Elect a Clown, Expect the Circus

DoubleEgger

If Trump decides to ignore all judges including the Supreme Court, then what? The enforcement arm is delegated to the Executive branch. As long as the GOP continues their support of the President, nothing will happen. 

JohnInCarolina

DoubleEgger said:

If Trump decides to ignore all judges including the Supreme Court, then what? The enforcement arm is delegated to the Executive branch. As long as the GOP continues their support of the President, nothing will happen. 

The founding fathers assumed that any President acting like a king would be impeached by Congress.  It seems they never anticipated a scenario like what we have now, where Congress is also controlled by a compliant party. 

lousubcap

@WildmanWilson The level of relevance between student loans and the Constitution is surely something you can comprehend?? Or am I giving you too much credit here?

U_tarded

WildmanWilson said:

DoubleEgger said:

If Trump decides to ignore all judges including the Supreme Court, then what? The enforcement arm is delegated to the Executive branch. As long as the GOP continues their support of the President, nothing will happen. 

You mean the way the Biden administration did with student loan forgiveness?

Yet when the courts said they couldn’t do it.  They didn’t that’s the difference.  

lousubcap

Friday Clown Show summary:

"The Pentagon was scheduled to brief Elon Musk on the U.S. military top-secret operational plans for potential armed conflict with China today, U.S. officials told the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal yesterday. Trump and Pentagon officials denied the report, saying that China “will not even be mentioned or discussed” during Musk’s Pentagon visit, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying the “informal” meeting would focus on “innovation, efficiencies & smarter production.” In a social media post, Musk said that Pentagon sources who “maliciously leak false information ... will be found” and prosecuted. Eric Schmitt, Eric Lipton, Julian E. Barnes, Ryan Mac, and Maggie Haberman report; Alexander Ward and Nancy A. Youssef report; Csongor Körömi reports for POLITICO.

Trump yesterday announced he would rescind the punitive executive order against Paul, Weiss after the law firm made several concessions, including a promise to provide free legal representation to conservative causes. The White House statement announcing the move also referenced a commitment to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, but the promise was not included in the agreement between the firm and the White House, sources added. Daniel Barnes reports for POLITICO; Michael S. Schmidt reports for the New York Times.

The FBI has reassigned staff from an office focused on combating domestic terrorism and has scrapped a tool used to track such investigations, sources say. Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch report for Reuters.

Trump yesterday signed an executive order intended to boost the production of critical minerals in the United States, invoking emergency powers under the Defense Production Act to expand domestic U.S. mining production. Brett Samuels and Rachel Frazin report for the Hill.

Trump administration officials are proposing to move USAID operations to be run under State Department authority and rename the agency to the U.S. Agency for International Humanitarian Assistance (IHA), according to a memoobtained by POLITICO. Nahal Toosi and Daniel Lippman report. 

The Pentagon is cancelling more than $580 million in “wasteful” grants and contracts, Defense Secretary Hegseth announced yesterday. Ellen Mitchel reports for the Hill.

The Trump administration has reassigned John Ullyot, formerly a senior Defense Department spokesperson, following the fallout over Ullyot’s defense of the Pentagon’s removal of an online article about the military background of Jackie Robinson, sources say. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post."

lousubcap

Monday Clown Show summary:

President Trump on Friday rescinded the security clearances of former President Biden, former Vice President Harris, Hillary Clinton, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and others. Shawn McCreesh reports for the New York Times.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has chosen Ralph Goff, a veteran CIA operations officer, to be the agency’s Deputy Director for Operations responsible for running human espionage and covert action programs, sources say. Warren P. Strobel and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post.

The Homeland Security Department on Friday announced it is conducting wide-scale layoffs at its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Immigration Services Ombudsman, and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, gutting mechanisms overseeing its immigration policies and providing avenues for public complaints. Rebecca Beitsch reports for the Hill.

The White House on Friday ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem to pursue ethics challenges against lawyers they consider to bring meritless cases or make arguments that are not backed up by fact. Shayna Jacobs reports for the Washington Post.

The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in locating immigrants by verifying whether ICE has the right home address for people ordered to leave the United States, according to a draft agreement reviewed by the New York Times. Andrew Duehren and Eileen Sullivan report.

FBI Director Kash Patel has outlined plans to move as many as 1,000 agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to the FBI,sources say. The FBI has backed off aspects of the move, which would cut ATF’s forces by more than a third, due to pushback from lawmakers after the story was covered in the media, a U.S. official said. Evan Perez and Hannah Rabinowitz report for CNN.

