A New York judge on Friday postponed ... Donald J. Trump's sentencing in his Manhattan criminal case, confirming that the former and future president would not receive his punishment next week. Mr. Trump was convicted in May of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal and was scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, but his election victory made that all but impossible. The judge had already decided to halt the sentencing while Mr. Trump's lawyers sought to have the whole case thrown out. Prosecutors from the office of Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, declined to drop the case this week, noting that a jury had already convicted Mr. Trump. But they agreed to delay the sentencing and signaled a willingness to freeze the case for four years while Mr. Trump holds office. So far, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, has not ruled on whether to freeze the case or dismiss it." (Also linked yesterday.)

Carl Gibson of AlterNet: "Walmart -- the world's largest retailer -- is now issuing a warning to customers that they may be paying more for the same products if ... Donald Trump makes good on his promise to impose new tariffs on imports. Fortune reported Friday that Walmart's finance chief, John David Rainey, has acknowledged that new tariffs would likely be passed on to the people buying goods imported from overseas. Currently, anywhere from 70% to 80% of goods sold at Walmart are made in China, and could be affected by potential new tariffs. In September, PBS reported that Trump proposed tariffs as high as 60% on imports from China, and 20% tariffs on products made elsewhere.... 'We're going to work with our suppliers as well as our own private brand assortment to continue to try to bring down prices for customers,' [Rainey said]. 'But we're not immune, and tariffs will be inflationary for customers.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is kinda half an admission. Tariffs on foreign-made goods (and on parts used in domestically-assembled goods) will also raise prices on good made primarily in the U.S. Obviously, if you're a U.S. manufacturer, and the price of your competitor's hammer goes from $10 to $20, you're going to raise the price of your $12 hammer to closer to $20. Why? Because your $19 hammer is still the bargain. Your costs have not increased, but your profits have. Yay!

~~~~~~~~~~

Arizona. Adeel Hassan of the New York Times: Elizabeth Gutfahr, the elected treasurer of Santa Cruze County, Arizona, "siphoned off $38 million [in county funds] to acquire about two dozen vehicles -- including Cadillacs and a Mercedes -- buy real estate and renovate her family ranch, the Justice Department said this week. Ms. Gutfahr, 62, who held the post from 2013 through early 2024, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tucson on Thursday to one felony count each of embezzlement by a public official, money laundering and tax evasion. She could face up to 35 years in prison when she is sentenced in February." MB: On the other hand, a photo of a well-appointed room in her family home demonstrates that the renovations she made at county expense were in good taste. So embezzled funds well-spent.

Florida. Kimberly Leonard of Politico: "Florida will conduct a special election on April 1, 2025 [April Fool's Day], to fill the House seat vacated by Matt Gaetz, kicking off a sprint among Florida Republicans to represent the deep-red district.... On Friday morning, Gaetz said he did not plan to return to Congress but hasn't announced what he'll do next.... The primaries are set for January 28, but whoever wins the GOP nomination will be the heavy favorite over the Democratic pick." (Also linked yesterday.)

Florida. Fenit Nirappil & Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "The top health official of the nation's third-largest state called Friday for a halt to adding fluoride to Florida's water, citing controversial studies that suggest the widely hailed public health practice poses a risk to developing brains. Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo issued a recommendation citing 'the neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure, particularly in pregnant women and children,' and noting the availability of alternative sources of fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwash.... Ladapo's announcement comes three weeks after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is ... Donald Trump's choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, said the Trump administration plans to issue a similar recommendation nationwide next year. Kennedy's remarks drew rebukes from public health experts who say that the practice has helped protect Americans' teeth, particularly in vulnerable communities where children might not regularly brush their teeth." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Texas. Troy Closson of the New York Times: "Texas education officials on Friday approved a new elementary school curriculum that draws from the Bible, the final step of a contentious effort to expand religious instruction in the state. The reading and language arts curriculum, which will be optional for schools, could serve as a model for conservative Christian leaders in other states.... The curriculum incorporates into English lessons stories from the Bible such as Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount, the parable of the Prodigal Son and the Old Testament tale of Esther." (Also linked yesterday.) The AP story is here.