Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Zelensky's five moves that set off Trump
Axios | Marc Caputo | 02/21/25

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky angered Donald Trump so much during the peace talks with Russia that Trump was on the verge of withdrawing American military support from Ukraine, three U.S. officials familiar with the discussions tell Axios.

Why it matters: The conflict between Trump and Zelensky escalated into a war of words between the two that scared European allies who are worried about emboldening Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and rewarding his brutal expansionism.

"President Trump is obviously very frustrated right now with President Zelensky," National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said Thursday at the White House press briefing. ... ... ... Read more

Schumer battles Thune in Senate "vote-a-rama" all-nighter
Axios | Stephen Neukam | 02/21/25

For Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the overnight session on Thursday is about proving Democrats have a path - and the guts - to get out of the political wilderness.

Why it matters: Schumer sees the budget "vote-a-rama" as his shot to convince voters that President Trump's GOP serves billionaires, not the working-class people who make up the new MAGA coalition. Axios scooped Schumer's thinking earlier this week.

Democrats are expected to offer about 40 amendments as part of the debate over the Senate GOP's $300 billion budget reconciliation package.

The amendments - which aren't expected to pass — are designed to pin Republicans between what's good for their reelections and what could infuriate Trump. ... Read more

Critics say Trump's executive orders to reshape the NIH 'will kill' Americans
The Guardian | Jessica Glenza | 02/20/25

Academics and scientists who work with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said the Trump administration’s orders have severely disrupted work - delaying projects and casting the future of research funding and jobs into doubt as chaos in the agency reigns.

An array of orders seeks to fundamentally reshape the NIH, the world's largest public funder of biomedical and behavioral research, in the Trump administration's image. The agency's work is the wellspring of scientific advancement in the US, and helped make the country a dominant force in health and science.

"They will have drastic effects on all of us - this is not hyperbole, this is fact," said Todd Wolfson, the president of the American Association of University Professors and an anthropologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. ... Read more

Looking for the stupidest man, Look for the person who is cruelest | zen_by_beanatta | 01/30/25 | 1:21

IRS reportedly set to fire 6,000 workers at the height of tax-filing season
The Guardian | Leonie Chao-Fong | 02/20/25

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is expected to fire thousands of its probationary employees as early as today, according to reports on Wednesday.

About 6,000 IRS employees are reportedly slated for termination, with further reductions in the size of the agency expected as part of the Trump administration's push to downsize the federal work force.

The terminations will reportedly target relatively recent hires who do not enjoy as much job protection. They are described as largely auditors and support workers involved in compliance work, CNN reports.

The move would come during peak tax-filing season in the US. ... Read more

Trump's mega-MAGA month transforms America
Axios | Zachary Basu | 02/20/25

President Trump's first month in office has exceeded the wildest dreams of his most loyal supporters, and the darkest nightmares of his fiercest detractors.

Why it matters: Both groups can agree: The America that Joe Biden left behind on Jan. 20 is no longer recognizable, erased in four frenetic weeks by an empowered, implacable and historically popular MAGA presidency.

Like Trump 1.0, the firehose of news and norm-busting behavior is - and will continue to be - the defining feature of this administration.

Unlike Trump 1.0, the chaos is calculated - and explicitly designed to institutionalize MAGA, paralyze the president's enemies and permanently break the Washington establishment. ...

Zelenskyy: 'President Trump is living in this disinformation space' | DW News | 02/19/25| 19:24

Key takeaways from Trump and Musk's "Hannity" interview
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 02/19/25

President Trump and Elon Musk defended the DOGE-led overhaul of the federal workforce and agencies during an interview on Fox News' "Hannity" that aired on Tuesday night. The big picture: The pair praised each other during the interview as they pushed back against Democrats' criticism of DOGE, Trump declared "inflation is back" and the president revealed how much X paid him to settle a lawsuit, while Fox News' Sean Hannity noted: " I feel like I'm interviewing two brothers."

1. Trump says X paid him $10 million to settle lawsuit
2. "Inflation's back. ... I had nothing to do with that"
3. Trump and Musk on conflict of interest concerns
4. Defending criticism of DOGE
5. DOGE's $1 trillion goal

Sean Hannity 2/18/25 FULL HD | FOX BREAKING NEWS TRUMP | How to Trading in Crypto Currency Bitcoin | Amarnath Rai | 02/18/25| 1:05:38

There are many ways Trump could trigger a global collapse. Here's how to survive if that happens
The Guardian | George Monbiot | 02/19/25

Though we might find it hard to imagine, we cannot now rule it out: the possibility of systemic collapse in the United States. The degradation of federal government by Donald Trump and Elon Musk could trigger a series of converging and compounding crises, leading to social, financial and industrial failure.

There are several possible mechanisms. Let's start with an obvious one: their assault on financial regulation. Trump's appointee to the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Russell Vought, has suspended all the agency's activity, slashed its budget and could be pursuing Musk’s ambition to "delete" the bureau.

But the hazards extend much further. Musk, calling for a "wholesale removal of regulations", sends his child soldiers to attack government departments stabilising the entire US system. Regulations, though endlessly maligned by corporate and oligarchic propaganda, are all that protect us from multiple disasters. In its initial impacts, deregulation is class war, hitting the poorest and the middle classes at the behest of the rich. As the effects proliferate, it becomes an assault on everyone's wellbeing. ... Read more

Polar vortex-tied Arctic blast to break dozens of cold weather records
Click to enlarge
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 02/18/25

An Arctic blast tied in part to the polar vortex is driving record frigid air south from the Northern Plains toward the Gulf Coast Tuesday in a cold snap that will last the entire week.

Threat level: This event is forecast to set records for the coldest temperatures on record for this late in the season, and bring below-zero Fahrenheit wind chills as far south as Texas and Arkansas.

By the numbers: The National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting wind chills as cold as minus-35degrees F to minus-60degrees F across the northern Plains for multiple days.

Conditions this cold can cause frostbite to exposed skin in just a few minutes. ... Read more

What Trump, Musk moves on USAID could mean for other government agencies | 60 Minutes | 02/17/25 | 13:22

A legal look at Trump's executive sprint | 60Minutes | 02/17/25 | 6:25

U.S. and Russian officials meet in Saudi Arabia on Ukraine war
Axios | Barak Ravid | 02/18/25

What they're saying: "The talks went well," Ushakov told Russian media on Tuesday.

1. He said the parties discussed the conditions for a Trump-Putin summit but stressed there is no date set.
2. Ushakov added that the parties agreed to start negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.article

Waltz said in a briefing with reporters that during the meeting the U.S. side discussed its core principles for any future deal between Russia and Ukraine.

1. "This should be a permanent end to the war and not a temporary one as it was in the past," he said.
2. Waltz added that any future negotiations will have to include talks on territory and security guarantees.

... Read more

Trump 2.0: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 02/17/25 | 34:51

DOGE seeks access to IRS system with sensitive taxpayer data
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 02/17/25

An Internal Revenue Service employee connected with the Elon Musk-led DOGE team is set to seek access to an IRS system that includes sensitive taxpayer data, the Washington Post first reported Sunday and Axios can confirm.

Why it matters: President Trump has given DOGE powers to oversee government agencies and the federal workforce with the goal of cutting bloat, but his administration is facing several lawsuits accusing it of violating privacy laws in regards to accessing sensitive data.

The big picture: The Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS) enables certain IRS employees "to have instantaneous visual access to certain taxpayer accounts," per an agency post.

It can be used for researching "account information and requesting returns" and automatically "generating notices, collection documents and other outputs," according to the IRS. ... Read more

This Winter Pattern Is About To Get A LOT Worse... | Max Velocity - Severe Weather Center | 02/16/25 | 8:45

U.S.-Russia meeting on Ukraine war to take place in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
Axios | Barak Ravid | 02/17/25

The meeting between senior U.S. and Russia officials to discuss a possible agreement on ending the war in Ukraine and prepare for a Trump-Putin summit will take place on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, two sources with direct knowledge told Axios Sunday.

Why it matters: The meeting will be another significant step in improving U.S.-Russia relations since the breakthrough that happened last week with the phone call between President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The meeting created a lot of anxiety and frustration in the Ukrainian government, which is concerned about a U.S.-Russian deal behind Kyiv's back. ... Read more

The conservative delemma to unpacked by Samuel Perry | philosifind | 01/07/25 | 54s

Why Trump targets AP
Axiios | Marc Caputo | 02/17/25

One of the big reasons President Trump is limiting AP reporters' White House access is to protest what aides see as years of liberal word choices that the wire service's influential stylebook spread across mainstream media, according to top White House officials.

