Elect a Clown, Expect the Circus

Legume · March 4

DoubleEgger · March 4

I wish that Trudeau had said that his tariffs against the US were due to the US not doing enough to control illegal guns crossing the border into Canada.

Canugghead · March 4

Breaking News: Trudeau just announced a $150B researh grant to develop a Cheeto25 vaccine.

lousubcap · March 4

Tuesday Clown Show summary:

"The head of the FBI’s New York field office, James Dennehy, yesterday told the office’s staffers that he was ordered to resign from his position, sources say. According to the email announcing his resignation, Dennehy, who last month urged his employees to “dig in” amid the Trump administration’s efforts to remake the Bureau, was not given a reason for being ordered to quit. Ken Dilanian, Jonathan Dienst, Ryan J. Reilly, and Tom Winter report for NBC News.

The Treasury Department on Sunday announced it qould no longer enforce a beneficial ownership information database for small businesses, created by the Biden administration to curb money laundering and shell company formation. Fatima Hussein reports for AP News.

The Trump administration is firing dozens of General Services Administration technology specialists, who worked on a broad portfolio including the passport services and the IRS’s tax filing software, according to an email from the GSA’s Technology Transformation Services director seen by the New York Times. Karoun Demirjian and Madeleine Ngo report.

Health and Human Services Department employees can apply for early retirement over the next 10 days and must respond to DOGE’s “what did you do last week” email, the health agency’s leaders told staffers in an email yesterday. Patrick Wingrove and Dan Levine report for Reuters.

Georgia’s Fort Moore will revert back to its old Fort Benning name, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced. The fort, previously named for Brig. Gen. Henry L. Benning, a Confederate officer during the American Civil War, will now be named in honor of World War I soldier Cpl. Fred G. Benning, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Pentagon said. Lolita C. Baldor reports for AP News."

JohnInCarolina · March 4

lousubcap said:

Tuesday Clown Show summary:
Georgia’s Fort Moore will revert back to its old Fort Benning name, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced. The fort, previously named for Brig. Gen. Henry L. Benning, a Confederate officer during the American Civil War, will now be named in honor of World War I soldier Cpl. Fred G. Benning, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Pentagon said. Lolita C. Baldor reports for AP News."

This kind of thing really is too cute by half.

We are not a serious country.

lousubcap · March 5

Wednesday Clown Show summary: ( After last night's self aggrandizing talk show)

The Defense Department is moving to dismantle initiatives aimed at reducing civilian harm and collateral damage in U.S. military operations, according to three defense officials. The move is part of a Trump administration shift that prioritizes “lethality” in military strikes over civilian protection. Alex Horton, Meg Kelly, and Dan Lamothe report for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration has effectively shut down a long-running global air quality monitoring program “due to budget constraints,” the State Department said, bringing to a close reporting from 80 international embassies and consulates. Lisa Friedman and Brad Plumer report for the New York Times.

Hundreds of key federally owned properties are now available for sale, including the headquarters of the Justice Department, Labor Department, and U.S. Census Bureau, the Trump administration announced yesterday, in its bid to reduce the size of the federal government. Aaron Weiner, Joe Heim, and Rachel Weiner report for the Washington Post.

The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to slash as much as 50 percent of its staff, sources say. Andrew Duehren reports for the New York Times.

Trump yesterday announced the capture of a top leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan who assisted in planning the 2021 attack on the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghans. Julian E. Barnes and Zia ur-Rehman report for the New York Times.

The United States yesterday re-designated Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, reversing a decision made by former President Biden in 2021. Dan Lamothe and Missy Ryan report for the Washington Post.

The State Department is unfreezing $95 million in military assistance to the Lebanese armed forces, two U.S. officials told Axios. Barak Ravid reports.

Trump could announce a trade deal with Mexico and Canada as soon as today, just one day after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on both nations which sparked countermeasures, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. Bryan Mena, Elijah Shama, and Vanessa Yurkevich report for CNN. "

lousubcap · March 6

Thursday Clown Show summary:

"Trump is expected to issue an executive order aimed at abolishing the Education Department as soon as today, with a draft of the order directing the Education Secretary to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” based on “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” Matt Barnum, Ken Thomas, and Tarini Parti report for the Wall Street Journal.

