Elect a Clown, Expect the Circus

Botch

This is so F*cked up...

Legume

Botch said:

This is so F*cked up...

And there are a lot of people on here that voted for him and won't say anything. Or maybe this is what they voted for.

lousubcap

Thursday Clown Show summary:

"The overall conclusion of the CIA investigation into Russia’s efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election in Trump’s favor exhibited “strong adherence to tradecraft standards,” despite the initial assessment being carried out too quickly and with excessive involvement by intelligence agency leaders, a CIA review released yesterday found. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who commissioned the review, said the inquiry shows that “agency heads at the time created a politically charged environment that triggered an atypical analytic process around an issue essential to our democracy.” Amy MacKinnon and John Sakellariadis report for POLITICO.

Senior Justice Department officials are exploring whether DOJ lawyers can bring criminal charges against election officials if the Trump administration considers they have not sufficiently safeguarded their computer systems, sources say. Department lawyers have struggled to find a criminal statute that could be used to implement senior officials’ instructions, the sources add. Devlin Barrett and Nick Corasaniti report for the New York Times.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem yesterday said she is seeking advice on “how to fire people who don’t like us,” adding that she considers that much of the Homeland Security Department workforce “hasn’t been required to do much” under the Biden administration and does not “support what we’re doing.” Ellen M. Gilmer reports for Bloomberg.

Trump yesterday said he wants to prosecute people responsible for the leak of a preliminary intelligence report on U.S. strikes on Iran and suggested the administration could pressure journalists who covered the report to reveal their sources. Annabelle Timsit reports for the Washington Post.

The Food and Drug Administration’s Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Dr. Vinay Prasad, disregarded recommendations from the FDA’s scientists when personally intervening to place restrictions on COVID shots from vaccine makers Novavax and Moderna, according to federal documents released yesterday. The scientists had concluded the vaccines’ benefits outweighed the risk of any possible side effects, which are rare. Matthew Perrone reports for AP News."

lousubcap

Monday Clown Show summary:

"The Homeland Security Department is preparing to cut nearly 75% of staffers at the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, tasked with developing and sharing threat intelligence with state and local partners, according to an official and a DHS statement. Democratic ranking members of the House and Senate Homeland Security committees last week urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to reconsider the cuts in a letter citing concerns over the elevated threat environment. Holmes Lybrand reports for CNN.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday put 139 employees who signed a “declaration of dissent” from the agency’s policies on leave pending an “administrative investigation.” In an email announcing the move, the agency spokesperson said EPA has a “zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging and undercutting” the Trump administration’s agenda. Melina Walling reports for AP News.

The U.S. Northern Command on Thursday announced it has sent the “first wave” of around 200 Marines to support ICE operations in Florida.According to the command, the service members will perform case management duties, provide logistical support such as vehicle maintenance, and help process detainees at ICE facilities, while being “specifically prohibited from direct contact with individuals in ICE custody or involvement in any aspect of the custody chain.” Daniel Wu reports for the Washington Post."

lousubcap

Tuesday Clown Show summary:

"Churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates to their congregations without losing their status as tax-exempt nonprofits,the Internal Revenue Service said yesterday in a court filing intended to settle a lawsuit filed by two Texas churches and an association of Christian broadcasters. The new policy carves out an exemption to a decades-old ban on political activity. David A. Fahrenthold reports for the New York Times.

The Veteran Affairs Department yesterday announced that it is no longer planning to conduct a large-scale reduction in force directed by DOGE as it is on pace to reduce its total staff by nearly 30,000 employees by the end of this fiscal year. The Trump administration initially planned to cut VA by roughly 83,000 employees, a decision that drew blowback from several veterans groups, Congress and VA staff. Mariana Alfaro, Hannah Natanson, and Meryl Kornfield report for the Washington Post.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt yesterday pushed back against claims that DOGE cuts to the National Weather Service had played a role in the deadly floods that killed over 100 people in Texas, telling reporters that the weather service issued alerts and “it’s not the administration’s fault that the flood hit when it did.” Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.