Why it matters: The trigger was the announcement by The Associated Press that it would continue using the 400-year-old "Gulf of Mexico" rather than switch to "Gulf of America," as declared by Trump in a Day 1 executive order. But it turns out that broader underlying grievances made AP a target.

The big picture: By spotlighting AP, Trump is amplifying Republican and conservative criticisms that the AP Stylebook, a first reference for most U.S. news organizations, shapes political dialogue by favoring liberal words and phrases concerning gender, immigration, race and law enforcement. ... Read more

Trump's split screen: Orchestration amid chaos
Axios | Mike Allen,Marc Caputo | 02/14/25

As President Trump nears his term's one-month mark next week, a White House adviser is keeping a calendar tracking daily wins, losses and "jump balls" - and loves the result so far.

Why it matters: Insiders tell us Trump, who came into office feeling ebullient and empowered, is just getting more confident - fueled by his expected clean sweep of Cabinet confirmations, plus a CBS News poll showing 53% approval amid his aggressive "flood the zone" opening actions.

The big picture: The midterm map has gotten more favorable for the GOP with the retirement announcements Thursday by Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and by Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) a week into Trump's term - two more hot battleground seats for Dems to defend in an already tough cycle.

Privately, there's an undercurrent of worry in Trumpworld that political gravity could weigh him down — especially if inflation rises. The looming debt ceiling and government-funding fights could be messy. ... Read more

Trump administration fires thousands of federal workers as purge deepens
Axios | Emily Peck | 02/14/25

The Trump administration over the past two days has fired thousands of federal workers with jobs reportedly ranging from wildfire prevention to medical research.

Why it matters: A mass firing on this scale is unprecedented - and will likely vastly reshape the way the federal government works, or doesn't, for many years to come.

State of play: The White House has not released a tally yet of how many employees were fired and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Axios.

Agencies have been given until 8pm on Tuesday to fire probationary workers, according to a source familiar with the process, though they can make case-by-case exceptions.

There are around 200,000 probationary workers - those who have been at agencies for less than one to two years - across the government.

The firings come after around 75,000 workers accepted a deferred resignation offer engineered by Elon Musk's DOGE. ... Read more

Trump called the press 'the enemy of the people'
TheGuardian | Jodie Ginsberg | 02/14/25

In 1971, the Nixon administration asked for a court order to stop the New York Times from publishing further stories about the so-called Pentagon Papers – documents that showed the US government had escalated its Vietnam war efforts even as it was acknowledging privately that it could not win the war. A temporary restraining order - the first time the US press had been restrained prior to publication - was granted.

But that defiance and solidarity now appears under strain as outlets cave to politically motivated threats from the new administration.

In December, ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump for $15m, a case that many media law experts said they should have fought given the high threshold traditionally required for a public figure such as Trump to prove defamation.

Now CBS looks like it might settle a lawsuit over edits it made to a 60 Minutes interview with the presidential candidate Kamala Harris, which Trump's team allege had been deceptively edited to cast Harris in a more favorable light ahead of the election. (Editing interviews is standard practice in news reporting to avoid repetition.) Initially, CBS refused to hand over the transcripts but following pressure from the FCC, it sent the raw footage and all transcripts to the agency, now led by the Trump appointee Brendan Carr. ... Read more

Major SoCal storm triggers evacuation orders in LA County amid flood threats
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 02/13/25

With the worst of the "significant storm system" set to hit Thursday with heavy rains and gusty winds, Santa Barbara County said on X an evacuation order was also issued for properties associated with a burn scar from the 2024 Lake Fire due to the potential for "flash flooding, debris flow."

In LA County, evacuation warnings were also set to take effect from 7am Thursday through 2pm Friday "due to high mudslide and debris flow risk," according to a statement posted on the LA Fire Department's website.

Among the recently burned areas that the LAFD notes are "especially susceptible to heavy rain" are those affected by the destructive Palisades Fire, including around the Getty Villa art museum, the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills and the Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley. ... Read more

Our Water Crisis Is WAY WORSE than You Think...Here's Why | PBS Terra | 02/12/25 | 25:40

The Emperor's New Tariffs: Small, Ugly and Stupid
Substack | Paul Krugman | 02/12/25

Many people expected Donald Trump to begin a global trade war soon after taking office. Many people in business, however, believed that after all the huffing and puffing he wouldn’t actually impose much in the way of tariffs.

What we actually have so far is Schrödinger's trade war: Is it alive? Is it dead? Yes.

It's hard to believe that just last week Trump seemed dead set on imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, with similar tariffs likely soon against other trading partners. Then, suddenly, he put the whole thing on ice for 30 days. Trump tried to spin it as a victory, claiming falsely that he had won big concessions from our neighbors. But if you looked at what they actually agreed to - basically nothing they weren’t doing already - it was an ignominious retreat. ... Read more

BlackRock: The Company that Owns the World | Jake Tran | 08/10/21 | 14:48

Who ACTUALLY runs the world? | Jake Trans | 2024 | 12:36

Why economists got free trade with China so wrong
NPR | Greg Rosalsky | 02/11/25

By now, many economists are hoarse screaming that higher tariffs and a trade war will raise prices and hurt the U.S. economy.

But many Americans aren't listening. A recent poll by Quinnipiac University, conducted in late January, found that 42% of Americans believe tariffs will help the U.S. economy. The United States' recent history with free trade might help explain the disconnect between economists and a large swath of the American public.

For decades, mainstream economists claimed that free trade would be a clear win for the United States. Sure, they said, there would be some losers. But those losers would get new jobs in a growing economy and basically everything would ultimately be fine. ... Read more

DOGE plans for NOAA, FEMA could have big climate impacts
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 02/12/25

Elon Musk's budgetary chainsaw is looming over U.S. disaster prediction and response agencies - just as climate change is making certain types of extreme weather events more common and intense.

Why it matters: Cutting the Federal Emergency Management Agency - possibly entirely - and slashing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s budget and mission amid a parade of climate disasters could have disastrous consequences.

Between the lines: NOAA's mission is broad and intricately linked with FEMA and state emergency management agencies.

Appearing With Trump, Musk Makes Broad Claims of Federal Fraud Without Proof
NYT | Maggie Haberman, Theodore Schleifer, Zolan Kanno-Youngs | 02/11/25

The billionaire Elon Musk said in an extraordinary Oval Office appearance on Tuesday that he was providing maximum transparency in his government cost-cutting initiative, but offered no evidence for his sweeping claims that the federal bureaucracy had been corrupted by cheats and officials who had approved money for "fraudsters."

The goal is to "restore democracy," Mr. Musk said. "If the bureaucracy's in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?"

Among Mr. Musk's claims, which he offered without providing evidence, was that some officials at the now-gutted U.S. Agency for International Development had been taking "kickbacks." He said that "quite a few people" in the bureaucracy somehow had "managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth while they are in that position," without explaining how he had made that assessment. He later claimed that some recipients of Social Security checks were as old as 150.

"We are actually trying to be as transparent as possible," Mr. Musk said, referring to postings by his team on his social media site, X. "So all of our actions are maximally transparent." ... Read more

Elon Musk's gutting of US agencies is illegal, experts say. How do you muzzle Doge?
The Guardian | Ben Makuch | 02/10/25

Now in 2025, as a "special government employee" heading up the "department of government efficiency" (Doge), Musk is going to war with those kinds of government diversity and inclusion programs and slashing whatever he sees as a "waste" of public coffers.

But legal resistance is mounting, as Doge faces countless lawsuits alleging everything from privacy concerns to free speech violations, which all leads to one important question: is any of this even legal?

Laurence Tribe, one of the nation's leading and preeminent constitutional scholars and a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, has already argued that much of Trump's blitzkrieg of executive orders on the day of his inauguration disregards the US constitution. He told the Guardian he saw Musk's actions as furthering that culture. ... Read more

WE ALREADY HAVE THE GAO -> Government Accountability Office. WHY ISN'T MUSK USING IT!!

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress.[2] It is the supreme audit institution of the federal government of the United States. It identifies its core "mission values" as: accountability, integrity, and reliability.[3] It is also known as the "congressional watchdog".[4] The agency is headed by the Comptroller General of the United States. The comptroller general is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate.

GAO = Government Accountability Office

Government Accountability Office (FULL) - Wikipedia.pdf

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), Wikipedia (link)

Tracking Trump's executive actions by category
Click to enlarge
Axios | Avery Lotz,Sareen Habeshian | 02/11/25

President Trump has signed more than 75 executive orders, memos and proclamations during his first few weeks in office at a pace that surpasses his most recent predecessors'.

