… DHS Sec Kristi Noem had no clue what habeas corpus was when she was asked about it today by Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH). Noem: “Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.”
… Hassan: “That's incorrect. Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the govt provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people. If not for that protection, the govt can simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold them indefinitely for no reason. It is what separates America from police states like North Korea.”
… Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ): “Do you know what section of the Constitution the suspension clause of habeas corpus is in? NOEM: I do not. Nope. KIM: Do you know which article is it in? NOEM: I do not, sir.”
… Kim also asked Noem about the incident at the Newark ICE facility that led to Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) getting criminal charges. Kim: “I just want to hear from you if you can confirm that you understand that members of Congress by law are allowed to show up unannounced to conduct oversight visits of ICE detention facilities? Noem: Yes, they can show up to conduct oversight, but they aren’t allowed to show up with a mob. Are you making excuses for their behavior that day?”
… Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) asked Noem why she keeps getting dressed up in various costumes to do cosplay stunts. Noem: “I do spend time out there with our components. Gallego: We’ve seen the Instagram photos. Noem: They’re not photos. And they’ve meant the world to the individuals at DHS. Gallego: I’ve seen some of them especially some really bad weapons handling.”
… Oh yes, ICE and other federal agents just love it when Noem shows up in her customers for staged photo ops. It means everything to them - probably the greatest honor of their lifetimes.
… NJ US Attorney Alina Habba announced that she was dropping the charges against Newark Mayor Baraka but was charging McIver: "After extensive consideration, we have agreed to dismiss Mayor Baraka's misdemeanor charge of trespass for the sake of moving forward.” On McIver: “I have persistently made efforts to address these issues without bringing criminal charges and have given Rep. McIver every opportunity to come to a resolution, but she has unfortunately declined.”
… That likely means that Habba was trying to get McIver to agree to a pretrial diversion agreement where she would receive some punishment in exchange for charges ultimately getting dropped, but McIver wasn’t having it.
… Former NJ US Attorney Paul Fishman is representing McIver: “As a member of Congress, she has the right and responsibility to see how ICE is treating detainees. Rather than facilitating that inspection, ICE agents chose to escalate what should have been a peaceful situation into chaos. This prosecution is an attempt to shift the blame for ICE’s behavior to Rep. McIver. In the courtroom, facts — not headlines — will matter.”
… Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): “The proceeding initiated by the so-called US Attorney in NJ is a blatant attempt by the Trump admin to intimidate Congress and interfere with our ability to serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. House Democrats will not be intimidated by the Trump admin. Not today. Not ever.”
… Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): “A RED LINE has been crossed. Trump is prosecuting his political enemies in Congress. This is just the beginning. We must take whatever we’ve done before to show dissent and go ONE RUNG HIGHER. And save your bullshit documents on this, Alina. You’ll need them when you testify.”
… Rep. McIver: “The charges against me are purely political — they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight. This admin will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right. I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received and I look forward to the truth being laid out clearly in court.”
… Trump was asked about McIver’s charges: “Give me a break. Did you see her? She was out of control. Those days are over. The days of woke are over. That woman - I have no idea who she is - that woman was out of control. We’re going to have law and order.”
… Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) on Fox: “I think she has a lot of consequences headed her way, and I fully support DHS and DOJ pursuing them to the fullest extent."
… Rep. Nancy Mace decided to escalate her feud with ex-fiance Patrick Bryant by making him the centerpiece of her presentation at an Oversight Committee hearing today: “Yes. I’m going there. Today I will show my naked body on one of the videos predator and rapist Patrick Bryant took of me and many other women. Without our knowledge. Without our permission. And without our consent.”
… It seems like there must be a different way to make her point that he allegedly recorded her without permission without showing nudes in Congress. This was Mace in the hearing: "This naked silhouette is my naked body."
IS THIS APPROPRIATE CONDUCT FOR ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL TO ADDRESS PERSONAL GRIEVANCES IN THE HOUSE?
… Venezuelan immigrants who supported Trump feel betrayed that he is revoking their Temporary Protected Status, which leaves them now subject to deportation. Carol Duran Perez to CBS Miami: “I supported Trump. I believe there is a large community of Venezuelans who did. This was a hard blow because practically the same day he took office he went against Venezuelans. It seems personal.”
… Adelis Ferro, Venezuelan American Caucus: “We feel beyond betrayed. They used us. During the campaign, officials from the Republican Party told us that they will not touch the documented people.”
… MSNBC to Deportation Czar Tom Homan: “A Georgia college student was mistakenly pulled over. She's being detained right now. Her father said he was never worried about her because you said you would prioritize gang members, rapists, and criminals. She's none of those things. Has that policy changed? HOMAN: If you're in the country illegally, you're not off the table.”
