Members phkrause Posted July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 NASA cuts endanger safety, employees warn in open letter to Trump admin Nearly 300 current and former NASA employees rebuked the Trump administration's "dismantling cuts and devastating attacks" in an open letter shared Monday. https://www.axios.com/2025/07/21/nasa-employees-trump-admin-funding-cuts-letter? 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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 Governance by Grudge (Al Drago / Bloomberg / Getty) View in browser Presidents are, like the rest of us, flawed human beings. Many of them had volcanic tempers: Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, and Joe Biden, among others, reportedly could sling Anglo-Saxonisms with gusto. In public, most of them managed to convey an image of geniality. (Nixon might be the exception there, but he embraced being an uptight square and his admirers found it endearing.) But all of them, regardless of their personality, had at least some notion about government, some sense of what they wanted to accomplish in the most powerful office in the world. Donald Trump exhibits no such guiding belief. From his first day as a candidate, Trump has appeared animated by anger, fear, and, most of all, pettiness, a small-minded vengefulness that takes the place of actual policy making. It taints the air in the executive branch like a forgotten bag of trash in a warm house on a summer day—even when you can’t see it, you know it’s there. Trump’s first run for office was itself a kind of petty tantrum. Trump had always wanted to run for president, a wish he expressed as far back as the 1980s. But Trump’s journey from pro-abortion-rights New York oligarch to anti-abortion Republican populist picked up speed after President Barack Obama humiliated him at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Trump denies that Obama’s jibes moved him to run, but he jumped into the open GOP field once Obama’s two terms were coming to an end, and to this day, he remains obsessed with the first and only Black president—to the point that he misspoke on at least one occasion and said that he defeated Obama, not Hillary Clinton, to win his first term. Trump’s second term has been a cavalcade of pettiness; his lieutenants have internalized the president’s culture of purges, retribution, and loyalty checks. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s insistence, for example, on renaming U.S. military bases after Confederate leaders has led to clumsy explanations about how the bases are now named for men who had names that are exactly like the 19th-century traitors’. This kind of explanation is the sort of thing that high-school teachers get from teenage smart alecks who think they’re being clever in class. My colleague Shane Harris recently reported an appalling story about how former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper sponsored a rescue dog to become a working animal at the CIA. He named the dog Susan, after his late wife, an animal lover who volunteered at a local shelter. Clapper was looking forward to attending Susan’s graduation ceremony at a CIA facility—but the agency, taking what it believed to be Trump’s lead, barred him from even setting foot on CIA property. (Trump despises Clapper, and blames him for what Trump calls “the Russia hoax,” among other slights against the president.) As Shane wrote: “The upshot is that an octogenarian Air Force retiree who spent half a century in his nation’s service was not allowed to attend a party for a dog he essentially donated to the government and named after his dead wife.” Meanwhile, those still in government are being harassed and driven out of public service because of who they know—or even what they might be thinking. Over at the FBI, as I wrote earlier this month, Director Kash Patel is reportedly strapping people to polygraph machines to find out whether anyone is saying bad things about him. Michael Feinberg, a senior FBI counterintelligence agent, was told that he could accept a demotion or resign because of his friendship with Peter Strzok, an agent fired years ago who has long been an object of Trump’s wrath. Now Trump wants to fire Fed Chairman Jerome Powell because Powell refuses to lower interest rates and make Trump’s economy look better than it is. (Inflation and joblessness are both rising.) Trump can’t summarily fire Powell, but the president is taking the Fed chair’s opposition so personally that he is already ginning up a baseless accusation that Powell is somehow guilty of malfeasance on a building project, on the theory that it might be the kind of misconduct that would allow Trump to remove him. Even on matters of grave international importance, Trump governs by emotion rather than any coherent sense of policy. A few weeks ago, the president seemed to change course on the war in Ukraine. He said he would allow arms shipments to continue, and promised last week to have advanced systems such as Patriot missile batteries sent to Ukraine. Trump’s own Defense Department was caught flat-footed after repeatedly putting a stop to those shipments. (After all, Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance seemed to be on Vladimir Putin’s side after they engaged in an unseemly—and yes, petty—ambush of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House this past winter.) But Putin had finally done something worse than murdering thousands of Ukrainian civilians and kidnapping Ukrainian children: He had made Donald Trump look like a chump. Putin refused to help Trump fulfill an unwise campaign promise by acceding to a cease-fire. Instead, the Russian president has unleashed some of the most violent attacks of the war, a raised middle finger to the White House and its chief occupant. You can do a lot of bad things around Trump. You can ignore court orders. You can deport people without due process. You can let Ukrainian rivers fill with the blood of innocent people. But when you make Trump look weak or stupid, you’ve gone too far. Trump’s promises on Ukraine might amount to very little. Emotional reactions pass quickly, and Trump’s attention span is measured in milliseconds; he flip-flops on everything from trade to friendships. So far, some shipments to Ukraine have resumed, but Trump has also offered Putin a respite of 50 days to come to the table—which would be just about the number of days left of good weather for military operations. (“Fifty days” could also be just another version of the way Trump uses “two weeks” to punt issues that he doesn’t want to deal with further downstream.) Now Trump’s attention seems to be on strong-arming the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians football and baseball teams into reclaiming their old names, the Redskins and the Indians. It’s possible that Trump is responding to some hidden groundswell of nostalgia. He’s also not the first president to get fired up about Washington’s home team: Obama was clearly interested in getting rid of the Redskins name, and undoing anything Obama did is something of a Trumpian rule. More likely, however, Trump is focusing on this small issue in the hopes of picking a racist scab that will occupy the attention of his base—because much of that base right now is deeply angry about a supposed cover-up relating to Trump’s former friend and the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Yet again, when trying to throw red meat to the faithful, Trump picked something small and silly. Trump rules by appeals to grievances—rather than focusing on substantive national problems—because at least some of the MAGA movement revels in that kind of cruelty. This culture-warring behavior helped get him elected, and Trump’s voters have been willing to join him on these capricious roller-coaster rides for the first six months of his second term. But roller coasters don’t have actual destinations, and sooner or later, even the most dedicated riders will want to get off. Related: Former intel chief banned from dog’s graduation ceremony Trump’s only real worldview is pettiness. (From 2023) 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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 Trump's forever grudge Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos via Getty Images President Trump is redirecting his fury over the Jeffrey Epstein files into one of MAGA's oldest obsessions: punishing Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and officials involved in the 2016 Russia investigation, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: In Trump's view, any documents linking him to Epstein are a "hoax" cooked up by the forces behind the Russia probe. To him, it's all one story — a years-long "witch hunt" that plagued his presidency from Day 1. Seizing on new criminal referrals by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Trump on Sunday posted an AI-generated video on Truth Social showing Obama being arrested by the FBI. It's the kind of trollish meme Trump shared often while out of office — but that now carries new weight, as his Justice Department escalates efforts to target his longtime political enemies. ? Zoom in: After weeks of stewing over the Epstein scandal, MAGA was jolted by a new memo from Gabbard accusing Obama administration officials of a "treasonous conspiracy" to sabotage Trump's presidency in 2016. The "new evidence" centers on findings from the Obama-era intelligence community that Russia didn't alter vote tallies by hacking election infrastructure. Gabbard alleges that senior Obama officials suppressed or manipulated these internal assessments to support a broader narrative that Russia had intervened in the 2016 election to help Trump. Via Truth Social ? Reality check: No serious investigation ever claimed Russia changed actual vote tallies. The FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia focused largely on Moscow's influence campaign, including the hacking and leaking of Democratic emails. Special counsel Robert Mueller and the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee — where now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio was a senior member — both concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump win. Zoom out: Gabbard's claims of a "years-long coup" against Trump landed exactly as intended — exhilarating a MAGA base that has grown restless over the president's attempts to move on from the Epstein case. With Gabbard referring the findings to the Justice Department, MAGA is now primed to expect prosecutions of Obama, Clinton, former FBI director James Comey, former CIA director John Brennan and other high-profile officials. But as with the Epstein files, there's a real risk of overpromising and underdelivering — both in terms of alienating supporters and further politicizing the justice system. Read the DNI release ... and memo. 