The big picture: The executive actions reflect much of Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail: reducing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; cracking down on immigration; and formalizing "America First" foreign policy.

Trump's executive actions - many of which have direct links to Project 2025 - have already had far-reaching impacts, triggering a rapid shakeup of the federal bureaucracy.

Last week, his administration froze humanitarian programs across the globe by empowering the new Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency to take control and make cuts.

The orders Axios has identified and grouped illuminate how the Trump administration is carrying out its agenda, though his actions have raised constitutional questions about the reach of his authority that courts will now weigh in on. ... ... ... Read more

Trump signs order to bring back plastic straws claiming paper ones 'explode' Click to enlarge

Where unemployment is rising and falling
Click to enlarge
Axios | Alex Fitzpatrick | 02/11/25

Nearly 70% of metros ended 2024 with higher unemployment compared to how they began the year.

Unemployment dropped in 95 metros and held steady in 28 others.

Zoom in: Dalton, Georgia (+3.5 percentage points); Asheville, North Carolina (+2.6); and Muskegon, Michigan (+2.1), had the biggest increases in metro-level unemployment.

Kahului, Hawai'i (-2.2); Waterbury, Connecticut (-1.7); and Bridgeport, Connecticut (-1.4), had the biggest decreases. ... Read more

Trump's shock and awe tests Americans' response to chaos
Axios | Tina Reed | 02/10/25

Political anxiety has been building for years as a 24-hour news cycle, social media and algorithms create seemingly endless outlets for strife.

But President Trump's pugnacious style and the breakneck series of changes he and Elon Musk unleashed has ratcheted everything up, delighting his supporters and leaving his critics panicked and without a single rallying point.

Mental health professionals say even people who don't see themselves as directly affected by administration actions are feeling frazzled by the dizzying pace and Trump's enduring ability to command attention.

They may feel it through the venting of a spouse, the distress of a neighbor with a trans child or an anxious friend who works for a government contractor. ... Read more

Union sues Trump admin over CFPB shutdown attempt and DOGE access
Axios | Avery Lotz | 02/10/25

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought was hit with two union lawsuits on Sunday after he issued directives freezing much of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) work.

Why it matters: The CFPB has become the latest target of President Trump's Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), threatening a critical oversight agency that safeguards consumers from unfair business practices.

Vought, who is the acting head of the CFPB, directed employees in a weekend email to halt much of their work, including issuing rules and conducting investigations, multiple outlets reported.

Employees were also informed the agency's headquarters would be closed this week, a move that mirrors how DOGE shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters last week.

CFPB employed some 1,600 people in fiscal year 2023. ... Read more

Homeland Security Secretary Noem says DOGE team has access to agency data
--> CNN | Aileen Graef and Veronica Stracqualursi | 02/09/25

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday acknowledged that Elon Musk's government efficiency team, which has been tasked with slashing federal spending, has access to her agency's data, including that of federal disaster aid recipients' personal information, as part of an "audit" she welcomes.

Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," Noem said that President Donald Trump had "authorized" Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team to gain access to DHS' network, adding that she was "absolutely" comfortable with that.

The Washington Post first reported that members of DOGE, who do not have security clearance, gained access to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's network, which has the private information of Americans who received disaster relief grants. ... Read more

Trump touts 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 02/10/25

President Trump said he'll announce 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on Monday and "reciprocal tariffs" later this week.

The big picture: Trump campaigned on using tariffs to boost the economy and revive the domestic industry, which economists have warned would hit U.S. consumers, though he's so far mostly quickly pulled back on such threats.

Tariffs of 10% remain in effect on Chinese imports, a move that sparked China's government to announce tariffs of 15% on U.S. coal and LNG and 10% on U.S. crude oil, agricultural machinery, large-displacement cars and pickup trucks. ... Read more

Bill Gates on Trump, Musk, U.S.-China and More | WSJ | 01/21/25 | 11:37

The Guardian | David Smith | 02/07/25

Apitiless crackdown on on illegal immigration. A hardline approach to law and order. A purge of "gender ideology" and "wokeness" from the nation's schools. Erosions of academic freedom, judicial independence and the free press. An alliance with Christian nationalism. An assault on democratic institutions.

The "electoral autocracy" that is Viktor Orban's Hungary has been long revered by Donald Trump and his "Make America Great Again" (Maga) movement. Now admiration is turning into emulation. In the early weeks of Trump's second term as US president, analysts say, there are alarming signs that the Orbánisation of America has begun. ... Read more

Congressional Democrats denied entry to EPA headquarters
Axios | Andrew Solender | 02/07/25

A group of House and Senate Democrats said they were denied access to the Environmental Protection Agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Why it matters: It is the third time this week that Democratic lawmakers were blocked from an agency that has been targeted by President Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

On Monday, a large group of Democrats tried to enter the U.S. Agency for International Development - which the administration has moved to shut down - but were refused.

The following day another cohort of Democrats were denied access to the Department of the Treasury, where DOGE staffers have accessed a payment system that doles out funds for federal agencies. ... Read more

In photos: Thousands across the U.S. protest Trump and Musk's policies
Click to enlarge
Axios | Sareen Habeshian | 02/06/25

Thousands gathered in front of state capitols across the U.S. on Wednesday to protest against the Trump administration's aggressive moves to reshape the federal government and American society.

The big picture: Demonstrators nationwide rallied against a slew of policies instated by the president less than three weeks into his term, with protesters denouncing his comments on a U.S. "take over" of Gaza, his immigration crackdown, anti-trans orders and Elon Musk's role in the White House. ... Read more

Confessions of an Economic Hitmen | | 1:54 |

Exclusive: Inside Trump's Gaza takeover stunner
Axios | Marc Caputo,Barak Ravid,Alex Isenstadt | 02/06/26

"This can't go on like this," President Trump said as he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat in the Oval Office on Tuesday, discussing Gaza's rebuild from the rubble.

"Here's what I want to do...," Trump said, according to two officials briefed on the meeting, which included Cabinet members and Trump senior advisers.

Trump then laid out a plan far more ambitious than what he and his aides had discussed earlier in the day: "The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip ... we will develop it."

The White House has cast Trump's takeover plan as an idea worth discussing, but it has walked back one highly controversial part of Trump's plan by saying Palestinians would be relocated from Gaza only temporarily, not permanently as he indicated. ... Read more

What will Trump 2.0 mean for the global world order (multipolar-world)?
The Guardian | Stephen Wertheim | 02/06/25

If the administration is embracing a multipolar world, does that mean the end of American primacy?

Many assumed that Donald Trump's second term as president of the United States would turn out like his first. But this time looks to be different. In his opening weeks, the US president has taken a flurry of actions he never attempted before, wielding sweeping tariffs against the US's neighbors, upending portions of the federal workforce, and attempting to change constitutionally enshrined citizenship laws through executive order.

The early signs on foreign policy are no exception. In his inaugural address, Trump said next to nothing about the issues that have dominated US foreign policy for decades - matters of war and peace in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Instead, he spoke of expanding US territory in the western hemisphere (and going to Mars), harking back explicitly to the 19th-century tradition of manifest destiny. Astoundingly, Trump mentioned China solely for the purpose of accusing it, inaccurately, of operating the Panama Canal. When he turned beyond the Americas, Trump's most telling line signaled restraint: "We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end - and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into." ... Read more

MSNBC Highlights - Feb. 4 | MSNBC | 02/04/25 | 43:30

Trump's Gaza shock wave stuns Middle East and some in White House
Axios | Barak Ravid | 02/05/25

President Trump's stunning declaration that the U.S. could "take over" Gaza surprised many of his own advisers, thrilled right-wing Israelis, and deeply alarmed the governments in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, sources in Washington and around the region tell Axios.

Friction point: Trump's plan to displace two million Palestinians came at a very sensitive point of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal. It could even embolden both Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume the war.

Driving the news: After an Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu, Trump presented his proposal to turn Gaza - largely destroyed by Israel in its war with Hamas - into what he called the "Riviera of the Middle East" and invite "the world's people" to move there.

The sense of shock was palpable among the 150 journalists in the room. ... Read more

GOP at its finest

Doge staffers enter Noaa headquarters and incite reports of cuts and threats
The Guardian | Michael Sainato | 02/04/25

Staffers with Elon Musk's "department of government efficiency" (Doge) reportedly entered the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the Department of Commerce in Washington DC today, inciting concerns of downsizing at the agency.

"They apparently just sort of walked past security and said: 'Get out of my way,' and they're looking for access for the IT systems, as they have in other agencies," said Andrew Rosenberg, a former Noaa official who is now a fellow at the University of New Hampshire. "They will have access to the entire computer system, a lot of which is confidential information."

