Author: launchkits

Shocking FOP Support for Trump

Commentary by Sharon Lintner

Looks like Trump's daily agenda will be nauseating me for some time to come. The latest gut wrenching move that has me terrified of what the future holds is the pardoning of people convicted in the US Capitol attack.

In September 2024, the Fraternal Order of Police announced that their members voted to endorse Donald J. Trump for president. 

I was shocked by their decision to endorse a man who is a convicted felon, a man who vowed to pardon those who engaged in assaults on fellow officers January 6, 2021. 

In an attempt to find out if our local police force participated in the decision or vote to endorse Trump, I contacted the FOP, but I received no answer. 

The police are public servants and should remain politically neutral. In our small town, taxpayers finance a $4-million per year police force that's paid for by people from all political parties, not just Republicans. 

It not only angers me, it scares me that my money is funding a force which could openly support a man who has repeatedly encouraged violence. 

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FRIDAY 1/24/25

On Trump and his 1/6 Pardons

Democrats are taking a hard line on President Trump’s near-blanket pardon of more than 1,500 rioters convicted for the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol, including Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. Republican reactions are mixed, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) asserting that it’s the president’s right to sign clemencies and deflecting toward former President Biden’s last-minute pardons of family members The Hill reports.

In this edition, contributors Sharon Lintner and Rich Corbett offer their opinions on this controversial issue, in the left and right columns, respectively. To submit your COMMENTS email editors@thehustings.news and please use the subject line to indicate whether you lean left or right, so we may post those comments in the proper column.

Polls on the pardons … Latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds 62% disapprove of Trump’s pardons of January 6th rioters, though 64% of Republicans in the poll approve. A Fabrizio, Lee & Associates/GBAO poll for The Wall Street Journal reports that 57% are opposed to the pardons.

While Trump’s actions have a substantial list of Republican supporters in the House, it’s far from unanimous. Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) said he does not agree “with the pardons of people that committed violence or even damage to property. If you climbed in through a window, I think probably you knew what you were doing was against the law. And I don’t think it was appropriate to pardon them.” (Per The Hill.)

NPR interviewed Pamela Hemphill, 71, who was an ardent Trump supporter in 2020 when she participated in the insurrection. But she has turned down clemency for her conviction in storming the halls of Congress that day. 

“I broke the law that day, period,” she told All Things Considered. “Black and white. I’m not a victim. I’m a volunteer.” Hemphill added that accepting Trump’s pardon “would be a slap in the face to Capitol police officers, to the rule of law and to our whole nation.”

•••

It’s the Constitution, Stupid – In other Week 1 Trump 47 news, Federal District Judge John C. Coughenour signed a restraining order to block for 14 days President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for babies born on US soil. Ruling by the judge, who was appointed to the bench by President Reagan, sides with a lawsuit by Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon to block the EO (per The New York Times). 

“This is blatantly an unconstitutional order,” Coughenour said in his ruling. Directed to Trump administration attorneys, the judge continued; “Frankly I have difficulty understanding how a member of the bar would state unequivocally that this is a Constitutional order. It just boggles the mind.”

•••

Hegseth Rising – Former Fox & Friends Weekend host Pete Hegseth appears headed for confirmation as President Trump’s pick for defense secretary after the Senate voted 51-49 Thursday to end debate on his nomination, according to The Hill. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Susan Collins (ME) joined all Democrats in voting against the procedural move, and Murkowski, at least, has vowed to oppose Hegseth in the full Senate vote.

Trump can afford to lose three Republicans in the vote, expected Friday.

The canary will live … Hegseth was considered the test-case among Trump’s most controversial cabinet member choices, meaning that if he can win Senate confirmation, pretty much anyone else can. But hold on -- both Republicans and Democrats appear skeptical about the president’s nomination of former Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to be Health and Human Services secretary, The Hill reports. 

Some Republicans are concerned about RFK Jr.’s support of abortion rights, while Democrats do not want an anti-vax, anti-fluoride HHS secretary (per The Hill). Meanwhile, there is some bi-partisan opposition to Trump’s nomination of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) to become director of national intelligence, Semafor reports.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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FRIDAY 1/24/25

Pardons, Promises and Presidential Powers

Commentary by Rich Corbett

Presidential pardons serve as a profound exercise of executive clemency, often reflecting the incumbent’s values and political commitments. Both President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have utilized this power in ways that caused most law-abiding citizens to question, “where does the power to pardon end?”

During his 2024 campaign, President Trump pledged openly that he would pardon individuals convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Fulfilling this promise, on January 20, 2025, he issued pardons for approximately 1,500 individuals involved in the events of that day. Many were peaceful protestors who likely merely trespassed the Capitol grounds, while others were convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers. The latter receiving the pardons were met with significant criticism from both political parties. 

In contrast, President-elect Biden made a point when talking with CNN’s Jake Tapper about the possibility of then-President Trump making preemptive pardons for his adult children; “You’re not going to see our administration take that kind of approach to pardons.”

However, following the 2024 election, Biden issued a pardon for his son Hunter, after previously stating that he would not, and then in his final hours in office he issued preemptive pardons to several family members, including his siblings and their spouses, along with preemptive pardons for several high profile public figures who might be targets of prosecution. 

President Trump’s mass pardons of January 6 participants underscored his allegiance to his supporter base, but attracted criticism from law enforcement and judicial figures. President Biden’s preemptive pardons of family members raise ethical questions about the appropriate use of executive clemency. Both presidents have many Americans, and hopefully their representatives, wondering if the pardon power is abuse of power, if broad preemptive pardons are even legal, or just how far-reaching a president’s power to pardon extends.

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FRIDAY 1/24/25

Left on Inauguration

Contributor Comment: Going Indy

In the aftermath of this election, I find myself questioning the integrity of my own party. Why did I align with the Democrats to begin with? 

Beliefs which are important to me, such as serving the people through transparency, ethical actions and equality led me to register as a Democrat. 

Also, since Pennsylvania holds a closed primary, I felt forced into selecting a political party in order to completely participate in the voting process. 

