Author: launchkits

Where’s the Spreadsheet?

Comment on ‘He’s Going to Make You Pay’ by Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay (Wednesday, March 5):

Is there anyone in the current – can we call it an “administration?” – with a spreadsheet? Not that Billy Bone Spurs can understand an analytical approach to an issue. Or wants to.

--Kate McLeod

Via Substack

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Contributors for our right column include Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay, a never-Trumper conservative, and Rich Corbett, a pro-MAGA conservative. Macaulay’s comments may align much more often with left-column contributors like Sharon Lintner and Hugh Hansen, but that’s what The Hustings is all about and it is why we ask you to list your political leanings in the subject line for comments via email. We want to post your comments in the column with which you regularly identify; not necessarily the column that aligns with your comments on a single, particular subject. Help us grow into a news & commentary site that exposes readers to a variety of political thought and ideas. 

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THURSDAY 3/6/25

Not Bad, So Far

The US economy added 151,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate ticked up just 0.1 points to 4.1%, the Labor Department reported Friday. Federal government employment declined according to the report, but NPR’s Morning Edition notes the survey was taken the week before the first big DOGE purge known as the St. Valentine’s Day massacre. [CHART: Bureau of Labor Statistics] ...

So Far – Elon Musk’s Department Of Government Efficiency has pink-slipped about 30,000 federal workers since January, according to New York magazine, so the Labor Department’s April report on March unemployment will be the one to watch. For the record, off-setting last month’s decline in federal government employment were gains in health care, financial activities, social assistance, and transportation and warehousing.

February’s 151k slightly tops January’s OK-but-not-exceptional 143,000. The unemployment rate that month hit an eight-month low of 4%. 

•••

Correction? -- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back Thursday against a Reuters report repeated here that President Trump was about to reverse the Biden administration's temporary legal status for about 240,000 Ukrainians who fled their country after Russia's invasion, tweeting that "no decision has been made at this time." Not exactly a denial of a report that cited unnamed sources. But Reuters followed up with a report late Thursday that Trump said he would "soon decide" on the Ukrainians' fate.

•••

GOP Resistance? – While Democratic leaders flail as they try to figure out how to react to President Trump’s first 45 days, Republican submission to everything DOGE and MAGA has been absolute. Except for this: Key Republican senators, including members of the Armed Services Committee, are pushing back on the White House’s pause on US military and intelligence aid to Ukraine, The Hill reports.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) warns the pause “could be helpful to Putin.”

Ya think? … Yes, the military aid and intel pauses to Ukraine certainly places – keeps -- Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in the catbird seat when negotiations re-commence. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with Steve Witkoff, the White House special envoy, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next week.

Republican senators … Along with Tillis, Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi are among those listed by The Hill who back the reinstatement of aid to Ukraine. 

“I do not think we should be pausing our efforts,” Collins said. “It’s the Ukrainians who are shedding blood.”

--TL

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THURSDAY 3/6/25

UPDATE: President Trump grants Mexico a 30-day reprieve on tariffs for goods that fall under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement signed in his first administration, after a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, The Washington Post reports ...

More Than Autos – President Trump is likely to extend a 30-day reprieve of his 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada to all USMCA agreement-compliant goods and services, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC Thursday morning. On Wednesday, Trump said he would give automakers to April 2 before applying the stiff tariffs so they could try to accomplish in 30 days normally takes two years or more; Shift production from Mexico and Canada to US plants. 

Trump touted Detroit automakers’ compliance with the tariffs’ push to move production in his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. But that prompted a call with General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley and Chairman Bill Ford Jr., and Stellantis (Chrysler’s owner) Chairman John Elkann, who pointed out the tariffs could result in a one-third cut in daily auto production as early as next week.

Question … on economists’ minds is whether this is The Art of the Deal applied to trade negotiations, or if it’s the work of Lutnick and others in the administration to prevent Trump’s economy going over a cliff from such tariffs.

•••

Al Green Censured – The House voted 224-198-2, with 10 Democrats joining a unanimous Republican caucus to censure Rep. Al Green (D-TX) for his protest during the opening 10 minutes of President Trump’s joint session address to Congress Tuesday night, The Hill reports. The censure calls Green’s protest “a breach of proper conduct.”

Green voted “present” on the censure vote. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Monday urged his fellow House Democrats to avoid such behavior in favor of “a strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber.”

•••

ReArms Plan – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Brussels attending an emergency summit to discuss further support for Ukraine as Europe seeks to boost its own defense capabilities, The Kyiv Independent reports Thursday, as the Trump administration has “paused” US intelligence sharing with the country. 

Consequences of the US intel pause were immediate, as Thursday before dawn a Russian attack on a hotel in Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih killed at least four people, including a child, The New York Times reports. Intel the US had been providing to Ukraine included tracking of Russian missiles. 

Deporting Ukrainians … Meanwhile, President Trump will revoke the legal status of 240,000 Ukrainians who fled their country during its conflict with Russia as the US steps up deportations, a senior White House official and three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. Deportations coming as early as April “would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden’s administration,” according to the news agency.

Rearming … European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday presented “ReArm Europe” to free up $840 billion to strengthen the continent’s defense capabilities, according to Newsweek. The plan offers “escape clauses” for EU countries to manage public financing that limit deficit spending. Countries in the bloc will have access to loans of up to 150 billion euro, or nearly US$158 billion. 

Read … The State Department’s fact sheet on US Security Cooperation with Ukraine here.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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THURSDAY 3/6/25

Shouldn’t the Commander-in-Chief Support Vets?

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

In 2018 Donald Trump reportedly said he didn’t want to make a visit to the Marne American Cemetery in France, where American service people are buried, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It's filled with losers."

While he denied saying that, he can’t deny saying of honorable military veteran John McCain, "He's not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."

He said that out loud at a campaign rally in Iowa in 2015.

Trump, of course, didn’t serve. Four deferments because he was going to school. Another because of bone spurs in his heels.

What has and continues to make America great are the brave men and women — yes, Hegseth, women — who put their lives on the line to defend this country.

This has been the case since the late 18th century.

On June 15, 1775, George Washington was named commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He resigned, at war’s end, in 1783. He served without compensation.

