Today in Politics, Bulletin 140. 5/27/25

Ron Filipkowski May 27 ∙

… Trump said the quiet part out loud and admitted today that he has been doing everything he can to help Vladimir Putin. He posted this on Truth Social: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”

… Russia state media’s social media account RT immediately mocked Trump for his post: “President Trump warns Moscow, claiming Russia avoided ‘REALLY BAD’ consequences only thanks to him ‘Putin doesn’t realize… he’s playing with fire!’ — Trump’s message leaves little room for misinterpretation. Until he posts the opposite tomorrow morning.”

… Independent journalist Jay in Kyiv: “As Russian missile barrages again pour onto Ukraine at this hour, it's now only a question as to what Putin enjoys more - massacring the civilian population of Ukraine or humiliating Trump.”

… This was my response on social media.

… Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) then posted this on X: “I believe president trump was sincere when he thought his friendship w Putin wld end the war. Now that being the case ITS TIME FOR SANCTIONS STRONG ENUF SO PUTIN KNOWS ‘game over’.” (I used to covert these into proper grammar, now I just leave them as is).

… Financial Times: “The US opposed a joint G7 effort to lower the $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil exports during last week's meeting of finance ministers. The price cap, introduced by the G7 and EU in December 2022, bans Western companies from shipping, insuring, or otherwise servicing Russian oil sold above $60 per barrel. The mechanism was designed to limit the Kremlin's ability to finance its war against Ukraine. The move received backing from the EU and G7 members France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. However, the proposal was dropped after US Treasury Sec Scott Bessent declined to support it.”

… Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) announced today on Fox that he is leaving the Senate to be the next Governor of AL: “It’s home. Today, I announce that I will be the future Governor of the great state of Alabama.”

… Tuberville lives in Florida. He now has to move to Alabama to run. Or at least pretend to move there.

… HHS Secretary RFK Jr. spent the last several days in Argentina, where he celebrated that country’s withdrawal from World Health Org with their right-wing president Javier Milei:

[SECRETARY BRAIN WORM!]

… Politico: “The Trump admin is weighing requiring all foreign students applying to study in the US to undergo social media vetting. The admin is ordering US embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for such student visa applicants. If the admin carries out the plan, it could severely slow down student visa processing. It also could hurt many universities who rely heavily on foreign students to boost their financial coffers.” 

… The Trump admin ordered all federal agencies today to cut ties with Harvard and revoke all existing contracts and grants with the university. There are about 30 govt contracts with Harvard totally around $100 million.

… Veterans activist Fred Wellman on Harvard grants getting pulled: “This is going to horrifically impact thousands of veterans who are part of studies and clinical trials for healthcare issues ranging from cancer to nutrition to mental health. Just one study alone was to help doctors determine the risk of suicide among ER patients. This petty Trump fight will once again screw over our veteran community. He doesn’t care.”

… Sen. Chuck Grassley: “Alan Dershowitz says he is ‘persona non grata’ at Harvard. His response should not be to accept it BUT TO REGULARLY WALK THE HALLS AND CAMPUS TO REMIND THOSE FOOLISH PPL THAT ITS STAFF OF ALAN’S CALIBER THAT HAS made Harvard’s reputation.”

… Dersh has been banned from the Martha’s Vineyard book fair for years. No way he shows his face around Harvard.

ALAN DERSHOWITZ defended JEFFREY EPSTEIN 

Alan Dershowitz says ‘a lot of people hung out with Epstein,’ claims document dump will exonerate him

By 

Snejana Farberov

Published Jan. 3, 2022 

MURDOCH TABLOID NY POST

TRAGIC END: 

Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein accuser, dies

BBC

… NPR filed a lawsuit this morning in fed court against the Trump admin over his executive order barring the use of congressionally appropriated funds for NPR and PBS. From the lawsuit: "It is not always obvious when the govt has acted with a retaliatory purpose in violation of the First Amendment. 'But this wolf comes as a wolf. The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President's view, their news and other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased.'"

… The lawsuit alleges that Trump’s action violates the Constitution since Congress appropriated the money, which is in their sole authority - not the president’s.