The Trump administration is reopening a large detention center in South Texas for migrant families facing deportation, reinstating the practice of detaining children four years after the Biden administration halted it, the private prison contractor operating the facility said. Maria Sacchetti, Arelis R. Hernández, and Douglas MacMillan report for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration is reportedly rethinking its Guantánamo immigrant detention plan amid cost concerns and agency clashes over operational responsibility, sources say. Courtney Kube, Carol E. Lee, Julie Tsirkin, and Julia Ainsley report for NBC News.

The Veterans Affairs is planning to fire 70,000 employees, officials said yesterday, with its secretary adding that the cut would not affect healthcare or benefits for veterans or beneficiaries and that the department would still be hiring for mission-critical roles. Victoria Albert, Ken Thomas, and Lindsay Ellis report for the Wall Street Journal.

Carmakers have been granted a monthlong reprieve from the tariffs imposed on all goods from Canada and Mexico, the Trump administration announced yesterday. The New York Times reports. "

dbCooper · March 6

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/03/05/donald-trump-marco-rubio-maga/

Opinion
George F. Will
This is American greatness only if you have a MAGA-nifying glass

Rubio says Trump shows “courage” in “standing up for America.” Really?
March 5, 2025 at 7:00 a.m. EST

From the French word “petite,” meaning “small,” comes the English word “petty,” which describes the Trump administration. This is greatness as restored by the midgets of MAGA:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in the room when the U.S. foreign policy of 80 years was jettisoned, and he was thrilled. This small occupant of an office once held by big people (from Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, and Daniel Webster to George Marshall, Dean Acheson, and Henry Kissinger), swooned on X: “Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before.”

Do Rubio’s muscles cramp during prolonged genuflections? He is, however, right, in his fashion: No president has ever before “stood up for America” this way, by turning U.S. foreign policy 180 degrees, away from supporting democracies toward rewarding war criminals. (Nine days before Donald Trump’s Oval Office berating of Ukraine’s president, the Financial Times website presented video of Russians murdering unresisting Ukrainian prisoners of war.) In a future X post, Rubio might elaborate on how courage featured in this reversal. Or in Trump’s pique about what he considers Ukraine’s insufficiently reiterated gratitude for the assistance Ukraine received from the Biden administration.

So smitten is Trump with Vladimir Putin (“genius”), he cannot fathom that the Russian leader surely considers him a weakling. Putin knows that Trump knows, but is too servile to say, who invaded whom on Feb. 24, 2022.

Vice President JD Vance is earning the description Winston Churchill applied to Dwight D. Eisenhower’s secretary of state, John Foster Dulles: a bull who carries a china shop around with him. Vance recently suggested on X that Europe’s largest war since 1945 is just another product of those tiresome Old World “ethnic rivalries.”

Elon Musk, who, like Trump, confuses hyperactivity with achievement, is, like Trump, incapable of imagining how his incessant spouting off is making him smaller. When, last week, an X lunatic (“I know Barack Obama is a Kenyan”) said, “It’s time to leave NATO,” Musk had time and inclination to respond: “I agree.” Even while busily trying to erase mistakes made by the Constitution’s framers (e.g., creating Congress and the separation of powers), Musk has time and inclination to notice and opine about everything, including the need to end history’s most successful collective security organization.

Protectionism is another manifestation of Trump’s courage. He has plucked from the air a number — 25 percent seems to entrance him — as a properly muscular way to (in Rubioese) “stand up for” America with tariffs against two of its economic tormentors. MAGA means protecting America (2024 GDP: $29.16 trillion) from Canada ($2.21 trillion) and Mexico ($1.84 trillion).

Some mornings during the autumn of 1933, when the unemployment rate was 24 percent, the president, before getting into his wheelchair, sat in bed, surrounded by economic advisers, setting the price of gold, to which the U.S. currency was pegged. One morning he said he might raise it 21 cents: “It’s a lucky number because it’s three times seven.” His soon-to-be treasury secretary, Henry Morgenthau, wrote that if anybody knew how gold was priced “they would be frightened.”

Today’s president has had the (to continue in Rubio-speak) courage to protest something that previous presidents and generations were too unpatriotic to recognize as a national humiliation: the Gulf of Mexico being named that. One of Trump’s minions, trade adviser Peter Navarro, appears to have been inspired by Trump, who has stood up for America by suggesting that Canada should become the 51st state. Last week, the Telegraph newspaper in Britain reported that Navarro “is pushing U.S. negotiators” to seek revisions of the U.S.-Canada border. Make America 1843 again.