During his March 4 speech Trump said, “In fact, it has been stated by many that the first month of our presidency, it's our presidency, is the most successful in the history of our nation. By many. And what makes it even more impressive, is that you know who number two is? George Washington.”

It is not a fact. It is [fill in your favorite word here].

Washington was a hero who helped build this country. Trump is busy tearing it down and going to economic war with our allies while giving political support to our enemies.

The country has a compact with our military veterans.

They support us 365/24/7.

We support them after their service.

On July 21, 1930, President Herbert Hoover established the Veterans Administration. It was created by Executive Order.

And now Trump is reportedly planning on cutting some 80,000 employees, 15% of the staff, at the VA.

The reporting comes from the Associated Press, whose people saw an internal memo about it. The AP, the stalwart organization that is doing its reporting without compromising its journalistic ethics.

The AP reports:

“Michael Missal, who was the VA’s inspector general for nine years until he was fired last month as part of Trump’s sweeping dismissal of independent oversight officials at government agencies, told the AP that the VA is already suffering from a lack of “expertise” as top-level officials either leave or are shuffled around under the president’s plans.

“What’s going to happen is VA’s not going to perform as well for veterans, and veterans are going to get harmed,” said Missal.

The AP also reports this:

“White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement that the president ‘refuses to accept the VA bureaucracy and bloat that has hindered veterans’ ability to receive timely and quality care.’ She added that the changes would ‘ensure greater efficiency and transparency’ at the VA.”

Really? More efficiency? What systems are they putting in place to accomplish that?

How is it that possible with fewer people to answer the calls and to schedule the appointments and to help with the paperwork and to support our vets.

Adding insult to injury: Some 25% of the VA employees are vets.

Macaulay is pundit-at-large for The Hustings.

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THURSDAY 3/6/25

‘Resistance’

Submit your comments to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line, so we post said comments in the appropriate (right or left) column.

Comments on Trump’s Joint-Session Address, from our contributing pundits …

Must Be Stopped

Apparently, DJT will never, ever get over the fact that Joe Biden beat him fair and square in the 2020 election, by more than 8 million popular votes and a huge margin in Electoral College votes. He will never, ever stop berating the Biden administration and Joe Biden personally because Trump is the worst kind of sore loser. And, besides that, the most consistently absurd liar in the history of American politics. It was sickening to watch the smirking faces of (Vice President JD) Vance and (Speaker Mike) Johnson seated behind His Majesty, soon to be up for a Nobel Peace prize for screwing Ukraine. This has to be stopped.

--Jim McCraw

•••

Racial Slur

"Pocahontas?" Did I hear that correctly?

During a speech in front of the world, the president of this United States just called Senator Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas."

Who, in their right mind, is okay with that? Who is okay with the Republican laughter that followed that racial slur? Vance actually laughed out loud. 

Those with sense in their head will say this behavior is childish, elementary, unbecoming of a President, but it is far beyond that. We have a real problem, this man is dangerous.

What do we do? Where do we go from here? The only place is down, if we allow this to continue. Congress, the writing is on the wall. 

--Sharon Lintner 

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WEDNESDAY 3/5/25

‘Like Nobody’s Ever Seen Before’

By Todd Lassa

Consider President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday as a sort of State of the Union-meets-campaign rally moment. We noticed Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), in a pink dress like many of her Democratic colleagues, holding a sign as representatives, senators, Supreme Court justices and administration officials walked into the House chamber that read: “This is Not Normal.”

We did not notice, though USA Today did from the C-Span feed, Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) ripping the sign from Stansbury ahead of Trump’s address. 

Two minutes into Trump’s address, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) ordered Rep. Al Green (D-TX) removed when Green would not sit down. Clutching his cane, the 77-year-old Green instead shouted out against threatened cuts to Medicaid.

We did notice Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wearing a red MAGA hat with the words, “Trump Was Right About Everything.” 

Throughout the 90+ minute address, longest such speech to a joint session in recent history according to NPR, Democrats held up paddles with words like “Musk Steals” and “Save Medicare.” Several House Democrats left the address early – it was a planned walkout, as they revealed shirts with “Resist” and “No Kings Live Here” printed on their backs.

To contradict MTG’s hat, it must be said that Trump wasn’t right about everything. The president repeated DOGE chief Elon Musk’s exaggerations about programs he had claimed to have uncovered and slashed, such expenditures as $8 million from the Health and Human Services Department for “making mice transgender.”

As often is the case, such hyperbole has some sort of connection to reality. CNN fact-checked this and found the National Institutes of Health in fiscal years 2021-22 spent $477,121 on three projects to understand how feminizing hormone therapy affects the human immune system and susceptibility to HIV, by administering the therapy to monkeys. 

Trump repeated the falsehood that the US under President Biden gave $350 billion to Ukraine to fight off Russia, a lie that matches up nicely with the president’s assertion that Ukraine started the war with Russia – which involved the invasion of Ukraine – three years ago.

The president did say he had just received a letter from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggesting they revive peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

With no apparent nod to his statement’s irony, Trump defended his conversations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin saying, “If you want to end war, you have to talk to both sides.” (NOTE: There is news of a potential summit in the works between Trump, Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.)

Trump’s address was largely a list of what he considers the greatest hits of his second term so far, including securing the border, last month’s illegal border crossings, lowest on record, ending government censorship (“and brought back free speech in America”), making English the nation’s official language, renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and Mount Denali is Mount McKinley, again, ordered that there are only two genders and ended DEI in public and private entities and the military. 

“The people elected me to do a job, and I’m doing it,” Trump said. “It has been stated by many … our presidency is the most successful of our nation.”

Key difference between the joint session address and a MAGA campaign rally is that maybe 200 or so Democratic lawmakers watched, all engaged in some manner of protest. 

“Nothing I can do to make them happy or stand and applause,” he said. “Nothing I can do.”

Still, Trump called on Democrats to join in the celebration and “make America great again. This, after he explained away his unfulfilled promise of reducing inflation on Day One of his presidency as the result of egg prices and the like inherited from President Biden, the “worst president” in history.

Trump touted his tariffs once more while admitting “there may be a little bit of an adjustment period.”

He said the US will reclaim the Panama Canal.

“We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama” for $1 under by President Carter, he said. “Now we’re taking it back.” Investment firm BlackRock is working a $23 billion deal to reclaim some ports there from Chinese control, though Trump mentioned only Secretary of State Marco Rubio as being “in charge.”