… Jon Stewart roasted CNN and Jake Tapper for their non-stop hype over the past month of his Biden book. He first posted clip after clip of Tapper hawking his book day after day, along with other CNN hosts and guests. Stewart also ridiculed them for using Biden’s cancer diagnosis to claim that the book was now “even more relevant.”
… Stewart then mocked CNN host Brian Stelter for his statement claiming that it was “even more important” for people to buy the book after the cancer news: “Do these CNN people work on commission? Why are they hawking this fucking thing so much - is this a Girl Scout situation where whoever sells the most Tapper books gets a Schwinn?”
… I posted a montage of Stewart’s segment on X, Bluesky, and Threads.
… Senior Counsel to DOJ’s Asst. AG for Civil Rights Leo Terrell said that Jill Biden could face criminal charges for allegedly pushing Joe to run for president again despite health issues: “Elder Abuse! Criminal Charges?” A couple right-wing websites also ran stories on Jill getting criminally charged.
… This was the lead story today on CNN. Again:
… Trump took the unusual step of visiting Capitol Hill today to try and whip Republican holdouts on the budget bill. His primary message appeared to be geared towards telling so-called deficit hawks to learn to love a massive new increase in debt.
… Trump was asked about Republicans in states with state income taxes who are holding out over the SALT deduction: "The governors of NY, IL, and CA - those are the people who want this. They are all Democrats. These are all very blue states. If we had honest elections, I think I would've won CA, I would've won NY. I even think I would've won IL."
… Fox reported on what Trump said to SALT advocate Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) in the closed-door meeting: “I know your district better than you do, if you lose because of SALT, you were going to lose anyway.”
… But in Sept during the campaign, Trump told people at his Long Island rally that he was going to remove the SALT cap if he won, after he imposed a $10K cap on it during his last term in 2017. This is what Trump told NYers in his campaign stop: "I will cut taxes for families, small businesses and workers, including restoring the SALT deduction, saving thousands of dollars for residents of NY, PA, NJ and other high-cost states."
… That was then, this is now.
… Lawler on Fox after: “The issue of SALT is one of the biggest issues impacting my district. It's the reason I won. I made very clear when I ran for office back in '22, that I would never support a tax bill that does not adequately lift the cap on SALT. My district, 3 of the 4 counties that I represent, are in the top 16 highest property tax counties in America. It blows well past the $30,000 cap with the $400,000 income cap. So as I've said repeatedly, that is insufficient. We will continue the dialog with leadership, but as it stands right now, I do not support the bill.”
… Lawler: “The president can say whatever he wants, and I respect him. But the fact is I certainly understand my district. I'm one of only three Republican members that won in a district that Kamala Harris won, and I did so for a reason.”
… Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY): “Mike Lawler has a clear choice: Trump or his constituents. Who will you choose, Mike?”
… SALT Caucus Chair Andrew Garberino was asked by NOTUS if Trump did enough to ease their concerns: “No. There were no specifics. If they put the bill on the floor as is I think there’s a lot of no votes.”
… Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN): “I would say that if the vote were held right now, it dies a painful death.”
… Trump also lashed out at his nemesis Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). Punchbowl: “Trump told Massie he should be voted out of office and doesn’t understand government.”
… Massie was asked outside the meeting what Trump said about him: “I usually don’t talk about private conversations in our GOP meetings but the rumors are true - Trump said that although I have similar hair to Rand Paul, he thinks mine is better.”
… Massie then went on CNN and was asked about Trump and Karoline Leavitt’s claims that the bill will not add to the deficit: “That’s a joke. We’re going to add $20 trillion dollars to the debt over the next 10 years, which is $3.5-$5 trillion dollars more than would have been added otherwise.”
… House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD) to The Hill after the meeting: “I don’t think the president convinced enough people that the bill is adequate the way it is.”
… After Trump said they were “not cutting anything meaningful,” he was asked why they were cutting food assistance for the poor: “The cut is going to give everybody much more food because prices are coming down.”
… NBC: “Trump just told reporters on the Hill that gas prices are now $1.99. AAA gas price tracker says the national average is $3.17, with no state below $2.66.”
Reminder that there is no Bulletin tomorrow since I do my podcast Uncovered where we do a deep dive on the Top 10 stories of the week. I will post the link here before the show. The last 3 days have been absolutely brutal with the volume of political news. If you read the last 3 Bulletins together you will get more news than any other single political column on the planet. I know I’m pretty worn out - I’ve pretty much only left my desk since Sunday morning to go to the bathroom.
Thanks again for everyone who supports my work. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Now on with the show!
