Members phkrause Posted April 15 Author Members Posted April 15 Trump family deal spree could open door for future presidents to profit from office For decades, presidents avoided even the appearance of profiting from their office. President Donald Trump is taking a different approach. The Trump family real estate business is undergoing the fastest overseas expansion since its founding a century ago, each deal potentially shaping everything from tariffs to military aid. Read more. Why this matters: In Trump’s first term, the Trump Organization did zero deals in foreign countries. In a little over a year into his second term it did eight, all ostensibly complying with the Trump Organization’s self-imposed rule not to do business directly with foreign governments. But governments in authoritarian and one-party states rarely take a hands-off approach — especially when the business belongs to a sitting president. Forbes estimates Trump’s net worth is now $6.3 billion, soaring 60% from before he returned to office, a striking development given how much the Trump Organization struggled before. The problem of conflicts of interest goes back a decade to when Trump first ran for office, but some government ethics experts and historians argue it’s more pressing than ever as conflicts pile up in his second term that they consider unprecedented, blatant and dangerous to democracy. The White House and the Trump Organization deny there are any ethical problems. Asked about the issue at a recent crypto conference, Donald Jr. said, “Frankly, it’s gotten old.” RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Trump says he posted an image of himself as a ‘doctor’ not Jesus and won’t apologize to Pope Leo The Trump and Leo chronicles: A president and a pope square off over Iran and its aftermath What to know about Swalwell’s exit from Congress and the California governor’s race Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas says he will retire after bipartisan calls for expulsion Gov. Wes Moore falls short in push to redraw Maryland’s congressional map to boost Democrats Trump administration agrees to return rainbow Pride flag to New York’s Stonewall monument Trump tips DoorDash driver $100 for delivering McDonald’s to Oval Office Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 15 Author Members Posted April 15 Deportations hit snag In an effort to accelerate deportations, the Trump administration devised a plan to enter into agreements with other countries to accept immigrants regardless of whether they were from there. So far, it has been a struggle. Appeals court orders judge to end contempt investigation of Trump administration deportation flights WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge must end his “intrusive” contempt investigation of the Trump administration for failing to comply with an order over flights carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador last year, a divided appeals court panel ruled Tuesday. https://apnews.com/article/trump-judge-boasberg-contempt-f5ab5110336be20773e8aa8d5b484879? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 15 Author Members Posted April 15 Top Trump Aide Flees White House as Exodus Spirals The president is hemorrhaging staff as the midterms loom. President Donald Trump’s White House is in the midst of an exodus as yet another top aide has ditched the administration for a new job, according to a new report. White House Director of Cabinet Affairs Lea Bardon, a powerful figure in the background of the MAGA machine, will become executive vice president at Washington, D.C. public affairs firm The Sovereign Advisors, Politico reports. The firm was founded by Trump’s influential former deputy chief of staff, Taylor Budowich, who joined the growing line of staff leaving the White House when he fled last fall. Budowich helped craft Trump’s public voice, running communications, cabinet affairs, and speechwriting. Bardon is the vital link between Cabinet chiefs of staff, through which Trump’s directives emanate throughout the executive branch. She was profiled in the Washingtonian’s D.C. female power list last year. Budowich’s exit followed a flurry of high-profile departures from the White House. Alex Pfeiffer quietly walked in September last year, having only joined the administration in January. Pfeiffer joined public relations firm Watchtower Strategy. Pfeiffer worked at Tucker Carlson’s Daily Caller before switching to Fox News, where he helped produce Carlson’s show. He then went on to work in the MAGA Inc. super PAC in 2022. The new year has continued in a similar vein, with the White House exit experiencing considerable footfall. James Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff, is tapping out temporarily to run Trump’s political operation for the midterms, the president announced on Friday. “James will be taking a short leave of absence to lead the charge from the outside against the Radical Left, Country Destroying Democrats. He will do a fantastic job, and then, after the Election, return again to the White House, so we can finish the job and, KEEP AMERICA GREAT!” Trump said. Blair and his superior, Susie Wiles, have reportedly grown concerned that Trump’s war in Iran has threatened his already wavering chances of success during the elections in November. “When you’re at war, that is 75 percent of your time. This is what [chief of staff Susie Wiles] is gonna be doing, this is what [deputy chief of staff] James Blair will be doing. This is what senior staff will be dealing with. And that is a problem,” an insider said last week, adding that the episode threatens to become a “f-----g nightmare.” Top Trump allies Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi have been ousted this year, too. Noem, the former Homeland Security secretary, was booted first. She was fired by Trump on March 5 after a controversial 14-month stint at the helm of the department. Noem’s replacement, Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, 48, was confirmed by the Senate last month. Trump fired Bondi, his attorney general, about a month later, apparently in part because she failed to indict and convict his political enemies. The White House has been contacted for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/top-trump-aide-flees-white-house-as-exodus-spirals/?v Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 15 Author Members Posted April 15 DoorDash Grandma’s Secret Past Revealed The grandmother of 10 was flown out from Arkansas to tout a Trump tax policy she said has helped her cover crushing medical bills. The DoorDash driver who found herself in the national spotlight while delivering McDonald’s to Donald Trump at the Oval Office was no random courier.Sharon Simmons, 58, a grandmother of 10 from Fayetteville, Arkansas, went viral after being filmed knocking on the Oval Office door and handing the president two bags of McDonald’s on Monday. DoorDash confirmed the delivery was a PR stunt in a statement on the company’s website, saying Simmons completed the White House drop-off “to commemorate the first anniversary of the No Tax on Tips policy.” Trump acknowledged the optics himself, joking to reporters as Simmons arrived: “This doesn’t look staged, does it?” Simmons would have also required a security screening to get so close to the president on White House grounds, dashing any hopes the administration might have had for making the delivery appear spontaneous. Simmons is said to have completed upwards of 14,000 deliveries since joining DoorDash in 2022, relying on the work’s flexibility to help care for her husband, who was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in early 2025. She told Trump the No Tax on Tips policy—passed last July as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill—has saved her $11,000 in the year since it was enacted, money that has helped pay for her husband’s treatment. Independent contractors like Simmons can work on their own schedule, but they don’t receive crucial benefits through their job, such as health insurance. What the cameras did not capture was that Simmons had previously spoken publicly in support of the very same policy she was celebrating on Monday. Republican Rep. David Kustoff had posted on July 28, 2025, about hearing from Simmons at a Ways and Means Committee field hearing in Nevada, saying she had shared how the One Big Beautiful Bill would “make a real difference in her life.” Ahead of Simmons’ White House visit, she also featured in a promotional video for the No Tax on Tips Policy posted on social media by Republican Rep. Jason Smith, chair of the Ways and Means Committee. In that video, posted Friday, Simmons praised the policy for helping to deal with unforeseen expenses, noting that she’d recently been hit by unexpected problems with her own car that required extra funds. “Thank you for finally hearing the little people,” she said. Simmons introduced herself in the video as a resident of Boulder City, Nevada, and public records confirm that she has lived there, though she told reporters outside the White House on Monday that she now lives in Arkansas. It’s not clear when the promotional video was filmed, despite it having been posted to coincide with Tax Day this week. Julian Crowley, a public affairs official at DoorDash, pushed back on X on claims that the grandmother of 10’s confusing history might suggest she’s a paid Republican prop, noting that Simmons had simply moved from Nevada to Arkansas and had spoken out repeatedly because she genuinely believes in No Tax on Tips. Crowley also pointed out that a standalone No Tax on Tips bill passed the Senate unanimously in May 2025, with bipartisan backing, including from Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen. The House never took it up separately, however, as the policy was folded into the One Big Beautiful Bill, which cleared the Senate narrowly and without a single Democratic vote. The policy allows workers who earn tips to deduct up to $25,000 in “qualified tips” but applies only to federal income tax. Max Rettig, DoorDash’s Global