Donald Trump is a Moral Disaster and a Nightmare in Incompetence and Mismanagement

"Nobody ever taught Donald Trump that humility and truthfulness are virtues!!" ― Reza Ganjavi

“Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

"Donald Trump lies as a matter of course! " ― Dr. Jamie Raskin

"Out-of-date polls to wrong aid amounts: factchecking Trump’s Congress address. The president’s marathon address to a joint session of Congress was littered with false claims he’s been corrected on but continued to repeat." ― The Guardian

"Trump's incompetent, chaotic mismanagement has wrecked havoc in the world's superpower, undermining its and world stability. How much more incompetent can you get to start a trade war two times and immediately retract it after stock markets dive each time? Two times within a couple of weeks, Trump started trade wars with Canada and Mexico and both times retracted what Trudeau correctly called 'very dumb'. And same with mass firings, e.g., at CDC, where lots of people were fired, only to get recalled back to work!! ". ― Reza Ganjavi

ALSO SEE: Donald Trump's Criminal Conviction, Elon Musk's Political Myopia

Also see: An interesting animation of alleged Trump's Russia link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGreVs1xJH3/

By Reza Ganjavi

October 2024 [bottom section is updated from time to time with news headlines]

Presidential candidate Donald Trump is a moral disaster - rather, an immoral disaster. There doesn't seem to be a moral bone in his body yet he touts the Bible (yet fails to bring any quotes from the Bible because he has probably never read the Holy Book). If he had followed the teachings of Christ, he would not be such an immoral beast. He would have more regard for morality, truth, decency, integrity. Trump is a chronic liar. He has lied so much that he can no longer tell what is true and what is false. The criteria for his statements, are convenience, what serves him and his personal interests, and not what is true. Do you think his first term as a president he fast tracked, lying, deception, racism, and other horrible things, and exemplified that competence doesn't matter while in reality it does. He opined on items where he had absolutely no competence in. He recommended injecting bleach, for example as a treatment for viral infection, as though our bodies are washing machines. She doesn't have the intelligence and the competence, and the education and common sense to make that distinction. 

He does have positive aspects of his personality. For example, he is charismatic. But without a moral foundation, a character is worthless, in my view, no matter how many people get attracted to the charisma and can't think critically. 

Many Trump supporters use Biden as an excuse. But that line of thinking is fallacious. Trump's shortcomings cannot be justified by saying Biden is this or that way. Trump is not running against Biden. And his moral defects are not justifiable. He is on record for having said over 30,000 lies. This direct attack on truth is unforgivable, unjustifiable.

Trump's lack of respect for truth, and his lack of integrity and moral defects are disgusting and nauseating. 

~~~

February 2025

[This article is not a judgement about Trump's second administration's actions since on the face of it, they have done a few good things (e.g. securing the borders and deporting illegal immigrants who were convicted of felonies), but he has put some very problematic people in key positions which is very disconcerting; and he's said some major lies (e.g. that Ukraine started the war with Russia; and some very bad environmental decisions, etc.]

Trump won the election. Elon Musk became the de facto vice president, or perhaps super President. And some people argue that it was really a win for Vladimir Putin. But I'm not interested in getting into conspiracies here. Facts speak for themselves. 

I support a very few of Trump's policies, for example, the crack down on convicted illegal immigrants is theoretically a good thing to do when it's done within the framework of law and morality. But most of his policies have been disasters for USA and are gutting the American Experiment and fast-tracking it towards everything the Founding Fathers ran away from and dreaded: dictatorship, totalitarianism. 

In this file, I will update some news headlines that I read while in reality I prefer to not even hear the name, Trump. I dreaded haven't seen his name everywhere all the time for the next four years. But there is no way to filter news; I tried. So reluctantly, I read the headlines, which are not surprising at all. They are everything so many of us expected: chaos, stupidity, self-serving, ego, narcissism, pride, arrogance. 

I guess nobody ever taught Donald Trump that humility is a virtue!! 

It's very troubling that he sets the wrong example for people, just as he did during his first term which led to a huge rise in number of racist attacks for example, and I was a victim of such attacks multiple times since Trump came into office when the closet racists came out, worldwide. It would be wrong to assume that the impact of the most powerful office in the world is only on the USA. The US president impacts the whole world. 

Already within a few days, and few weeks of his presidency news channels are full of stupidity. Stupid, insane, chaotic nonsense that Donald Trump has caused. The following headlines speak for themselves. Updates are added at the bottom. I know already people who were supporting him who are now against him within a few weeks of his presidency, because what they expected him to do, what he promised to do, turn out to be empty baseless promises. 

This includes police unions who supported him who became incredibly disappointing after he pardoned a bunch of hard-core criminals. Many Iranians supported him because they thought he would go against the regime. But now he is sucking up to the regime in a way to find cooperation, so a whole bunch of Iranians, who supported him are disappointed. But I told people that I know, that he cannot be counted on him to do anything positive for Iran. That discussion is outside the scope of this article.

Trump gave an ultimatum to Hamas that if they don't release all the hostages by Saturday noon 15 February 2025 that all hell will break loose. Hamas didn't, and no hell broke loose. You cannot do that as the president of the USA: to give an ultimatum, and then backtrack. This is wrong in every way. Next time you give an ultimatum, nobody takes it seriously. 

Trump administration talk about his as though he's a monarch. They are kissing up to him all the time. For example, Rubio in a press conference in Saudi Arabia repeated a bunch of times within 3 minutes how "President Trump is the only leader in the world who can ... blah blah..." -- it's nauseating to hear this attitude of personal worship to cater to a narcissist egocentric man who likes being praised. That's very contrary to the spirit of America which was started to move away from that kind of mentality. 

The list of his goof-off is very long already after a few weeks of his presidency. God save us. 

~~~

RESPONSE LETTER

@CPPTA  I did stop reading the news 3 days ago and I had a wonderful life.  I will continue that for a week and see. News in general is bad news because bad news happens fast and good news take time to develop. Just a statistical fact., and news is over sensationalized by media to attract readers, clicks.

At the same time, the level of stupid news is going off like crazy in the last few years because of the proliferation of genotoxic, high frequency, pulsed electro-magnetic radiation.  I did a documentary about this which you can see on my YouTube channel.

Since Trump came in the office the level of flat out stupid news has skyrocketed - you don't know suddenly if you're reading Fiction or nonfiction. Just think about how many times this chap has imposed sanctions on Mexico and Canada and lifted them only a few days later. I'm not a political expert, but I am a management expert with the academics and track record to back it. I know bad management when I see it. I have spent quite a bit of time in my professional career "unf'ing" bad management actions.

How many stupid crazy nonsense lines Trump has said since becoming president? E.g., that he wants to take over Canada!!! He seems to have serious problems in his mind. And he has said many concrete documented lies since becoming president - and before -  which is his modus operandi. He has said so many lies, including to himself, that he cannot distinguish truth from lies, as Dostoyevsky predicted.

I am all for efficiency and unnecessary cost cutting. I am also all for deporting, criminal and illegal aliens, in a humanistic way if they're not criminals and in a legal way if the are.

But trumps incompetence shout so loud. You can't run the world's superpower by winging it, for the sake of media show, without having grasp of the subject to any level of substance, which Trump has absolutely no interest in, no interest in learning subject matters to any level of depth beyond bumper sticker lines.

This presidency is in my view an absolute disaster. It's a disgrace for America and American experiment and American dream. America was born by running away from dictators. Now we have a dictator wannabe who he wants to gut the country, who does not respect the basic principle of a democracy, which is separation of powers. He wants to be in charge of all the three branches of the government -- his actions say that loud and clear.

I can write a book about what a disaster Trump is in terms of character with tens of thousands of lies, lack of any sense of morality, lack of any sense of compassion, empathy, sympathy, humanity. It's all about him. And what he's doing to supposedly make America great again it's all about him to get recognition, add, perhaps there is more to it than that, because this cutting of America that he's doing is a direct threat to the fabric of America. Don't get me wrong, I am all for efficiency, and cutting on necessary costs and optimizing processes. But doing so intelligently, responsibly, selflessly, but that is not what's happening.

There are a lot of great change management gurus around. They don't need to be Elon Musk who has gross conflict of interest in all the things that he's doing.

And for the record I'm not a democrat. I've been in change management long enough, and I have studied history of dictatorships long enough to understand what is happening is extremely dangerous for the fabric of America. Russia and China absolutely love it.

My comments on an online post (March 28, 29 2025)

• The dictator-wanna-be, chronic liar, Donald Trump is gutting America and attacking the core of the American Experiment. No president in history has ever disrespected separation of power. Corrupt dictators also once in a while do something positive. Don't lose sight of the big picture. The judicial branch has no police and military and all past Presidents, even the worst ones like George W. Bush respected the rule of law and court orders. That checks and balances between the powers is essential for the democratic process, which Trump has undermined.

• As they say in Persian a good year is predicted by its spring, which in this case is chaos, stupidity, incompetence, recklessness, and like you said, a *few* good things in comparison with the madness - not to mention his lunatic idea that USA should take over Canada and Panama and Greenland. How did that stopping the Ukraine war in a day go? more than 2 months later that turned out to be just hot air as usual. How did it go with building the wall he promised in his presidency? How often have you heard him talk about healthcare these days, and schools and things that matter to people rather than blowing hot air about taking over Canada, and waking up, deciding to impose tariffs only to void them 2 days later which caused so much confusion and economic chaos, and then rinse and repeat a week later?  Not to mention the over 30,000 documented lies he says. Maybe you think character doesn't matter. I hope what you're saying turns out to be true because we're stuck with him. Best Regards.

Trump Has Created A Constitutional Crisis 

by Professor Mark Godsey, JD:

"My job is to teach the U.S. Constitution in law school. I want to share what all law professors I have spoken to in recent days believe is happening, regardless of political bent. It is this: We are in a constitutional crisis that is unprecedented and that may very well destroy the form of constitutional government our founders created more than 200 years ago.

A fact not enough people realize is that our constitutional democracy is fragile. It requires three co-equal branches of government with checks and balances baked-in to keep each branch in line. Each branch has a role, and under the Supremacy Clause, the federal courts have the authority to check the President by using their assigned right to "interpret" the Constitution and declare the President's orders (when challenged in court) either constitutional or unconstitutional.

When a federal court rules, however, it does not have an army to enforce its ruling. It can't make others follow what it says. Rather, we have always relied on the belief that our leaders will put the Constitution over themselves and their "needs of the moment," and will follow the Constitution. So far, our Presidents of both parties have done this. That is why our democracy has endured. Each past President of each party has taken the position that, "I am not bigger than the Constitution. I must follow the federal courts and the Supremacy Clause, even if I don't like it." In fact, no one has dared to suggest otherwise.

But what the Trump administration's lawyers and spokespersons are doing now is breaking from about 250 years of custom and practice when they argue that the checks and balances do not apply to Trump and does not have to follow federal court decisions that say his orders are unconstitutional. This position is unprecedented and extremely scary. Because guess what? He can get away with it if the people don't stop him, because the federal courts can't stop him. Remember, the federal courts do not have armies. Armies, the police, etc. are all under the Executive Branch.

The U.S. Constitution is an honor-code system. We have always relied on good faith that no one will break the pact. We have always taken the position that our Presidents will not defy the federal courts and, for that matter, that the American people would not elect someone who would do such a thing. But now we have elected such a person."

https://www.facebook.com/mark.godsey.5/posts/pfbid028ZFNZE2VGSxiBWqTRsTFFLRRNEduR4ceWr9K5NyZiMN7kfqgB7tHMZgSPuTjupuCl

https://law.uc.edu/faculty/directory/mark-godsey.html

Professor Godsey is a leading scholar, attorney and activist in the Innocence Movement.

NEWS HEADLINES 

I STOPPED READING RELATED NEWS BECAUSE I GOT TIRED OF GETTING BOMBARDED WITH STUPIDITY AND CHAOS COMING IN MY COMPUTER SCREEN. SO THIS LIST IS FROM PRIOR TO 18 MARCH 2025

• US senator Jeff Merkley asks if Donald Trump is a Russian asset after bust-up with Zelenskyy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-9tiGDuwCc

• Trump Launches Mass Purge of Air Traffic Control Staff - The Trump administration has kicked off a firing spree of air traffic controllers, despite four deadly plane crashes on his watch.

• Trump has ‘given Putin everything Putin wants’, says former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman.

• A brief summary of Trump’s idea of a ‘peace deal’: Zelenskyy: “I need help to protect my people.” ---- Trump: “Well, you should have thought of that before you got invaded…”!!!   Trump is taking sides with the occupier and not the occupied !!

• Under Trump, USA voted with Russia, Nicaragua, North Korea, Iran, against the true statement that Russia started the war in Ukraine !!! Trump has a problem with truth when it doesn't serve himself and in this case, Putin.

• An unhinged, irrational, thuggish Trump tried to bully Zelenskyy by blaming him for Putin's aggression. Zelenskyy stood his ground beautiful and showed the big orange bully that even a weak country like Ukraine can be tougher and stronger than a spoiled big-mouth bully. 

• Over 1,000 gather on Boston Common in Presidents Day protest against Trump

• Washington Post Caves to Elon Musk and Scraps Ad. The newspaper was all set to run a print ad critical of the tech mogul, but then balked. 

• Musk and Trump Are Cutting Popular Programs. That’s Deliberate.

• Social Security Administration acting commissioner steps down.

• Another flip flop after wrecking havoc with incompetent, sporadic, of the cuff action: Trump signals tit-for-tat China tariffs may be near end; TikTok deal on ice.

• BREAKING NEWS: Pete Hegseth Puts NATO Allies On Notice That U.S. Will Not Be Treated Like A 'Sucker'.

• James Cameron says US under Trump is ‘horrifying’ as he becomes New Zealand citizen. Titanic and Avatar director says ‘America doesn’t stand for anything if it doesn’t stand for what it has historically stood for’ – and that he prefers New Zealand to Canada

• Donald Trump's Daytona 500 Spectacle Fuels Accusations Of Double Standards - Critics tore into the stunt as another hypocrisy.

• Elon Musk’s DOGE wants access to the tax information of every American, and Trump plans to give it to him

• US presented Ukraine with a document to access its minerals but offered almost nothing in return

• Elon Musk's DOGE asks for access to IRS taxpayer data, sources say. If granted, DOGE would have personal financial details on millions of Americans.

• Macron calls emergency European summit on Trump, Polish minister says 

• I wrote to:  nrussell@gannett.com:   I guess you want your kids to have a chronic liar, immoral beast, incompetent dictator-wanna-be as a role model. Congratulations !!  You like his policies !! What policies. He's clueless about policies and repercussions of his foolish ideas to enrich billionaires. But then again columnists can be bought.

• Angry protesters with scathing signs take on Donald Trump, Elon Musk in U.S.

• US isolation threatens global democracy, warns Major

• "Trump is gutting America and the American Experiment from the inside". Reza Ganjavi 

• US attorney resigns after being ordered to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Adam

• Senate confirms Project 2025 co-author as Trump budget chief.

• Poland announces military training plan for all men

• Trump's attempt to clean up after Elon Musk backfires  -  One question remains: What is the true motivation behind Musk's DOGE project?

• Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Adjusts Tariffs on Canada and Mexico to Minimize Disruption to the Automotive Industry

• Donald Trump's Job Approval Rating Hits Lowest of 2nd Term

• Putin compares Macron nuclear remarks to fate of Napoleon

• Global bonds sell off as investors react to Trump’s tariffs and a German ‘paradigm shift’

• Europe welcomes France’s offer of nuclear protection in defiance of Putin’s threats -- Macron’s proposal hailed as a ‘very serious deterrent’ for Russia 

• Donald Trump's Job Approval Rating Hits Lowest of 2nd Term

• Whoopi Goldberg Won’t Attend Kennedy Center Until It “Becomes What Kennedy Center Was Always Supposed To Be”; Trump Appointee Calls ‘Hamilton’ Withdrawal A “Publicity Stunt”

• ‘Read this e-mail immediately': CDC tells about 180 fired employees to come back to work

• Dow tumbles 400 points, Nasdaq enters correction as trade policy fatigue ignites sell-off: Live updates

• Trump changes course and delays some tariffs on Mexico and Canada

• Trump Press Sec Accidentally Blurts Out Real Goal of His Tariff Scam. As press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the quiet part out loud about Trump’s tariffs, a reporter who covers Trumpworld explains why his vile bullying of our allies should be taken a lot more seriously.

• I remain optimistic about the longer term, but I still awaken each morning with a sense of dread. I’m sure some of you do, too. Start with Elon Musk’s bonkers comment that Social Security is “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” In a Ponzi scheme, a con artist lures investors into a fake investment project, pockets the cash, and then gets new “investors” to funnel their cash to the earlier investors — until there are no new recruits and the whole thing collapses. The last ones in are suckers left holding worthless bags. Social Security is not a Ponzi scheme. It’s a high-functioning, universal, and exceptionally efficient part of the American social safety net — the opposite of a Ponzi scheme. Which is why the overwhelming majority of Americans oppose cutting it.    -- Robert Reich 

• Trump’s erratic trade policies are baffling businesses, threatening investment and economic growth

• Marco Rubio Melts Down at Musk in Furious Cabinet Shouting Match. A silent Trump watched on as the blow-up dragged on for an uncomfortably long time, according to a report.

• Musk and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy got into their own quarrel over how the latter was managing the Federal Aviation Administration, the Times reported.

• Trump suspending US intelligence sharing is ‘suffocating’ Ukraine’s hope, says Ben Wallace.  Former UK defence secretary suggests Ukraine can still win the war if it continues holding off Russian forces.

• Elon Musk's Starlink has a growing footprint in the federal government. The use of Starlink has been adopted by at least one additional federal agency since President Donald Trump began his second term, and it’s being considered by more.

• ‘Go ski in Russia’: JD Vance booed by angry pro-Ukraine protesters during family trip to Vermont - Videos

• European leaders back Zelensky after Trump clash

• IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season 

• Trump Turns His Back on the Markets. It Could Break MAGA.

• Terror leader claims he's launched huge attack on major American aircraft carrier after Trump's devastating airstrikes

• Trump Orders US Military to Plan Invasion of Panama to Seize Canal: Report 

• Second Federal judge orders Trump administration to rehire fired probationary government workers

• Trump Turns to Supreme Court on Birthright Citizenship Curbs

• Judge Halts Trump Wartime Powers Plan to Speed Deportations

• Trump administration deports hundreds under sweeping wartime authority despite judge’s pause

• Trump says he was being a ‘bit sarcastic’ when he promised to end Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours

• Fear and resignation after ‘world’s most powerful company’ pays Trump a $100 billion ‘protection fee’

• JD Vance Booed at Kennedy Center - The vice president was attending a performance of Stravinsky’s Petrushka

• An ex-Republican in Newtown Square took out a $50,000 ad in the N.Y. Times to criticize Trump

• Exclusive: How the White House ignored a judge's order to turn back deportation flights

• Whether US is heading for recession or just 'detox,' downturns are costly

• Donald Trump has begun a mafia-like struggle for global power -- But the new rules do not suit America

• Trump Is Overturning the World Order That America Built -- As the president embraces Putin, longtime allies are starting to view the U.S. not just as unreliable but as a possible threat to their own security

• One step closer to dictatorship:  RFK Jr. issues rule barring public comment on HHS rulemaking. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday released a policy prohibiting public comments during his department’s rulemaking process, ending more than 50 years of the public’s involvement in crafting his department’s rules.

• Ukraine balks at signing Trump deal to hand over its mineral wealth 

• 'Nobody laughed': JD Vance called 'dumb hick' over joke comparing Elon Musk to Greta Thunberg at Munich Security Conference

• Anger, chaos and confusion take hold as federal workers face mass layoffs

• Top US envoy to meet Russian officials for Ukraine peace talks

• RFK Jr. Just Kneecapped the CDC on His First Day

• U.S. stocks finish mostly higher as Big Tech bounces back from tariff-induced selloff

• Rubio could face an unfriendly reception from close G7 allies over Trump’s policies

• Judge blocks Trump from using 18th-century wartime act for deportations - Trump had invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport five Venezuelans, but order halted by judge

• How DOGE may have improperly used Social Security data to push voter fraud narratives

• 2nd Signal chat reveals Hegseth messaging about Yemen strikes with family members: Sources

• EPA administrator announces huge rollback of environmental regulations - Lee Zeldin said he will reconsider a list of core EPA policies, including emissions standards for vehicles and the finding that serves as the basis for addressing climate change.

• The Trump administration’s decision to expel the South African ambassador is its latest move against a country it has singled out for sanctions and accused of being anti-white and anti-American.

• South African ambassador 'no longer welcome' in US, Rubio says. At the event, Rasool said Trump was "mobilising a supremacism" and trying to "project white victimhood as a dog whistle" as the white population faced becoming a minority in the US. "We see it in the domestic politics of the USA, the Maga movement as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct, but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the USA in which the voting electorate in the USA is projected to become 48% white," he said. He suggested that South Africa was under attack because "we are the historical antidote to supremacism". In response, Rubio called Rasool "PERSONA NON GRATA", referencing the Latin phrase for "unwelcome person". 

• Trump moves to close government lab that tracks planet-warming pollution

• Federal agencies plan for mass layoffs as Trump's workforce cuts continue

• Trump signs order to gut Voice of America, other agencies

• This week in Trumponomics: Thumbs down all around

• The purging of federal workers continues.

• Hours after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged that the Department of Health and Human Services would not undergo a staff purge, it did.

• The Trump administration laid off half of its Epidemic Intelligence Service, otherwise known as the “Disease Detectives.” The lay off affected 1,260 staff

• The White House Is Criticized Over ‘Offensive’ Valentine’s Day Social Media Post

• Ukraine Not Invited To U.S.-Russia Talks In Saudi Arabia, Zelenskyy Says 

•  ‘Beyond Disgusting’: Elon Musk Faces Backlash After Mocking Federal Aid Recipients As ‘Parasite Class’ While His Companies Rake In $18 Billion from U.S. Taxpayers

• Hillary Clinton warns Trump ‘stupidity’ will leave US ‘feeble and friendless’  Former presidential candidate writes op-ed excoriating Signal leak and White House’s ‘dangerous’ actions.

• The Memo: Firestorm grows over Trump DOJ’s deal to drop charges against Eric Adams

• JD Vance’s Greta Thunberg joke at Munich Security Conference sparks anger in Europe; ‘Not acceptable’

• New Study Finds Big Increase In Microplastics Found In Human Brains yet Trump just authorized mass use of plastic straws again. 

• Judge temporarily blocks mass firing of CFPB employees

• Judge Who Made Life Hell for Trump Will Oversee Case on Elon Musk

• A major lawsuit against Elon Musk just got assigned to his new nightmare: Judge Tanya Chutkan.

•  Trump, Putin Teams Meet in Saudi on Ukraine as Europe Sidelined.

• White House pulls Stefanik’s UN ambassador nomination amid concern over narrow Republican House majority

• Jon Ossoff : They are literally the elites they pretend to hate.    https://x.com/ossoff/status/1903998853046546942

• Ossoff: This was a huge a mistake correct?  Ratcliffe: No !!  https://x.com/Acyn/status/1904567023923089696

• Signal Chat Leak Angers U.S. Military Pilots

• Signal leak fallout continues: The Atlantic publishes Trump officials' chat messages on Yemen strikes

• Elon Musk Brags About How Much He Controls Trump - Elon Musk is getting Donald Trump to do all of his dirty work. Elon Musk is threatening to use the power of the White House against people protesting his companies.

• Trump administration concedes Maryland father from El Salvador was mistakenly deported and sent to mega prison 

• "In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans' safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy and even our aspirations as a people [for] our highest offices, a sense of common decency," Booker said.

• Cancer researchers, opioid abuse analysts, infectious disease experts: Layoffs at HHS begin to take shape - Tears and added security greeted employees unexpectedly turned away from their offices Tuesday.

• National Security Council staffers fired after Trump met with far-right activist, conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer: Sources

• Economics 101 dictates that higher tariffs strengthen the value of a country's currency, but Trump's tariff announcement sent the value of the U.S. dollar plunging.  Why it matters: It's a sign that investors are worried about a recession, particularly in the U.S. — on top of concern that U.S. policies are making America a longer-term risky bet.

• Second day in a row: Dow tumbles 1,000 points after China retaliates against Trump's tariffs

• "China retaliates against Trump in trade war with 34% tariffs on US imports

• Fears of global recession rise as stock markets continue to fall after China responds to US president’s ‘bullying practice’"

• President Trump just made the job of the Federal Reserve that much more difficult as he unveiled the steepest tariffs in more than 100 years, taking markets by surprise. Economists scrambled to revise their forecasts in ways that present twin challenges for the central bank: higher inflation and slower growth. Maybe, as some economists said, a US recession.

• " Canada to Europe: US relationship will ‘never be the same again’ after Trump’s trade war

• Ottawa’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly says tariffs would ultimately be a tax on the American people. "

• Trump crosses red lines: proposed minerals deal demands Ukraine repay all US aid with interest.

• RFK Jr. said HHS would rehire thousands of fired workers. That wasn’t true.

• The health department has no plan to mass reinstate employees it cut earlier this week.

• HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a St. Patrick's Day Reception at the White House.

• HHS will not rehire terminated staffers en masse, despite Kennedy's assertion Thursday that some had been mistakenly cut. | Mandel NGAN / AFP

• 04/04/2025 07:39 PM EDT When HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday that he planned to rehire 20 percent of the employees he’d just terminated, he insisted such a move was “always the plan.” Turns out, it wasn’t the plan at all. HHS has no intention of reinstating any significant number of the staffers fired as part of a mass reduction-in-force on Tuesday, despite Kennedy’s assertion that some had been mistakenly cut, a person familiar with the department’s plans told POLITICO."

• MSNBC Host: Trump’s Treasury Sec ‘Looking for an Exit Door’. Trump tariff formula misrepresents global trade economics, experts say. One economist called calculations "extraordinary nonsense." RFK Jr. announces HHS reinstating some programs, employees cut by mistake https://www.thedailybeast.com/axed-vaccine-chief-reveals-rfk-jrs-crackpot-data-demands/

• Axed Vaccine Chief Reveals RFK Jr.’s Crackpot ‘Data’ Demands

• Obama Breaks Silence on Trump’s ‘Unimaginable’ Presidency

• "Massive anti-Trump protests expected Saturday in DC and across US

• More than 1,000 ‘Hands Off’ protests planned against ‘all-out assault on our government, economy and basic rights’"

• Angry protesters from New York to Alaska assail Trump and Musk in ‘Hands Off!’ rallies

• Trump's tariffs list is missing one big country: Russia

• The most economically illiterate speech I have ever heard', analyst says - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avEtMcELaPU 

• Trump’s Tariffs Are Designed to Backfire

• Judge says deportation of Maryland man to an El Salvador prison was ‘wholly lawless’

• "Racist Trump mentality:  Tubman’s removal from the “Underground Railroad” page “is both offensive and absurd,” Fergus Bordewich, a historian and the author of a book about the Underground Railroad, told CNN Sunday. He described the new webpage as “diminished in value by its brevity.”

• “To oversimplify history is to distort it,” Bordewich went on. “Americans are not infants: they can handle complex and challenging historical narratives. They do not need to be protected from the truth.”

• Janell Hobson, a professor of women’s studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York, described Tubman as “one of our greatest American heroes and definitely the greatest liberator in this nation” in an email to CNN.

• “I hope that National Parks Service realize they owe it to her and other heroes like her to stand in the truth of what this history has been,” she said. "

• The dollar continued to weaken, oil fell below $60 for the first time in years, and even tariff safe-haven gold sold off.

• The intrigue: Billionaire hedge fund manager and Trump supporter Bill Ackman warned of an "economic nuclear winter" if the president didn't pause the tariff regime. 

• "RFK: MMR vaccine is the ""most effective way"" to prevent measles spread. Why it matters: Kennedy has been criticized for downplaying measles risks and the efficacy of vaccines, notes Axios' Marc Caputo, who first reported on the secretary's visit to Texas.

• The secretary has a long record of sowing skepticism about vaccines."

• Trump’s tariffs will be bad for you. And you, and you, and you, and you

• Businesses spent years diversifying away from China. Trump’s trade war could destroy those economies 

• China lashes out at JD Vance for calling Chinese people ‘peasants’

• Trump’s Trade Math Ignores a Major Export: American Services. Trade wars heighten overseas risk for U.S. companies. ‘When you generate bad will, it’s harder to sell stuff.’

• Anti-vaccine advocates, including Kennedy, have for years inaccurately claimed that routine childhood shots may cause autism.

• US consumer sentiment plummets to second-lowest level on records going back to 1952

• President of El Salvador says he won't return mistakenly deported man to U.S. -- there's no credible evidence that the guy is a gang member and has had no criminal charges or convictions in the USA or El Salvador. Even the Supreme Court ruled he must be returned. Now Trump administration is being a bully by claiming its mistake as not a mistake, despite credible evidence !! Goodbye to The Noble American Experiment! 

• Signal chat records must be preserved, federal judge tells Trump administration.

• Trump firings cause chaos at agency responsible for America's nuclear weapons

• Department of Justice files motion to dismiss charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

• Justice Department asks court to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

• Liar: Trump denies asking DOJ to drop Mayor Adams' case 

• Dismissed Nuclear Bomb Specialists Recalled by Energy Department. About 300-400 workers tied to nuclear programs were dismissed. Agency seeks to bring back workers after chaotic terminations

• Flurry of resignations after DOJ tells prosecutors to drop Eric Adams case

• Trump administration fires over 400 DHS employees as mass firings continue

• US President Donald Trump on Friday said “I don’t know what’s going to happen at 12 o’clock” the following day, referring to the deadline he put in place earlier this week calling for all hell to come down on Gaza if the remaining hostages are not freed by Saturday at noon.

• Trump’s Takeover of the Kennedy Center Rattles the Music World

• Artists booked to perform at the venue are grappling with canceling shows. Some, like Chris Pierce, are carrying on: "I’m going to do what I can do and raise my voice"

• Stars pull out of shows and positions at Kennedy Center after Trump takeover. Issa Rae, Ben Folds and Shonda Rhimes among those who chose not to associate with the institution and president

• Judge tells agencies to restore webpages and data removed after Trump’s executive order 

• Trump order to dismantle the education department in the works, sources say

• Trump says no right of return for Palestinians in Gaza under his plan for US ‘ownership’

• Full Ukrainian liberation from Russia 'unrealistic,' Hegseth tells allies

• Tensions rise after Trump falsely blames Ukraine for war

• US no longer ‘primarily focused’ on Europe’s security, says Pete Hegseth

• Trump Threatens to ‘Look At’ Judges Blocking Musk’s DOGE Actions

• The Trump administration is defying court rulings against Elon Musk’s pet project and dismissing concerns about conflicts of interest

• Trump's Gaza proposal has rattled the Middle East. More surprises are likely

• Anyone asking if Trump would actually defy a court order needs their fucking head examined. I mean we’re talking about someone who tried to overthrow an American election... Of course he’ll defy the Constitution. (Joe Walsh)

• Congressman Jamie Raskin announced today that he will file “a class action suit on behalf of all Americans” against DONALD TRUMP and ELON MUSK for their breach of American data by DOGE. 

• Five inspectors general fired by Trump all have one thing in common: their agencies investigated Elon Musk corporations. Musk's crusade against the government isn't about the "waste" or "efficiency". (Robert Reich)

• Photo of beautiful water flow that I just opened in California. Today, 1.6 billion gallons and, in 3 days, it will be 5.2 billion gallons. Everybody should be happy about this long fought Victory! I only wish they listened to me six years ago – There would have been no fire! [NONE OF THE WATER FLOWS TO LOS ANGELES !!!]

• White House says Musk will police his own conflicts of interest.

• Zelensky bristled at his berating by Trump and Vance. After three years of war, what did they expect?

• Trump: ’60 Minutes’ should be ‘immediately terminated’ after Harris transcript release 

• 19 states sue to block Elon Musk's DOGE team from accessing sensitive taxpayer data

• Government workers sue Trump and Rubio over ‘catastrophic’ USAid cuts. Lawsuit seeks order blocking ‘unconstitutional and illegal actions’ that have created ‘global humanitarian crisis’

• Trump: 'I Am Committed to Buying, Owning Gaza'; When Palestinians Have an Alternative, 'They Won't Want to Return'

• Trump describes Gaza as a ‘big real estate site’ as he doubles down on plans to redevelop the enclave 

• Trump repeats pledge to take control of Gaza even as pressure mounts to renew ceasefire

•  NIH slashes funding for research overhead, leaving universities scrambling

• It’s the Trump administration’s latest blow to the American higher education system, which Republicans for years have blasted for churning out liberal-minded graduates.

• Erdogan: Trump’s plan to oust Gazans from ‘eternal homeland’ unworthy of discussion

• Trump fires archivist of the United States, official who oversees government records

• Trump says he is revoking Biden's security clearance

• Member of Musk's Doge resigns after reports of racist posts - Vance says the DOGE staffer who resigned after a report of racist postings should be brought back

• Pentagon cuts off Hegseth town hall webcast after transparency pledge

• Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel

• Panama criticizes State Department’s claim US government vessels can freely transit canal as an ‘intolerable’ falsehood 

• Trump allows immigration officials to revoke legal status of some migrants.

• But Andrew Natsios, who ran USAID under President George W. Bush and is a lifelong conservative Republican, calls such moves “illegal” and “outrageous.” What Musk and Rubio are doing “is criminal. They can’t abolish the aid program without a vote of Congress.”

• Elon Musk Wants What He Can’t Have: Wikipedia -- Musk and other right-wing tech figures have been on a campaign to delegitimize the digital encyclopedia. 

• Musk's team accesses Medicare, Medicaid records

• CBS stands at the epicenter of Trump's assault on the media

• Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Canada and Mexico 

• In the face of a trade war with America’s neighbors, Trump blinked

• On Elon Musk's ‘work log’ order, staff union calls move ‘‘Cruel, disrespectful’.

• 'He's Full Of S**t': Pediatrician In Congress Blames RFK Jr. For Child's Death From Measles. “I do blame him and others like him who, for the past 20 years, have been spreading lies about vaccines," said Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.).

• Musk Makes Big Mistake While Trying to Smear Ex-CNN Legal Analyst Norm Eisen 

• ‘Dummies for Putin’: Democrats defend Zelenskyy after ‘shameful’ Trump meeting. Ukrainian leader abruptly left White House after being publicly berated by US president in Russia ceasefire talks

• RFK Jr., America’s Leading Advocate for Getting Measles. Contrary to what the health secretary says, the outbreak of disease in Texas is, in fact, unusual.

• Trump: when I left office, Biden lifted all sanctions against Iran.  Fact check: That's a lie!! It's true that Biden was very sympathetic to the Iranian regime as Obama was, but he did not lift all sanctions. 

• Zelenskyy won’t apologize to Trump, but calls clash ‘not good for both sides’

• Anger at Elon Musk turns violent with molotov cocktails and gunfire at Tesla lots - The string of violence against Tesla storefronts, charging stations and vehicles.

• A timeline of Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Tariffs issued this week upended U.S. trade relationships and roiled markets.   https://abcnews.go.com/Business/timeline-trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china/story?id=119506883

• BREAKING NEWS: Elon Musk publicly clashes with Robert De Niro after he collaborates with The Views to insult Elon Musk live on air: “Go away, you weird awakened kid.”

• Trump Address Sparks Global Reactions As Trade War Ensues

• China and Canada immediately retaliate against Trump’s tariffs. Mexico is next

• The short history of Trump's tariff chaos https://www.npr.org/2025/03/07/nx-s1-5320159/trump-week-tariffs-mexico-canada-doge

• Police union that endorsed Trump blasts Jan. 6 pardons

• Elon Musk’s Doge team granted ‘full access’ to federal payment system

• Trump's "disaster" Zelensky meeting stuns GOP hawks

• Trump’s treasury secretary gives the world’s richest person entry to one of the most sensitive US government databases

• Trump tariffs 'bad' for US and Europe, Scholz says

• Dow futures slammed by 600 points after Trump hits Canada, Mexico and China with tariffs: Live upd

• Trump agrees to pause Mexico tariffs in exchange for troops at border | LiveNOW from FOX

• This army pilot’s death would not have happened if it weren’t for that orange fool in the White House.

• disgusting orange chronic scum stupid stories

• Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China could mean higher inflation and economic disruption

• Trump Administration Ties to Big Tobacco

• US restricts Canadians' access to Haskell Free Library. “There’s no words. I can’t believe what these people are doing. They don’t know what they’re doing," Lussier said. 

• Trump Suddenly Reverses Order on Mass Firing of Federal Employees. The Office of Personnel Management has revised a memo to make clear that it’s not requiring the firing of all probationary employees.

• Trump Hit by Brutal Fox News Graphic on Tariffs as More Bad Polls Land

• Elon Musk tries and fails to pump Tesla’s stock (TSLA)

• Tesla chairwoman sells $33 million worth of TSLA as she lets Elon Musk destroy the brand

• Dumb': Canada, Mexico blast historic Trump tariffs, threaten retaliation. U.S. tariffs are at their highest level since 1943, Yale's Budget Lab said.

• World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon confirmed as secretary of education. Her first order of business will be to dismantle the department she heads.

• White House seeks plan for possible Russia sanctions relief, sources say

• Trump touts renewal of rightwing policies in lengthy speech as Democrats jeer, protest and walk out – as it happened

• Elon Musk comes to Capitol Hill to meet with Republicans who discuss turning DOGE cuts into law

• Trump preparing executive order telling education secretary to dissolve Department of Education: Sources

• Education Dept looks to reassign work to other agencies ahead of Trump EO ‘eliminating’ it

• Supreme Court lets San Francisco discharge more raw sewage into the Pacific Ocean

• This Fox News Clip Showing What The Price Of A Truck Will Be After Tariffs Is Going Viral

• China vows to ‘fight till the end’ as Trump escalates trade war

• Highlights from President Donald Trump’s 2025 joint address to Congress Follow the latest news on President Donald Trump and his administration | March 4, 2025

• Trump's hot mic moment with Supreme Court Justice sparks wild conspiracy theories as he issues response

• Supreme Court rules Trump administration must unfreeze foreign aid payments. The court ruled 5-4 the administration must comply with a lower court order.

• Trump’s Approval Rating Goes Underwater. Portrait of Ed Kilgore By Ed Kilgore, political columnist for Intelligencer since 2015

• DOGE moves to cancel NOAA leases on key weather buildings

• Canadian PM Justin Trudeau describes Donald Trump's tariffs on his country, as well as China and Mexico, as "very dumb"

• Trudeau hits out at 'dumb' tariffs as Trump warns of further hikes against Canada

• Fears Ukraine defences will last only months without US

• Trump tariffs: White House reportedly weighs agricultural exemptions for Mexico, Canada

• Instead of vaccines, RFK Jr. focuses on unconventional measles treatments, driving worries about misinformation

• Supreme Court Rejects Trump on USAID Foreign-Aid Freeze

• Trump’s new tariffs are his most extreme ever. America targets its three biggest trading partners: Canada, Mexico and China

• 6 Student Loan Forgiveness Takeaways After Court Deals Major Blow To Key Plans

• RFK Jr sparks alarm after backing vitamins to treat measles amid outbreak. Health experts wary as US health secretary fails to endorse effective vaccines and instead calls them a ‘personal choice’

•  Putin agrees to help Trump start direct talks with Iran. Kremlin offers to mediate conversation between enemies but Islamic Republic ‘reluctant’ to accept after Zelensky row at White House 

• Trudeau slams Trump for starting ‘very dumb’ trade war with Canada while appeasing Russia’s Putin

• Trump grants 30-day exemption for U.S. automakers from tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada

• Trudeau: Canada will retaliate with 25% tariffs on $155B of U.S. goods

• Out-of-date polls to wrong aid amounts: factchecking Trump’s Congress address. The president’s marathon address to a joint session of Congress was littered with false claims he’s been corrected on but continued to repeat.

• Seven people dead after plane crashes into Northeast Philly neighborhood

• The Trump administration has withdrawn the proposed rule that would ban menthol in cigarettes and flavored cigars

• Trump and Elon Musk Just Pulled Off Another Purge—and It’s a Scary One

• Did Musk’s alleged effort to access the government’s payment systems have Trump’s blessing? Or was he going rogue? Either scenario is bad, but one’s a little worse.

• Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Launches Massive 10-to-1 Deregulation Initiative

• Why Trump tariffs will be ‘very bad for America and for the world’

• Trump offering buyouts to all federal workers

• Gen. Milley to lose security detail, clearance and face probe, Pentagon says

• Milley told journalist Bob Woodward during an interview for his book, "War," that Trump is "fascist to the core.

• Republican Calls Kids Freeloaders for Wanting Free School Lunch

• US government agencies order employees to remove gender pronouns from email signatures 

• Pressley Slams Trump for Baselessly Blaming Tragic Plane Crash on “DEI” - Harmful and Baseless Comments Came After Trump Fired Heads of TSA, Coast Guard and Gutted Key Aviation Safety Advisory Committee.  “He is a reckless, lawless, dangerous man, and at a time of tragedy when he should be a salve and a balm, and a source of confidence for these grieving families and for the country, this is what he does?”

• Trump tariffs will cost U.S. households $830 a year, study says

• Trump Gutted FAA Days Before Fatal Air Collision

•  DOJ fires dozens of prosecutors who handled Jan. 6 cases

• It’s the latest extraordinary purge of officials Donald Trump has deemed adversarial to his interests.

• BREAKING: Trump reaches settlement with Meta for $25 million over 2021 suspension

• Trump wants to send IRS agents to the border to stop immigrants!!! 

• “Every time Trump comes, people get more rude to foreigners.”

• Europe posts record year for clean energy use as Trump pushes U.S. toward fossil fuels

• Trump fires inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies 

• There are lots of examples. e.g. his arrogant stupid speech trying to attract foreign investment by use of threats! Totally stupid approach towards Ukraine war. Being totally clueless about macroeconomics, that price of oil just doesn't drop by an arrogant bully saying do it.

• We’ll get it permanently fixed’: Trump arrives in L.A. to tour wildfire damage.   

• The arrogant liar doesn't know he can't fix fire permanently. you can't prevent fire from happening. 

• Trump has started his second term musing about potentially taking over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and even Canada.

• Trump is trying to bully Denmark to give up Greenland. A former Danish official added: “It was a very tough conversation. He threatened specific measures against Denmark such as targeted tariffs.”      “People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it but, if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security,” Trump said.  blah blah. In reality he wants to go in an exploit Greenland. Today, Greenland’s status within the Kingdom of Denmark is firmly grounded in international law. Denmark’s sovereignty over the island has been consistently upheld through peaceful and continuous display of authority, acquiescence by other states, and recognition within international forums. President Trump’s remarks, while provocative, overlook the strong legal foundations of Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland.

• Trump says he still wants to buy Greenland, suggests Canada could become a U.S. state

• Trump tells LA Mayor to let residents displaced from fires start rebuild sooner than '18 months'

• Trump demands an apology from bishop who asked him to ‘have mercy’ on LGBTQ+ people and migrants dismantling DEI was stupid 

• Trump floats "getting rid of FEMA" as he visits North Carolina and California disaster areas

• Donald Trump admin freezes all foreign aid by US, including that to Ukraine; Israel exempted

• Trump signs executive orders targeting abortion rights –

• First three days: most stupid things a President can do. Shows how incompetent he is. What a bullshitter he is. This is a real test of America.

• Hegseth told senator he paid $50,000 to woman who accused him of 2017 sex assault

• Hegseth promises to stop drinking if confirmed, GOP senators say

• Ten current and former Fox employees say Trump’s pick for defense secretary drank in ways that concerned his co-workers. 

• Mexico refuses to accept US military plane carrying deported migrants: Report

• LOL. It says a lot about your intelligence and character if you think Trump is doing an incredible job while his first 3 days in office has been nothing but idiotic disgusting arrogant chaos. Just reading some headlines makes one's head spin: how arrogant and stupid they are.

• Trump is everything everybody dreaded. He tells the European allies and others that they should invest in the US otherwise he will increase the tariffs. What a stupid thing to say. This is a bully approach, and he is a bully. And an unintelligent one, and a dishonest, immoral one. He promised to stop the war in Ukraine quickly, and now he says Russia should stop the war, otherwise the US will sanction it. And then he says the price of oil should drop which he says will lead to end of the war. Sounds like a bride who doesn’t know how to dance and says the room is crooked. And he tells Saudi Arabia to drop the price of oil because he doesn't understand anything about macroeconomics. And then he says about Iran: after all the rhetoric he said to get Iranian-Americans to vote for him, he they are religious so they are difficult and it would be good to have a diplomatic solution and if not, that's OK.

• 26 Jan 2025 already: A key ally of Trump's - Republican Senator Lindsey Graham - has told NBC the president shouldn't have pardoned violent 6 January defendants

• Senate Democrats are planning to press Republicans on their support of Trump's order, as polls suggest the move was unpopular with the public

• Donald Trump, meanwhile, tells the BBC that the US gaining control of Greenland is an "absolute necessity" to guarantee international security

• He also accuses Canada of treating the US "unfairly on trade", saying the country is "totally reliant on us" and would benefit from becoming a US state

• Elsewhere, Trump has suggested that Gazans could be relocated to other Arab countries - the remark has shocked Palestinians but has been welcomed by Israel's far-right

• Trump says he wants the U.S. to take ownership of the Gaza Strip

• What to expect from Trump’s second term: more erratic, darker, and more dangerous

• ‘Here We Go Again’: Trump’s Territorial Ambitions Rattle a Weary World

• A distant era of global politics, when nations scrambled to grab territory, suddenly seems less distant.

• US Postal Service suspends incoming parcels from China and Hong Kong 

• "A senior prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., resigned on Tuesday, citing an improper demand by Trump administration officials to freeze assets and launch a criminal investigation.  Denise Cheung said that she was ordered to investigate a government contract awarded under the Biden administration, and to begin the process to freeze the recipient’s assets. Neither request was supported by the evidence that was provided to the Deputy Attorney General’s Office, Cheung wrote in a letter to the interim head of the office, Ed Martin. Reuters reviewed a copy of the letter. "

• NFL will remove 'End Racism' from the end zones ahead of Super Bowl

• The announcement comes the same day a White House official told NBC News that President Donald Trump would be attending the game. 

• That order also considers pulling the U.S. out of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

• Hundreds gather outside Treasury Department to protest Elon Musk’s government influence

• CIA reportedly offers buyouts to entire workforce in latest Trump-era purge

• REPORTER: You focused on what Ukraine has to give up. What concessions will be demanded of Putin?

• Elon Musk's DOGE sends a chill through the housing market

• Trump is living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space,’ says Ukraine’s Zelenskyy

• "Zelenskyy hits back at Trump's comments, says Ukraine is not for sale

• The pugnacious response followed Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s invasion three years ago."

• Perfect example of Trump lying -- or repeating what Putin told him to say -- or being crazy and delusional:     Trump says Ukraine 'never should have started' war with Russia following US-Russia talks in Riyadh 

• Trump delivers another blow to Ukraine and a new boost to Putin 

• Trump levels stunning criticisms against Zelensky after Russia talks

• The Trump administration told a judge Elon Musk does not head DOGE. Huh?

