The Far Right Is Revolting
The House has a limited amount of time to try and pass the Senate’s budget resolution, adopted this weekend by the upper chamber. In a few days, the House goes into recess, so Speaker Mike Johnson is now on hurry-up offense, referring the bill to the House Rules Committee this morning in order to get it to a floor vote by tomorrow.
It’s a wild move that he no doubt hopes will call the bluff of the many budget holdouts.
Photo gallery: Hundreds Protest Trump and Musk During “Hands Off” Day of Action in @bloomington_in
I sure hope that the COBOL code that runs the Social Security administration is well backed up. Because when the Nazi and his DOGE department gets done with it nothing is going to work at all.
Rural US workers crushed by logging export freeze
"On March 4, China abruptly banned imports of U.S. hardwood logs, citing pest concerns — though industry insiders believe it was thinly veiled economic retaliation to the Trump administration’s recent tariffs.
The impact was immediate and massive: China is the dominant buyer of U.S. logs, importing the vast majority of what America exports. Without that market, the entire industry lost its economic lifeline"
https://catholicvote.org/rural-us-workers-crushed-by-logging-export-freeze/
They don't care about poor people, but mildly inconvenience one of their billionaire buddies and they will be down on you like a ton of bricks.
Trump Depression to hit Indiana particularly hard
Foreign countries respond with tariffs that put red states and manufacturing square in the cross hairs.
"The retaliatory tariffs target industries employing 9.5 percent of people in Wisconsin, 8.5 percent of people in Indiana and 8.4 percent of people in Iowa. The shares are also relatively high in Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and Kansas."
What to Expect in This Recession
"The really interesting aspect of this is that red states tend to dominate the production of goods, while blue states are far more service-oriented...Trump’s rapid recession will cause plenty of tears, but they mostly won’t be those sweet, sweet liberal tears that appeal to his MAGA followers.
Unlike Trump, I don’t revel at the economic pain of people with differing political views. I dislike recessions."
Krasnov says he was being a ‘bit sarcastic’ when he promised to end Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours
Ha ha! Sorry about that Ukrainians! Better luck next election!
https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-ukraine-war-solved-f51b96e4e690341caee65358bcbab1fa
Republicans declare rest of year to be one day
"The maneuver was a tacit acknowledgment of how politically toxic the issue had become for their party, and another example of how the all-Republican Congress is ceding its power to the executive branch..They essentially declared the rest of the year one long day, nullifying a law that allows the House and Senate to jointly put an end to a disaster declared by the president."
"you’re fired. wait you’re rehired. email us a list of things you’ve done today wait forget it you’re fired again. come back your job was important. you’re fired. or hired. come in to the office. wait the office has no computers go home. we are the department of government efficiency." - Nicole Tersigni
@nicsigni.bsky.social
Krasnov administration to make it easier to launder money
Biden's Treasury Department created "a database that would contain personal information on the owners of at least 32 million U.S. businesses as part of an effort to combat shell company formations and illicit finance...Small businesses are targeted because shell companies, often used to hide illegally obtained assets, tend to have few employees."
Wonder why they would want to do that? 🤔
Krasnov says he wants "Peace" but it's really appeasement.
Death Eater Republicans cripple nation's ability to respond to major storms
Signing a death warrant for who knows how many Floridans when hurricanes make landfall without any warning.
"The job cuts "jeopardize our ability to forecast and respond to extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, and floods—putting communities in harm's way. They also threaten our maritime commerce and endanger 1.7 million jobs"
Hundreds of NOAA employees laid off in latest cuts to federal workforce
Death Eater Republicans cancel crucial vaccine meeting
"Cancelling a critically important Food and Drug Administration meeting that is vital to the development of effective vaccines for the next flu season is irresponsible, ignores science and shows a lack of concern for the protection of the public from this potentially severe disease," Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement."
Meeting of FDA vaccine advisers canceled, committee member says
Elon Musk’s conflicts of interest ‘should scare every American’, experts say
"Doge, which Musk touted broadly to Trump in August as he was writing seven figure checks to help him win, is gutting agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which has investigated complaints about the car company’s debt collection and loan policies."
And that's even before he steals the gold in Fort Knox!
Elon Musk’s conflicts of interest ‘should scare every American’, experts say
How to buy your way out of a federal lawsuit
"During the election, Coinbase donated $75 million to Fairshake, a pro-crypto Super PAC that supported many congressional candidates aligned with Krasnov.