Head of Public Policy, said in a statement that Monday’s delivery “represents something bigger than a single delivery,” and that Dashers across the country had collectively saved “hundreds of millions of dollars” under the no-tips-tax policy last year. The Daily Beast has contacted DoorDash and the White House for comment. At Monday’s event, a White House reporter asked Simmons if she had delivered there before, suggesting that neither DoorDash nor Trump’s aides had been upfront that she was not simply a local fulfilling a delivery order. Trump then tipped Simmons—after a reporter asked if the White House was a good tipper. Reporters spotted a $100 bill. Trump then took the opportunity to quiz her on transgender athletes in women’s sports. That backfired when she replied, “I really don’t have an opinion on that.” When he pushed her on it, she added, “I’m here about no tax on tips.” The president also awkwardly tried to portray Simmons as a MAGA supporter, asking her, “I think you voted for me. Do you think?” But she responded with, “Um, maybe.” “I heard you’re a great supporter. We appreciate it,” he replied. Trump also asked about her husband’s cancer battle, during which Simmons mentioned he had written an unpublished book about humility. While speaking to reporters after her photo-op outside the Oval Office, Simmons was asked how she wound up doing the delivery. She credited her “wonderful DoorDash family” for her involvement, saying, “They called me up and asked me if I would be willing to … and I said sure.” She later told Politico the call had come about a month in advance. In her 2025 congressional testimony, Simmons said that DoorDash’s flexible scheduling had been a lifeline: “Because DoorDash provides me with a truly flexible work schedule, I was able to drive him to and from his treatments. During that time, every extra dollar I earned mattered more than ever.” The couple remains in financial difficulty, according to a GoFundMe set up by Simmons’ son-in-law Kyrie Quijano. “My dad is currently undergoing cancer treatments, and the financial strain has been overwhelming for both of them,” Quijano wrote. “They have had it rough their entire lives, but their resilience and kindness shine through every day.” As she was leaving the White House, Simmons was asked by CNN’s Kit Maher how she was faring in the current economy, particularly in regard to rising gas prices. “Obviously gas prices, they hit us all. It’s not just us; it’s everybody,” she was quoted saying in response. White House spokesperson Kush Desai told the Beast Simmons was “one of tens of millions of Americans” benefiting from Trump’s “no tax on tips” policy. https://www.thedailybeast.com/doordash-grandma-sharon-simmons-secret-past-revealed/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 15 Author Members Posted April 15 Most feel taxes are too high despite Trump’s tax changes, polls show Last year’s tax law fulfilled several of President Donald Trump’s tax-related campaign promises. But a new Fox News poll indicates people are more upset about taxes than they were last year. The findings from the survey, which was conducted in late March, are another sign that Americans are on edge about their personal finances as the U.S. experiences a spike in inflation and sluggish economic growth. Other polling finds that frustration goes beyond personal tax obligations, with many believing that wealthy people and corporations are not paying their fair share, while others worry about government waste. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ IRS touts a 24% increase in tax refunds compared to the previous administration The US is short 10 million houses. A new White House report lays out a blueprint to fix that Race for California governor moves on after dramatic downfall of Rep. Eric Swalwell Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 15 Author Members Posted April 15 New Leverage (Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Getty; Space Frontiers / Hulton Archives / Getty) View in browser Over the past seven days, Donald Trump has adopted two contradictory positions on the Strait of Hormuz. A week ago, he wrote that a “whole civilization” would “die” if Iran didn’t make certain concessions—among them, allowing ships to resume their normal courses in and out of the Persian Gulf. This weekend, though, after marathon peace talks between the United States and Iran ended without an agreement, Trump announced a blockade of Iranian ports, essentially doubling down on restrictions in the waterway. Why blockade the blockaders? The tactic is all but guaranteed to aggravate the ongoing energy crisis, which has been a pain point for Trump since the start of the war. But it also inflicts a new level of punishment on Iran: a trade-off that, for the president, appears to be worth making. Since late February, Iran has been threatening to attack most ships passing through the strait, and the resulting drop-off in traffic has created the worst threat to global energy security in history, per the International Energy Agency. American gas is averaging $4.12 a gallon, and prices for commodities such as fertilizer and helium are way up. But Iran’s threat to the Strait of Hormuz has always had a few carve-outs. Its own ships can pass safely, as can foreign ships that comply with the country’s terms for passage, which include the payment of tolls (reportedly in cryptocurrency or Chinese yuan) and the use of new shipping lanes closer to Iran’s coast. The U.S. blockade, which went into effect yesterday morning, is intended to prevent Iran from exporting its oil, choking the country economically. So far, the precise scope of the U.S. blockade has been somewhat unclear. According to international law, a full blockade must be applied impartially. Total enforcement would mean that all vessels intending to travel to and from Iranian ports in the region would be prevented from doing so. The Navy has indicated that non-Iranian ships will be allowed to transit the strait; U.S. forces have the right to visit and search any ship, and the right to seize ships that they deem to be carrying contraband in support of the Iranian war effort. How the U.S. will determine which ships meet that criterion is uncertain, and Atlantic reporting suggests that even military officials have been struggling to understand how the blockade is being implemented. In his social-media post on Sunday morning announcing the blockade, Trump wrote that the Navy will “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran.” But the official notice from U.S. Central Command later that day didn’t mention any plan to halt ships that had paid the toll—in fact, it explicitly stated that U.S. forces would uphold freedom of navigation, allowing neutral ships to pass. The blockade will likely be tested in the coming days. Centcom said this morning that U.S. forces have already successfully directed six merchant vessels “to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port.” The lingering question of the war’s legality could further complicate the situation. “If the war is not legal, then the blockade also isn’t legal,” Jennifer Kavanagh, the director of military analysis at the think tank Defense Priorities, told me. Our allies are hesitant too. Despite Trump’s claims that other countries would be “involved,” the United Kingdom has refused to lend its support, and Spain’s defense minister said that the blockade “makes no sense.” Up until this week, the Trump administration had been focused on easing restrictions on some Iranian oil as a way of lowering energy prices. Now, with U.S. intelligence reportedly indicating that Iran’s economy could be more fragile than it appears, Trump has decided that attacking the country’s exports is more important: The plan is to force Iran back to the negotiating table, in a weaker position than before. In the lead-up to America’s blockade, Iran had been making an estimated $139 million (not necessarily paid out in U.S. dollars) each day through its oil exports. Inhibiting its ability to ship oil from its ports amounts to a direct hit on the country’s war chest. Plus, the chaos in the strait has the potential side effect of boosting U.S. energy exports. But Iran has also displayed extreme resilience in past weeks, both in its ability to withstand the U.S. and Israel’s relentless bombing campaign and in its determination to assert control over the strait. Claire O’Neill McCleskey, who previously led the compliance division at the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, explained that Iran has a sophisticated capacity for so-called dark maritime activity, which could subvert the blockade: Its “shadow fleet” is able to switch off its tracking devices and broadcast false tracking information to authorities. If the U.S. Navy does manage to stop Iranian ships from leaving the Gulf, the disruption will have a real impact on China, which buys roughly 90 percent of Iran’s exported oil (the Chinese foreign ministry has called the blockade “dangerous and irresponsible”). China has in recent years maintained close relationships with nations throughout the Gulf, and reportedly played a role in Iran’s recent decision to accept a two-week cease-fire. Chinese officials “don’t want to have a war with the United States in the Middle East,” Kavanagh said, but they also “don’t want to be seen as bowing to the United States.” How China might continue to respond over the coming days (and whether it might be more inclined to pressure Iran to reach an agreement with the U.S. and Israel) is an open question. “It’s what everyone’s watching,” Kavanagh said. The White House’s latest move comes at an important cost. Already, the blockade is pushing up oil prices. In clamping down on Iranian exports, the administration is intentionally tightening the global supply of oil and worsening the energy crisis that it had until recently been looking to end. Iran and China aren’t the only nations that will bear these costs; in imposing this blockade, Trump is effectively toying with the global economy. The United States isn’t immune—on Sunday, the president told Fox News that oil and gas prices might stay the same or even go “a little bit higher” by the time of the midterm elections, in November. Iran has shown that it can withstand enormous punishment, including the assassination of top government officials. Meanwhile, America may be punishing itself. Related: The U.S. is back to squeezing Iran’s economy. Iran out-trolled the troller in chief. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 15 Author Members Posted April 15 Trump urges extending foreign surveillance program as some lawmakers push for US privacy protections Congress is set to take up the reauthorization of a divisive program expiring Monday that lets U.S. spy agencies pore over foreigners’ calls, texts and emails. Despite bipartisan criticism, supporters like President Donald Trump argued the program (also known as Section 702) is vital to national security. Read more. Why this matters: A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. It incidentally sweeps up the conversations of any Americans who interact with those foreigners targeted for surveillance. Critics point to longstanding concerns about warrantless surveillance of Americans and have called for changes, including a requirement for warrants, and limits on governments use of internet data brokers, who sell large volumes of personal information gleaned online. However, the chances of significant reforms dropped when Trump announced his support for the program’s renewal. Trump — a longtime critic of the nation’s intelligence sector who was once opposed to the program — argued that Section 702 had proven its worth in supplying information vital to recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and Iran. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Hopes rise for renewed talks as US military says Iran blockade is in force UN nuclear chief urges strict Iran checks in any deal to end war Lebanon and Israel hold first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington Children killed in Lebanon as Israeli strikes hit homes far from front lines of war with Hezbollah Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 15 Author Members Posted April 15 Trump Melts Down in Rapid-Fire Truth Social Posting Spree The president revealed what was keeping him up at night in a midnight rampage. President Donald Trump lashed out in a series of Truth Social posts overnight. The president revealed what was keeping him up at night in attacks directed at critics of his Iran war and his subsequent fights with NATO and Pope Leo XIV. In the first post, shared to Truth Social just before midnight, the 79-year-old took aim at the head of the Catholic Church and his repeated calls for peace in the Middle East. “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable,” Trump wrote before adding, “AMERICA IS BACK!!!” It was not immediately clear where Trump sourced his figures from, with some activists claiming more than 7,000 protestors had been killed in Iran, while others estimated that the total could exceed 30,000. Trump has been lashing out at the Chicago-born pontiff for several days, starting with a Sunday night meltdown in which he slammed the Catholic leader for being “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy” and accused him of supporting Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The pushback came after a 60 Minutes segment discussing the Pope’s stance on Trump’s war. In the second post, published five minutes after the first, Trump hit out at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, writing, “NATO wasn’t there for us, and they won’t be there for us in the future!” The president has repeatedly taken issue with the lack of support other NATO countries have shown for his war in Iran, publishing another Truth Social post on Thursday in which he lashed out at his allies. “None of these people, including our own, very disappointing, NATO, understood anything unless they have pressure placed upon them!!!” Trump wrote. Leaders of European nations like Spain have borne the brunt of Trump’s outrage, with the 79-year-old threatening to cut off all trade with Spain in response to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s refusal to cooperate with Trump’s war in Iran. Trump’s relationship with NATO has also been rocky, particularly after his repeated threats to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a fellow NATO member. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. Trump continued his posting spree with five additional posts linking to multiple articles published by Just the News on a range of topics, including his 2019 impeachment, his war in Iran, and the Democratic Party fundraising platform and PAC, ActBlue. “The most corrupt group in Government!” the president said of ActBlue. He took a break from his late-night frenzy to announce that he would be appearing on Fox Business for an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday morning. After an hour-long pause, he resumed posting, sharing screenshots of X posts written by his supporters. Two of those posts were about his ongoing feud with the pope and the backlash he faced after sharing an AI-generated image of himself depicted as Jesus Christ. One of those posts highlighted criticisms of the Trump administration that were sent from Pope Leo’s X account prior to his appointment as pope. “It’s fascinating to see what social media reveals about a person before they become the Pope,” the post reads, before noting that Leo, who was born Robert Prevost, had been critical of Trump and his vice president JD Vance, promoted COVID-19 vaccines, and condemned racism. “Not good!!!” Trump wrote in response to the post. Another post he shared featured two magazine covers from Newsweek and The New Republic portraying former President Barack Obama as a saintlike figure, noting that there was “zero outrage from Democrats or the left” at the time. The president, who eventually deleted the AI-generated image of himself as Christ, later claimed that he thought it was supposed to depict him as a doctor, not Christ. Several prominent MAGA figures were quick to criticize what they viewed as an act of sacrilege on the president’s part. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called the image “more than blasphemy,” adding, “It’s an Antichrist spirit,” while teenage MAGA influencer Brilyn Hollyhand slammed the image, writing on X, “Faith is not a prop.” Trump is known to be a night owl, routinely staying up late to fire off Truth Social posts and subsequently struggling to stay awake during the day. “Sometimes the president will call you at 12:30 or 2:00 in the morning, and then he’ll call you at 6:00 in the morning about a totally different topic,” JD Vance told Fox News in September. “It’s like, ‘Mr. President, did you go to sleep last night?’” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-melts-down-in-rapid-fire-truth-social-posting-spree/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 Prosecutors sought access to Federal Reserve building as Trump threatens to fire Powell WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors made an unannounced visit this week to a construction site at Federal Reserve headquarters that is the focus of an investigation into a $2.5 billion renovation project, according to two people familiar with the visit. https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-jerome-powell-trump-16f1777a974cf0dece60d78abe4eb973? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 As Vance rallies with Turning Point, some supporters bristle at Trump’s war, memes and feuds Fresh from a marathon trip to Pakistan that failed to reach a deal for ending the war with Iran, Vice President JD Vance jetted to Georgia for a campus tour organized by the conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA. But instead of showcasing the youthful energy that the organization harnessed to return President Donald Trump to the White House less than two years ago, there was a mostly empty arena, awkward questions and unusually sharp criticism. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Turning Point USA’s high school push in GOP states meets free speech and religion concerns FDA to weigh easing limits on unproven peptides favored by RFK Jr. and other MAHA figures Trump threatens to fire Powell if the Fed Chair remains with central bank after his term ends It’s Tax Day. Ahead of the deadline, 53 million filers used new Trump tax exemptions, Treasury says Tax procrastinators, this is how to seek an extension and some other tips at the IRS deadline Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 Trump promised peace in the Middle East. In Dearborn, Michigan, it feels farther away America’s largest Arab American community is grappling with ongoing crises. Families are anxious about relatives in Lebanon, which has been engulfed by the widening conflict with Iran. This anxiety is compounded by domestic pressures such as immigration enforcement and economic challenges. Many community leaders who supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 election say they would not back Republicans again. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Mediators move closer to extending US-Iran ceasefire, officials tell AP Flotilla carrying activists and aid for Palestinians in Gaza sets sail from Spain Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 Vance Teases MAGA Diehards With Jaw-Dropping Epstein Files Pledge It will almost certainly come back to bite him. Vice President JD Vance has simultaneously revived the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory and reignited scrutiny of the Epstein files. During a sparsely attended Turning Point USA event at Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia, on Tuesday, Vance, 41, appeared to try to woo the more conspiratorial members of the crowd who are still frustrated over the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. It was perhaps a good chance for Vance to score points for a potential 2028 White House run after it emerged earlier this week that he ranks as the least popular VP in modern history. During a Q&A session, he was asked for his stance on whether a “formal investigation” should be opened to check if the Justice Department shielded any powerful figures who were implicated in the Epstein files. Instead of directly answering the question, he touted his own conspiracy theory cred to apparently try and set himself apart from other administration officials. “I’m probably more obsessed with this than most officials,” he said, telling the audience that he’d read an email in the Epstein files in which someone had written to the convicted child sex offender about “some really nice, like, pizzas and grape sodas or something like that.” He acknowledged the language “sounded like the Pizzagate conspiracy theory” but insisted the message still warranted investigation. “My reaction to that was, ‘We should absolutely investigate that person,’” he said. “I’m going to follow up on that to see whether we’ve investigated that person because we should. We absolutely should when you see evidence of sexual assault, sexual misconduct regardless of whether you are powerful or not, you should probably investigate it more, if you’re a powerful person.” President Donald Trump’s acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, said in an interview earlier this month that the Epstein files “should not be a part of anything going forward,” suggesting federal prosecutors considered the matter closed. He made similar remarks in a podcast interview in March where he said the Pizzagate theory had already been firmly debunked and dismissed the suggestion that certain words in the files might be code words that should be investigated. Pizzagate is a debunked conspiracy theory that emerged during the 2016 presidential election and falsely claimed that hacked emails belonging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair, John Podesta, contained coded references to a child sex-trafficking ring operated by prominent Democrats out of a D.C. pizzeria. Law enforcement agencies quickly dismissed the allegations, but the theory generated real-world violence. That same December, Edgar Maddison Welch, a 28-year-old man from Salisbury, North Carolina, drove to the restaurant and discharged an AR-15-style rifle three times inside the restaurant in an attempt to “self-investigate” the alleged ring. No one was injured. Welch was sentenced to four years in prison by then-U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and was later killed by police in North Carolina in January 2025 after pointing a gun at officers during a traffic stop. Vance, in his comments on Tuesday, also seemed to play up other Epstein-related theories that Trump’s DOJ has dismissed. He told the crowd the late sex offender “clearly had extraordinary connections with intelligence services, both inside the United States and outside the United States.” Blanche has said there’s no evidence of Epstein being connected to foreign intelligence. Vance’s conspiracy-adjacent comments came at a bruising moment. As the Daily Beast reported Sunday, CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten has found him to be the least popular VP in modern history at this point in his tenure. His net approval has plunged 21 points—from plus 3 to minus 18—since taking office in January 2025. The Financial Times piled on a day later, publishing a column on Monday by veteran commentator Ed Luce headlined “The Ever-Shrinking JD Vance.” In it, Luce argued that Trump, 79, had deliberately sent his running mate on impossible missions—including the failed Iran peace talks in Islamabad and a campaign-trail appearance for Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, who was then routed in a landslide election—and that Vance was “no longer Trump’s obvious successor.” Vance also used Tuesday’s event to defend Trump from Epstein-related questions, insisting there was “no evidence of misconduct” on the president’s part and calling the suggestion that the two men were close friends “a hoax.” “If you look at the emails, it’s obvious that Jeffrey Epstein hated Donald J. Trump,” Vance said. “The fact that Jeffrey Epstein hates Donald J. Trump is a pretty good thing for Donald J. Trump.” A February New York Times analysis of the 3.5 million pages released by the Justice Department under the Epstein Files Transparency Act found more than 5,300 files containing over 38,000 references to Trump, his wife, his Mar-a-Lago club, and related terms. The president has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, maintaining that their relationship ended in the early 2000s. Vance’s flirtation with Pizzagate-adjacent thinking is, though, not new. In 2021, he tweeted that he thought about a column for The Week, headlined “The Jeffrey Epstein case is why people believe in Pizzagate,” roughly once a month. In the same period, he retweeted prominent conspiracy theorist and conservative influencer Jack Posobiec—who has since become a fixture in Trumpworld—while publicly musing about a government cover-up of Epstein’s crimes. As a senator in 2024, he told a podcast that authorities should “release the Epstein list,” a demand his team was later obliged to quietly retire once he was in a position to act on it. The Daily Beast has contacted the Office of the Vice President for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/vance-teases-maga-diehards-with-jaw-dropping-epstein-files-pledge/? ps:This administration will live on conspiracy theories as long as people continue to believe in its garbage!! Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 Stephen Miller Goes Full Tinfoil Hat by Pushing Wild Conspiracy Theory The top Trump ally made no effort to back up his claim on Fox News. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has peddled a bizarre conspiracy that Democrats hold onto “blackmail files” and use them against each other when convenient. In a typically deranged appearance on Fox News, host Jesse Watters asked the top Donald Trump ally whether the president has talked about Eric Swalwell, the California Democrat who resigned from the House amid rape and sexual assault allegations. “Why has he had a bad week, Jesse? I haven’t been watching,” Miller joked. “Swalwell is a scumbag. He is a terrible person, the worst of the worst, the lowest of the low, the most dishonest of the most dishonest. “But the real story here is how the Democrat Party controls its members through blackmail. It’s got a blackmail file on all of its politicians, and it uses them to leverage and control them until it’s time to release it,” Miller added. “That is how sick and twisted the Democrat Party is.” Miller made no effort to provide any evidence to back up his claims that Democratic lawmakers keep secret incriminating information on party members. The claim was also widely mocked online. “Every Republican accusation is a confession,” Mehdi Hasan, the progressive broadcaster and CEO of Zeteo, posted on X while sharing a clip of Miller’s rant. New Mexico state Rep. Joy Garratt added: “Honey, we hear rumors that Putin controls the president through blackmail. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, Mr. Miller!”Multiple Democratic figures had called on Swalwell to resign from office after the rape and sexual assault allegations emerged, which he denies. Swalwell also suspended his California gubernatorial campaign after multiple women, including one of his former aides, accused him of sexual misconduct. Swalwell is under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office over claims that he raped a woman in West Hollywood in July 2018. “I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell wrote in a Tuesday statement while announcing his congressional resignation. “I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.” A short time later, MAGA lawmaker Tony Gonzales also announced his own plans to resign from Congress. Gonzales admitted to an affair with a staff member who later died last September by setting herself on fire. Gonzales is also accused of demanding sexually explicit photos and sex from another staff member in 2020. https://www.thedailybeast.com/stephen-miller-goes-full-tinfoil-hat-by-pushing-wild-conspiracy-theory/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 Franchise Player (Kaylee Greenlee / Bloomberg / Getty) View in browser Anxiety among election officials and experts had been building for months before Donald Trump issued his latest executive order purporting to ensure election integrity late last month. When the actual text emerged, the reaction wasn’t relief exactly—but a definite sense that things could have been much worse. Americans have many reasons to be worried about whether the midterm elections will be free and fair. As I laid out in a cover story last fall, the president’s plan to subvert the 2026 election is multifaceted and already in swing. But last month’s order and the dismissive reaction it’s received from experts—along with this weekend’s decisive defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, which shows how the competitive-authoritarian playbook that Trump has imitated can be beaten—also point to the reasons to resist doomerism. “This is relatively mild stuff, at least compared to the draft EO that had been floating around from election denier conspiracy theorists that would have Trump declare a national emergency and take over all aspects of elections,” Richard L. Hasen, a top elections-law expert, wrote when Trump signed the order. As for what the scaled-down order does include, many observers have predicted that it is most likely to be found unconstitutional, just as some of Trump’s prior election moves have been. The order first mandates that the Department of Homeland Security work with the Social Security Administration to create a nationwide database of voting-age citizens, then share that with each state government. That alone wouldn’t force states to use the database, so the order requires that 60 days before an election, states submit to the U.S. Postal Service a