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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 ? Scoop: Trump team lifts little-noticed stat Trump administration economists are spotlighting a little-noticed piece of federal data they argue shows a business investment surge is in the works — one that could have lasting consequences for U.S. growth, Axios' Neil Irwin writes. Production of business equipment surged in the first half of the year, according to Fed data. Why it matters: Industrial production of business equipment is an early indicator of capital spending — investments in property, equipment and technology — that ultimately fuels higher productivity and higher incomes. These are the goods companies buy to increase their productive capacity — a bet on future growth. It includes everything from tractor-trailers to computer servers to industrial machinery. Axios has learned that Treasury officials will soon begin highlighting this data as a key economic achievement of the administration. Between the lines: Trump administration officials view increasing business capital investment as the linchpin of their economic agenda, including ultimately driving gains in blue-collar wages. Keep reading. 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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 Food benefits The Trump administration has said that healthy eating is a priority. Its “Make America Healthy Again” report even cited poor diet as a cause of childhood illnesses and chronic diseases. Yet President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which he signed into law on July 4, will make it harder for people to qualify for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by expanding existing work requirements. The law also cut $186 billion — or about 20% — of the food assistance program’s budget through 2034. According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, that means about 3 million people will lose their SNAP benefits, and millions more will see their benefits reduced. Without that assistance, many Americans will have a harder time accessing nutritious food. “People are going to have to rely on cheaper food, which we know is more likely to be processed, less healthy,” said Kate Bauer, associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan. 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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 Trump’s Labor Department proposes more than 60 rule changes in a push to deregulate workplaces The U.S. Department of Labor is aiming to rewrite or repeal more than 60 “obsolete” workplace regulations, ranging from minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities to standards governing exposure to harmful substances. Read more. Why this matters: The Labor Department says the goal is to reduce costly, burdensome rules imposed under previous administrations, and to deliver on President Donald Trump’s commitment to restore American prosperity through deregulation. If approved, the wide-ranging changes unveiled this month also would affect working conditions at construction sites and in mines, and limit the government’s ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaging in inherently risky activities. Critics say the proposals would put workers at greater risk of harm, with women and members of minority groups bearing a disproportionate impact. Under one of the Labor Department’s proposals, an estimated 3.7 million workers employed by home care agencies could be paid below the federal minimum wage — currently $7.25 per hour — and made ineligible for overtime pay if they aren’t covered by corresponding state laws. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ White House boots Wall Street Journal from press pool on Scotland trip over Epstein story Johnson says no House vote on Epstein files this week Budget office says Trump’s tax law will add $3.4 trillion to deficits, leave 10 million uninsured McDowell County, West Virginia, birthplace of food stamps, faces a disappearing safety net Stellantis warns of $2.7 billion loss for 1st half of 2025 due to tariffs and some big charges Trump and Philippine leader plan to talk tariffs and China at the White House Pentagon withdraws 700 Marines from Los Angeles Federal agents in Miami arrest a prominent Haitian businessman and once presidential hopeful Venezuela investigating alleged mistreatment of migrants Trump sent to El Salvador There are many illegal marijuana farms, but federal agents targeted California’s biggest legal one Planned Parenthood wins partial victory in legal fight with Trump administration over funding cuts The government was once a steady partner for nonprofits. That’s changing Trump officials lash out at NYC as second suspect nabbed in shooting of off-duty US customs officer Ex-NYPD commissioner accuses NYC mayor of ‘character assassination’ in $10 million defamation claim Zohran Mamdani visiting Uganda during NYC mayoral campaign 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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 MAGA Demands Obama in Real Handcuffs in Wild Conspiracy Meltdown The former president is facing bizarre accusations of masterminding a “seditious coup” against Trump back in 2016. Team MAGA is going all-in on trying to make Tulsi Gabbard’s half-baked Obama conspiracy stick. As President Donald Trump was facing his own supporters’ fury over the administration’s failure to provide new evidence in the Jeffrey Epstein case, Gabbard announced last week she had uncovered a “treasonous conspiracy” involving Obama. Gabbard Feeds MAGA an Obama Conspiracy Amid Epstein BlowbackRED HERRING Emell Derra Adolphus In a series of social media posts, the director of national intelligence accused former President Barack Obama of “politicizing” and “weaponizing” intelligence back in December 2016, in order to “lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup” against Trump. The basic thrust of the new claims is that Obama used the lame-duck period at the end of his presidency to kickstart what Trump calls the “Russia Hoax.” After the election, Obama directed the intelligence community to investigate Russia’s potential meddling, “contradicting” previous assessments, Gabbard wrote. The previous assessments that Gabbard cited, however, found that Russia had not hacked electronic voting machines—not that Russian President Vladimir Putin hadn’t interfered in the election at all. Gabbard nevertheless wrote that she was sending all the documents to the Department of Justice, and White House officials breathlessly reposted the non-scandal. Trump shared a fake video made with artificial intelligence that showed Obama being hauled out of the White House in handcuffs and then pacing a jail cell in an orange jumpsuit. Now, other key MAGA figures are jumping on board trying to accuse Obama—whose most notorious presidential scandal may have been wearing a tan suit—of masterminding a “seditious coup.” House Speaker Mike Johnson said during an interview with CBN News that Congress was considering opening an investigation and could subpoena Obama, adding that he “had no concerns” about calling in a former president to sit for a deposition. “If it’s uncomfortable for him, he shouldn’t have been involved in overseeing this, which is what it appears to us has happened,” he said. Retired Gen. Michael Flynn told MAGA provocateur Benny Johnson that the possibility of Obama facing a military tribunal “ought to be explored,” given the president’s role as the commander-in-chief. Far-right influencer and podcast host Matt Walsh also called for Obama’s arrest, saying that if Gabbard’s claims are true—which they “obviously” are—Obama “should be in handcuffs.” Perhaps hinting at the reality-check that got the Trump administration into the Epstein mess, he continued on the latest episode of The Matt Walsh Show, “You cannot allege a treasonous conspiracy and then do nothing about it... Go arrest these people and bring them to justice.” This despite the fact that a massive bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded in 2020 that Russia had “engaged in an aggressive, multi-faceted effort to influence, or attempt to influence, the outcome of the 2016 presidential election” in Trump’s favor. A 2018 House investigation, which was led by Republicans, reached a similar conclusion, though it didn’t specify that Russia’s interference aimed to help Trump, CNN reported. Some of Trump’s own allies, including his former national security adviser Mike Waltz, have said that Russia is trying to destabilize the U.S. by interfering in its elections, even as they deny that Trump has colluded with Putin. John Ratcliffe, who was Trump’s director of national intelligence during his first term and now serves as his CIA director, said during his confirmation hearing that Russia had “meddled in or interfered with active measures in 2016,” CNN reported. Trump, 79, Posts Deranged AI Video of Obama Being ArrestedSUNDAY SCARIES Josephine Harvey “They interfered in 2018. They will attempt to do so in 2020. They have a goal of sowing discord, and they have been successful in sowing discord,” he testified. Just days before Gabbard conveniently shifted the narrative from Epstein to Obama, Ratcliffe issued a report praising the “robust” tradecraft and “analytic rigor” of the original intelligence assessment that Obama ordered. https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-demands-obama-in-handcuffs-in-wild-conspiracy-meltdown/? ps:So the master of conspiracy theories is at it again!!!!! He's got himself into a pickle so he needs someone to take the heat off of himself and get people to look into someone else and Obama happens to be a great target!!!!! 