When The Washington Post “abruptly pulled out” of plans to run an advertisement calling on President Trump to “fire” DOGE chief Elon Musk – created to be delivered directly to the White House and Congressional offices -- the ad’s author, Common Cause, had questions…

•“Did our ad get censored because it criticizes Elon Musk and Donald Trump, the two most powerful men in the country?

•“Will The Washington Post only publish things they think the president will like?

•“And … is Jeff Bezos more worried about an angry phone call from the White House than his paper’s journalistic duty?”

What do you think? Email your comments to editors@thehustings.news.

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In Case You Missed This – Vice President JD Vance kind of pre-empted Common Cause criticism at the Munich Security Conference Friday, saying this: If US democracy could withstand years of “scolding by Greta Thunberg, you can survive a few months of Elon Musk” (per The Independent).  Like Vance’s head-scratching Diet Mountain Dew joke months ago, this “quip” elicited no laughs, guffaws or chuckles.

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‘Peace’ Whether Ukraine Likes it Or Not – Americans, and presumably Ukrainians, owe President Trump a “thanks” for efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, as talks in Riyadh concluded Tuesday between the US and Russia. 

No Ukraine at the talks. No NATO. 

But you knew that. In the single day meeting, the US and Russia agreed to improve diplomatic and economic ties between each other and to work toward ending the war that Trump had promised to end on “Day One” of his administration. 

Strengthening the diplomatic and economic ties President Biden essentially cut in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago appears to be the first concession to Vladimir Putin. 

Putin advisor Yuri Ushakov told pro-Kremlin Channel One Russia, according to The Kyiv Independent, that talks were “not bad,” but it was “hard to say” if US and Russian interests were converging. “We have agreed to take account of each other’s interests and develop bilateral relations, since both Moscow and Washington are interested in this,” Ushakov said.

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Hochul v. Trump – Four more aides to New York City Mayor Eric Adams have resigned in the wake of a Justice Department order to federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against the mayor, NPR reports. They are not the first wave of aides to resign since Adams was charged last September. 

Federal prosecutors had charged Adams with allegedly illegal campaign contributions and acceptance of elaborate vacations. The Justice Department’s order to drop charges last week – which would not cause double-jeopardy if federal charges were to be reissued -- prompted at least seven prosecutors, including acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon to resign.

Sassoon has said she was “baffled” by DOJ calling off prosecutors, as she had been preparing new charges against the mayor. 

Now New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat, may use her authority to remove Adams as Manhattan’s mayor as soon as Tuesday, NPR’s Morning Edition reports.

Hochul called her potential action a “serious step,” but Adams’ “alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks can’t be ignored,” she said.

“I am going nowhere,” Adams told a Baptist congregation at church services Sunday. He blames his federal charges on “retribution” by ex-President Biden for opposing his immigration policy, though of course this is without any evidence.

In any case, Adams could be going somewhere else later this year, perhaps to Mar-a-Lago for an extended vacation; he is up for re-election this November, though the June 24 Democratic primary is pretty much the city’s general election. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Democrat who left that office early over sexual harassment allegations, is expected to run against Adams in the primary. Cuomo stepped down as governor in 2021. His replacement was Lt. Gov. Hochul.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa