There will be no dancing. The ballroom fortress and bunker are where Trump will hide with impunity when he decides not to leave office in 2028. That is why he is SOOOOOO desperate to get it built in record time. I imagine his donors plan on hanging out there, too. He (or his enablers) will have all the electronics, food, communication setups, etc. that he needs to guide the army that is waging civil war on his behalf with the rest of the country on the outside. I am not being facetious.
JMP - I’ve seen this suggested plot, not very enjoyable episode for the rest of us. Should things evolve this way, may I at least dream of a Twilight Zone Harry Bemis broken glasses kind of ending?
You may. Citing a different episode, I sincerely wonder how many Republicans have to be sent to the "corn field" before they gang up and impeach the Child King who seems to control their every move! I mean, at this point I don't believe he can actually read their minds! Yet they all sit quietly watching his made up horror movies of people in boats getting bombed, Iranian school children getting vaporized, etc. Sitting quietly, that is, until they are required to tell him "that's a good thing you're doing, Donald, yes, a good thing you are killing all those people." I hope their cowardice is hung around their necks for the rest of their lives.
Neither: this crew is quite adept at finding ways to break, skirt, ignore, defy or change the law to suit them. Their audacity and ferocity show a decided stiffness, inflexibility and unity of purpose.
Next thing you know, they'll be allowing the FBI Director to go on blackout binges in the Pony Room, allowing the president to accept bribes from foreign governments, and allowing him to conduct classified business on his personal cell phone. How crazy would that be?
I wonder if it had to do with the blueprints. First floor: Walter Reed. Second floor: Salsa lessons. Third floor: Sniper tower. It didn't seem like it would pass a building inspection.
It does. And sarcasm very often involves exaggeration, so the "/s" means not really, Trump would not *really* do or say such a thing--it's a joke. That's where reality has gobbled up satire. He shows us daily that he might do or say anything, no matter how extreme.
A no-bid contractor for 1 billion in security services for the Ballroom sues for breach of contract. The suit is settled with a payment from the slush fund. Problem solved. Public cheated again, threefold or more here.
Speaking of taking heart, I'm not sure I should be too worried about the IRS agreement absolving Trump and his circle from ever being audited again. It's not a law passed by Congress, so it seems pretty likely that the next Democratic administration can just declare the agreement null and void over some technicality.
The whole thing will end up in court, sure - just about everything Trump touches ends up with his name as either a plaintiff or the defendant - but in the long run the IRS will return to treating the president and his cronies just like everyone else in the United States: that is, auditable and liable for penalties and back taxes.
Yes, and they're painting themselves into an increasingly small, dangerous corner, effectively dividing and destroying the Republican Party of the past.
The Republican Party is destroyed. Like the Federalists and Whigs of yesteryear. Jefferson envisioned a nation with no party system, people heard or read what was to be proposed and gave the person they felt could do the job their vote. Certainly be a lot cheaper.
Yeah, the Republican Party is deader than Jacob Marley. Democrats will go the same way if they don't ditch Schumer and start putting their noses to the grindstone. We need people willing to work more than 2 hours a day.
The Democrats are already a shambling wreck of empty suits. They remind me of the first wave of a zombie apocalypse. Shuffling off in no direction, intent on something but not sure what.
Yes indeed, Ms. Barz, but in the meantime we have a totally ineffectual body (the 'congress'--note the lower-case 'c') that has been neutered by the squeaker of the House, and is not governing in any visible way. In the process, we the people are being harmed daily by the orange narcissist-felon's regime.
No question about that John. That’s why I said the party is destroyed. I can’t imagine sane, rational people registering and supporting the GOP. I can only see fewer people belonging to this group every year, which was the fate of the Federalists, and the Whigs. The Whigs gave birth to the Republican Party, Lincoln was a Whig. Unfortunately those in power do know this and are lashing out to prevent the inevitable.
It's my understanding that that provision is actually illegal, so it could likely get overturned if it does end up in court. There was some law passed at one point saying that it is illegal for the Executive Branch to interfere with an IRS audit, and this provision sure seems to violate that law. Democratic Representatives are already pointing this out.
Well, 'serious' people think it's an active question as to whether the president can pardon himself. So nothing, no matter how obviously cuckoo it is, is beyond credulous consideration.
"Anything" includes him dying and leaving all his offspring, unprincipled associates, and sycophantic fluffers facing justice, with no one to pardon them.
I'm pretty sure he's got a stack of pre-emptive pardons ready for the ones he cares about. My only hope is that there are state crimes they can be charged with, which are not subject to Trump's pardon power.
Yeah, if I was one of those [expletive deleteds] I'd be careful banking on a pre-emptive pardon. One teensy telling of the truth or other innocent misstep and Bondi or Ka$h or even Kegseth could wind up on Dear Leader's (s)hit list!
And even then, assuming they're real (and not just performative) Christians, even if they dodge America's court system, eventually they will have to face St. Peter!!
This is when somebody claims the deceased was “not of clear mind,” in voiding the Will. There is a lot of evidence that Felon Trump is out of his mind. Might be useful.
I would also argue that it’s an unconstitutional bill of attainder. Congress can’t enact a law finding a specific individual guilty of a crime - that’s the job of the courts. The flip side of that argument would seem to hold as well, that neither Congress, nor especially the executive in this case, can enact a law absolving a specific individual of his duty to comply with a duly-enacted law of general applicability. In addition, parties do a dispute cannot contract out of their responsibility to comply with such duly-enacted laws of general applicability by means of a court settlement, any more than a contract between two parties to a drug deal is enforceable by the courts. The portion of the settlement that declares Trump to be immune from IRS audits isn’t worth the paper he wipes himself with, either before or after.
"it seems pretty likely that the next Democratic administration can just declare the agreement null and void over some technicality." I have ZERO confidence that SCOTUS will allow the next Democratic administration to do that.
And, when the Democrats return to power, they need to go back to the time when bipartisan efforts (Janet Yellen under Biden, and surprisingly, Steve Mnuchin under Trump) were being made calling for the IRS to focus more time on auditing wealthy filers, rather than penny-ante audits of the bottom earners. Obviously, that is where most of the corruption lies and also where the money to reclaim is hidden.
Someone needs to let Politico know that the slush fund is not “part of a settlement.” If I understand Heather Cox Richardson’s “Politics chat” yesterday, since the Trump admin dropped the lawsuit, the case never went to court, and therefore there is nothing to settle. Calling it a settlement makes the whole fund sound like something legal, which it is not. It is literally Trump stealing 1.776 billion dollars to give to his criminal supporters.
Ha! If only it was “nothing more.” The things he will do with that money. Let’s hope whoever is involved in the distribution of those funds (Tim Miller figured out that 17k people each could get 100k!) leaks like a rusty bucket so when sanity is restored in America, the right people go to prison!!
I saw the attorney for the Capitol Hill police officers (who are bringing suit against this) on some MSNBC show yesterday - he had a great description of what it actually is: They're creating a new federal agency without Congressional approval, and funding it with funds they're illegally diverting from somewhere else that WAS approved by Congress, and staffing it (the five commissioners) with people appointed by the interim Attorney General. They can call it a settlement, or call it Santa Clause, but it is NOT a settlement.
STANDING OVATION for Bill’s piece this morning. I was genuinely heartened by it.
It was encouraging to be reminded that there are still so many people — across ideological and partisan lines — willing to stand together against the authoritarian movements rising around the world.
And it was also an important reminder of just how dark things became globally in the late 1930s before democratic societies fully recognized the danger they were facing.
I think one of the most painful aspects of this moment is the realization that our own country is now, at times, part of the problem rather than the solution. That’s difficult to accept for those of us who grew up believing America, while imperfect, ultimately bent toward defending liberty and democratic values around the world.
Nevertheless, we carry on.
The Bulwark community will continue to use our hearts, voices, votes, and actions to support democracy — both here at home and abroad. History shows that free societies survive only when ordinary people refuse to surrender to cynicism, fear, or political intimidation.
"The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Washington, argues that the fund violates the 14th Amendment’s prohibition on use of federal money to “pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States.”"
J6'rs, at least a few of them, were convicted of inciting an attempted insurrection. Larry, Moe, and Curly might have a tough time getting around that fact.
They still have to convince two more and they won't get Gorsuch or most like ACB. Kavanaugh will go along to get along and mostly because his vote won't matter.
Were any of the J6ers specifically convicted of being involved in an "insurrection or rebellion", as opposed to "merely" assaulting law enforcement personnel in the performance of their duties? If not, does that violate the 14th Amendment as cited above?
A number of them were convicted of 'seditious conspiracy', mostly the top militia guys. Technically no one was actually charged with inciting an insurrection. DOJ should have started from the top down to cement the insurrection charges and they would have gotten the militia leaders, but alas they started from the bottom up.
Alito's "neighbor aggrieved" upside down Qanon flag flying wife is already drafting her application to the Cash4Cons fund. In line behind PillowGuy's $400 million.
How can SCOTUS say it is correct to recompense not the police who defended the US Capitol from attack but the people who beat them during that attack? That is monstrous.
But if the five people appointed by the Felon (I know it reads differently, but since he can fire anyone at will, guess who will be the only ones to pass that scrutiny) find that they are, in fact, victims deserving X amount, where is the evidence of falsity?
But Tom, it is clear that the indictments cite false facts found in the voluminous "evidence" and the pleas were coerced which is why the Felon, in the goodness of his heart (oh. how it hurts to lie that much, even in writing) pardoned them. And the "smattering of acquitals" were thrown in to make it look like real trials happened.
Yes, there is a common theme to many (most, all) of these columns ... things going from bad to badder to baddest with the current regime, and trying to find silver linings where they can be had. But what is wearing me down the most is the non-stop barrage of victimization and grievance used by/on the political right to justify everything the regime does -- invariably excuses to tear things down rather than build something up, never mind becoming a rising tide that floats all boats. Lord, make it end, the unstoppable parade of whiny people, starting of course at the top, who throw hissy fits whenever they don't get their way, someone hurts their feelings, or there is any semblance of opposition to them getting everything they want, when they want it, how they want it.
In any other context than politics we would look at this behavior and say that it is completely unacceptable from chronological adults. Make it political, though, and it instantly becomes a tribal tactic that is entirely legitimate as a means to discredit and destroy the opposition. Interestingly, studies show that many children see such behavior and describe it as wrong or not normal, from their simplistic but also helpfully uncluttered perspective. The cart is in front of the horse, as the adults in the room refuse to take responsibility and lead by example. Great job, America.
Side note: am I the only person who thinks the last good year we've had in this country to date was 2000? Pretty much this whole century feels to me like a flush-it-down-the-toilet experience. Terrorist attacks ... major financial crises ... dubious wars lacking adequate foresight and preparation ... tribalism and political hatred ... global warming spiraling out of control ... MAGA ... and so many more lowlights. My two cents' worth, not adjusted for inflation or the fact that pennies no longer are being made.
For me the 90s were a boom time, plus I was young and there is significant nostalgia that colors my view. But yes, the world seemed better in 1999.