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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 Trump Spent the Night Terrified of Epstein Files Drama: MSNBC Host President Trump reveals his real fears as he fails to cover the Epstein files with his trademark “obsessive” attack posts. Donald Trump is living in fear over the omnipresent Jeffrey Epstein issue, according to MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell. On his program The Last Word on Monday, O’Donnell pointed out how unusual it was that the outspoken president had said nothing about Epstein that day. The host said that “obsessive, relentless social media posts” were one way Trump expresses how “terrified” he is of a person or an issue. He added, “The other way Donald Trump communicates his fear is silence, which is also what he’s been doing. And so, judging by his silence, Donald Trump is living in abject terror tonight of the Epstein files. Donald Trump spent the day in silence today about the Epstein files.” He added, “The man who loves to have the cameras aimed at him while he plays with questions from reporters without ever actually answering them didn’t dare allow reporters to get anywhere near him today.” On Monday, Trump went on a Truth Social posting spree to distract from the Epstein issue. He covered everything from calling Barack Obama a “major threat” to America to calling his Republican nemesis Thomas Massie a “total loser.” Trump Goes on Crazed Posting Spree to Distract From EpsteinKEYBOARD WARRIOR Erkki Forster However, the previous day, Trump had used his Truth Social account to claim it was “radical left lunatics” and “troublemakers” pushing for the release of further information about Epstein. That prompted O’Donnell to say, “One of those radical left lunatics, I guess, is Marjorie Taylor Greene, according to Donald Trump’s description.” The host said MTG has always been supportive of Donald Trump, but she remains one of the MAGA faithful who want the entire Epstein files released. There is pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi to release more documents about the disgraced financier who was friends with Trump. On Monday, Taylor Greene said, “For the past, gosh, more than a week the highest volume of calls into my office have been about Epstein. People want the information, they don’t want things covered up, especially when it comes to the most well-known convicted pedophile in modern day history. It’s important to them and they really want the information out.” The Epstein and Trump connection is not going away any time soon, despite Trump’s silent protest. On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter Bernice even weighed into the Epstein debate. On the same day the Trump administration released the records pertaining to the FBI’s surveillance of her father, Bernice posted on X, “Now, do the Epstein files.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-spent-the-night-terrified-of-epstein-files-drama-msnbc-host/? 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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 This Is How Trump Turned the Presidency Into Pure Grift: Conservative Conservative commentator David Frum says Donald Trump’s use of the presidency for personal gain is like nothing else in American history. President Donald Trump’s shady financial dealings have turned his second term into a brazen moneymaking scheme, says The Atlantic’s David Frum. On the latest episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, the conservative writer who recently launched the podcast “The David Frum Show” told host Joanna Coles that while it’s nothing new for Trump to use his office for personal gain, his dealings since the inauguration have spiraled into unprecedented territory. “In Trump’s first term… he made improper millions of dollars,” says Frum, who left the Republican Party after Trump’s 2024 reelection. “But in the second term, he’s making improper billions of dollars through his coin operations, through other forms of payment, his relatives and family.” While presidents have traditionally followed a series of norms and laws barring them from using their office for financial gain, Frum says Trump has “trampled” that precedent. For one, Trump has made billions of dollars on $TRUMP, a memecoin that gained ire on both sides of the congressional aisle when the president hosted a private dinner at his Virginia golf resort for the coin’s top 220 investors. The top 25 investors were even offered an exclusive tour of the White House. More recently, Frum says Trump’s not-yet-constructed presidential library has become an avenue to launder several million, if not several billion, dollars through so-called “donations.” Perhaps the most glaring instance of Trump shuffling a gift through his library, argues Frum, was when he accepted a $400 million plane from the Qatari government in May. At the time, the White House said the plane would be considered a gift to the Department of Defense while Trump is in office, then will be kept at his presidential library after his term ends. “In this case, Trump is allowing you to think that ‘library’ means the plane’s on the ground, but there’s no guarantee of that,” says Frum. ”This plane is going to be flying him around and his relatives and friends. It’s a personal gift to Trump from the government of Qatar.” However, the Qatari plane is far from the only time Trump has raised suspicion while accepting a notable donation to his presidential library. As part of his settlement with Paramount, the media giant agreed to pay $15 million to Trump’s library. In a July 5 essay for The Atlantic, Frum argued that settlement amounted to bribery. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren seems to agree. On July 2, Warren announced she and fellow senators Bernie Sanders and Tom Wyden would launch an investigation into whether the settlement violated anti-bribery laws. “In the Trump case,” says Frum, “[Presidential libraries] become ways to launder money again, and not millions, not single millions of dollars, but multiple millions of dollars and even billions of dollars.” Not only do Trump’s financial dealings break from presidential norms, but Frum says the lack of pushback from Republicans in Congress only exacerbates the issue. “People who stood up to him found their political careers over,” says Frum. “I would venture to say that probably many, certainly in the Republican Senate, disapprove of Donald Trump’s financial operations. But they don’t dare say so, and they certainly don’t dare do anything about it. And if they tried, they fear they would fail, and they’re probably right.” The result, Frum tells Coles, is that Republicans have tacitly given Trump an unprecedented level of power to abuse his position as president for financial gain. “What is happening with Trump, the scale of it and the fact that the president himself is a personal party, not just his ne’er-do-well children, but the president himself,” says Frum. “The scale and the location, that you’ve never seen anything remotely like that in American history. Never.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-daily-beast-podcast-david-frum-tells-how-trump-corrupted-the-presidency-into-an-atm/? 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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 Trump’s Sexual Bragging About Young Women Comes Back to Haunt Him An eyebrow-raising comment Trump made on “The Howard Stern Show” is making the rounds on social media. President Donald Trump’s boasts about dating younger women are making waves as renewed attention falls on his long friendship with late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a 2006 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Trump bragged, “If I weren’t married, I’d be able to get... all the girls I want.” He added that he was “very happy” with his wife Melania, whom he had married the year prior. “Do you think you could now be banging 24-year-olds?” Howard Stern asked. “Oh, absolutely. I have no trouble,” replied Trump, who was 60 at the time, adding, “I have no problem.” Co-host Robin Quivers pressed further: “Yeah, do you have an age limit?” “No, no, I have no age—,” Trump began. “I mean, I have an age—I don’t want to be like Congressman Foley, with, you know, 12-year-olds.” Trump was referring to former Rep. Mark Foley, a Republican from Florida, who resigned from the House that year after sending sexually explicit messages to underage teenage boys who were working as Congressional pages, one of whom was just 16. Curiously, Foley was later spotted sitting directly behind Trump at a 2016 rally in Florida, in a section reserved by Trump campaign staff. In another clip making the rounds online, a 46-year-old Trump is heard speaking to what appears to be a group of young girls walking by during an Entertainment Tonight interview in 1992. He asks them, “You’re going up the escalator?” A young voice is heard replying, “Yeah.” Trump then says, “I’m gonna be dating her in 10 years. Can you believe it?” Reached for comment, Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement: “The disgusting insinuation by the Daily Beast is beyond the pale and does a great disservice to survivors. The Daily Beast is devoid of morals or compassion, all because they want to play political games.” Trump’s old comments about dating young girls have been circulating online after The Wall Street Journal published fresh details about his relationship with Epstein, who allegedly sexually abused underage girls as young as 11 in his sex-trafficking ring. The report included an alleged Trump-signed birthday letter to Epstein from 2003 featuring a nude female silhouette and a typed-out fictional exchange between the two men, written in the third person. The alleged-note reads in part: Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it. Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you. Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret. Trump insisted that he did not write the letter nor draw the naked woman. He filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its report on Friday. Trump’s friendship with Epstein spanned from the late 1980s to 2004, during which time he has claimed to have been unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities. https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-sexual-age-limit-comments-on-the-howard-stern-show-come-back-to-bite-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 July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 Trump’s Redistricting Push Sparks Arms Race Threat for 2026 Midterms As Texas Republicans move to redraw congressional districts in favor of the GOP, some Democrats warn they will fight fire with fire. Democrats have signaled they’re ready to jump into a redistricting arms race after President Donald Trump pushed Republicans to skew Texas’ congressional districts to favor the party in the 2026 midterms. Republicans in the state are set to begin redrawing its congressional maps this week, in an effort to eke out as many as five new winnable seats for their party as the president looks to thwart Democrats from flipping the House next November. It is a sign of how vulnerable House Republicans are in the upcoming midterms, as they hold just a three-seat majority. Democrats have branded the move as an attempt to “rig” the system. Rep. Jennifer McClellan of Virginia on Monday warned Republicans need to understand “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” and that Democrats won’t let them “change the rules of the game and not respond.” And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also indicated Democrats are ready to respond in kind in blue states. “We continue to have conversations with the state delegations, whether that’s in California or New York or beyond, to explore what the opportunities and possibilities are in order to make sure the congressional map in 2026 is as fair as possible,” Jeffries said on Monday. Jeffries, like other Democrats, is grappling with how to move forward—the party has tried to paint itself as supporting proportional maps, but in the face of what they have called blatant cheating by Republicans, some are changing their tune. Jeffries admitted the maps in his home state of New York are not as balanced as they could be during an appearance on CNN over the weekend, but he argued Democrats are committed to fairness when possible. At the same time, he deferred to state delegation leaders—and added that would not speak for a state like California where Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom indicated he would fight fire with fire. “Trump said he’s going to steal five Congressional seats in Texas and gerrymander his way into a 2026 win. Well, two can play that game,” Newsom said on Pod Save America last week. “Special sessions. Special elections. Ballot initiatives. New laws. It’s all on the table when democracy is on the line.” Earlier this month, Trump publicly pushed for Texas to amend its maps, telling reporters that “just a simple redrawing” would result in the five seat GOP gain, while hurting the chances of Texas Democrats seeking re-election. How states redraws districts is largely left to their legislatures; while some, like in Texas, continue to draw their congressional maps, other have created independent or political commissions to redraw their districts. Beyond California, other Democrat-controlled states including Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington could also move to shift their districts in an effort to flip seats from red to blue in response to the Texas effort, according to CNN. Democrats also point to North Carolina as a state Republicans have already gerrymandered to help them stay in the majority. Prior to the 2024 election, North Carolina’s congressional delegation reflected court-ordered maps and was split evenly seven-seven. After maps were redrawn by the Republican-controlled Assembly, however, the state sent a delegation with ten Republicans and four Democrats to Washington in 2024. Without the change, Democrats believe they would have won the House. While it’s not typical for state legislatures to redistrict mid-decade, it’s becoming more common. Ohio’s maps were only temporarily valid for 2022 and 2024, for example, stemming from a legal fight, so it will be redistricting this year. It is also not the first time Republicans in Texas have moved to redistrict mid-decade. In 2003, Republicans in the state were able to redraw districts during a series of special sessions which yielded a 21 to 11 GOP delegation in the 2004 election, widening their majority. Texas Democratic Reps. Marc Veasey and Lizzie Fletcher have introduced the Anti-Rigging Act, legislation seeking to ban mid-decade redistricting unless required by courts, but it’s not expected to pass. Both have indicated they support Democratic party leaders looking to redraw maps in other states in response to Texas. Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, has also vowed that if Republicans go down the redistricting path, the DNC will give them a showdown. “When Texans are hurting and suffering after this flooding, Greg Abbott and Donald Trump are using this crisis to try to steal political power. We are not going to let them do that, and guess what? I think a few Democratic governors might have something to say about that,” Martin said on MSNBC. Any redistricting arms race will be extremely expensive and a short turnaround ahead of next year’s midterms, but there is also the reality that the GOP’s efforts in Texas could also backfire. If Republicans push to squeeze out these extra seats, it means they would likely have to dilute already safe red seats by adding Democratic voters to the districts. (The same could be said of blue districts if Democrats respond in kind.) Jeffries on Monday pointed to this vulnerability as Democrats weigh their response. He dubbed it a “dummymander” in a state already drawn to help Republicans. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-texas-redistricting-push-sparks-arms-race-threat-for-2026-midterms/? 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 Bondi Pleads for Ghislaine to Bail Her Out of Epstein Crisis The department reached out to the convicted sex offender a week after telling the Supreme Court to reject her appeal. Attorney General Pam Bondi has sought an urgent meeting with convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell in another bid to quell the political firestorm over the Epstein files. Two weeks after issuing a memo declaring there was no further incriminating evidence regarding the crimes or death of Jeffrey Epstein, Bondi’s department has reached out to Maxwell, who was his girlfriend and accomplice, hoping she may spill his secrets. “President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,” deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said in a statement on Tuesday. “Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department. I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days.” Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy for helping Epstein recruit and abuse underage girls. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The 63-year-old had been urging the Supreme Court to review her case, but the Department of Justice had asked the court to turn away her appeal just over a week ago. Now, it is seeking a meeting with her as the Trump administration continues to face a MAGA backlash over its handling of the case. “Call me crazy... but wouldn’t you have talked to Ghislaine BEFORE writing a memo that there was no Epstein list and that the investigation was closed?” Matt Van Swol, a former nuclear scientist for the US Department of Energy, wrote on X. Trump loyalist Laura Loomer, who previously called for Bondi to be sacked over the issue, agreed. “Why wasn’t this “interview” with Ghislaine Maxwell done on day 1?" she asked. MAGA outrage over the Epstein files began earlier this month, after Bondi’s department issued a July 6 memo declaring there was no evidence to suggest that the disgraced financier was murdered or that he had a “client list”, something that many Trump supporters have long believed. Trump, who promised to be transparent about the case, has since tried to brand the issue as a Democratic hoax, and has become so frustrated by the issue that he accused “past” supporters of buying into “bullshit”. But in his statement, Blanche said the department stood by its July memo. “The joint statement by the DOJ and FBI of July 6 remains as accurate today as it was when it was written,” he said. “Namely, that in the recent thorough review of the files maintained by the FBI in the Epstein case, no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” If Maxwell agrees to meet with the department, her evidence could shed light on a Wall Street Journal article, published last week, with details of a letter Trump allegedly wrote Epstein 20 years ago. The letter, which Trump denies was his, was organized by Maxwell and given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, before he was convicted in Florida for sex with an underage girl. According to the Wall Street Journal, it contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman. “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” Trump is alleged to have written on the gift. “Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? … Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump ,however, insists the “fake story” has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, for publishing it. He also asked Bondi to “produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.” “This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead,” Blanche said. https://www.thedailybeast.com/bondi-pleads-for-ghislaine-to-bail-her-out-of-epstein-crisis/? 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 Epstein Victim Blasts Trump for Lying: ‘He’s Caught’ The president just keeps trying to distance himself. An artist who accused Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell of sexual assault nearly 30 years ago has called out Donald Trump for “lying” about an alleged incident in the late financier’s office. Maria Farmer said she was summoned to Epstein’s Manhattan office one night in 1995. At the time she was 25 and the financier had recruited her to acquire art. She ran to the meeting, so was in exercise shorts. In an interview on CNN’s Erin Burnett Out Front on Monday, Farmer said while waiting for Epstein to come out of his office, she noticed a “tall, imposing” man in the office that she recognized as Donald Trump. Epstein Victim Twice Urged FBI to Investigate TrumpTHE NAME ON EVERYBODY’S LIPS Emell Derra Adolphus “He walked up a few feet from me and just stood over me in a very imposing way,” Farmer says of Trump. “And he looked at me like he was in on some secret or something. It was really weird, like smirking. And I felt threatened.” The artist said she made an “ugly” face, at which point Trump “backed off” and Epstein came out of his office. She recalled Epstein saying to Trump, “Oh no, she’s not here for you, follow me. Which immediately made me feel weird, was there someone there, in that other room?" As Trump went into the other room, Farmer said she heard him say under his breath, talking about her, “Oh, I thought she was 16.” Maria Farmer talking to Erin Burnett on CNN. screengrab Farmer said, “I thought it was rude, it doesn’t matter what age I was, it was rude.” Trump has consistently denied being in the so-called Epstein files, telling NBC News last month, “That’s called ‘old news.’ That’s been old news. That has been talked about for years. Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it—it’s old news.” Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, slammed Farmer’s story of her meeting with Trump in Epstein’s office. In a statement to CNN, he said, “The President was never in Epstein’s office, and in fact, the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep.” ‘Ask the FBI’: WH Throws Kash Patel Under the Bus on EpsteinNOT MY PROBLEM! Sarah Ewall-Wice Farmer hit back instantly. “He’s lying,” she said. “They’re being disrespectful to the fact I have given up my entire life for this case, just to have it investigated. I’m really sorry for him, that he’s caught... but he’s lying, I don’t appreciate it.” She continued, “He was absolutely at the offices, it was 9 o’clock at night and I thought it was inappropriate. But also, they were best friends at the time.” In the CNN interview, Farmer said Epstein joked he had “inherited” Trump after his divorce from Ivana Trump was finalized in 1992. “He said basically, ‘you’re going to see us together all the time, we’re fixtures because in the divorce I inherited Trump and Ghislaine [Maxwell] inherited Ivana’... It was a known thing among the staff and everyone, that they were best friends. And Epstein bragged about it.” Farmer and her sister Annie were the first victims to report abuse by Epstein to the NYPD and the FBI in 1996. Johnson Uses All His Powers to Avoid Opening Epstein FilesDELAY TACTICS Josephine Harvey Maria Farmer alleged to the FBI that Epstein and Maxwell had sexually assaulted her in 1996, and that the pair had also “committed multiple serious sex crimes” against her and other girls, including Annie, who was 15 at the time. On May 29, Maria Farmer filed a lawsuit against the federal government, claiming it failed to protect her and other victims of Epstein and Maxwell. She told CNN she had urged the FBI to look at Trump’s connections to Epstein in both 1996 and 2006, noting, “The government has not held any of the people I’ve reported accountable.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epstein-accuser-blasts-trump-admin-for-lying-about-crude-comment/? ps:This man just throws everyone under the bus and they all just bend over and take it over and over and over!!!!! 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 ? Parents pay as feds delay. With fall just around the corner, U.S. parents are feeling the sting of rising retail costs: A new survey finds a whopping third of respondents with at least one school-aged child said they could not afford everything their child needs for back-to-school shopping this year, and of those parents, just under half plan on incurring debt to pay for school supplies. A majority said they plan to sacrifice necessities, including food, to get their child what they need for the year, while 45 percent report they’re considering cutting their working hours because they can’t afford after-school programming. The Trump administration is still holding more than $4 billion in frozen Department of Education funds earmarked for local schools, leading to teacher layoffs just weeks before students are set to return to class. ? Antimonopoly police sidelined, again. Five days after a federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s firing of Democratic Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter was illegal, the administration last night was granted an emergency motion of stay by the D.C. Court of Appeals, delaying Slaughter’s reinstatement to the commission. The move comes days after the FTC — stacked with three Republican commissioners — reversed orders banning major oil tycoons from serving on the boards of Chevron and ExxonMobil after their companies merged with the fossil fuel giants. ? A pill a day keeps your savings away. Pharmaceutical companies have announced midyear price hikes on more than 150 prescription drugs, according to the advocacy group Patients for Affordable Drugs/NOW, including on some lifesaving medications. One manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (which is the sole producer of drugs used to treat the root cause of cystic fibrosis) hiked the cost of two of its flagship medications by 7 percent, driving their list price up to more than $28,000 a month. Meanwhile, new data compiled by The New York Times shows that from 2016 to 2023, prescription drug claim denials by private insurers in the U.S. rose 25 percent to an average 23 percent of all claims denied. CHART OF THE DAY The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is set to increase annual energy bills across American households by a total of $170 billion between 2025 and 2034. (Source: Energy Innovation) STAT OF THE DAY $4.5 trillion The projected tax revenue lost over the next decade to the big beautiful bill’s handouts for the ultrarich. (Source: Congressional Budget 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 A Pattern of Antipathy (Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty) View in browser President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth seem to be on a mission to erase women from the top ranks of the U.S. armed forces. Last week, they took another step along this path by removing the first female head of the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland. The Naval Academy was founded in 1845, but didn’t admit its first class of women until 1976. The head of the school is known as the superintendent, and Annapolis would not get its first female admiral in that position until 2024. Now the first woman to serve as the “supe” has been reassigned and replaced by a man, and for the first time in the academy’s history, the role went to a Marine. Last week, the Navy removed Vice Admiral Yvette Davids from her post and replaced her with Lieutenant General Michael Borgschulte. (Maybe Hegseth thinks Marines are more lethal, to use his favorite Pentagon worship word.) Davids has been sent to the Pentagon, where she will be a deputy chief of naval operations, a senior—but relatively invisible—position. No reason was given for reassigning Davids. Superintendents typically serve for three to five years, but Davids was pulled from the job after 18 months. (A short tenure can be a sign of some sort of problem; for what it’s worth, the secretary of the Navy, John Phelan—who has never served in the Navy and has no background in national-defense issues—offered rote praise when announcing her de facto firing as the supe.) Trump and Hegseth have been on a firing spree throughout the military, especially when it comes to removing women from senior positions. This past winter, Hegseth fired Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first female chief of naval operations; Admiral Linda Fagan, the first female Coast Guard commandant; and Lieutenant General Jennifer Short, who was serving as the senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, all within weeks of one another. I taught for many years at the U.S. Naval War College, where I worked under its first female president, Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield. In 2023, she became the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee—and then she was fired in April, apparently in part because of a presentation she gave on Women’s Equality Day 10 years ago. At this point, women have been cleared out of all of the military’s top jobs. They are not likely to be replaced by other women: Of the three dozen four-star officers on active duty in the U.S. armed forces, none is female, and none of the administration’s pending appointments for senior jobs even at the three-star level is a woman. Some observers might see a pattern here. Discerning this pattern does not exactly require Columbo-level sleuthing. Hegseth’s antipathy toward women in the armed forces was well documented back in 2024 by none other than Hegseth himself. In his book The War on Warriors, Hegseth decried what he believed was “social engineering” by the American left: “While the American people had always rejected the radical-feminist so-called ‘Equal Rights Amendment,’ Team Obama could fast-track their social engineering through the military’s top-down chain of command.” (This is probably why Hegseth also fired the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C. Q. Brown, who is a Black man; Brown was let go for ostensibly being too interested in promoting diversity in the armed forces.) Not that the secretary hates women, you should understand. Some of his best friends … well, as he put it in his book last year: “It’s not that individual women can’t be courageous, ambitious, and honorable. I know many phenomenal female soldiers. The problem is that the Left needs every woman to be as successful as every man, so they’ve redefined success in a counterproductive way.” I’m sure that the more than 225,000 American women who serve their country in uniform are relieved to know that they, too, can be courageous, and all that other great stuff. But Hegseth seems to be implying that many women in today’s military might have had their fitness reports massaged “in a counterproductive way” to meet some sort of “woke” quota. And that, you see, is why the U.S. military’s most-senior female officers had to be removed: They were clearly part of some affirmative-action scheme. Thank you for your service, ladies, but let’s remember that the Pentagon’s E-Ring is for the men. Oddly, Hegseth has no problem with “social engineering” as long as it’s engineering something closer to 1955 than 2025. Indeed, he writes, the military “has always been about social engineering—forging young men (mostly) with skills, discipline, pride, and a brotherhood.” One might think that the goal is also to instill respect for one’s comrades, regardless of gender, and to defend the country and honor the Constitution, but Hegseth is more worried about what he fears is the distracting influence of women in the military. “Men and women are different,” he writes, “with men being more aggressive.” (I read this in Cliff