… A new poll from Impact Research has MI Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s job approval rating soaring to 63% in a swing state won by Trump in 2024. Fellow presidential contender KY Gov. Andy Beshear has similar approval ratings in a state Trump won big three times. Politicians on the national stage tend to get most of the attention, but Democratic governors who can win big in swing states and red states get my attention.

… WaPo: “Credit scores are plunging for millions now that the Trump admin has resumed collection on defaulted student-loan payments. Countless borrowers are suddenly being rejected for car and housing loans.

… NYT on the credit scores: "This is the start of something big and we need to be paying attention."

… Trump economic advisor Kevin Hassett to CNBC on Trump’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on iPhones unless they are made in the US: “Everybody is trying to make it seem like it’s a catastrophe if there’s a tiny little tariff on them right now, to try to negotiate down the tariffs. In the end, we’ll see what happens, we’ll see what the update is, but we don’t want to harm Apple.”

… CNBC: What is Tim Cook supposed to do? HASSETT: “They need to move their stuff onshore as much as possible to make it so that the US economy is secure and not prone to Chinese extortion.”

… James Surowiecki, former Financial Editor for the New Yorker: “Trump threatened Apple with a company-specific tariff because it's going to make iPhones in India, not China. Are we supposed to be worried about Indian ‘extortion’ too?”

… Reuters reports that despite overall EV sales up 27.8% in Europe in April, Tesla sales fell an astonishing 49%. It was the 4th straight month that Tesla sales have fallen in Europe. Tesla's European market share is now down to 0.7%.

… Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has been getting abused on social media by Trump supporters after he took his strong stand against the budget bill. He responded to his MAGA trolls with this post today: “If we’re going to have campaign disclosure laws at all, the paid grifters on X and other platforms should be required to disclose who’s paying them to influence elections.”

… Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello responded to the Trump v. Springsteen feud: “Trump is just mad at him because Bruce draws a bigger audience.”

… As more details emerge on Trump’s pardon late yesterday of VA Sheriff Scott Jenkins, it just keeps getting more disgusting. BBC: “Jenkins was found guilty of 1 count of conspiracy, 4 counts of honest services fraud and 7 counts of bribery concerning programs receiving fed funds. Prosecutors said he accepted bribes from 8 people, including 2 undercover FBI agents. The men who bribed Jenkins paid for auxiliary deputy sheriff positions so they could avoid traffic tickets and carry concealed firearms without a permit.”

… Former US Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer to CBS: "The typical way of approaching a grant of clemency would be to look for somebody who has accepted responsibility for the crime they were convicted of, and who has demonstrated growth and rehabilitation after serving some or all of the sentence that was imposed. It's not the type of case that in normal times would receive any consideration for a pardon because the sheriff has not served any of his sentence."

… Ed Martin, who is now serving as the US Pardon Attorney after his nomination for DC US Attorney was rejected by the Senate, posted this comment about his decision to recommend a pardon for Sheriff Jenkins: “No MAGA left behind.”

Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

… NYT on another pardon: “Weeks before Trump pardoned Paul Walczak, his mother, Elizabeth Fago, attended a $1M/head ‘candlelight dinner’ with Trump for MAGA Inc. Walczak's pardon application emphasized Fago's financial support for Trump and her connection to a plot to publicize Ashley Biden's diary. A judge sentenced Paul Walczak to 18 months in prison and $4.4M in restitution, declaring there “is not a get-out-of-jail-free card” for the rich. Trump's pardon indicated otherwise, sparing Walczak from serving even 1 day in prison or paying any of the $4.4M.”

… Former Rep. Tom Malinowski: “Guy steals his workers' Social Security contributions to buy himself a yacht. His mom donates $1 million to Trump for a pardon. The pardon not only gets him out of jail - it saves him $4 million in restitution payments. Pretty good return for bribing the president.”

… Politico reports that House Democrats have set June 24 as the date of their election for the crucial ranking member of the Oversight Committee to replace Rep. Gerry Connolly who just died. The candidates will be Reps. Jasmine Crockett (TX), Stephen Lynch (MA), Kweisi Mfume (MD) and Robert Garcia (CA).