Alot of the first decade of this century was good. Yes, there were pointless wars and lots of stupidity but all of it seemed fairly in line with "normal" times. Though I strongly disagreed with him GWB was not a monster. Heck, not even Cheney was a monster compared to what we have now. But I think alot of us, including me thought 2008-2012ish was a real step forward for our society and to watch everything good that came from Obama's years, not to mention damn near everything good that has been created in my 50+ year lifetime be torn down by MAGA is beyond depressing. So, yea, the 21st century has really sucked.
The 90's were a boom time and nostalgic for me too, but I didn't realize then that very dark political clouds formed in the 90's that would directly lead us to where we are today. Talking about the rise of Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, AM conservative talk radio, and Fox "News."
I don't know, I was doing well up until 2015 or so. But I've been pretty fortunate. It still seemed like we cared about the climate, green energy was (and still is) surging, we were optimistic we could leave Afghanistan. My big concerns were school funding and health insurance, but the health insurance front had improved quite a bit.
I see your point. There have been some improvements. But it also feels to me like for each of those single steps we've moved forward, we've taken two or three backward in other areas. I get the impression of a downward spiral overall in which a handful of people are doing very, very well while most of the rest of us are in slow decay mode, consistently doing more for less, just trying to keep up and not very effectively so -- a classic case of haves and have nots as the oligarchs and the political elite increasingly define the reality of the rest of us, with no visible brake on the wheel. My feeling anyway.
Living in a blue state has definitely shielded me from alot. I have high taxes (local, state, etc) but I also have access to alot of services that frankly make my life run smoother. My state's politics have shielded my kids from the worst of the bigots and guarantee they still have rights that we took for granted 10 years ago. And living in a huge economic hub has cushioned blows. At this point where someone lives matters alot.
A big exception though: the housing affordability crisis, which very much started in blue states, going back to the 2000s (or really earlier), and then spreading (it's actually not unfair to say was exported, to some extent) to the rest of the country.
Sort of like a repeat of 1900. Wasn’t too good for Europe and most of the rest of the world, culminating in the stupidest war; that the Kaiser couldn’t go to Paris, and the Arch Duke’s car made a wrong turn and got struck in traffic.
When I think about just how dark a place the world was in 1941 (and I have read and studied the history in detail and heard the stories from family who lived through it), it makes you realize that if we get our act together, we can turn things around. I say that as a 68 year old, fairly cynical (a few friends undoubtedly would say very cynical) attorney.
Watching this administration get caught up between a rock and a hard place on AI is delicious. While the AI oligarchs want to go full steam ahead, the MAGA base hates it. Let them all eat each other, the whole useless bunch.
In related news, I was told by a lot of the tech types that voting for Harris was ushering in socialism or communism or some other such nonsense. Yesterday, the administration announced grants for quantum computing companies pending a government ownership stake in said companies. Free market capitalism for the win!
Now I’m picturing the ever-inventive President inventing a concept I’ll call “financial Imminent domain” and taking over some AI company, after giving his broker a heads-up.
The current President of the United States has outdone himself recently. He seems to have the sense that he is losing, so he is going for the gold, all the gold he can gather before a new Congress shuts him up and then shuts him down.
His $1.8 billion slush fund has shocked even many Republican Congresspeople. The tax Get-Out-of-Jail Free card came right after. The only people who are still with Trump are the billionaires and the racist poor. Both want to destroy the government and take all they can.
Even John Thune is getting worried. -- NOT Mike Johnson. He's probably on the list to get a couple of million.
Republicans in Congress may profess to be shocked, but I, for one, will be shocked, amazed and dumbfounded if they actually take a single step to overturn it. They, following the lead of Susan Collins, will say they are Concerned or Disappointed, clutch their pearls - and do nothing meaningful.
The current President knows that the MAGA little people see the big shots of the world making out like bandits while they’re stuck with higher daily living and gas expenses going ever higher, so he thought giving them them the hope of making a mil or so as a sop might help ease some of the building resentment. (“He promised us we’d all be rich”!)
Mark Hertling's Memorial Day piece was moving, inspiring, and reduced me to tears. It should be widely republished so all Americans can read it. What it does is remind all of us of the ideals our country was founded to stand for. Although he is not mentioned, it points to how completely Donald Trump and his followers and enablers have damaged those ideals. On behalf of all those young people in Hertling's box and those in graves all over the world, I give them honor and offer sorrow for the shame I feel about how my fellow Americans have dishonored their memories.
Democracy is a form of governance. Democracy in America is dying and its structural inadequacies are exposed; American democracy is unable to overcome the evil that is upon us.
Maybe I agree with you, in that I don't believe American democracy can survive what the Supreme Court has done to it, from Marbury to Citizens United through to Calais.
Nor can American democracy survive the Republican-approved-and-instituted ideal of unfettered capitalism. Unfettered capitalism that has now reached its end-stage, with an economy that crushes the majority of Americans and destroys civic life in the process.
Allison's reply to you references an article that describes the USA as a potential partner, in the distant future, of a coalition of middle powers. It all depends on if America gets its act together, which is a big "if." I don't believe it will. I don't believe we will.
I'll say something probably not too popular but which I've thought for a long time raised by Bill's comment that, "Perhaps it’s not the case that America is an indispensable nation." America is a great nation with lots of opportunity, but there are many others. I moved to Europe, was a co-founder, and we successfully built a company in 2001 that is still going strong today (I left years ago). I hear similar stories from the US and hear people say, "Only in America." But that's not true now and it never really was.
Being exceptional is not a thing you achieve once and then you get to stay that way forever. The greatest athletes still have coaches and have to work every day. The smartest people still read and work and strive to stretch their minds. The best companies are always looking to get better. Great countries require working together to stay that way.