Project 2025, written by several former Trump staffers, has called for the agency to be "broken up and downsized", claiming the agency is "harmful to US prosperity" for its role in climate science. ... Read more

Trump Backs Off of Tariffs, Senate Advances RFK Jr & We Send LA Firefighters to the Super Bowl | Jimmy Kimmel | 02/05/25 | 16:02

20,000 federal workers take "buyout" so far, official says
Axios | Marc Caputo | 02/04/25

About 20,000 federal workers have accepted the "buyout" offer put forward by the Trump administration last week, a senior administration official tells Axios.

Why it matters: It's a significant number of people - about 1% of the federal workforce - but still substantially less than the White House's target of 5% to 10%.

The offer is open through Thursday, meaning the total could rise, despite heavy opposition from unions and others.

"We expect more to come. If you see what's happening at USAID, it's just one piece of the puzzle," the official said, referring to the rapid restructuring of the federal agency that oversees foreign aid programs. ... Read more

January surprises with a global temperature record
Click to enlarge
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 02/04/25

The planet just had its hottest January on record by a considerable margin, in a surprise finding (seriously) to climate scientists.

Why it matters: A La Nina event is ongoing in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which would typically be expected to cool the globe slightly. Yet that doesn't appear to be the case - at least not yet.

Zoom in: That the opposite is occurring suggests either a fluke or - combined with the record hot conditions in 2023 and again last year - something more mysterious.

So far, there's been no way to explain the 2023 and 2024 records, but the expectation is that this year will be a top 5 hottest year - just not first place. ... Read more

Mass Deportations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | MSNBC | 02/03/25 | 19:09

Musk intensifies government spending attack with push to cut all regulations
The Guardian | Robert Tait | 02/04/25

Elon Musk has proposed a "wholesale removal of regulations" in an intensification of his crusade to slash US federal government spending.

On a call aired on X, the social media platform he owns, the multibillionaire entrepreneur said regulations should be "gone" as vocal opposition grew against his mission as Donald Trump's enforcer as the head of a newly created "department of government efficiency" (Doge).

"Regulations, basically, should be default gone," Musk said in call joined by Vivek Ramaswamy, until recently the joint head of Doge, and two Republican senators, Joni Ernst and Mike Lee.

"Not default there, default gone. And if it turns out that we missed the mark on a regulation, we can always add it back in."

He also said the early days of Trump's presidency, combined with a Republican-controlled Congress, presented a unique chance of implementing a radical overhaul of US government.

"If it's not possible now, it'll never be possible. This is our shot," he said. "This is the best hand of cards we're ever going to have. And if we don't take advantage of this best hand of cards, it's never going to happen." ... Read more

How Climate Change Could Upend the American Dream
Click to enlarge
Propublica | Abrahm Lustgarten | 02/03/25

Houses in the Altadena and Pacific Palisades neighborhoods were still ablaze when talk turned to the cost of the Los Angeles firestorms and who would pay for it. Now it appears that the total damage and economic loss could be more than $250 billion. This, after a year in which hurricanes Milton and Helene and other extreme weather events had already exacted tens of billions of dollars in American disaster losses.

As the compounding impacts of climate-driven disasters take effect, we are seeing home insurance prices spike around the country, pushing up the costs of owning a home. In some cases, insurance companies are pulling out of towns altogether. And in others, people are beginning to move away. ... Read more

Trump administration gives Musk allies access to Treasury payment system
Politico | Michael Stratford | 02/01/25

The Trump administration has approved plans to grant Treasury officials affiliated with Elon Musk's team access to the federal system that handles trillions of dollars in payments, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has signed off on a plan to give access to the payment system to a team led by Tom Krause, the CEO of Cloud Software Group, who is now working for the Treasury Department and serves as a liaison to Musk’s DOGE group that operates out of the United States Digital Service. One person familiar with the effort said Krause’s role will be subject to safeguards that would not allow any ability to make changes to the system and that no one outside Treasury would have access. ... Read more

We Are Living in Unprecedented Times | Bernie Sanders | 02/01/25 | 7:48

Why are the Democrats so spineless?
The Guradian | Moira Donegan | 02/03/25

What does the Democratic party believe in? It's difficult to tell. In 2024, Joe Biden and then Kamala Harris ran a campaign of moderation, reconciliation and emphasis on restoring institutional norms. This failed to capture much public attention when compared with the Trump campaign's carnival of grievance. In the months since their defeat, the Democrats have been confused, conflicted and internally contentious over how to best proceed.

The results have been contradictory and ineffectual. The Democrats have alternated between declaring Trump a fascist and a would-be dictator, and congratulating themselves on peacefully handing over the reins of power to him; they have railed against his corruption and his subordination to the unelected South African billionaire Elon Musk, but have also made themselves available to cooperate with Musk's project to gut the federal bureaucracy and reshape it in his own interests, the initiative that has been moronically termed "Doge". ... Read more

Republicans move to repeal lead limits imposed by Biden-era rules
The Guardian | Tom Perkins | 02/03/25

Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration are attempting to repeal the Biden administration's groundbreaking rules that require all the country's lead pipes to be replaced over the next 13 years and lower the limit on lead in water.

Environmentalists expressed alarm about the moves, which, if successful, would in effect prohibit the government from ever requiring lead line replacement in the future, or lowering lead limits.

The Trump administration is also working to kill a recently implemented ban on TCE, a compound that is among the most toxic and common water pollutants, and particularly a risk on military bases. ... Read more

Trump Blames DEI for Tragic Plane Crash, Kookie Kash Patel & Jimmy Chats with RFK Jr. JUNIOR | Jimmy Kimmel | 01/31/25 | 14:56

The new AI trade emerging after DeepSeek shock
Click to enlarge
Axios | Felix Salmon | 01/31/25

The AI bubble didn't burst on Monday.

Why it matters: What initially looked that morning like a broad selloff in AI stocks turns out in hindsight to have been a more measured recalibration of where the market thinks AI profits are going to flow in the future.

The big picture: The consequences of AI becoming the dominant driver of the global economy are impossible even for a super-intelligence to model, but are certainly more complex than the naive yet highly profitable belief that "Nvidia will be able to retain 90% gross margins more or less indefinitely."

Nvidia was the defining meme stock of 2024, powered by an army of retail investors working hand-in-glove with their momentum-trade brethren.

Profitable trades don't last forever, however. The traders always move on eventually, often after having made enormous sums of money. ... Read more

Trump's blame game returns after deadly plane crash
Axios | Zachary Basu | 01/31/25

In his first national tragedy, President Trump posted like a pundit, speculated needlessly, and blamed Democrats and DEI without any evidence to suggest either were involved.

Why it matters: The traditional presidential playbook is boring by design - pray for the lost and their families, reassure the public, promise a swift investigation. That has never been Trump's style.

The big picture: Trump has responded to the deadliest U.S. air disaster in a generation with a similar approach that he took to COVID - which produced arguably the lowest moments of his first term. ... Read more

Meta settles Trump lawsuit over Facebook ban for $25 million
Politico | Josh Gerstein | 01/29/25

Social media giant Meta has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump and others who claimed their Facebook accounts were unlawfully shut down or blocked at the urging of the U.S. government.

The deal followed direct negotiations between Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the president, Trump lawyer John Coale said Wednesday.

"There were talks between the two of them, Zuckerberg and Trump, with me and other lawyers in the room, of course," Coale said.

Asked what prompted the settlement at this particular juncture, Coale said: "I've been working to get people to the table for two years now. Of course, the election helped."

Under the deal, Meta will pay $22 million to a fund to support the construction of Trump’s presidential library, while another $3 million is going to four people who joined Trump in the lawsuit filed in 2021. ... Read more

Scoop: Sam Altman to unveil new tech to D.C. power players
Axios | Maria Curi | 01/30/25

OpenAI's Sam Altman is making the rounds in D.C. on Thursday in an attempt to show unity with President Trump and announce a new initiative to make sure the government has the most capable AI.

Why it matters: Tech companies see an opportunity in the new Trump administration to shape AI policy.

Driving the news: Altman is in D.C. to give lawmakers, their staff, White House personnel and federal agency officials a first look at new technology, a source familiar told Axios.

Infrastructure investors and advocates will also see the tech before it's released publicly. ... Read more

The Elon-ification of the federal government
Axios | Dave Lawler | 01/30/25

A workforce discombobulated by chaotic recent events receives an email with the subject line "Fork in the Road." Inside, a deadline to quit or commit to the new mission.

That's the scenario Twitter employees faced in November 2022 - and the one now confronting some 2.3 million government workers.