Because of my recent disappointments with the Democrats, I'm contemplating changing my party affiliation to "independent" which means giving up my ability to vote in primary elections. 

In a most sickening turn, some of the politicians I voted for have now bowed to Trump. Their loyalty no longer lies with those who put them in office. Instead, they seek to gain favor from a convicted felon who has undermined the justice system. 

This country is very sick, I just hope it doesn't die. 

--Sharon Lintner 

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WEDNESDAY 1/22/25

…meanwhile…

Whatever DOGE chief Elon Musk intended with his ‘salute’ at a speech Monday at the Capital One Arena, right-wing extremists are embracing it, The Associated Press reports. Musk gave the “straight-arm gesture” after telling the crowd, “I just want to say ‘thank you’ for making it happen,” referring to Donald J. Trump’s election as president.

‘Golden Age’ Without Musk? – DOGE chief/Tesla/SpaceX/Starlink CEO Elon Musk reacted Wednesday to his snub as not being part of the announcement of a “$500 billion” investment in “artificial superintelligence” in US factories that would create 100,000 jobs for Americans by posting on his $44-billion X/Twitter investment, “They don’t actually have the money.”

Fair enough: The announcement took place at the White House with President Trump along with Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son – he of the “artificial superintelligence” quip – with Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Open AI’s Sam Altman. Politico’s afternoon newsletter, Digital Future Daily sorted out this story of how the technoligopoly has decided AI (and not coincidentally, crypto currency) is so very good for our future. 

It’s that Altman appearance that must have Musk most vexed. 

Musk was an early investor in OpenAI and alleges in a suit filed last summer that he had secured an agreement with the company and founders Altman and Greg Brockman, also named in the suit, that the company would remain a non-profit with an open code. Musk pulled out of OpenAI in 2018 claiming potential conflict-of-interest with Tesla and its self-driving technology. OpenAI last month announced a new structure to become a for-profit company, according to The Verge.

Early in the last administration, Musk was said to break from the Democratic Party because then-President Biden held an electric vehicle “summit” with new EVs from General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Stellantis (ex-Fiat Chrysler), but not Tesla. 

But Musk’s skepticism about the $500-billion AI deal is not unfounded. Shortly after Trump 45 took office in 2017, he touted a Foxconn plan to build an LCD screen-making plant in Racine County, Wisconsin that would create 50,000 jobs. Accompanied by then-Gov. Scott Walker (R) and then-House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), Trump called it “the eighth wonder of the world.” (Foxconn had promised a $10-billion investment and 10,000 jobs.) 

Five years on, Wisconsin incentives have been cut to $80 million from an initial $2.85 billion, and it produces no phone screens, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

But tech/internet-business journalist Kara Swisher said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 Wednesday that Musk lashed out against the half-trillion-dollar announcement (coincidentally, just a few billion bucks more than his personal wealth) because “he is not part of it” and said the technoligopolists who appeared at the White House without him could raise that cash “in about four seconds.”

•••

Forty-six House Democrats joined Republicans Wednesday to pass the Laken Riley Act, 263-156, to impose more severe penalties on undocumented immigrants who commit crimes in the US. It is the first bill to come up for President Trump’s signature, CQ Roll Call reports. The Senate passed the bill last week.

The bill is named for Laken Riley, who at 22 was murdered last year by an undocumented immigrant who had been released after an arrest. After it is signed by the president, the bill will require the secretary of Homeland Security to issue detention for undocumented immigrants arrested or convicted for burglary, theft or shoplifting. An amendment by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) added assault of a police officer to that list of crimes.

--TL

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WEDNESDAY 1/22/25

Keeping Up With Trump 47 – President Trump issued 26 executive orders in the first 24 hours according to Marketplace, in launching his agenda and reversing Biden administration policies as quickly as possible. Yes, it is difficult to keep up, but we will try as we remind you that you are invited to comment, whether as a conservative for the right column, or a liberal for the left column, with an email to editors@thehustings.news.

First up … Trump’s EO ending birthright citizenship has drawn lawsuits from Democratic attorneys general in 18 states, plus San Francisco and Washington, D.C., according to NPR’s Morning Edition. 

The AGs site Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

“We’re the only country in the world that does it, you know,” Trump has countered. “And it’s just absolutely ridiculous. We’ll see. We think we have very good grounds.”

Not on Trump’s assertion that we’re the only country that does it. World Population Review cites 33 countries including the US, plus two territories that have jus soli, or birthright citizenship. Another 32 nations have some form of restricted birthright citizenship, the website says.

Ending DEI … Trump issued a memo placing employees in federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs on paid leave until 5 pm Wednesday, per NPR’s Morning Edition. Agencies have to noon Thursday Eastern time to report on their compliance to the Office of Personnel Management. Agencies must develop a “reduction-in-force action” against the employees, according to Trump’s memo.

Wait for the tariffs … Not so fast, but quickly enough for the president’s favorite word.

“We’re talking about a tariff of 10% on China based on the fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada. Probably February 1 is the date we’re looking at. For Mexico and China we’re talking about approximately, approximately, 25%,” Trump told a press conference Tuesday, Politico reports.

•••

WHO’s Out First – About eight hours after President Trump was sworn in, he issued an executive order to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization, which will make it harder to fight the pandemic and undermine US standing as a global health leader, critics of Trump’s move told The New York Times. 

Trump cited WHO’s “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms” and a expensive membership payments, higher than what China pays. 

The withdrawal will leave the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention without access to global data such as the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus China handed over to WHO in 2020. 

The upshot … So, continue to blame Trump 45’s problems dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which certainly helped him lose re-election that year, on the WHO, which Trump 47 will likely need if/when there is another pandemic in the next four years?

•••

Meanwhile, in the Boardrooms – Business leaders are “scrambling” to sort out sweeping changes to tax, immigration, trade and energy policies brought on by President Trump’s flurry of executive orders, The Wall Street Journal reports. Among the scramble, JPMorganChase has set up a war room, law firm Fisher Phillips has created an immigration hotline to help its clients deal with potential workplace immigration raids and manufacturers and retailers have teams working to mitigate potential new tariffs. 