… Politico: “Trump Media, whose controlling shareholder is Trump - has entered into deals with about 50 large investors that will raise $2.5 billion for the company through both stock and debt. The company plans to use the funds to create a ‘bitcoin Treasury,’ a move that further deepens the footprint of the president’s business empire in the $3.5 trillion cryptocurrency market.”

… Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes: “We view Bitcoin as an apex instrument of financial freedom, and now Trump Media will hold cryptocurrency as a crucial part of our assets. Our first acquisition of a crown jewel asset, this investment will help defend our company against harassment and discrimination by financial institutions, which plague many Americans and US firms.”

LOL! DEVIN NUNES SUED EVERYONE & LOST, INCLUDING A COW! LOOK IT UP! LIED ABOUT 'FAMILY FARM' THAT WAS NOT IN CALIFORNIA, BUT IN IOWA, HIRING UNDOCUMENT IMMIGRANTS....

Devin Nunes’s Family Farm Is Hiding a Politically Explosive Secret

Rep. Devin Nunes is head of the House Intelligence Committee and one of President Trump’s biggest defenders. For years, he’s spun himself as a straight talker whose no-BS values are rooted in his family’s California dairy farm. So why did his parents and brother cover their tracks after quietly moving the farm to Iowa? Are they hiding something politically explosive? On the ground in Iowa, Esquire searched for the truth—and discovered a lot of paranoia and hypocrisy.

ESQUIRE

… NY Post: “Mayor Eric Adams is expected to head to Las Vegas for a massive bitcoin summit, where President Trump is slated to speak. Also expected to attend: VP JD Vance, Trump's sons, fed crypto czar David Sacks.”

… Trump reminded people that he is only able to engage in his tariff mania because Republicans in congress voted to give him the authority: “I was extremely satisfied with the 50% Tariff allotment on the EU, especially since they were ‘slow walking’ (to put it mildly!), our negotiations with them. Remember, I am empowered to ‘SET A DEAL” for Trade into the US if we are unable to make a deal, or are treated unfairly.”

… He also posted this about Canada: “I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer!”

… Since I speak fluent Trump, let me explain this. Trump announced his Golden Dome thing without checking with Canada. He can’t do it without Canada’s cooperation. Now Canada is using it as leverage in trade negotiations. So dumbass Trump is clowning to find a way to make it work because Canada now has him by his tiny balls.

… Knowing how much Trump loves the British royal family and King Charles, Canada invited him to open that country’s parliament. Today he became the first British monarch to do that since 1977. Although Charles did not mention Trump by name, his speech was clearly directed at him: "Today, Canada faces another critical moment. Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination and freedom are values which Canadians hold dear and ones which the govt is determined to protect. The system of open global trade that, while not perfect, has helped to deliver prosperity for Canadians for decades, is changing. Canada's relationships with partners are also changing."

… Charles: “Many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them. Fundamental change is always unsettling. Yet this moment is also an incredible opportunity. An opportunity for renewal. The govt will discharge its duty to protect Canadians and their sovereign rights, from wherever challenges may come at home or abroad.”

… Trump continues to attack Democrats on an issue that consistently polls 80-20% against them: “CA, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow “MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.” This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won “everything,” and is now qualified to compete in the “State Finals” next weekend. As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS. Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to. The Governor, himself, said it is “UNFAIR.” I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go??? In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!”

PILL PUSHER RONNY JACKSON, NO LONGER A LICENSED PHYSICIAN, QUIETLY DEMOTED BY THE NAVY FOR HIS CONDUCT INCLUDING DRINKING ON THE JOB & INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT...

… Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX): If the Democrats had a single brain cell, they would have learned in November that the AMERICAN PEOPLE have REJECTED their sick TRANS AGENDA! Parents across this nation are DONE with the RADICAL left’s attempts to indoctrinate and confuse our children.”

… The Trump campaign spent the most money in 2024 on ads about migrant crime. They spent the 2nd most money on ads about trans athletes in women’s sports. They did that because the polls were overwhelmingly good for them on both issues. He basically ran on those two issues in the swing states, blanketing them with ads on both. Obviously, they are going to keep doing it as long as they have the issue.