… AP reports that 2 months after tornados destroyed their towns, people in Mississippi have still not gotten any help from Trump or FEMA. Firefighter and homeowner Bobby McGinnis: “We need federal help, and we need it desperately, and we need it now. I know President Trump said that — America first, we’re going to help our American folks first. But we haven’t seen the federal folks down here.”
… Homeowner Brian Lowery: “I don’t know what you got to do or what you got to have to be able to be declared for a federal disaster area because this is pretty bad. We can’t help you because, whatever, we’re waiting on a letter; we’re waiting on somebody to sign his name. You know, all that. I’m just over it.”
… St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer told MSNBC that FEMA has no provided any assistance yet after the city was just devastated by tornadoes, killing and injuring dozens of people across three states: “What we need right now is fed assistance. This is where FEMA and the fed govt has got to come in and help communities. Our city cannot shoulder this alone. We need partners at the national level, at the fed level, to step up and help — and this is not just true for St. Louis. Cities across the nation, when they are experiencing disasters such as this, this is what the fed govt is for. We need your help.
… “FEMA has not been on the ground. We do not have confirmed assistance from FEMA at this point. I do want to say, however, every other level of govt has been on the ground with us helping in every capacity possible. This tornado ripped through our community for a full 8 miles in the city of St. Louis.”
… This prompted even Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) today to beg Kristi Noem to do something: “For those 3 major disaster declaration requests that are pending, will you help expedite those and get those in front of the president and get him to approve those, we are desperate for the assistance? Noem: Absolutely. Hawley: Will you expedite FEMA assistance if it is approved? Noem: Yes.”
… First, if it was a Democratic senator asking these questions they would have gotten a much different response. Second, Trump and Noem will still do nothing.
… 550 of the 4,800 employees with the National Weather Service have been let go since Trump took office. USA Today: “Now many of the nation's 122 local weather service forecast offices, typically staffed 24/7, seven days a week, are short-handed. The departures included many senior level meteorologists who retired. In the Eastern Region alone, weather service employees tallied 700 years of experience lost.
… Back at the WH later in the day after his trip to Congress to yell at Massie and Lawler, Trump announced that the budget will include initial funding for his ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense shield: “The one big beautiful bill will include $25 billion for the Golden Dome to help construction get underway. That's the initial sort of down-posit. We're talking about $175 billion total cost of this when it's completed."
… As I reported in the previous Bulletin, every serious defense expert says this will cost a minimum of $500 billion to complete. Which means it will cost quite a bit more than that. We also need to watch two things: 1. Who he appoints as his Dome Czar. 2. Whether Elon Musk is the primary beneficiary in the whole thing.
… Musk spoke at the Qatar Economic Forum today: "I think in terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future. I think I’ve done enough. If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I don't currently see a reason."
… More evidence to prove that the Tesla board was looking to replace him as CEO if he didn’t tone down his political activity, despite Musk’s denials. Even his social media account has been completely different since that report. He will still be heavily involved, but likely doing it more quietly behind the scenes.
… On CNBC later, Musk defended his gesture at a Trump rally which many equated to a Hitler-style salute: "Every politician, any public speaker who has spoken for any length of time has made the exact same gesture."
OH? NO ONE MISSED NAZI MUSK'S RHETORIC!
… Sec. of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate today. He had this exchange with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): “Let me ask you about the dinner that's happening this Thurs. The president has offered access to him to the 200 top purchasers of his memecoin. Maybe about half or more of those individuals who will be meeting with him are foreigners. Do you have a list? RUBIO: I didn't even know there was a dinner Thurs night, so I don't know what you're referring to.”
… Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to Rubio on the detention of a foreign student because she wrote an OpEd: “Your campaign of fear and repression is eating away at foundational values of our democracy. Back then, it took one voice, attorney Joseph Welch, to cut through the hysteria with the simple question that marked the beginning of the end of that shameful era. He asked Sen. McCarthy, 'have you no sense of decency?' And I would ask you the same, Sec Rubio. But you have shown in your words and your actions what the answer is. And I have to tell you directly and personally that I regret voting for you for Secretary of State.”
… Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) to Rubio: "I'm not even mad anymore about your complicity in this admin’s destruction of US global leadership. I'm simply disappointed. And I wonder if you’re proud of yourself in this moment when you go home to your family. I don't recognize Sec Rubio. You were once a fierce critic of Putin, but you sat idly by as the president berated the elected leader of Ukraine for refusing to capitulate to Russia. I know you know this in your heart."
… Dep. FBI Director Dan Bongino on James Comey and SeaShellGate: “We are now dealing with copycats, sending cryptic threats to public figures, using the ‘86’ reference. Whether they turn out to be legitimate threats or not, taxpayer-funded public safety agents are going to have to run these all out and investigate them. This is a reminder of the damage self-serving individuals, with a history of extremely poor judgement, can do when they fail to control their impulses.”