•••

Meanwhile, on the Pulpit – The inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral is not normally a political event. But on Tuesday morning, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, leader of the Episcopal Diocese in Washington said, “I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”

As President Trump, Vice President Vance and family members looked on, Budde said, “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some of who fear for their lives.”

Per The New York Times Budde continued that “the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”

Later, from the White House, Trump told reporters, “I didn’t think it was a good service, no.”

•••

Replacing Vance – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has appointed Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to replace Sen. JD Vance now that he is vice president, The Columbus Dispatch reports. Elon Musk’s junior partner in the non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was reportedly interested in the appointment, but dropped out of contention and will run for Ohio governor in 2026, instead. 

Husted is expected to run for the Senate seat in the November 2026 elections, winner of which would serve the rest of Vance’s term, to 2028.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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WEDNESDAY 1/22/25

Right on Inauguration

Is President Trump running roughshod over the Constitution while scaring the bejesus out of businesses and corporations with impending tariffs and threats of factory, warehouse and farm immigration raids, or is he simply keeping the promises he made that earned him the popular vote and Electoral College victory last November?

You may have heard this before, but at The Hustings we welcome civil discourse from readers of all political stripes. 

Pro-MAGA as well as never-Trumper conservatives’ comments go in the right column. Moderate-left to Bernie Sanders-style democratic socialists’ comments got in the left column.

You read it all in one place – no echo chambers where you’re exposed only to pundits and writers with whom you agree.

Email your COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line.

And don’t forget to subscribe for free to Substack on The Hustings.

Meanwhile, scroll down with the trackbar on the far right to read …

Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay’s comments on Trump’s inauguration, “The Return of the Gilded Age?”, with comments by Hugh Hansen in the left column, lauding Michelle Obama and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for skipping the event.

Scroll down further to read Macaulay’s comments on the inauguration balls’ musical acts, “That’s Entertainment,” with a counterpoint by Kate McLeod in the left column.

Scroll down yet further to Rich Corbett’s right-column commentary from before the inauguration on how this is a chance for political animals to “start with a clean slate” with the second Trump term. Sharon Lintner’s counterpoint is in the left column.

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WEDNESDAY 1/22/25

Inauguration to Avoid

Commentary by Hugh Hansen

I salute Ms Obama and Ms Pelosi for following my lead and not attending.

I was sorry to end my Washington Post subscription, as prior to owner Jeff Bezos's capitulation I kind of preferred it to The New York Times.

Donald John’s verbal pronouncements seem so, so, so randomly connected to his next-day pronouncements that I haven’t the heart for tea leaf reading them anymore.

Wait until it’s on some sort of document necessarily shared with Congress, or particular federal bureaus/departments, then vomit, then fight or ameliorate it.

Email your COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line, so that we may place your comments in the proper column.

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TUESDAY 1/21/25

A Peaceful Transfer, This Time

President Trump after his inauguration Monday pardoned 1,500 defendants of the January 6th attack of the US capitol, including rioters who attacked police. This included members of Oath Keepers and of Proud Boys, among them former national chair Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years for helping plot the insurrection, the AP reports.

By Todd Lassa

Donald J. Trump’s second official inauguration speech seemed a slight bit less-dark than it was eight years earlier, perhaps because it was held inside the Capitol Rotunda and thus no outdoor crowd for the new president to point to and declare the biggest ever in the history of inaugurations. Perhaps like the youngest of voters who have known little more than of Trump as the central political figure in their lives, we’re becoming accustomed to his style. Perhaps it was because Hilary Clinton laughed visibly when Trump declared he is renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” 

No mention so far of Greenland.

“The Golden Age of America begins right now,” Trump said, adding that the United States will “flourish and be respected all over the world. … I will, simply put, put America first.”

The US, he said, “will be far more exceptional than ever before.”

The new president said he would immediately remove the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change and end the “EV mandate” and allow you to buy whatever car you want to buy – including the internal combustion-powered ones that accounted for about 92% of the US market last year.

Like former Secretary of State Clinton, President Joe Biden stood behind Trump during the inauguration. He appeared alternately tired and bemused as Trump took the opportunity to paint the last four years under Biden’s leadership as having fallen so far it can’t get up – if not for its new, resurgent savior. 

“From this moment on, America’s decline is over,” Trump said. 

And there was the airing of grievances, as Trump claimed that “Over the past eight years, I’ve been tested and challenged more than any other president in history.” 

Adding “They tried to take my freedom and my life,” Trump concluded that the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania,* pretty much assured his victory last November.

“I was saved by God to make America great again.”

In the closest Trump could come to JFK’s promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, he said the nation would strive to “plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars …” a nod to his biggest benefactor, SpaceX/Tesla/Starlink CEO and X/Twitter owner Elon Musk’s favorite cause. 

After Joe and Jill Biden copter’d out, Trump visited the Capitol Visitor Center where he addressed the citizens who could not watch his inauguration from outside – this included Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), on whom the president spent an inordinate amount of his 36 minutes there talking about plans for completing The Wall. 

The border is Trump’s number one issue, he said, not inflation.

“How many times can you say the price of an apple has doubled?” 

Though in later appearances Trump reiterated his promise to bring down prices, this seemed like another admission that slowing the rise of inflation, let alone reversing it, despite arguably being the major reason for his November victory, is a very difficult task best left to the Federal Reserve. 

The border will not be quite so problematic. Minutes after his inauguration, Trump’s officials shut down the mobile app CPB One that had allowed migrants to make appointments in order to enter the US through legal points of entry, The Hill reports.

*CORRECTION: This article initially misidentified the Pennsylvania town where there was an assassination attempt on Trump at one of his campaign rallies.

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TUESDAY 1/21/25

The Return of the Gilded Age?

Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

Management consultant Tom Peters, co-author of In Search of Excellence, is credited with a phrase that is important in all walks of life:

“Under promise and over deliver.”

The book was published in 1989. It was, and is, one of the most influential business books of all time.

Consequently, it is a bit surprising that legendary business maven, and now president, Donald Trump seems to have missed it.

Or maybe he doesn’t believe it.