America can be an exceptional country. But that's not a gold trophy on a shelf you get to keep forever. It's something you work at, something to aspire to, something earned over and over. Greatness comes from facing adversity, overcoming challenges and fighting for what's right and good. Maybe this is the reminder we need.
I think America hit the high mark in WWII. It took us a while, and Pearl Harbor to get into the fight but the nation really pulled together. Rationing, Victory Gardens, women keeping industry going, businesses humming around the clock to keep the war machine supplied. After it was over things slowly reverted back to the same old same old. We just rode that memory of our greatness to keep ourselves warm and happy.
I know some things changed, schools were integrated, the voting act, more financial independence and bodily autonomy for women, those are disappearing. We stopped trying. We stopped demanding the our elected officials put the work in for all. The orange one saying America is the hottest country right now is just being ridiculous.
There was a book published early in WWII titled "Generation of Vipers." It decried the dysfunction, fighting, corruption and malfeasance in the U.S. at that time. It questioned whether the U.S. could even win, or whether the NAZI regime would permanently control Europe. Victory did not seem like a foregone conclusion. The nation did not seem united. It did not feel like the peak of U.S. greatness. Long afterwards we started calling this "the Greatest Generation." The people I knew from that generation would probably have cringed at that expression.
Thank you for that recommendation. My father never spoke of the war, he served in the Pacific theater. He just never brought that into anything, although he was wounded. He received his American citizenship by serving and surviving (he was born in Mexico). He had to write to, I guess the Army, to receive the medals he had earned many decades later.
There is no doubt that they did not think they were a great generation, they just did what they had to do. I believe in time people glamourized the the Greatest Generation. I would not have one idea of how to survive that horror.
We keep going, Sarah! You know we're going to hit that goal!
Thank you so much, Bill, for your inspiring words. Seriously, I need a reminder from time to time that this is the struggle that started before written history and will never, ever end. Our job is to find a way to kick America out of our destructive spiral into a virtuous spiral.
"Perhaps it’s not the case that America is an indispensable nation. But it seems as clear now as ever that the principles of the American Revolution, of the Declaration, are indispensable principles."
Amen. The idea of everyone being created equally with a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness will live eternally.
“the administration is about to drop a major AI executive order—one that could demand federal review of advanced AI models before they are released.” Who is going to do the review!?!?!?! The DOGE Bros? DJT? Robert F Kennedy Jr? Kissing DJT’s hindquarters gently but firmly is not much of a qualification.
Just when we wonder if the menace, acting as POTUS, really is a mob boss, HCR reports this quote from his "spokesperson" in our desicrated White House regarding Republican primary losses.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung posted: “Do not ever doubt President Trump and his political power. F*ck around, find out.”
We as a nation can now confirm...mob bosses make terrible presidents in a democracy. Trump's coup will fail as he doubles and doubles and doubles down.
No funds for the ballroom?!?!?!?!?!? Do none of these Senators care about National Security anymore?!?!?!?!?
/s
How will our elite overlords ever dance in safety?
There will be no dancing. The ballroom fortress and bunker are where Trump will hide with impunity when he decides not to leave office in 2028. That is why he is SOOOOOO desperate to get it built in record time. I imagine his donors plan on hanging out there, too. He (or his enablers) will have all the electronics, food, communication setups, etc. that he needs to guide the army that is waging civil war on his behalf with the rest of the country on the outside. I am not being facetious.
JMP - I’ve seen this suggested plot, not very enjoyable episode for the rest of us. Should things evolve this way, may I at least dream of a Twilight Zone Harry Bemis broken glasses kind of ending?
You may. Citing a different episode, I sincerely wonder how many Republicans have to be sent to the "corn field" before they gang up and impeach the Child King who seems to control their every move! I mean, at this point I don't believe he can actually read their minds! Yet they all sit quietly watching his made up horror movies of people in boats getting bombed, Iranian school children getting vaporized, etc. Sitting quietly, that is, until they are required to tell him "that's a good thing you're doing, Donald, yes, a good thing you are killing all those people." I hope their cowardice is hung around their necks for the rest of their lives.
Yep they sure treat him like the characters in that episode. As I was warned as a kid, eternity is a long time to burn
Nothing says "National Security" like a gilded ballroom.
Exactly! Who are we to doubt the President?!?!?!?! /s
I assume the answer is anyone with a functioning brain. These days, that seems to exclude almost any member of the Republican Party.
Do the Republicans lack brains or spines? Maybe both?
Neither: this crew is quite adept at finding ways to break, skirt, ignore, defy or change the law to suit them. Their audacity and ferocity show a decided stiffness, inflexibility and unity of purpose.
People with an IQ above a MAGAnut.
The Arch got approval from his hand-picked board this morning. Who’s paying for that?
Oh no!
Next thing you know, they'll be allowing the FBI Director to go on blackout binges in the Pony Room, allowing the president to accept bribes from foreign governments, and allowing him to conduct classified business on his personal cell phone. How crazy would that be?
Thank goodness the adults are in charge and THAT couldn't happen! /s
It's like the first Austin Powers movie where Dr. Evil is running through his list of outrageous schemes to find they all already happened.
A ransom of one MILLION dollars!
"A billion is more than a million, Numbnuts." :)
Oops! Already done dat! Probably!
I wonder if it had to do with the blueprints. First floor: Walter Reed. Second floor: Salsa lessons. Third floor: Sniper tower. It didn't seem like it would pass a building inspection.
Fun thought about the sniper tower. Who's meant to be the targets? It sure isn't the British trying for a repeat of 1812.
Let’s rename the White House as the Alamo and Trump can play Davy Crockett.
Us. It's us.
😏Here is the smirking emoji I think you were looking for, Mike.😏
I'm not sure I'll ever get the hang of emojis!