… Democrat and 9-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova, commenting on that and an article about women’s rights organizations recently coming out against trans athletes in women’s sports: “When will the Democrats wake up from this regressive policy???”

… CBS reported that the Trump admin is moving 500 border agents to the interior of the country to help ICE round up migrants for deportation: “CBP teams would also include members of the agency's Office of Field Operations, which oversees legal entry points into the US, and Air and Marine Operations, a specialized law enforcement unit with maritime and aerial assets. CBP agents and officers assigned to the effort are expected to assist their counterparts in ICE's 25 field offices.”

… Immigration expert Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “After spending YEARS attacking Biden for diverting federal border agents away from their normal duties to do other things, the Trump admin is about to divert federal border agents away from their normal duties to do other things.”

… DHS Sec DOG KILLER Kristi Noem spent the last several days in the Middle East having a good time again at taxpayer expense.

 

Donald Admits To Protecting Putin 5.27.25 Ally Sammarco May 28 Happy Tuesday and welcome back to Common Sense, your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. We hope you had a restful long weekend. Trump apparently mad at Putin over repeated air raids on Ukraine but won’t take any action to stop him… Politico reports, “President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled that his patience with Vladimir Putin is running thin, warning the Russian leader that he is ‘playing with fire’ by refusing to engage in serious peace talks about ending the war in Ukraine. But Trump, frustrated that Putin has shrugged at his offer to reset relations with the U.S. following a peace settlement, still hasn’t decided to shift gears.” Despite the “tough” talk, Trump has not joined Ukraine’s European allies in moving forward with a harsher set of sanctions against Moscow, as he had pledged to do. He also implies that he has protected Vladimir Putin from other “bad things” or consequences. Anti-vax RFK Jr. removes Covid vax recommendation for healthy kids and pregnant women… ABC News reports, “Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday announced the removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's immunization schedule for ‘healthy children and pregnant women’ — a move that could alter guidance for doctors as well as some insurance coverage. Kennedy, one of the nation's most publicly recognized vaccine skeptics, made the announcement in a video post on his X account, where he stood between Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya — both of whom are doctors.” RFK Jr. states, apparently without irony, "We're now one step closer to realizing President Trump's promise to Make America Healthy Again.” Common Sense with Ally Sammarco is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Trump asks Supreme Court to help him immediately deport immigrants to countries unknown to them… NBC News reports, “The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to make it easier for officials to deport convicted criminals to "third countries" that are not their countries of origin. The administration is seeking to block an injunction in which Massachusetts-based U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy said the affected immigrants nationwide should be given a ‘meaningful opportunity’ to raise concerns that they may be at risk of torture, persecution or death. Murphy later clarified that they should have at least 10 days to bring their claims. Just last week, he said the administration had violated his previous order by flying eight migrants to South Sudan. The men are now being held in a U.S. facility in Djibouti.” NPR and three local stations sue Trump for executive order that illegally bars Congressionally appropriated funds… NPR reports, “NPR and three Colorado public radio stations filed suit Tuesday morning in federal court against the Trump White House over the president's executive order that purportedly bars the use of Congressionally appropriated funds for NPR and PBS.” The filing states, "It is not always obvious when the government has acted with a retaliatory purpose in violation of the First Amendment. 'But this wolf comes as a wolf.’ The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President's view, their news and other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased." Trump has tried and failed in many federal courts to assert the executive branch can usurp the Constitutional role of the legislative branch to appropriate funds. Today’s Furry Friend Meet this six-ounce pika who thinks he’s a florist… Today’s Buzz HBO’s Harry Potter series announces cast… The Hollywood Reporter writes, “HBO’s Harry Potter TV series has found its Harry, Ron and Hermione. The trio of Hogwarts freshmen are newcomers to Hollywood. This time, Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton is Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout is the new Ron Weasley. In the films, those roles were played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, respectively. There were eight Harry Potter films and a series of three Fantastic Beasts movies — a spinoff of the original IP. Author J.K. Rowling wrote seven Harry Potter books; the eighth book in the series was split into two movies.” Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin, and Alastair Stout will star in HBO’s Harry Potter series. Thank you for tuning back in with us – check back tomorrow evening for the next edition of Common Sense.