He opened his inaugural address:

“The Golden Age of America begins right now.”

Now maybe he is simply stating that he is going to bring back the Gilded Age, a period in the late 19th century that generated great wealth — for industrialists and entrepreneurs, like many of the tech bros that surrounded him on inauguration day.

There was, it should go without saying, rife corruption during the Gilded Age.

The poster boy was Boss Tweed, a political operative (and a Democrat) who was convicted to stealing millions of dollars from the people of New York City, who could ill afford it.

And there were abuses in terms of patronage. This means that government jobs 

weren’t given to those most qualified to hold them (i.e., people who could actually do the work), but to political supporters and friends. Sound familiar?

But there was another characteristic of the Gilded Age: Regular people didn’t prosper.

It is largely thought that there were two key issues that led to Trump’s election:

  1. The economy
  2. The southern border

The latter is being addressed — at least visually — pronto.

But the former is the tricky bit.

People voted because they think he can bring down prices of everyday items like eggs.

People as in the “regular people.”

The MAGA base.

I recently went to a local diner for breakfast. There was a sticker on the front of the menu stating that the price for all egg dishes are increased by $1 due to the hike of the price of eggs. And that wasn’t a trivial hike because that place had offered a $3 breakfast special.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of eggs has increased by 38% over the last 12 months.

And here is a bit of irony: a major cause was a pandemic. Bird flu.

Can we have much in the way of confidence that there will be a concerted effort to wipe out bird flu, or will it “just go away”?

One thing that Trump said that may come back to bite him was his description of the fires in California:

“Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense.

“They’re raging through the houses and communities, even affecting some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our country, some of whom are sitting here right now. They don’t have a home any longer. That’s interesting, but we can’t let this happen. Everyone is unable to do anything about it. That’s going to change.”

Anybody who has watched the fires on a newscast has seen nothing but women and men busting their asses, spraying and digging and doing all possible activities to put out the horrendous fires.

“Without even a token of defense”? “Everyone is unable to do anything about it”? What about those brave first responders? Are they doing nothing?

People know that’s not the case. They probably have friends or relatives who put their lives on the line every day just like the fire service personnel in California.

And the comment about “some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our country. . . .don’t have a home any longer.”

What about the regular people who have had their insurance canceled? 

Why doesn’t he care about them? Because they didn’t donate millions to him?

If the price of eggs doesn’t go down, if there are tariffs applied across the board that raise prices at everywhere from the Home Depot to Kroger, if mom starts having trouble getting heath care coverage, if. . . .

Well, those regular folks helped put him on that podium, and he’s not going to leave.

But unless he does something to address their day-to-day existence, he’s going to find the love he basks in gone.

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TUESDAY 1/21/25

What’s Left

Comment: Twisted Logic

As we approach the presidential inauguration of a convicted felon, I find it absolutely mind-boggling that some politicians and potential candidates who have criminal histories are, in some cases, held to higher standards and are forbidden from holding office.

For instance, in 2022, Columbia Borough Council in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County voted to appoint a resident to fill a vacant seat. He was never sworn in because council discovered that he was a convicted felon who had served time in prison for mail fraud. The conviction rendered him ineligible to hold public office for 10 years. 

Another recent example, Mayor Sal Bonaccorso of Clark, New Jersey, resigned over charges of criminal activity. Bonaccorso is permanently barred from holding any future public office or public employment.

Rightly so, we don't trust those with felony convictions to run our local governments, but we're okay with allowing one to run the entire country? Twisted logic.

--Sharon Lintner

_______________________________________________

Washington Post editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes left the newspaper when an editor refused to run her cartoon calling out WaPo owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and other tech billionaires for visiting incoming President Donald J. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, on bended knee. 

In the left column below, guest pundit Chris Bidlack argues that Telnaes was standing up for freedom of speech and freedom of the press in leaving the Post when it would not publish her cartoon.

Scroll down the page using the trackbar on the far-right to read Bidlack’s commentary in this column.

Detail on Telnaes’ cartoon and departure is in the center column news/analysis. 

While you’re there, please be sure to read Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay’s counterpoint to Bidlack’s commentary, in which he argues that Bezos has the right not to be made fun of in his own newspaper. 

As always, you are encouraged to submit your own comments on this, and other issues covered in The Hustings. For that matter, we are happy to hear from you about issues we haven’t been covering that you believe we should. 

Email your COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line so that we post your comments in the appropriate column.

And don’t miss Substack on The Hustings.   

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MONDAY 1/13/25

…meanwhile…

JACK SMITH DROPS MIC -- Special counsel Jack Smith reports he has the evidence to convict Donald J. Trump for election interference if not for Trump’s win in last November’s presidential election. Scroll down this column for details.

FRIDAY 1/17/25

TikTok Ban Upheld – The US Supreme Court Friday upheld Congress’ ban of social media site TikTok (per SCOTUSblog). Under the law passed last year, TikTok is to shut down on Sunday short of divestiture of its US operations by Chinese owner ByteDance. However, a US official told The Associated Press that President Biden will not enforce the ban before he leaves office Monday. 

In its per curiam ruling Friday (not assigned to a specific justice) on TikTok v. Merrick B. Garland, SCOTUS noted that “for 170 million Americans TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”

Justices Sonya Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch issued separate opinions in support.

Upshot … What happens on the TikTok ban after President-elect Trump is inaugurated Monday? Though Trump signed an executive order, not implemented, to ban TikTok in the US near the end of his first term, he has apparently has made a u-turn on the issue and thus, like Biden, is not likely to enforce.

•••

Ceasefire Unceased – Israel’s security cabinet approved the Gaza ceasefire deal Friday after a delay by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, NPR reports, with his full cabinet expected to meet later in the day for full passage. Under the agreement scheduled to begin with Phase I Sunday, Hamas is to release three Israeli hostages, with another four to be released on day seven. The Israeli Defense Force is not expected to withdraw from Gaza until all hostages are released, according to Haaretz, but will allow residents north of the strip. 