Trump also seemed to cede the fate of Greenland to its inhabitants, saying “If you choose, we welcome you into the United States.

“We really need it for international world security,” Trump continued, but then, more ominously, “and one way or another, we’re going to get it.”

And Trump took credit for creating the Department Of Government Efficiency, DOGE, calling out Elon Musk as its leader. Musk, who reportedly rode to Capitol Hill in The Beast limo with Trump and First Lady Melania, wore a suit.

Musk’s vision for space exploration, obviously with his SpaceX the key NASA contractor, was worked into Trump’s capper on his America First agenda. As the Trump administration pivots away from NATO and Western Europe, the US under this president will conquer new lands and endeavor to “plant the flag on planet Mars and even beyond.”

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WEDNESDAY 3/5/25

‘He’s Going to Make You Pay’

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

Trump seems to think if he says something often enough it is true. And apparently there are a lot of people who are won over by his — I would say “tissue of,” but it is more like a thick tarpaulin of — lies. And even though some of them undoubtedly know better, they clap and nod and cheer.

Until the lies are exposed to a harsh reality. Yes, there is a difference between truth and lies.

But then there is a diversion to something equally outrageous.

So let’s consider parts of his presentation last night and put it into context with something that is going to be felt by all Americans, whether they believe him and voted for him or not.

Trump seems very proud of the 312 votes he won in the Electoral College, as though the number is unprecedented.

  • Ronald Reagan (1984):      525
  • George HW Bush:   426
  • Bill Clinton:           370 and 379

Heck, the man he complained about more than Biden:

  • Barack Obama:      365 and 332

Somehow that 312 isn’t especially mandate-like.

More important than Trump’s patting himself on the back was Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s response to the presentation that was like a reality show (which, of course, isn’t particularly real in any sense).

The Michigan Democrat said:

“He’s on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America, and to do that, he’s going to make you pay in every part of your life. Grocery and home prices are going up, not down, and he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either of those. His tariffs on allies like Canada will raise prices on energy, lumber and cars and start a trade war that will hurt manufacturing and farmers.”

First of all, the hunt for trillions being conducted by DOGE. Trump pointed out several instances where there seems to be what is silly spending. But do we know that the spending was superfluous or just something that makes for good television?

If you’ve ever run a business or even managed people you know that there are invariably some people who aren’t doing what they should be and perhaps once upon a time stole paper (does anyone print at home anymore?). 

But you knew who the good ones are.

Or let’s say you have a budget that pays for various functions. That wasn’t created by throwing darts at a board and then using the numbers.

Knowing what and how much can be cut takes serious forensic accounting.

Yet evidently in the “hunt for trillions” they are not deploying solid practices but hacking away.

We’ve seen them have to hire people back that had been let go. While these people are probably happy they’ve got a job, how committed do you think they’re going to be knowing that they’ve been treated like tissue paper?

“Every day my administration is fighting to deliver the change America needs to bring a future that America deserves, and we’re doing it.”

What are they doing?

To quote him:

  • An immediate freeze on all federal hiring.
  • A freeze on all new federal regulations.
  • A freeze on all foreign aid.

And how does that help? That isn’t creating policy.

He “brought back free speech in America. It’s back.”

Is this why he sues and bans news organizations?

“Grocery and home prices are going up, not down, and he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either of those.”

He had claimed that he was going to deal with grocery prices on day one.

That’s hard to do. And he hasn’t done it.

Who is to blame for high egg prices?

Obama.

“Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control.” Yes, blame it on someone 

else. But wasn’t he hired by the American people to address this?

He continued: “The egg prices, out of control. And we’re working hard to get it back down.”

How are they working to get the price down? Perhaps cutting people at the Food Safety and Inspection Service? 

Trump says he will get the price of eggs down by. . .drilling for oil.

He says “A major focus of our fight to defeat inflation is rapidly reducing the price of energy.”

Yes, energy is an input to food costs.

An input.

And while energy costs rose 1% year over year in January, housing prices in 2024 rose 4.7% and food prices by 1.6%. Seems like addressing those two categories would be beneficial. But it is easier to say “It’s called drill, baby, drill.”

The day of his speech he put 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. 

So sticking to the grocery aspect of things, consider this, from the US Department of Agriculture (assuming that it is still open):

“Imports play an increasingly important role in ensuring that fresh fruit and vegetables are available year-round in the United States .... In 2023, Mexico and Canada supplied 51% and 2%, respectively, of U.S. fresh fruit imports, and 69% and 20%, respectively, of US fresh vegetable imports in terms of value.”

Oh, who needs that?

“Our new trade policy will also be great for the American farmer — I love the farmer — who will now be selling into our home market, the USA, because nobody is going to be able to compete with you.”

Think about that for a minute. What keeps prices of goods and services in check? Competition. But here is the Republican president saying that he is going to eliminate competition in the market. Whatever happened to free-markets, Republicans?

And those farmers had better hope that they’re able to increase prices by selling domestically because other countries will retaliate. During the first Trump administration, when he put tariffs on China, that country (surprise, surprise) retaliated, such that Trump had to provide aid to US farmers on the order of $61 billion.

As the Council on Foreign Relations put it of that situation:

“payouts to farmers battered by Chinese retaliation have eaten up over 92% of the trade-war tax proceeds.

“The president is therefore right when he says farmers ‘got’ his tariff money. That money came not from China, however, but from taxes he imposed on Americans.”

For someone who is so keen on reducing taxes, the taxes that we’ll be paying directly for tariffs seems counter to what he claims.

And Slotkin noted the prices of housing.

Here’s something from The Wall Street Journal on Monday:

“Lumber futures Monday rose to their highest point since August 2022, when wood prices were plunging from their pandemic peak, in a sign that it could get a lot more expensive to build a house or a deck if the Canadian tariffs stick.”

Slotkin is right: “he’s going to make you pay.”

Macaulay is pundit-at-large for The Hustings.

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WEDNESDAY 3/5/25

Left Column on Zelenskyy v. Trump

‘Pathetic’

It is now imaginable that the leader of what is still the Free World could act in such a manner in a public meeting toward anyone who is a guest at the White House. Kinda says it all. Two men with way too much money acting like adolescents. Pathetic.

