Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 Trump's Midas touch Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios There's been a lot of debate over President Trump's penchant for having the U.S. government take equity stakes in private companies, which continued this week with two new deals, Axios Pro Rata author Dan Primack writes. But one thing is indisputable: These investments boost company value, at least in the short term. Why it matters: Positive stock performance helps explain why so many free-market capitalists have signed onto something that seems more socialist than not. And why others will do so when given the opportunity. ? By the numbers: The White House appears to have agreed to equity deals with nine companies, most of which are publicly traded. The public cohort saw their share prices climb an average of 85% between the time of announcement (or press leak, if earlier) and yesterday, per an Axios analysis. Intel shares, for example, have more than doubled since the chipmaker agreed to sell a 9.9% equity stake to the U.S. government last August. Trilogy Metals shares are up 171%. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 Trump Squeezes Key Allies In Brazen $1 Billion ‘Peace’ Grift A new proposal would reportedly let Trump run a global peace body where money buys permanence and power. Want a permanent seat on President Donald Trump’s new international board of peace? According to a draft charter obtained by Bloomberg, permanent membership comes with a $1 billion buy-in and grants Trump the authority to decide who is admitted. The proposed “Board of Peace” would be an international body chaired by Trump himself, who would serve as its inaugural leader and retain sweeping authority over its operations. Under the draft charter, Trump would reportedly control invitations, approve the agenda, sign off on the organization’s official seal, and designate his own successor. Technically, decisions would be made by majority vote, with each member state receiving one vote. But all outcomes would remain subject to the chairman’s approval. He’d also be able to boot any member he wanted, unless blocked by a two-thirds majority. Nations that don’t cough up the $1 billion entry fee would be limited to three-year terms, renewable only at the chairman’s discretion. Those that did pay would be exempt from term limits entirely. Essentially, it’s a VIP room for the global order. The draft charter describes the Board of Peace as an international organization intended to “promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.” The body would become official once just three countries agree to its terms. Several governments have already raised alarm about the proposal, particularly provisions suggesting Trump himself would control the board’s funds, Bloomberg reported, citing diplomats familiar with the discussions. Multiple countries are now working to coordinate opposition to the draft charter, the report said. The White House’s Rapid Response account on X called the Bloomberg report “misleading,” insisting the proposal “offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity.” The draft charter, however, explicitly ties permanent membership to financial contributions. Critics and diplomats also view the proposal as an attempt to sidestep or rival the United Nations, which Trump has long criticized as bloated and ineffective. A White House spokesperson told the Daily Beast, “The Board of Peace will operate as a leader in the field in ensuring that virtually every dollar that is raised will be spent directly on the execution of the BOP’s mandate — there will not be exorbitant salaries and massive administrative bloat that plagues many other international organizations.” While Trump has floated a Gaza-focused peace panel under the board’s umbrella, the draft charter does not limit the body’s remit to the Middle East or any single conflict. In fact, one diplomat familiar with the invitation letters told Ynetnews, the English-language arm of Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, that the whole enterprise amounts to a “‘Trump United Nations’ that ignores the fundamentals of the UN charter.” Bloomberg reported that Trump has invited several U.S. allies to participate on the board, including Argentina’s Javier Milei and Canada’s Mark Carney. The Gaza proposal drew swift criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the details had not been coordinated with Israel, according to Haaretz. Several European governments have also been approached, though enthusiasm has been muted according to reports. The concentration of authority in the chairman’s role, combined with the financial demands, has made the proposal a tough sell, even among close U.S. allies. On Friday, the White House announced the board’s initial executive panel would include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Milei has already accepted his invitation, calling it “an honor,” and posted a copy of the letter on X. There has been no indication yet whether he, or any other invited leader, plans to write the $1 billion check required for permanent membership. Responding to a request for comment from the Daily Beast, a White House spokesperson said, “There is not a requirement to contribute $1B — or any money at all — to join the BOP. The charter simply says if you contribute $1B you are a permanent member, instead of having a 3-year membership." On Gaza, the spokesperson said, “The BOP has an incredible mandate to rebuild all of Gaza, the money raised by the BOP will be used directly to accomplish those efforts.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-squeezes-key-allies-in-brazen-1-billion-peace-grift/? ps:How much lower can he go? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 Petty Trump Imposes Unhinged Tariffs on Closest Allies The president went on a rant about world peace and Greenland in his announcement of new tariffs on eight countries. Tariffs against our closest allies were announced in a 445-word social media post. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on eight European countries on Saturday, until “a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.” The president shared his latest scheme to force the U.S. takeover of Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, in a post on Truth Social. Trump, 79, reiterated his previous claim that Greenland was necessary to the U.S. to protect the territory because “China and Russia want Greenland.” Trump declared a 10% tariff on all goods imported from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland starting on Feb. 1. “On top of everything else, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown,” the president continued, referring to the European nations’ decision to send troops to the world’s largest island this week. “This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet,” Trump continued. “These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable. Therefore, it is imperative that, in order to protect Global Peace and Security, strong measures be taken so that this potentially perilous situation end quickly, and without question.”Trump’s post continued, with references to world peace and “The Golden Dome,” a proposed multi-layer missile defense system over the United States, similar to Israel’s notorious Iron Dome. He has previously indicated that he needs control of Greenland in order to execute the shield.Trump wrote that tariffs on goods from those countries would increase to 25% on June 1, 2026. The tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. has Greenland, the president warned. He also claimed that the United States has “subsidized” Denmark and the other European countries “for too long.”This news comes after Trump crowned himself “The Tariff King” after threatening to impose new duties on countries that do not support his quest for Greenland.On Jan. 14, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who served two separate terms as Denmark’s prime minister, told Fox News Host Bret Baier that he did not think the U.S. would use military force to take over Greenland. “At least I do not hope so, because, I mean, that will be the end of NATO,” Rasmussen said on the show. The foreign minister and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt also made a joint statement regarding Trump’s repeated comments about seizing Greenland “by any means necessary” that same day. Rasmussen said that it was “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland,” and that a “fundamental disagreement” remained. Rasmussen made the comments after he and Motsfefeldt met with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the issue. On Saturday, hours before Trump made his Truth Social tariffs announcement, thousands marched in Copenhagen, Denmark, in a protest against Trump’s Greenland aspirations. Others rallied at similar protests in other Danish cities and in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/petty-trump-imposes-unhinged-tariffs-on-closest-allies/? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 Stephen Miller Invents New Law to Justify Trump’s Obsession The White House Deputy Chief of Staff said “tiny” Denmark was not entitled to Greenland. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller gave a new defense for President Donald Trump’s Greenland power grab. Miller presented a new law to defend the aggressive U.S. campaign to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, during an appearance on Hannity on Friday night. He claimed that, under “the law,” nations were not entitled to their territory if they were unable to defend it. The Trump aide belittled the Danish government, saying its “tiny” military was failing to adequately protect Greenland. “With respect to Denmark, Denmark is a tiny country with a tiny economy, and a tiny military,” Miller told host Sean Hannity. “They cannot defend Greenland. They cannot control the territory of Greenland. Under every understanding of law that has existed about territorial control for 500 years, to control a territory you have to be able to defend a territory, improve territory, inhabit a territory. Denmark has failed on every single one of these tests.” Annexation and territorial conquest are illegal under international law, but Trump has not ruled out military action. The United Nations Charter—to which the United States is a signatory—Article 2, Section 4, specifically addresses the matter of threat or use of force against “the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” Trump has stated that the U.S. will take Greenland “one way or another.” “The new domain of international competition is going to be polar competition,” Miller continued. “That is where more and more resources are being spent by our nation’s adversaries and rivals. The ability to control movement, navigation back lanes of travel in the polar and Arctic regions.”Miller’s comments came after Trump, who dubbed himself “The Tariff King,” threatened to impose tariffs on countries that opposed his plans for Greenland. The president made good on his threats on Saturday morning, announcing new tariffs on eight European countries until a deal is made for the U.S. to take the territory. Trump imposed a 10 percent tariff on all goods imported from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland starting on Feb. 1. The rate will increase to 25 percent from June 1. “This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland,” the president wrote on Truth Social. Trump ranted about how the acquisition of Greenland was important to “world peace” and American security. The president has emphasized the need for Greenland in his plans to build a “Golden Dome,” a proposed defense system around the U.S. He also claimed that Denmark would be unable to defend the territory against attacks from other countries. “China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it,” he posted. Ahead of the tariff announcement, thousands marched across Denmark on Saturday to protest against Trump’s proposed acquisition of Greenland. Others rallied in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. The president has faced massive pushback for his proposed takeover of Greenland, even from members of his own party. Several GOP lawmakers have tried to stop Trump, 79, from acting on his plans. Sen. Mitch McConnell blasted the proposal, saying it was “incinerating the hard-won trust of loyal allies in exchange for no meaningful change in U.S. access to the Arctic.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/stephen-miller-invents-new-law-to-justify-trumps-greenland-obsession/? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 Trump Frees MAGA Rep’s Meth Dealer Son in Pardon Spree The president’s allies seemingly play by a different set of rules when it comes to crime. President Donald Trump’s tough-on-crime rhetoric appears to come with a caveat for people in his political orbit. Trump this week quietly commuted the sentence of James Womack, son of longtime Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack, granting clemency to a man who pleaded guilty in 2023 to distributing more than five grams of methamphetamine. The conviction carried an eight-year federal prison sentence. Rep. Womack, a long-time Trump ally who was endorsed by the president during his most recent re-election campaign, publicly thanked Trump the following day. In a statement, the congressman praised the president’s “gracious and thoughtful action,” saying it allowed his son to reunite with family “during a profoundly difficult time.” A White House official familiar with the matter told the Daily Beast the commutation was driven in part by humanitarian concerns, including James’s mother’s diagnosis of abdominal cancer and his brother’s seizure disorder, which has left him unable to live independently. The source also cited James’s clean prison record as a factor. Rep. Steve Womack’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment. The sentence commutations come during the administration’s aggressive crackdown on crime following last week’s fatal shooting of unarmed mother Renee Nicole Good, 37, by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, 43—an incident the administration has used to justify a surge of more than 3,000 federal enforcement agents sent to the Minneapolis–St. Paul region. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended the raids, saying on Fox News that “criminal illegal aliens in this country are going to be brought to justice under this administration.”The administration has pointed to its recent capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as another example of Trump’s drug crackdown. At a press conference earlier this month, Trump said Maduro was taken into custody because he was “trafficking colossal amounts of deadly drugs into the United States,” underscoring the hard-line approach.Womack is not the only Trump-connected figure to benefit from the president’s renewed generosity. This week, Trump also issued a pardon to Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, who had been charged with bribery and wire fraud in connection with an alleged scheme involving former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced, whom Trump also pardoned. Herrera has documented ties to the Trump administration. His daughter, Isabela Herrera, donated $2.5 million to Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. during the 2024 election cycle. White House officials told The New York Times the donation played no role in the pardon. The White House’s pardon czar, Alice Marie Johnson, who was pardoned by Trump in 2020, announced on Friday that the president pardoned 21 people this week. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter. One of Trump’s other notable pardons this week was of Adriana Camberos, 54. It was Camberos’ second pardon from the president. The first came after she was convicted of selling counterfeit 5-hour Energy shots; the second when Camberos was convicted of running a multimillion-dollar grocery scam with her brother. Democrats have blasted Trump’s growing use of pardons as an abuse of executive power that undercuts his own law-and-order rhetoric. Sen. Chris Murphy called the wave of clemency “bread-and-butter corruption” and said the president has issued “audaciously politically toxic pardons,” including for figures convicted of serious crimes such as drug trafficking and fraud. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-frees-maga-reps-meth-dealer-son-in-pardon-spree/? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 Trump DOJ Files Bonkers Motion to Keep Epstein Files Sealed The Justice Department claims Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie’s request for an independent monitor is an overreach. The Trump administration is seemingly pulling out all the stops to get out of releasing the remaining Epstein Files. On Friday, Trump’s Department of Justice quietly filed a motion to block Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie’s request for an independent monitor to oversee the release of Epstein Files in the closed case against Ghislaine Maxwell. In a new motion, the DOJ urged Judge Paul A. Engelmayer to reject the request, stating that the court had no authority to approve it because neither Khanna nor Massie were involved in the criminal case against Maxwell that landed her behind bars. Khanna and Massie filed an amici curiae brief, typically done by individuals who are not parties in a case, with Engelmayer on Jan. 8. Engelmayer previously ordered the unsealing of grand jury materials in the Maxwell case in order to comply with ongoing release of investigative materials related to Epstein. The letter was sent in an effort to push the Justice Department to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which the congressmen co-sponsored. The DOJ argued that the representatives were overreaching with their request to appoint an independent monitor to compel the release of documents. In their initial filing, Reps. Khanna and Massie stated that they had “urgent and grave concerns about DOJ’s failure to comply with the Act as well as the Department’s violations of this Court’s order.” The Justice Department admitted earlier this month that it still had not released over 2 million documents related to Epstein. In response to the new filing from the DOJ, Khanna told the Associated Press that the department “misconstrued” his request. “We are informing the Court of serious misconduct by the Department of Justice that requires a remedy, one we believe this Court has the authority to provide, and which victims themselves have requested,” Khanna said in a statement to AP. The Daily Beast reached out to the DOJ, Khanna, and Massie for comment. This latest development comes as lawmakers and the public have questioned the slow progress with and heavy redactions in the Epstein Files. The DOJ missed a key deadline to explain its redactions on Jan. 3, which was also the day that Trump executed an attack on Venezuela and captured its president. “We are sure it’s just a coincidence, but today is the statutory date for the DOJ to explain its redactions in the Epstein file productions,” the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee wrote in an X post following the military operation in Venezuela. “We have not forgotten, and we won’t let up—regardless of the President’s new unconstitutional actions.” The Southern District of New York charged Epstein with sex trafficking in 2019. However, the disgraced financier was found dead of an “apparent suicide” in his Manhattan jail cell shortly after he was indicted. Maxwell was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking underage girls for Epstein. The DOJ received backlash after Maxwell was transferred to a cushy, minimum-security prison last year. The department was accused of giving Maxwell preferential treatment as Trump entertained the idea of giving the convicted sex offender a pardon. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-doj-files-bonkers-motion-to-keep-epstein-files-sealed/? ps:They'll be dragging this out for years to come!! Just like all the other investigations he went through the last 4+ years!! Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 Trump erases Biden Photo illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images President Trump has spent his first year back in office treating Joe Biden's presidency as a historical aberration — not just undoing his policies, but casting his entire term as illegitimate. Why it matters: Presidencies usually fade. But in just one year, Biden's has been reduced to a footnote by a successor committed to dismantling every pillar of Washington's old liberal order, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. 1. ?️ Democracy: Biden built his presidency around the idea that Trump 1.0 had assaulted American democracy — that Jan. 6 was a defining national trauma requiring accountability and moral clarity. Trump has inverted that premise, pardoning thousands of Jan. 6 defendants, appointing 2020 election deniers to senior positions and deploying federal resources to whitewash the Capitol assault. Bent on retribution after surviving four prosecutions, Trump has targeted political enemies with investigations and indictments that shattered any pretense of the Justice Department's independence. 2. ? Racial justice: Trump has purged DEI frameworks from government and waged a broad campaign against universities and institutions he views as enforcers of the Biden era's "woke" agenda. Trump has paired that rollback with explicit racial grievance, arguing civil rights protections have harmed white Americans while repositioning the federal government as their defender. That shift has coincided with an aggressive crackdown on both illegal and legal immigration, singling out communities of color — including Somali Americans in Minnesota — while extending special refugee protections to white South Africans. 3. ?️ Bureaucracy: Biden governed on the premise that expertise and professional institutions deserved deference, particularly after COVID and the chaos of Trump's first term. Trump has rejected that premise wholesale, firing thousands of career officials, imposing loyalty tests and gutting independent agencies once insulated from political control. "Trust the experts" has become a COVID-era relic, with Trump's elevation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other heterodox figures helping upend decades of public-health consensus. 4. ?️ Climate change: Biden treated global warming as an existential threat and organizing principle, weaving it through economic policy, diplomacy and national security. Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax," has waged war on clean energy and championed fossil fuels as the key to unlocking lower prices and powering the AI revolution. The erasure cannot be overstated: Less than four years after Congress passed the most significant climate legislation in U.S. history, the topic has vanished from the national agenda. 5. ? Multilateralism: Biden's foreign policy was anchored in the idea that American power flowed through alliances — with NATO unity and support for Ukraine as its clearest expressions. One year later, Trump is forging a new world order in which great powers make the rules — alienating traditional allies with threats of territorial conquest and economic coercion. The bottom line: Biden's fate suggests presidential legacies now last only as long as successors allow. Trump, who's determined to leave a physical imprint on Washington, is betting his will prove more durable. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 ?? Behind the scenes: Trump's Iran pullback Demonstrators, protesting the deadly crackdown in Iran, rally near the White House in D.C. yesterday. Photo: Amid Farahi/AFP via Getty Images On Wednesday morning, dozens of top military, political and diplomatic officials in Washington and across the Middle East believed U.S. bombs would be dropping in Tehran within hours, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. By that afternoon, it was clear the order was not coming, two U.S. officials said. America had stood down. ? This account of President Trump's decision-making over the past 10 days is based on interviews with four U.S. officials, two Israeli officials and two other sources with knowledge of the behind-the-scenes discussions: On Friday, Jan. 9, Vice President Vance chaired the first high-level White House meeting to discuss, in detail, a possible U.S. military response, according to U.S. officials. By that time, the Iranian security forces had started killing scores of protesters, and the regime imposed a total internet blackout. ? On Tuesday evening Jan. 13, Trump entered the Situation Room to be briefed on military options. He was presented with several military options, including strikes on Iranian regime targets around the country launched from U.S. warships and submarines. U.S. officials said on Wednesday, Jan. 14, there was a serious expectation inside the administration — and belief in capitals across the Middle East, including Iran — that Trump would green-light the strike. U.S. troops began evacuating Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar and the Navy's Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain. The Iranian regime, convinced a U.S. attack was coming, closed its airspace. But hours passed with no word from the White House. Trump had decided to hold off. "It was really close. The military was in a position to do something really fast, but the order didn't come," a U.S. official said. ? The intrigue: In a call earlier that day, one surprising voice had urged caution: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump that Israel was not ready to defend itself from Iran's likely retaliation. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also spoke to Trump and expressed deep concern about the consequences for regional stability, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios: "Over the past week, there has been a flurry of reports fueled by anonymous sources speculating about President Trump's thinking on Iran." "The truth is, nobody knows what President Trump will do with respect to Iran besides the President himself," Go deeper. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 "Gaza is our show" President Trump's advisers have little patience for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's objections as they push ahead with "phase two" of the Gaza peace plan. "This is our show, not his show," a senior U.S. official told Axios, referring to Netanyahu. "We managed to do things in Gaza in recent months nobody thought was possible. And we are going to continue moving." ? Friction point: Netanyahu released an unusually pointed statement objecting to the "executive board" for Gaza, which the White House named Friday. The committee, which reports to the Trump-led Board of Peace, includes Turkey's foreign minister and a senior Qatari official, despite Netanyahu's insistence those countries have no role in governing Gaza. The announcement stunned Netanyahu, who wasn't consulted. Israeli media quickly reported that Qatar and Turkey — key mediators on the Gaza deal, who both have fractious relationships with Israel — would wield influence. "The announcement ... was not coordinated with Israel and runs counter to its policy," Netanyahu said. "The Prime Minister instructed the Foreign Minister to raise this matter with the U.S. Secretary of State." ⚡ Asked by Axios about Netanyahu's comment, the senior U.S. official doubled down. The official said Netanyahu wasn't consulted on the committee membership because he doesn't have a say: "If he wants us to deal with Gaza, it will have to be our way." Between the lines: While Trump has kept a close personal relationship with Netanyahu, many on his team are fed up with the Israeli prime minister's hardline stances on Gaza and beyond. They're also worried that if they can't build momentum behind phase two, Israel will resume the war. ? What's next: Trump wants to launch the Gaza Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Keep reading. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 20 Author Members Posted January 20 Trump’s War on America Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in Minneapolis last week, unleashing a wave of anti-ICE protests and sentiment throughout Minnesota and the rest of the United States. https://theintercept.com/2026/01/16/trump-abolish-ice-renee-good-jonathan-ross/? FBI Raid on WaPo Reporter’s Home Was Based on Sham Pretext On Wednesday morning, the FBI raided the home of Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson in an alarming escalation of the Trump administration’s war on press freedom. The raid can be seen as a direct result of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s decision last year to reverse media protections for journalists from having their records searched during leak investigations — a decision that was a sham from the start. https://theintercept.com/2026/01/15/fbi-raid-washington-post-journalist/? Inside the Somali-Led Resistance to Trump’s Assault on Minneapolis Kamal Yusuf doesn’t speak English. That hasn’t stopped him from getting involved as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents flood his immigrant-heavy Minneapolis neighborhood. https://theintercept.com/2026/01/17/somali-lresistance-ice-patrol-minneapolis/? Despite Court Ruling, ICE Can’t Detain Mahmoud Khalil — For Now A federal appeals court on Thursday threw out a lower court’s June order to release Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil from detention, triggering questions among his supporters about whether the government can immediately re-detain Khalil for deportation. https://theintercept.com/2026/01/15/mahmoud-khalil-ice-detention/? Trump Is Helping Right-Wing Groups Target Chicago Teachers Union One of the largest and most politically active public workers’ unions in the country is facing an audit from the Department of Labor in what the union sees as an attack fueled by conservative dark-money groups aligned with the Trump administration. https://theintercept.com/2026/01/16/chicago-teachers-union-trump/? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 Pentagon puts 1,500 soldiers on standby for possible Minnesota deployment, AP sources say Around 1,500 active duty soldiers have been given prepare-to-deploy orders for possible use in Minnesota, where federal authorities have been conducting a major immigration enforcement operation, two defense officials said Sunday. Read more. What to know: The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, said two infantry battalions of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division have been given prepare-to-deploy orders. The unit is based in Alaska and specializes in operating in arctic conditions. One defense official said the troops are standing by should President Donald Trump invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used 19th century law that would allow him to employ active duty troops as law enforcement. The move comes days after Trump threatened to use the legislation to quell protests against his administration’s controversial immigration crackdown. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Sending soldiers to Minneapolis for immigration crackdown would be unconstitutional, mayor says DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE official is a pastor At vigil honoring Renee Good, New Hampshire bishop warns clergy to prepare for ‘new era of martyrdom’ WATCH: Postal workers march against federal immigration agents as daily protests continue in Minneapolis Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 ‘60 Minutes’ airs Trump deportations report that was pulled last month “60 Minutes” aired its story about Trump administration deportations that was abruptly pulled from the newsmagazine’s lineup a month ago, a move that had triggered an internal battle about political pressure that spilled out into the open. Read more. Why this matters: Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi made no reference to her dispute with CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss in the story about deportees who had been sent to El Salvador’s notoriously harsh CECOT prison. When the segment was struck from the Dec. 21 episode on Weiss’ orders, Alfonsi told her colleagues that it “was not an editorial decision, it was a political one.” Weiss had argued that the story did not sufficiently reflect the administration’s viewpoint or advance reporting that had been done by other news organizations earlier. The story included no on-camera interviews with Trump administration officials. But it did include statements from the White House and Department of Homeland Security that were not part of what Alfonsi had used before her story was pulled. Some of the statements, which were carried in full on the “60 Minutes” website, were dated prior to Dec. 21. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ UK prime minister says Trump’s Greenland tariff threat ‘completely wrong’ and a trade war in no one’s interest Republicans and Democrats are trying to contain Trump's Greenland aggression. Will it be enough? Heckler yells 'leave Greenland alone!' during US national anthem at NBA game in London More countries confirm invites to Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza. $1 billion buys a permanent seat Justice Department says members of Congress can't intervene in release of Epstein files Tennessee man pleads guilty to repeatedly hacking Supreme Court's filing system Trump quietly appoints 4 members to commission that will review his White House ballroom plan Trump’s voice in a new Fannie Mae ad is generated by artificial intelligence, with his permission Trump administration delays plan to withhold wages for student loan borrowers in default As Trump’s deadline for a cap on credit card rates looms, banks have only questions and no answers Legal questions swirl around FDA’s new expedited drug program, including who should sign off How abortion coverage threatens to prevent a congressional deal on health care subsidies New research bolsters evidence that Tylenol doesn't raise the risk of autism despite Trump's claims Abigail Spanberger sworn in as Virginia’s first woman governor US names major sporting events other than World Cup, Olympics exempt from Trump visa ban Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 Unhinged Trump, 79, Makes Jaw-Dropping Threat Over His Nobel Snub “I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” he ranted in a letter to a European leader. Donald Trump admitted in a bonkers letter to a fellow head of state that he is no longer the peace-loving president he claimed to be after being snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize. The petulant 79-year-old has been in tantrum mode since the award was given to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado last year. He has made spurious peace-making claims to support the case for why it should have been him, and even took the award from its rightful winner in a bizarre knee-bending ceremony in the Oval Office last week. The Norwegian committee that decides the award has pushed back, and now, Trump has fired off an angry letter to the Norwegian prime minister threatening world stability.“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” he ranted in a letter sent to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Støre responded by reiterating what he said he had explained to Trump many times before: that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by an independent committee, not by the Norwegian government. “Regarding the Nobel Peace Prize, I have several times clearly explained to Trump what is well known, namely that it is an independent Nobel Committee, and not the Norwegian government, that awards the prize,” he said in a statement given to Bloomberg. Elsewhere in the letter, Trump said that whilst peace “will always be predominant,” the Trump administration “can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America”—and repeated his demand for U.S. ownership of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. He repeated his claim that “Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China,” and questioned why the European nation has a “right of ownership.” “There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States,” he said. “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland,” he added, echoing social media posts early on Monday. The letter, which was shared with other European governments, was first reported PBS News’ Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent Nick Schifrin. Støre, who has no say in who wins the Peace Prize, confirmed it was genuine, telling a Norwegian newspaper it came after he and Finnish President Alexander Stubb—Trump’s occasional golfing partner—asked Trump for a telephone call to discuss his threatened tariffs on European allies. Trump said in a Truth Social post that “now it is time” to suppress the perceived Russian threat to take Greenland, seeming to suggest that the U.S. should move in and take the Arctic island that he and his administration have spent much of his second term lusting over. “NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland.’ Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!!” Trump posted. Trump has long pined after both Greenland and the Nobel Peace Prize. Both remain out of his reach. Trump thought he had the latter when Venezuelan opposition leader, and rightful winner of the award, María Corina Machado, gave her medal to him during a visit to the White House last week. Trump, who claims to have brokered the end of at least eight conflicts, gleefully accepted it. However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee handed him a second snub, saying in a statement on Friday: “The Nobel Prize and the laureate are inseparable. Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.” In a separate post on social media on Sunday, the Stockholm-based Nobel Foundation said “a prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/sulking-trump-79-makes-jaw-dropping-threat-over-his-nobel-snub/? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 Trump’s First Year and How He Is Wrecking Lincoln’s America The president is setting our bedrock values back generations. I visited the Lincoln Memorial last weekend. The colossal 19-foot statue of Abraham Lincoln loomed above me, looking towards the East. Thinking big thoughts. My friend used to leave cupcakes on the steps for him when she was a child. It may be inspired by the Greek Parthenon, but it is built of Indiana limestone and Colorado Yule marble and stands for everything great about America. Just outside, in the cold sunshine, is the spot where, in 1963, Martin Luther King spoke uncomfortable truths about his dream for the nation he fought and loved. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address are inscribed on the cavernous walls. Reading them in silence, shoulder to shoulder with tourists from around the world. No scrolling here. Just scrolls. And my eyes filled with tears. They were not for the wife I lost a little over a year ago. Nor for her mom, who died last week of a broken heart. They were not even for the two-year-old granddaughter who barely knows me now that I live 6,000 miles away. The tears were for America. Like so many others, I came to this country with my family as an immigrant, dreaming of a better life. It has been so much more. But one year after Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office, I despair for our future. In his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln presented the Civil War as a test of the nation’s principles of equality and liberty. Whether the U.S. could “long endure.” In the November 19, 1863, speech transcribed in stone on the south wall of the memorial, the 16th president was referring to slavery and the proposition that all are created equal. If the country could emerge from the 1861-65 war united with these fundamental beliefs intact, then he believed there was tangible hope of a thriving future. On the north interior wall, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Speech, delivered on March 4, 1865, strikes a similar theme. If you look carefully halfway down the first panel, you can see where the engraver made a mistake with the word “FUTURE.” He mispelled it as “EUTURE.” There has been an attempt at a correction, but I couldn’t move on. My eyes became fixed on the mistake, and I became teary as the realization hit me that the FUTURE is now. While we have “long endured,” our constitutional values of liberty and equality have not come so far. Our current president can boast of his achievements. Some are hyperbole, but he has made a difference. In some cases, for some people, for the better. But his presidency is blighted by intolerance and inequality. When a commander-in-chief publicly demeans the Somali community, when he suggests every illegal immigrant in the United States is a rapist, a murderer, or a gang member, it gives permission to his supporters to behave in a similar fashion and vent their prejudices. When the leader of a country talks down to a professional woman as Trump does to the journalists who cover him, it shakes the very structure the movement has put in place. And when he belittles and litigates attempts to bring diversity and equality to the workplace, he weakens the strides made for gay and transgender people in America even further. Trump is undeniably correct about one thing: the American people gave him a mandate to lead. Few would agree that the cartoonish former Apprentice TV host was a serious man, yet a little more than half the country voted for him anyway. Do they regret it? I hope so, but it’s not like they hadn’t been warned. Trump 1.0 was chaotic, even comical at times. The 2.0 version is more sinister. His Yes Men and Women (yes, there are now only 2 sexes, according to Trump) have an agenda that is more Robert E. Lee than Abraham Lincoln. I don’t even believe that Trump is wholly invested in the more repellent right-wing policies he espouses. He has shown he can turn on a dime. He calls Joe Scarborough for a chat. His own advisors admit he is swayed by the last person he talks to. If the Democrats had been more welcoming, he’d probably hate the Republicans right now. The president is addicted to the cult of Trump, and he will do anything for the greater glory of himself. You only need to listen to him for five minutes to know that. He’s the small-town mayor with the most powerful country on the planet to play with. Instead of cutting ribbons to open supermarkets, he names buildings and roads after himself. And why would anyone expect a billionaire who has always been at least a millionaire to have a clue what the people of the United States really want, let alone what they need. If the cracks in the nation were showing in November 2024, they are now a chasm. I came to D.C. three days before the president began his second term on January 20, 2025. Back in the days when the Kennedy Center was named after just one president. The Two-Face lunacy of Elon Musk’s DOGE, with his band of merry tech teens, didn’t last long, but their legacy will take years to recover from. USAID funding to poor countries around the globe was cut off without warning or explanation, and federal workers were fired the same way. Most of Musk’s goons have returned to their cushy tech jobs. What do they care about the collateral damage? Lost federal jobs, missed mortgage payments, and impoverished villages without food or innoculations. DOGE was a failed experiment with countless lives destroyed by careless cruelty. Musk went off to top up his billions, and Trump moved on without looking back, as he always does. On the positive side, the markets are holding up and inflation is stable. The rich are getting richer. Facts are malleable. If you believe Trump, his secret sauce is the tariffs he introduced so chaotically in April. They gave him leverage and enabled him to pursue his agenda, however accidentally. But is fear and intimidation the way the United States should do business? Bullies are never popular and they often come to a sticky end. He claims the tariffs are bringing billions into the economy, but who will benefit? All I know is that my daughter, who works for a sustainable children’s clothing company, wakes every morning hoping Trump will cut the 50 percent tariff he randomly placed on goods from India so she can afford to bring her products into the country. She is far from alone. While Trump crows, businesses are dying. Epstein has been a recurrent theme throughout the year and one of the few issues the president has struggled to contain. Maybe he has something to hide, maybe not. But the wealthy stick together regardless of politics. Or the truth. Washington is no safer now than it was when I arrived with Trump in the nation’s capital. National Guard troops stationed outside Metro stations and around the monuments have nothing to do. Restaurants are busy, but no busier than before. The price of eggs may be down somewhere, but they are sure as hell not in my neighborhood store. The president is performative. He conducts his office like a reality show, steering his public towards the narratives that will keep them hooked. His Cabinet is actors playing parts. But there are signs he is losing his audience. The ICE thuggery has resulted in the unnecessary death of one woman and injuries to countless others. MAGA’s America First supporters are tiring of Trump’s meddling abroad. His claim that the affordability issue is a hoax is insulting to people who can see the difference in their bank balances and pocketbooks. Knowing what we do about Trump, 79, and his dwindling patience, his instincts will be to double down rather than take stock. As a result, America—and the world—will be less safe. Trump is not looking ahead. Everything he does is framed in the now. At his age, this is almost his last spin of the dice. It’s why he doesn’t care about gas-guzzling cars or climate change. He won’t be around to suffer the consequences. I walked away from the Lincoln Memorial with a deep sense of unease. So much history erased by one man. So much faith in our fellow man. From difficult beginnings, the United States has grown out of a bond and a belief that literally anything is possible if we stand together. How can it be possible that we find ourselves so far apart? Trump will know it’s unlikely anyone is going to erect a statue for him when he’s gone. He has three years to build one himself. But he won’t need to worry about getting the spelling of FUTURE right. The way he is going, we may not have one. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-first-year-and-how-he-is-wrecking-lincolns-america/? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 ICE Is Stealing Credit for Arresting People Already in Prison ICE’s Minnesota arrest tally counts people who were transferred into ICE custody under Biden, Obama, and Bush, according to a report. ICE is taking credit for arresting people who were already behind bars to sell its Minnesota crackdown as a success. The Department of Homeland Security has paraded lists of people it says ICE has arrested to market its Minnesota surge as a win and push the claim that they are rounding up “worst of the worst” criminals. But a new report suggests the department has been spinning old transfers of people from Minnesota jails into ICE custody as fresh arrests. MPR News reported that most people on a Jan. 10 “worst of the worst” list, in which the DHS boasted about ICE arrests in Minnesota, had been transferred to ICE custody before the start of “Operation Metro Surge” in December 2025. Some transfers even took place under the Biden, Obama, and Bush administrations, according to MPR News, which looked at the criminal histories, public records, and available prison records of the 13 individuals on the list. The DHS release states, “Below are the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens that our brave ICE officers arrested, despite the efforts of rioters and sanctuary politicians to protect them.” Yet, five people on the list were simply picked up by ICE agents from Minnesota state prisons between August and November 2025, MPR News reported, citing Department of Corrections records. Three more were reportedly transferred into ICE custody during previous administrations: one in 2021 during Joe Biden’s term, another in 2012 during Barack Obama’s term, and a third in 2003 during George W. Bush’s term. When reached for comment, the DHS did not directly address the Daily Beast’s questions about the Jan. 10 list, and whether it counts jailhouse transfers as new arrests. It is unclear whether the DHS has counted additional transfers as arrests; MPR News examined only the Jan. 10 list. But the Department of Corrections says that it coordinated with ICE on the release of 84 people last year. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other DHS officials have frequently accused Minnesota politicians and prisons of failing to cooperate with immigration enforcement, especially as a defense for its aggressive tactics in the state. Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell told MPR News, “We are part of the overall criminal justice system and our statutory obligation is to provide support, including to ICE and notification to ICE and we do that.” Some Minnesota county jails, whose policies are not set by the Department of Corrections, refuse to coordinate with ICE detainers, which are requests to hold a prisoner for the agency. In a statement to the Daily Beast, a DHS spokesperson called on the state to honor all ICE detainers and slammed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “As DHS stated, across the state of Minnesota nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens including violent criminal illegal aliens have been RELEASED into communities,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “We have more than 1,360 active detainers on illegal aliens in the custody across all jurisdictions in Minnesota. We are once again calling on Governor Walz and his fellow sanctuary politicians to commit to honoring all ICE detainers. Instead, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey are actively encouraging an organized resistance to ICE and federal law enforcement officers.” But the Department of Corrections called the DHS’s numbers “inexplicable” in a release on Thursday, saying that only 207 people in Minnesota state prisons are non-U.S. citizens. When reached for comment, the Department of Corrections pointed the Daily Beast to its Thursday release. “The Minnesota Department of Corrections has always coordinated with ICE agents when individuals in our custody have detainers and will continue to do so,” Schnell said in the release. “Public safety depends on facts, not fear. When federal agencies make claims that are demonstrably false, it undermines trust and disrespects the dedicated professionals who work every day to keep Minnesotans safe.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-is-stealing-credit-for-arresting-people-already-in-prison/? ps:As per usual this administration takes credit for things previous presidents have done!!!!! Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 ⚡ Troops on standby for Insurrection Act The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to be ready for possible deployment to Minnesota, where federal authorities have been conducting a massive immigration enforcement operation. Why it matters: A defense official told AP the troops are standing by to deploy to Minnesota should President Trump invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to use active-duty troops for law enforcement. Officials said two infantry battalions of the Army's 11th Airborne Division have been given prepare-to-deploy orders. The unit is based in Alaska and specializes in operating in arctic conditions. Keep reading. ? In case you wonder where you are Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images A newly installed cursive sign marks the Rose Garden outside the West Wing. Tomorrow will mark one full year of President Trump's second term. Go deeper: "Trump isn't waiting for future generations to name things after him." Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 Trump crashes Davos DAVOS, Switzerland — President Trump will depart for Davos tonight feeling more confident than ever in his own power to shape global events, and more willing to bully and berate anyone who stands in his way, Axios' Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo write. Why it matters: Trump is no longer content just dominating the U.S. and the news cycle — he wants to dominate the world. ?️ The big picture: Trump is heading to Switzerland after threatening tariffs on Denmark and seven other NATO allies — all of whom sent small troop detachments to Greenland — if no deal is reached to hand the island to the U.S. by Feb. 1. While in Davos, he'll announce he's expanding the remit of his "Board of Peace" for Gaza beyond the enclave, in what some alarmed allies see as an attempt to establish a rival UN Security Council — with Trump holding the only veto. "The Board of Peace is not going to be limited to Gaza. It's a Board of Peace around the world," a senior U.S. official told Axios. "The president is focused on our hemisphere first, but he has his eye on the world. I wouldn't say he's fixated on global domination. He's America first. And America is still the world's leader." Trump's advisers say he's been particularly emboldened by the swift capture of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro. "We're holding our breath, but it's definitely freed up the president even more to project power around the world," one top Trump adviser said. ? Zoom in: Until recently, U.S. allies expected Trump's main contributions in Davos to be announcing the board for Gaza and signing a reconstruction deal for Ukraine. Instead, they've found themselves scrambling ahead of his arrival, debating how to contain a crisis over Greenland that threatens to rupture NATO. European officials "had to shred their Ukraine talking points and write new ones on Greenland," a Ukrainian official told Axios. Today's lead stories of The New York Times and The i Paper (London). ? Trump set the tone for the week when he texted the Norwegian prime minister to say he'd no longer focus on peace because he didn't win the Nobel Prize. The U.S. later put the note on official letterhead and sent it to NATO ambassadors. Trump wrote: "Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America." A senior Norwegian official said Oslo had intended to keep the text exchange private and was surprised Trump shared it. ? What to watch: The U.S. official suggested attendees of the annual gathering of the global elite should prepare to be insulted when Trump takes the podium tomorrow. "In the same way that he went to the UN and said, 'You people charge a lot of dues, occupy a bunch of real estate, really don't do anything,' he's going to probably say that about some subset of those at Davos." Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 ⚡ How Trump's first year changed America To mark the first anniversary of President Trump taking office, we asked Axios subject matter experts a simple question: What's the biggest disruption or change you've seen on your beat over the past year? 1. White House, Marc Caputo: A year in the planning, Trump's ouster of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro crystallized the administration's "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine. With no loss of military personnel, the operation emboldened Trump to aggressively pursue Greenland — an idea many believed was just a passing fancy until the Jan. 3 capture of Maduro. 2. Congress, Hans Nichols: Fidelity to Trump has largely defined the 119th Congress, with Republicans in both chambers reluctant to break with the president on major Article 1 issues, ranging from tariffs to military strikes. Trump has effectively served as a shadow speaker in the House, determining legislative strategy, whipping votes and showing Republicans they can pass MAGA mega-bills with the thinnest of majorities — as long as they stick together. 3. Economy, Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown: From interest rates to trade, industrial policy and AI, Trump has wielded the full weight of government to try to shape economic outcomes to his liking — norms and precedent be damned. The second Trump administration favors deregulation and lower taxes, but has pivoted sharply from unbridled capitalism, taking ownership stakes in private enterprises and micromanaging corporate decisions from the Oval Office. 