•••

Anti-Russia Hawk Down – A hawkish supporter of US aid and military support to Ukraine for its defense against Russia, Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, is out as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) replaced Turner Thursday in a controversial move with MAGA Republican Rick Crawford, of Arkansas, Politico reports. Johnson also added to the committee five more Trump supporters who have been averse to continued aid to Ukraine; Ben Kline of Virginia, Pat Fall of Texas, Greg Steube of Florida, Claudia Tenney of New York and Ann Wagner of Missouri.

Meanwhile … UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made an unannounced visit with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to sign a “wide-ranging 100-year partnership” treaty, entailing defense, energy and trade, The Kyiv Independent reports. Kind of an in-your-face-Putin treaty short of full NATO membership for Ukraine.

•••

Treasury Secretary Hearings – Billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent is said to be a shoe-in for as President-elect Trump's pick for Treasury secretary, with potential support even from some Democrats. Bessent’s top priority is to extend the Trump 45 tax cuts set to expire later this year, while conversely he could gently push back on Trump tariff threats.

In his opening statement before the Senate Finance Committee, Bessent said Trump’s economic policy presents a “generational opportunity to unleash a new economic golden age that will create more jobs, wealth and prosperity for all Americans.” (Per The New York Times.)

But ranking committee Democrat Ron Wyden, of Oregon, considers such a “golden age” more of a “gilded age.” 

“Trump’s going to be waging this class war instead of fixing what’s broken about our tax system, which is that there’s a special set of rules that only applies to the ultra-wealthy,” Wyden said. “Mr. Bessent is a case in point.”

--TL

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THURSDAY 1/18/25

Ceasefire in Trouble Already – Claiming that Hamas has “reneged on parts of the agreement,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday cancelled a cabinet meeting to vote on approval of the ceasefire agreement that would stop fighting on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, NPR’s Morning Edition reports. It seems unlikely that Phase I of the deal, which pretty much matches the proposal the Biden administration put out four months ago, but reportedly was pushed over the line by negotiators for the incoming Trump administration, will happen before President Biden officially leaves the White House. 

The way Haaretz puts it, President-elect Trump “scared” Netanyahu into agreeing to the deal with Hamas.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri refuted Netanyahu’s claim that Hamas had tried to make last-minute changes, according to Al-Arabi TV (per NPR). 

Two Israeli cabinet members have been very vocal in their opposition to the deal and have threatened to resign, thus collapsing Netanyahu’s government, according to the Morning Edition report. This raises the question of whether Netanyahu will scuttle the agreement to save his political career. 

Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry reported 81 killed and 188 wounded in Gaza between announcement of the agreement and the Israeli cabinet’s delay, Haaretz reports.

•••

Biden’s Farewell – President Biden touted the Gaza ceasefire agreement from the Oval Office in his farewell address to the American people Wednesday evening.

“This plan was developed and negotiated by my team,” Biden said, “and it will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed. Because that’s how it should be: Working together as Americans.”

The 46th president called out what he says are his administration’s successes, including strengthening NATO, keeping Ukraine free and pulling “ahead in our competition with China.

“I’m so proud of how much we’ve accomplished together for the American people, and I wish the incoming administration success. Because I want America to succeed.”

Then he warned about “the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people” without specifically naming Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg or any other tech billionaires.

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”

--TL

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WEDNESDAY 1/15/25

Israel, Hamas Agree to Ceasefire -- Negotiators for Israel, Arab countries and the US -- including from the outgoing Biden administration and incoming Trump administration -- have agreed to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in an expected three-phase deal. In the first phase, Hamas will exchange some hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing Arab officials helping mediate the talks. The three parties met midday Wednesday local time in Doha, Qatar, to finalize the draft.

•••

Hegseth is Next Defense Secretary – Stop us if you’ve heard this sort of thing before. President-elect Trump will get what he wants with full (or nearly full) support of the Republican Party after some skepticism among a couple of moderates and/or dissidents. 

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) was a potential block to Trump’s choice of ex-Fox News host Pete Hegseth to become the next Defense secretary. After a lengthy Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, Ernst, a former US Army lieutenant colonel who served in Kuwait and was concerned about Hegseth’s pre-nomination comments opposing women in combat, told Simon Conway of Des Moines’ Newsradio 1040; “Yes, I will be supporting President Trump’s pick for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth,” The Hill reports. 

Committee Democrats attacked Hegseth for his lack of experience, infidelity and allegations of sexual and financial misconduct. Hegseth also faced questioning about his Jerusalem Cross tattoo, a symbol of the Christian far-right.

“In fact, interestingly, recently I attended briefly the memorial ceremony of former President Jimmy Carter, on the floor of our National Cathedral,” Hegseth replied, according to Newsweek. “On the front page of the program was the very same Jerusalem Cross.”

That does not mean Hegseth is not a devotee of Christian Nationalism. USA Today has reported that Hegseth is a follower of Idaho pastor Doug Wilson’s Communion of Reformed Evangelical Church, which has been strengthening ties with Hegseth’s Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship in Nashville. 

Such key players in the Christian Nationalism movement led a concerted effort to assure that Hegseth would have strong Republican support in the Senate (where he needs only a majority to be confirmed) leading up to the committee hearing. 

Upshot… After just one nominee, ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) had to withdraw his nomination, GOP support for Hegseth is a good indication Trump will get his way with the rest of his nominees, though there’s still the question of confirming Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) for National Intelligence director and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as national health secretary. 

Wednesday… Committee hearings are to be held for Pam Bondi, replacement nominee for Gaetz as Trump administration attorney general, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to be secretary of state. Rubio, of all nominees, is considered the easiest shoo-in with likely support even from some Democratic senators.

--TL

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Enough to Convict – Former special counsel Jack Smith says he has the evidence to convict former President Donald J. Trump for interference in the 2020 election results, if not for Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, according to his 137-page final report released by the Department of Justice early Tuesday.

Trump “engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort to overturn the legitimate results of the election in order to retain power,” Smith says in his report's conclusion. 

Smith resigned as special counsel before Trump could fire him after next Monday’s presidential inauguration. But Smith and his team of investigators now face investigation themselves by the Republican-majority 119th Congress in the coming months, likely to be led by the incoming president’s close allys. 