list of voters to whom they intend to send a mail-in ballot or an absentee ballot. USPS would be barred from delivering ballots to anyone not on DHS’s relevant state list. You may have noticed that this is a byzantine way to achieve the apparent goal. That’s because Trump doesn’t actually have the powers that he’s claiming here. In general, the Constitution delegates control of elections to the states. Congress has the power to set election laws, but it hasn’t done so in this case. (The political scientist Seth Masket notes that when the federal government has intervened in the past, it has almost always done so to defend and broaden the franchise, not to restrict it.) In fact, congressional Republicans have not acted on Trump’s demand to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to present proof of citizenship when registering. Trump is trying to concoct a work-around by using DHS and USPS, but he still doesn’t have the power to interfere in state laws with executive orders. He also doesn’t have direct control over USPS, his intended mechanism. The 60-day deadline for submitting names would also be practically unworkable. As the North Carolina politics expert Chris Cooper points out, such a law would have effectively disenfranchised many of the Trump voters hit hardest by Hurricane Helene, just 39 days before the 2024 election. Experts’ skepticism of the order reminded me of a conversation I had last fall with Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University and a former Justice Department official, that made me wonder if I’ve been too pessimistic. Levitt has criticized many of Trump’s election moves (including the latest order) but also contends that although Trump has abused his powers in many spheres, he simply doesn’t have power to abuse in the election space. “There’s an awful lot of power that Congress has given the president where he’s got the switch. And then the question is, did he use it right or not?” Levitt told me. “But in elections, he doesn’t have the switch in the first place.” As I wrote last fall, Trump’s biggest influence over elections may be the power to create chaos. Many of the steps he’s taken to interfere with elections, including last month’s order as well as previous attempts to mandate state deadlines for accepting mail-in ballots and to bar states from using existing equipment, don’t really seem aimed at enforcing compliance. Instead, they seek to confuse voters about the rules of the election or to intimidate them into apathy, disengagement, or despair. “The most serious weak link is us. It’s always been us. If he can get us scared enough, panicked enough, to stop ourselves from voting, that’s really the only way he can change the meaningful conditions in 2026,” Levitt said. “If we choose not to listen, then we just choose not to listen.” It may not be quite that simple. Even if voters tune out the noise and maintain faith in the system, Trump might be trying to create grounds by which he can claim after the fact that an election in which Republicans fared poorly was rigged. He has been making claims like this since before the 2016 election, never with convincing evidence. The executive branch could attempt to seize ballots, try to invalidate elections, or conjure who knows what other mischief. Experts also worry about Trump deploying the military or DHS personnel to interfere with voting itself. And a deep dive from ProPublica this week spotlights some of the ways that the administration has removed guardrails that kept Trump from stealing the 2020 election. These threats are good reasons not to be complacent, but the opposite of complacency is vigilance, not panic. Related: Donald Trump’s plan to subvert the midterms is already under way. (From 2025) The latest ploy to help Republicans win elections ps:So what's the problem? If from what I've heard the democratic party is dead!! So what are we afraid of!!! Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 Stephen Miller Threatens Horrifying Timeline for Trump’s War The White House deputy chief of staff dropped the bomb on Fox News. One of President Donald Trump’s top aides, Stephen Miller, has warned that the Iran war could continue “indefinitely.” The White House deputy chief of staff was speaking on Fox News as a pact to end the conflict permanently remained elusive. “He wants Iran to choose the right path to make a deal,” he told veteran host Sean Hannity on his eponymous show. He then let slip a horrifying timeline for the war, telling the host: “This embargo is squeezing the economic life out of the Iranian regime, and the United States has the capacity to continue this indefinitely, if Iran chooses the wrong path.” Trump himself told Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo on Tuesday that “if they’re smart, it will end soon.” While the U.S. has no literal “embargo” in place, it has blocked Iranian ports and shipping routes, effectively stopping much of its sea trade. It’s also warning or penalizing foreign banks and countries that handle Iranian money or buy its oil, cutting the regime off from the global financial system. “The most important thing right now is seeing this mission through to completion,” Miller added. He said that “man of peace” Trump wants a cessation to the violence that has left more than 2,000 Iranians and 13 U.S. service members dead. “He wants a deal. He wants to choose the right path, but he will not allow Iran to pursue or achieve nuclear weapons. And this embargo and every other option is on the table as President Trump seeks that final, safe, secure outcome for the people of the world,” Miller ranted. Trump’s main justification for the war is that it is a vessel to decimate Iran’s nuclear capabilities. “They were gonna take out the Middle East,” he told Bartiromo. In the same interview, he also suggested that Iran could target the U.S.. However, while Iran possesses a significant stockpile of enriched uranium, including over 400 kg enriched to 60 percent, there is no conclusive evidence of an active, current weaponization program. Despite this, and despite the Trump administration’s messaging, a humiliating new poll shows that Americans are overwhelmingly skeptical of the war in Iran, with just 24 percent saying it has been worth the cost. The war has angered many of Trump’s MAGA supporters, who voted for him partly due to his promise to end “forever wars.” Economist/YouGov polling conducted before the conflict indicated that 53 percent of Trump voters opposed U.S. involvement in Iran. Meanwhile, Miller has been under fire after a pre-election post resurfaced in which he called Kamala Harris the “WWIII” presidential candidate. In the post, shared on X days before the 2024 general election, Miller accused the media of spreading “hoaxes” about which candidate would be more pro-peace and sharply contrasted the two campaigns in terms of war and foreign policy. “Trump said warmongering neocons love sending your kids to die for wars they would never fight themselves,” Miller wrote. “Liz Cheney is Kamala’s top advisor. Liz wants to invade the whole Middle East. Kamala = WWIII. Trump = Peace.” The war was launched on February 28 alongside Israel, which remains locked in skirmishes with Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. Israel insists that the U.S.-Israel ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon, its neighbor to the north. On Wednesday, Israel hit Hezbollah strongholds with strikes, whilst the group retaliated by bombarding northern Israel. Israeli troops also continued ground operations in southern Lebanon. While U.S. and Israeli officials have stressed that they do not consider Lebanon to be involved in the overall peace negotiations regarding “Operation Epic Fury,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese envoys in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. And, shortly before midnight on Wednesday, Trump announced that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon would hold talks for the first time in more than three decades. “Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years.” He added that a meeting would take place on Thursday. “Nice!” he concluded. https://www.thedailybeast.com/stephen-miller-threatens-horrifying-timeline-for-trumps-war/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 Republicans Break Ranks in Humiliating Snub to Trump Floor vote forced on Haitian protections in the first GOP revolt against immigration policy. Six House Republicans have broken with Donald Trump on immigration, forcing a floor vote to restore temporary legal protections for some 350,000 Haitians living in the U.S.The bill, co-introduced by Democrat Rep. Laura Gillen and Republican Rep. Michael Lawler, who both represent New York districts, would keep Haitians eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for three years—a program designed for people from countries gripped by armed conflict or environmental disaster. It marks the first time Republican lawmakers have voted to oppose Trump’s immigration policy since he returned to the White House. Many of the Republicans who broke ranks are facing increasingly difficult routes to re-election at the mid-terms as the threat of a blue wave terrifies Republicans. Rep. Lawler, who is defending a narrow majority in New York’s 17th congressional district in the lower Hudson Valley, made clear why he crossed the aisle. “I have one of the largest Haitian populations in the country in my district,” he told the Washington Post. “If you end [temporary protections] without addressing work authorization, it will cause a huge crisis in our health care system, especially in an area like mine, where a lot of our Haitian TPS holders are nurses.” The move used a discharge petition—a legislative tool that lets 218 or more representatives bypass the House Speaker and bring a bill to the floor. Joining Lawler were fellow Republican Reps. María Elvira Salazar and Carlos A. Gimenez of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Don Bacon of Nebraska, and Nicole Malliotakis, also of New York. Several cited the