--Kate McLeod

Via Substack

Remove Trump

I watched this happen on live TV and I simply could not believe my eyes and ears. No president has ever, ever behaved like that with another head of state in the 236 years since the Constitution has been in force. No president has ever betrayed the trust of the American people the way Donald Trump did Friday. If he can’t be removed via the 25th Amendment, then he needs to be impeached, tried, convicted and removed so that his lapdog can take over. At least Vance has an education.

--Jim McCraw

‘Definition of Arrogance’

Friday, I was filled with rage, but held myself back from writing so as not to regret my choice of words.

Trump and Vance are the definition of arrogance. Their performance in the oval office yesterday took our country to the lowest point that I could have ever thought possible. They have no respect for the office they hold. 

Those who voted for this pathetic pair will continue to support them and see this as take-charge, tough talk. They will refuse to see it for what it is, demeaning to our country and disrespecting a world leader who was an invited guest to the White House. I fear those voters as much as I fear Trump and Vance. 

How does the United States recover from such an asinine act? 

Trump told President Zelensky that he was 'Gambling with World War III,' when in reality Trump is doing just that. I never thought I'd live to see World War III, but now I fear what the coming days may bring. 

--Sharon Lintner

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MONDAY 3/3/25

SOTU-ish Tonight

UK PM Keir Starmer greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at 10 Downing Street Saturday after Zelenskyy’s heated Friday White House meeting. Scroll down this column for details.

SOTU Tonight – Technically, it’s not a State of the Union address, as they normally take place in January or February and in a non-inaugural year, but Donald J. Trump is no normal president. He will address the US beginning 9 pm ET/6 pm PT Tuesday from the House chamber. Sen. Elisa Slotkin (D-MI), who beat her Republican opponent for the seat last November even as Trump won her state, will give the Democratic counter-message. As Trump said after his attack on Volodymyr Zelenskyy last Friday, should make for good TV.

As always … Your comments on tonight’s television gala are welcome at editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line.

•••

T-Day – As promised, Trump tariffs of 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods were imposed at midnight Tuesday, with an extra 10% applied to Chinese goods (per NPR’s Morning Edition). 

Le excusé … President Trump says he imposed the additional tariffs because of Chinese fentanyl crossing the US’ northern and southern borders.  

China immediately imposed 15% on US chickens, wheat, corn and cotton, and 10% on sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy, according to The New York Times. 

Oh, Canada … Prime Minister Justin Trudeau counter-imposed tariffs on $20.8 billion in US imports, not including goods already in transit, with more duties likely to follow, Reuters reports. The lame-duck PM whose Liberal Party had faced almost certain defeat in elections called for later this year says that less than 1% of fentanyl intercepted at the border has come from Canada. 

The Conservative Party of Canada’s likely candidate, Pierre Poilievre, is free-falling in Canadian popularity according to Morning Edition, as his party has been embracing a populist connection with President Trump’s MAGA conservatism. Up North, the Trump-style politics is known as “Maple MAGA.”

•••

Pause That Refreshes Russia – The Trump administration Monday suspended more than $1 billion in military aid that already had been committed to Ukraine. If the “temporary” suspension goes long, it will give Russia’s Vladimir Putin time to press for more territorial gains in the country he invaded three years ago. 

“If this is true, it is a decision that can push the Kyiv regime to a peace process,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference in Russian, as translated by the BBC. 

A senior White House official told Bloomberg that the aid is on hold until President Trump determines that Ukraine’s leaders make a “genuine effort” toward peace.

Chairman of Ukraine’s foreign affairs committee Oleksandr Merezhko told The Kyiv Independent: “I don’t see that Trump is using leverage against the aggressor, he is using leverage against the victim of aggression. To stop military aid to Ukraine right now means to help Russia kill Ukrainians with impunity.”

•••

FBI Official Forced Out – The FBI’s top New York City official, James Dennehy, told colleagues he was forced out of the agency in an email Monday, NBC News reports. This comes a month after Dennehy vowed to “dig in” and resist the Trump administration’s purge of eight agents who investigated the January 6th assault on the US Capitol, including the head of the agency’s Washington field office, were fired.

“Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I did,” the email, passed on to NBC by FBI sources, read. “I was not given a reason for this decision.”

--TL

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UK Proposes Peace Deal for Ukraine

MONDAY 3/3/25

Meanwhile -- Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay returns to the right column Monday to school President Trump on math and geography after the much-discussed Zelenskyy-Trump meeting at the White House. Read Macaulay’s Friday commentary in the left column and contributing pundit Rich Corbett’s commentary on same in the right column and submit your own comments to editors@thehustings.news.

Starmer Takes Charge – A group of nearly 20 other European leaders have been meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the UK to secure a deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flew to London after his disastrous Friday meeting with President Trump & Co. at the White House.

“We are at a crossroads in history,” Starmer said (per The Hill).

The British PM said the leaders agreed to keep aid flowing into Ukraine for an extended period of time to prepare for another Russian strike attempt during a ceasefire.

Latest in the talks is French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has suggested a one-month truce between Ukraine and Russia to determine whether Vladimir Putin was “acting in good faith” in the negotiations. 

Starmer also has suggested an additional 5,000 air defense missiles to Ukraine. They would be manufactured in Belfast and would help spur Northern Ireland’s economic growth. (This seems a good time to note that much of the military aid then-President Biden sent to Ukraine has returned to the US in the form of armaments purchases from US defense manufacturers.) 

Part Four of Starmer’s plan is to deter a future Russian invasion, a “coalition of the willing,” to defend Ukraine.

In Kyiv, Ukraine’s deputy head of military intelligence, the HUR, Vadym Skibitskyi told RBC Ukraine (per The Kyiv Independent) that Russia plans to launch at least 500 drones per aerial attack. US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth meanwhile has ordered a pause in the US cyber-offensive against Russia, the BBC reports, which would seem to be particularly well-timed for such a drone attack. 

Back in the States, congressional Republicans and White House officials took to Sunday’s news talk shows to suggest Zelenskyy display “more gratitude” and be more open to concessions to Russia’s Putin, The Associated Press reports. Some GOP Congress members suggested Zelenskyy resign, even as his popularity grows in his home country.