I just do :( :( :( Easy!
The smiley is the only one I ever use. Beyond that, I'm emoji illiterate.
You will get there. If I could, so can you!🤞😵💫
I'll be honest, that last bit made less sense than Egyptian hieroglyphs. :)
I suggest you are just plain illiterate. I am sure you can hide out in the BBB with Bunker Boy while he whines about missing out on Vietnam.
Just contemplating the fallen state of things in a world where emojis can have anything to do with literacy!
:)
That's not a bad thing.
Keeping us safe from the Russian waltz and the Chinese two step!
Never mind the front slash r--reality has swallowed satire whole.
I thought /s denotes sarcasm.
It does. And sarcasm very often involves exaggeration, so the "/s" means not really, Trump would not *really* do or say such a thing--it's a joke. That's where reality has gobbled up satire. He shows us daily that he might do or say anything, no matter how extreme.
My use of the "/s" meant that I was exaggerating. I know darn well that this nonsense is being put forward seriously.
know you were exaggerating.
A no-bid contractor for 1 billion in security services for the Ballroom sues for breach of contract. The suit is settled with a payment from the slush fund. Problem solved. Public cheated again, threefold or more here.
Not one unpressed Penney.
ROFLMAO
No funds for the Ballroom iSecurity is worse than 8647 with the seashells....they want Trump to be killed....round them up
You understand! :)
Speaking of taking heart, I'm not sure I should be too worried about the IRS agreement absolving Trump and his circle from ever being audited again. It's not a law passed by Congress, so it seems pretty likely that the next Democratic administration can just declare the agreement null and void over some technicality.
The whole thing will end up in court, sure - just about everything Trump touches ends up with his name as either a plaintiff or the defendant - but in the long run the IRS will return to treating the president and his cronies just like everyone else in the United States: that is, auditable and liable for penalties and back taxes.
" 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished."-- Hamlet, W. Shakespeare.
Something is rotten in the state of MAGA
Yes, and they're painting themselves into an increasingly small, dangerous corner, effectively dividing and destroying the Republican Party of the past.
The Republican Party is destroyed. Like the Federalists and Whigs of yesteryear. Jefferson envisioned a nation with no party system, people heard or read what was to be proposed and gave the person they felt could do the job their vote. Certainly be a lot cheaper.
Yeah, the Republican Party is deader than Jacob Marley. Democrats will go the same way if they don't ditch Schumer and start putting their noses to the grindstone. We need people willing to work more than 2 hours a day.
The Democrats are already a shambling wreck of empty suits. They remind me of the first wave of a zombie apocalypse. Shuffling off in no direction, intent on something but not sure what.
Thanks for the literary reference. I love them.
Yes indeed, Ms. Barz, but in the meantime we have a totally ineffectual body (the 'congress'--note the lower-case 'c') that has been neutered by the squeaker of the House, and is not governing in any visible way. In the process, we the people are being harmed daily by the orange narcissist-felon's regime.
No question about that John. That’s why I said the party is destroyed. I can’t imagine sane, rational people registering and supporting the GOP. I can only see fewer people belonging to this group every year, which was the fate of the Federalists, and the Whigs. The Whigs gave birth to the Republican Party, Lincoln was a Whig. Unfortunately those in power do know this and are lashing out to prevent the inevitable.
Works for me!
It was always thoroughly rotten.
But now, “… it stinks to high heaven.” - Ham as well
MAGA
Just ask Denmark. Or any of its territories.
I think you meant "everything".
It's my understanding that that provision is actually illegal, so it could likely get overturned if it does end up in court. There was some law passed at one point saying that it is illegal for the Executive Branch to interfere with an IRS audit, and this provision sure seems to violate that law. Democratic Representatives are already pointing this out.
How can one reach a settlement with one's self? DJT vs DJT's DOJ?
Well, 'serious' people think it's an active question as to whether the president can pardon himself. So nothing, no matter how obviously cuckoo it is, is beyond credulous consideration.
It's not even a settlement, as Trump dropped the lawsuit, meaning there's now no legal disagreement.
It was simply a government agency declaring that they're giving Trump a bunch of taxpayer money.
We are talking about Felon Trump. Anything is possible with him.
"Anything" includes him dying and leaving all his offspring, unprincipled associates, and sycophantic fluffers facing justice, with no one to pardon them.
I'm pretty sure he's got a stack of pre-emptive pardons ready for the ones he cares about. My only hope is that there are state crimes they can be charged with, which are not subject to Trump's pardon power.
Yeah, if I was one of those [expletive deleteds] I'd be careful banking on a pre-emptive pardon. One teensy telling of the truth or other innocent misstep and Bondi or Ka$h or even Kegseth could wind up on Dear Leader's (s)hit list!
And even then, assuming they're real (and not just performative) Christians, even if they dodge America's court system, eventually they will have to face St. Peter!!
This is when somebody claims the deceased was “not of clear mind,” in voiding the Will. There is a lot of evidence that Felon Trump is out of his mind. Might be useful.
That’s a good one!
lol
I would also argue that it’s an unconstitutional bill of attainder. Congress can’t enact a law finding a specific individual guilty of a crime - that’s the job of the courts. The flip side of that argument would seem to hold as well, that neither Congress, nor especially the executive in this case, can enact a law absolving a specific individual of his duty to comply with a duly-enacted law of general applicability. In addition, parties do a dispute cannot contract out of their responsibility to comply with such duly-enacted laws of general applicability by means of a court settlement, any more than a contract between two parties to a drug deal is enforceable by the courts. The portion of the settlement that declares Trump to be immune from IRS audits isn’t worth the paper he wipes himself with, either before or after.