healthcare sector’s reliance on Haitian workers in their districts. “These are Haitian immigrants who are working, paying taxes and contributing to our economy and fulfilling a healthcare need,” Malliotakis said in a statement to the Post. “To strip them of their status and deport them to a country in peril would be uncompassionate and misguided.” The Trump administration moved to terminate TPS for Haitians in June, arguing that conditions had improved since the program was established in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake and declaring the country “safe.” Lower courts intervened to pause the termination—a ruling the administration has appealed—and the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on April 29. Business groups have lobbied hard against ending the program. “We cannot afford to lose the very people staffing our hospitals and nursing homes,” Rebecca Shi, CEO of the American Business Immigration Coalition, told the Post. “The success of the Haitian TPS discharge petition shows that economic reality is finally breaking through partisan gridlock.” Sarah Binder, a governance studies expert at the Brookings Institution, noted the particular significance of targeting immigration with a discharge petition. The move, she told the outlet, “goes straight at one of the Trump administration’s key deportation tools, which is to cancel this protected status for immigrants from particular countries.” At least five discharge petitions have now gathered the required 218 signatures this Congress—a markedly higher tally than the two that succeeded in the previous session. The House vote came days after Trump shared a social media video of a fatal attack allegedly carried out by a Haitian national at a Florida gas station, claiming that Democratic policies had allowed the alleged killer to obtain temporary protections. The push to end Haitian TPS is part of a wider administration effort to cancel the program for well over a million people, among them Venezuelans, Hondurans, and Afghans. The final passage in the House is expected on Thursday or Friday. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. An official said the administration understood members had to vote for their districts at times, but added that the “terrible bill” was “going nowhere and there has been a veto threat issued.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/republicans-break-ranks-in-humiliating-snub-to-donald-trump/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 Trump Yanks Millions From Catholic Charities Amid Pope Feud The organization has been helping unaccompanied migrant children for decades. The Trump administration has abruptly canceled a multimillion-dollar contract with a Catholic charity that houses and cares for migrant children amid the president’s feud with Pope Leo XIV.Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami has helped provide vital services to unaccompanied minors for more than 60 years, but could now shut down within a matter of months after the administration canceled an $11 million federal contract. The decision comes amid tensions between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo, the leader of the Catholic Church, over issues such as migration and the war in Iran. Trump has launched a series of attacks against the American-born pontiff, including suggesting Leo was “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The 79-year-old president also received intense criticism after he shared an image depicting himself as Jesus Christ on social media. Writing for the Miami Herald, Thomas Wenski, archbishop of Miami, said it is “baffling” that the government would want to shut down a service that has helped thousands of children who entered the U.S. without parents or guardians since the 1960s. “The Archdiocese of Miami’s services for unaccompanied minors have been recognized for their excellence and have served as a model for other agencies throughout the country,” Wenski wrote. “Our track record in serving this vulnerable population is unmatched. Yet, the Archdiocese of Miami’s Catholic Charities’ services for unaccompanied minors has been stripped of funding and will be forced to shut down within three months.” The Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, has had an arrangement for years for Catholic Charities to house immigrant children. The government reached out to the charity in March about the proposed cancellation of funding, the Miami Herald reported.A spokesperson for the department said the decision was because the number of unaccompanied migrant children in the agency’s care was “significantly lower,” at 1,900 under the Trump administration, compared to a peak of around 22,000 under the Biden administration. Wenski said that while the charity is dealing with fewer migrant children, the archbishop still believes it is “baffling that the U.S. government would shut down a program that it would be hard-pressed to replicate at the level of competence” shown by the church. It is unclear what will happen to the children currently in the care of Catholic Charities if the Miami-based organization closes. Robert Latham, associate director of the Children and Youth Law Clinic at the University of Miami Law School, said that it may be “incredibly psychologically harmful” for the children, who have already been through so much, to be relocated. “For little kids, moving repeatedly creates bonding issues and destroys the sense of both self and community. They don’t know who they are and where they will be [from day to day,]” Latham told the Herald. Trump has repeatedly doubled down on his attacks against Pope Leo and refused to apologize because he says the pontiff “said things that are wrong.” The president deleted the AI-generated image of himself as Jesus healing a man after claiming that he thought the image depicted him as a doctor. The Daily Beast has contacted Catholic Charities, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-yanks-millions-from-catholic-charities-amid-pope-feud/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 Trump Finally Finds Someone He Won’t Go After: Another Creep The Pope is fair game. But somehow, a Democratic alleged rapist gets a pass. At the midnight hour, President Donald Trump was on Truth Social, attacking Pope Leo XIV. In the morning, he was once again calling former FBI director James Comey a “dirty cop.” He also took a moment to mock former president Barack Obama for having underestimated him. He then offered an estimation of himself. This post shows him being embraced by Jesus in a toned-down AI image in the style of one that depicted him actually being Jesus. He had taken the earlier image down amidst cries of blasphemy, but he now made clear he was fine with the sequel: “The radical left lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!! President DJT” As Wednesday morning turned to afternoon, Trump engaged in some of his usual name-calling. The target of this post was a hedge fund billionaire billionaire Democrat who is running for governor of California. “Why is FoxNews showing SLEAZEBAG Tom Steyer, doing a big piece on him right now, and probably putting him ‘into play,’ instead of talking about Republican Candidates?“ he asked. Trump continued, “How can a Republican expect to win that State, with their Mail In Voting and Rigged Elections, when you have FoxNews promoting the Democrats? Nobody cares about Tom Steyer, he is a LOSER, but Fox is making it possible for a guy like this to win.” But Trump had been oddly understated two days before, when posting about an undeniable SLEAZEBAG who was the leading Democratic candidate in the California governor’s race until he withdrew in the midst of multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Until he resigned in disgrace, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell had been a fervent, standout Trump critic in Congress. He is a lead plaintiff in a suit brought by fellow members of congress along with several police officers against Trump in connection with the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol. Trump sought to have the suit thrown out, but the courts recently ruled against him. “Donald Trump thinks he can get away with murder,” Swalwell said in an April 1 statement. ”This lawsuit is long overdue for his hand in the destruction of our Capitol and the attack on our democracy on January 6. This case is for my colleagues, the brave Capitol Police officers, Americans everywhere, and the future of our nation.” He continued, “Those who incited and fueled the violence must be held responsible. I’m thankful that we will get some accountability and some measure of closure from that dark day. And that finally, the truth will come to light. We deserve it.” Such talk of accountability and the truth coming to light would seem to have made Swalwell a prime target for a Trump tirade. But Trump simply reposted a report from a right-wing site regarding the Swalwell scandal. “Swalwell suspends his campaign for California governor amid furor over sex assault allegations,” it said. In Trump nomenclature, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is routinely called “Crooked Nancy.” U.S. Senator Adam Schiff of California has long been called ”shifty Schiff.” But Swalwell has remained just Swalwell even as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called him a “scumbag” on Fox television. Trump has used that same slur to describe a wide range of other people. He posted that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is “one SICK scumbag.” For his part, Swalwell said during a congressional hearing that his Republican colleagues are “so lucky they’re not under oath, because they would have to tell you what they really think of Trump.” Swalwell added,” They call him crooked, they call him cruel, they call him a scumbag.” Trump did not reply in kind despite a reflex to do so that goes back to his elementary school playground days. It was left to Karoline Leavitt to say at the White House, “I think the allegations against former representative Swalwell are disgusting.” She added it was “quite plausible” that “there were many other Democrats in this town on Capitol Hill who knew about his, perhaps illegal behavior.” Why would Trump not say something similar? One possible reason is that a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse in a 2023 civil trial in Manhattan. For him to now condemn Swalwell for his behavior would likely cause people to recall how Trump was found to liable for sexual assault—although not for rape—during a 1996 encounter with the writer E. Jean Caroll at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan. Carroll could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. But her sworn testimony during the trial is on the public record. “I’m here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen,” Carroll testified. “He lied and shattered my reputation and I’m here to try to get my life back.” Sounds exactly like a SICK SCUMBAG. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-finally-finds-someone-he-wont-go-after-another-creep-eric-swalwell/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 How Trump’s AI Slop Propaganda War Went Up in Flames The president has found himself in a hell of a mess. Donald Trump likes to think of himself as a funny man. He doesn’t have the talent for jokes like Ronald Reagan or the easy charm of Bill Clinton. But he’s spent enough time in reality TV to play for laughs when he’s in the mood. He likes to drop the occasional bomb, with a crooked smile and the empathy of the late Don Rickets. The big problem is that he’s lost sight of his audience. And he is too old to understand how damaging that has become. Trump, 79, has done many crazy things in the first year of his second term. But by posting an AI picture of himself as Jesus Christ, he wasn’t just making a bad joke; he was giving ammunition to his enemies at home and abroad. The most unlikely of these is the Iranians, who have proved themselves the most adept propagandists. And they have managed to exploit a divided United States ... with Lego. Tehran has unleashed its Gen Z on America with startling results. It may be losing the military conflict, but it is winning the PR war. As a country, we like to laugh at ourselves. It’s why Saturday Night Live is such a cherished TV tradition. But how do we feel when the rest of the world is laughing at us? Trump likes to boast that he leads the most powerful country on the planet. But he is out of touch with his people. And it is difficult to go full-on dictator in a democracy. When Adolf Hitler talked of himself as a demigod during the Third Reich, nobody in Germany contradicted him. If Vladimir Putin wants to pose shirtless on a horse, the Russian media doesn’t publish before and after photos of his midriff. The Cambodians didn’t ridicule Pol Pot for murdering intellectuals with soft hands, and Kim Jong-il can say he was born under a shining star and a rainbow on a sacred mountain without any North Koreans invoking the equivalent of a 25th Amendment. Trump uses a clip of Ben Stiller’s 2008 comedy ‘Tropic Thunder’ to promote his strikes on Iran, and the actor demands he take it off social media, saying: “We have no interest in being part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.” America’s polarization is not altogether a bad thing. It means we can still enjoy debate. We can still protest. And we can still upbraid our president when we think he has overstepped the mark. Quite what the president was thinking by posting the Jesus meme is impossible to guess. It is clear he is no longer thinking straight, and none of the stooges that surround him have the cojones to tell him. He finally saw sense and took it down. And then blamed the “fake media” for not realizing all along that he was supposed to be an AI doctor and not a deity. That is another problem Trump has been unable to overcome, despite all his efforts; a democracy needs a free press to nourish and protect it. Trump has demeaned and insulted the media, but he cannot do away with it. He just doesn’t have that power, and he never will have. The biggest problem Trump has now is that he has given up the most important weapon in any U.S. president’s arsenal. The truth. We simply cannot believe what he says and does because experience has shown us he is not honest or straightforward about the facts. He demands cheerleaders, but it is no longer a game when you are playing with people’s lives. We don’t want boasting and belittling. We want to know what’s happening. So, when the president of the United States posts a picture of himself as Christ, or standing next to Christ, our first reaction is surprise, then shock, and ultimately disgust. Even worse, when Iran posts their own AI meme that takes Trump’s artificially generated picture and turns it into a video of Jesus throwing the president into the pits of hell, our first impulse is to ... laugh. We cannot help but smile at an Iranian post that reads: “TRUMP $20.28 per gallon.” South Park and SNL will poke fun at the president because, quite frankly, he is such an easy target. We laugh, but uneasily. He is the leader of our country, after all. We actually want him to do well. When Iran posts AI Lego videos showing the president hiding the Epstein files and memes of Trump as an ’80s rock star with a bouffant hairdo, crooning “Voyage Voyage” by Desireless, retitled “Blockade,” we can’t help but laugh along and share them with our friends. The joke is on us, of course. For decades, Iran’s conservative clerics have been terrified of Western culture and sought to keep it away from their own people. Most of the country has been kept offline since the beginning of the war in the world’s longest digital blackout. Iran’s free newspapers have been muzzled and its TV shows filled with propaganda. This is not a regime that promotes fun. It is the antithesis of the freedoms we cherish. There is an irony here. Had Trump trusted the mainstream media, he would be assured of an authentic portrayal—the likes of the New York Times, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal may not agree with everything Trump does, but they will always offer a context describing the realities of life under the ayatollah.Social media is an altogether different situation. There is no demand for balance. For Tehran, it’s the Wild West, and they can strike at will. If Trump and his acolytes, with their mean-minded responses to the media and their puerile humor, had kept something resembling dignity while asking American troops to lay down their lives for their country, we would at least have the moral high ground. But Trump gave that up a long time ago. The result is that America’s hard-fought reputation as the world’s defining democracy has gone where Iran’s AI engineers sent Trump’s attempt to represent himself as the Messiah. Down in flames. https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-trumps-ai-slop-propaganda-war-went-up-in-flames/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 16 Author Members Posted April 16 ‘God Squad’ withdrawal of protection for Gulf species draws another challenge Environmental groups are joining an effort to block rules from President Donald Trump’s administration exempting energy companies drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from legal protections for endangered species. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/04/15/god-squad-withdrawal-of-protection-for-gulf-species-draws-another-challenge/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 17 Author Members Posted April 17 Leak Reveals Jaw-Dropping Price of Photo Op With Trump It marks an acceleration in fundraising for the organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk. A marketing executive linked to Turning Point USA is offering private meetings and photo ops with President Donald Trump in exchange for a $500,000 donation to the conservative activist group’s political action committee. Trump is scheduled to appear Friday at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, for a “Build the Red Wall” campaign event organized by TPUSA, which was founded by slain activist Charlie Kirk and is now run by his widow, Erika. The rally itself is free, but select VIPs can also donate half-a-million dollars to the TPUSA PAC for a full event package that includes round-trip travel to Phoenix with a semi-private charter plane service, a private tour of TPUSA’s headquarters, and a one-on-one meeting with Trump, according to an email that was leaked to Judd Legum’s Popular Information Substack. “This experience will include participation in a brief conversation with the President, followed by a photo opportunity,” says the email, which was sent by Trump world insider Sinan Kanatsiz. Kanatsiz, the founder and CEO of a PR and government affairs firm called KCOMM, confirmed to Popular Information that he sent the email, which says donors will be put in touch with TPUSA’s senior major gifts director, Matt Scherr, who is handling RSVPs. At the bottom, the message says, “THIS EMAIL IS FOR RECIPIENT USE ONLY AND NOT FOR SHARING – CONFIDENTIAL.” Kanatsiz told Popular Information he was a “volunteer” helping TPUSA, and that he’d sent the email to a “few people,” though none of them accepted the invite. “I have a network of friends that want to support Turning Point that may have never met them,” he said. A website set up by TPUSA for the event makes no mention of the $500,000 package. In February, Kanatsiz posted on LinkedIn that he’d organized an event bringing together TPUSA’s leadership with venture capitalists, national security leaders, media, and business leaders. “My family and I are committed to Turning Point USA, to our country, to the administration, and most importantly the next generation of Americans,” he wrote. He also told Popular Information that he didn’t know whether anyone outside of his personal invitations had accepted the offer to pay $500,000 for a meeting with Trump. The Daily Beast has reached out to TPUSA and the White House for comment. Besides Trump, Friday’s event bills Erika Kirk and five Arizona