There was at least one exception: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) who on Saturday posted this on Elon Musk’s X-Twitter: “I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world.” 

•••

Where’s DOGE Now? – The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered staff to look for tens of millions of dollars for a contract with Elon Musk’s satellite business, Starlink, to upgrade the system it uses to manage US airspace, Rolling Stone reports. A source with knowledge of the government agency and of two people briefed on the situation say the internal directives have been mostly or even entirely been given verbally, with the source saying “someone does not want a paper trail.” Musk reportedly has criticized Verizon, which formally holds a $2.4 billion contract for the FAA upgrade, and according to critical posts on his X/Twitter is about to take over the contract.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 3/3/25

Probably Ridiculous

Commentary By Stephen Macaulay

“And as you know, we’re in for, probably, $350 billion and Europe is in for $100 billion. And that’s a big difference. So, we’re in for, probably, three times as much. And yet, it’s very important to everybody, but Europe is very close. We have a big ocean separating us. So, it’s very important for Europe. And they, hopefully, will step up and do maybe more than they’re doing and maybe a lot more.” — Donald Trump, February 26, 2025, prior to the first meeting of his Cabinet

Let’s break this down.

“As you know, we’re in for, probably, $350 billion and Europe is in for $100 billion.”

Although we are supposed to know (“As you know”), Trump is admitting that he doesn’t know (“probably”).

Isn’t this a bit concerning that the President of the United States, speaking to his freshly minted Cabinet, doesn’t know whether or not the United States is “in for” $350 billion?

“In for”? Sounds like a term that would be heard at a gambling table at a casino, not a Cabinet meeting.

Here’s something about Trump that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

While it is not a truism but true that in the gaming industry “the house always wins,” seems that Trump is the exception that proves the rule.

He owned three casinos in Atlantic City.

  • Trump Taj Mahal filed for bankruptcy in 1991
  • Trump Plaza filed in 1992
  • Trump Hotels & Casino in 2004

Perhaps, as you know, he thought he had $350 billion in the bank.

But there is that number, $350 billion.

You would think there would be someone on his staff who would tell him the actual number so that he wouldn’t have to have a number that may or may not be true.

I had Google tell me that if I went to a page on the US Department of State website I would find a "fact sheet" titled “U.S. Security Cooperation with Ukraine.”

And there I would find this passage:

“To date, we have provided $65.9 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its premeditated, unprovoked, and brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and approximately $69.2 billion in military assistance since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014. We have now used the emergency Presidential Drawdown Authority on 55 occasions since August 2021 to provide Ukraine military assistance totaling approximately $27.688 billion from DoD stockpiles.”

Even though that goes back to 2014, adding up all those numbers comes nowhere close to $350 billion: Rather, it is $162.788 billion — less than half of $350 billion. And again, this is accounting for aide prior to 2022, so if we were looking at the provisions after that date, it would be less.

(And Cabinet member Marco Rubio might want to edit that “premediated, unprovoked, and brutal full-scale invasion” before his boss finds out.)

While Trump says the difference between $350 billion and $100 billion (another number that seems to have come from nowhere), is “a big difference,” so is the difference between $350 billion and his own State Department’s $162.788 billion.

And this is the Administration that has empowered Elon Musk to cut costs?

As for the $100 billion from Europe, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy:

“Europe has allocated EUR 70 billion in financial and humanitarian aid as well as EUR 62 billion in military aid. This compares to EUR 64 billion in military aid from the US as well as EUR 50 billion in financial and humanitarian allocations.”

While some might sniff at those figures because Kiel is based in Germany, the organization is critical of European support. As in pointing out:

“Even small domestic policy priorities are many times more expensive than what is being done for Ukraine. For example, Germany’s tax subsidies for diesel fuel (‘diesel privilege’) cost taxpayers three times more per year than Germany’s military aid for Ukraine.”

Clearly, Kiel isn’t all that happy with diesel subsidies.

Still, the numbers that organization calculates is probably more accurate than Trump’s ballparking, which goes to:

“So, we’re in for, probably, three times as much.”

Again, the “probably.”

But how has it gone from $350 billion to $300 billion in three sentences?

Let’s put his math skills aside and move to this:

“… but Europe is very close.  We have a big ocean separating us.  So, it’s very important for Europe.”

Yes, Europe is very close to Ukraine. Because Ukraine is in Europe.

And then there’s 

“We have a big ocean separating us.”

This beggars belief. Does he think that if the US was to be attacked from Europe the troops would come over on a cruise ship traveling 20 knots, thereby allowing our troops to set up countermeasures?

An ICBM travels at about 15,000 mph. The distance between Washington D.C. and Continental Europe is about 4,400 miles. And the distance between a nuclear-powered attack submarine in the Atlantic is even closer.

That “big ocean” isn’t so big.

Probably.

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MONDAY 3/3/25

When Deals Erase Ideals

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

From “Remarks by President Trump Before Cabinet Meeting” February 26, 2025:

  • “The previous administration put us in a very bad position, but we’ve been able to make a deal where we’re going to get our money back and we’re going to get a lot of money in the future.” [On Ukraine]
  • “And I think that, very importantly, we’re going to be able to make a deal.” [On Ukraine and Russia]
  • “Most importantly, by far, we’re going to make a deal with Russia and Ukraine to stop killing people.”
  • “So, the deal we’re making gets us — it brings us great wealth.” [On an agreement with Ukraine]
  • “And we’ll be able to make a deal.  And again, President Zelenskyy is coming to sign the deal.  And it’s a great thing.  It’s a great deal for Ukraine, too, because they get us over there, and we’re going to be working over there.”
  • “Now, when COVID came in, that was a different deal.” [On China]
  • “When I got elected, we spoke, and I think we’re going to have a deal.  I can’t guarantee you that.  You know, a deal is a deal.  Lots of crazy things happen in deals, right?  But I think we’re going to have a deal.” [On Putin]
  • “It’s making the deal that’s very tough.” [His assessment of what is more difficult: peacekeeping in Ukraine or that.]
  • “No, I want to see if we make a deal first.” [On whether there might be sanctions on Russia regarding Ukraine.]
  • “We’re going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides.  But for Ukraine, we’re going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much back as possible.”