In a way, I found the tax immunity clause reassuring. You wouldn't need such a clause if you were planning on staying in office until you die.
It covers his family and businesses, not just him. That is why it is there, because even Trump knows he is going to die at some point.
The clause is so his sons can run the Trump businesses and we can all pretend that satisfies the Emoluments Clause.
Bummer for Ivanka, Tiffany and Barron,
That's a hopeful thought!
"it seems pretty likely that the next Democratic administration can just declare the agreement null and void over some technicality." I have ZERO confidence that SCOTUS will allow the next Democratic administration to do that.
I absolutely understand your concern.
And, when the Democrats return to power, they need to go back to the time when bipartisan efforts (Janet Yellen under Biden, and surprisingly, Steve Mnuchin under Trump) were being made calling for the IRS to focus more time on auditing wealthy filers, rather than penny-ante audits of the bottom earners. Obviously, that is where most of the corruption lies and also where the money to reclaim is hidden.
I agree - had that same thought this morning. It's meaningless (except as sucking-up language by Blanche to Trump).
That was true…
Someone needs to let Politico know that the slush fund is not “part of a settlement.” If I understand Heather Cox Richardson’s “Politics chat” yesterday, since the Trump admin dropped the lawsuit, the case never went to court, and therefore there is nothing to settle. Calling it a settlement makes the whole fund sound like something legal, which it is not. It is literally Trump stealing 1.776 billion dollars to give to his criminal supporters.
It's Trump ordering his administration to give him taxpayer money. Nothing more.
Ha! If only it was “nothing more.” The things he will do with that money. Let’s hope whoever is involved in the distribution of those funds (Tim Miller figured out that 17k people each could get 100k!) leaks like a rusty bucket so when sanity is restored in America, the right people go to prison!!
I saw the attorney for the Capitol Hill police officers (who are bringing suit against this) on some MSNBC show yesterday - he had a great description of what it actually is: They're creating a new federal agency without Congressional approval, and funding it with funds they're illegally diverting from somewhere else that WAS approved by Congress, and staffing it (the five commissioners) with people appointed by the interim Attorney General. They can call it a settlement, or call it Santa Clause, but it is NOT a settlement.
STANDING OVATION for Bill’s piece this morning. I was genuinely heartened by it.
It was encouraging to be reminded that there are still so many people — across ideological and partisan lines — willing to stand together against the authoritarian movements rising around the world.
And it was also an important reminder of just how dark things became globally in the late 1930s before democratic societies fully recognized the danger they were facing.
I think one of the most painful aspects of this moment is the realization that our own country is now, at times, part of the problem rather than the solution. That’s difficult to accept for those of us who grew up believing America, while imperfect, ultimately bent toward defending liberty and democratic values around the world.
Nevertheless, we carry on.
The Bulwark community will continue to use our hearts, voices, votes, and actions to support democracy — both here at home and abroad. History shows that free societies survive only when ordinary people refuse to surrender to cynicism, fear, or political intimidation.
"The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Washington, argues that the fund violates the 14th Amendment’s prohibition on use of federal money to “pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States.”"
Would seem to be on point . . . .
For us, sure. Not so sure about John, Clarence and Sam, though.
J6'rs, at least a few of them, were convicted of inciting an attempted insurrection. Larry, Moe, and Curly might have a tough time getting around that fact.
Facts don’t seem to have stopped them so far.
They may have been given injections of Kellyanne's Alternative Facts.
Best thing George Connelly ever did; divorce.
They still have to convince two more and they won't get Gorsuch or most like ACB. Kavanaugh will go along to get along and mostly because his vote won't matter.
Were any of the J6ers specifically convicted of being involved in an "insurrection or rebellion", as opposed to "merely" assaulting law enforcement personnel in the performance of their duties? If not, does that violate the 14th Amendment as cited above?
A number of them were convicted of 'seditious conspiracy', mostly the top militia guys. Technically no one was actually charged with inciting an insurrection. DOJ should have started from the top down to cement the insurrection charges and they would have gotten the militia leaders, but alas they started from the bottom up.
Alito's "neighbor aggrieved" upside down Qanon flag flying wife is already drafting her application to the Cash4Cons fund. In line behind PillowGuy's $400 million.
SCOTUS may say it was a presidential act. Am I being sarcastic or real? Hard to say isn't it?
How can SCOTUS say it is correct to recompense not the police who defended the US Capitol from attack but the people who beat them during that attack? That is monstrous.
Then there's the fraudulent claims law. Perpetrators falsely claim to be the real victims of a crime.
But if the five people appointed by the Felon (I know it reads differently, but since he can fire anyone at will, guess who will be the only ones to pass that scrutiny) find that they are, in fact, victims deserving X amount, where is the evidence of falsity?
In the indictments, the voluminous evidence, the results--mostly guilty pleas and a smattering of acquittals.
But Tom, it is clear that the indictments cite false facts found in the voluminous "evidence" and the pleas were coerced which is why the Felon, in the goodness of his heart (oh. how it hurts to lie that much, even in writing) pardoned them. And the "smattering of acquitals" were thrown in to make it look like real trials happened.
They should re-name the fund "The Orwell Fund."
But wasn't it Huxley who wrote "Cowardly New Grift"?
Yes, there is a common theme to many (most, all) of these columns ... things going from bad to badder to baddest with the current regime, and trying to find silver linings where they can be had. But what is wearing me down the most is the non-stop barrage of victimization and grievance used by/on the political right to justify everything the regime does -- invariably excuses to tear things down rather than build something up, never mind becoming a rising tide that floats all boats. Lord, make it end, the unstoppable parade of whiny people, starting of course at the top, who throw hissy fits whenever they don't get their way, someone hurts their feelings, or there is any semblance of opposition to them getting everything they want, when they want it, how they want it.