Clavin’s voice: “Yes, Diane … hold on to your hat, too, because the very letters DNA are an acronym for the words Dames are Not Aggressive.”) Hegseth goes on: “Men act differently toward women than they do other men. Men like women and are distracted by women. They also want to impress, and protect, women.” In other words, after forging these neo-Spartans with some of the finest training from the most powerful military the world has ever known, Americans still must worry that these carbon-steel warriors, ready to do battle with any number of global menaces, might have their “lethality” sabotaged by the fluttering eyelashes and shapely gams of their sisters in arms. I was teaching senior officers, male and female, from all branches of the armed forces when Hegseth was still in high school. His view of women in the U.S. military would be beneath serious comment were he not, through the malpractice of the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, the sitting secretary of defense. Instead of defending the nation—or keeping track of the security of his own communications—he is trying to make the American military inhospitable to half of the nation’s population. As Nora Bensahel, a scholar of civil-military relations at Johns Hopkins University, told me, the firing of Davids and other women “is deliberately sending a chilling message to the women who are already serving in uniform, and to girls who may be thinking about doing so, that they are not welcome—even though the military would not be able to meet its recruiting numbers without those very same women.” Today is my late mother’s birthday. She enlisted in the Air Force and served during the Korean War. She came from a poor family, and had to leave the military when her father was dying. But she was deeply proud of her service in America’s armed forces; I remember watching her march in uniform in hometown parades. She would be heartbroken—and furious—to know that more than a half century after her service, the message to the women of the United States from the current commander in chief and his secretary of defense amounts to a sexist warning: Feel free to join the military and serve your country—but know your place. Related: The backdoor way that Pete Hegseth could keep women out of combat Trump’s new favorite general 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 > President Donald Trump announces trade deal with the Philippines, landing on 19% tariffs; says US goods will not face tariffs in the Philippines in exchange for US military cooperation (More) | ... also announces trade deal with Japan, including 15% levy on imported goods; Japan to invest $550B in the US (More) 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 Losing by winning Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios President Trump, in terms of raw accomplishments, crushed his first six months in historic ways. Massive tax cuts. Record-low border crossings. Surging tariff revenue. Stunning air strikes in Iran. Modest inflation. Yet poll after poll suggests most Americans aren't impressed. In fact, they seem tired of all the winning, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column. Why it matters: Trump appears to be losing by winning. The more he does (including issues beyond his legislative wins), the more the general public, especially independents, shrug — or recoil. This paradox is unfolding in what could be the very best chapter of his presidency, before tariffs push prices higher or midterms pose risks to his GOP majorities. And it's being aggravated by the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, which has exposed rare cracks in Trump's decade-old MAGA movement. What the polls say: One poll is meaningless. But a bunch of credible polls, showing the same thing, are worth paying attention to. And almost all of them show big majorities opposed to provisions of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" ... and harsh immigration crackdown ... and high tariffs ... and pardons for Jan. 6 convicts ... and wild improvisation with Russia. Trump was underwater (more unpopular than popular) on issue after issue in a CBS News/YouGov poll out Sunday, with broad disapproval on his handling of the economy: 70% of those polled said his administration wasn't doing enough to lower prices, and 61% said it was putting too much focus on tariffs. On the administration's deportations of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, the CBS News/YouGov poll found overall support dropping 10 points over the past five months (59% to 49%). The GOP base remains overwhelmingly supportive, but a CNN poll found a 10-point increase (45% to 55%) in U.S. adults who say Trump has gone too far on deportations. Some Trump advisers believe the deportations are more popular than polls reflect, based on some people's unwillingness to tell pollsters their true views on the issue. On Trump's megabill, an AP-NORC poll found more adults think the new tax and spending law will benefit the wealthy (64%) than think it helps the middle class or "people like you" (51% each). The percentage who approved of Trump's handling of government spending (38%) was down 8 points from March. Trump's handling of the Epstein case presents the latest — and so far greatest — threat to his public image: A new YouGov poll gave Trump a net rating of -34, his worst on any major issue this term. The backlash has dragged on for more than three weeks, fueled by Trump's escalating conflict with his own MAGA base. ⬇️ Column continues below. 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 ? Part 2: Trump fights buyer's remorse Buyer's remorse appears especially concentrated among Gen Z voters, whose extraordinary shift toward Trump in 2024 spawned existential panic inside the Democratic Party, Jim and Mike continue. Trump's net approval rating among 18- to 29-year-olds has plummeted to -40 since inauguration, down from roughly even, according to pollster G. Elliott Morris. ? Reality check: Unhappiness with Trump hasn't turned into popularity for Democrats. In a CNN poll out last week, just 28% of Americans had a favorable view of the Democratic Party — the low point in more than 30 years of CNN polling. Basically, everyone dislikes everyone and everything. Between the lines: Some of Trump's unpopularity reflects the law of thermostatic public opinion — voters demand change, then flinch when it arrives too fast or too hard, Axios' Zachary Basu notes. Take immigration: With the border having gone quiet, scrutiny has turned to Trump's interior crackdown and the deportation of non-criminal migrants — including hundreds of thousands of noncitizens who are here legally and have lived in the U.S. for years. MAGA hardliners may love the public spectacle of "Alligator Alcatraz." But for many middle-ground voters — as exemplified by podcaster Joe Rogan — the optics are too much to stomach. In other cases, Trump set lofty expectations that haven't been met. The war in Ukraine, which Trump promised to end within 24 hours of taking office, rages on. So does the war in Gaza. And in a remarkable break with isolationist allies, Trump joined forces with Israel last month to bomb Iran's nuclear program. His pledge to "rapidly drive prices down" has also hit roadblocks: Inflation ticked up in June, complicating the Fed's path to rate cuts even before a new era of global tariffs kicks in next month. Trump's botched promise not to touch Medicaid could haunt the GOP for years: 10 million people are projected to lose health coverage over the next decade because of the megabill's steep cuts to federal health spending, according to the Congressional Budget Office. CBO says that over the next decade, the megabill is expected to add at least $3 trillion to the national debt that Republicans once cared so much about. Via Truth Social ? Behind the scenes: In private, Trump gripes about not getting sufficient credit for defying expectations and historic norms. He's imposing his will on the nation — yet the media and even MAGA fixate on the blemishes. But what if his ideas are authentically unpopular? A longtime Trump adviser told us the president's view is: Why don't they trust me? What more can I do? What to watch: Trump aides are making extensive plans to showcase popular parts of the megabill — notably tax-cut extensions, plus new tax deductions for tips and overtime, and auto-interest loans for new vehicles assembled in the U.S. But Republicans are having trouble selling the package's popular provisions because the Epstein saga has taken over. House Republicans tell Axios' Alex Isenstadt their constituents are fixated on Epstein, not the bill. The bottom line: Trump advisers tell us that what will matter for the long run is how the economy is treating everyday Americans when it comes time for midterm voting in 2026, and the choice of Trump's successor in 2028. 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 ?? Trump's biggest trade deal Via Truth Social President Trump said last night that the U.S. notched a trade agreement with Japan that would put 15% tariffs on all goods imported from one of the nation's key trade partners, Axios' Courtenay Brown writes. Why it matters: A U.S.-Japan trade deal would be the most significant since the White House threatened to impose sharply higher tariffs on much of the globe. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Japan would "open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products and other things." He said that Japan would invest $550 billion in the U.S., which will "receive 90% of the Profits." Trump did not specify what form such an investment would take. Between the lines: The 15% rate is lower than the 25% tariff that the White House threatened in a letter sent to Japanese officials earlier this month, which would have taken effect on Aug. 1 if no deal was reached. Go deeper. Japan trade deal After months of negotiation, President Trump announced a trade agreement with Japan on Tuesday night. The deal will see US importers pay 15% “reciprocal” tariffs on Japanese goods exported to the states. The 15% rate will also extend to Japanese autos and car parts, putting the country at an advantage over other major vehicle exporters, which have faced a 25% levy on automotive sector exports since April. Additionally, Japan will invest $550 billion in the US, Trump said. “This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,” he posted on his social media site. In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hailed the deal as “the lowest figure to date for a country that has a trade surplus with the United States.” 