That was the year “54-40 or Fight!” was the cry of precursor MAGAites, then called “war hawks.” They insisted that the border between Oregon Territory and Canada must be at latitude 54 degrees, 40 minutes. Though America was then seriously expansionist (ask Mexico), it compromised.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed from Pentagon hallways the official portraits of former secretary Mark T. Esper and retired Gen. Mark A. Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Both offended Trump during his first term. MAGA means erasing history.

In 1966, Alabama’s Democratic Gov. George Wallace said: “Hell, we got too much dignity in government now, what we need is some meanness.” Problem solved.

DoubleEgger · March 6

You can’t be a world leader and be America First. Those two ideals cannot coexist. True leaders never put themselves first.

lousubcap · March 6

@dbCooper - thanks for the above article. Too bad those who should have the responsibility and spine to challenge CHEETO are too busy sucking his ---k. CHEETO's track record for firing all those great people who became dumb when they pushed back must be powerful reason to shirk from their duties. How can you look yourself in the mirror and take this. You can get fired but CHEETO can't run again... Integrity, a moral compass and character count.
At the top of the ladder is the sworn oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."
CHEETO makes Nixon look like a saint! Off mini soap-box.

lousubcap · March 7

Friday Clown Show summary:

"U.S. Marshals yesterday escorted DOGE staff and State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance Director and acting USAID Deputy Administrator, Pete Marocco, into the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) headquarters in a “traumatizing” scene, USDAF officials said, with agency workers leaving their personal belongings behind in the office to avoid confrontation with DOGE employees and law enforcement. Brianna Tucker reports for the Washington Post.

The State Department will use AI to cancel the visas of foreign students who appear to support Hamas or other designated terror groups on their social media accounts, according to senior State Department officials. Marc Caputo reports for Axios.

The CIA has begun firing probationary employees, a spokesperson for the agency has confirmed. Julian E. Barnes and Mark Mazzetti report for the New York Times.

Agency heads and not Elon Musk are in charge of cutting down on the size of their agencies’ workforce, Trump told Cabinet members yesterday, but later added that if they do not carry out the reductions “then Elon will do the cutting.” Alex Gangitano reports for the Hill.

DOGE staffers are “outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs” and operating in a way “never seen in government before,” acting Social Security Administration Commissioner Leland Dudek told senior staff on Tuesday. In an email sent to the agency’s staff yesterday, the SSA also said that employees can no longer read news websites on work devices, with a spokesperson saying the restrictions were implemented to keep staffers focused. Lisa Rein, Jeff Stein and Hannah Natanson report for the Washington Post.

Trump yesterday signed an executive order suspending the security clearances of employees at Perkins Coie, a major U.S. law firm that did work for the Democratic Party during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. The order directs agency heads to “review all contracts with Perkins Coie or with entities that disclose doing business with Perkins Coie.” A Perkins Coie spokesperson said the firm intends to challenge the order. Brett Samuels reports for the Hill.

Trump yesterday signed an executive order authorizing the federal government to stockpile bitcoin cryptocurrency assets seized through law enforcement proceedings in a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. Jasper Goodman and Declan Harty report for POLITICO.

DOGE representatives have sought access to a highly sensitive database of nearly all U.S. workers’ earnings kept by the Health and Human Services Department to help track child support payments, according to sources, who added that DOGE’s attempts were rebuffed by a civil servant who questioned their authority. Jeff Stein and Dan Diamond report for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration has eased security requirements for some of the Boeing staff working on new Air Force One jets, in a bid to speed up the delivery of the delayed project. Brian Everstine reports for Aviation Week; Eric Lipton reports for the Washington Post."

lousubcap · March 10

Monday Clown Show summary:

"The Justice Department has transferred at least three top officials in the National Security Division, a move that sources say amounts to a complete overhaul of the Division’s leadership. On Friday, the DOJ also removed a top ethics official, a pardon attorney, and a head public records officer, the sources added. Perry Stein and Salvador Rizzo report for the Washington Post.