• "Covid vaccine faces ban for all Americans in radical U-turn by Trump team

• Trump administration fires top US general and Navy chief in unprecedented purge of military leadership

• "President Donald Trump fired Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr [black]. as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announcing his intent to nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John “Dan” Caine [white] to replace him in a social media post Feb. 21.

• Caine is a highly unusual choice. U.S. Code states the “President may appoint an officer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff only if the officer has served as (A) the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; (B) the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, or the Chief of Space Operations; or (C) the commander of a unified or specified combatant command.”  Caine never served in those roles. "

• Pentagon to fire up to 61,000 workers, starting with 5,400 next week, says DOD

• Vance floats US troop withdrawal from Germany 

• Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio arrested at US Capitol. Tarrio was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump. ----- During his sentencing, prosecutors pointed to a nine-page strategic plan to ""storm"" government buildings in Washington on Jan. 6 that was found in Tarrio's possession after the riot, as well as violent rhetoric they say he routinely used in messages with other members of the group about what they would do if Congress moved forward in certifying President Joe Biden's election win. Tarrio was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump."

• Arab leaders meet in Saudi Arabia in bid to counter Trump’s ‘Riviera’ Gaza proposal - Leaders from Arab countries met in Saudi Arabia Friday to hammer out a recovery plan for Gaza. The summit is aimed at countering US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate the Palestinian enclave’s two million people to Egypt and Jordan and turn Gaza into a Middle Eastern “Riviera” under US control.

• Trump was addressing Democratic and Republican governors at the White House when the confrontation occurred.  During the exchange, Trump told Governor Mills, "You better do it because you're not going to get federal funding."  The governor responded in a statement on Friday, saying her state "will not be intimidated by the President's threats."

• Trump’s Oval Office thrashing of Zelenskyy shows limits of Western allies’ ability to sway US leader

• AP sues Trump officials over Oval Office ban, citing First Amendment -- Efforts by Trump to block reporters during his first administration didn't pass muster in court, and First Amendment experts believe the principles established by those decisions should apply to the AP's case.

• "Trump Press Secretary Hit With Embarrassing Fact-Check on Fraud Claim

• Karoline Leavitt claimed “tens of millions” of dead people were receiving social security payments."

• Steve Bannon is accused of doing a straight-arm Nazi salute at CPAC

• Our Dictator-in-Chief is preparing to dissolve the leadership of the U.S. Postal Service and absorb the independent mail agency into his administration, potentially throwing the 250-year-old mail provider and trillions of dollars of ecommerce transactions into turmoil.

• National Park Service employees at Yosemite laid off amid government cuts

• "Trump, RFK Jr. go after antidepressants, weight loss drugs. Here's what the science says. Experts say the drugs are safe and effective."

• Musk misreads Social Security data, millions of dead people not getting benefits, experts say

• US consumer sentiment plunges over tariff and inflation fears.

• The Ukraine minerals deal is a perfect metaphor for Trump’s foreign policy

• "Eric Adams' case indefinitely adjourned by judge following DOJ request

• State Department terminates U.S. support of Ukraine energy grid restoration. The USAID initiative had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in helping Ukraine's energy grid recover from attacks from Russia.

• Several Justice Department officials resigned in the wake of the request."

• "Trump Blows Up After Onslaught of Devastating Polls.

• Zelenskyy leaves White House without signing minerals deal after Oval Office blowup

• Donald Trump is losing it after a series of polls this week found his approval rate is quickly plummeting."

• Dr Jay Bhattacharya says 'academic freedom is dead.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy breaks his silence on Donald Trump's disastrous Oval Office outburst with stunning grace and class — but refuses to apologize to Trump as demanded by MAGA. And the best part? He did it on Fox News. This is what a real world leader sounds like...

• US relations with Europe will never be the same after Trump’s call with Putin

• Meeting at White House ends in disagreement. Press conference between US and Ukraine leaders cancelled and no minerals deal signed after angry scenes in Oval Office.

• Bolton: Trump has effectively surrendered to Putin in Ukraine negotiations

• Ukraine ‘may be Russian someday,’ Trump says ahead of Vance-Zelensky meeting

• Just in: Kennedy Center cancels Gay Men’s Chorus

• Senate GOP dismayed by Trump, Zelensky war of words

• 'Islamic State Will Capitalize' After Musk's DOGE Shutters USAID

• Trump warns Zelenskyy to quickly negotiate war’s end with Russia or risk not having a nation to lead

• 'Shameful' Trump attack on Zelensky and 'Tearful Emma'

• Zelensky says Trump living in Russian 'disinformation space'

• Interview with Hegseth

HEGSETH: Hmm. I would start by saying that the arguments that have been made that somehow sitting down at the table right now is making concessions to Vladimir Putin, I just reject that outright.

REPORTER: Yes, but every “peace talk” so far has been about what Ukraine has to give up – territory, NATO aspirations, sovereignty. So what exactly is Putin putting on the table?

HEGSETH: Well, I don’t think it’s fair to say that we’re just giving concessions to Putin.

REPORTER: Okay, is he pulling out the Russian troops? Paying reparations? Admitting war crimes? Or is his big “compromise” that he’s just taking less from Ukraine than he originally wanted?

HEGSETH: Look, negotiations require both sides to make sacrifices.

REPORTER: Yes, but only one side has launched a full-scale invasion. If a guy steals your house and offers to give you back half of your living room, that's not a "compromise" - that's a hostage deal.

HEGSETH: I just think it's time for diplomacy.

REPORTER: Diplomacy is great when both sides want peace. But when one side just wants a "pause" to recharge, that's not diplomacy - that's setting up for the next invasion.

HEGSETH: So you're saying no negotiations, just endless war?

REPORTER: No, I'm saying that a peace agreement where only one side makes sacrifices is not peace - that's a better saying for surrender.

• My American friends are asking me about President Trumps’s observation that the British ‘like him’. I regret this is quite unfounded. The explanation for this canard is that Trump is pronoid. Pronoid is the opposite of paranoid. A paranoid person thinks, without any basis in reality, that everybody is out to get them. A pronoid person is someone who thinks, without any basis in reality, that everybody likes them. The fact is that the British loathe Donald Trump. This is because he is the polar opposite of a ‘ Gentleman ‘, who has qualities the British admire. A fine example is Gareth Southgate. To the British, a ‘ Gentleman ' is a man who is modest, well-mannered, self deprecating, quietly intelligent, considerate of other people’s feeling, and well-informed. He is not vulgar, inflated, vain, boastful, noisily ignorant, sleazy and common as muck. I hope this clears up any confusion.  ~ John Cleese 

• Haley admonishes Trump for Ukraine stance: ‘Exactly what Putin wants’ 

• At Least Now We Know the Truth... Trump and Vance have revealed to Americans and to America’s allies their alignment with Russia, and their animosity toward Ukraine in general and its president in particular. The truth is ugly, but it’s necessary to face it.

• Rep Ted Lieu: Donald Trump acts like he is scared of Vladimir Putin.

• Trump Posts AI Video Showing Colonial Fantasy of Gaza Rebuilt for the Rich. Excessive wealth is a focal point of the video, which shows a gold statue of Trump and Elon Musk being showered in cash.

• DOJ spokesperson resigns, citing ‘toxic work environment’ 

• Asia-Pacific markets fall as Trump confirms tariffs to proceed next week

• NOAA layoffs threaten weather, climate forecasts

• 3 top U.S. prosecutors resign over order to drop NYC Mayor Eric Adams corruption case

• Trump’s shakeup of Washington reached the Pentagon on Friday as he fired several top military leaders, including Air Force Gen. CQ Brown as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

• Jeffrey Epstein files released to conservative influencers

• Social Security Administration aims to cut about 7,000 jobs, prompting fears of customer service impact 

• Musk wants retired air traffic controllers to resume work, but it's not so easy

• "Zelenskyy went into the Oval Office and stood up to Russia's best negotiators." Eric Swalwell

• ‘A spectacle to horrify the world’: what the papers say about Trump and Vance’s meeting with Zelenskyy. The shocking and unprecedented scenes in the Oval Office dominate UK front pages today, with the papers united in horror

• Agencies, unions tell fed workers: Don't answer Musk's threat email

• Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting explodes into shouting match

• Trump says Starmer and Macron 'haven't done anything' to end Ukraine war

• DOGE cuts complicate government funding talks and raise shutdown fears

• It started as Elon Musk’s musings at a 2023 dinner party about how he would gut the federal bureaucracy. It evolved into an operation that has given him a singular position of influence over the government. The operation was driven with a frenetic focus by the billionaire, who channeled his resentment of regulatory oversight into a drastic overhaul of government agencies.

• High-level EU-US diplomatic talks are called off as transatlantic tensions rise

• Judge halts mass firings of federal workers at some agencies 

• Musk's DOGE hit by mass resignations. Over 20 staffers quit, slamming Trump's federal job cuts.

• Trump Posts AI Video Showing Colonial Fantasy of Gaza Rebuilt for the Rich. Excessive wealth is a focal point of the video, which shows a gold statue of Trump and Elon Musk being showered in cash.

• Trump says he's 'sick' of how Zelenskyy has handled Ukraine's war with Russia: 'He has no cards'     blah blah blah….   The war zone is not a casino !! Ukraine has been attacked by Russia. It's defending itself, and has stood strong for 3+ years against a so-called superpower. To even use the term "cards" is despicable. You have a giant vs. a minuscule, and the minuscule has been kicking the giant's ass and getting its ass kicked too - and now Trump comes along and wants to set up a casino-style negotiation with "cards" to bargain with. The minuscule has no cards, true, but it has honor - something that Trump doesn't recognize easily having said over 30,000 documented lies. The whole world except a few rogue countries have stood on Ukraine's side because they understand something Trump either doesn't have the intelligence or goodness to understand, or doesn't want to. 

