In Breaking USAID, the Trump Administration May Have Broken the Lawby Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett MurphyProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.Reporting HighlightsCourt Fight: During internal meetings, a political appointee said Trump could not have a higher … [Read more...] about In Breaking USAID, the Trump Administration May Have Broken the Law
FLOODING THE (TWILIGHT) ZONE (CARTOON)
Efficiency – or empire? How Elon Musk’s hostile takeover could end government as we know it
Elon Musk, right, has moved to take the reins of the U.S. government. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Allison Stanger, Middlebury Elon Musk’s role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, is on the surface a dramatic effort to overhaul the inefficiencies of federal bureaucracy. But beneath the rhetoric of … [Read more...] about Efficiency – or empire? How Elon Musk’s hostile takeover could end government as we know it
The all-American plummet, courtesy of the willfully blind
Punxsutawney Phil popped his head from his hidey-hole last weekend and prophesied four years of fascism here in the Turd Reich. Millions of Americans are rightly terrified. Some have even emailed me to ask why I’m not sounding the alarm the way I used to, back when I inveighed against Trump as many as five times a week. My typical response: For eight long years, I tried. … [Read more...] about The all-American plummet, courtesy of the willfully blind
Trump and Musk Advance to the Rear and Lead the Rest of Us Straight to Hell
Donald Trump is a madman, Musk a craven manipulator who’s pro-Elon and anti-democracy. by Michael Winship A few days ago, I began writing this piece by saying that given the results, and because I voted early, the highlight of my Election Day 2024 was an unexpected trip to Dairy Queen. Everything went dangerously downhill from there. But given the cascading tsunami of … [Read more...] about Trump and Musk Advance to the Rear and Lead the Rest of Us Straight to Hell
ELON MUSK DOGE RANSOMWARE (CARTOON)
Trump’s administration seems chaotic, but he’s drawing directly from Project 2025 playbook
The Heritage Foundation flag flies over its building in July 2024 in Washington. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Zachary Albert, Brandeis University In his first few days back in office, President Donald Trump engaged in a whirlwind of executive actions, from exiting the World Health Organization, to deploying military personnel and National … [Read more...] about Trump’s administration seems chaotic, but he’s drawing directly from Project 2025 playbook
ELON MUSK SALUTE (CARTOON)
One-and-a-Half Billion Condoms for Tiny, Devastated Gaza? (Updates)
UPDATE II: In his New York Times “The World’s Richest Men Take On the World’s Poorest Children,” renowned opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof poignantly writes how Elon Musk’s callous actions to “destroy” the United States Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.) are putting millions of the most vulnerable at risk. But he also lambasts Trump’s claim that … [Read more...] about One-and-a-Half Billion Condoms for Tiny, Devastated Gaza? (Updates)
PHISHING WITH MUSK (CARTOON AND COLUMN)
Worse than a Nigerian Prince In addition to mocking people, challenging authority, and making people laugh while making others soil themselves in anger, political cartoons can be a public service. Today’s cartoon is a good example of that because every American needs to know about this shit. when I sent this cartoon to proofer Laura, she told me she was hoping I’d cover this … [Read more...] about PHISHING WITH MUSK (CARTOON AND COLUMN)
Trump’s Project 2025 agenda caps decades-long resistance to 20th century progressive reform
There has long been a tug-of-war over White House plans to make government more liberal or more conservative. Douglas Rissing/iStock / Getty Images Plus Colin Gordon, University of Iowa For much of the 20th century, efforts to remake government were driven by a progressive desire to make the government work for regular Americans, including … [Read more...] about Trump’s Project 2025 agenda caps decades-long resistance to 20th century progressive reform
Its Always The Moderate Who Gets The End Of The Deal
Many are blaming Harris’s defeat on “wokeness.” It’s true, wokeness may have been a contributor. However, Daily Show host Jon Stewart wisely pointed out the one flaw in this theory. Harris never ran on wokeness. “I only have one problem with the woke theory... I just didn't recall seeing any Democrats running on woke s**t.” Stewart wisely pointed out that Vice President … [Read more...] about Its Always The Moderate Who Gets The End Of The Deal
Trump’s Disdain for Ordinary Americans
Within the first two weeks of President Trump’s 4 year term, his disdain for ordinary citizens and preference for billionaires and wealthy people is already evident. We can’t say that we didn’t know it was coming, as throughout his campaign he associated mainly with affluent contributors and tech gurus instead of ordinary citizens. But his messages castigated the liberal elites … [Read more...] about Trump’s Disdain for Ordinary Americans
No Way to Treat a Good Neighbor
Reacting to President Trump’s announcement of the slapping of significant tariffs on a range of Canadian products, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disputed several key points that the Trump administration has used as rationale for imposing the tariffs. One of the alleged reasons for the tariffs is, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, “the … [Read more...] about No Way to Treat a Good Neighbor
What if the election was like taking your car in for a service? Timothy Snyder explains.
Think of the federal government as a car. You might have thought that the election was like getting the car serviced. Instead, when you come into the shop, the mechanics, who somehow don’t look like mechanics, tell you that they have taken the parts of your car that work and sold them and kept the money. And that this was the most efficient thing to do. And that you … [Read more...] about What if the election was like taking your car in for a service? Timothy Snyder explains.
Of course the convicted criminal freed his convicted criminals
There I was the other day, happily minding my own business, re-watching an old “Seinfeld” episode (Jerry and his gal were making out during “Schindler’s List”), when I received an email inviting me to opine on a radio show about Day One of the new autocratic regime. Sigh. With a heavy heart I said OK. I felt like Michael Corleone in “Godfather III”: “Just when I thought I … [Read more...] about Of course the convicted criminal freed his convicted criminals
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination signals a new era of anti-intellectualism in American politics
Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr., on Capitol Hill on Jan. 9, 2025. Jon Cherry/Getty Images Dominik Stecu?a, The Ohio State University; Kristin Lunz Trujillo, University of South Carolina, and Matt Motta, Boston University The many controversial people appointed to the … [Read more...] about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination signals a new era of anti-intellectualism in American politics
Courts block Trump’s illegal actions
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to freeze spending programs authorized by Congress. In our three branches of government, Congress sets the budget and the executive branch implements it. The executive does not have the authority to override Congressional budget allocations, either up or down. On Monday, Trump halted … [Read more...] about Courts block Trump’s illegal actions
Trump’s Press Secretary Lousy At Math
Apparently, one does not have to be good at math in order to be Donald Trump's Press Secretary, as demonstrated by Karoline Leavitt. As reported by Politico, Trump appointees are trying their best to spin the weird Truth Social post that Donald Trump posted on the evening of Monday, 17 January 2025. Here is that post: Here is how the the California Department of … [Read more...] about Trump’s Press Secretary Lousy At Math
The Trump Stupid, It Burns!
The Trump Stupid, It Burns! It has taken only a week for Donald Trump to publish statements that make his IQ appear to be a negative number. First, here is a Trump blunder as reported by Newsweek: "A press release from the administration of President Donald Trump misspelled the country Colombia as 'Columbia,' quickly sparking ridicule online. . . A press release … [Read more...] about The Trump Stupid, It Burns!