“While we were not able to bring the cases we charged to trial, I believe the fact that our team stood up for the rule of law matters,” Smith writes in the introduction. “I believe the example our team set for others to fight for justice without regard for the personal cost matters. The facts, as we uncovered them in our investigation and as set forth in my Report, matter. Experienced prosecutors know that you cannot control outcomes, you can only do your job the right way for the right reasons. I conclude our work confident that we have done so, and that we have met fully our obligations to the Department and to our country.”  

But not the other report … Judge Aileen Cannon – yes, the federal district judge in Florida appointed by Trump 45 – issued the five-page order Monday allowing the Justice Department to release the elections interference report but not the report from Smith’s investigation of Trump’s alleged refusal to return classified documents after he left office – the case she oversaw -- according to The New York Times.

That investigation led to the FBI’s seizure of classified government documents at Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022. 

Cannon ordered prosecutors and Trump defense attorneys to appear before her on Friday to argue whether Smith’s report on the classified documents case should be released to Congress.

Reaction ... Insert standard Trump insults of Smith and his investigators here.

--Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 1/13/25

This Week – The House and Senate are in session Monday through Thursday, and the Senate only is in session Friday. Monday is the fourth anniversary of President-elect Trump’s second impeachment, for incitement of the January 6th attack on Capitol Hill. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate. 

Welcome – Readers of Columbia Spy.

Confirmation Week I – Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, Pam Bondi for US attorney general and Marco Rubio for secretary of state are key Senate confirmation hearings beginning Tuesday, Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report told NPR’s Steve Inskeep on Morning Edition. 

As the most controversial Trump nominee now that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has withdrawn his nomination to be AG, former Fox News host Hegseth will face the toughest questioning beginning Tuesday. 

Senate committees also will question Interior Department secretary nominee Doug Burgum and Veterans Affairs nominee Doug Collins on Tuesday. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to take Wednesday and Thursday for its hearing on Bondi’s nomination to head the Justice Department, CQ Roll Call reports. Wednesday also is the day for Rubio to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations committee. John L. Ratcliffe, nominee for CIA director will appear before the Intelligence committee. Nominee for Homeland Security secretary, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and nominee for Office of Management and Budget chief Russell Vought will appear before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee on Wednesday.

A confirmation hearing for former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) to be director of national intelligence appears to be delayed for a week, but not for the reasons you might expect – Gabbard is considered an ally of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and years ago met with now-deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. But Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) described Gabbard’s delay as a “paperwork problem.”

“She now has a top-level security clearance,” Barrasso told CBS News’ Face the Nation Sunday. “She is the right person to keep America secure and safe.”

Others, this week … Chris Wright for Energy secretary, Scott Turner for Housing and Urban Development secretary, Sean Duffy for Transportation secretary, Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary and Lee Zeldin for Environmental Protection Agency director are also scheduled for committee hearings this week.

•••

Are You Ready for Some Trump Tariffs? – After decades of catching up with Western Europe, Japan and the United States with its odd mixture of communist authoritarianism and state-supported capitalism, China has reached nearly $1 trillion in trade surplus for 2024, according to the nation’s General Administration of Customs. Even adjusted for inflation, China’s $990-billion trade surplus last year “far exceeded” any in the world in the last century, according to The New York Times, including the US after World War II.

Automakers in the European Union are battling stiff competition from Chinese makers of affordable electric vehicles, while in the US, President-elect Trump has threatened a tariff on all Chinese goods of up to 60%.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 1/13/25

What’s Right

Comment: Let’s Start With a Clean Slate

For those raising alarm about alleged threats to "democracy" while ignoring the blatant overreach of unelected bureaucrats and activist judges against President-Elect Donald J. Trump, it’s clear you’ve succumbed to a narrative driven by Democrats and the biased media. The weaponization of government institutions by partisan actors has exposed just how fragile our republic has become under the influence of radical leftist ideology.

For years, Democrats have leveraged every tool in their arsenal — be it impeachment attempts, endless investigations, or politically motivated indictments — to undermine those who challenge their grip on power. This lawfare isn’t about justice; it’s about silencing dissent and punishing anyone who dares stand in their way.

The Constitution and rule of law are meant to serve as safeguards against tyranny, yet they are being bent and twisted to suit the whims of a political elite that cannot abide opposition. Conservatives and independent thinkers should take heed: today’s targeted leader could be tomorrow’s silenced citizen.

As Americans, we must demand accountability, transparency, and an end to the misuse of power for partisan ends. Without these, the freedoms that define this nation risk becoming relics of a bygone era, sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. Let's start with a clean slate next week and give President Trump an opportunity to prove his competence and ability to lead America and all our citizens towards a brighter tomorrow. 

--Rich Corbett

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Our Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It does not guarantee the right to criticize a newspaper owner via editorial cartoon by a staffer for that newspaper, Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay argues in his right-column commentary below. 

Scroll down the page using the trackbar on the far-right to read Macaulay’s commentary on Ann Telnaes’ editorial cartoon for The Washington Post criticizing the newspaper’s owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (along with other tech billionaires) for taking an “obsequious position” toward incoming President Donald J. Trump.

 Detail on Telnaes’ cartoon and departure is in the center column news/analysis. 

While you’ve scrolled down, do not miss guest pundit Chris Bidlack’s defense of Telnaes’ cartoon and her resignation from the WaPo after an editor rejected the cartoon.

As always, you are encouraged to submit your own comments on this, and other issues covered in The Hustings. For that matter, we are happy to hear from you about issues we haven’t been covering that you believe we should. 

Email your COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line so that we post your comments in the appropriate column.

And don’t miss Substack on The Hustings.   

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MONDAY 1/13/25

Left to Your Devices

Last Friday, the real CEO of The Onion’s owner Global Tetrahedron, Ben Collins, told NPR’s All Things Considered he hopes to use his company’s purchase out of bankruptcy of Alex Jones’ Infowars as a way to fight extremist conspiracy theories dominating social media. We applaud this: If The Hustings had a better sense of humor (and the necessary funds) we would try to do exactly the same thing.