The Trump administration on Friday formally announced it was ending a program that allowed applicants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuelato work in the United States for up to two years. More than 500,000 migrants have entered the United States through the initiative since its creation during the Biden administration. Tim Balk and Miriam Jordan report for the New York Times.

The Defense Department is planning to use polygraphs while investigating “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information,” according to a memo published on the Pentagon’s website. Shania Shelton reports for CNN.

Trump on Friday said he “didn’t sign” the proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The proclamation appears in the Federal Register with Trump’s signature at the bottom. Trump also said the authority could “perhaps” be used to send those convicted of damaging or destroying Tesla vehicles to prisons in El Salvador. Jeff Zeleny and Kit Maher report for CNN; Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.

Botch

(From RR)

Americans Demand Breathalyzer Be Attached to Pete Hegseth’s Phone

Washington (Borowitz) — Amid the outcry over the leaking of top-secret war plans, on Monday millions of Americans called for a breathalyzer to be attached to Peter Hegseth’s phone. 

In emotional apology at the Pentagon, Hegseth said that someone in his position “should never drink and text, and so I am giving up texting.”

According to national security experts, a journalist was given access to highly sensitive war plans that are normally available only to people using a public bathroom at Mar-a-L

DoubleEgger

I was wondering the other day if Sloshy Pete was being monitored for drinking per his commitment. 

lousubcap

Tuesday Clown Show summary:

"Senior Trump administration officials have discussed war plans and other highly sensitive and likely classified data in a Signal group chat that mistakenly included the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, the White House confirmed yesterday. Goldberg’s account describes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sharing of the operational plans of U.S. attacks in Yemen as “shockingly reckless.” President Trump claimed he “does not know anything” about the incident, while Hegseth stated that “nobody was texting war plans.” Michael Martina and Steve Holland report for Reuters; BBC News reports.

National Security Advisor Mike Walz’s future is in question after he seemingly inadvertently included the journalist in the Signal chat discussing military strikes on the Houthis, a senior administration official said yesterday. Walz’s ultimate fate will likely depend on how Trump personally feels about the matter, a White House official added. Dasha Burns, Rachel Bade, and Eli Stokols report for POLITICO.

Trump yesterday announced Alina Habba would leave her current role as a White House counselor to serve as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Habba, the President’s former personal attorney and campaign adviser, has previously been fined, threatened with contempt of court, and judicially reprimanded while representing Trump. Shayna Jacobs reports for the Washington Post.

Trump yesterday announced his nomination of Susan Monarez, the current acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to lead the agency permanently. If approved, Monarez will be the first nonphysician to lead the agency in more than 50 years. Apoorva Mandavilli and Sheryl Gay Stolberg report for the New York Times.

Louis DeJoy yesterday announced his resignation as U.S. Postmaster General effective immediately, with Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino taking over in the interim. David Shepardson reports for Reuters.

The Social Security Administration is rushing cuts to its phone services at the White House’s request, the agency's acting Commissioner Leland Dudek told Social Security advocates yesterday. Emily Peck reports for Axios."

Botch

This is soo discouraging.  
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/25/europe-universities-us-researchers-trump-administration-science

Buckwoody Egger

Botch said:

This is soo discouraging.  
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/25/europe-universities-us-researchers-trump-administration-science

it’s a brain boomerang!!!

what an incredible recruiting opportunity to reverse 250 years of migration for …. opportunities!!!

what a time to be alive

JohnInCarolina

lousubcap

When in a hole, stop digging comes to the forefront with this Cluster Phque.  

lousubcap

Wednesday Clown Show summary:

"President Trump yesterday signed an executive order seeking broad changes to how elections are run. Amongst other changes, the order introduces a requirement for voters to show proof of citizenship and instructs states to turn over their voter lists to DOGE and the Homeland Security Department for review. Voting rights experts say Trump might not have the legal authority to issue some of the order’s directions. Andrew Howard reports for POLITICO; AP News reports.

Trump yesterday also signed executive orders targeting Jenner & Block, a law firm, and ordering the declassification of files related to an FBI investigation of alleged collusion between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Jenner & Block formerly employed a prosecutor involved in the collusion investigation and currently represents clients challenging some of Trump's policies. Mike Scarcella and David Thomas report for Reuters; Daniel Barnes reports for POLITICO.