The Health and Human Services Department has emailed its staff a questionnaire asking them to report cases of “discrimination” due to past diversity, equity, and inclusion directives, according to an email seen by POLITICO. The email did not specify what action HHS will take following the survey. Danny Nguyen reports."

lousubcap

Wednesday Clown Show summary:

"The Director’s Initiative Group, a special team created by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, has sought to gain access to emails and chat logs of U.S. spy agencies and use AI tools to identify efforts to root out what the administration deems as efforts to undermine its agenda, several sources say. According to the sources, none of the agencies approached has shared the data requested. The effort has raised concerns among some career intelligence professionals that Gabbard may be allowing politics to direct intelligence work. Ellen Nakashima, Warren P. Strobel, and Aaron Schaffer report for the Washington Post.

The White House is planning to defund the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, a small federal agency that investigates the causes of chemical disasters, according to a budget document that states that the Board’s work “duplicates substantial capabilities in the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.” Hiroko Tabuchi reports for the New York Times.

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights dismissed 3,424 complaints between March 11 and June 27, according to court documents filed last week. “That amount of dismissals in a three-month period is unheard of,” a former OCR official said. Bianca Quilantan, Rebecca Caraballo, and Juan Perez Jr. report for POLITICO.

The Trump administration is directing Congress-approved federal funds away from the Energy Department’s wind, solar, and electric vehicles programs, according to a document published on the agency’s website. It is unclear what authority Trump or the Energy Department are employing for the cuts. Zack Colman reports for POLITICO.

A group of staffers aligned with Elon Musk’s former top aide is seeking to preserve DOGE’s legacy and influence, in an effort that has pitted them against some in the White House who want to diminish DOGE’s role,sources say. Shalini Ramachandran, Scott Patterson, and Katherine Long report for the Wall Street Journal.

Multiple decisions taken by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby in the past six months have blindsided parts of the Trump administration and frustrated several of America’s foreign allies, sources say. Jack Detsch, Nahal Toosi, Paul McLeary, and Joe Gould report for POLITICO."

lousubcap

Friday Clown Show summary:

"Threat bulletins issued by the Homeland Security Department to local police forces urge officers to consider a range of nonviolent behavior and common protest gear, such as masks, flashlights, and cameras, as potential precursors of violence. The guidance tells police forces to prepare for protests “from the point of view of an adversary” and suggests that livestreaming or sharing information about protests should be considered methods of “surveillance sharing” and “threatening” police. A senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union said that the government should not treat citizens’ constitutionally protected activities, such as documenting police action, as threats. Dell Cameron reports for WIRED.

The FBI has stepped up its usage of polygraph testing its employees since FBI Director Kash Patel assumed office, sources say. According to several sources, the number of officials asked to take a polygraph is in the dozens. Typically used to test employees suspected of betraying the country or leaking secrets, the lie detectors have been now used to ask senior employees whether they have said anything negative about Patel or to try to identify staffers who leaked information about Patel’s request to be given a service weapon, the sources add. Adam Goldman reports for the New York Times.

A DOGE staffer recently obtained high-level access to the National Payment Service, a payments system that controls tens of billions of dollars in government payments and loans to farmers and ranchers, according to internal access logs reviewed by NPR. A U.S. Agriculture Department employee said the staffer’s level of permissions goes against normal access protocols, with no other individual at the agency holding a similar level of control. Jenna McLaughlin reports.

Trump’s budget plan for next fiscal year is set to gut federal science funding by a third, or $44 billion, with particularly severe cuts to the category of basic research that seek to advance scientific breakthroughs, according to an analysis published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Wednesday. William J. Broad reports for the New York Times.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week abruptly canceled a meeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force with no explanation, several sources say. The task force helps determine which preventive health measures must be covered fully by insurance companies. Andrew Jacobs reports for the New York Times.

Firings with no explanation or warning across the Justice Department and FBI have created speculation and fear within the workforce over who might be terminated next, sources say, adding that scores of experienced staffers are opting to voluntarily leave to avoid being fired at random or asked to do things that would potentially violate legal ethics. Perry Stein reports for the Washington Post."

lousubcap

Monday Clown Show summary:

"The Trump administration on Friday dismissed another group of nearly 10 DOJ employees who worked on former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions of Trump, sources say. The firings appeared to ignore traditional civil service protections and some of those dismissed were involved with Smith’s office in relatively minor roles, the sources add. Alan Feuer and Devlin Barrett report for the New York Times.

