The Conversation -- July 3, 2025
That Was Then. The contrasts between then and now are multiple & stark: ~~~
Ha Ha. You Could Get a Tax Break! Chris Hayes pointed to a New York Times interactive article designed to help the reader discover if s/he will get a tax break under the Trump Big Dump. Hayes put up a graphic of this series of yes-or-no questions (where "yes" is always the "correct" answer): "(1) Do you earn more than $500,000 a year? (2) Do you own a business? (3) Do you own or are you considering buying a firearm? (4) Are you a whaling captain or a fisher living in Alaska?"
From the New York Times liveblog of developments in the trek to pass the GOP anti-American omnibus bill (also linked below): ~~~
Megan Mineiro: “Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, just broke the record for the longest House floor speech by speaking for 8 hours and 33 minutes. He breaks the record set by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2021. Democrats are standing unified behind Jeffries, while on the Republican side of the chamber a few dozen members have started to filter back into their seats in anticipation of closing remarks by Speaker Mike Johnson before the final vote on the policy bill.”
Annie Karni & Megan Minerio: “Democrats chant 'Hakeem! Hakeem!' as he finishes his record-breaking speech with the words: 'I yield back.' They are surrounding him on the House floor, cheering and lining up for embraces. He yielded after 8 hours and 45 minutes.” ~~~
~~~ The call-and-response in the wrap-up is classic:
Michael Gold, et al.: “The House on Thursday narrowly passed a sweeping bill to extend tax cuts and slash social safety net programs, capping Republicans’ chaotic monthslong slog to overcome deep rifts within their party and deliver ... [Donald] Trump’s domestic agenda. The final vote, 218 to 214, was mostly along party lines and came after Speaker Mike Johnson spent a frenzied day and night toiling to quell resistance in his own ranks that threatened until the very end to derail the president’s signature measure. With all but two Republicans in favor and Democrats uniformly opposed, the action cleared the bill for Mr. Trump’s signature, meeting the July 4 deadline he had demanded.” Here's Politico's story. ~~~
~~~ A Big, Bungled Bust. Charlie Mahtesian of Politico: Donald Trump “is spending every last cent of his political capital on a bill marked by its lack of ambition and vision. It suggests real limits to the MAGA revolution, either because the coalition is inherently brittle or because of the stiff challenges Trump still faces in transforming the GOP, even as he utterly dominates it.... Much of the bill smacks of a reassertion of decades-old Republican policies and an embrace of party orthodoxy. It is easily caricatured as a giveaway to the wealthy that also slashes health care, a piñata for Democrats to bash and ride back to a House majority.”
Florida. Jennifer Bahney of the Raw Story: "New video showed a 'garden-variety South Florida summer rainstorm' flooding tents and drowning out Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as he touted the 'Alligator Alcatrez' detention facility he claimed was ready to house deportees, according to The Miami Herald. Rain began shortly after ... Donald Trump finished up his tour of the Everglades facility that the White House claimed needed little security due to pythons and alligators surrounding it, the report said. 'The water seeped into the site — the one that earlier in day the state’s top emergency chief had boasted was ready to withstand the winds of a "high-end" Category 2 hurricane — and streamed all over electrical cables on the floor,' wrote reporters Syra Ortiz Blanes, Ana Ceballos, and Alex Harris." MB: The reason Republicans don't believe in government is that they screw up everything.
Amy MacKinnon & John Sakellariadis of Politico: “A CIA review released Wednesday is critical of how the agency arrived at the assessment that Russia sought to sway the 2016 election in favor of Donald Trump — but finds the overall conclusion was sound. The initial assessment, which has been condemned by Trump and his allies, was done too quickly and featured excessive involvement by intelligence agency leaders, according to the review commissioned by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. But the review did not call into question the conclusions of the assessment, finding that it exhibited 'strong adherence to tradecraft standards' and that its 'analytic rigor exceeded that of most IC assessments.'... The review ... did not take issue with [the] assessments that Putin was trying to damage [Hillary] Clinton’s chances.... After the review was released, Ratcliffe posted on X a characterization of the report that appeared to deviate from its findings. 'All the world can now see the truth: Brennan, Clapper and Comey manipulated intelligence and silenced career professionals — all to get Trump,' he wrote in one post. In a second, he said that the 2016 assessment was produced in a process that was 'atypical & corrupt.'” ~~~
~~~ Marie: My theory about why Trump is so confused rests partly on the premise that he lies so much he can't tell the facts from his own fictions. But it also can be attributed to the premise that his allies lie to him to protect themselves. In this case, an investigation Trump's CIA director Ratcliffe commissioned found that Putin really did try to help Trump win the 2016 election. BUT, since Trump would hate that conclusion, Ratcliffe jumps on X to falsely claim the CIA & the FBI leaders were "corrupt" and "manipulated intelligence." Ratcliffe is no doubt confident that Trump will never read a big, long eight-page report, but a couple of tweets, sure.