 

Today in Politics, Bulletin 137. 5/23/25

Ron Filipkowski May 23 ∙

… Corruption King Trump hosted his crypto dinner at his country club near DC, which was advertised as a competition where the people who paid the most money for his scam got invites. He flew there in a government helicopter with secret service and used the presidential seal on his podium at the event.

… Constitutional lawyer George Conway made an excellent point about Trump’s crypto scam - which is the single largest fraud and conflict of interest by far in American political history. Since Trump has now personally involved himself in it during his presidency, and since Karoline Leavitt said that this was on his “personal time” not related to his job as president, that means he will not qualify for presidential immunity for anything related to this scam.

… NBC reported that the 220 guests spent a combined $394 million on the Trump coin, which is an average of $1.78 million per person. Trump and the WH refused to disclose the guest list, although we have learned about some from their social media posts. Crypto billionaire Justin Sun is the biggest purchaser at $75 million. Sun was under investigation by the SEC for market manipulation, but that was magically “put on hold” in Feb. I wonder how that happened?

… Christoph Heuermann, who is from Germany, posted about the dinner on IG: “I got to see some very rich crypto billionaires. But the majority of the crowd were young professionals from the crypto space hailing mostly from Europe. A fair share of Chinese and a few Americans, but a great diversity of most European countries. People working mostly for crypto exchanges, funds, market makers or just trading themselves. Very nice networking.”

… The dinner they got looked overcooked, unimaginative and under seasoned - but I’m admittedly a foodie snob so maybe it’s just me who thinks that. This may seem trivial to you, but I pay attention to these things because they are a window into the soul. This was it.

… Bloomberg: “Already since the early days of his reelection campaign, Trump has more than doubled his net worth to about $5.4B. The approach is clear, the Trump’s are selling the family name - and doing it at scale. They are doing things they did not do the first term. They’re licensing their name to billions of dollars in projects around the world, and the deals include foreign govts. But Trump pledged going in that there would not be any new deals with foreign govts.”

… WH Spokesperson Anna Kelly: “President Trump is working to secure good deals for the American people, not for himself. President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public – which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) on CNN: “This might be close to the top of the most corrupt things that the president has done. There are 200+ anonymous individuals who paid their way to meet with Trump. Because they know their names wouldn’t be disclosed, it is likely there are probably a bunch of corrupt people in the room who don’t want their audience with the president to be public. This is corruption, old fashioned corruption but out in the open for everybody to see. I wish we knew who was there, I wish they would release that list.”

… Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to Meidas: “Trump’s dinner is an orgy of corruption. That’s what this is all about - corruption in its ugliest form. Maybe you’re the guy who really needs a pardon, maybe you’re the one who really needs a criminal investigation dropped, maybe you’re the country that needs your tariffs lowered. Trump says he’s the decision maker for all of this. How do you get his ear? Well, you could offer him a $400 million jet or you could buy a bunch of his Trump coins. He’s showing the ways to buy influence with him.”

… Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR): “There is a big ‘For Sale’ sign on the WH lawn - ‘US Policy For Sale’. Anyone who thinks those 220 people attending the dinner tonight who paid about $150 million for those seats just really craved to have a digital equivalent of a baseball trading card, well, you’re a little off the mark. They absolutely want to buy influence over US policy.”

… Even Republican Rep. French Hill (R-AR) was a bit squeamish about it on CNBC: "The Trump family activity in the memecoin space makes my work in Congress more complicated. I view the dinner last night as, you know, whatever - that's to me a distraction."

… Before heading off for 3-day weekend of golf this afternoon, Trump created more economic chaos and sent markets into another panic with early morning posts on Truth Social that he was looking to impose a 25% tariff on Apple’s iPhones and a 50% of all products from the EU.

TARIFF LUNACY!

… Trump at 7:43 AM: “The EU, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the US on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with. Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the US of more than $250B a year, a number which is totally unacceptable. Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the EU, starting on June 1.”

… Treasury Sec Scott Bessent was asked on Fox if he was close to a trade deal with Japan. He isn’t. So he was asked if there are any deal imminent: “We're far along with India. There are 18 important trading partners. With the exception of the EU, most are negotiating in very good faith. We're gonna have to see.”