Instead, we are here to bring together citizens from various points on the left and right sides of the political horseshoe to discuss and argue – in a civil manner – real, fact-based news/news aggregate, and push back against the same sort of social media BS. We are the anti-X/Twitter.

No echo chambers. No false equivalency. Facts, useful analysis and context for political animals and the politically curious. 

No matter which side of the political horseshoe you are on, we humbly solicit your thoughts and opinions on the latest political news and issues.

Email your COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line – you do not have to tow your side’s line on a specific issue, but we do want to post your comments in the appropriate column – right or left.

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TUESDAY 11/19/24

Trump’s AG and Russian Missiles

Joe Biden became the first US president to visit ‘Earth’s lungs,’ the Brazilian rainforest, Sunday, on his way to a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.  (White House photo) ... Biden later skipped the official G20 photo and refused to answer reporters' questions.

Bondi – President-elect Trump’s quick pivot from ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as his choice for attorney general to a “fellow loyalist” (Politico) from Florida, Pam Bondi, happened so quickly Thursday it seems like it has to have been planned this way all along. The remaining question is whether Gaetz might try to reclaim his House seat, as Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay predicted, or whether he might run for Florida governor when Ron DeSantis is term-limited out in two years. 

If Gaetz wants to return to the House, that would reignite the Ethics Committee’s investigation. But even if he doesn’t, the committee still may release its investigation of him.

Bondi was Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019 when she defended Trump in his first impeachment trial. She reappeared with Trump on the campaign trail in the final days of this year’s campaign, according to Politico and in the interim has served as the co-chair of the America First Policy Institute’s law and justice division, an organization described as a “Trump administration in waiting.”

Trump reportedly picked Gaetz after a Trump jet flight in which the president-elect was unhappy with his AG choices, and the then-representative suggested himself. Was Bondi to be shadow-AG to Gaetz? Was all this folderol over the Gaetz pick some sort of television performance art worthy of The Apprentice? (Trump’s TV show, not the new movie about Roy Cohn and DJT.)

•••

Correction – Russia hit Dnipro, Ukraine, not with an intercontinental ballistic missile as reported Thursday, but with an “experimental” intermediate-range ballistic missile. Like an ICBM however, the “Oreshnik” (Russian for “hazel”) missile could carry a nuclear warhead although this one didn’t. Vladimir Putin described Oreshnik on Russian TV, according to NPR’s Morning Edition.

“This is an obvious and serious increase in the scale and brutality of war,” Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram messaging app.

--TL

______________________________________________

...meanwhile...THURSDAY 11/21/24

Gaetz Withdraws -- Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) he is withdrawing his name to become President-elect Trump's US attorney general, Reuters reports.

•••

ICC Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu – Alleging Israel has used starvation as a weapon and directs attacks against civilians, the International Criminal Court Thursday has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (per The Wall Street Journal). ICC prosecution drew praise from many countries, but outrage from the Biden administration and much of US Congress last May when it first sought the warrants. Several Hamas leaders who were also named in the ICC warrant have been killed by the Israeli Defense Force.

•••

ICBMs Hit Dnipro, Ukraine – Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Dnipro Thursday morning, Kyiv’s air force reported according to The Kyiv Independent. ICBMs are capable of carrying nuclear warheads – though obviously not in this case. The ICBM triggered a country-wide air raid alert. 

•••

Gaetz Headed for Hearing – It looks like President-elect Trump’s choice for attorney general, ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is headed for a Senate confirmation hearing, as Republican members of the Judiciary Committee said he should be given the opportunity to address misconduct allegations (per CQ Roll Call). 

“I fear the process surrounding the Gaetz nomination is turning into an angry mob, and unverified allegations are being treated as if they are true,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, top Republican on Judiciary. “I have seen this movie before.”

Meanwhile… Speaking of unverified, the House Ethics Committee will not release findings of its investigation of Gaetz for alleged sexual misconduct and drug use, committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) announced. The committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) indicated a 5-5 split between Republicans and Democrats on whether to release the report. At least one committee Republican would have to vote with the five Democrats to break the tie. Wild said the committee will reconvene Dec. 5 to further consider the matter, per NPR.

•••

Speaker Backs Mace – Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has backed Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) in her efforts to keep the first transgender woman elected to the House of Representatives out of women’s restrooms.

“Transgender women should not use women’s bathrooms in the House,” Johnson said Wednesday (per Roll Call). “All single-use facilities in the Capitol and House Office Building – such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms – are reserved for individuals of that biological sex.”

Mace called for the restrictions earlier this week ahead of Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE), who will be sworn into the 119thCongress January 3.

--TL

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WEDNESDAY 11/20/24

Billionaires, TV Stars – Donald J. Trump’s appointee for Commerce secretary, chief of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald Howard Lutnick, is the billionaire. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the television physician with nine daytime Emmys and a history of promoting quack medicine, whom the president-elect has chosen to lead the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (including the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare) is the latest on the growing list of TV stars.

Oz is best-known politics-wise as the Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania who lost to Democrat John Fetterman in the 2022 midterms.. 

Linda McMahon bridges both descriptions as a retired pro-wrestler who with her husband, Vince, founded Titan Sports, which became World Wrestling Entertainment – better known as the WWE. McMahon, who ran the Small Business Administration for Trump from 2017-19 is his choice to become what Newsweek says “may be America’s last Education secretary.”

Trump also has named his first term’s national intelligence director, John Ratcliffe, to become head of the CIA, 

As for the elephant in the elephant’s room, there is much speculation among the punditocracy that Trump’s chosen attorney general, ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, is actually, in political animal terms, a “sacrificial lamb” meant to divert the Senate’s attention from Trump’s other choices. Theory goes that were a few Republican senators to join Democrats in defeating Gaetz’s nomination, he would move on to run for Florida governor in a couple of years. 

But Trump has made it clear he wants Gaetz to be his AG, which seems more a case of the president-elect testing how far he can push things – his “mandate,” or agenda. Or as Mike Davis, president of the Article III Project nonprofit formed to defend Trump against criminal charges against him told The Washington Post at Mar-a-Lago: “It’s a hostile takeover on behalf of the American people.”