On the cover of The Art of the Deal, originally published in 1989, there is a picture of a 43-year-old Donald Trump. The credit line reads: “Donald J. Trump with Tony Schwartz.” Schwartz has claimed he is the person who put the words down on paper. 

That, of course, is disputed by Trump.

But that doesn’t much matter because Trump “owns” the word “deal.”

Back in that period of time there was a commercial for a vocabulary-building instructional program, Verbal Advantage, that included the phrase, “People judge you by the words you use.”

Which makes me wonder about Trump’s use of the word “deal.”

Historically we would hear government officials talk about “agreements,” “understandings,” “accords,” “pacts” or the like.

But not Trump. For him it is about “deals.”

As he fancies himself the preeminent dealmaker — after all, he wrote the book on it, didn’t he? — implicit in his use of the word is that the other guy is going to get the raw deal.

This is in no way something that is in any way mutually beneficial. Screwing the other guy is just fine: clearly the other person isn’t as good a dealmaker.

While some might argue that this is just a case of not using euphemisms, that no matter what you call it, a deal is a deal, it seems as though there’s a lot of fast talk and little substance. 

You can imagine Vladimir Putin breaking just the slightest of smiles when he hears Trump talk about making deals while he is playing four-dimensional chess. Sure the deal may be made by Trump, but it is what happens afterwards that matters.

Consider Trump’s talk about putting tariffs on our allies unless they make a deal with him about trade. As there are not conditions that would call for a deal, for them it is probably not about making a deal but of deflecting, to the extent they can, the negative effects on their economies. But in the long term, what is the position of these countries vis-à-vis the US?

Most recently, Trump told Volodymyr Zelensky that he needs to make a deal with Russia. 

When a reporter asked Trump what would happen if the Russians broke the ceasefire agreement — a.k.a., “the deal” — Trump blustered a response that included everything from the possibility of a bomb falling on the reporter’s head to Hunter Biden’s laptop, even including Hillary Clinton. He had no answer.

Yes, Trump holds, as he put it “the cards” as the US has sent money and resources in the defense of Ukraine.

Clearly, helping keep a democracy free is not a good deal so far as Trump is concerned.

And if it is all and only about dealmaking, then the world is going to be a sadder place for everyone. 

Macaulay is pundit-at-large for The Hustings, self-identifying as a Never-Trumper conservative, who mostly writes for the right column. His comments here appear opposite our pro-MAGA conservative right contributor.

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY 3/1-2/25

The Two Sides of Zelenskyy v. Trump

COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

By Todd Lassa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was “told to leave” by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance after an explosive meeting with President Trump, without signing the much-anticipated deal between the two countries that was supposed to result in a ceasefire with Russia, NPR’s All Things Considered reports.

Details are a bit murky, but Trump apparently wanted Ukraine to turn over half its proceeds from rare metals mining in the eastern part of the country – yes, including regions that already have been captured by Russian (maybe including help from North Korean) forces in exchange for some form of security for Ukraine. Or not. 

There was little evidence that the art of this deal included much for Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, in a press conference-ish meeting with Zelenskyy and Trump at center-sofa (above), and Vance and Rubio barely off-camera to their left, one reporter asked whether the Trump administration would protect from Vladimir Putin’s Russia that eastern portion of where much of Ukraine’s rare metals are being mined.

Before that question, another reporter asked, off-camera, why Zelenskyy keeps showing up at such formal meetings dressed the way he was (above) rather than in a suit. (Fox News has made this a major issue, though it might go away if Zelenskyy wore a black MAGA hat, like Elon Musk when he visits the White House). Yet another reporter, whom the president identified as from One America Network, was heaped with praise by Trump. 

The question about whether the US would offer security for eastern Ukraine was from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Rather than give a cogent answer, Trump said something about CNN’s poor ratings.

A Polish reporter was next. He asked whether Trump was “aligning too much” with Vladimir Putin.

Trump, who gushed with admiration for Polish people, responded that “If I didn’t align myself with both of them, we wouldn’t have a deal.”

What deal?

“It was an ambush,” Tom Nichols wrote in The Atlantic Daily. “The president of the United States ambushed a loyal ally, presumably so that he can soon make a deal with the dictator of Russia to sell out a European nation fighting for its very existence.”

After the White House conflagration, Zelenskyy appeared on Fox News’ Special Report to tell Brett Baier he was “grateful” for America’s help, but he did not apologize.

“This is not good for both sides,” Zelenskyy told Baier. “I cannot change Ukraine’s attitude to Russia.”

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY 3/1-2/25

America First: Why Trump, Vance Are Right to Force Zelenskyy’s Hand

Commentary by Rich Corbett

On Friday, the Oval Office hosted a fiery showdown that laid bare the stakes of America’s role in the Ukraine-Russia war. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and what unfolded was a blunt, no-nonsense exchange that reaffirmed a core truth: the United States must prioritize its own interests and demand accountability from those it supports. The discussion, which erupted into a shouting match, showcased Trump and Vance’s resolve to steer US foreign policy toward pragmatism over endless handouts — a stance that’s long overdue.

The crux of America’s position came through loud and clear: After pouring billions into Ukraine’s fight against Russia, the US has every right to expect gratitude and cooperation. Trump, raising his voice, drove this home, telling Zelenskyy, “You’re not really in a good position right now,” and urging him to “make a deal or we’re out.” Vance echoed this, calling out Zelenskyy’s public pushback as “disrespectful” in the Oval Office, especially given America’s sacrifices. They’re not wrong. Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, the US has funneled over $174 billion in aid to Ukraine — more than any other nation — while American taxpayers foot the bill. A simple “thank you” isn’t too much to ask.

Zelenskyy’s response — questioning Vance’s diplomatic vision and pointing to Russia’s broken promises — missed the point. Trump and Vance aren’t here to relitigate Putin’s track record; they’re focused on ending a war that’s drained US resources and risked broader escalation. Trump’s insistence that Zelenskyy is “gambling with World War III” reflects a sobering reality: Ukraine’s stubbornness could drag America into a conflict it doesn’t want. The president’s push for a negotiated peace isn’t weakness — it’s strength, a refusal to let Ukraine dictate terms while leaning on US support. Vance nailed it when he said diplomacy, not chest-thumping, is the path to peace — a sharp break from the Biden era’s posturing that got us nowhere.