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 Never-Before-Seen Photos of Trump and Epstein Unearthed Among the trove of new images is one showing Epstein with Trump and his young children, Eric and Ivanka. New photos and footage of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein have been unearthed offering fresh insight into the pair’s relationship despite the president’s repeated attempts to distance himself. Epstein and Trump appear in a number of pictures surfaced by CNN and aired Tuesday night. Among them are images showing Epstein as a guest at the president’s wedding to Marla Maples. CNN’s KFILE uncovered two photos showing the disgraced financier at Trump’s December 1993 wedding at the Plaza Hotel in New York. It also obtained footage from a 1999 Victoria’s Secret runway event in New York, showing Trump, accompanied by his future wife Melania Trump, chatting to Epstein. In another image from the Oct. 1993 opening of the Harley Davidson Cafe in New York, Epstein is pictured standing next to Trump, who has his arms around his young children, Eric and Ivanka Trump, who were 9 and 11. “Trump’s wedding to Marla Maples in 1993 was dubbed the wedding of the century by the media at the time,” CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski, whose team uncovered the images, told OutFront of the new reporting. “And although we know that Trump and Epstein were friends during this period, this is really the first time that it’s actually been reported that Trump invited Epstein to his wedding.” One image shows Epstein entering the wedding reception at the Plaza Hotel, he said. Another, from the LIFE photo archive, shows Epstein in the background of a photo of four people at the wedding: radio star Howard Stern, his then-wife Alison Stern, reporter Robin Leach of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Swedish model Cecilia Nord. The photo of Epstein entering the wedding reception was taken by photographer Dafydd Jones, who wrote a 2024 book, New York: High Life/Low Life, about his time snapping images of New York high society in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Trump and members of his family feature in it. That image has not been published before. The other images had not been widely reported previously, according to CNN, and the Victoria’s Secret event footage was found in raw footage during KFILE’s review of archival video of Trump. Jones was assigned by a media organization to cover the Trump wedding a couple of months after photographing the real estate mogul and Epstein together at the Harley Davidson Cafe opening. Donald and Ivanka Trump attend the grand opening of New York City's Harley Davidson Cafe in 1993. Ron Galella Ltd/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images “There was this guy there who struck me—the way he was looking—and he gave me his card. It said: Jeffrey Epstein, financial advisor,” Jones told CNN of the cafe opening in an interview. He said he “must have recognized” Epstein going into the wedding, snapping a picture. “I wish now I took more of him with Trump,” he said, adding, “The image you have is from the contact sheet—the negatives were lost.” Trump was asked about the wedding photos in a short phone call with CNN on Tuesday, and responded, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He called CNN “fake news” and hung up. Trump with Belgian model Ingrid Seynhaeve, and Jeffrey Epstein, at the Victoria's Secret “Angels” party on April 28, 1997 in New York City. Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images White House communications director Steven Cheung issued a statement to the network that read: “These are nothing more than out-of-context frame grabs of innocuous videos and pictures of widely attended events to disgustingly infer something nefarious.” “The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep,” Cheung added. “This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.” The White House did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment. CNN’s reporting follows a bombshell report last week from The Wall Street Journal describing a birthday card Trump was said to have sent Epstein for his 50th birthday. It reportedly depicted an outline of a naked woman with a message that ended, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret." Trump said it was “fake” and is suing over it. Black's death comes as Trump desperately tries to distance himself from Epstein. Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images Allegations that Epstein sexually abused underage girls first emerged in 2005. He was arrested the following year and in 2008 pleaded guilty to two state-level felony prostitution counts. He served 13 months in a Palm Beach County jail under a lenient work‑release deal. A decade later, he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges and died in jail. His Aug. 2019 death, the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, was ruled a suicide. Trump’s friendship with Epstein has been documented in various images and interviews from the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s. Jeffrey Epstein (left) and Donald Trump in 1997. Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” They eventually had a falling out, apparently over a real estate deal in Florida. After Epstein’s reputation was tarnished, Trump distanced himself. “Well I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach,” he told a reporter in 2019. “I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don’t think I’ve spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn’t a fan. I was not—yeah, a long time ago, I’d say maybe 15 years. I was not a fan of his. That I can tell you." Trump has been furiously working to gloss past the Epstein drama after the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigations refuted Epstein conspiracy theories in a July 7 memo stating that no incriminating “client list” exists and that no further information would be released about the case. The Daily Beast/Getty Images Hours before CNN published the images, Trump had raged on Truth Social: “We had the Greatest Six Months of any President in the History of our Country, and all the Fake News wants to talk about is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax!” The controversy earlier this month has triggered ongoing furore amongst his supporters, many of whom view Epstein’s crimes—and the secrecy surrounding them—as proof of Trump’s long-standing claims about “deep state” elites protecting their own. https://www.thedailybeast.com/never-before-seen-photos-of-trump-and-epstein-unearthed/? ps:How sick and sad!!!!! 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 Trump Names Tulsi Gabbard ‘Hottest’ Person in His Administration The president trotted out a bizarre superlative to crown his new favorite in his inner circle. President Donald Trump had an eyebrow-raising superlative to offer Tuesday, calling Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard the “hottest in the room.” While speaking at a reception with Republican lawmakers at the White House, Trump singled out Gabbard—a former Democrat—declaring, “She’s like, hotter than everybody. She’s the hottest one in the room right now.” Turning towards House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was also in the crowd, the 79-year-old president added, “Speaker, she’s hotter than you right now, speaker. She’s the hottest person in the room right now, speaker,” eliciting roaring laughter from attendees. Gabbard, 44, has climbed to the top of Trump’s internal power rankings after claiming Friday to have uncovered documents allegedly showing that the Obama administration “manufactured” intelligence to promote the idea that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. The timing of Gabbard’s so-called “treasonous conspiracy” revelation couldn’t have been more convenient for Trump, who has been desperate to divert attention from how he’s handled the Jeffrey Epstein files. “[Gabbard] found out that Barack Hussein Obama led a group of people and they cheated in the elections and they cheated without question,” he said at the reception. “She has all the documents, she has everything that you need. You’ve found things that nobody thought we’d ever find. Very happy and very honored to have you with us.” Trump added: “We’re very proud of you, Tulsi.” Gabbard, who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 and only left the party in 2022, claims that a sparse batch of declassified emails and meeting agendas show how Obama officials allegedly “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to subvert Trump’s 2016 victory and launch a “years-long coup” against him. However, a bipartisan 2020 Senate report concluded Russia did influence the election to try to get Trump elected but did not conspire with him to do so. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, then a Senator serving as chairman of the Intelligence Committee, signed off on the investigation. Other reports have come to the same conclusion. After Trump labeled his predecessor a “major threat” to America Monday, writing, “Obama himself manufactured the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX,” Obama’s office issued a rare statement Tuesday. “The bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” said the statement from Obama’s spokesman Patrick Rodenbush. “Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-names-tulsi-gabbard-hottest-person-in-his-administration/? ps:So lets just make up stuff on who ever maga would love to see prosecuted!!!!! 