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday dismissed her personal ethics adviser, Joseph Tirrell, sources say. Tirrell advised Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office on ethics matters during his criminal prosecutions of Trump. According to the sources, Bondi’s letter cited Article II of the Constitution, which concerns presidential powers, and did not specify a reason for Tirrell’s dismissal. Ben Penn reports for Bloomberg Law.

Trump’s ability to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is being “looked into,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said yesterday. Megan Lebowitz and Lindsey Pipia report for NBC News."

HighHeat

https://youtube.com/shorts/kHyorqJVLMQ?si=h615nHkZj_AvyUsT

lousubcap

Tuesday Clown Show summary:

"The Defense Department yesterday announced it would start using xAI’s chatbot Grok under a “Grok for Government” program that allows agencies and federal offices to adopt the chatbot for their specific uses. Apart from xAI, DOD also said it awarded contracts to Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI, with each contract subject to a $200 million ceiling. Grok came under scrutiny last week after numerous antisemitic posts on X, including a post calling itself “MechaHitler.” Faiz Siddiqui reports for the Washington Post; Sareen Habeshian reports for Axios; Lisa Hagen, Huo Jingnan, and Audrey Nguyen report for NPR.

The Defense Department Inspector General’s Office and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) are both investigating Ricky Buria, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s senior aide, sources say. The separate investigations are examining Buria’s involvement in bypassing the agency’s security protocols to set up Signal for Hegseth and the potential leaking of information, the sources add. The OSI is also investigating whether Hegseth’s personal attorney and top adviser, Tim Parlatore, attended meetings beyond his clearance level. Daniel Lippman and Jack Detsch report for POLITICO.

The Pentagon yesterday abruptly cancelled its participation in the Aspen Security Forum, a national security and foreign policy conference in Colorado. A Pentagon spokesperson said senior DOD representatives “will no longer be participating in an event that promotes the evil of globalism, disdain for our great country and hatred for the president of the United States.” Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.

NASA yesterday announced it aborted plans to house authoritative, peer-reviewed national climate assessments on its websites following their removal from official government websites, stating that it has no legal obligation to host the data. Seth Borenstein reports for AP News.

The Veterans Affairs Department has reported spurious savings to DOGE, claiming credit for canceling contracts that had expired or that had not actually been canceled, according to the New York Times’ review of DOGE’s Wall of Receipts. DOGE then further amplified the alleged value of savings at the agency, the review adds. David A. Fahrenthold, Nicholas Nehamas, and Jeremy Singer-Vine report for the New York Times.

In a May meeting, a DOGE representative told Nuclear Regulatory Commission leaders that the agency will be expected to “rubber stamp” new nuclear reactors approved by the Departments of Energy or Defense,sources say. Francisco “A.J.” Camacho and Peter Behr report for POLITICO."

Botch

Jon was on fire last night, and the split-camera work, exquisite!  
 
https://youtu.be/Rbk7leQdxbo?si=SGWCGqAuT7w_0tLa

lousubcap

I DVR his show and will catch it tonight.  I DVR anything I watch on "live TV".  Only way to survive the advertising. 
Edit: Soccer aka futbol and F1 racing run w/o ads so I will occasionally deviate from the "All DVR" programming.  

Botch

Yup.  My main feed is YouTube TV, get the locals, sports, and unlimited DVR.  I watch the 2-hour CBS Morning News and it takes me 1 hour 5 minutes to watch, once the commercials are skipped.  

lousubcap

Wednesday Clown Show summary:

"The National Institutes of Health on Monday fired its Chief Operating Officer, Eric Schnabel, amid an investigation into whether a NIH contract on autism and other topics could have benefited his spouse, sources say. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya appointed Schnabel as the NIH COO in April, after 25 years in the Army. Carolyn Y. Johnson, Hannah Natanson, and Dan Diamond report for the Washington Post.

The Education Department yesterday announced it is investigating the University of Michigan over allegedly improperly labelling some donations and disclosing millions in foreign funding “in an untimely manner.” In the news release announcing the move, the Education Department sought to tie the investigation to two smuggling cases involving Chinese researchers working at laboratories at the university. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.