4. Business, Nathan Bomey: Trump's second term has pushed corporate America into full "America First" mode — and away from DEI, ESG and other boardroom initiatives targeted by MAGA. Global companies like Intel, Nvidia and Pfizer have had to carefully navigate Trump's embrace of command capitalism by offering concessions in exchange for favorable treatment — unthinkable in past Republican administrations. 5. Tech, Ashley Gold: Trump's biggest disruption to AI policy has been the wholesale abandonment of Biden-era caution in favor of near-permissionless growth. The shift has emboldened tech companies, raised the stakes of the AI race against China, and sidelined a weakened Congress as Trump drives AI policy himself. 6. Media, Sara Fischer: Trump's first year has brought a sharp retreat in U.S. soft power and press protections. Cuts to Voice of America, USAID, and internet freedom programs — alongside Trump's assertion of control over regulators like the FCC — have reshaped the global and domestic media landscape. 7. Health care, Adriel Bettelheim and Maya Goldman: Trump has unleashed the biggest changes to U.S. health care since the Affordable Care Act. Deep cuts to federal health agencies and the embrace of RFK Jr.'s sweeping vaccine and regulatory overhauls have upended public health preparedness and weakened long-standing ties between government and the medical establishment. 8. Energy, Ben Geman: Trump has slammed the brakes on U.S. climate and clean energy policy, reshaping markets for EVs, wind and other low-carbon tech. Beyond undoing Biden-era subsidies and rules, the White House has deployed federal power to choke off disfavored technologies and rip out climate policy at the roots — going well beyond Trump 1.0. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 ? Trump's young hard-liners Data: More in Common. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals Gen Z and millennial voters who back President Trump are an increasingly hard-line faction within his coalition, showing strong support for male leadership and religion in public life — and openness to political violence, Axios' Margaret Talev and Russell Contreras write from a massive new survey. Why it matters: The survey of 18,000 Americans finds Trump supporters born after 1981 are less invested in consensus politics than previous generations and look more favorably on cultural dominance and strongman leadership. Full report. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 22 Author Members Posted January 22 ?️ "Drill, baby, drill" takes a back seat Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios There's fresh evidence that President Trump and his lieutenants are willing to sacrifice "drill, baby, drill" in the U.S. for low prices and other policy priorities, Axios' Ben Geman writes. Several recent decisions point to a push to keep energy prices low at the expense of producers: Venezuela is a big wild card in an already oversupplied market — and some analysts see potential for fast increases in production. Trump's quest for Greenland now means higher tariffs against European trading partners, which could hurt economic growth and demand for oil. ⛽ The money quote: Energy Secretary Chris Wright told an industry forum in D.C. last week that "100% of Americans consume oil and natural gas every day of their life, and 1% of Americans produce oil and gas. So high prices are a win for 1% ... but it's a net loss for the other 99%." Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 22 Author Members Posted January 22 As Trump targets Europe with tariffs, his Treasury secretary says relations have ‘never been closer’ Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday said America’s relations with Europe remain strong and urged trading partners to “take a deep breath” and let tensions driven by the Trump administration’s new tariff threats over Greenland “play out.” Read more. Why this matters: On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations that have rallied around Denmark in the wake of his stepped-up calls for the United States to take over the semi-autonomous territory of Greenland. Trump has insisted the U.S. needs the territory for security reasons against possible threats from China and Russia. Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to last year’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister that he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” in a text message released Monday. The American leader’s threats have sparked outrage and a flurry of diplomatic activity across Europe, as leaders consider possible countermeasures. That could include the first-ever use of the European Union’s anti-coercion instrument, also known as the “trade bazooka.” Trump posted on social media that he had spoken with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and “I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland,” where they will be attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this week. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Pro-Greenland protesters mock Trump’s MAGA slogan with ‘Make America Go Away’ caps Live updates: The World Economic Forum kicks off in Davos Diplomacy or retaliation? The EU mulls its options as tensions with US rise over Greenland Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 22 Author Members Posted January 22 A year into his administration, Trump faces Americans frustrated with cost of living President Donald Trump plans to use a key address Wednesday to try to convince Americans he can make housing more affordable. Read more. Why this matters: About six in 10 U.S. adults now say that Trump has hurt the cost of living, according to the latest survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. It’s an issue even among Republicans, who have said Trump’s work on the economy hasn’t lived up to their expectations. Only 16% say Trump has helped “a lot” on making things more affordable, down from 49% in April 2024. Trump’s speech on housing affordability will take place at the World Economic Forum in Davos — an annual gathering of the global elite — where he may see many of the billionaires he has surrounded himself with during his first year back in the White House. Trump’s attention in his first year back has been less on pocketbook issues and more fixed on foreign policy with conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and Venezuela. His effort to acquire Greenland is a headline likely to dominate his time in Davos, overshadowing his housing ideas. The White House has tried to shift Trump’s focus to affordability issues, a response to warning signs in the polls in a year where control of Congress is at stake in midterm elections. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US citizen says ICE removed him from his Minnesota home in his underwear after warrantless search Christian leaders urge protecting worshippers’ rights after anti-ICE protesters interrupt service Judge refuses to block new DHS policy limiting Congress members’ access to ICE facilities ICE says an immigrant who died in a sprawling Texas detention facility killed himself Trump’s Board of Peace has several invited leaders trying to figure out how it’ll work US Catholic cardinals urge Trump administration to embrace a moral compass in foreign policy Sheinbaum reassures Mexico after US military movements spark concern Trump slams UK deal to hand over Chagos Islands after he previously backed it AP Source: Fed Chair Powell to attend Supreme Court argument on Cook case Slave descendants take a fight to protect their Georgia island homes to voters Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 22 Author Members Posted January 22 Trump, 79, Leaks Leaders’ Private Texts and Trashes Allies in Deranged Posting Frenzy The president posted embarrassing private messages from his closest allies on Truth Social in a wild overnight spree. President Donald Trump has gone on an insane posting spree that covered everything from leaking private messages to issuing further takeover threats against U.S. allies. In a flurry of unhinged messages on Truth Social, the 79-year-old president continued his rhetoric about the U.S. seizing Greenland while also sharing apparent text messages from French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO chief Mark Rutte, as well as calling for his political opponents to be jailed. Trump, who was traveling to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum, began the overnight posting spree by saying he had a “very good” phone call with Rutte about his demands for the U.S. to take over Greenland—a threat that has led to calls to remove the president from office using the 25th Amendment. “I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland. As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back—On that, everyone agrees,” Trump wrote, despite world leaders and the American public outright rejecting the idea that Trump should try to take control of the autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. Shortly afterward, Trump shared a message from French President Emmanuel Macron, who has rejected Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” plan and spoken out against Trump’s threats to impose tariffs rising to 25 percent on eight European allies until the U.S. secures its “complete and total purchase” of Greenland. “My friend, We are totally in line on Syria. We can do great things on Iran. I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” the message from Macron read. “Let us try to build great things. i can set up a g7 meeting after Davos in Paris on