Two New York federal prosecutors who worked on the case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams have been escorted out of their workplace by federal law enforcement officials after being placed on leave by the Justice Department on Friday, according to law enforcement sources. At least one other DOJ attorney was also placed on leave, apparently over social media comments about the interim U.S. attorney for D.C., Ed Martin, the sources added. Ryan J. Reilly and Tom Winter report for NBC News.

Trump has instructed officials to exclude non-profit organizations that engage in activities that have a “substantial illegal purpose” from a student loan forgiveness program in an executive order published Friday. The move appears to target groups supporting undocumented immigrants, diversity initiatives, or gender-affirming care for children. Stacy Cowley reports for the New York Times.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem yesterday announced that Todd Lyons, ICE’s former assistant director of field operations, will serve as the agency’s new acting Director. Noem also pledged to step up polygraph testing of employees to identify personnel leaking information to the media. Christine Fernando reports for AP News.

The Trump administration has told the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to prepare to lose another 1,000 workers, raising concerns among scientists that NOAA’s lifesaving forecasts might be hindered as the hurricane season approaches. Raymond Zhong, Austyn Gaffney, and Christopher Flavelle report for the New York Times.

The Homeland Security Department on Friday said it would end its collective bargaining agreement with Transportation Security Administration workers, claiming the union contract was imperilling the safety of travellers. Tim Balk reports for the New York Times."

lousubcap · March 11

Tuesday Clown Show summary:

"Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard yesterday said she has stripped security clearances from dozens of former national security officials and others, including former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Gabbard added that the daily presidential intelligence briefing would also not be shared with former President Biden. Dan De Luce reports for NBC News.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has cut about $10 million in annual funding for two cybersecurity initiatives housed within the nonprofit Center for Internet Security, including an initiative dedicated to helping state and local election officials, a CISA spokesperson said in an email yesterday. Christina A. Cassidy reports for AP News.

The Trump administration will reverse the Biden administration’s “myopic” focus on climate change in energy policy, Energy Secretary and former fracking executive Chris Wright told the largest U.S. gathering of the energy industry yesterday. Brad Plumer reports for the New York Times.

NASA is eliminating its chief scientist and 19 other roles amid efforts to pare back staff numbers by abolishing the Office of the Chief Scientist and the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, the Trump administration said yesterday in a notice to Congress. Kenneth Chang reports for the New York Times.

DOGE’s efforts to abolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have been somewhat reined in by the Trump-appointed agency leadership in recent weeks, Adam Martinez, the CFPB’s chief operating officer, testified in court yesterday. Tierney Sneed reports for CNN.

Trump aims to build minerals refining facilities on U.S. military bases inside the United States in a bid to boost domestic production of critical minerals and counter China's control of the sector, two senior administration officials said. Ernest Scheyder and Jarrett Renshaw report for Reuters.

The inspector general for the Office of Personnel Management on Friday toldlawmakers he is investigating the use of an OPM data system that DOGE used to email federal workers. Rebecca Beitsch reports for the Hill."

lousubcap · March 12

Wednesday Clown Show summary:

"The Trump administration is significantly downsizing its Public Integrity Section, an unit that oversees prosecutions of public officials accused of corruption, sources say. Ryan J. Reilly, Sarah Fitzpatrick, and David Rohde report for NBC News.

The Education Department will cut nearly 50% of its workforce, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement yesterday. Separately, the Education Department told staff that its offices would be closed today for “security reasons.” Sunlen Serfaty, Kaanita Iyer, Rene Marsh, Alayna Treene, and Kevin Liptak report for CNN; Lexi Lonas Cochran reports for the Hill.

The plan to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is still on,an employee tasked with firing hundreds of staffers at the agency testified yesterday, contradicting the picture painted by a witness for the administration. Tierney Sneed reports for CNN.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is cutting another 1,000 employees, sources say. Separately, the National Weather Service has cancelled training preparing meteorologists to forecast during disasters amid “short staffing” and travel spending reductions. Seth Borenstein reports for AP News; Rachel Frazin reports for the Hill.

Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin yesterday said he had terminated $20 billion in climate change grants issued under the Inflation Reduction Act, citing “substantial concerns” about the program's “integrity.” Alex Guillen and Zack Colman report for POLITICO.

The U.S. Agriculture Department has halted more than $1 billion in funding for local food banks and schools by terminating two programs that aid local government food purchases. Ashleigh Fields reports for the Hill.