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 Trump Uses Unhinged MAGA Math in Bonkers Drugs Brag The president vows to slash medication cost to an unachievable degree. President Donald Trump has promised to reduce American drug prices by mathematically impossible figures of up to “1400 percent.” Speaking during a White House event attended by Republican members of Congress and his Cabinet, Trump said he would tackle the long-running issue of high medication costs in the U.S. But Trump did not set any achievable targets for that aim, instead outlining a range of percentages which would yield negative prices, meaning drug companies would have to pay people to take their medications. “We will have reduced drug prices by 1,000 percent by 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 700, 600,” Trump said. “Not 30 or 40 or 50 percent, but numbers the likes of which you’ve never even dreamed of before.” Trump added that his numbers were previously “not even thought to be achievable,”—mainly because they aren’t—but he believes he can somehow pull it off because “I’ve used a certain talent that I have and convinced the drug companies that you have no choice.” Trump’s threat involves warning European countries that they will no longer be able to sell cars in the U.S. unless their pharmaceutical companies lower their drug prices. “You’re no longer allowed to have Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen or any of the other many cars and they will say, ‘Oh, I love the idea of lower drug prices for America.’” Trump’s bragging about how much he claims he will lower drug costs in the U.S. has been widely mocked after a clip of his remarks went viral on social media. “Hard to imagine this guy was found liable of fraud for making up numbers,” the liberal media company MeidasTouch posted on X. Justin Wolfers, economist and professor at the University of Michigan, added: “Thank goodness this guy isn’t negotiating the percentages we pay in tariffs.” In May, Trump announced his plans to “almost immediately” cut drug prices by the actually theoretically possible figures of between 30 percent and 80 percent. Trump said the move would be one of the “most consequential” executive orders in the country’s history. During his Tuesday speech, Trump repeated a story about how one of his friends who takes the “fat drug” Ozempic complained to him about how he paid $88 for it in London, whereas it would cost him $1,300 in New York. “I explained to him that that’s the way it’s been for many, many years,” Trump said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-uses-unhinged-maga-math-in-bonkers-drugs-brag/? 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 Tulsi Gabbard Pinky Promises She Has More on Obama Amid MAGA Epstein Panic The director of national intelligence’s assertions about what’s coming next didn’t really add up. Tulsi Gabbard teased the release of “further documents tomorrow” after Barack Obama’s office firmly rebutted her “ridiculous” claims that he conspired to subvert the 2016 election. The director of national intelligence appeared on Newsmax on Tuesday night to defend her allegations against Obama administration officials, after various analyses cast them as deeply misleading and thin. She dropped a report Friday claiming to have uncovered a “treasonous conspiracy” by Obama-era officials to play up Russian election interference claims that “laid the groundwork for a years-long coup” against Trump. Obama’s office issued a rare rebuke on Tuesday, dismissing the allegations as “ridiculous” and a weak attempt at distraction” as MAGA is roiled by the Jeffrey Epstein controversy. “Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,” Obama’s spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said in the statement. “These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.” Asked for her response on Newsmax, Gabbard doubled down. “We will be releasing further documents tomorrow that will refute that statement,” she said. “We will be pulling a whole host of statements that were made by the Obama administration, by Hillary Clinton, by senior Democrat officials, by their friends in the media, that state over and over again—after this January 2017 manufactured intelligence document was created—that repeat the narrative." “I’m looking at my notes here: New York Times says Russian hackers acted to aid Trump in the election,“ she continued. ”Obama’s CIA Director John Brennan says there is strong consensus among us to support the CIA claim Russian hackers aided Donald Trump’s election. Hillary Clinton said, ‘I would be president if not for the Russian hackers supporting Donald Trump.’" She claimed those statements “refute” Obama’s statement. However, they mostly align with it—and with the cautious findings of a 2020 bipartisan Senate report that concluded Russia influenced the election with the goal of helping Trump win, but did not conspire with him to do so. Rubio, who is now Trump’s secretary of state, signed off on the report at the time. Gabbard’s Friday announcement came at a convenient time for Trump, who is facing continued scrutiny over his administration’s decision not to release additional files related to the Epstein case. He pounced on the Obama allegations over the weekend, posting more than a dozen times about it on Truth Social and even sharing an AI-generated video of the former president being arrested and jailed. Despite pledging more transparency, Trump has failed to follow through on Epstein, antagonizing supporters who have long repeated conspiracy theories about the late sex trafficker and suggested the government is in possession of a “client list” of powerful people to whom Epstein trafficked underage girls. Trump has stoked those narratives with his wider claims of “deep state” Democratic elites working to undermine him. Since the Epstein firestorm erupted on July 7, reports have unearthed new information and images highlighting Trump’s past friendship with him, including an alleged vulgar birthday card and images of Epstein at Trump’s 1993 wedding to Marla Maples. Trump on Tuesday praised Gabbard as the “hottest person in the room right now” during a meeting with Republican lawmakers. “She has all the documents, she has everything that you need. You’ve found things that nobody thought we’d ever find. Very happy and very honored to have you with us,” he said. https://www.thedailybeast.com/tulsi-gabbard-makes-baffling-obama-document-promise-as-white-house-panics-over-jeffrey-epstein-files/? 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 July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 Obama Blasts Trump for Attacking Him to Divert Away From Epstein The rare statement was issued shortly after Trump went on a wild rant in the Oval Office. Former President Barack Obama has hit back at Donald Trump’s claim that he engaged in a conspiracy to subvert the 2016 election, branding the allegations a weak attempt to distract from the Epstein files. In a rare statement, Obama’s office issued a stinging rebuke saying the claim was both ridiculous and bizarre. “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one,” said the statement from Obama’s spokesman, Patrick Rodenbush. “The bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. “These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.” Trump Triggered Into Crazed Obama Rant by Epstein QuestionFINGER POINTING Farrah Tomazin The claim that Obama engaged in a “treasonous conspiracy” to rig Trump’s 2016 election victory emerged over the weekend when Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified emails that she said showed Obama officials had engaged in a “years-long coup” against Trump. According to Gabbard, officials tried to bury intelligence in the final weeks of the Obama administration and then manufacture an alternative assessment of a Russian influence campaign on American voters. “Their goal was to usurp President Trump and subvert the will of the American people,” Gabbard wrote on social media. “No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Tulsi Gabbard, director of National Intelligence, alleged that the Obama administration was at the center of a treasonous Russian election interference conspiracy. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag Trump, who has claimed for years that the investigation into Russian interference was a “hoax”, embraced the findings, and even posted an AI-generated video of Obama being arrested in the Oval Office. On Tuesday, during a bilateral meeting with Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., he also launched a lengthy tirade pushing the claims, while taking aim at others too, including 2016 rival Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director James Clapper, and former President Joe Biden. “The witch hunt you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold,” Trump told reporters. “They tried to rig the election, and they got caught. And there should be very severe consequences for that.” But Democrats agree with Obama that the issue is an attempt to distract from the political firestorm surrounding child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, which has fractured Trump’s MAGA base and caused an ongoing headache for the White House. Bondi Pleads For Ghislaine to Bail Her Out of Epstein CrisisTHE SILVER HAMMER! Farrah Tomazin Trump came to office promising to release the criminal files on the Epstein case, but then insisted last week that it was a Democratic hoax. The president was forced to pivot again on Thursday night after the Wall Street Journal published a report claiming Trump gave Epstein a saucy birthday greeting in 2003, featuring a drawing of a naked woman with his name mimicking pubic hair. Trump, who vehemently denies the note was his, is now suing the Wall Street Journal but has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to “produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.” The Department of Justice has also sought a meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice and former girlfriend, hoping she may spill further secrets. But the president remains deeply frustrated that so much attention remains on the Epstein files. “We had the Greatest Six Months of any President in the History of our Country, and all the Fake News wants to talk about is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax!” he posted on Tuesday. https://www.thedailybeast.com/obama-blasts-trump-for-attacking-him-to-divert-away-from-epstein/? 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 July 24, 2025 Author Members Posted July 24, 2025 No one knows whether Trump’s $50B for rural health will be enough Congress set aside $50 billion for rural hospitals and medical providers to allay fears over the billions more in historic cuts to federal health care spending that President Donald Trump signed into law on Independence Day. https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/07/23/no-one-knows-whether-trumps-50b-for-rural-health-will-be-enough/? ps:No one knows?? It should be "No one Cares!!" 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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