The senior administration officials’ unprecedented use of Signal to discuss sensitive military information was “not a serious glitch” and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has “learned a lesson,” Trump told NBC Newsyesterday. Waltz said he takes “full responsibility” for including the Atlantic’sJeffrey Goldberg in the chat while denying knowing Goldberg and accusing the publication of spreading falsehoods on other topics. Garrett Haake and Megan Lebowitz report; Ali Bianco reports for POLITICO.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard yesterday said they defer to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the National Security Council’s assessment of whether the information shared in a Signal chat that included a journalist was or should have been classified.Zachary Cohen and Katie Bo Lillis report for CNN.

Trump yesterday issued a full and unconditional pardon for Devon Archer, who testified about his former business partner Hunter Biden’s business dealings in a 2023 House Republican investigation into the Biden family. Luke Broadwater and Kenneth P. Vogel report for the New York Times.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she would “eliminate” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during a Cabinet meeting yesterday. Rachel Frazin reports for the Hill.

The Homeland Security Department has recently paused the processing of green card applications filed by individuals including approved refugees, sources say. Camilo Montoya-Galvez and Nicole Sganga report for CBS News.

Trump floated the possibility of distributing financial compensation to people prosecuted for taking part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot yesterday, stating that “a lot of the people in government really like that group of people.” Seb Starcevic reports for POLITICO.

The Justice Department is reconsidering its defense of long-standing federal restrictions on gun silencers, according to the DOJ’s court filing in a case against a firearms dealer found with an unregistered silencer made late last week. Hannah Rabinowitz reports for CNN.

Trump yesterday nominated Thomas March Bell to lead the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Inspector General. The former Republican attorney was once terminated from a state government position over accusations of mishandling taxpayer funds and has served as staff director for House Republicans’ 2016 investigation into Planned Parenthood. Amanda Seitz reports for AP News."

DoubleEgger

Botch

My humble prediction: better-than-50% chance Michael Waltz gets fired over this.  Not because he inadvertently added the editor of The Atlantic to that group-chat, but that he even had his contact information in the first place.  Any wannabe-dictator is highly alert to any leaks in their inner circle, and Waltz just earned the spotlight.  
 
And it is so, so beautiful that The Atlantic’s editor chose NOT to publish that entire group-chat (because he knew it was probably classified) but then DID publish that entire* group-chat the next day when everyone on it told a congressional committee that there was absolutely NO classified info discussed, and exposed every damn one of them as the absolute liars and traitors that they are.  Beautiful!
 
Sad that the only competent, intelligent, and patriotic person on that whole group-chat is the one guy that wasn’t supposed to be there.   

*EDIT:  Just saw an interview on PBS Newshour where Mr. Goldberg (editor-in-Chief for The Atlantic) said that his staff spent a day calling the CIA, DoD and other orgs to see if they thought any of the group-chat was indeed classified; only one org responded and they mentioned just one statement, and The Atlantic did not publish that statement.  Competent, intelligent, and patriotic reporting, I’d say.  

Botch

Botch said:

*EDIT:  Just saw an interview on PBS Newshour where Mr. Goldberg (editor-in-Chief for The Atlantic) said that his staff spent a day calling the CIA, DoD and other orgs to see if they thought any of the group-chat was indeed classified; only one org responded and they mentioned just one statement, and The Atlantic did not publish that statement.  Competent, intelligent, and patriotic reporting, I’d say.  

AND, not surprisingly, republican members of congress are already trying to defund PBS/NPR altogether, tonight.  

lousubcap

Thursday Clown Show summary:

"The Atlantic yesterday published the contents of the messages detailing an attack on Yemen shared by senior administration figures in a Signal chat that included a journalist. President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe all indicated that the chat did not contain classified material. According to several defense sources, the operational information Hegseth sent in the chat was “highly classified.” Jeffrey Goldberg and Shane Harris report; Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Betsy Klein, and Shania Shelton report for CNN.

Phone numbers linked to Signal and WhatsApp accounts, email addresses, and some passwords belonging to Waltz, Gabbard, and Hegseth can be found on the internet, according to an investigation by the German Der Spiegelnewspaper. According to Der Spiegel, hostile actors “could use this publicly available data to hack the communications of those affected.” Separately, WIREDreported that Waltz’s Venmo account revealed the names of hundreds of his personal and professional associates before being made private yesterday. Patrick Beuth, Jörg Diehl, Roman Höfner, Roman Lehberger, Friederike Röhreke, and Fidelius Schmid report; Dhruv Mehrotra and Tim Marchman report.