Two Meditations on the Same Theme:
(a) Jonathan Chait of the Atlantic: "... in a single day, Trump took or was revealed to have taken six shocking new assaults on liberal democracy. They would have been shocking, anyway, before he spent a decade bludgeoning our civic nerve endings to the point where these things now register as mere routine politics. [Tuesday] alone: 1. Trump floated the notion of arresting New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.... 2. Trump threatened to prosecute CNN for reporting on the existence of an app that allows users to alert one another to ICE activity.... 3. The president mused about the prospect of financially punishing Elon Musk for criticizing the Republican megabill.... 4... has appointed Jared L. Wise [-- charged with being a January 6 insurrectionist --] to the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group.... 5. The administration impounded $7 billion of Education Department funding for after-school and summer programs, English learners, teacher training, and other school functions.... 6. Paramount, the parent company of CBS, settled a groundless nuisance lawsuit Trump had filed against the CBS show 60 Minutes." Thank you to laura h. for this gift link.
(b) Charlie Nash of Mediaite: “CNN aired the long list of people and groups that ... Donald Trump had 'targeted in the past 48-72 hours' on Tuesday, including former ally Elon Musk, the nation of Japan, and CNN itself. 'The president’s insult parade is crowded tonight, attacking anyone who dares to speak out against him or his policies. Here’s some of the names that he’s targeted in just the last 48-72 hours,' began anchor Abby Phillip. Phillip then displayed a graphic which showed Musk, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, CNN, Japan, AT&T, Israeli prosecutors, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, Canada, Forbes, Harvard University, 'Alligator Alcatraz' escapees, and former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas beneath the caption, 'People and groups Trump has targeted in past 48-72 hours.'” Thank you to RAS for the link. ~~~
~~~ Marie: It's clear that Chait gets it. Whether Phillip & others appreciate the breadth of the underlying project is less evident. But all this year, we have had many days as dangerous as the one Chait & Phillip cite. The cumulative effect and the ultimate goal of these steps is not mysterious.
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All Through the Night. The New York Times liveblog for the Trump Travesty of the Week is here: “The House took its first step early Thursday toward a final vote on ... [Donald] Trump’s marquee domestic policy bill, after Republicans put down a revolt by conservative holdouts that had threatened to sink it. After a day and night of paralysis on the House floor, and haggling and uncertainty in the Capitol, Speaker Mike Johnson scored a preliminary victory in his bid to overcome resistance within his party when the House voted to allow the bill to come up for debate. The 219-to-213 vote suggested he had won the backing of recalcitrant Republicans whose resistance had stalled the measure, though the House still had to take a final vote to approve it.” The AP's liveblog is here. ~~~
~~~ The AP has a stand-alone story here. ~~~
~~~ Calen Razor of Politico: “House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is blasting Republican colleagues over Medicaid as he issues extended remarks ahead of the final GOP megabill vote. Jeffries is utilizing his so-called magic minute to read off letters sent in by individuals in each state who rely on benefits that potentially hang in the balance as a result of the megabill’s provisions. After reading a story from Arizona and criticizing Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz), Jeffries told the chamber: 'I’m still in the A section right now, so strap in.'... Jeffries said his goal in reading out these stories is to 'lift up the voices of everyday Americans all across the country.'
Nicholas Wu: “House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ marathon floor speech is stretching into its third hour as Democrats mount a last-ditch effort to stall the passage of Republicans’ megabill. Jeffries started speaking around 4:52 a.m. and read through stories from voters who could be impacted by the megabill’s cuts to social safety programs like Medicaid.... Democrats lack the votes to ultimately stop passage of the megabill, making the unlimited speaking time afforded to party leaders the last option for them to prolong passage of the GOP legislation.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Jeffries was still going at 11:00 am ET Thursday.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) reads the preamble to the Big Ugly Bill: ~~~
~~~ Trump Is Clueless, Part 1. Riley Rogerson & Reese Gorman of NOTUS: “... Trump still doesn’t seem to have a firm grasp about what his signature legislative achievement does. According to three sources with direct knowledge of the comments [to some GOP House members Wednesday], the president told Republicans at this meeting that there are three things Congress shouldn’t touch if they want to win elections: Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. 'But we’re touching Medicaid in this bill,' one member responded to Trump, according to the three sources.” “Doesn't seem to have a firm grasp” is quite the understatement. Not only does the bill “touch” Medicaid & Medicare, there's this. ~~~
~~~ Trump Is Clueless, Part 2. Fatima Hussein of the AP: “... Donald Trump keeps saying that Republicans’ mega tax and spending cut legislation will eliminate taxes on federal Social Security benefits. It does not.” The article goes on to explain the changes to Social Security taxes the bill would make for some seniors.