President Trump yesterday hinted he might be open to labelling individuals who target Tesla dealerships as “domestic terrorists,” following a string of protests at the Musk-owned company’s showrooms. Alex Gangitano and Miranda Nazarro report for the Hill.

A senior U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) official yesterday instructed a number of the agency’s remaining staffers to convene for an “all day” effort to destroy documents stored at USAID's former headquarters, according to an email seen by POLITICO. Materials earmarked for destruction include classified and personnel files, the email indicated. Phelim Kine and Nahal Toosi report.

The United States will begin enforcing a law requiring Canadians visiting the country for 30 days or more to register with the U.S. authorities, according to a notice obtained by ABC News. Luke Barr reports.

Trump’s sweeping tariffs on steel and aluminium imports entering the United States from any country in the world went into effect today, with the EU announcing tariffs on up to $28 billion worth of U.S. goods in response. Ana Swanson and Jeanna Smialek report for the New York Times."

lousubcap · March 13

Thursday Clown Show summary:

"Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia university graduate and pro-Palestinian activist detained by the Trump administration last weekend over alleged national security concerns, have been unable to hold a private conversation with their client since his arrest. The revelation came to light yesterday in Manhattan federal court, as Khalil’s lawyers raised concerns about free speech protections amid Trump’s immigration crackdown. Jonah E. Bromwich and Anusha Bayya report for the New York Times.

Trump is planning a visit to the Justice Department tomorrow to make public remarks on his administration’s plans on “restoring law and order,” Axios has learned. Alex Isenstadt reports.

Trump has pardoned an imprisoned former Tennessee Republican state senator who was two weeks into a 21-month sentence for illegally funneling money to his failed 2016 congressional bid. Neil Vigdor reports for the New York Times.

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the funding and management of New York City hotels operating as migrant shelters, according to a copy of a federal subpoena sent to a Manhattan hotel. Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Chelsia Rose Marcius report for the New York Times.

All migrants who were being held at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba have been flown back to the United States, a Defense Department official said yesterday. Silvia Foster-Frau and Alex Horton report for the Washington Post.

The Social Security Administration yesterday scrapped plans to end communications by phone service for millions of Americans filing retirement and disability claims, after the Washington Post reported that the DOGE Service team was considering the change to prevent fraud. Hannah Natanson, Lisa Rein, Elizabeth Dwoskin, and Faiz Siddiqui report for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration said yesterday it has ceased using the largest U.S. operator of shelters for migrant children following allegations of sexual abuse and harassment of minors at the facilities. Additionally, it moved to dismiss a Biden-era lawsuit that sought to hold the nonprofit accountable for enabling the misconduct. Aishvarya Kavi reports for the New York Times.

The first Native American to lead the National Endowment for the Humanities, Shelly C. Lowe, has stepped down at the direction of President Trump, the agency confirmed yesterday. Anumita Kaur reports for the Washington Post."

lousubcap · March 13

Clown Show -the latest with the personnel firings-From Politico-

DEVELOPING: “A federal judge on Thursday ordered federal agencies to rehire tens of thousands of probationary employees who were fired amid President Donald Trump’s turbulent effort to drastically shrink the federal bureaucracy,” POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. “U.S. District Judge William Alsup described the mass firings as a ‘sham’ strategy by the government’s central human resources office to sidestep legal requirements for reducing the federal workforce.”

Probationary employees across DOD, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture and the VA must be brought back on “immediately,” according to Alsup’s ruling: “The Office of Personnel Management, the judge said, had made an ‘unlawful’ decision to terminate them. … Alsup also lashed out at the Justice Department over its handling of the case, saying he believes that Trump administration lawyers were hiding the facts about who directed the mass firings.”

But but but: This may only be a temporary victory for the federal employees who lost their jobs, since the ruling “is almost certain to be appealed,” Josh and Kyle write."

JohnInCarolina · March 13

Botch · March 14

And here's a Big One: all of Europe's increases to military spending should go to Europian suppliers, not US suppliers like Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, et al.
https://apnews.com/article/eu-defense-spending-us-ukraine-8cbd54ba81c086aa8e47ea3a0971febb

I'm predicting this will cause some, uh, "consternation" among both red and blue members of Congress.

lousubcap · March 14

Friday Clown Show update;

"The Trump administration yesterday asked the Supreme Court to narrow nationwide injunctions blocking Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship, a move that could have repercussions across other cases in which nationwide orders have been issued. Lawrence Hurley reports for NBC News; Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.