A criminal referral connected to Trump publicly accusing Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) of mortgage fraud has been made to the Justice Department, a senior administration official said yesterday. Schiff, who led impeachment proceedings against Trump as a House member before he was elected to the Senate last fall, denied any wrongdoing and said the administration’s claims were politically motivated. Rachel Siegel reports for the Washington Post.

The Department of Health and Human Services on Monday finalized its layoffs of thousands of employees, sources say. The layoffs followed a Supreme Court ruling that the Trump administration can proceed with mass firings across the government while proceedings challenging the terminations continue. Christina Jewett and Benjamin Mueller report for the New York Times.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at the top DOGE staffer assigned to the Pentagon in a tense meeting weeks ago over claims that the DOGE lead had summoned law enforcement to remove a DOGE subordinate from the building, sources say. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.

About half of the California National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles are being released, Trump administration officials said yesterday. The move affects over 2,000 Guard members. No change in status of the Marines has been reported. Shawn Hubler reports for the New York Times."

lousubcap

Thursday Clown Show summary:

"The U.S. Navy is considering eliminating up to five high-level admiral positions key to the construction of ships and fighter planes as part of a larger Pentagon effort to cut down the number of admirals and generals in the ranks, sources say. Commenting on the plans, a former defense official said that if Navy Secretary John Phelan goes ahead with the plan, “he would be decapitating the organizations responsible for executing shipbuilding effectively.” Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch report for POLITICO.

Maurene Comey, an Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, was fired from her job in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office yesterday, sources say. Comey, who is the former FBI Director James Comey’s daughter, was given no explanation for her firing, and the decision to fire her was likely made by someone at the Justice Department’s headquarters, another source added. Erica Orden reports for POLITICO.

Trump showed approximately a dozen House Republicans a draft of a letter firing the Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, and asked them whether he should send it during a Tuesday meeting on the crypto bill, sources say. Trump has since stated he was “highly unlikely” to fire Powell. The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board yesterday called on Trump not to not fire Powell, stating that “the President has to live with his choices.” Maggie Haberman and Colby Smith report for the New York Times; Seung Min Kim reports for AP News.

The Justice Department has asked at least nine states for copies of their voter rolls as part of a multi-pronged Trump administration effort to gather data on voters and inspect voting equipment, state officials say. Two DOJ lawyers have also asked states to share information about voters to implement Trump’s elections executive order, and a consultant who says he is working with the White House has asked Colorado county clerks whether they would allow the federal government or a third party to physically examine their election equipment, officials add. Patrick Marley and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez report for the Washington Post.

National Institutes of Health Principal Deputy Director Matthew Memoli overrode NIH career scientists’ assessment of what gain-of-function studies to halt under Trump’s executive order on “dangerous” research, according to internal emails seen by the Washington Post and interviews with career staffers. In a draft July 3 memo obtained by Science, Memoli told the White House that “erring on the side of caution,” the NIH has “identified 40 projects that may meet the definition” of “dangerous” research. Hannah Natanson, Carolyn Y. Johnson, and Joel Achenbach report; Jon Cohen and Jocelyn Kaiser report.

The Trump administration has delayed and may cancel approximately $140 million in grants to fund fentanyl overdose response efforts, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff members say. The funding disruption appears to be caused by bureaucratic confusion involving DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget, both of which are scrutinizing the grants, the staffers added. Brian Mann reports for NPR.

Solar and wind energy projects on federal land under the Interior Department’s control must now get Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s personal sign-off, potentially slowing down approvals and construction, according to a Wednesday internal memo reviewed by POLITICO. Josh Siegel and Zack Colman report.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will allow some complaints filed by transgender workers to move forward, departing from earlier guidance that indefinitely stalled all such cases, according to an email seen by AP News. Claire Savage reports."

GrateEggspectations

From: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-cbs-ending-late-show-2026-stephen-colbert/

“CBS is axing The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in May 2026, the host told an audience at a taping Thursday.

The announcement came two days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global, parent company of his network CBS, settling with President Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes story.”