representatives as speakers. Kirk had also been scheduled to attend an event in Georgia this week with Vice President JD Vance, but pulled out at the last minute due to unspecified threats. The rally turned out to be a dud, as only about one-quarter of the 8,000-person venue, Atkins Ford Arena in Athens, was filled for Vance’s speech. Journalist Eric Spracklen shared footage of the minimal attendance on X.com and posted, “They really want us to believe that the TPUSA event was safe enough for the Vice President but not for Erika Kirk? I’m not buying it. She canceled because they couldn’t pull more than a couple hundred people. This is the most telling thing I’ve ever seen.” The vice president was heckled while he was speaking, and protesters outside held up signs that read “What would the real Jesus do?,” “God does not hate, Turning Point does” and “Jesus warned us about J.D. Vance.” The capacity at Dream City Church, where Trump will speak on Friday, is more modest at about 4,500 people. As Popular Information’s Legum pointed out, the $500,000 fundraising offer represents a major acceleration in TPUSA PAC’s fundraising. Last year, Erika Kirk endorsed JD Vance for president in 2028, nearly three years before the election. https://www.thedailybeast.com/leak-reveals-jaw-dropping-price-of-photo-op-with-donald-trump/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 17 Author Members Posted April 17 Trump Hemorrhages Support as Key Voters Regret Backing Him Latino voters were central to Trump’s win in 2024. A growing share of Latino voters who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election now say they regret their decision, according to new polling. A new survey commissioned by Third Way and UnidosUS and published by Politico shows that more than a third of Latino Trump voters say they now regret voting for him. Latino voters were central to Trump’s win in 2024, with 43 percent of the demographic voting for him, up from 35 percent in 2020. But polls now suggest Trump is losing that support. Two-thirds of Latino voters who responded to the latest poll said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of both immigration and the economy. “The extent of the bottom falling out on Latino voter support for Trump is pretty staggering,” said Lanae Erickson, senior vice president at Third Way. “I think we realized it had softened, but it has really just absolutely eroded any gains that he and his party had made through 2024.” Several polls have shown Trump losing support among key parts of his base in recent months, including non-college educated white voters, young men, and working-class voters. For Latino voters, Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda has been a driver of the loss of support. A new poll shows Trump losing support among Latino voters. Third Way According to the poll, 41 percent of Latino voters want to “Abolish ICE,” while 70 percent of Latino voters agree that Trump and Republicans have gone too far on immigration. Other polling has also shown that Latino voters do not support Trump’s focus on deportations. CNN pollster Harry Enten said in January that Latinos were split on the president’s deportation plans at the start of his second term, with a CBS News/YouGov poll scoring Latinos at “even” on deportations. But after a year of deportations harming the Latino community, that number has plummeted to -34 points. “You rarely ever see a 35-point decline over a year, but it is happening with Trump among Latinos on his deportation program,” Enten said. “‘No, no, no,’ is what the Latino community is saying.” But dissatisfaction with Trump is mainly driven by economic concerns, especially since his war with Iran has sent oil prices soaring. The UnidosUS poll shows that 66 percent of Latino voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy. That could spell trouble ahead of the midterms in November, with the economy and the cost of living at the top of voters’ minds, even as Trump has called the affordability crisis a hoax. Ahead of the midterm elections, the poll shows Democrats holding a 4-point advantage over Republicans in a generic congressional ballot among all voters. But among Latino voters, that gap expands dramatically, with Democrats leading by a striking 30 points. In more bad news for Trump, Latino voters said they trust Democrats in Congress more than Republicans on every issue in the Third Way and UnidosUS poll. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hemorrhages-support-as-key-voters-regret-backing-him/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 17 Author Members Posted April 17 Trump’s Suck-Up Arts Chief Says One Supersized Arch Isn’t Enough Rodney Mims Cook Jr. thinks three tacky Trump-dedicated monuments would be better than one. Donald Trump’s chair of the Commission of Fine Arts wants the president to dramatically expand his plans to build tacky monuments to himself across the nation’s capital. “I think the president should do three,” Rodney Mims Cook Jr. told the Washington Post of the White House’s existing plans to build a 250-foot “Arch de Trump”—modeled loosely on France’s Arc de Triomphe—near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Cook says he’s already picked out two other prospective locations in the southeast of the city, near the John Philip Sousa Bridge and the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, even though the commission has not yet approved plans for the first.The panel convenes Thursday to review proposals for the monument, on which the White House is aiming to begin construction later this year to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Cook, already under fire for greenlighting Trump’s plans, now in action, to construct a colossal ballroom on the site where the East Wing of the White House once stood, did not confirm or deny whether he’d raised the possibility of the three arches with the president himself.Trump’s arch plans have drawn fierce opposition. A group of Vietnam War veterans—a conflict for which the president dodged the draft on five occasions—filed to block construction earlier in February because they say the monument threatens to disrupt historic sightlines of the nearby military cemetery. The veterans argued in their complaint that “by obstructing the symbolic and inspiring view from Arlington National Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial,” the planned arch “would dishonor their military and foreign service and the legacy of their comrades and other veterans buried” at the site. The complaint notes it also “would degrade their personal experience when visiting.” Cook’s panel itself is also under scrutiny. Trump dismissed all six previous commissioners last year and replaced them with appointees perceived to be more aligned with his administration, in a move that recalls his controversial MAGA restructuring of the Kennedy Center—or, as it is now known, The Donald Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment on this story. https://www.thedailybeast.com/president-donald-trumps-suck-up-arts-chief-rodney-mims-cook-jr-says-one-supersized-dc-arch-isnt-enough/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 17 Author Members Posted April 17 Triumphal Arch, Triumphant The US Commission of Fine Arts approved designs yesterday for President Donald Trump’s proposed white-and-gold Triumphal Arch. See renderings here. Conditional on the results of pending lawsuits, the arch will sit on Columbia Island, a human-made island in the Potomac River separating Washington, DC, from Arlington, Virginia. The monument stands at 250 feet (nearly 100 feet taller than Paris’ Arc de Triomphe) and commemorates the US’ 250th anniversary. At the arch’s base are four gold lions. Capping the structure is a 60-foot-tall, Lady Liberty-like gold statue facing the Washington Monument, flanked by gold eagles. Visitors would be able to access the viewing deck via an internal staircase or elevator. See the world’s tallest arches here. The Interior Department also got approval for two other proposed projects: an underground center to screen White House guests and painting for the exterior of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, part of the White House complex. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted April 17 Author Members Posted April 17 🚫 Trump ditches deportation showmanship Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Heather Diehl/Getty Images Axios' Brittany Gibson goes behind the scenes of the White House's new approach to its deportation campaign: The Trump administration is discarding its shock-and-awe publicity tactics on immigration after mass deportations were met with mass backlash. Why it matters: The White House has become allergic to the edgy memes, embedded camera crews and cosplaying officials that dominated former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's tenure. A former DHS official said "cooler heads have prevailed" in the White House, including chief of staff Susie Wiles and her outgoing deputy, James Blair. Other White House staffers, including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, have pushed DHS into some of the confrontations that tanked public opinion. 👀 Between the lines: The former agency official told Axios that last year, "there was a priority on people seeing the enforcement actions." "Some of the law enforcement actions you see, even if they're hardened criminals, it can be hard optics," the ex-official said. "They can be hard to stomach when you're seeing really physical altercations." 📊 The administration realizes its polling numbers have fallen on immigration enforcement. New DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin's first press stop (in business attire) was to promote FEMA's efforts in North Carolina. The latest: White House Border Czar Tom Homan, who was called in to become more involved with ICE's operations, said he's working on plans to change the agency's social media presence. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
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