--TL

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TUESDAY 11/19/24

On the 1,000th Day – Ukraine on Tuesday fired six US-made ATACMS – Army Tactical Missile System – missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region, sparking a fire but with no initial damage or casualties, Russia’s defense ministry said, according to the AP. The attack comes on the 1,000th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and two days after President Biden eased restrictions of Ukraine’s use of American-made weapons, which in turn prompted Dictator/President Vladimir Putin to lower the Kremlin’s threshold for using nuclear arms (per The New York Times).

The Biden administration “strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the lame-duck president told leaders at the G20 summit in Brazil.

United Russia Minister of Parliament Maria Butina said Monday that the US is “actually pushing the world to a very dangerous red line,” (per the BBC). Yes, that’s the same Maria Butina who five years ago pleaded guilty before US District Judge Tanya Chutkin to conspiracy charges for infiltrating conservative groups, including the National Rifle Association, for the goal of advancing Russian interests.

Meanwhile… President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented in an address Tuesday to Ukraine’s parliament a 10-point plan for “internal resilience,” The Kyiv Independent reports.

“Ukraine may need to outlive someone in Moscow to achieve all the goals,” Zelenskyy said. 

Zelenskyy was criticized earlier this autumn, before Donald J. Trump won the November 5 presidential election, for presenting a victory plan that focused primarily on requests from external parties while lacking domestic reform, according to the Independent’s report.

•••

Another Fox Celeb for Trump’s Cabinet – President-elect Trump has named Fox Business’ The Bottom Line host Sean Duffy to be his transportation secretary (per The Hill). Duffy was US representative for Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019, where he was a loyal supporter of Trump during his first presidential term, according to his Wikipedia page. Duffy began his television career in a slew of MTV reality shows; The Real World: Boston, Road Rules: All Stars and Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons. He is married to Rachel Campos Duffy, co-host with Trump’s choice for Defense secretary Pete Hesgeth on Fox & Friends: Weekend.

Meanwhile… Senate Republicans and “people around Trump” say the president-elect has been told that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has “little chance” of confirmation as attorney general, Politico reports, adding that the GOP senators are “privately hoping” Trump “doesn’t make them walk the plank.”

ICYMI… Trump has nominated Chris Wright, CEO of the Denver-based fracking company Liberty Energy to be his Energy secretary; former US Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) from 2015-23 to head the Environmental Protection Agency; and John Ratcliffe, Trump’s national intelligence director from 2020-21 to head the CIA.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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TUESDAY 11/19/24

Drive, He Said

“There’ll be spandex jackets, one for everyone. . . .”

By Stephen Macaulay

In announcing fellow former reality TV player Sean P. Duffy as his selection to be the Secretary of Transportation, Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social:

“Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and full fill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation. Importantly, he will greatly elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!”

Which is an absolutely consistent statement with all of the other statements that Trump tends to make about things.

First, let’s give Trump a pass for his tendency to capitalize Nouns whenever He wants to make a Point about Something. Maybe He thinks that’s what the Kids are doing.

The nation’s Infrastructure is currently being maintained and rebuilt as a result of the Biden Administration’s $1.2-trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law November 15, 2021.

Trump, during his presidency, rolled out with various “infrastructure weeks.” There were numerous infrastructure plans.

None of these came to fruition.

Remember, during his first two years in office the Republicans controlled the House and Senate (January 2017 to January 2019).

Similarly, during Biden’s first two years (January 2021 to January 2023) the Democrats controlled both, too.

But Biden got something done with regard to infrastructure.

The most curious aspect of Trump’s announcement about Duffy — who, it should be noted, was on MTV’s Road Rules: All Stars, which put him and his colleagues in a Winnebago traveling around America, presumably hands-on experience for running an organization in charge of the US transportation system — is the “our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel.”

Does anyone know when The Golden Age of Travel occurred?

Perhaps this was about the time when Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which created the interstate highway system. That was in 1956, when Trump was 10. 

Big-finned Cadillacs. Cheap gas.

But then there’s this: In 1957 the traffic fatality rate was 5.9 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled — now it is down to 1.17 deaths.

So much for Golden. More like Bloody.

But then there’s claim “elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!”

That is possibly more perplexing than “Golden Age.”

Now the Department of Transportation does have the Federal Aviation Administraation under its purview, which could be the “elevate” aspect.

But then there’s “all Americans.”

According to the Bureau of Transportation, in 2022 US airlines carried some 853 million Americans.

The same year, according to AAA, Americans made 227 billion trips by auto.

That means the air trips are 0.38% of the number of car trips.

So presumably Trump plans to do something to the ground-based travel experience for Americans. Whatever it is must be special. Flying cars for everyone, perhaps?

Let’s face it: that Truth Social post is like other pronouncements made by Donald Trump in that it sounds good (who doesn’t want a Golden Age of Transportation or an elevated Travel Experience?) but is quite meaningless.

What are the metrics for these things? How will it be known if he accomplished it?

And therein lies part of the rhetorical genius of Donald Trump: sound and fury signifying nothing.

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Monday’s center column, “Is Our Democracy Done?” asks whether Donald J. Trump’s incoming term already is proving to be as authoritarian, even fascist, as the failed Democratic presidential campaign had warned, as evidenced by his four most controversial staff and cabinet choices. Scroll down with the far-right trackbar to read our news aggregate and analysis.

The center column is accompanied by Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay’s commentary, “Matt Gaetz: A Very Clever Man,” on how the ex-US representative from Florida could return to the House sans the Ethics Committee report on him. Scroll down further to read Macaulay’s “Help Wanted. Experience Irrelevant.”

Scroll down yet further, but still on the home page, to read Macaulay’s reaction to the November 5 elections, “Those Who Need to Know Don’t.” Read contributor Hugh Hansen’s left-column response, “Silver Linings?”

Email your own Comments, whether pro-MAGA, never-Trumper right, moderate left or progressive – or virtually anything in-between as long as you are civil – to editors@thehustings.news.

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TUESDAY 11/19/24