• Elon Musk email to federal employees met with resistance

• US added to international watchlist for rapid decline in civic freedoms - Civicus, an international non-profit, puts country alongside Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, Pakistan and Serbia

• China has a message for Trump: the US won’t stop its rise

• China slams Trump’s return to the ‘law of the jungle’

• Lawyers Plan to Sue Federal Government on Behalf of Jan. 6 Rioters. Claims that people who participated in the attack on the Capitol were mistreated by agencies like the Justice Department are part of efforts to cast the rioters as victims rather than perpetrators.

• Risk of ‘Trumpcession’ rising, economists say, as global markets fall - Donald Trump’s brinkmanship and stop-start approach to tariffs rattle investors

• China rolls out U.S. farm tariffs as Xi digs in for wider trade war - Fresh salvo against Canada seen as warning against aligning with Trump policy

• Ontario slaps 25% tax increase on electricity exports to US in response to Trump’s trade war

• Anger at Elon Musk turns violent with molotov cocktails and gunfire at Tesla lots - The string of violence against Tesla storefronts, charging stations and vehicles.

• A timeline of Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Tariffs issued this week upended U.S. trade relationships and roiled markets.   https://abcnews.go.com/Business/timeline-trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china/story?id=119506883

• BREAKING NEWS: Elon Musk publicly clashes with Robert De Niro after he collaborates with The Views to insult Elon Musk live on air: “Go away, you weird awakened kid.”

• Trump Address Sparks Global Reactions As Trade War Ensues

• China and Canada immediately retaliate against Trump’s tariffs. Mexico is next

• The short history of Trump's tariff chaos https://www.npr.org/2025/03/07/nx-s1-5320159/trump-week-tariffs-mexico-canada-doge

• Dow falls by almost 900 points in market rout after Trump says he won’t rule out a recession 

• Dow Jones Dives 890 Points On Trump Comments; Apple, Nvidia, Tesla Sell Off

• Fire burns 4 Tesla Cybertrucks in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood

• America is turning on Trump. From Elon Musk's Doge chaos to cutting Medicaid, voters across the political spectrum are unhappy."

• China Says It Will Grow Relations With Canada on Basis of Mutual Respect

• Judge orders urgent release of DOGE records, citing ‘unprecedented’ power and ‘unusual secrecy’   ---    It’s the first significant ruling in a growing legal push to pierce DOGE’s secretive veil, a decision that undercuts Musk’s repeated insistence about the operation’s transparency.

• Ontario slaps 25% tax increase on electricity exports to US in response to Trump’s trade war

• Trump Goes on Insane Truth Social Posting Spree as Stock Market Freefalls

• Trump imposes new Canada tariffs, demands it join U.S.

•  Trump threatens new tariffs on Canada and warns he will shut down its auto industry 

• "Trump adds another 25% to tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum

• 
  

• The tariff is the latest salvo in a rapidly escalating trade war."

• Trump doubles planned tariffs on Canadian metal

• Rubio says Trump administration canceling 83% of programs at USAID and intends to move remaining ones to State Department

• Elon Musk Freaking Out as Tesla Craters -- The company's stock is in a nosedive.

• The United States was added Sunday to the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist, due to declining civil liberties

• Elon Musk accused Sen. Mark Kelly of betraying his country after the Arizona Democrat visited Ukraine over the weekend and urged the U.S. to stand with Ukrainians against continued Russian aggression.   

• Trump administration ordered to pay $2 billion in aid

• US education department to lay off 1,300 people as Trump vows to close agency - Firings announced Tuesday as administration decried as ‘detached from how Americans live’

• Education secretary says mass layoffs first step toward shutting down DoE

• Education Department cutting nearly half of workforce

• Trump said Russia had ‘all the cards,’ but this ceasefire proposal just called Putin’s bluff

• ‘I feel utter anger’: From Canada to Europe, a movement to boycott US goods is spreading

• "RFK Jr. Makes More Alarming Comments About Measles Amid U.S. Outbreaks

• The health and human services secretary's skepticism around vaccines is well-documented."

• Tesla Owners Selling Cars In Protest Of Elon Musk Are In For A Shock

• Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on nearly $30bn worth of US imports -- Canadian government says it will follow ‘dollar-by-dollar’ approach and institute 25% tariffs on US imports

• Trade war escalates as Trump pledges more tariffs

• Canada and the EU swiftly retaliate against Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs

• Trump imposes sweeping 25% steel and aluminum tariffs. Canada and Europe swiftly retaliate

• EU braces for higher prices as US trade war ramps up

• And why are America’s mainstream media so unwilling to even report on, much less discuss, all the Nazi and neo-Nazi references surrounding Trump and today’s captive Republicans?

• Trump accuses Ireland of stealing US companies in meeting with taoiseach - US president claims Dublin ‘took’ pharma industry as he holds White House press conference with Micheál Martin

• Judge slams EPA’s climate grant cancellations: ‘You have to have some kind of evidence’

• Trump threatens 200% tariff on European alcohol as trade war escalates

• Florida mayor seeks to evict cinema for showing Oscar-winning documentary - Miami Beach mayor also proposes withdrawing grant after O Cinema screened Palestinian-focused film No Other Land 

• A Putin aide rejects Trump's 30-day Ukraine ceasefire proposal

• Scoop: White House pulls CDC director nomination

• Thousands of fired federal workers must be rehired immediately, judge rules - U.S. District Judge William Alsup described the mass firings as a “sham” strategy by the government’s central human resources office.

• Trump hatred towards Zelenskyy goes back to the July 2019 phone call when Trump asked Zelenskyy for two favors before giving Ukraine more weapons: 1- Find a file that shows Ukraine and not Russia interfered in the 2016 elections in favor of Trump  2- Find a file that shows Biden involvement in a corruption scandal.  Zelenskyy refused to provide falsified records to Trump

•  Trump personally decided to limit Associated Press’ access to White House. The acknowledgement came in a lawsuit filed by the news organization.

• US sides with Russia in UN resolutions on Ukraine

• ‘The perfect target’: Russia cultivated Trump as asset for 40 years – ex-KGB spy

• Elon Musk Draws Ire Telling Federal Employees to Justify Their Jobs Over Email or Resign

• Trump backs Musk as he roils the federal workforce with demands and threats

• Even as Macron flatters ‘Dear Donald,’ the US is deeply estranged from the West on Ukraine

• Macron corrects Trump after he says European support for Ukraine was a loan

• Musk gives all federal workers 48 hours to explain what they did last week or face consequences.  Some agencies soon told employees that they did not have to comply if they received Musk’s message.

• " Germany’s Merz vows ‘independence’ from Trump’s America, warning NATO may soon be dead

• Election winner likens the Trump administration to Putin’s Russia as he bids to take Europe in a new direction. "

• "Donald Trump makes Ukraine an offer it can’t refuse . The talks are continuing. One question is how badly Ukraine is squeezed if there is a deal: an official says it is “not negotiation, but extortion”. 

• A proposed economic deal would be punitive. Saying “no” could be worse "

• "Trump names conservative podcaster Dan Bongino as FBI deputy director

• Selection of former Secret Service agent and author means two staunch Trump allies lead the principal federal law enforcement agency"

• Trump's FBI deputy director has no academic credentials in law or law enforcement. He's an MBA with bachelor is psychology! 

• Trump fires 1,600 USAID employees, others sent on indefinite paid leave

• Warren Buffett, warning of ‘scoundrels’ and ‘fiscal folly,’ slashes his exposure to U.S. stocks

• Trump’s firing of watchdog agency chief illegal and would give ‘license to bully officials’, judge rules. Case is seen as early test of scope of presidential authority as Trump seeks to rein in federal agencies’ independence

• Matthew Chance: Russians show support for Trump following White House meeting with Zelensky

• Starmer embraces Zelensky after Trump spat: ‘We stand with you’.

• Trump economic approval ratings sag as inflation fears grow

• The former head of Kazakhstan’s intelligence service, Alnur Mussayev, recently claimed in a Facebook post that Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987, when the 40-year-old real-estate mogul first visited Moscow.

• A bigger victory for Putin than any military battle’: Russia gleeful after Trump-Zelenskyy clash

• Putin stays silent but Russian politicians and media outlets crow with delight after the ambush of Ukraine’s leader

• Judge rules Trump’s firing of federal workforce watchdog was illegal. Decision reinstating special counsel sets up executive power fight that Supreme Court is likely to resolve

• Trump's effort to fire government watchdog 'unlawful', judge rules. The judge ruled Hampton Dellinger must be allowed to continue serving as the head of the Office of Special Counsel for the remainder of his term.

• "Trump compared to mobster Tony Soprano by former envoy to Panama

• John Feeley launches stinging critique of US president’s bully-boy approach to Latin America"

• Saudi Crown Prince MBS Rallies Arab Leaders on Gaza Plan to Thwart Trump

• Judge warns Trump administration to comply with court order on foreign aid payments

• "Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE - WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying they were refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services.”

• “We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,” the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. “However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”"

• Trump and Musk are dismanteling American from within. Putin is the real winner not the American people. 