~~~ The Bait-&-Switch Trick to Con the Suckers. Tony Romm, et al., of the New York Times: The Trump bill “provides its most generous tax breaks early on and reserves some of its most painful benefit cuts until after the 2026 midterm elections. The result is a bill that, if it becomes law, may generate bigger refunds for some taxpayers when they file their returns next spring, even as a series of significant changes to Medicaid and other aid programs loom as a future threat to the finances of poorer families. For ... [Donald] Trump, the staggered timelines underscore the political risks in his signature legislation.... To pay for the tax policies, which confer their greatest benefits on the wealthy, Republican lawmakers have looked to slash programs that are both popular and widely used, discomfiting even some within their own ranks.” The article outlines the timeline for when the various draconian provisions kick in. MB: A few days back, I mentioned hearing about this stunt, but this is the first time I've seen anything about it in writing. ~~~
~~~ Undoing Green Initiatives. Toluse Olorunnipa of the Washington Post: “Trump’s priority legislation ... aims to gut much of [President] Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, undermining the former president’s wager that he could insulate his economic legacy from a MAGA onslaught by spurring a wave of advanced manufacturing in red states. While Republicans faced a backlash when they tried to overturn former president Barack Obama’s signature health care law in 2017 — ultimately dooming Trump’s first major legislative push — there has been less public pushback as Biden’s climate legislation has advanced toward its demise.... As Republicans rush to try to pass Trump’s bill, hundreds of billions of dollars in green energy tax incentives for companies and consumers — created or expanded by Biden’s 2022 law — hang in the balance. Tax credits for wind turbines, solar panels, electric batteries and other forms of renewable energy are slated to be scaled back dramatically, forcing some companies to abandon their manufacturing projects.” ~~~
~~~ Conservative Charlie Sykes shreds Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for her "cruelty, cowardice, betrayal, and hypocrisy." Kind of a pleasant read.
The Great American Griftorama. Russ Buettner of the New York Times: Donald Trump and his family's quite recent entry into the cryptocurrency business has made him “both a partner in several crypto ventures and, as president, crypto’s chief policy regulator, and he has signaled that he wants his administration to have a hands-off approach to digital currencies. Today, those moves are seen by Mr. Trump’s detractors as a money grab of historic proportions. But an analysis by The New York Times of thousands of pages of internal Trump Organization documents filed in one of the legal actions against him suggests a more urgent motivation for Mr. Trump’s behavior: a need, rather than simply a desire, for easy money to keep his empire intact.... The version of Mr. Trump’s business that he projects — a real estate development company that executes large, complex tasks — hasn’t existed for a nearly a decade, since the Trumps’ last two major construction projects failed to make money.
“Instead, Mr. Trump’s wealth is now built on monetizing the family name in new ways and, intentionally or not, the office of the presidency. It is an enterprise in pursuit of multimillion-dollar checks — from actual real estate developers, from cryptocurrency and social media enterprises run by others. It is also a business that hawks Trump-branded trinkets like watches and gold-toned mobile phones to the president’s passionate supporters.” Thank you to laura h. for this gift link. ~~~
~~~ Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: Donald “Trump has long boasted of being a billionaire — even as journalists, accountants and the New York attorney general have cast doubt on just how many billions he is worth. Mr. Trump’s precise net worth is unknowable, partly because the Trump family business is a privately held company that discloses little about its financials. The president also derives some of his wealth from real estate, the value of which can be difficult to estimate. And some of his assets are shared with family members or business partners, making it tricky to untangle what portion belongs to him. Still, some of the president’s financial holdings — for example, those in the stock market and the cryptocurrency industry — are publicly known. And the annual financial disclosure that Mr. Trump must file as president offers a snapshot of the murkier elements of his business. It also lists his outstanding debts, including from a few recent legal judgments against him.
“Together, that information shows that Mr. Trump’s net worth has soared in the early months of his second term, mostly thanks to his crypto investments, suggesting that he might now be worth $10 billion or more. Yet a vast majority of that sum is not liquid. He would have to unload investments and sell his stakes in various ventures to realize much of that wealth. Here is a breakdown of what we know — and don’t know — about the president’s net worth.” Thank you to laura h. for this gift link.
Caving to Trump. Sarah Ellison & Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: “The network of Edward R. Murrow, which stood against McCarthyism and once defined American broadcast journalism, was capitulating to White House pressure as its corporate owner sought approval for a lucrative merger.... On Tuesday, CBS’s parent company agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit over the network’s editing of a campaign interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The deal makes Paramount, which is attempting to complete an $8 billion sale to Skydance Media, the latest company to pay millions of dollars to Trump-aligned entities to avoid punitive government action.... The ultimate outcome for Paramount remains uncertain, with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s investigation into CBS News coverage still ongoing and no guarantee that regulatory pressure will subside, even if CBS capitulates to Trump’s demands.” ~~~
~~~ Erik Wemple of the Washington Post: “... the First Amendment withers ... when it’s not called into action under trying circumstances. That’s the sin of Paramount. Though lawyers for CBS News cited First Amendment protections in court filings [answering Donald Trump's frivolous lawsuit against CBS], Paramount caved prematurely and completely, leaving the impression that our legal protections may not have been equal to the task.... Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) has already called for an investigation into 'whether or not any anti-bribery laws were broken.'” MB: I suppose the neat thing about this case is that it highlights so many of Trump's bad traits: his false victimization syndrome, his greed and his disregard for the Constitution (despite taking an oath to uphold it). ~~~
~~~ Marie: Gosh, no mention anywhere here about how the Washington Post, owned and apparently operated by Jeff Bezos, is capitulating to Trump in order to help Bezos sell his spaceship stuff to the Trump administration. ~~~
Paramount may have closed this case, but it opened the door to the idea that the government should be the media’s editor in chief. -- Bob Corn-Revere, attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression ~~~
~~~ Michael Grynbaum & David Enrich of the New York Times: “The humbling of a muscular journalistic organization — arguably the best-known brand in broadcast news — might have been unthinkable eight months ago, when Mr. Trump filed his $10 billion suit against CBS days before the presidential election. But Mr. Trump has now brought several major American institutions to heel. Ivy League universities and wealthy law firms have capitulated to a president who wields the levers of government as vehicles of retribution. Even before Mr. Trump took office, ABC News agreed to pay $16 million to settle a defamation case that the president filed against one of its anchors, George Stephanopoulos....” The link appears to be a gift link. ~~~
~~~ Alex Weprin of the Hollywood Reporter: “The midnight settlement between Paramount Global and ... Donald Trump was greeted by CBS News employees with what one called a reaction of 'disgust and relief.' Disgust, because universally within CBS News and at 60 Minutes, the lawsuit (which was about the editing of an interview the program conducted with former Vice President Kamala Harris) was perceived as baseless, and a multimillion-dollar settlement cut by corporate executives is seen as unwarranted. Relief because the months-long melodrama over the suit appears to be over (though there are still some big loose ends that need to be tied).... Nonetheless, the settlement 'threatens journalists’ ability to do their job reporting on powerful public figures,' the Writers Guild of America East said in a statement Wednesday. The WGAE represents many staffers on 60 Minutes.”
Yesterday, Akhilleus called bull on Trump's claim that the U.S. couldn't send weapons to Ukraine because we don't have enough. Here's Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan with the particulars on why Akhilleus is right: ~~~
~~~ Jake Sullivan in a New York Times op-ed: “On Tuesday, the White House confirmed that it has halted critical weapons deliveries to Ukraine, even though Ukraine remains under relentless Russian attack. This will only embolden Russia to continue its war, and make a just peace less likely. For months..., [Donald] Trump has played a cynical game. In front of the press, he threatens to impose new sanctions on the Russian economy. In private, he never follows through.... The White House suggests it is [halting weapons deliveries] because of concerns about U.S. military readiness. That explanation doesn’t stand up to scrutiny: U.S.A.I. deliveries — the main target of the pause — are sourced from procurement contracts, not from the Pentagon’s stockpiles, and are distinct from orders for the U.S. military. In this way, U.S.A.I. shipments are not unlike U.S. defense exports to any other country in the world. As for the limited remaining drawdown shipments, the Department of Defense has been using congressional funding to replace what it sends with newer munitions, which actually strengthens the U.S. military.... The tragedy of Mr. Trump’s approach is that it is still possible for Ukraine to achieve a just end to this war — with our help.” Emphasis added. ~~~
~~~ Washington Post Editors: “The Trump administration reportedly decided to freeze weapons shipments [to Ukraine] in early June, but the move came to light only this week.... In addition to the freeze, the Trump administration has not proposed to Congress any new military aid package for Ukraine.... But pausing deliveries of these crucial weapons systems to Ukraine now, when Russia is on the march, could have devastating and irreversible consequences. The United States, its European allies and the world will be less safe if Russia emerges victorious.... If Russia prevails in its war of aggression, it will not be because of lack of Ukrainian resolve. It will be because of American fecklessness.”