Why it matters: If Musk's takeover of Washington is anything like his takeover of Twitter, federal workers - and Americans more generally - had better buckle up. His "slash first, ask questions later" management style has already been reflected in some of President Trump's biggest moves. ...

If you elect a clown... | | 01/30/25 | 1:20

Trump's funding freeze awakens the "Resistance"
Axios | Zachary Basu,Erin Doherty | 01/29/25

... The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent shockwaves through Washington on Monday night with a memo directing agencies to "temporarily pause" grants, loans and federal financial assistance programs to ensure they align with Trump's priorities.

"This is not a blanket pause," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed as she was bombarded with questions about the freeze in her first press briefing Tuesday.

"Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits, food stamps, welfare benefits, assistance that is going directly to individuals will not be impacted by this pause," she said.

Leavitt then told reporters she would check into whether Medicaid - the nation's largest health insurance program, covering 72 million mostly low-income Americans - would be affected. ... Read more

Charted: Trump's unprecedented executive order blitz
Click to enlarge
Axios | Erin Davis | 01/29/25

Trump's reshaping the federal government with a shock-and-awe campaign of unilateral actions that push the limits of presidential power.

By the numbers: Only President Biden and President Truman have issued more than 40 executive orders in their first 100 days in office.

So far, Trump has signed 38 after less than two weeks. He has issued more than any predecessor this early in their presidency. ... Read more

DeepSeek's great news for the corporate world
Axios | Felix Salmon | 01/28/25

The markets have started pricing in an AI future that's going to be cheaper and more accessible than they had previously assumed.

Why it matters: The less money that companies need to spend on the AI equivalent of picks and shovels - Nvidia chips and the electricity needed to power them - the more profitable they will be.

Follow the money: What looked like a broad-based rout early on Monday turned out to be much more selective by market close.

Each index generally fell in direct proportion to the weighting of Nvidia. The Dow, which Nvidia joined in November with a relatively small weight, went up.

While Nvidia lost $600 billion of market value in a single day, for instance, Apple gained more than $100 billion. ... Read more

Mass-school-shootings-in-America | | 01/28/25 | 1:20

The Theory of STUPIDITY | Dietrich Bonhoeffer | MindMoneyFusion | 01/25/25 | 9:56

The Roots of The Stupidity Pandemic | MR. BRAIN | 2024 | 9:10

Stunning breakthroughs from China's DeepSeek AI alarm U.S. rivals
Axios | Scott Rosenberg | 01/27/25

Breakthroughs from Chinese AI startup DeepSeek have stunned Silicon Valley and could bring turbulence to Wall Street, as they were accomplished at a fraction of what the U.S. giants are spending and despite export bans on top-of-the-line chips.

Why it matters: China's rapid advances suggest America's strategy of withholding technology from China might just be speeding up the evolution of its rival's AI knowhow.

DeepSeek's rise is alarming the likes of Meta, which announced Friday that it plans $60 billion-$65 billion in capital investment this year as it scales up its own AI projects.

But it could potentially also be bad news for Nvidia, which designs the world's most advanced AI chips, because DeepSeek is proving that rapid advances are possible even with fewer and less sophisticated chips. ... Read more

Magnificent 7 stocks set for $1 trillion rout on DeepSeek panic
Axios | Ben Berkowitz | 01/27/25

Investors worldwide stand to lose more than $1 trillion on Monday because of the sudden fear that the market-sustaining AI spending boom might have been for nothing.

Why it matters: The so-called Magnificent 7 stocks are heavily leveraged to hundreds of billions of dollars in planned AI investment - and the entire market, in turn, hangs on their performance.

Catch up quick: There's a global rout in tech stocks Monday, caused by a panic linked to the new Chinese AI platform DeepSeek.

Last week the company released its R1 model, which competes with the world's very best from the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic - but it's free, open-source, and was developed at a tiny fraction of rivals' costs. ... Read more

Making sense of January's wild weather
Click to enlarge
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 01/24/25

January's icy weather demonstrates the differences between regional weather and climate conditions.

Why it matters: The former is governed by disturbances in the jet stream and other factors, while the latter is more driven by influences such as human emissions of greenhouse gases.

Driving the news: January has been cold, if not downright frigid, across much of the Lower 48 states.

A polar vortex-linked Arctic blast has engulfed much of the country, while a series of deadly extreme weather events have struck.

Zoom in: The most unusually cold air on the planet has been parked over the Lower 48 states this week, leading to a deadly, record snowstorm along the Gulf Coast.

1. Ten to 12 inches of snow fell in southern Louisiana, while all-time record snowfall also occurred in Mobile, Ala., and Pensacola, Fla.
2. The cold spilled so far south that the snow that fell in New Orleans' French Quarter was light and fluffy, and prone to drifting. In short, an alien phenomenon for that location.
3. Typically during Arctic outbreaks, the Gulf Coast stays dry or receives a wintry mix. But this time, a storm formed along a frontal zone and tapped into unusually warm Gulf of Mexico waters.
4. The comparatively warm and humid air was vaulted northward, where it overran the cold, dry and dense air, producing snow. ...

Key planks of US government grind to halt under hail of Trump orders
The Guardian | Robert Tait | 01/24/25

The wheels of the US government have ground to a halt in parts under a hail of new orders from Donald Trump that have left vital services paralysed and raised alarm about damaging disruption to key sectors such as health, roads and tax collection.

Meetings on cancer research to discuss federal funding and reports on how to fight bird flu were cancelled after the incoming administration placed a halt on all external communication at the health department. ... Read more

Trump vs. the Fed 2.0
Axios | Neil Irwin | 01/24/25

Catch up quick: Speaking virtually to the World Economic Forum, Trump said he'll "demand that interest rates drop immediately."

Later, taking questions in the Oval Office, he added that "when oil prices come down, everything's going to be cheaper for the American people," and that lower energy prices are "going to knock out a lot of the inflation. That's going to automatically bring the interest rates down."

He said he will speak to Fed chair Jerome Powell about rates policy "at the right time." Compared to the Fed, he said, "I think I know interest rates much better than they do, and I think I know it certainly much better than the one who's primarily in charge of making that decision."

"If I disagree, I will let it be known," he added, a statement nobody who has paid any attention would doubt. ... Read more

Thousands evacuate Hughes Fire near LA as California faces fresh threats
Axios | Rebecca Falconer,Andrew Freedman | 01/24/25

A fresh California wildfire ignited north of Los Angeles Wednesday during critical fire weather and triggered evacuations as it quickly exploded in size across two counties on Wednesday - and forecasters warned conditions would worsen overnight.

The big picture: The Hughes Fire ignited north of Santa Clarita, just before 11am Wednesday local time and grew across 5,000 acres in LA and Ventura Counties in just over two hours - making it the biggest and fastest-spreading wildfire since the still-burning Eaton and Palisades Fires erupted on Jan. 7.

The fire that's near the popular water reservoir Castaic Lake some 40 miles from those blazes had grown to an estimated 10,176 acres at 14% containment just before 10pm, as Southern California faced more Santa Ana winds and red flag warnings were in effect. ... Read more

Presidential Payola: The Evolution of Political Bribery
HartmannReport.com | Thom Hartmann | 01/22/25

Both Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon took cash bribes while in the White House and before. Agnew’s dated back to shakedowns he did as Maryland governor, while Nixon helped Jimmy Hoffa get out of a prosecution and allegedly ran interference for a group of milk producers.

Since then, bribing politicians has gotten a lot easier thanks to five Republicans on the US Supreme Court. Their Citizens United decision, decided 15 years ago this week, legalized political bribery so long as it is done through campaign, PAC, or SuperPAC funds.

But for some people there’s just never enough money.

Donald Trump had been running small-time hustles to make money for decades, selling sneakers, bibles, steaks, vodka, water, etc., and he expanded these schemes when he became president in 2016 to let his followers give him money in exchange for what they thought were collectable assets. ... Read more

Trump says China is 'operating' the Panama Canal - here are the facts
The Guardian | Helen Davidson | 01/23/25

The 82km (51-mile) canal, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, was built and owned by the US in the early 1900s before being ultimately given to Panama in 1977 under a treaty that guaranteed its neutrality. In 2021 the agreement allowing Panama Ports Company to continue as operator was extended by 25 years.article

What influence or presence does China have?

There is a port at either end of the canal that is operated by a Hong Kong-based company. This is presumably what Trump was referring to when he said: “China is based at both ends of the Panama Canal”. A total of five ports are adjacent to the canal, with others owned by foreign companies, including US ones.