In any other context than politics we would look at this behavior and say that it is completely unacceptable from chronological adults. Make it political, though, and it instantly becomes a tribal tactic that is entirely legitimate as a means to discredit and destroy the opposition. Interestingly, studies show that many children see such behavior and describe it as wrong or not normal, from their simplistic but also helpfully uncluttered perspective. The cart is in front of the horse, as the adults in the room refuse to take responsibility and lead by example. Great job, America.
Side note: am I the only person who thinks the last good year we've had in this country to date was 2000? Pretty much this whole century feels to me like a flush-it-down-the-toilet experience. Terrorist attacks ... major financial crises ... dubious wars lacking adequate foresight and preparation ... tribalism and political hatred ... global warming spiraling out of control ... MAGA ... and so many more lowlights. My two cents' worth, not adjusted for inflation or the fact that pennies no longer are being made.
For me the 90s were a boom time, plus I was young and there is significant nostalgia that colors my view. But yes, the world seemed better in 1999.
Alot of the first decade of this century was good. Yes, there were pointless wars and lots of stupidity but all of it seemed fairly in line with "normal" times. Though I strongly disagreed with him GWB was not a monster. Heck, not even Cheney was a monster compared to what we have now. But I think alot of us, including me thought 2008-2012ish was a real step forward for our society and to watch everything good that came from Obama's years, not to mention damn near everything good that has been created in my 50+ year lifetime be torn down by MAGA is beyond depressing. So, yea, the 21st century has really sucked.
The 90's were a boom time and nostalgic for me too, but I didn't realize then that very dark political clouds formed in the 90's that would directly lead us to where we are today. Talking about the rise of Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, AM conservative talk radio, and Fox "News."
I don't know, I was doing well up until 2015 or so. But I've been pretty fortunate. It still seemed like we cared about the climate, green energy was (and still is) surging, we were optimistic we could leave Afghanistan. My big concerns were school funding and health insurance, but the health insurance front had improved quite a bit.
I see your point. There have been some improvements. But it also feels to me like for each of those single steps we've moved forward, we've taken two or three backward in other areas. I get the impression of a downward spiral overall in which a handful of people are doing very, very well while most of the rest of us are in slow decay mode, consistently doing more for less, just trying to keep up and not very effectively so -- a classic case of haves and have nots as the oligarchs and the political elite increasingly define the reality of the rest of us, with no visible brake on the wheel. My feeling anyway.
I wonder if there isn't a regional lag, where people like me in the bluest of blue states felt the change last.
Living in a blue state has definitely shielded me from alot. I have high taxes (local, state, etc) but I also have access to alot of services that frankly make my life run smoother. My state's politics have shielded my kids from the worst of the bigots and guarantee they still have rights that we took for granted 10 years ago. And living in a huge economic hub has cushioned blows. At this point where someone lives matters alot.
A big exception though: the housing affordability crisis, which very much started in blue states, going back to the 2000s (or really earlier), and then spreading (it's actually not unfair to say was exported, to some extent) to the rest of the country.
You’re right. Things did go off the rails starting with 2001. Sit down. Take a stress pill.
Sort of like a repeat of 1900. Wasn’t too good for Europe and most of the rest of the world, culminating in the stupidest war; that the Kaiser couldn’t go to Paris, and the Arch Duke’s car made a wrong turn and got struck in traffic.
Sounds right to me. 2000 pretty much was the beginning of Boomerism.
What’s boomerism?
When I think about just how dark a place the world was in 1941 (and I have read and studied the history in detail and heard the stories from family who lived through it), it makes you realize that if we get our act together, we can turn things around. I say that as a 68 year old, fairly cynical (a few friends undoubtedly would say very cynical) attorney.
RiP, I, as an even older, no less cynical attorney (inactive) have to point out that the operative
word in your plea, is "can". Let's all work toward making that"will".
Watching this administration get caught up between a rock and a hard place on AI is delicious. While the AI oligarchs want to go full steam ahead, the MAGA base hates it. Let them all eat each other, the whole useless bunch.
In related news, I was told by a lot of the tech types that voting for Harris was ushering in socialism or communism or some other such nonsense. Yesterday, the administration announced grants for quantum computing companies pending a government ownership stake in said companies. Free market capitalism for the win!
Now I’m picturing the ever-inventive President inventing a concept I’ll call “financial Imminent domain” and taking over some AI company, after giving his broker a heads-up.
The current President of the United States has outdone himself recently. He seems to have the sense that he is losing, so he is going for the gold, all the gold he can gather before a new Congress shuts him up and then shuts him down.
His $1.8 billion slush fund has shocked even many Republican Congresspeople. The tax Get-Out-of-Jail Free card came right after. The only people who are still with Trump are the billionaires and the racist poor. Both want to destroy the government and take all they can.
Even John Thune is getting worried. -- NOT Mike Johnson. He's probably on the list to get a couple of million.
Republicans in Congress may profess to be shocked, but I, for one, will be shocked, amazed and dumbfounded if they actually take a single step to overturn it. They, following the lead of Susan Collins, will say they are Concerned or Disappointed, clutch their pearls - and do nothing meaningful.
Man, oh man, do I hope you are wrong, but my fear factor says you are right on.
Congress is checked out of anything involving corruption. It's why nobody likes Democrats or Republicans.
Think about Bob Menendez. Democrats finally got him out, but for how long did they tolerate him?
Some of them are realizing that if they go against Trump, they will lose in a primary, but if they stick with him, they will lose in the election.
I guess they have to wait until the primaries in their state are over.