… The entire thing is completely ridiculous. There is no reason for the FBI to be spending huge amounts of time and resources investigating numerology.
… Michael Flynn associate Ivan Raiklin, who some have speculated is the J6 pipe bomber, says MAGA is not happy with DOJ: “One day after Dan Bongino and Kash Patel’s interview aired and 4 days since recording with Maria Bartiromo. Still nothing sent to Congress. Still no arrests of any government gangsters. Meanwhile, assassination threats continue on President Trump. Trust is eroding quickly by the minute.”
… RFK Jr. also testified before the Senate today. As usual, he was a mess. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): “How can we give hope to people across the country who are suffering from so many diseases when our govt is cutting back on that research? RFK Jr: I do not know about any cuts to ALS research. DURBIN: I just read them to you! RFK Jr: I didn't know about them until you told me about them in this moment.”
… Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) to RFK Jr: “You repeatedly claimed that staffing and funding cuts that have been reported on publicly and even confirmed by your department staff are not happening. So either you're lying or you're not the one making the decisions.”
… All the best people.
… MarketWatch: “Mortgage rates surged after the credit-rating agency Moody’s downgraded US debt. Moody’s cut the U.S.’s sovereign credit rating from AAA to Aa1. It was the last of the major credit-rating firms to strip the country of its triple-A rating. The downgrade of debt put upward pressure on bond prices. That pushed the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage up 12 basis points to 7.04%.”
… But Treasury Sec Scott Bessent said Sunday that Moody’s announcement was irrelevant to him. It is relevant to people trying to buy a home, and people trying to sell them, maybe not to oligarchs like Bessent though.
… Rep. Massie: “Monday, on news of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, 30-year US treasuries rose to 5% and 10-year US treasuries rose to 4.52%. That’s the price WE pay to finance the national debt when old notes mature.”
… IRS Commissioner nominee Billy Long had his confirmation hearing today. Sen. Elizabeth Warren spent 5 minutes repeatedly trying to get him to agree that under the law a president cannot instruct the IRS to audit any person or revoke a nonprofit’s tax-exempt status. Warren: “How can you not understand this law? The statute is as clear and in as plain English as possible. The fact that you want to dance around on this tells me that you shouldn't be within a thousand miles of the directorship of the IRS!"
… ProPublica: “Two days before Trump announced dramatic plans for tariffs on foreign imports, Trans Sec Sean Duffy sold stock in almost three dozen companies. The Feb. 11 sales occurred near the stock market’s historic peak, just before it began to slide amid concerns about Trump’s tariff plans and ultimately plummeted after the president unveiled the details of the new tariffs on April 2. Duffy sold $75,000-$600,000 of stock two days before Trump’s announcement, and up to $50,000 more that day.”
… CNN confirmed that it was Trump who first asked Qatar for his Palace in the Sky jet to use as AF1, not them offering it to him as a gift: “After Trump took office in Jan, the Pentagon contacted Boeing and was told the company would not be able to deliver the new jets it was building to replace the aging presidential planes for another two years. The Trump admin, however, wanted a replacement plane much faster, and the AF was exploring different options for doing so. At the same time, Trump tasked his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff with finding a list of viable planes.”
… Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) announced he won’t run for the governor seat with Janet Mills term-limited, and won’t run for senate against Susan Collins either: “I have decided to run for reelection because the surest way to restore balance in DC is for Democrats to win back control of the House.”
… CNN’s Manu Raju: “Big development in the Susan Collins race in Maine. Senate Dems had hoped Golden would run. But a big relief for Jeffries who needs to hold Golden’s swing seat. Now Senate Dems hope Gov. Mills runs against Collins, though she hasn’t shown interest yet.”
… Mills is 77 years old and has served in government since 1980. She is not going to run and leave Maine for DC.
… Sen. Patty Murray explained her vote against Jared Kushner’s father Charles for Ambassador to France: “Kushner was convicted of making false statements to the FEC and pleaded guilty to tax evasion and witness tampering. And Trump pardoned him. Of course, I voted NO to advance Kushner’s nomination.”
… George Conway: “The facts underlying Charles Kushner's guilty plea included hiring a prostitute in order to blackmail his own brother-in-law.”
… Kushner was confirmed anyway. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was the only Republican to vote against Kushner. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) was the only Democrat to vote for him.
… After Trump trashed Bruce Springsteen for speaking out against him, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder came to The Boss’s defense: "He brought up issues. The response had nothing to do with the issues. All that we heard were personal attacks and threats. Part of free speech is open discussion, part of democracy is healthy public discourse. The name calling is so beneath us. Bruce has always been a true American with his values of freedom and liberty and his justice has always remained in tact.”
/ @valormedianetwork
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