A federal judge yesterday denied the Justice Department’s attempt to adopt a wide reading of Trump’s pardon for Jan. 6 Capitol rioters, ruling that the DOJ’s position “contradicts” the “clear and unambiguous” language of the order. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.

A second federal judge yesterday issued an order reversing the Trump administration’s mass terminations of probationary employees, in a sweeping ruling covering 18 major federal agencies. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.

Federal worker unions yesterday dropped a part of their lawsuit seeking to block the U.S. Agency for International Development from shredding documents after receiving assurances that no personnel records had been destroyed and that they would be consulted before any further destruction. Brendan Pierson reports for Reuters.

Democratic Attorneys General in 20 states and Washington D.C. yesterday sued the Trump administration over its efforts to lay off nearly half of the Education Department staffers. Zach Schonfeld reports for the Hill.

The union for Transportation Safety Administration workers has sued Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over Noem’s announcement she is ending a collective bargaining agreement signed last year. Rebecca Beitsch reports for the Hill."

lousubcap · March 17

Monday Clown Show update:

Trump on Friday issued an executive order calling for the dismantling of the federal agency that oversees broadcaster Voice of America (VOA). With most of the workforce locked out, some of its radio frequencies in Asia, Middle East, and elsewhere went dark or began airing music, VOA employees said. In other cases, outlets that used VOA programming will remain online without U.S. contributions. David Enrich reports for the New York Times.

Trump signed a congressional stopgap measure to continue government funding on Saturday, averting the threat of a government shutdown. The signing followed the Senate passing the bill 54-46 earlier Friday, with many Democratic lawmakers criticizing Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for helping pass the legislation. Kaia Hubbard reports for CBS News; Minho Kim reports for the New York Times.

Trump on Friday widened his assault on some of the nation’s most prominent law firms by restricting the business of Paul Weiss, just days after a federal judge ruled such measures likely violate the Constitution. Devlin Barrett and Tyler Pager report for the New York Times.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Friday that the Trump administration is “aggressively pursuing” people in U.S. spy agencies who leak information to the public, citing recent stories and “politically motivated leaks” on national security topics in news outlets. Warren P. Strobel reports for the Washington Post.

Legume · March 17

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/maralago-face-conservative-girl-makeup-brutal-aesthetics-of-maga-trump-gaetz-guilfoyle/

lousubcap · March 18

Tuesday Clown Show summary:

"The acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Andrea Lucas, yesterday sent letters to 20 law firms, requesting information relating to their diversity, equity, and inclusion-related employment practices. Prominent firms that received the request include Perkins Coie, Latham & Watkins, Kirkland & Ellis, and Sidley Austin. Madeleine Ngo reports for the New York Times.

Trump yesterday asserted the preemptive pardons that former President Biden issued to protect family members and U.S. officials who had investigated Trump are void, claiming that Biden signed them with an autopen with no knowledge or approval of the pardons. Separately, Trump announced that Hunter Biden and his half-sister Ashley Biden will be stripped of their Secret Service protection. Jess Bravin reports for the Wall Street Journal; Danny Nguyen reports for POLITICO.

The Federal Aviation Administration is reinstating 132 employees dismissed last month, following a federal judge’s order in Maryland, a union announced yesterday. The probationary employees, terminated as part of DOGE-led cuts, will receive back pay and are expected to resume duty on March 20. David Shepardson reports for Reuters.

Trump announced he will today release 80,000 pages of unredacted files about the assassination of President Kennedy. Alex Gangitano reports for The Hill.

