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50 STATES AND DC, CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT

Musk’s outbursts reveal a deeper rift in MAGA Trump is squandering the chance to build a coherent populist programme. Joel Kotkin

https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/06/05/musks-outbursts-reveal-a-deeper-rift-in-maga/

The deepening split between Elon Musk and the Trump administration speaks to broader divisions within an increasingly shell-shocked GOP. Musk, who left the White House only last week, has since denounced Donald Trump’s hodgepodge budget bill – the so-called Big Beautiful Bill – as a ‘disgusting abomination’, as it will add almost $4 trillion to the federal deficit. He had previously called Trump’s pro-tariff chief trade adviser, Peter Navarro, a ‘moron’, reflecting the gulf between the populists and the oligarchs in the MAGA coalition. Oligarchs, whatever their party, do not favour tariffs, curbing immigration or raising taxes on themselves.

It turns out that this incoherence, married to one-man rule under Trump, has consequences. MAGA is a coalition based largely on a shared detestation of the ‘progressive’ agenda, but it has little else in common. It includes people concerned about free speech and anti-Semitism, as well as Christian humanists. And it also contains deeply troubling elements that appeal to a stew of authoritarian, nativist, racist and anti-Semitic ideas – tropes long peddled and platformed by Trump supporters such as the pro-monarchist Curtis Yarvin and the ubiquitous, ever-ugly Tucker Carlson.

Not surprisingly, the broader base that elected Trump is now fracturing into its constituent parts. This is not to say that there has been a shift to the self-righteous and rightfully ignored ‘Never Trumpers’ in the GOP. Nor have Republicans suddenly embraced the leftist meme that Trump is a ‘fascist’ with a plan. He is nothing of the sort: lacking any real ideology or disciplined movement capable of advancing a particular programme.

In essence, Trump is a grifting narcissist with a keen sense of how to take advantage of the sustained imbecility of his opponents. But there is no fixed core to Trumpism – only impulses more expected from a toddler with ADHD than a presidential administration. He may have been a builder in his past career, but he appears clueless when it comes to constructing a clear policy agenda beyond revanchism and grift.

This incoherence is now undermining his own coalition. The tariff blitzkrieg, for instance, could be seen as justified in response to the undoubted mercantilism of Canada, the EU and, above all, China. Yet instead of leading to concessions from other countries, the chaotic rollout of the tariffs has the potential to paralyse large swathes of the US economy, including the all-important auto industry – winning few allies beyond a handful of labour-union leaders, many of whom will probably never support him anyway.

One can feel the wheels coming off, as many of the key constituencies that elected both Trump and the GOP Congress resist his impetuosity and persistent dishonesty. Like most political movements, MAGA is a fragile alliance of groups that often have little in common – and in some cases, loathe each other. This is already evident in the widening chasm between Trump’s tech bros, who favour cutting government spending and care chiefly about personal enrichment, and the working- and middle-class voters who twice put him in the White House.

Not Even Democrat Experts Can Defend Nationwide Injunctions Matt Margolis

https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/06/04/not-even-democrat-experts-cant-defend-nationwide-injunctions-n4940456

During a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the abuse of nationwide injunctions yesterday, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) took direct aim at University of Pennsylvania law professor Kate Shaw, wife of MSNBC’s Chris Hayes. What followed wasn’t just a pointed exchange; it was a complete intellectual beatdown. Of course, that’s what always happens with Kennedy. 

Shaw, invited by Democrats as an expert, quickly found herself exposed as a partisan hack, stammering and backpedaling while Kennedy dismantled her credibility piece by piece.

Kennedy confronted Shaw over her inconsistent views on universal injunctions — condemning them when used against Democrats, then suddenly embracing them under President Trump. He called out her hypocrisy with surgical precision, even mocking her sudden fondness for these rulings as if they now “taste like pumpkin pie.” It was a masterclass in exposing the left’s double standards, and Democrats are probably wishing they’d picked a different witness.

But Kennedy wasn’t the only one who made mincemeat out of Shaw.

Sen. Josh Hawley also took his turn, and it was just as brutal. After Shaw began offering a vague, academic defense of her shifting views, Hawley went straight for the jugular.

“So long as it is a Democrat president in office, then we should have no nationwide injunctions,” Hawley said. “If it’s a Republican president, then this is absolutely fine, warranted, and called for.”

Long TDS A serious illness that keeps the Dems in the voters’ doghouse. by Bruce Thornton

https://www.frontpagemag.com/long-tds/

Trump Derangement Syndrome has riled and roiled our politics for a decade, and its only achievement has been sending Donald Trump back to the White House for a second term, and for now marginalizing the Democrats, whose approval ratings are stuck in the mid-twenties. Worse for the Dems, their loss in November was what Barack Obama called a “shellacking,” only more so.