• Trump says US will sell $5 million ‘gold card’ to wealthy foreigners

• FBI Director Kash Patel wants to bring the UFC to the FBI, sources say

• Trump Says He Could Sell ‘Russian Oligarchs’ a ‘Route’ to U.S. Citizenship

• FBI Director Kash Patel wants to bring the UFC to the FBI, sources say

• Ben-Gvir referenced Trump’s recent statement urging Israel to "bring down the gates of hell" on Hamas but accused both Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of enabling terrorism through policies such as prisoner release deals. … “I warned about bus bombings a month and a half ago, but I didn’t think it would happen this soon,” he said. “When terrorists are freed, buses explode—that’s why I left the government. This was a deal that would bring terror upon us,” he stated.

• Kash Patel confirmed by Senate to be Trump's FBI director...Patel's "time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity.".. "My reservations with Mr. Patel stem from his own prior political activities and how they may influence his leadership..."

• ‘America is going down’: China can capitalise on damage caused by Trump, former PLA colonel says

• " Russia celebrates US foreign policy that now ‘coincides’ with Moscow’s worldview

• Moscow hopes to take advantage of a growing rift between the U.S. and Ukraine, and Europe more broadly. "

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth orders a halt to offensive cyber operations against Russia

• “Go to Texas, Mr. Secretary, and preach the truth as only a convert can: This vaccine is safe, and getting children jabbed is an act of love,” the Post wrote to Kennedy. “That’s why all your children are vaccinated, despite your well-known concerns.” --- Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said the decision to vaccinate is “personal” but defended the efficacy of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, saying it is “crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease.”

• Europeans embrace Zelensky after he was vilified by Trump

• UK’s Starmer says Europe is at ‘crossroads in history’ as leaders agree to steps to Ukraine peace

• [Trump gutting USA from inside. Criminals loves it]  Trump Celebrates After Killing Anti-Money-Laundering Law -- Donald Trump is excited about one of the Treasury Department’s most sinister moves yet.

• Wall Street closes sharply lower after Trump says Mexico and Canada tariffs to take effect – live

• "Options traders are bracing for a stock-market crash

• Demand for crash protection soared last week, according to Cboe data"

• [Trump gutting USA from inside. Putin loves it]  Trump Reveals Tariffs Plan to Ruin American Farmers’ Lives. Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs—and then told American farmers to “have fun!”

• US is pausing military aid to Ukraine – White House

• [Trump acting like Putin's agent again:] Trump blasts Zelenskyy for saying peace is 'very, very far'. The Ukrainian president said no peace is possible without security guarantees.

• [Trump acting like Putin's agent again:]  Trump suggests Zelenskyy ‘won’t be around very long’ if he does not make a deal with Russia – video

• SEN. MARK KELLY: He was cornered and he was bullied in the Oval Office. And Margaret, that just makes us look weak. You know, I think Donald Trump was trying to look tough. JD Vance was trying to look tough. The only winner in that exchange is Putin- who's a criminal, who's killing, you know, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. So, it was a sad day for our country. It was a dumpster fire of diplomacy. It should not have been done that kind of negotiation should not be done in public, in front of cameras. When we had our meeting earlier in the day with Zelensky. He- he, you know, he has this like habitual gratitude. He was very thankful, and the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee kicked the cameras out of the room before we started to talk. That's the way this should be handled, not what- not what Donald Trump did.

• Costa Says Trump Laid Trap for Zelenskyy, Calls Conference a 'Setup'. A minerals deal that was expected to lead to a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by the U.S., quickly devolves. Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) says he thinks the talks were a setup to belittle Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Excellent Letter of Marc Elias to Elon Musk 

Elon Musk attacked democracy defender and superstar court lawyer Marc Elias as “undermining civilization,” taunting him by asking if he suffered “generational trauma.”

Elias’s response was brilliant and worth amplifying:

Mr. Musk,

You recently criticized me and another prominent lawyer fighting for the rule of law and democracy in the United States. I am used to being attacked for my work, particularly on the platform you own and dominate.

I used to be a regular on Twitter, where I amassed over 900,000 followers — all organic except for the right-wing bots who seemed to grow in number. Like many others, I stopped regularly posting on the site because, under your stewardship, it became a hellscape of hate and misinformation.

I also used to buy your cars — first a Model X and then a Model S — back when you spoke optimistically about solving the climate crisis. My family no longer owns any of your cars and never will.

But this is not the reason I am writing. You don’t know me. You have no idea whether I have suffered trauma and if I have, how it has manifested. And it’s none of your business.

However, I will address your last point about generational trauma. I am Jewish, though many on your site simply call me “a jew.” Honestly, it’s often worse than that, but I’m sure you get the point. There was a time when Twitter would remove antisemitic posts, but under your leadership, tolerating the world’s oldest hatred now seems to be a permissible part of your “free speech” agenda.

Like many Jewish families, mine came to America because of trauma. They were fleeing persecution in the Pale of Settlement — the only area in the Russian Empire where Jews were legally allowed to reside. Even there, life was difficult — often traumatic. My family, like others, lived in a shtetl and was poor. Worse, pogroms were common — violent riots in which Jews were beaten, killed and expelled from their villages.

By the time my family fled, life in the Pale had become all but impossible for Jews. Tsar Nicholas II’s government spread anti-Jewish propaganda that encouraged Russians to attack and steal from Jews in their communities. My great-grandfather was fortunate to leave when he did. Those who stayed faced even worse circumstances when Hitler’s army later invaded.

That is the generational trauma I carry. The trauma of being treated as “other” by countrymen you once thought were your friends. The trauma of being scapegoated by authoritarian leaders. The trauma of fleeing while millions of others were systematically murdered. The trauma of watching powerful men treat it all as a joke — or worse.

As an immigrant yourself, you can no doubt sympathize with what it means to leave behind your country, extended family, friends and neighbors to come to the United States. Of course, you probably had more than 86 rubles in your pocket. You probably didn’t ride for nine days in the bottom of a ship or have your surname changed by immigration officials. Here is the ship manifest showing that my family did. Aron, age three, was my grandfather.

[see image in comments]

As new immigrants, life wasn’t easy. My family lived in cramped housing without hot water. They worked menial jobs — the kind immigrants still perform today.

Some may look down on those immigrants — the ones without fancy degrees — but my family was proud to work and grateful that the United States took them in. They found support within their Jewish community and a political home in the Democratic Party.

I became a lawyer to give back to the country that gave my family a chance. I specialize in representing Democratic campaigns because I believe in the party. I litigate voting rights cases because the right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy. I speak out about free and fair elections because they are under threat.

Now let me address the real crux of your post.

You are very rich and very powerful. You have thrown in with Donald Trump. Whether it is because you think you can control him or because you share his authoritarian vision, I do not know. I do not care.

Together, you and he are dismantling our government, undermining the rule of law and harming the most vulnerable in our society. I am just a lawyer. I do not have your wealth or your platform. I do not control the vast power of the federal government, nor do I have millions of adherents at my disposal to harass and intimidate my opponents. I may even carry generational trauma.

But you need to know this about me. I am the great-grandson of a man who led his family out of the shtetl to a strange land in search of a better life. I am the grandson of the three-year-old boy on that journey. As you know, my English name is Marc, but my Hebrew name is Elhanan (אֶלְחָנָן) — after the great warrior in David’s army who slew a powerful giant.

I will use every tool at my disposal to protect this country from Trump. I will litigate to defend voting rights until there are no cases left to bring. I will speak out against authoritarianism until my last breath.

I will not back down. I will not bow or scrape. I will never obey.

Defiantly,

Marc Elias

Mike Pence

Three years ago today, Russia launched an unprovoked, brutal invasion of Ukraine. A few short weeks later,

@KarenPence

and I travelled with

@SamaritansPurse

and witnessed firsthand the flood of women and children fleeing the Russian onslaught near the Ukrainian border. We will never forget it. Every day since, Ukrainian soldiers have bravely fought and died on this front line of freedom and the American people and our Allies have rightly given them the means to defend their nation. As Leader of the Free World, America must continue to Stand Strong and lead free nations to give Ukraine the support they need to win a victory for their sovereignty, security and freedom. Slava Ukraini

On Trump's Despicable Defense of Putin

 
BREAKING: Senator Adam Schiff unloads the cannons on Donald Trump over his “shameful” Oval Office confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says it was “heartbreaking” and that Congress must act.

This is what all of us are feeling…

“I literally just got off the plane and of course, read all the clips about what just took place in the Oval Office,” said Schiff. “I can't think of a more shameful display by President of the United States in my lifetime.”

“When I think about all that the Greatest Generation did, the values that it fought for, when I think of what the country has stood for since, how we have defended democracy around the world, how we have come to the aid of our allies and friends, to see that all so shamefully betrayed is just heartbreaking,” he continued.

“What will it take to wake the conscience of this country? Is this now what America is?” asked Schiff.

“We are reduced to some kind of a extortionary protectionist racket where a leader of a country whose citizens have fought and died valiantly standing up to a Kremlin dictator, is so abused where we stand for nothing but using our might to extort the weak or the vulnerable,” he went on.

“Is this where we are right now? Because this is what we witnessed in the Oval Office today,” said Schiff. “Decades of hard work and sacrifice by our parents and grandparents all to be betrayed in such a tawdry fashion.”

“If the President of the United States won't defend American allies and friends and interests, then the Congress needs to step up and do our damn job,” he concluded.

• Great Letter to Trump by Dr. Jamie Raskin : https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/uploadedfiles/2025-03-12_raskin_to_trump_eop_re_contempt.pdf

• George Clooney's response to Trump: https://fandomwire.com/i-sold-ladies-shoes-george-clooney-obliterates-donald-trump-with-rags-to-riches-story-after-former-prez-calls-500m-worth-actor-a-hollywood-elite/

Both Steve Bannon and Elon Musk made a Nazi salute when they promoted Trump. Looks very similar to Hitler's!