GrateEggspectations

“Maurene Comey, former FBI director’s daughter and prosecutor in Epstein and Combs cases, fired by Justice Department”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/us-politics/article-maurene-comey-former-fbi-directors-daughter-and-prosecutor-in-epstein/

Botch

GrateEggspectations said:

From: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-cbs-ending-late-show-2026-stephen-colbert/

“CBS is axing The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in May 2026, the host told an audience at a taping Thursday.

The announcement came two days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global, parent company of his network CBS, settling with President Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes story.”

Just came here to post this, saw it from two different sources.  Expect the same to happen to Jon Stewart/The Daily Show within a month.    
For anyone who has not yet read the 14 principles of Fascism, please read thru this and see if anything sounds familiar:  https://osbcontent.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/PC-00466.pdf

JohnInCarolina

Botch said:

GrateEggspectations said:

From: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-cbs-ending-late-show-2026-stephen-colbert/

“CBS is axing The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in May 2026, the host told an audience at a taping Thursday.

The announcement came two days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global, parent company of his network CBS, settling with President Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes story.”

Just came here to post this, saw it from two different sources.  Expect the same to happen to Jon Stewart/The Daily Show within a month.    
For anyone who has not yet read the 14 principles of Fascism, please read thru this and see if anything sounds familiar:  https://osbcontent.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/PC-00466.pdf

It is really, just incredible how we’re watching all of this come about in real time.  We are in a very bad, no good place as a country.

lousubcap

Friday Clown Show summary:

"The Justice Department yesterday asked sheriffs across California to provide lists of inmates in state jails who are not U.S. citizens, the crimes they committed, and their scheduled release dates. The DOJ said it would pursue “all available means of obtaining the data” if the sheriffs do not voluntarily hand it over. Jesus Jiménez reports for the New York Times.

The Health and Human Services Department has confirmed to Axios it is sharing Medicaid recipients' personal data with the Homeland Security Department, saying that the information-sharing is lawful and focuses on ensuring benefits are not going to undocumented immigrants. Maya Goldman reports.

Trump yesterday signed an executive order creating a new classification of non-career federal staffers (“Schedule G”) who can more easily be fired. The White House did not specify how many workers would be put into the new classification. Jarrett Renshaw reports for Reuters.

Trump’s firings of watchdogs have created an atmosphere of fear inside inspectors general offices, with office leaders worried that simply doing their jobs could get them fired or prompt political blowback, sources tell the New York Times. There is now a widespread understanding that certain topics, such as DOGE cuts, are off-limits, one current investigator adds. Luke Broadwater reports.

Columbia University and Trump administration officials are inching closer to ending a standoff over the school’s federal funding and policies concerning the harassment of Jewish students, having agreed on the main terms of a deal during a meeting yesterday, sources say. Michael C. Bender and Sharon Otterman reports for the New York Times.

Trump on Wednesday moved to fill the vacancies at the National Labor Relations Board created by his firing of NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox, nominating Scott Mayer, the chief labor counsel at Boeing, and career NLRB lawyer James Murphy to the Board. Daniel Wiessner reports for Reuters.

Nearly 800,000 mpox vaccines that the U.S. government had pledged to donate to African countries can no longer be shipped because they are about to expire, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. 220,000 vaccine doses have enough shelf life to be delivered to countries experiencing mpox outbreaks if the Trump administration signs off on their shipments, an Africa CDC spokesperson said. Carmen Paun reports for POLITICO."

GrateEggspectations

lousubcap

Monday Clown Show Summary:

"National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard on Friday called for several Obama administration officials to be prosecuted for participating in a “treasonous conspiracy” related to the 2016 election, citing newly declassified evidence in alleging that they “manipulated and withheld” intelligence related to Russian interference in the election from the public. Jacob Wendler and Amy MacKinnon report for POLITICO. The report “conflates … two activities by the Russians,” efforts to hack voting machines and influence operations such as leaking information hacked from the Democratic National Committee, Julian E. Barnes and David E. Sanger write for the New York Times.

Justin Fulcher, one of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s top advisers and a former DOGE staffer, has left his position, the Pentagon announced on Saturday. In a statement, Fulcher said he had planned to work for the government for only six months. Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday announced that Trump has selected Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte to replace Vice Adm. Yvette Davids as the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. Davis, who was the first woman to lead the U.S. Naval Academy, will be nominated to serve in another role as a three-star admiral, a defense official said. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.