… They said on April 11 there would be 90 deals in 90 days. That was 42 days ago. There is one weak deal with the UK that favors them more than us. But we have the concepts of lots of other deals. Any day now. Golden Era.

… Trump at 7:19 AM: “I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the US will be manufactured and built in the US, not India, or anyplace else. If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the US. Thank your for your attention to this matter!”

… Before flying off to Bedminster, Trump was asked why he would want to hurt an American company, and what gave him the authority to tariff an individual company. Trump: “It would be more. It would also be Samsung and any other company that makes that product or it would not be fair.”

… His brain is mush.  [THANK YOU RON! WELL SAID!]

… Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives said that over 50% of iPhones sold in the US are made in India, and if they are all manufactured here they would cost $3,500 each: "We believe the concept of Apple producing iPhones in the US is a fairy tale that is not feasible.”

… Economist Justin Wolfers: “It's on the tip of my tongue, but it still eludes me. Who was the great economic thinker who argued that decisions about what individual companies should produce, in which factory, and where, were choices best made by the government as part of their central plan?”

… Mao? Stalin? Mussolini?

… CNBC asked Rep. French Hill (R-AR) what Trump meant when he said he was going to "recommend" a 50% tariff on the EU, and who he was going to recommend it to. French: “I don’t know.”

… I guess Trump’s closest allies in Congress know as much as we do about all this.

PARDON MY INTRUSION, BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND! 

LET'S SAY YOU HAVE A $1,000 BOND THAT PAY 4% 

BECAUSE THE 'YIELD' - THE INTEREST RATE GOES UP, YOUR BOND IS 

WORTH LESS BECAUSE BUYERS ARE SHUNNING U.S. DEBT!

… Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) to Meidas: Moskowitz: “You’re seeing the bond market go down. The yields on those bonds are going up because no one wants to buy our debt. The stock market is down today because, guess what—we’re back to tariffs. I thought the president learned his lesson, didn’t you? Now we’re raising tariffs on the EU and on Apple again.”

… “This, unfortunately, is what happens when you lose elections. Elections have consequences. They have all of govt. They have no brakes. They’re drunk with power. And the only way we’re going to send a message to them—the only way we’re going to be able to put brakes on this and stop it—is to make Hakeem Jeffries Speaker.”

… Quartz: “Mortgage rates surged to 7.08% this week. That means housing, already unaffordable for millions of Americans, just got even less affordable. Adding to the turmoil, Trump said in a Truth Social post that he’s seriously considering re-privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. While details remain vague, the move would almost certainly strip the agencies of their quasi-sovereign status, prompting a credit downgrade and likely pushing mortgage rates even higher. At a time when housing affordability is already straining household finances, that threat isn’t helping inspire confidence.”

… ABC published audio from Trump’s Social Security Administrator Frank Bisignano talking about how he got the gig: "So, I get a phone call and it's about Social Security. And I'm really not, I swear I'm not looking for a job. And I'm like, 'Well, what am I going to do?' So, I'm Googling ‘Social Security’. I'm like, 'What the heck is the Commissioner of Social Security?'"

… All the most qualified people. I feel better.

… US District Judge Allison Burroughs granted a temporary restraining order blocking DHS SecretaryDOG KILLER Kristi Noem’s order to revoke visas for foreign students at Harvard. A hearing on Harvard’s emergency lawsuit was set for Tuesday morning.

… In the lawsuit, Harvard alleged that Noem’s order will have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders. With the stroke of a pen, the govt has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission. Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”

… Harvard also said in the lawsuit that the order is already hurting them with “future applicants who may shy away from applying out of fear of further reprisals from the govt.”

… New Republican Rep. Randy Fine, who just won the special election in FL with Trump’s endorsement: "We should not be bringing people into America to get an education who hate us. They should be coming here to get an education, and frankly they should keep their mouths shut beyond that."