The Trump administration has stopped funding a national database tracking domestic terrorism, hate crimes, and school shootings, according to records obtained by the Washington Post. Ellie Silverman reports.

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology is considering plans to eliminate an entire team responsible for publishing and maintaining critical atomic measurement data, according to an email sent mid-March by the research group’s leader. Louise Matsakis and Will Knight report for WIRED.

The Trump administration is discussing whether to block certain colleges from having any foreign students if the government decides too many students are “pro-Hamas,” senior Justice and State Department officials say. Marc Caputo reports for Axios.

The Social Security Administration yesterday said it would postpone and modify its plans to introduce ID check requirements and cut phone services for benefits recipients. Ashleigh Fields reports for the Hill."

lousubcap

Friday Clown Show summary:

"President Trump yesterday signed an executive order aiming to end collective bargaining rights for government employees whose work includes national security aspects. The American Federation of Government Employees union said the move would affect the rights of more than 1 million federal workers. Kaanita Iyer and Tami Luhby report for CNN.

Trump yesterday also signed executive orders instructing federal agencies to end all contracts with law firm WilmerHale and directing Vice President J.D. Vance to lead an effort to eliminate content from Smithsonian museums that does not show the United States’ “extraordinary heritage.” The WilmerHale order cites the firm’s ties to Robert Mueller, who investigated allegations of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. Brianna Tucker reports for the Washington Post; Brett Samuels reports for the Hill.

Federal agencies are preparing to cut between 8 and 50% of their employees to give effect to the Trump administration’s effort to shrink the federal government, according to an internal White House document obtained by the Washington Post. Separately, the Health and Human Services Department yesterday announced it is cutting 10,000 full-time employees. Emily Davies and Jeff Stein report; Meg Tirrell, Tami Luhby, Brenda Goodman, and Jamie Gumbrecht report for CNN.

The Trump administration is considering merging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and making major changes to the Justice Department’s public integrity, fraud, and community relations sections, according to an internal memo. Devlin Barrett and Glenn Thrush report for the New York Times.

A Homeland Security Department staffer who inadvertently sent unclassified details of an upcoming immigration operation to a journalist is facing the revocation of her security clearance and has been put on administrative leave,sources say. Experts say the episode raises questions about unequal punishment for inadvertent leakers. Julia Ainsley reports for NBC News.

The State Department has now revoked more than 300 students' visas over taking part in pro-Palestine protests, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday. Ali Bianco reports for POLITICO.

The Trump administration says it has restored funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Open Technology Fund following the groups’ challenge to an attempt to withdraw the funds. An attorney representing the technology fund said the group will drop its lawsuit after the administration follows on its commitment. Zach Schonefeld reports for the Hill.

DOGE employees are to preserve their Signal messages under a new “records retention policy” adopted on Monday, court documents show. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO."

JohnInCarolina

JohnInCarolina

LOL

lousubcap

Monday Clown Show summary:

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has created and hosted multiple other sensitive national security discussions on Signal, including threads on how to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine and on military operations, U.S. officials say. Alexander Ward, Josh Dawsey, and Meredith McGraw report for the Wall Street Journal. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has brought his wife, a former Fox News producer, to two meetings with top foreign military officials where sensitive information was discussed, according to multiple sources. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to say whether Hegseth’s wife has a security clearance. Katherine Long, Max Colchester, Daniel Michaels, and Lindsay Wise report for the Wall Street Journal.

Trump yesterday said that “there are methods” that could allow him to seek a third term, stating that “a lot of people want him to do it” but “it’s very early in the administration.” Under the 22nd Amendment, no one may be elected President more than twice, which would make the move unconstitutional. Kristen Welker and Megan Lebowitz report for NBC News.

The State Department on Friday formally notified Congress it is effectively shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and taking over some of the agency’s functions. Sean Lyngaas and Jennifer Hansler report for CNN.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has invited Elon Musk to discuss “government efficiency” at the CIA today, according to a CIA spokesperson and Ratcliffe’s social media. Seb Starcevic reports for POLITICO.

The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official, Dr. Peter Marks, has been pushed out by the new Health and Human Services Department leadership, sources say. Liz Essley Whyte reports for the Wall Street Journal.