Helene Cooper of the New York Times: “The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, said on Wednesday that American and Israeli bombing campaigns set back Iran’s nuclear program by one to two years, the latest in a confusing series of shifting assessments of the damage the bombs inflicted on Iranian nuclear facilities. Earlier this week, the chief United Nations nuclear inspector said that Iran could be enriching uranium again in a 'matter of months,' even as ... [Donald] Trump continued to insist that the bombing had obliterated Tehran’s nuclear program.... Mr. Parnell was not presenting a formal Defense Department battle damage assessment on Wednesday.” MB: Parnell is a political appointee; Pete Hegseth appointed him to his job. If you'd like to know a little more about him, this is what the “Presidential Prayer Team” has to say about him. I would trust him as far as Donald Trump could throw him.
It is a dark time in the history of public health when political appointees overrule expert recommendations, pick and choose data to support their ideology, and use their position to advance personal agendas. -- Dr. Daniel Griffin, Columbia University infectious disease expert ~~~
⭐~~~ Christina Jewett of the New York Times: “The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official rejected broad uses of two Covid vaccines, citing unknown risks or injuries despite assurances of safety from dozens of staff experts, newly released documents show. The decisions by the official, Dr. Vinay Prasad, the agency’s new chief medical and scientific officer, stunned agency veterans. Records show that the F.D.A.’s vaccine staff members had signed off on approving the Novavax vaccine, an alternative to mRNA shots and weeks later on the next-generation of the mRNA Covid shot by Moderna for anyone 12 and older. Dr. Prasad overruled those recommendations by the end of May and instead advised restricting the use of both Covid vaccines. He wrote in two memos that the threat from the virus had fallen and changed the risk-benefit balance of vaccinating healthy, younger people. The changes for the two vaccines aligned with the agency’s broader plan that limited the use of all Covid vaccines to people 65 and older. For those younger than 65, the F.D.A. rolled back eligibility for Covid vaccines to those with a medical condition that would put them at high risk.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: This of course puts everyone at greater risks, because millions of people who would have got the shot when it was free now will not do so, so they are more likely to get Covid and therefore more likely to spread it.
Maria Sacchetti, et al., of the Washington Post: “A federal judge in the District of Columbia on Wednesday barred the Trump administration from expelling asylum seekers from the United States, dealing a blow to the administration’s efforts to curtail crossings at the U.S. southern border. In a 128-page decision, U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss invalidated a proclamation that ... Donald Trump signed on his first day in office that declared an “invasion” on the border and invoked emergency presidential powers to deport migrants without allowing them to apply for asylum. Migrants and advocacy groups sued in February, saying federal law allows people to apply for the humanitarian protection no matter how they entered the United States. Moss stayed his ruling for 14 days pending a likely appeal from the Trump administration. But he wrote that the executive branch cannot create an 'alternative immigration system' that tramples on existing federal law....
“The Supreme Court, ruling last week on Trump’s attempts to end birthright citizenship, curtailed judges’ authority to issue the type of sweeping nationwide injunctions that have paused several administration policies while they were under legal review. But Moss, as part of his ruling Wednesday, certified all asylum seekers 'currently present in the United States' as a legal class, making his ruling applicable to most people who would be affected by Trump’s policy.”
Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March, was beaten, deprived of sleep and psychologically tortured during the nearly three months he spent in Salvadoran custody, according to court papers filed on Wednesday evening by his lawyers. The papers, filed in Federal District Court in Maryland, detailed a litany of horrors that Mr. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers said he suffered while being held at the so-called Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, one of El Salvador’s most notorious prisons. His lawyers said that he and 20 other Salvadoran men who were deported to the prison from the United States on March 15 were once made to kneel overnight 'with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion.' During the time he spent there, the lawyers said, Mr. Abrego Garcia was 'denied bathroom access and soiled himself.' He and other prisoners were confined to metal bunks with no mattresses in an overcrowded cell that had no windows, but was outfitted with bright lights that remained on 24 hours a day.” Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ The court papers filed by Abrego Garcia's attorneys are here, via the New York Times court. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yestesday, Akhilleus was experiencing some sort of brain synapse issue that found him connecting Trump and the Hague's International Criminal Court. This was in relation to Trump's decision to renege on an agreement to send critically-needed weapons to Ukraine. (See also WashPo editorial, linked above.) My own synapses went right to the Hague on the El Salvador prison torture story. It's true the U.S. does not recognize the ICC, but that doesn't mean their officers can pick up Trump, Little Marco, Pam Blondie & KKKristi Barbie the next time each steps outside the U.S. of A.