thursday afternoon. I can invite the ukrainians, the danish, the syrians and the russians in the margins. let us have a dinner together in Paris together on thursday before you go back to the us. Emmanuel.” Despite world leaders’ desperate efforts to find a middle ground with Trump, the U.S. president risked further deteriorating diplomatic relations with his wild posting. One minute after leaking the message from Macron, Trump shared an edited image of himself opposite European leaders in the Oval Office, sitting next to a map that showed Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela under the U.S. flag. Trump’s lust to control as much of the Western Hemisphere as possible was highlighted in yet another Truth Social post showing himself, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio planting a U.S. flag on Greenland soil. Trump then returned to domestic matters. He said he watched the “Church Raid in Minnesota by the agitators and insurrectionists,” which had been documented by former CNN host Don Lemon. Trump suggested the anti-ICE protesters should be “thrown in jail, or thrown out of the Country,” alongside his longtime adversaries, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar. The president was not finished there. In another post, he attacked the U.K., another NATO ally, for its plan to hand over sovereignty of Diego Garcia, the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago, to Mauritius as an “act of GREAT STUPIDITY” and another in a “long line” of reasons why Greenland “has to be acquired.” Trump followed up on his ramping up of rhetoric about taking over the Arctic territory by leaking another text, this time a fawning message from NATO leader Rutte. “Mr. President, dear Donald - what you accomplished in Syria today is incredible,” the message reads. “I will use my media engagements in Davos to highlight your work there, in Gaza, and in Ukraine,” Rutte wrote. “I am committed to finding a way forward on Greenland. Cant wait to see you. Yours, Mark.” A NATO official confirmed the authenticity of the message to the Daily Beast. There have been growing concerns about how far Trump is willing to go in his efforts to take over Greenland. In a brief interview with NBC News, Trump replied “no comment” when asked if seizing the island via military force was an option. Trump also warned Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, that he no longer has the “obligation to think purely of Peace,” because he was not awarded last year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-79-leaks-leaders-private-texts-and-trashes-allies-in-deranged-posting-frenzy/? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 22 Author Members Posted January 22 Nation’s Top Catholics Rip Into Trump’s ‘Moral Foundation’ Three cardinals returned from talks with the Pope and made an unprecedented statement on U.S. policy. The Catholic church’s most senior U.S. leaders have issued a damning statement warning the “moral foundation” of the nation’s policies is in jeopardy. The unprecedented statement came from the country’s three serving cardinal archbishops after they held talks in recent days at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV, suggesting his approval for their dire warning that “polarization, partisanship, and narrow economic and social interests” threaten the moral base of U.S. public policy. It was posted prominently on the Vatican’s homepage. The trio—Cardinals Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington D.C., and Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, New Jersey—did not name Donald Trump in their statement. But they tore into “events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland,” mentioned the need for international aid which Trump’s administration has torn apart, and said, “military action must be seen only as a last resort in extreme situations, not a normal instrument of national policy.” It came on the day that Trump’s message to the Norwegian prime minister demanding “Complete and Total Control of Greenland” was exposed, with it saying, “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.” The Catholic leaders offered little room for doubt about who they were talking about. “In 2026, the United States has entered into the most profound and searing debate about the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world since the end of the Cold War,” they said in the statement. “The events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace. Our country’s moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination.” The use of the term “moral role” appeared especially pointed after Trump told the New York Times that “my morality,” not the law or the constitution, was the only constraint on his use of power. The Catholic leaders’ statement said they were inspired by Pope Leo, and added in a particularly pointed section, “He points to the need for international aid to safeguard the most central elements of human dignity, which are under assault because of the movement by wealthy nations to reduce or eliminate their contributions to humanitarian foreign assistance programs.” One of the Trump administration’s first actions on taking office was to dismantle USAID, something done gleefully by Elon Musk in his role at the head of his Department of Government Efficiency. That action had the approval of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio, a devout Catholic, is now technically USAID administrator, but presides over a tiny rump of the organization. The cardinal archbishops’ statement has no precedent in modern times and comes amid increasing tension between the Catholic church and the Trump administration, which contains a high number of members of the church. Among them are recent Catholic convert Vice President JD Vance, who sparred publicly with Pope Francis and Pope Leo over the meaning of Catholic social teaching. Earlier this month, the National Catholic Reporter said his description of Renee Nicole Good—the mom killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis—as a “domestic terrorist” was a “moral stain,” and that his embrace of the faith was “little more than a political prop.” A series of Catholic dioceses have also clashed with the Trump administration over immigration policy, with some giving the faithful exemptions from attending Sunday mass so they are not picked up by ICE. The three top church leaders signaled in their statement that they will increasingly join the political fray in the run-up to the mid-term elections, writing, “Our nation’s debate on the moral foundation for American policy is beset by polarization, partisanship, and narrow economic and social interests. Pope Leo has given us the prism through which to raise it to a much higher level. We will preach, teach, and advocate in the coming months to make that higher level possible.” Archbishops lead the largest divisions of the Catholic church, while cardinals are more senior, and responsible for electing the pope when the throne of St. Peter becomes vacant. Conventionally archbishops of the largest dioceses are likely to be made cardinals, giving them the title cardinal archbishop. Pope Leo accepted the retirement of Trump’s favorite Catholic leader, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, as archbishop of New York, naming a younger bishop, Ronald Hicks, as his successor. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/nations-top-catholics-cardinal-blase-cupich-robert-mcelroy-joseph-tobinrip-into-trumps-moral-foundation/? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted January 22 Author Members Posted January 22 RFK Jr.’s Meat-Heavy Food Pyramid Would Require Land the Size of California The Health Secretary’s new guidelines emphasize increased consumption of red meat. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has urged Americans to follow new dietary guidelines that place red meat at the top of the food pyramid and promote higher consumption of protein, vegetables, and healthy fats, while calling for reduced intake of sugar and processed foods. Yet The Guardian reports that, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI), a 25 percent increase in red meat consumption would require an additional 100 million acres of agricultural land for livestock—an area roughly the size of California. “We are seeing millions of acres of forest cut down, and agricultural expansion is the leading driver of that,” Richard Waite, director of agriculture initiatives at WRI, told the outlet. Waite added that food systems have a significant impact on the planet’s ecosystems, particularly increased meat consumption, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. “To the extent that people follow these guidelines and eat more animal protein foods, particularly beef and dairy, they will negatively impact our environment,” Diego Rose, a director of nutrition at Tulane University, told The Guardian. In an email to the Daily Beast, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson wrote: “The Trump administration will no longer weaponize federal food policy to destroy the livelihoods of hard-working American ranchers and protein producers under the radical dogma of the Green New Scam.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/rfk-jrs-meat-heavy-food-pyramid-would-require-land-the-size-of-california/? ps:So now we need to be eating red meat to get healthy?? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
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