The Trump administration fired nearly all staffers of the U.S. Institute of Peace on Friday, according to interviews with staff members and termination offices obtained by the New York Times. Aishvarya Kavi reports.

The White House plans to take charge of creating the seating chart for reporters in its briefing room based on “metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today,” a senior White House official said. The function has been long managed by the reporters themselves through the White House Correspondents’ Association. Mike Allen reports for Axios.

Several passages of Hegseth’s internal Defense Department strategic guidance memo are nearly identical or similar to a 2024 Heritage Foundation report, according to the Washington Post’s analysis of both documents. Alex Horton and Hannah Natanson report.

fishlessman

this music seems to be playing in my head pretty often lately

https://youtu.be/RWak0i_iqnM

JohnInCarolina

lousubcap

Tuesday Clown Show summary:

"The Department of Interior’s top lawyer and chief information and information security officers were placed on administrative leave late last week after declining to give DOGE access to the sensitive federal payroll, human resources, and credentialing systems. DOI sources believe that DOGE was eventually granted access to the system, although it is unclear what level of control they hold. Tim Marchman reports for WIRED; Coral Davenport reports for the New York Times.

The Internal Revenue Service placed as many as 50 of its senior IT professionals on administrative leave on Friday as the Trump administration finalizes its plan to share taxpayer data with federal immigration authorities, sources say. It is unclear if the employees were put on leave as part of downsizing or in connection with the data-sharing disputes. Rene Marsh and Marshall Cohen report for CNN.

A sweeping plan to lay off more than 10,000 Health and Human Services Department employees was abruptly delayed on Friday over growing backlash to the HHS DOGE lead’s handling of the process, officials say. Sophia Cai, Adam Canrcryn, and Lauren Gardner report for POLITICO.

A probe into how the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal chat discussing military strikes is “closed,” the White House said yesterday, with a spokesperson saying that “there have been steps taken” to ensure “something like that” does not happen again. Brett Samuels reports for the Hill.

The entire staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on administrative leave yesterday, sources say. Trump ordered the federal agency, responsible for funding museums and libraries, to be shrunk to “the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” in an executive order last month. Seb Starcevic and Amanda Friedman report for POLITICO.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week ordered the U.S. military to eliminate lower physical fitness standards for women in combat units by the end of October, a move likely to reduce the number of women in the units. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.

Trump has commuted the sentence of Jason Galanis, an associate of Hunter Biden who testified in the Republican effort to impeach former President Biden, according to a notice of clemency released yesterday. Galanis was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2017 for defrauding Native Americans and other investors. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO."

Legume

Botch

I'm surprised that loser hasn't yet been offered a residency at the Lincoln Center.  

Buckwoody Egger

was kid rock in town to see lauren too?!?!!

everyone is so excited and hoping they become an item!   wouldn’t it be great if they got a really fun couple nickname!  

if it happens i am definitely renewing Us Weekly!!!  

emoticon!!

Canugghead

lousubcap

Wednesday Clown Show summary:

"National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and other members of President Trump’s National Security Council have conducted government business over personal Gmail accounts, according to documents seen by the Washington Postand interviews. A senior Waltz aide used Gmail to discuss sensitive military positions and weapons systems relating to an ongoing conflict, the documents show. An NSC spokesperson said Waltz “didn’t and wouldn’t send classified information on an open account.” John Hudson reports.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has reached an agreement with the Trump administration to provide at least $100 million in legal services to White House-favored causes and end diversity programs to lift the threat of being targeted by an executive order, the third firm to do so following Paul, Weiss and Skadden Arps. Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff is a partner at Willkie Farr. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.

The Health and Human Services Department staffing cuts began overnight into today, with employees across the panoply of HHS agencies receiving notices of termination. The cuts eliminated the entire staff of a program that helps low-income households pay utility bills, as well as senior civil service leaders and workers in other roles. Sophie Gardner, Ruth Readers, Lauren Gardner, and David Lim report for POLITICO; J.J. McCorvey reports for NBC News.

Trump is looking to nominate the Ohio Solicitor General, T. Ellior Gaiser, to be the assistant Attorney General leading the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, according to a Justice Department official. The position traditionally often has the final say on legal debates within the executive branch. Charlie Savage reports for the New York Times.

The Trump administration is demanding deep cuts at the National Endowment for the Humanities, with DOGE recommending 70-80% reductions in staff, the agency’s leaders informed employees in an email yesterday. Jennifer Schuessler reports for the New York Times."