In 1996, Panama granted a Hong Kong company, then called Hutchison-Whampoa, a concession to operate the Balboa port, on the Pacific side, and Cristobal port, on the Atlantic side. The contract did not give Hutchison-Whampoa ownership of the ports but allowed it to operate them on behalf of the government of Panama.

The port operator is today known as Hutchison Ports, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings, owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing. ... ... ... Read more

Trump's Week 1 revenge tour rips through Washington
Axios | Zachary Basu | 01/23/25

President Trump's threats of retribution are rapidly materializing in policies across the U.S. government, an early warning to Trump critics that bygones will not be bygones.

Why it matters: Trump is flexing his vast new powers to target what he's described as "the enemies from within" - enforcing loyalty tests, purging career officials and attempting to rewrite the history of the last eight years.

Trump has at times downplayed his thirst for revenge - but his first moves back in office suggest resentment against Democrats, former allies, prosecutors and the media will be a driving force in his second term.

"For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution," the president promised supporters on the campaign trail. ... Read more

Deaths reported as rare winter storm sweeps southern U.S.
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 01/22/25

A rare winter storm that's slamming the southern U.S. with "dangerously cold temperatures," historic snow and icy conditions has been linked to at least 10 deaths as it disrupts travel across the region.

The big picture: Schools, government offices and roads across the region closed and thousands of flights were delayed or canceled due to the cold weather that's brought record snowfall to places including New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida.

Lake Charles, La., saw its first-ever blizzard warning on Tuesday due to heavy snow and high winds from the extreme weather that's tied to the polar vortex event across the Lower 48 states, as it left some 300 million people under cold weather alerts. ... Read more

'Catastrophic': Great Barrier Reef hit by its most widespread coral bleaching, study finds
The Guardian | Graham Readfearn | 01/21/25

More than 40% of individual corals monitored around a Great Barrier Reef island were killed last year in the most widespread coral bleaching outbreak to hit the reef system, a study has found.

Scientists tracked 462 colonies of corals at One Tree Island in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef after heat stress began to turn the corals white in early 2024. Researchers said they encountered "catastrophic" scenes at the reef.

Only 92 coral colonies escaped bleaching entirely and by July, when the analysis for the study ended, 193 were dead and a further 113 were still showing signs of bleaching. ... Read more

The new judge and jury
Axios | Jim VandeHei,Mike Allen | 01/22/25

Over just eight hours on Inauguration Day, Presidents Trump and Biden forever stretched the immense public and private power of the presidency to once-unimaginable dimensions:

1. Presidents can preemptively pardon family and friends in case of any accusation of grift or crimes.
2. Presidents can pardon violent criminals convicted of sedition and violence in defense of their politics.
3. Presidents and their families can start businesses - or even currencies - and profit without restriction or outcry.
4. Oh, and they can do this with the presumption of presidential immunity.
5. America doesn't have a king. But we're dancing close to king-like power. ... Read more

Historic winter storm hits Gulf Coast as Calif. fire risk continues
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 01/21/25

A once-in-a-generation snowstorm, tied to the polar vortex event across the Lower 48 states, is plastering the Gulf Coast with record-setting snow and ice on Tuesday.

Why it matters: This region isn't equipped to cope with heavy snow, particularly when it is accompanied by continued cold following the storm.

Threat level: Up to 4 to 6 inches of snow is falling in the Houston metropolitan area, and both the city's major airports are shut down, as are city schools.

On Monday night, the NWS forecast office in Houston-Galveston described the storm as a "generational event" that is likely to eclipse the city's second-largest snowstorm on record.

The NWS forecast office in Lake Charles, La. issued its first-ever blizzard warning on Tuesday, for the combination of heavy snow and high winds. ... Read more

Trump pardons most Jan. 6 defendants
Axios | Ivana Saric,Erin Doherty | 01/21/25

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday granting a "full, complete and unconditional pardon" to the vast majority of Jan. 6 defendants charged with participating in the Capitol riot four years ago.

Why it matters: Among the roughly 1,500 pardoned and 14 others whose sentences were commuted were leaders of the extremist groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who were convicted of the seditious conspiracy for their roles in the attack.

Trump made pardoning Jan. 6 rioters a key campaign pledge, repeatedly extolling them as "patriots" and "hostages" of the justice system and claiming they'd been treated unfairly. ... Read more

Trump signs slew of sweeping energy executive orders
Axios | Andrew Freedman, ... | 01/21/25

President Trump signed a blitz of first-day energy-related executive orders on Monday, establishing a national "energy emergency" and setting in motion actions that heavily favor expanding fossil fuel production and generation.

Why it matters: The moves amount to policy whiplash for the energy industry, segments of which had chafed under former President Biden's policies aimed at igniting the renewable sector.

Zoom in: The executive orders include a declaration of a "national energy emergency" aimed at increasing domestic energy production and lowering costs to the consumer. ... ... ... ... Read more

Trump the wrecking ball brings chaos to order, executing a parade of grievances
The Guardian | David Smith | 01/21/25

When the obituary of planet Earth is written, there may be a prominent slot for what took place in a basketball and ice hockey arena in downtown Washington on 20 January, 2025.

It was here that, with a wry head shake and gleeful twirl of the pen, Donald Trump again withdrew the US from the Paris climate agreement, to the joy and jubilation of 20,000 spectators apparently indifferent to fate of the pale blue dot they live on.

"We're going to save over a trillion dollars by withdrawing from that treaty," gushed an aide at Trump's prompting, implying that watching the world burn is a small price to pay.

This was the moment it really hit home. Trump is back. The human wrecking ball who left a trail of chaos and division in his first four years has returned with a vengeance. America voted for this. People will get hurt. ... Read more

Stories About Wildfires | 60 Minutes | 01/18/25 | 1:07:42

Yes, Trump is back. Yet I remain hopeful about America
The Guardian | Robert Reich | 01/20/25

Even before Trump, we were on the way to losing our democracy - but we did not pay attention. Now, we have no choice but to attend to it

If you're feeling despair over Trump's second regime, which begins today, I understand.

Yet I remain hopeful about America. Let me explain why.

Trump hoodwinked average working Americans into believing he's on their side, and convinced enough voters that Kamala Harris and Democrats were on the side of cultural elites (as exemplified by Trump bogeymen the "deep state", "wokeism", and "coastal elites").

But his hoax will not work for long, given the oligarchy's conspicuous takeover of America under Trump's second regime.

That regime has barely begun but it's already exposing a reality that has been hidden from most Americans for decades: the raw, stinking power of the American oligarchy, and its use of obscene wealth to gain and increase this power. ... Read more

Trump's return to D.C. gets official
Axios | Avery Lotz | 01/20/25

President-elect Trump will be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president later Monday - culminating a stunning political comeback and putting the MAGA movement at the heart of power in Washington.

The big picture: Trump and the Republican party have the wind in their sails with full control of Congress, a MAGA-friendly media ecosystem and big inaugural donations from the most valuable U.S. companies.

Trump is expected to take executive action shortly after retaking office on key issues including immigration and tariffs. ... Read more

Day 1: Trump to revoke security clearances of 51 former intelligence officials
Axios | Mike Allen | 01/20/25

We're told Day 1 will bring about 200 executive actions of various sorts, including executive orders. Day 1 actions are expected to include declaring an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, Jan. 6 pardons, a TikTok reprieve, and executive orders to increase fossil fuel development and reduce civil service protections for federal workers. Why it matters: The action on security clearances is a Day 1 sign that Trump plans to use his formidable tools of office in his war with what he calls the "intelligence apparatus," which he blames for the "Russia collusion hoax." ... Read more

A Year of Empty Threats and a "Smokescreen" Policy: How the State Department Let Israel Get Away With Horrors in Gaza
ProPublica | Brett Murphy | 01/15/25

In early November, a small group of senior U.S. human rights diplomats met with a top official in President Joe Biden's State Department to make one final, emphatic plea: We must keep our word.

Weeks before, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the administration delivered their most explicit ultimatum yet to Israel, demanding the Israel Defense Forces allow hundreds more trucksloads of food and medicine into Gaza every day - or else. American law and Biden's own policies prohibit arms sales to countries that restrict humanitarian aid. Israel had 30 days to comply.

In the month that followed, the IDF was accused of roundly defying the U.S., its most important ally. The Israeli military tightened its grip, continued to restrict desperately needed aid trucks and displaced 100,000 Palestinians from North Gaza, humanitarian groups found, exacerbating what was already a dire crisis "to its worst point since the war began." ... Read more

Israeli security cabinet approves Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal
Axios | Barak Ravid | 01/17/25

The Israeli cabinet will convene on Friday to approve the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, which the smaller security cabinet has already approved.