Trump and his appointees have been accused of failing to obey court order in a third of the more than 160 lawsuits against the administration in which a judge issued a substantive ruling, suggesting a pattern of widespread noncompliance, the Washington Post has found. Justin Jouvenal reports.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday announced it is eliminating its research and development arm, the Office of Research and Development, and moving ahead with a 23% reduction in staffing levels. Matthew Daly reports for AP News.

The massive layoffs at the State Department were engineered by a handful of political appointees chosen for their “fidelity” to Trump and willingness to “break stuff,” leading to a haphazard and error-ridden process, sources say. A senior State Department official disputed this characterization, saying that the cuts were finalized in consultation with “experienced career staff” and the White House. Adam Taylor, Hannah Natanson, and John Hudson report for the Washington Post."

lousubcap

Tuesday Clown Show summary:

"The Pentagon yesterday announced it will begin withdrawing 700 active-duty Marines who were mobilized to respond to protests in Los Angeles last month. A Defense Department spokesperson said the troops’ “rapid response, unwavering discipline, and unmistakable presence were instrumental in restoring order.” Another 2,000 California Army National Guard soldiers remain assigned to the mission. Haley Britzky reports for CNN.

The head of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue branch, Ken Pagurek, resigned yesterday. According to sources, Pagurek told his colleagues that FEMA’s delay in responding to catastrophic flooding in central Texas caused by the Homeland Security Department’s bureaucratic hurdles was the tipping point that led to his departure. Gabe Cohen reports for CNN.

Hundreds of current and former NASA employees yesterday urged NASA leaders not to carry out deep cuts to the agency sought by the Trump administration. “We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety, scientific advancement and efficient use of public resources,” the employees wrote in their letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. Kenneth Chang reports for the New York Times.

Trump yesterday appointed Mike Rigas as Acting Administrator of the General Services Administration, in a move that effectively layers over the GSA’s current leadership chosen by DOGE’s former operational lead, Steve Davis. Sophia Cai reports for POLITICO.

The Office of Personnel Management will lose about 30% of its staff by the end of the year, OPM Director Scott Kupor told reporters last week. The loss of staff will be carried out by offering workers options to leave on their own, rather than mass firings, Kupor added. Meryl Kornfield reports for the Washington Post.

The White House has removed the Wall Street Journal from the pool of reporters covering Trump’s weekend trip to Scotland due to the WSJ’s “fake and defamatory conduct,” the White House press secretary told POLITICO. Eli Stokols and Irie Senter report."

lousubcap

Wednesday Clown Show Summary:

"Federal judges in New Jersey yesterday refused to appoint Trump’s pick for U.S. Attorney in the state, Alina Habba, in a brief order that did not explain the reasoning behind the decision and selected Desiree Leigh Grace, a career prosecutor whom Habba had named as her first assistant, as Habba’s replacement. Hours after the order was issued, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she had “removed” Grace. Senior Justice Department officials announced they had reinstated Habba. In her statement, Bondi accused the judges of being “politically minded” and said that the DOJ “does not tolerate rogue judges — especially when they threaten the president’s core Article II powers.” Jeremy Roebuck reports for the Washington Post; Ry Rivard and Madison Fernandez report for POLITICO.

The NPR Editor-in-Chief and Acting Chief Content Officer, Edith Chapin, yesterday told colleagues that she has decided to step down. Chapin said that her choice was not driven by the Congress’s recent decision to strip public broadcasting of all federal funding. David Folkenflik reports for NPR.

The Environmental Protection Agency has reportedly drafted a plan to repeal the 2009 “endangerment finding,” a fundamental scientific finding that gives the federal government authority to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions and fight climate change, sources say. Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times.

The White House is expanding its search for partners to build the Golden Dome missile defense system, with Trump’s tensions with Elon Musk making the administration wary of over-reliance on SpaceX, sources say. Mike Stone reports for Reuters.

More than 140 National Science Foundation employees have signed a letter expressing “deep concern over a series of politically motivated and legally questionable actions” that “threaten the integrity of the NSF” taken by the Trump administration. Alexa Robles-Gil reports for the New York Times.