The Trump administration is planning to cut over 20% of the staff at the taxpayer help branch of the IRS, removing jobs aimed at helping those dealing with identity theft, tax issues, or financial struggles, according to a document obtained by the Washington Post. Shannon Najmabadi and Jacob Bogage report.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently removed a former surgeon general’s warning labeling gun violence as a public health crisis to comply with Trump’s executive order protecting Second Amendment rights, a White House official said. Amanda Friedman reports for POLITICO."

lousubcap · March 18

Trade wars and today-

TRADE WARS: With reciprocal tariffs slated to be unveiled April 2, the Trump administration is scrambling to figure out what exactly the plan is. WSJ’s Gavin Bade, Josh Dawsey and Vipal Monga scoopedthat officials considered — but on Friday decided against — making things simpler by sorting the world into three tiers of countries to get different levels of tariffs. Now the focus is on the “gargantuan task” of developing customized levies for every trading partner, which will fall to USTR. Notably, the U.S. is likely to factor in other countries’ internal value-added taxes.

The impact: Massive tariffs could usher in a conclusion to the era of fast fashion and cheap clothes, Axios’ Felix Salmon reports. Meanwhile, China is fairly insulated from domestic pain over its tariffs on U.S. pork because the country has already made a major shift away from it, WaPo’s Christian Shepherd reports from Beijing.

The big picture: What do economists make of Trump officials’ recent assertions that short-term economic pain, even a recession, will be worth it for long-term gain? NYT’s Ben Casselman reports that many of them agree with the idea in theory, but few are willing to say that Trump’s specific policies can achieve his goals. Economists agree more with the idea of cutting spending and deficits — but the Department of Government Efficiency isn’t meaningfully achieving that so far.

Notable detail in the latest knives-out-for-Howard-Lutnick story, from CNN’s Kayla Tausche and Jeremy Herb: The Commerce secretary has privately “told friends he’s ‘not thrilled’ with Trump’s impulsive approach to repeatedly ratchet up tariffs instead of leveraging them for future concessions.”

lousubcap · March 19

Wednesday Clown Show summary:

"Trump yesterday ousted the Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission, Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter,who said they plan to challenge the move in court. Marcia Brown reports for POLITICO.

Attorney General Pam Bondi yesterday labelled attacks on Tesla dealerships across the country as acts of “domestic terrorism,” adding that the DOJ will “continue investigations that impose severe consequences” on those involved in the attacks. Minho Kim and Glenn Thrush report for the New York Times.

The federal government no longer unequivocally prohibits contractors from providing segregated facilities, according to a General Services Administration memo published last month. Selena Simmons-Duffin reports for NPR.

Two IRS whistleblowers who testified to Congress about investigations into Hunter Biden’s taxes have been promoted to new roles as senior Treasury Department advisers and will “investigate the wrongdoing” at the IRS, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday. Fatima Hussein reports for AP News; Bernie Becker reports for POLITICO.

The Trump administration is working to reinstate more than 24,000 probationary workers it fired, according to court documents filed Monday. Gary Grumbach, Jacob Soboroff, and Megan Lebowitz report for NBC News."

lousubcap · March 19

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

"DOGE’s efforts to shutter USAID likely violated the Constitution “in multiple ways” and sidelined Congressional oversight of the agency, with Musk acting as a U.S. officer without being properly appointed, a federal judge foundyesterday. The ruling, which prohibits DOGE from any further efforts related to shutting down the agency, appears to be the first court order issued directly against Musk and his team. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge yesterday indefinitely blocked Trump’s ban on transgender service members, ruling that the move was “soaked in animus and dripping with pretext.” Devan Cole reports for CNN.

A federal judge yesterday ordered the Education Department to restore some federal grants terminated during the purge of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, ruling that the Department’s move to slash $600 million in grants to place teachers in underserved schools was arbitrary and illegal. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.

The Justice Department has until noon today to provide more information under seal about the deportations carried out under the Alien Enemies Act, a federal judge ordered yesterday. Devan Cole reports for CNN.

The Trump administration is temporarily barred from clawing back $20 billion in grants issued by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects after a federal judge yesterday ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency had not shown “credible evidence” of fraud or abuse of the “green bank” funds. Zack Colman reports for POLITICO.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sued the Trump administration yesterday over its attempt to dismantle the outlet and several other U.S.-funded international networks, with the news organizations’ leaders instructing their employees to ignore Trump’s shutdown order and continue broadcasting while proceedings are pending. Brian Stelter and Christian Edwards report for CNN."

Legume · March 19

The Trump administration is working to reinstate more than 24,000 probationary workers it fired, according to court documents filed Monday. Gary Grumbach, Jacob Soboroff, and Megan Lebowitz report for NBC News.