They lost the popular vote and both houses of Congress, as well as significant numbers of the Democrats’ usually reliable constituencies. Voters also repudiated the Dems’ dangerous “woke” policies that failured to protect the border from invasion; fight crime and prosecute criminals; conduct a foreign policy that put America’s national security and interests first; stop culture-war enormities like biological males colonizing women’s sports and locker rooms; reform their tax-spend-borrow-redistribute economic policies; cease and desist from trans propaganda invading our primary schools, and to arrest, charge, try, and punished privileged protestors in Ivy League schools chanting their support for genocide, assaulting Jews, and other antisemitic offenses.

All those patently preposterous policies are inimical, if not fatal, to our Constitutional, Judeo-Christian, and Greco-Roman traditions, as well as abandoning both reason and common sense––and don’t forget the ridiculous lies they told about both Trump’s “fascism,” and Joe Biden’s cognitive decay.

Given this electoral disaster that followed Trump Derangement Syndrome, you’d think that the Dems and Petainist Rhinos would give up and instead focus on the issues angering and worrying voters, as Trump did. But OC TDS sufferers just can’t help themselves. Their social status, inflated amour propre, and lucrative political establishment are too precious. The Rhinos in particular can never forgive Trump for crashing their political guild party and perks.

A particularly incoherent example appeared last week in the Wall Street Journal. Novelist Mark Helprin’s topic is an important one: the long history of bipartisan assaults on our Constitutional order and its foundational principles. And much of Helprin’s comments comprise bipartisan censures, except when he feels compelled to single out Trump and indulge hoary TDS clichés culled from ten years of anti-Trump invective, and festooned with a specious moral equivalence of the two parties.

The CBO Isn’t Partisan, It’s Just Incompetent

https://issuesinsights.com/2025/06/05/the-cbo-isnt-partisan-its-just-incompetent/

When the Congressional Budget Office reported that the Republicans’ “big, beautiful” reconciliation bill would boost deficits and throw millions off insurance rolls, it was treated as gospel truth.

The CBO is, after all, a “non-partisan” agency, staffed by just-the-facts-ma’am budget and economic experts who don’t have any axes to grind.

Maybe that’s true. But it’s not partisan bias that is the problem. It’s the CBO’s terrible track record when it comes to predicting the impact of tax and health care policies.

By the CBO’s accounting, the House reconciliation bill would cut tax revenue by $3.7 trillion and cut spending by $1.3 trillion over the next 10 years, resulting in deficits that are $2.4 trillion larger than they’d otherwise be.

To make matters worse, the proposed Medicaid spending cuts would throw nearly 11 million people off insurance rolls, according to the CBO.

That combination just happens to make for the perfect Democratic talking point – “Republicans want to cut taxes for the rich at the expense of the poor!!” – which is why its new forecasts are front-page news. And when the White House suggested that the CBO’s projections were biased, the mainstream press rushed to the CBO’s defense.

But wait a second. These are 10-year projections. They are based on a raft of assumptions about incredibly complicated systems.

So, the important question is, just how good is the Congressional Budget Office at making such predictions?

The answers are easily found, although you’d never know it based on the media’s total lack of interest.

The Left’s War on Elon Musk: A Campaign of Smears and Slander By Liz Peek

https://lizpeek.com/daily-rant/the-lefts-war-on-elon-musk-a-campaign-of-smears-and-slander/

Elon Musk is apparently now fair game, open to any kind of vicious accusations and ad hominem attacks. ALWAYS described as “the world’s richest man”, as though that’s a bad thing instead of an extraordinary achievement, the Left goes after Musk because they’re afraid of slamming Trump.

Last week Jamie Raskin, a senior Democrat congressman from Maryland posted this on X (owned by Musk!):

“This ketamine, ecstasy and mushroom-using government contractor, the richest person in the world, sacked thousands of excellent government workers, caused the deaths of thousands of poor children in foreign lands, stole Americans’ data and destroyed government services but he did pick up billions more in government contracts while he was in town!”

Ignore the preposterous notion that Musk’s businesses need more government contracts and the drug-use issue, which surfaced in a hit piece by the NY Times using – guess what – anonymous sources!!! (I know you’re shocked). It’s the accusation that Musk “caused the deaths of thousands of poor children in foreign lands” that is appalling, as it is almost certainly not true.

Incredibly, David Brooks, a respected writer at the NY Times, echoed what I would consider a slanderous remark in an interview on PBS, naturally, saying “So far, 55,000 adults have died of AIDS in the four months since Trump was elected; 6,000 children are dead because of what DOGE did. That’s just PEPFAR, the HIV. You add them all up, that’s 300,000 dead, and we’re four months in. You add that all up and accumulate that over four years the number of dead grows very high.”