The current President knows that the MAGA little people see the big shots of the world making out like bandits while they’re stuck with higher daily living and gas expenses going ever higher, so he thought giving them them the hope of making a mil or so as a sop might help ease some of the building resentment. (“He promised us we’d all be rich”!)
Mark Hertling's Memorial Day piece was moving, inspiring, and reduced me to tears. It should be widely republished so all Americans can read it. What it does is remind all of us of the ideals our country was founded to stand for. Although he is not mentioned, it points to how completely Donald Trump and his followers and enablers have damaged those ideals. On behalf of all those young people in Hertling's box and those in graves all over the world, I give them honor and offer sorrow for the shame I feel about how my fellow Americans have dishonored their memories.
Democracy will survive what is coming, America as we know it will not.
America as we know it (or thought we knew it) needs an upgrade, too. Have any of you heard about this proposal for a D-7 (a "democracies 7") that would welcome back the US once we get our house in order? https://www.thenextmove.org/p/the-democratic-world-needs-a-d7?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=4398493&post_id=198300677&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=3ibbx&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
very interesting. thanks for sharing.
I thought so too! :)
I saw that, too. It was great to see that Rasmussen has taken to heart the "middle powers coalition" idea from Canadian PM Mark Carney.
Jeff, would you care to expound?
Democracy is a form of governance. Democracy in America is dying and its structural inadequacies are exposed; American democracy is unable to overcome the evil that is upon us.
Maybe I agree with you, in that I don't believe American democracy can survive what the Supreme Court has done to it, from Marbury to Citizens United through to Calais.
Nor can American democracy survive the Republican-approved-and-instituted ideal of unfettered capitalism. Unfettered capitalism that has now reached its end-stage, with an economy that crushes the majority of Americans and destroys civic life in the process.
Allison's reply to you references an article that describes the USA as a potential partner, in the distant future, of a coalition of middle powers. It all depends on if America gets its act together, which is a big "if." I don't believe it will. I don't believe we will.
I'll say something probably not too popular but which I've thought for a long time raised by Bill's comment that, "Perhaps it’s not the case that America is an indispensable nation." America is a great nation with lots of opportunity, but there are many others. I moved to Europe, was a co-founder, and we successfully built a company in 2001 that is still going strong today (I left years ago). I hear similar stories from the US and hear people say, "Only in America." But that's not true now and it never really was.
Being exceptional is not a thing you achieve once and then you get to stay that way forever. The greatest athletes still have coaches and have to work every day. The smartest people still read and work and strive to stretch their minds. The best companies are always looking to get better. Great countries require working together to stay that way.
America can be an exceptional country. But that's not a gold trophy on a shelf you get to keep forever. It's something you work at, something to aspire to, something earned over and over. Greatness comes from facing adversity, overcoming challenges and fighting for what's right and good. Maybe this is the reminder we need.
I think America hit the high mark in WWII. It took us a while, and Pearl Harbor to get into the fight but the nation really pulled together. Rationing, Victory Gardens, women keeping industry going, businesses humming around the clock to keep the war machine supplied. After it was over things slowly reverted back to the same old same old. We just rode that memory of our greatness to keep ourselves warm and happy.
I know some things changed, schools were integrated, the voting act, more financial independence and bodily autonomy for women, those are disappearing. We stopped trying. We stopped demanding the our elected officials put the work in for all. The orange one saying America is the hottest country right now is just being ridiculous.
There was a book published early in WWII titled "Generation of Vipers." It decried the dysfunction, fighting, corruption and malfeasance in the U.S. at that time. It questioned whether the U.S. could even win, or whether the NAZI regime would permanently control Europe. Victory did not seem like a foregone conclusion. The nation did not seem united. It did not feel like the peak of U.S. greatness. Long afterwards we started calling this "the Greatest Generation." The people I knew from that generation would probably have cringed at that expression.
Thank you for that recommendation. My father never spoke of the war, he served in the Pacific theater. He just never brought that into anything, although he was wounded. He received his American citizenship by serving and surviving (he was born in Mexico). He had to write to, I guess the Army, to receive the medals he had earned many decades later.
There is no doubt that they did not think they were a great generation, they just did what they had to do. I believe in time people glamourized the the Greatest Generation. I would not have one idea of how to survive that horror.
We keep going, Sarah! You know we're going to hit that goal!
Thank you so much, Bill, for your inspiring words. Seriously, I need a reminder from time to time that this is the struggle that started before written history and will never, ever end. Our job is to find a way to kick America out of our destructive spiral into a virtuous spiral.
"Perhaps it’s not the case that America is an indispensable nation. But it seems as clear now as ever that the principles of the American Revolution, of the Declaration, are indispensable principles."
Amen. The idea of everyone being created equally with a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness will live eternally.
“the administration is about to drop a major AI executive order—one that could demand federal review of advanced AI models before they are released.” Who is going to do the review!?!?!?! The DOGE Bros? DJT? Robert F Kennedy Jr? Kissing DJT’s hindquarters gently but firmly is not much of a qualification.
Nice! Just think of all the trade secrets that will be available to the highest bidder!
Exactly! I hear Ghislaine will be in need of a job after she’s pardoned! So there’s that!..:)
We should be building statues of Zelenskyy. And not out of gold, but iron and steel.
Just when we wonder if the menace, acting as POTUS, really is a mob boss, HCR reports this quote from his "spokesperson" in our desicrated White House regarding Republican primary losses.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung posted: “Do not ever doubt President Trump and his political power. F*ck around, find out.”
We as a nation can now confirm...mob bosses make terrible presidents in a democracy. Trump's coup will fail as he doubles and doubles and doubles down.