They're Eating the Dogs. They're Eating the Cats. They're Eating Themselves. Sanjana Karanth of the Huffington Post: “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem added another dehumanizing label on Tuesday to her list of descriptors meant to justify the rounding up of migrants: cannibals.... [At a roundtable following a tour of a Florida-state detention center in the Everglades, Noem] began telling a bizarre story about how U.S. marshals working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement told her they detained a cannibal and put him on a deportation flight.... 'And while they had him in his seat, he started to eat himself. And they had to get him off and get him medical attention,' she told reporters. 'These are the kind of deranged individuals that are on our streets in America, that we’re trying to target and get out of our country because they are so deranged they don’t belong here.'... On Friday, the secretary told the same anecdote to Jesse Waters on Fox News, saying the man was eating his own arm while shackled. 'That is what he did,' she said. 'He called himself a cannibal, ate other people and ate himself.' It should be strongly noted that there is no evidence supporting Noem’s anecdote.” Thanks to Jeanne for the lead, I guess. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: It does seem possible to me that among all the people the Trumpists are deporting, one was so stressed that he behaved in a bizarre manner. This is not a circumstance to use as an example of how horrible immigrants are; rather, it's a shameful example of how horrible the Trump deportation program is.
⭐Julia Frankel & Sam Mednick of the AP: “American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press. Two U.S. contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers’ internal operations, said they were coming forward because they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous and irresponsible practices. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open license to do whatever they wished. They said their colleagues regularly lobbed stun grenades and pepper spray in the direction of the Palestinians. One contractor said bullets were fired in all directions — in the air, into the ground and at times toward the Palestinians, recalling at least one instance where he thought someone had been hit.
“The testimonies from the contractors — combined with ... videos, internal reports and text messages obtained by the AP — offer a rare glimpse inside the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the newly created, secretive American organization backed by Israel to feed the Gaza Strip’s population. Last month, the U.S. government pledged $30 million for the group to continue operations — the first known U.S. donation to the group, whose other funding sources remain opaque. Journalists have been unable to access the GHF sites, located in Israeli military-controlled zones. The AP cannot independently verify the contractors’ stories.” Read on. These subcontractors think it's funny to take potshots at starving Palestinians and congratulate themselves when they hit someone. Your tax dollars are paying these cold-blooded barbarians.
Ben Sisario & Julia Jacobs of the New York Times: “Sean Combs, the hip-hop mogul who crafted a business empire around his personal brand, was convicted on Wednesday of transporting prostitutes to participate in his drug-fueled sex marathons, but acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, the most serious charges against him. Though Mr. Combs, 55, still faces a potential sentence of as much as 20 years in prison, he and his lawyers were jubilant after the acquittals on the more severe charges in an indictment that accused the famed producer of coercing women into unwanted sex with male prostitutes, aided by a team of pliant employees. Mr. Combs had faced a possible life sentence.... Hours later ... Judge Arun Subramanian ordered Mr. Combs, who has been held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest, back to jail until his sentencing, which is still unscheduled. Mr. Combs’s lawyers had sought their client’s release.”
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Marie: Yesterday, I complained about this sentence in a NYT story by Tony Romm's about Trump's omnibus U.S. economic destruction bill: "That reality could undercut Republican lawmakers and ... [Donald] Trump, who insisted anew this week that their legislative vision would benefit the entire economy...." Yeah, when you tell big fat lies about a bill to make it sound as if the bill does the opposite of what it does, that could undercut you and your argument. I asked who taught reporters to write. RAS found the answer right away: ~~~
~~~ Mark Jacob of Stop the Presses: “... I’ve speculated about the existence of a 'euphemism desk' at the New York Times that sands off the sharp edges of Trumpism. Other news outlets are guilty of this weasel wording too, downplaying MAGA lies and criminality. I’ve broken down this trend into five categories[.]” Read on through. Jacob points to many examples you will recognize. MB: In fairness to the editors who established the euphemism desks at the NYT & elsewhere, they probably did so to avoid being slapped with a Trumpy lawsuit for factual reporting. By using a conditional verb like “could,” Romm (or his euphemism editor) is merely proposing a hypothetical, not stating outright that Trump & other Republicans are lying about the effects of the bill. (Also linked yesterday.)
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Idaho. Kim Bellware, et al., of the Washington Post: “Bryan Kohberger, a former criminology PhD student, pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing four University of Idaho students in a deal that removes the possibility of the death penalty. Kohberger’s admission at a Boise courthouse to the 2022 killings brings some closure to a case that captured international attention and became an obsession for some true-crime fans, spawning several books, a docuseries and dozens of news features. But the plea deal, which deeply divided the families of the victims, precludes a trial from taking place and leaves a slew of unanswered questions.”
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Iran. Erika Solomon & Sanam Mahoozi of the New York Times: “Iran’s president has enacted a law to suspend cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday, in a move that will shut out international inspectors from overseeing the country’s contested nuclear program.” (Also linked yesterday.)
