Marie: This is a test because of course this blogger thing is not working right. I've been trying for an hour to get this (partial) update to load. Okay, it doesn't work in Firefox at all, so -- to make a long story short -- I have to update in Firefox, then transfer the update to Chrome. Just weird. ~~~
~~~ I don't know how this will to go. I had to turn my computer over to BestBuy for a couple of days, so I'm working off a teeny-tiny laptop that doesn't have my password information; ergo, I'm not sure what sites I can log into. I did just find my way to the NYT, so there's that. In the meantime, I may become weak from hunger, as I can't go shopping: somebody in California stole my debit and credit card info, and the Bank of America, which loves to stiff its customers, says it will be six to ten business days before they cut me new cards & get them in my mailbox. This is where I notice that the institutions upon which we all rely can kick us out of our normal existence just like that. So much for my whining; let's see what I can do under straitened circumstances.
In case you were kidding yourself into thinking that Trump's lawyer had killed the slush fund to pay off the cop-beating, insurrectionist Trump good squad, let's check on what his client is saying: ~~~
~~~ Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Wednesday said he still loved the idea of a $1.8 billion fund to use taxpayer money to pay his allies who claim they have been politically persecuted, even after his administration said it was dropping the plan. Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said on Tuesday that the administration was 'not moving forward with the fund, period,' after the plan drew enormous, bipartisan backlash.... 'I love it,' Mr. Trump said of the fund. 'I think it’s so important.'... Asked whether the fund was actually dead or merely on hold, the president said: 'I’d have to ask the lawyers.' He added: 'The weaponization fund, as far as I’m concerned, was a beautiful thing.' The president then spoke in praiseworthy terms of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, chanting 'Hang Mike Pence,' defacing the halls of Congress and attacking and injuring more than 150 officers. 'These are great people that were destroyed, their families have been destroyed,' he said, adding, 'They went there with love.'” ~~~
~~~ Oh, And There's This. Theodore Schleifer & Ken Bensinger of the New York Times: “A little-noticed nonprofit founded by Trump donors has been raising millions of dollars to provide legal assistance to the president’s allies, including those who may want to sue the government over claims of unjust prosecution. The pot of money, called the Lawfare Defense Fund, has raised at least $36 million to support those who consider themselves unjust victims of the legal system with grants to pay for litigation. The fund, which is registered as a charity, has operated in relative obscurity, with no public-facing presence or communications.... The Lawfare Defense Fund could boost Mr. Trump’s efforts to aid supporters, especially as his administration’s plan founders.” MB: The reporters claim Trump “has retreated” from his slush fund scheme. I don't think so. Akhilleus pointed out in commentary yesterday that the media constantly sane-washes Trump's remarks and behavior. Claiming Trump has retreated from a corrupt -- and unpopular -- initiative is beyond sane-washing; it's simply lying to make Trump seem like a reasonable person. (The article is dated June 3. There's no time-stamp on it, so it could have been published before Trump spoke up in favor of the slush fund yesterday. If so, the story should have been updated to reflect his remarks, which indicate he has not “retreated” from his advocacy for the slush fund and Jan 6 thugs.)
Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: Donald “Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that strips job protections from nearly 8,000 federal workers who are in policy-making roles, making it easier for the administration to fire them. The Trump administration previously estimated that as many as 50,000 federal workers could lose job protections under this new policy. Administration officials said Wednesday that there were no plans to include more than the nearly 8,000 positions outlined in an appendix to the executive order, but the president could decide to add more in the future. The jobs covered by the executive order include the heads of agency components, those who run an office or a program, people who develop and write regulations, lawyers involved in setting agency policies and employees who determine which organizations receive grants.”
David Fahrenthold of the New York Times: “The Trump administration ... is using a no-bid contract to spruce up some of the capital’s more obscure features: four largely overlooked statues near the National Mall. The statues, featuring 19-foot-tall humans and horses, have been deteriorating for decades.... But this spring, the government decided that the figures needed to be covered in 23.75-karat gold leaf, and that this painstaking job needed to be done before the country’s 250th birthday.... The Trump administration said again that it needed to bypass the legally required process of seeking competitive bids. It handed a contract now worth $5.1 million directly to a handpicked vendor called the Gilders’ Studio, based in Maryland....
“When Mr. Trump launched a broad makeover of Washington landmarks last year, repairing monuments and statues across the capital, these statues were left out. In late March, however, the Park Service began to treat them as a high priority.... The Park Service estimated in late March that the repair work would cost about $2.4 million. Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, which oversees the Park Service, declined to say why the cost of the contract was roughly double that.”
Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: “Speaking at a Senate Finance Committee hearing, [Treasury Secretary Scott] Bessent said that he had spoken with [Bill] Pulte, who is the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, [whom Donald Trump has chosen to act as national intelligence director] and that he looked forward to working with him both on housing matters and on 'several pressing issues on Iran.'... At a kickoff dinner [last September] at the Executive Branch, a members-only club in Georgetown started by the president’s eldest son and a few of his allies, Mr. Bessent confronted Mr. Pulte for allegedly trash-talking him to the president. Asked on Wednesday by Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, if it was true that Mr. Bessent threatened to punch Mr. Pulte in the face, Mr. Bessent [replied].... “I actually said I was going to kick his ass.'...”