… Former Harvard President Lawrence Summers: “This is madness. I cannot imagine a greater strategic gift that we could be giving to China and Russia, the enemies of freedom around the world. If this is allowed to stand, it is going to be incredibly damaging to Harvard. But that is the least of it. It is much more profound in how damaging this will be to the standing, the role and the position of the US. We used to be a beacon to the world. We're now becoming a negative example. I imagine there must be great joy in Beijing and Moscow, seeing us implode with these kinds of policies.”

… Summers: “Harvard is doing just the right thing. This is extortion. It's a vendetta using all powers of the govt because of a political argument with Harvard. It is violating the First Amendment. It is also violating all the laws we have regarding administrative procedures. The consequences are real, whether it's students who are dissidents from tyrannies who are going to be sent home and possibly be imprisoned, whether it's labs that are fighting cancer or diabetes, that are going to lose key people - some small fraction of whom are going to go on to be Prime Ministers of countries who've now been turned into enemies of the US.”

… Zheng Fang, a 1996 graduate of Harvard Business School whose Keywise Capital Management oversees $2.5 billion in investments from Hong Kong, to Bloomberg: “I was shocked. This will not only jeopardize Harvard’s academic strength, but also hurt US competitiveness. While a lot of businesses start in the US, for them to be trillion-dollar companies they need to go global. If you don’t have the global market, your success is capped.”

… Michal Galek-Aldridge, co-founder of Amsterdam-based college admissions consultancy Think Smart: “A Harvard devoid of its international student population—who comprise 27% of the student body—would suffer a profound diminishment of its global influence.”

… Sam Cox, with London-based college consultancy A-List: “Not long ago, a US offer from an Ivy League school or MIT often trumped a place at Oxford or Cambridge. Today, we’re seeing those same students prioritize the UK, citing a more predictable and welcoming environment.”

Reminder that I am off on Saturdays so next Bulletin will recap the weekend, which will be out on Sunday night. We were going to go to opening day at the seaside amusement park on Old Orchard Beach here in Maine, but the weather isn’t cooperating. So we are going to see the new Mission Impossible in IMAX and go out to dinner. Nothing too exciting this weekend!

If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, which was a long one that almost killed me, you can find it here. Btw, I do read all your comments every morning - I am sorry I don’t usually have time to reply but I appreciate all the kind words of support for my work very much. It is also helpful to me to hear about what matters most to you and what is most impactful in the news.

I am the one who decides what goes in here of course, but I also am very open-minded and listen to what everyone has to say because this is your column as much as it is mine. At least that’s how I look at it.

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… There is one small problem for Trump on his dream of building a ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense shield - he can’t build it without Canada’s cooperation. And right now, given how he has treated them, Canada isn’t exactly eager to just agree to anything Trump wants to do. Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar: “There’s a lot we just don’t know. There’s a lot that needs to be revealed about how the economic and security partnership with America and Canada will unfold.”

… Trump just assumed Canada would be thrilled with his plan: “They want to have protection also, so as usual, we help Canada.”

… But maybe he should have checked with Canada first before he decided to insult them again over this. PM Mark Carney: “It’s something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level. But one negotiates on this.”

… Politico: “Canada has nearly 4 million square miles of territory. That airspace offers a crucial line of sight for US sensors to shoot down missiles that Beijing and Moscow are developing to fly over the North Pole — a huge gap in American air defenses.

… Retired AF General Glen Van Herck, who was in charge of US Northern Command until last year: “What Canada really brings is terrain. If we can position, or Canada positions, over-the-horizon radars further north in the Arctic, that dramatically increases the US and Canada’s ability to see over the pole into Russia, into China and other places.”

… RFK Jr. is already walking back is promise that HHS will discover the cause of autism by September. To CNN: “We’ll have some of the information in probably 6 months.” (That’s November 23).

… Secretary Brainworm then had this enlightening exchange:

CNN: You said that people should not take your medical advice?

RFK Jr: People should not be taking medical advice from somebody who's not a physician. And they should also be skeptical about any medical advice, they need to do their own research.

CNN: You told Congress “we have a team on the ground in Milwaukee.” But the city said that's not true.

RFK Jr: CDC is giving them assistance with their labs, their analytics and advice.

CNN: They just said one technician was on the ground.