The inclusion of Elon Musk’s xAI on the list of the Pentagon’s multimillion-dollar AI contracts intended to “address critical national security challenges” was a late-in-the-game addition under the Trump administration, according to a former defense official. David Ingram and Ben Goggin report for NBC News.

The White House intends to bring a second rescission request to Congress, targeting the Education Department, according to a White House aide. Calen Razor, Juan Perez Jr., and Eli Stokols report for POLITICO.

The Labor Department is aiming to repeal or rewrite more than 60 “obsolete” and “burdensome” workplace regulations, including minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities or standards governing exposure to harmful substances, according to a statement from the agency and the proposals posted in the Federal Register. Cathy Bussewitz reports for AP News."

lousubcap

Thursday Clown Show summary:

"The Justice Department announced yesterday the creation of a task force to investigate Trump’s unproven claims that former President Obama and his aides orchestrated an inquiry into Trump’s 2016 campaign ties to Russia with the aim of undermining and destroying him. The move came hours after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard intensified her criticism of Obama as she released a document that she claimed contradicted the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that Russia had favored Trump in the 2016 election. Julian E. Barnes and Glenn Thrush report for the New York Times.

The White House yesterday denied Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) request for $15.8 million in disaster relief funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The funding had been requested after severe floods swept through Western Maryland in May, with Moore saying he intends to appeal the decision. A FEMA official said the agency “determined that supplemental federal assistance under the Stafford Act is not warranted,” without elaborating. Katie Shepherd reports for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration will investigate Harvard University’s eligibility to sponsor certain visas, the State Department announced yesterday, without specifying any alleged violations. The University called the investigation into the Exchange Visitor Program, which allows foreigners into the United States temporarily, “yet another retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights.” Kayla Epstein reports for BBC News.

The Education Department will investigate five universities that offer financial aid to students in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Trump administration announced yesterday, arguing that such scholarship programs violate civil rights laws banning discrimination based on national origin because they are available only to DACA recipients. Vimal Patel reports for the New York Times."

Botch

Ooh, snap!
 

 

Thomas Clay Jr

3d · 

“You Wants All Immigrants Out of America but He Can’t Even Keep Immigrants Out of His Wife.” — Newsom Destroys Miller With One Scandalous Line, Leaving the Studio in Total Chaos

It was supposed to be a routine policy clash… until Newsom set the set on fire. With one icy, unfiltered shot—“He wants immigrants out of America, but can’t even keep immigrants out of his own bedroom”—the room fell dead silent. Miller blinked. Swallowed. And never recovered.

The hosts froze. The audience gasped. And in that instant, the entire conversation shifted from policy to personal devastation. Behind the scenes, producers scrambled. Online? It went nuclear. Critics say it crossed a line. Supporters say it’s long overdue. But everyone agrees: Stephen Miller just got hit where it hurts—and no spin can save him now."

Legume

lousubcap

Friday Clown show summary:

"The Supreme Court yesterday paused an appeals court ruling that would sharply curtail the Voting Rights Act by limiting who can sue to enforce protections against racial discrimination. Three of the court’s conservative justices, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch, said they would have allowed the ruling to go into effect. Abbie VanSickle reports for the New York Times.

The White House is seeking payment of fines from Harvard, Cornell, Duke, Northwestern, and Brown universities in exchange for allowing them to access federal funding, a source says. According to a White House official, the demands mirror the $200 million deal the Trump administration struck with Columbia University over Columbia’s alleged failures to stop antisemitism on campus. Natalie Andrews, Douglas Belkin, and Sara Randazzo report for the Wall Street Journal.

The Federal Communications Commission yesterday announced it will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance after receiving assurances that the new company would be committed to unbiased journalism and would not establish programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. A Democratic FCC Commissioner, Anna Gomez, said that the agency had used “its vast power” to “further erode press freedom” and impose “never-before-seen controls over newsroom decisions and editorial judgment.” Benjamin Mullin reports for the New York Times.

Trump yesterday signed an executive order directing federal agencies to find ways to make it easier to forcibly hospitalize homeless people with mental illness and addiction for longer periods. David Ovalle reports for the Washington Post.

The Pentagon is suspending its participation in all think tanks and research events to ensure that it is “not lending its name and credibility to organizations, forums and events that run counter to the values of this administration,” according to an email seen by POLITICO yesterday. Jack Detsch reports.