From the US perspective, this isn’t about abandoning an ally; it’s about results. Trump made it clear: “If we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it will be pretty.” That’s not a threat — it’s a fact. Ukraine’s manpower shortages and battlefield losses show it can’t win without America, yet Zelenskyy balked at the idea of compromise. The US has leverage — military aid, economic support, and global clout — and it’s time to use it. Trump’s vision of a minerals deal with Ukraine, tying aid to tangible returns like rare-earth resources, is a smart play. Why should America keep giving without getting something back?

The Oval Office clash laid bare Zelenskyy’s miscalculation. He walked into America’s house, challenged its leaders in front of cameras, and expected unwavering support to continue. Trump and Vance rightly pushed back, reminding him that our generosity isn’t a blank check. “Have you said, ‘thank you’ once?” Vance asked — a fair question after years of American blood and treasure spent on Ukraine’s behalf. This isn’t about ego; it’s about respect for the nation that’s kept Ukraine afloat.

America’s stance today is a return to putting its own interests first. Trump and Vance aren’t caving to Putin — they’re forcing Zelenskyy to face reality and negotiate from a position of strength backed by US might. The United States has carried the load long enough; it’s time for Ukraine to step up or step aside. As Trump said, “We’re trying to solve a problem.” That’s leadership — unapologetic, practical, and American to the core.

Corbett is writer and publisher of My Desultory Blog.

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY 3/1-2/25

New Age Robber Barrons

Commentary by Ken Zino

It’s not surprising that tech companies have endorsed Trump since it is in their direct interest to cozy up to power. They are pursuing an anti-regulatory strategy because monitoring and correcting the blatant lies – or let’s call it the myriad unrealities that festoon their money-making platforms is an extremely difficult, perilous and expensive task. 

It’s one thing to rate which college coeds are hot; it’s quite another to be the platform fronting propaganda, lies and disruptive ploys from hostile foreign powers who are actively subverting democracies so that they can rule the world without interference from the country that was founded by forcefully rejecting the Divine Right of Kings to rule by whim their subjects. This includes our allies in peace loving countries that Trump is trashing while siding with and promulgating Russian propaganda right down to a UN resolution that Putin could have written because it is in his interest to thwart democracies. 

However, lost in the electronic forest inhabited by these new age Robber Barons is the reality that Americans hate chaos. Americans right down to FDR’s dog Falla used to hate war. We stood for winning and maintain peace. Republicans embracing warring nations? Republicans pardoning violent criminals who attacked, hurt and killed law enforcement officers?

Then there are the businesses that will get clobbered by the impending tariffs. This includes auto companies and suppliers, who will pass on the highly inflationary costs – particularly companies that operate in Mexico and Canada. Trump – ever disconnected from reality and arguably the foremost perpetrator of the Big Lie theory employed by totalitarian governments – says the agreement he negotiated and signed, the USMCA from his first term, is a bad deal. It’s not the art of deal in play here. It’s the art of the steal. The American people own the post office that is now under a hostile Trump takeover.

Looking at the dropping popularity ratings of Trump and his minions, and the growing numbers of protests at elected representatives’ offices, we are reaching a Tipping Point. Actually, let’s calling it the Tip O’Neill point. All politics is local. It’s not the worldwide web. It’s the growing realization – buyer’s remorse? – that a reflexive anti-government posture is a diversion from what the man behind the screen of outrageous postures is doing. The mid-term elections loom.

Zino is publisher of AutoInformed.

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WEDNESDAY 2/26/25

No Deal

•How does this save tax dollars? GSA to shut down EV chargers for government vehicles. Gary S. Vasilash discusses in The Gray Area.

•Rich Corbett in the right column and Ken Zino in the left debate the question of why Silicon Valley tech and social media has embraced MAGA and President Trump.

UPDATE: Reporters shouted from outside the White House doors asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy whether there is a ceasefire deal with the Russia via President Trump, after Zelenskyy left early following a press conference that turned into a shout-fest. 

Zelenskyy left the White House without signing a rare-minerals deal with the US for the ceasefire. Trump, who said he had last spoken with Russia’s Vladimir Putin “a couple of days ago” used the press conference to reiterate his assertion that Russia’s war in Ukraine – which he still refuses to blame on Russia – would not have begun if he was president in 2022. 

Zelenskyy, who clearly was biting his tongue for much of the press conference, countered that no American president has been able to sign a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia since 2014, and that Putin broke a ceasefire deal with Ukraine in 2019, warning Trump about Putin’s lies.

“You have a very nice ocean, but someday you will feel” Putin’s influence, Zelenskyy said, referencing Trump's argument that Ukraine is Europe's problem as the US is separated by a "very nice" ocean. 

From there, it devolved into Trump repeating his grievances about being tied to Putin since he ran for president. Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful, and Trump added he found the Ukrainian president to be disrespectful.

“You are not in a good position,” Trump told Zelenskyy. “You do not have the cards. You’ve got to be more thankful, because you do not have the cards.” (From Associated Press live video.)

Peace Deal? – President Trump wants President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to agree to a peace deal that will keep Ukraine out of NATO and allow Vladimir Putin to keep Ukrainian territory already seized by Russia. Zelenskyy will do “everything in his power” to convince Trump to keep supplying military aid to Ukraine, Politico Playbook reports.

Zelenskyy arrives in Washington 11 am ET. 

Trump and Zelenskyy hold a press conference at 1 pm (no word yet whether DOGE Chief Elon Musk will be present). 

Zelenskyy’s best hope is a deal – and we mean deal – sharing Ukraine’s raw materials with the US, which would require of course some sort of security for US companies while extracting said materials. If Zelenskyy cannot get a deal signed with Trump for more military aid in the next 24 hours, according to Playbook, you can expect Ukraine to suffer the next four years without any US help.

“I’m not going to make security guarantees very much,” Trump said, per AP. “We’re going to have Europe do that.”

But the BBC sees some softening in Trump’s relationship with Zelenskyy, noting an answer to a reporter’s question in Thursday’s press conference with UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer of whether Trump still considers Zelenskyy a “dictator.”

“Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that,” Trump replied. “Next question …”

•••

•MUST-SEE UN SPEECH: Polish Foreign Minister Radisław Sikorski this week on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

--TL

_____________________________________________

THURSDAY 2/27/25

Starmer Weather – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Washington where he will meet with President Trump face-to-face for the first time and try to tamp down tariff rhetoric toward Great Britain. In the case of tariffs, Starmer has Brexit on his side, as it separated the UK from the European Union that Trump claims was “formed to screw the United States.” 

“The stakes could not be higher,” The Guardian reports, of Thursday’s White House meeting. The British newspaper notes that lead activists in Starmer’s Labour party “mostly loathe Trump and everything he represents,” though the Starmer himself has managed a “warm” relationship with Trump, so far.

•••

‘Global Health Massacre’ – That’s how an anonymous USAID contractor characterized the State Department’s termination of thousands of USAID foreign aid grants and awards, according to NPR’s Morning Edition. The source was not authorized to speak for his/her organization.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Elimination of approximately 92% worth of United States Agency for International Development grants came hours before a federal district court’s deadline to restart paying for grants for work already done before the foreign aid freeze. 

On Wednesday, the Trump administration asked the US Supreme Court to vacate the federal court order to restart the payments, according to NPR. Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily paused the federal court’s order, giving the administration more time to restart payments. 

The State department cut about 4,100 grants and claimed total savings of nearly $60 billion. Among the approximately 8% of USAID saved are food and lifesaving services for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. 

A clean water program for Nigerians fleeing the jihadist terrorist organization Boko Haram was not spared.

•••

Musk Stars in Trump’s Cabinet Meeting – Prompted by a reporter’s question, President Trump in his first cabinet meeting with cameras and with Elon Musk present asked if anyone is unhappy with the DOGEmaster. The cabinet displayed their approval of his efforts by applauding. 

“For the most part, I think everybody’s not only happy, they’re thrilled,” Trump said. This show has drawn comparisons to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s politburo meetings.

Calling himself “humble tech support” while wearing a t-shirt proclaiming the title, Musk told the cabinet meeting; “the overall goal here with the DOGE team is to help address the enormous deficit. We simply cannot sustain, as a country, $2 trillion deficits. The interest rates – just the interest rate on the national debt now exceeds the Defense Department spending.”

Meanwhile, federal workers continue to sort through Musk’s demand via emails last weekend that they justify their employment by listing five things they did in the previous week.

New York magazine’s Intelligencer counts approximately 29,312 federal employees who have left their government jobs under Musk’s DOGE, as of Wednesday.

--TL

_____________________________________________

WEDNESDAY 2/26/25

House Framework Is In – Serious resistance to President Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget package came not from moderate Republicans, but from the hard-core right. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), said the House is going to deliver all of Trump’s America First agenda, CQ Roll Call reports.

“We’re going to deliver all of it, not just part of it,” Johnson said, “and this is the first step in that process.”

One über-conservative holdout, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told NPR’s Leila Fadel on Morning Edition why it took a call from the president to flip his vote for the budget package, which passed 217-215; $36-trillion worth of federal debt. Johnson had no margin for a single Republican defection.

Burkett said his priorities are tax cuts, a closed border and deregulation. An $880-billion cut in Medicaid and Medicare will not affect the programs’ delivery of benefits, but rather will force the House Energy and Commerce Committee to find waste, fraud and abuse in their budgets, he said.

“The problem is it’s Washington, ma’am,” Burchett told Fadel. “It’s a dishonest community to its core.”

Details … The budget framework allows for up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts extended from Trump’s first term plus new tax breaks, provided Congress can find $2 trillion in federal spending to cut for the coming decade, according to Roll Call. The framework calls for raising Congress’ borrowing limit to $4 trillion and adds up to $200 billion in border security funding and defense spending. 

•••

Trump's Gaza -- President Trump has posted a "madcap" AI video on Instagram promoting "what's next" for Gaza, Politico reports. Hint: Think golden Trump Casino Gaza on the Middle East's Riviera, replete with kids holding golden Trump-head balloons, Teslas roaming the streets and Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu in bathing suits sipping drinks on the beach.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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WEDNESDAY 2/26/25

How Trump and Tech Became Friends

Commentary by Rich Corbett

For President Trump, having tech and media companies less combative with him in 2025 gives his administration a smoother path to push the MAGA agenda, quite unlike 2017. Both Meta and Google are leaning on Trump to fend off the European Union; Elon Musk has the president's ear and Jeff Bezos is hopeful for deregulation. Having these powerhouses amplifying rather than obstructing GOP priorities gives Trump 2.0 a strategic edge to deliver on promises and gives Republicans leverage in both policy and public perception.

Do cooperative postures by tech and media companies help Trump 2.0? The relationship between tech and media companies and the Trump administration has evolved significantly from 2017 to 2025. In 2017, the tech sector, including giants like Apple, Google and Microsoft was largely oppositional to Trump’s policies, particularly criticizing initiatives like the travel ban due to its impact on workforce diversity and global operations. However, by 2025, there’s been a notable realignment:

•Meta’s Strategic Shift: Meta has actively sought President Trump’s assistance to counter EU regulatory measures, highlighting a strategic alignment with the administration to protect its international interests.

•Elon Musk’s Influence: Musk has taken on a role as a senior advisor to Trump, influencing policy from within, albeit without a formal government title, raising discussions on the extent of his influence.

•Content Moderation Policy: An executive order from Trump titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship” has pushed companies to adjust their content moderation practices, reflecting a move away from previous regulatory approaches.

•FCC’s DEI Scrutiny: The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, is investigating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, leading media companies to rethink or scale back these initiatives to align with the administration’s stance.

•Jeff Bezos and The Washington Post: Jeff Bezos, owner of both Amazon and The Washington Post, has publicly expressed optimism about Trump’s second term, particularly regarding deregulation. The Washington Post, under Bezos’s ownership, faced backlash for not endorsing a presidential candidate in 2024, which some interpreted as an attempt to curry favor with Trump. This decision, alongside Bezos’s comments on supporting Trump’s regulatory agenda, marks a significant departure from the media’s previously adversarial stance, showcasing a more collaborative approach to navigate the political landscape.

This evolution from opposition to a more cooperative posture by 2025 reflects tech and media companies’ pragmatic adaptation to the prevailing regulatory environment, aiming to safeguard their interests under Trump’s administration.

Corbett writes and publishes My Desultory Blog.

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WEDNESDAY 2/26/25