RFK Jr: I can't tell you how many are on the ground.

… US public health is in good hands. MAGA!

… Attorneys for immigrants dismissed a complaint they previously filed without prejudice, which allows them to refile it at a later time or in a different court. Kristi Noem then posted a copy of the Voluntary Dismissal with this classy caption:

… NOTUS reported on the closed-door meeting this week when Trump went to Capitol Hill to bully conservative budget hawks to go along with his deficit-exploding budget. Trump got into it with Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, who ended up changing his vote from a No to voting Present: “At one point, Trump began pointing his finger and cursing at Harris, ‘You’re stupid if you vote against this bill!’”

… Fox to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the House budget: Q - This bill adds trillions to our debt. How is that acceptable to the admin? Bessent: “You're referring to the CBO scoring, which, I believe, is DC style scoring.”

… No, it is non-partisan, apolitical scoring. What Bessent wants is “dynamic scoring” of economic growth projections to unrealistic levels to create an artificially large amount of projected revenue coming in so his deficits don’t look so horrendous after their huge tax cuts.

… Despite House Republicans patting themselves on the back, Senate Republicans are saying that they do not intend to vote for their budget. Majority Leader John Thune: “We are going to write our own bill.”

… Thune was asked about the agreement that was reached in the House on SALT: “The House had to make a deal. But our members want to be heard on it and I assume we’ll have something to say.”

… Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) to CNN: “Somebody’s got to be the dad that says, ‘I know y’all want to go to Disney World, but we can’t afford it.’ I guess I’m going to be that guy.”

… I don’t want Ron Johnson as my dad, and I don’t want to go to Disney World with him. But neither does Mike Johnson in this case.

… Johnson was asked how he will react if Trump starts threatening him: “I couldn't care less if he's upset. I'm concerned about my children and grandchildren. $37T in debt and we're going to add to it? There is no way I'm going to vote for this bill in its current form.”

… Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has an issue with Medicaid cuts in the House bill: “There are provisions in there that are very, very, very challenging, if not impossible, for us to implement.”

… Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is concerned: “I have said and made clear that I do not want to take away Medicaid benefits.”

… Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) says the Senate isn’t going to pass the House plan, so the House is going to have to agree to theirs: “At some point, we have to send the bill back to them and they’ll have a binary decision to make. And it will be, ‘Is a yes vote in passage better than if it doesn’t pass?’ I hope that’s the way they’ll look at it.”

… This is going well.

… Cramer was asked by CNN about criticism of Republican Senators by right-wing House members on the budget: “It’s rich coming from the Freedom Caucus, who are supposed to be fiscal conservatives and end up with not that conservative of a bill to lecture us.”

… Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to the House: “You had your chance. There’s some of these cuts that are not real, and we’re talking about over a decade, if you do a trillion and a half in spending cuts, that’s like 1.5%. So, let’s don’t get higher on our horse here that we’ve somehow made some major advancement of reducing spending, because we didn’t.”

… Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD): “Once the Senate weighs in on it, I think we’ll have a different opinion about what the bill looks like. We can negotiate about a lot of other things, except for spectrum, which has got to come out. We’re a long ways from the finish line.”

(Spectrum is Trump’s plan to put a chunk of band-width used by DOD up for auction, which is something wireless providers have been lobbying him about. Rounds said the Senate doesn’t want to do that).

… SecDef Pete Hegseth, constantly paranoid about someone in the Pentagon talking to the press about the crazy shit he’s doing on a daily basis, issued a new set of rules today for the media restricting their access to the building and banning them from common areas where DOD employees tend to congregate when they aren’t working. Why are they constantly trying to hide everything from the public?

… Post and Courier (SC): “A political strategist for Rep. Nancy Mace testified in a deposition that the congresswoman once asked him to pressure her former fiancé into giving her full ownership of their two jointly held homes and threatened to use images she'd found on her ex's cellphone as leverage if he refused. Strategist Wesley Donehue said he interpreted it as a blackmail threat.”

… Donehue also described Mace as someone prone to embellishing stories and "unstable - she sees black helicopters everywhere."

… I’m shocked.

… This photo is now hanging in the West Wing of the White House.