~~~ Marie: Akhilleus wrote a Debbie Downer post in yesterday's Comments section. I endorse his pessimism. I see signs almost every day that the country is barreling into the abyss. Donald Trump's plan is to destroy the democratic aspects of our governing system. Trump has plenty of accomplices. One obvious accomplice is Bill Pulte, to whom Trump has just handed the nation's top secrets (BTW, word is that Pulte doesn't have any security clearance). Pulte has already rifled through confidential mortgage docs to find dirt on Trump's "enemies"; just think what he can do with national security secrets. Or national security "threats": why, he'll be finding terrorists in every district that votes heavily Democratic. He will either take over administration of these voting district or he will just stop everybody in those districts from voting. You think Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) will keep his seat just because the majority of Georgia voters would choose him? Ha! Fulton County, here we come! Unless there is some institutional revolution, Trump and Co. will prevail.
Marie: Markwayne has been complaining that New Jersey did not cooperate enough with the DHS. I didn't hear where he said anything about the DHS not even minimally cooperating with New Jersey. ~~~
~~~ Tracey Tully of the New York Times: “Gov. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey said Wednesday that federal immigration officials were continuing to bar her from entering a detention center in Newark, raising 'serious questions about what is happening behind its walls.' Ms. Sherrill noted that she had met Tuesday evening with relatives of migrants being held at the Delaney Hall detention center, which has become a focal point of protest against ... [Donald] Trump’s immigration crackdown. She said that the relatives had shared 'heartbreaking reports of unsafe, inhumane and unconstitutional conditions' inside the 1,000-bed jail. 'Detainees have requested to meet with me,' Ms. Sherrill, a Democrat, wrote in a social media post, 'and I want to meet with them.'”
Robert Jimison & Megan Mineiro of the New York Times: “The House on Wednesday voted to direct ... [Donald] Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from the conflict with Iran or win approval from Congress to continue the war, after four Republicans sided with Democrats in a striking sign of growing opposition to a military campaign now in its fourth month. Adoption of the resolution was a remarkable rebuke to Mr. Trump and his handling of the conflict, after he has repeatedly dismissed any effort by Congress to curb his power and as the G.O.P. has largely ceded its prerogatives to do so, deferring to him time and again. Republicans had abruptly postponed the vote two weeks ago, recognizing that they did not have sufficient votes to defeat the measure and wanting to spare themselves and the president the affront. But they made no headway over the ensuing days in winning converts, as the conflict has dragged on and Mr. Trump has made little progress toward ending it. G.O.P. leaders were unable to delay the vote any longer because Democrats had invoked the War Powers Resolution, which requires consideration of such measures within a limited period of time.” ~~~
~~~ Robert Jimison of the New York Times: “The four [House Republicans who broke with Mr. Trump] hail from different factions within the G.O.P.; two are staunch conservatives with libertarian views that include opposition to foreign military intervention, while the other two are more mainstream Republicans from competitive districts where backing for the war could be a political liability. All of them expressed a firm belief that Congress, not the president alone, must weigh in on the scope and objectives of the war.... Here is a look at who defected, and why. Warren Davidson of Ohio..., Tom Barrett of Michigan..., Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania..., [and] Thomas Massie of Kentucky.”
Robert Jimison of the New York Times: “Defying Republican leaders, the House voted on Wednesday to take up a bill to impose sweeping new sanctions on Russia and provide additional aid to Ukraine, after a bloc of G.O.P. defectors joined Democrats in an effort to ratchet up pressure on Moscow more than four years into the war. The bill, which still must win passage in the House, faces a difficult path to enactment, given divisions in the Senate over a sanctions package and objections from the White House.... [Donald] Trump has repeatedly signaled he does not want Congress constraining his flexibility to negotiate directly with Moscow, and could veto the legislation if it reaches his desk. Still, the 218-to-204 vote to take it up, in which six Republicans and one independent who normally votes with them crossed party lines to side with Democrats, sent a clear signal of bipartisan pressure on the matter. It added to a growing list of issues on which the Republican-led Congress has in recent weeks shown a greater willingness to challenge Mr. Trump, including the war with Iran, his push to fund a new White House ballroom and a bid to create a federal fund to benefit his political allies.” ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE, Across the Hall. Annie Karni of the New York Times: “The Senate voted along party lines on Wednesday to take up Republicans’
$70 billion immigration crackdown bill, but several G.O.P. senators
suggested they would not allow it to pass without new language barring ... [Donald] Trump from creating a fund to compensate his political allies.... Before bringing it up, Republicans followed through on a decision they made late last month to jettison $1 billion in security funds for Mr. Trump’s ballroom and other White House renovations, which had drawn a mini-revolt within his party.... The vote set the stage for a lengthy vote-a-thon on a range of issues
that is expected to culminate on Thursday in Senate passage of the
immigration enforcement bill, which Republicans are pushing through
Congress using special procedures that shield it from a filibuster. To
do so, they will need near unanimity to overcome united Democratic
opposition.”
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California Elections Results. Jill Cowan & Tim Balk of the New York Times update California election results. The top two candidates for the top two races -- governor and L.A. mayor -- have not yet been called.
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Israel/Lebanon, et al. Eprat Livni of the New York Times: “Israel and Lebanon have agreed to renew their cease-fire and work toward a 'comprehensive' agreement, the two nations announced on Wednesday in a joint statement with the United States. While the announcement may help to remove an obstacle in the talks between the United States and Iran, the agreement depends on the cooperation of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group fighting Israel. Hezbollah is not a part of, or controlled by, the Lebanese government and is not a party to either set of negotiations. 'The cease-fire is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector,' the statement said, referring to an area of southern Lebanon that borders Israel. Israeli troops have occupied this area since shortly after the militant group resumed fighting with Israel. Hezbollah began firing rockets across the border into northern Israel in support of Tehran on March 1, a day after the U.S.-Israeli strikes began on Iran. Israel then escalated the conflict....”