On February 21, Armstrong wrote on X that Coinbase and the SEC had "reached an agreement with SEC staff to dismiss their litigation against Coinbase." According to Armstrong, in exchange for the SEC dismissing the suit, Coinbase will pay "$0 in fines"
Krasnov firings hit Great Lakes sea lamprey program, Michigan forestry workers
"Over the weekend, 14 US Fish & Wildlife Service employees who implement the program — most if not all of them based in Ludington and Marquette — were fired in a nationwide purge that some have dubbed “The Valentine’s Day Massacre.”...the agency has been forbidden from hiring dozens of seasonal workers needed to dose Great Lakes rivers with lamprey-killing chemicals"
Trump firings hit Great Lakes sea lamprey program, Michigan forestry workers | Great Lakes Now
Krasnov’s political appointees are quietly expressing unease with President Musk as well.
“Basically every Cabinet member is sick of him, but nobody feels like they’re in a position to do anything about it,” said one person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations with several incoming secretaries or their staffs. “People are afraid to cross him even as he’s wreaking havoc on their agencies.”
Musk’s blitzkrieg is unnerving many of Trump’s senior advisers
They want to make sure the Fort Knox gold is still there: 'Maybe it's there, maybe it's not'
If there is gold there now, there sure won’t be after the kleptocrats leave.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
New York's Metropolitan Transit Agency sues the criminally incompetent national administration over congestion pricing.
"18. The Trump Administration's efforts to “terminate” Congestion Pricing are unlawful.
19. Neither the VPPP Agreement nor applicable law or regulations permit FHWA to unilaterally terminate the VPPP Agreement."
Read the M.T.A.’s Lawsuit Against Federal Officials Over Congestion Pricing
Trump vowed to champion US workers - the reality has been a relentless assault
“Donald Trump is showing that his promises to be a champion of workers are hollow,” said Judy Conti, government affairs director of the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy group. “He surrounds himself with people who are anti-worker. He has a history of being anti-worker, but he tries to put a nice face on it. He says he’s a champion of workers. He’s just not.”
Trump vowed to champion US workers - the reality has been a relentless assault
Vengeful and reckless, Donald Trump must not go unchallenged
"Western democracies must take a united stand. So far, Keir Starmer and his ministers have been too circumspect. They must be bolder and braver in their criticism and in upholding British values.
The rise of Trump and like-minded far-right populists, lawless bullies and anti-democratic autocrats around the world is the great challenge of our age. Trump the objectionable is setting the world on fire."
The Observer view: Vengeful and reckless, Donald Trump must not go unchallenged | Observer editorial
"Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), a known weirdo and wild card, has already indicated she is unsure how she will vote on Friday"
Well. It's not wrong.
Popehat: Appointing Gaetz Attorney General is a lot like making your horse a Senator.
"Do you think Matt Gaetz is going to work the hours necessary to not just learn DoJ but run it in detail? All of the interns are college graduates. Does Kristi Noem strike you as someone who handles stress well? Does war crimes enthusiast Pete Hegseth have the people skills to manage the viper’s nest that’s the Pentagon?"
The Republican candidate spoke today at Asheville's Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (capacity 2000). Here is a list of 10 Indiana high school gyms that are three times as large:
1. New Castle Fieldhouse (8,424)
2. Baratto Athletic Center East Chicago (8,054)
3. Richmond Tiernan Center (7,786)
3. Muncie Fieldhouse (7,635)
4. Marion Green Arena (7,560)
6. Elkhart North (7,373)
7. Wolves Den Michigan City (7,304)
8. Gary West Side (7,217 )
9. Jefferson (7,200)
10. Southport (7,124)
Project 2025 Is a Roadmap to Disaster
Michael Hicks sticks to his knitting here, commenting primarily on his areas of expertise: education and national security. Project 2025 is bad for both.
Chalk one up for the oligarchs. Cori Bush is the second member of progressive House Democrats known as “the Squad” defeated in a primary that was linked to the incumbent’s views of Israel.
Missouri Rep. Cori Bush is ousted by a primary challenger backed by pro-Israel groups
Why calling Trump ‘weird’ is freaking Republicans out
"The entire Republican project is built on the assumption of normalcy. “We are the in-group – anything that doesn’t look, act or worship like us is weird.” They say they want to bring back a nostalgia-tinted, white picket fence version of America where you can leave your door unlocked and kids are respectful."
If you're not that worried of being part of the in-group, weird is ok.
The ‘Red Wave’ Washout: How Skewed Polls Fed a False Election Narrative
(From 2022, but I suspect highly relevant)
The skewed red-wave surveys polluted polling averages, which are relied upon by campaigns, donors, voters and the news media. It fed the home-team boosterism of an expanding array of right-wing media outlets — from Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast and “The Charlie Kirk Show” to Fox News and its top-rated prime-time lineup.