Why it matters: Approval by the full cabinet is the final hurdle before the deal can be implemented. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said the ceasefire and the process of freeing hostages are expected to start on Sunday at 4pm local time (9am ET).

State of play: The cabinet meeting was moved up from Saturday night at the urging of the director of Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency, Ronen Bar, according to an Israeli official.

That timeline would have meant the deal couldn't be implemented until Monday, and Bar urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move more quickly to avoid unexpected complications. ... Read more

Trump's "drill, baby, drill" problem
Click to enlarge
Axios | Ben Geman | 01/16/25

This chart helps explain why President-elect Trump won't have an easy time delivering on pledges to surge U.S. oil production - at least anytime soon.

State of play: The latest analysis from the Energy Department's independent stats arm sees just modest output growth this year and next (albeit from already record levels).

It sees production rising less than 1% in 2026 "as operators slow activity due to price pressures."

Why it matters: Market fundamentals hold the cards on producers' decisions - and for now, they probably work against a U.S. surge. ... Read more

The new risks under Trump that preoccupy CEOs
Click to enlarge
Axios | Felix Salmon | 01/15 25

The world's CEOs are much more worried about global trade wars now that Donald Trump has been elected president than they were a year ago, according to a new survey from the Conference Board.

Why it matters: While no one knows exactly what tariffs the upcoming Trump administration is going to impose on which countries, the one certainty is that substantially all such tariffs will be met with retaliatory counter-tariffs. Or more simply: a trade war.

As Axios noted on Monday, rapidly introduced tariffs could trigger speedy retaliation from major allies, including a broad-based 25% Canadian tariff on all U.S. imports. ... Read more

I’m a climate scientist and my house in LA burned down. My work has never been more real
The Guardian | Benjamin Hamlington | 01/15/25

My house in Altadena burned down in the wildfires on Wednesday. It all happened quickly. On Tuesday around 7pm, my wife and daughters went to a hotel as a precaution. I left the house with the dogs when the mandatory evacuation order came in around 3am. As best as I can put the timeline together, our home burned down around the same time that the sun came up, and I was able to drive in and see the damage around 2pm.

Neighbors that went in after said it looked like a “war zone”. I have never been in a war zone thankfully, but I didn’t think so. There was nothing violent or chaotic about it. No one stopped me from driving in. There were no sirens. I stood alone - no one else around - in front of my house that was at that point just a fireplace and chimney. The house across the street was about halfway done with burning down, and the house behind ours had just started to burn. ... Read more

Maps and images reveal scale of LA wildfire devastation
Click to enlarge
BBC | Visual Journalism Team | 01/15/25

Firefighters are battling to control huge wildfires in Los Angeles that have killed at least 25 people, devoured thousands of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

It's a rapidly changing situation - these maps and pictures show the scale of the challenge, where the fires are and the damage they have caused.

The largest blaze, in the Pacific Palisades area is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. More than 23,000 acres have now burnt. ... Read more

New, rare fire warning issued in Southern California
Click to enlarge
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 01/13/25

Weather forecasters have only more bad news for firefighters battling the Los Angeles area fires.

Threat level: The National Weather Service's LA forecast office Sunday evening issued a rare "Particularly Dangerous Situation" Red Flag Warning lasting until Wednesday at noon for parts of LA and Ventura counties, warning that high winds could cause "explosive fire growth."

The weather service advises residents "to have multiple ways to receive evacuation information" and to "not do anything that could spark a fire."

Areas under this warning don't include the Eaton Fire but cover western Santa Monica, Simi Valley, Porter Ranch, Ventura and other parts of the hard-hit region. ... Read more

Top 5 takeaways from Jack Smith's final report on Trump's Jan. 6 case
Axios | Ivana Saric | 01/14/25

President-elect Trump engaged in an "unprecedented criminal effort" to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Special Counsel Jack Smith alleged in the final report of his investigation into Trump's election subversion case.

Why it matters: The report's release early Tuesday came despite Trump's legal efforts to block it, making the Justice Department's findings public less than a week before Trump's inauguration.

What they're saying: Trump lambasted the report in a Truth Social post Tuesday, claiming he was "totally innocent" and calling Smith a "lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election."

State of play: Trump was indicted and charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and other counts for his purported role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the events leading up to it.

However, the case was dismissed in November following Trump's 2024 victory, in light of longstanding DOJ policy that a sitting president can't be prosecuted.

Here are the top takeaways from the 174-page report: ... Read more

FINAL REPORT, Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol | 12/22/22 | pdf

American workers' enthusiasm for their jobs falls to a 10-year low
Click to enlarge
Axios | Emily Peck | 01/14/24

Gallup measures engagement by surveying full-time and part-time workers across 12 measures, including whether they're satisfied with their workplace, know what's expected of them, and feel like they have the opportunity to "do what I do best every day."

Fewer employees said they clearly know what is expected of them at work, down 10 points from a high of 56%.

Only 39% of workers feel strongly that someone cares about them as a person at work, down from 47%.

Only 30% said that someone encourages their development, down from 36%. ... Read more

Trump sentencing live updates: Judge sentences Trump to 'unconditional discharge' in hush money case
NBC News | By NBC News | 01/10/25

The sentence means the conviction stands without any further penalties, making the president-elect a convicted felon just days ahead of his inauguration.

What to know as Trump is sentenced:

1. President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to an "unconditional discharge" in the New York hush money case, making him the first president to have been sentenced for a criminal conviction once he's sworn into office Jan. 20.
2. The unconditional discharge, which state Judge Juan Merchan said he was likely to impose, allows the conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to stand with no further penalties, such as jail time.
3. The sentencing was allowed to go forward after the Supreme Court decided 5-4 yesterday to reject Trump's request to drop the proceeding. Trump said he thought it was a "fair decision" and referred to possible further appeals, such as of the verdict.
4. Trump was convicted in May of falsifying records related to hush money that his then-attorney Michael Cohen paid adult film star Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential election. Daniels testified that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which he has denied.
...

President Trump's Guilty Verdict Is a U.S. First. Globally, He Joins a List of Convicted Ex-Leaders
Time | Koh Ewe | 05/31/24

Donald Trump made U.S. history Thursday as the first former President to be criminally convicted after he was found guilty by a Manhattan jury of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to a porn star. But compared to his counterparts around the world, Trump’s not alone, joining a long list of heads of states who have been found guilty of crimes, ranging from corruption to abuse of power.

Here are some other countries that have convicted their former leaders, and what happened to them:

Argentina

Former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who led the country from 2007 to 2015, was sentenced to six years in prison and banned from holding public office in 2022, after being convicted in a billion-dollar fraud case. Fernandez de Kirchner, who said that she would appeal the verdict, continued to serve as Vice President until her term ended last December. ... Read more

L.A. area braces for more devastation as wildfires remain uncontained
Axios | Rebecca Falconer,Andrew Freedman,Ivana Saric | 01/09/25

Rapidly spreading wildfires tearing through Los Angeles County into Thursday have left at least five people dead, destroyed at least 2,000 structures and forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes.

The latest: Two of the biggest blazes remained zero percent contained as of Thursday morning. The National Weather Service's L.A. office expects the strong winds that have driven the fires to pick back up Thursday afternoon and into Friday.

The Sunset Fire ignited just before 6pm local time Wednesday and grew to an estimated 43 acres by Thursday morning.

At least five people died in the Eaton Fire, in northeast L.A. County, officials said at a Wednesday evening briefing.

L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a Wednesday briefing that there were a "high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate" from the Palisades Fire.

Fire officials estimated the blaze had grown to 17,234 acres between Malibu and Santa Monica as of Thursday morning, and remained 0% contained. ... ... ... Read more

Behind the Curtain: Trump's ever-expansive power
Axios | Jim VandeHei,Mike Allen | 01/09/25

President-elect Trump - whose power was immense after his comeback win, enhanced by the coming full Republican control of Congress - has expanded that power substantially in the nine weeks since his victory.

Why it matters: It's rare, if not unprecedented, for a newly elected leader to have so many world leaders and CEOs shift their policies or posture so blatantly during the transition to curry favor with a new president.

Trump will start his presidency with a very loyal GOP Senate and House, a vastly empowered MAGA-friendly media and information ecosystem, businesses scrambling to make amends or further improve cozy relationships, and money flowing fast into his family's business endeavors.