This speaks so loudly to the knee-jerk, performative nature of the whole DOGE effort and lack of any sense-review of what they're doing. There doesn't appear to be any review or vetting of plans, impact assessment, etc.

Ready, fire, aim may be fine for tech startups, but not for dismantling a complex system such as government services.

fishlessman · March 19

Legume said:

The Trump administration is working to reinstate more than 24,000 probationary workers it fired, according to court documents filed Monday. Gary Grumbach, Jacob Soboroff, and Megan Lebowitz report for NBC News.

This speaks so loudly to the knee-jerk, performative nature of the whole DOGE effort and lack of any sense-review of what they're doing. There doesn't appear to be any review or vetting of plans, impact assessment, etc.

Ready, fire, aim may be fine for tech startups, but not for dismantling a complex system such as government services.

with the courts wanting to slow things down, 24 hours a day shock and awe is the only way

its always easier to say sorry than to ask for permission

Legume · March 19

fishlessman said:

show previous quotes

Legume said:

The Trump administration is working to reinstate more than 24,000 probationary workers it fired, according to court documents filed Monday. Gary Grumbach, Jacob Soboroff, and Megan Lebowitz report for NBC News.

This speaks so loudly to the knee-jerk, performative nature of the whole DOGE effort and lack of any sense-review of what they're doing. There doesn't appear to be any review or vetting of plans, impact assessment, etc.

Ready, fire, aim may be fine for tech startups, but not for dismantling a complex system such as government services.

with the courts wanting to slow things down, 24 hours a day shock and awe is the only way its always easier to say sorry than to ask for permission

I don't know, sounds wasteful to me.

lousubcap · March 20

Thursday Clown Show summary:

"Trump is today expected to sign an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling the agency, White House officials said. Joey Garrison and Zachary Schermele report for USA Today.

The Pentagon is considering consolidating combatant commands, halting the expansion of U.S. Forces Japan, and possibly eliminating a directorate that oversees development, training, and education for the joint force as part of efforts to shrink the federal government, according to a document seen by CNN. Natasha Bertrand reports.

DOGE official Jeremy Lewin and acting U.S. Institute of Peace President Kenneth Jackson will handle what remains of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), State Department’s Director of Foreign Assistance Pete Marocco announced on Tuesday. Lewin has been previously involved in the effort to dismantle USAID. Karoun Demirjian and Mattathias Schwartz report for the New York Times.

The Justice Department is preparing a path to allow some people with criminal convictions to own guns, according to an interim rule set to be published today in The Federal Register. Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.

The Trump administration is evaluating plans for the Pentagon to empower active-duty troops to temporarily hold migrants who illegally cross into the United States in a buffer zone on the southern U.S. border, officials say. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration yesterday said it is suspending $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania over its inclusion of a transgender woman on its swimming team. The university said that it has “not yet received any official notification" of the move. Max Matza reports for BBC News.

More than a dozen federal agencies have placed reinstated federal employees on administrative leave, according to interviews and agencies’ court filings. Eileen Sullivan and Isabelle Taft report for the New York Times."

lousubcap · March 20

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION-Friday

"A judge yesterday ordered that the case of Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil's legal challenge to his detention be transferred to New Jersey while rejecting the Trump administration’s bid to dismiss the case. Luc Cohen reports for Reuters.

A federal judge yesterday declined to temporarily block DOGE from seizing control of the U.S. Institute of Peace, stating that while she was “very offended” by how Musk’s team operated at the institute, she was concerned that the fired board members of the institute might not have standing to bring the case. Aishvarya Kavi reports for the New York Times.

The Bureau of Prisons has to “immediately transfer” two transgender women inmates back to federal women’s prisons after a judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to place the women in men’s facilities yesterday. Michael R. Sisak reports for AP News.

The Trump administration has until noon today to provide details about last weekend’s two deportation flights to El Salvador after a federal judge pushed back the deadline for the Justice Department’s response. In an interview, Attorney General Pam Bondi yesterday claimed that the judge has “no right” to ask questions about the specifics of the flights. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times; Lauren Irwin reports for the Hill.

The Trump administration has moved to dismiss a Biden-era lawsuit against Texas over a state law that would allow Texan police to arrest migrants who enter the country illegally. Nadia Lathan reports for AP News."

Elect a Clown, Expect the Circus

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