The Internal Revenue Service is considering eliminating its multi-language services, according to records seen by the Washington Post and sources. The move would make it dramatically more difficult for non-English speakers to file their taxes. Jacob Bogage reports.

The U.S. Agriculture Department will move most of its D.C.-based employees out of the capital and spread them across five regional hubs, the agency announced yesterday. Linda Qiu reports for the New York Times."

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Monday Clown Show summary:

"The White House has directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to stop using polygraph tests to search for people leaking information to the news after Hegseth’s senior adviser raised alarm about being targeted, according to U.S. officials and other sources. Hegseth previously also threatened to use a polygraph on Navy Adm. Christopher Grady, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims, the director of the Joint Staff. Despite intervention from Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Dan Caine and senior Pentagon officials, Hegseth has since decided to bypass promoting Sims to a four-star general due to Sims’ closeness to Gen. Mark Milley and suspecting, without evidence, that Sims might be leaking information. Sims is now expected to retire in the coming months after 34 years in the military, officials said. Dan Lamothe and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post; Greg Jaffe, Eric Schmitt, and Helene Cooper report for the New York Times.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to remove all members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an advisory panel that determines what cancer screenings and other preventive health measures insurers must cover, sources say. Liz Essley Whyte reports for the Wall Street Journal.

DOGE is using a new AI tool to slash federal regulations, with the goal of eliminating half of Washington’s regulatory mandates by January 2026,according to documents obtained by the Washington Post and four government officials. According to the documents, the tool has already been used to complete “decisions on 1,083 regulatory sections” at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in under two weeks, and to write “100% of deregulations” at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Hannah Natanson, Jeff Stein, Dan Diamond, and Rachel Siegel report.

The Trump administration plans to release more than $5 billion in funding to public schools after withholding it for nearly a month amid a review of whether the grants have been used for “radical left-wing agenda,” a senior administration official said on Friday. Justine McDaniel and Laura Meckler report for the Washington Post.

FEMA has proposed cutting nearly $1 billion in grant funding that communities and first responders use for disaster preparation and countering possible terror or cyberattacks, according to internal memos and two FEMA officials familiar with the plans. Gabe Cohen reports for CNN.

Nearly 4,000 NASA employees have chosen to leave through the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, the space agency said on Saturday. The cuts amount to an estimated 20% of NASA’s workforce. Chandelis Duster reports for NPR."

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Tuesday Clown Show Summary:

"Harvard University is reportedly open to paying up to $500 million to end its dispute with the White House, according to people familiar with the intensifying negotiations. According to one of the sources, Harvard is reluctant to directly pay the federal government, with the exact financial terms still under discussion. Michael C. Bender, Alan Blinder, and Michael S. Schmidt report for the New York Times.

The Justice Department yesterday filed a misconduct complaint against U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg. The complaint alleges Boasberg made “improper public comments about President Trump and his administration” by reportedly telling Chief Justice John Roberts and other federal judges that the administration would trigger a constitutional crisis by disregarding federal court rulings. Mark Sherman reports for AP News.

Federal employees can pray, discuss religion, and make efforts to “persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views” under new guidelines issued by the Office of Personnel Management yesterday. Under the new rules, supervisors are also allowed to encourage workers to engage in expressions of faith. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. yesterday announced a plan to “fix” the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which allows people who believe they were injured by vaccines to apply for financial compensation. Christina Jewett reports for the New York Times.

The Education Department yesterday announced it is launching an investigation into Duke University and the Duke Law Journal based on “recent reporting alleging that Duke University discriminates on the bases of race, color, and/or national origin by using these factors to select law journal members.” Betsy Klein and Samantha Waldenberg report for CNN.  (see the "Our Turn in the Barrel" thread)

The Pentagon’s recent ban on participation in think tank and research events hampers the Defense Department’s ability to make its case to Washington policy circles and allies, according to more than a dozen officials and think tank leaders. The move has had a chilling effect, with top leaders clearing most of their public speaking engagements, even if they are not sure the ban applies to them, the officials add. Jack Detsch, Paul McLeary, and Felicia Schwartz report for POLITICO."