His Democratic opposition is weak and largely powerless - although Republicans' tiny margin in the House will be a constant threat. ... ... ... Read more

New York court declines to block sentencing in Trump's hush-money case
TheGuardian | Joan E Greve | 01/09/25

New York's highest court declined to block Donald Trump's upcoming sentencing in his hush-money case on Thursday, leaving the US supreme court as the president-elect's likely last option to prevent the hearing from taking place on Friday. One judge on the New York court of appeals issued a brief order declining to grant a hearing to Trump's legal team. "Your proposed order to show cause was reviewed by Judge Rivera, who declined to sign the order," the court's chief clerk wrote to Todd Blanche, one of Trump's lawyers. "As a result of the Judge's determination, no motion is pending in the above title at the Court of Appeals." The news comes less than a week after the judge who presided over Trump's trial, Juan Merchan, denied the president-elect's motion to dismiss the case. Trump's legal team had argued that the presidential transition process should be allowed to continue without the disruption of a criminal sentencing hearing, but Merchan disputed that logic. ... Read more

LA's wildfire onslaught driven by confluence of climate-related factors
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 01/08/25

At least three destructive, fast-moving wildfires were burning in the Los Angeles metro area early Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of people evacuated, some having run on foot to flee oncoming flames.

The big picture: The wildfires are the result of an unheard-of combination of factors at this time of year - the worst high wind event in Southern California since 2011, plus some of the driest conditions on record for early January.

Downtown LA has received just 0.16 inches of rain since May 6 of last year, making it the second-driest period on record for May 6 to Dec 31, according to the National Weather Service.

Bone-dry conditions in Southern California contrast with the northern parts of the state, where atmospheric rivers have squelched fire risks.

Even worse, the region had an unusually hot summer that dried out vegetation even further. ... Read more

GOP roadblocks start to emerge on big Trump agenda bill
Axios | Andrew Solender | 01/08/24

House Republicans are already laying down potential dealbreakers for the massive fiscal legislation President-elect Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) are planning.

Why it matters: The chamber is set to have a roughly two-vote majority when the package is voted on, meaning just a handful of GOP defections could sink the entire initiative.

Republican factions - both in the House and Senate - are already at each others' throats on whether the package should consist of one bill or two, with Trump wavering on the topic.

State of play: Republican leadership could run into an issue with its fiscally conservative wing if it tries to advance one sprawling bill that includes a measure to raise the debt ceiling.

The bill is set to include an extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts that could cost as much as $5 trillion over 10 years, in addition to funding for border security and an immigration crackdown. ... Read more

Behind the Curtain: The new gatekeepers
Axios | Jim VandeHei,Mike Allen | 01/07/25

Never has it been easier to spread misinformation at scale - with less concern about media meaningfully policing it, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column.

Why it matters: Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are of one mind. The most powerful global information platforms should be governed by free speech - and the people - not by the platforms themselves.

Both concluded it's too hard, too inherently biased, and too restrictive to put limits on speech. It's also cheaper to stop trying - and convenient to switch as Washington goes all-in on MAGA.

A decade ago, the mainstream media played the role of spotting and exposing misinformation spread under the guise of legitimate free speech. But faith in the traditional media is in the dumpster. ... Read more

How top Fed bank cop's resignation limits Trump's options
Axios | Neil Irwin | 01/07/25

Monday's decision by the Federal Reserve's top bank regulator to step down from his job — but not from the Fed entirely - is simultaneously less and more than meets the eye.

Why it matters: Michael Barr's self-demotion clears the way for President-elect Trump to appoint a vice chair for supervision. It is no radical departure from past precedent: Fed governors have, in the past, stepped aside on the principle that a new president should get to appoint their own chief financial regulator.

Historically, the Fed's regulatory side pays greater deference to the wishes of the president and Congress, in contrast to monetary policy, in which political independence is fiercely guarded. ... Read more

Major winter storm to usher in Arctic blast for 230 million people
Click to enlarge
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 01/03/25

The much-advertised, long-lasting Arctic outbreak with ties to the polar vortex will be accompanied by a significant winter storm over the weekend.

Threat level: The storm is set to deliver upwards of a foot of snow in parts of the Plains, Midwest and Appalachians, with somewhat lower amounts for Washington, D.C., Baltimore and potentially Philadelphia as well.

Multiple states are forecast to see a destructive ice storm that could lead to widespread, enduring power outages. The ice zone will stretch from parts of Nebraska eastward to Kentucky and West Virginia.

"Treacherous travel conditions are expected with power outages likely in areas that receive over a quarter-inch of ice accumulation," the National Weather Service said via X on Thursday evening. ... Read more

Biden blocks Nippon's takeover of U.S. Steel
Axios | Dan Primack | 01/03/25

Why it matters: U.S. Steel's shares were down as much as 9% in pre-market trading Friday on the news. The company has warned that a deal failure would cause it to close some operations in Pennsylvania, where it employs around 4,000 people.

What he's saying: "Without domestic steel production and domestic steel workers, our nation is less strong and less secure," Biden said in a statement Friday.

But...

Most threatened if the company does downsize is believed to be Mon Valley Works, which has more than 3,000 workers.

U.S. Steel also said it might relocate its Pittsburgh headquarters.

Nippon had pledged to invest $2.7 billion into U.S. Steel facilities, including Mon Valley Works. ... Read more

"BE CAREFUL! This Is Serious..." - Richard Wolff's WARNING | 12/24/24 | 28:50

U.S. on edge after New Orleans attack, Las Vegas Cybertruck bomb
Axios | Mike Allen | 01/02/25

Seven hours and two time zones apart, the New Year's Day pickup-truck attack in New Orleans and Tesla Cybertruck bomb in Las Vegas meant a violent, frightening start to 2025.

The big picture: President Biden said in televised remarks last evening that law enforcement officers were investigating whether there was "any possible connection": "Thus far, there's nothing to report on that."

Driving the news: In what could be either a coincidence or a systemic vulnerability, both vehicles were rented through Turo, a "peer-to-peer" vehicle-sharing app where renters connect directly with owners.

Turo said it's working with law enforcement: "We do not believe that either renter had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat, and we are not currently aware of any information that indicates the two incidents are related." ... Read more

DemocracyNow U.S. and World Headlines
DemocracyNow(.com) | Amy Goodman | 01/02/25

President elect Trump responded on social media writing when I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country that statement was constantly refuted by democrats and the fake news media, but it turned out to be true Trump wrote.

However President Biden revealed the suspect is a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas named shamsu dinin Jabar who was born in Texas he served in the United States Army on active duty for many years. He also served in the Army Reserve until a few years ago.

Now who is CONSTANTLY spreading LIES??? ... Click to enlarge

Arctic blast tied to polar vortex puts U.S., Europe in deep freeze
Click to enlarge
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 01/02/25

An Arctic outbreak featuring punishing cold weather is beginning across much of the U.S. at the same time that Europe prepares for plunging temperatures.

Why it matters: About three weeks of cold east of the Rocky Mountains — potentially accompanied by major winter storms - will boost natural gas prices, pose a risk of power outages and disrupt travel.

Threat level: The cold will hit the U.S. in waves, with the first moving in this week, a second early next week on the heels of a significant Plains to Mid-Atlantic winter storm, and additional ones after that.

Each push is likely to be colder than the one preceding it.

By early next week, daily high temperatures may be stuck in the single digits across parts of the Midwest, with the possibility of temperatures dropping to 32°F all the way to the Gulf Coast. ... Read more

The biggest S&P 500 winners and losers of 2024
Axios | Ben Berkowitz | 01/01/25

It was a good year for AI-linked companies in 2024, as they led the stock market with eye-watering returns.

Execution problems plagued some well-known businesses, though, causing their shares to sink.

Why it matters: Those AI names helped the S&P 500 to its best two-year gain since the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s.

By the numbers: Nine S&P 500 stocks doubled in value (or more) this year, while four lost at least half their value.

Three AI-linked stocks topped the list: Software company Palantir gained more than 340%; Vistra, a power producer that serves data centers, rose almost 260%; and chipmaker Nvidia gained more than 170%. ... Read more

'Trump is a little guy, Musk is a big guy': historian predicts trouble for president-elect
TheGuardian | Martin Pengelly | 01/01/25

Allies and aides to Donald Trump should be increasingly concerned by Elon Musk’s proximity to and influence on the US president-elect, the Yale historian and bestselling author Timothy Snyder said.

"Trump is a little guy, and Musk is a big guy when it actually comes to having money," Snyder said. "And I think if you were a friend of Trump, you would be worried."

The author of bestsellers including On Tyranny (2017) and On Freedom (2024) was speaking to the Guardian about issues including his work in Ukraine, where he has teamed up with the Star Wars actor Mark Hamill to raise funds to buy robots to clear landmines laid by Russian invaders. ... Read more