News Ledes
CNBC: “Job growth proved better than expected in June, as the labor market showed surprising resilience and likely taking a July interest rate cut off the table. Nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 147,000 for the month, higher than the estimate for 110,000 and just above the upwardly revised 144,000 in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. April’s tally also saw a small upward revision, now at 158,000 following an 11,000 increase.... Though the jobless rates fell [to 4.1%], it was due largely to a decrease in those working or looking for jobs.”
Washington Post: “A warehouse storing fireworks in Northern California exploded on Tuesday, leaving seven people missing and two injured as explosions continued into Wednesday evening, officials said. Dramatic video footage captured by KCRA 3 News, a Sacramento broadcaster, showed smoke pouring from the building’s roof before a massive explosion created a fireball that seemed to engulf much of the warehouse, accompanied by an echoing boom. Hundreds of fireworks appeared to be going off and were sparkling within the smoke. Photos of the aftermath showed multiple destroyed buildings and a large area covered in gray ash.”
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Reader Comments (16)
Truth? Never! Aka how to make a horrible bill look wonderful.
This is the MO instilled in MAGA pols by the Chief Liar, Fat Hitler.
So yesterday, I’m listening to an NPR “interview” with NY PoT Rep. Mike (the astonishing liar) Lawler. I put “interview” in quotes because host Juanna Summers introduced this Mendacity Machine then pretty much sat back while he spun a lengthy list of claims, all of which have been disproven over and over again by multiple sources, including Fox!
Summers tried a couple of times to ask questions but was bulldozed by this MAGA thug.
His claims:
There are no tax cuts for billionaires. None. That’s a Democrat lie.
No one will lose Medicaid except for slimy, cheating immigrants and lazy moochers who should get off their asses and get a job. This business of millions losing healthcare is another Democrat lie designed to hurt Trump.
Huge tax breaks for seniors. (He was referring to social security payments that will no longer be taxed—this is a lie.)
Summers asked about the enormous increase in the national debt. Lawler cut her off. “Let’s get away from Democrat talking points” he lectured. He then claimed that the bill will dramatically slash the deficit. Summers pointed to the CBO estimates. Again he cut her off. “The CBO is always wrong!” he sniffed. “They were wrong about the Trump tax cuts in 2017 which created the largest economic boost in US history. (A huge lie. The economic benefits were tiny, just as the CBO predicted.)
He then rattled off Fatty taking points about MAGA this and MAGA that. Finally Summers said they ran out of time. He ignored her and continued spitting out lies.
Just incredible. And I’m thinking “Why does any responsible news outlet allow any of these scumbags on the air?” They all take use the Trump MO of lying through their teeth about everything, calling facts that disprove their claims scurrilous lies and attack the interviewer as a Democrat plant. What benefit does this serve except to further broadcast Fat Hitler disinformation and lies and allow these slimy mouthpieces to confuse the listener and insult the interviewer?
But it works, so they keep doing it. And they know they’ll continue to get invited back so these media outlets can appear “fair” to both sides.
I can only picture pricks like this Lawler asshole high fiving his buddies as they leave the studio. “Can you believe they let me lie like that for five minutes on a national broadcast? Hahahaha!”
No. I can’t. But they do. And will continue to do so.
And when the shit hits the fan, they’ll be back. To blame Biden.
Jonathan Chait, in The Atlantic, on democratic backsliding
Noting that some some prominent democrats "believe that if elections are occurring and criticism of the president is not banned outright, then democracy is not under threat. They fail to see the administration’s slow-moving efforts to break down the norms and institutional barriers that otherwise inhibit the ruling party from asphyxiating its opposition. Political scientists who study democracy have a term that clarifies the phenomenon: democratic backsliding. Backslide far enough, and you end up in something called “competitive authoritarianism.” Elections are still held, but the ruling party has commandeered so many institutions in society and has violated so many laws to enhance its own power that the opposition hardly stands a chance."
Chait then lists six "shocking new assaults on liberal democracy" that t**** took on a single day - Tuesday - starting with:
"1. Trump floated the notion of arresting New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani...."
Jasmine Crockett
"Rep. Jasmine Crockett stared down GOP members on the Rules Committee - calling out exactly how many in their districts will lose healthcare and food.
Then she said: “Somehow, 83 billionaires have 535 people in Congress fighting for their next $60M wedding.”"
Pudding Brain
"The Second American Republic has failed."
Swaggart found a friend
Targeted in the Last 48-72 Hours
"including former ally Elon Musk, the nation of Japan, and CNN itself.
Phillip then displayed a graphic which showed Musk, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, CNN, Japan, AT&T, Israeli prosecutors, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, Canada, Forbes, Harvard University, “Alligator Alcatraz” escapees, and former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas beneath the caption, “People and groups Trump has targeted in past 48-72 hours.”"
Cash Grab
"The One Big Beautiful Bill Is a Big Corporate Cash Grab
Here’s a look at the industries that won in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and one that didn’t quite get everything it wanted."
Serious people and totally not a cult.
"Trump Goes on a Charm Offensive as He Woos Holdout Republicans
A conga line of angsty Republican lawmakers filed through the West Wing on Wednesday, hemming and hawing about the big domestic policy bill that President Trump wants them to pass by Friday. They walked out with signed merchandise, photos in the Oval Office and, by some accounts, a newfound appreciation for the bill — targets all of a blunt-force charm offensive waged with precision by the president.
“The president was wonderful, as always,” Mr. Burchett said in the video. “Informative, funny, he told me he likes seeing me on TV, which was kind of cool.” Representative Byron Donalds, Republican of Florida, is shown in the video, too. “Did you show them what he signed for you?” Mr. Donalds asks Mr. Burchett. “Yeah, he signed a bunch of stuff,” Mr. Burchett said. “It’s cool.”"
"Show them what he signed for you"! This is a grown ass adult who has the power of life and death and our future in his hands.
And Trump cares...
"Mr. Burchett told The New York Times later on that his name had been misspelled on the placard placed in front of his chair for the Cabinet Room meeting"
A few "jokes", a photo with FH (The real one, not the cardboard cutout in the lobby) and some signed merch (leftovers that went unsold) is the price these fucking losers sell themselves and the rest of the country for. All those ambitions of power and greatness they had have come to this. Licking the boots of someone as pathetic and unserious as the Orange Turd for a signed photo and a picture that anyone off the street could also get for nothing. Little Bitches indeed.
Medicare
"Republicans Are Cutting Medicare. Not Only Medicaid, Medicare.
Passage of the Big Beautiful Bill will force mandatory sequestration that will mean half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts.
Because of a statutory requirement to automatically impose budget cuts when legislation increases the deficit, the Big Beautiful Bill would require automatic sequestration cuts across the board, something that has been confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) but has been largely absent from the debate over the bill. Medicare is one of the programs that will face the axe, and the damage sums to $490 billion over the next ten years, starting in the next fiscal year that begins in October. While many of the safety-net cuts in the bill are delayed to help Republicans with their re-election campaigns, the Medicare cuts must begin next year."
"Morally and fiscally bankrupt" Rep Self outs himself and his fellow Republicans.
For mow I guess we can wave goodbye to the America we knew. It's going to take more time than I've got left to restore even the form, but I hope the tide can turn.
"... If Russia prevails in its war of aggression, it will not be because of lack of Ukrainian resolve. It will be because of American fecklessness.” Saith the WaPo editorial writers quoted above.
Not AMERICAN fecklessness, WaPo. REPUBLICAN fecklessness.
Last week the teevee news quoted a reputable poll which indicated that "conservatives" answered "yes" by a very large % to the Q "Are you proud to be an American?", whereas "liberals" answered "yes" by a much smaller %. No further analysis.
Which really pissed me off. I think most people's brains interpreted that Q as "Are you proud of what America is doing?
Which is a really different thing.
And, strangely, most who vote GOP probably think they are "conservatives" whereas the past year shows them to be Jacobins. Burke wept.
For another story on grifting,
Michael Scherer, in The Atlantic, reports that it is Google CEO Sundar Pichai turn to grovel
"The whole situation is head-spinning: Trump has shown that he can successfully use the powers of his elected office to threaten private companies into settling civil suits even when the cases are based on the allegation that those same companies broke the law by caving to the demands of politicians like him.
“Essentially, what this means is that the English language has failed us,” Robert Corn-Revere, the general counsel of the free-speech group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, told me. “We need a stronger word than hypocrisy to describe these kinds of activities.”
The incoherence of Trump’s position on the First Amendment has become clear as he has used the power of his office to target the speech of political foes at universities and law firms and incompliant media outlets such as the Associated Press, while simultaneously condemning the very idea that the government should ever try to restrict the speech of his political allies. When the contradiction is pointed out, he dismisses it. His advisers push back fiercely. For Trump, what matters is winning."
Tim Miller, at The Bulwark, talks to the camera to describe the "Appalling Allegations of Trump Admin Abuse in El Salvador" Unquenchable Rage
Happy independence day to those of us who remain, for the time being, independent!
Yesterday evening (July 3) I got an email from the Social Security Administration, hailing the new legislation and saying 90% of SS recipients would get a tax cut. The message concluded with this:
"Social Security remains committed to providing timely, accurate information to the public and will continue working closely with federal partners to ensure beneficiaries understand how this legislation may affect them."
I haven't been able to log onto my SSA account since the new administration took over. Phone and remote office service is reduced. But they can spend time being a propaganda arm for the oval office occupier.