Elect a Clown, Expect the Circus

lousubcap

Monday Clown Show summary:

"The State Department is removing all posts on its public accounts on the social media platform X made before Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, 2025. Anyone wanting to see older posts will have to file a Freedom of Information Act request, according to a State Department employee. In response to NPR's questions about the removals, a State Department spokesperson said the goal “is to limit confusion on U.S government policy and to speak with one voice to advance the President, Secretary, and Administration's goals and messaging.” Shannon Bond and Stephen Fowler report for NPR.  

A whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stems from an intercepted conversation in which individuals linked to a foreign government discussed a person close to Trump, according to sources. The discussion concerned issues related to Iran, some sources said. The complaint alleges that Gabbard limited sharing of this intelligence for political reasons after meeting with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Dustin Volz reports for the Wall Street Journal. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the Pentagon will end graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs at Harvard in the 2026-2027 school year. Hegseth said that sending personnel to Harvard has meant that “too many of our officers came back looking too much like Harvard - heads full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks.” Victoria Craw reports for the Washington Post. "

lousubcap

Tuesday Clown Show summary:

"The Trump administration wants tech companies to publicly commit to a new compact governing the expansion of AI data centers, according to two administration officials. A draft of the compact lays out commitments to ensure data centers do not raise household electricity prices, strain water supplies, or undermine grid reliability. It also sets out that the companies driving demand carry the cost of building new infrastructure. It remains unclear which companies have agreed to the compact or have been invited to participate. Sophia Cai, Jason Plautz, James Bikales, and Ben Johansen report for POLITICO.  

The Trump administration is planning this week to repeal the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which concluded that six greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. The finding provided the legal underpinning for federal greenhouse gas regulation. “This amounts to the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said. Meredith McGraw and Benoit Morenne report for the Wall Street Journal.  

Trump has directed top U.S. spy agencies to share sensitive intelligence about the 2020 election with his former campaign lawyer Kurt Olsen, according to four sources. Olsen, now a temporary government employee in the White House, is leading the probe into whether the 2020 election win was the result of fraud or other electoral irregularities. The White House did not say whether there were any limits on the intelligence that could be shared with Olsen, explaining only that the President “has the authority to provide access to classified material to individuals as he deems necessary.” John Sakellariadis reports for POLITICO. 

The Trump administration will fund efforts to promote free speech in Western countries allied with Washington, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers said yesterday. The State Department said that Rogers will discuss freedom of speech and digital freedom with officials and others on her trip to Dublin, Budapest, Warsaw, and Munich. Simon Lewis reports for Reuters. "

lousubcap

Wednesday Clown Show summary:

"The Federal Aviation Administration late last night halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport, Texas, for 10 days for “special security reasons.” They did not detail the security reasons that prompted the restriction. John Yoon, Edgar Sandoval, and Reyes Mata III report for the New York Times.  

Detroit billionaire Matthew Moroun met with Lutnick on Monday hours before Trump threatened to block the opening of the Canada-funded Gordie Howe International Bridge, which would compete with Moroun’s Ambassador Bridge. Officials said that Lutnick spoke to Trump about the matter following his meeting with Moroun. Tyler Pager and Matina Stevis-Gridneff reports for the New York Times.  

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Reuters yesterday that she has shut down the Director’s Initiatives Group that she launched last year with the declared goal of rooting out politicization from intelligence agencies. Two sources told Reuters that the decision to wrap up the DIG was taken after alleged missteps. Gabbard’s office denied any missteps and said the DIG was always meant to be temporary. Phil Stewart and Jonathan Landay report." 

lousubcap

Thursday Clown Show summary:

"The House yesterday voted 219-211 to rescind tariffs imposed on Canada last year, with six Republicans joining nearly all Democrats in backing the resolution. Despite succeeding in the House, the measure is likely to be vetoed by Trump. Robert Jimison reports for the New York Times.  

The House also voted 218-213 to approve the SAVE America Act, with one Democrat joining Republicans to back the measure. The action would require proof of U.S. citizenship in the November midterm elections. David Morgan reports for Reuters. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi testified yesterday in a four-hour hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, fielding questions on pending investigations into Trump’s adversaries, immigration enforcement, and documents released as part of the most recent tranche of Epstein files. Bondi refused to apologize to survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse who were sitting in the room and instead demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump. Glenn Thrush reports for the New York Times.

Senators yesterday emerged from a briefing from FAA administrator Bryan Bedford demanding more information on what led to the airspace closure in El Paso. The Trump administration’s official line, from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is that the closure happened after the FAA and Defense Department “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said yesterday, “the details of what exactly occurred over El Paso are unclear,” adding “which is why I’m requesting a classified briefing to get further details.” Hans Nichols reports for Axios.  

The abrupt closure of El Paso’s airspace on Tuesday was caused by Customs and Border Protection officials deploying an anti-drone laser on loan from the Pentagon without giving aviation officials enough time to assess the risks to commercial aircraft, according to several sources. Sources said that CBP officials thought they were firing on a cartel drone, but it turned out to be a party balloon.

Trump was awarded the “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” trophy during an event at the White House yesterday celebrating Trump’s signing of an executive order directing the Pentagon to procure electricity from coal-fired power plants.  Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios."

lousubcap

Friday Clown Show summary:

"Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s whistleblower complaint is related to a conversation intercepted last year in which two foreign nationals discussed Jared Kushner, according to U.S. officials. Senior officials said the claims about Kushner in the call were false, but declined to offer more specifics. Other officials said that if the claims were verified, it would be significant. Dustin Volz, Josh Dawsey, and C. Ryan Barber report for the Wall Street Journal.  

Trump yesterday announced that the administration has repealed the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which concluded that six greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. The finding provided the legal underpinning for federal greenhouse gas regulation. The Environmental Protection Agency called the move the “single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history.” Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times. "