What did Musk and DOGE do? They uncovered shocking amounts of corruption and wasteful spending at USAID, and cut some programs. Reports of children dying almost immediately followed, though if you read those accounts carefully you will find the accusations mostly made by people who have lost their jobs and their funding. They are angry, and working to convince the gullible anti-Musk press that he is evil incarnate.

Hassan Chokr Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearms after Antisemitic Tirade Against Parents and Preschoolers at Local Synagogue

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/hassan-chokr-pleads-guilty-illegally-possessing-firearms-after-antisemitic-tirade

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan

DETROIT – Hassan Chokr, a convicted felon and resident of Dearborn, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm after possessing multiple firearms inside a gun store, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced. Joining in the announcement was Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Chokr aggressively targeted Jewish parents and their preschool children at a local synagogue in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. After unleashing a menacing antisemitic tirade against them, he lied and attempted to buy to several firearms at a Dearborn gun store.  

In December 2022, Chokr, 37, drove through the parking lot of a Jewish synagogue as parents walked their preschoolers into the building, yelling profanities and attacking their support for Israel. After being asked to leave, Chokr drove to a gun store in Dearborn. While there, he possessed a Landor Arms, 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun; a Del-ton, 5.56mm rifle; and a Glock, 9mm semi-automatic pistol. He held each firearm, and at times pointed it and pulled the trigger. After deciding to purchase the three firearms, Chokr lied about his eligibility to possess firearms by indicating that he had never been convicted of a felony offense when in fact, he had been convicted of a felony several years prior. While awaiting the results of the background check, Chokr indicated that he would “even the score” and use the guns for “God’s wrath.” He ultimately was denied the purchase of the firearms after the background check.

United States Attorney Gorgon stated: “The federal government must do everything in its power to stem the rising tide of antisemitism. Chokr’s attempt to purchase several deadly firearms in an apparent attempt to follow through on his menacing threats against parents and preschoolers as they walked into a place of worship represents every American’s worst nightmare. And we will not allow anyone to terrorize our Jewish neighbors. We are committed to protecting every American and their right to live and worship free of fear.”

The Trump-Hating Left’s Worst Nightmare: Things Really Are Looking Up

https://issuesinsights.com/2025/06/04/the-trump-hating-lefts-worst-nightmare-things-really-are-looking-up/

The economy appears to be booming, consumer confidence is rising, inflation is coming in lower, and job growth higher, than expected. Normally, we’d all be celebrating good news like this. But not when Donald Trump is sitting in the White House. Then it must be ignored or explained away.

Ever since Trump took office, we’ve been treated to a steady diet of doomsaying. His tariffs would fuel inflation. He was driving the economy toward a recession. When the Commerce Department reported a slight contraction in the first quarter – so slight that future revisions could show that the economy expanded in the first three months – the same cast of characters started shouting “See, we told you so!”

But then the data started coming in, and suddenly those voices went silent. Why? Because it’s all been “unexpected” good news.

On Monday, for example, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank updated its GDPNow forecast – which projects quarterly economic growth in real time based on ongoing data releases. The current “nowcast,” as it’s called, shows growth in the second quarter of 4.6%, which is up from the 3.8% growth figure released last week.

The latest Consumer Price Index shows inflation in April was just 2.3%, marking the third consecutive monthly decline under Trump, and hitting a low not seen since February 2021, which, for those keeping score, was the month before Joe Biden went on his $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” spendathon.

The monthly jobs report for April came in higher than expected, with the creation of 177,000 jobs, after the March report came in significantly higher than expected. Yesterday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a “surprising” increase in the number of job openings.

Rubio to the Rescue Undoing the damage. by Jeff Crouere

https://www.frontpagemag.com/rubio-to-the-rescue/

The first four months of President Donald Trump’s second term have been a whirlwind of historic progress. From his executive actions to his reciprocal tariffs to his determination to bring peace to the world, President Trump has acted quickly to implement the Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda.

In the mission to undo the damage done by the last presidential administration, no cabinet member has been more instrumental than Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The 2016 GOP presidential candidate, who opposed Trump in the nomination campaign, and the former U.S. Senator from Florida, was unanimously confirmed by his Senate colleagues.

After witnessing Rubio’s bold moves as Secretary of State, some Democratic Senators regret their confirmation vote. At a contentious hearing last week, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) told Rubio, “I have to tell you directly and personally that I regret voting for you as Secretary of State.” In response, Rubio said that his regret “confirms I’m doing a good job.”

Van Hollen is upset that Rubio is implementing the agenda the American people supported in the last election. He specifically criticized Rubio for revoking student visas, reducing foreign aid, dismantling United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programs, and deporting illegal aliens, such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the so-called “Maryland Man,” to El Salvador.

Despite a Supreme Court ruling that the Trump administration “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States, Rubio correctly noted, “No judge in the judicial branch can tell me or the president how to conduct foreign policy.” Rubio informed Van Hollen that Abrego Garcia is a “human trafficker” and a “gang banger.” He also castigated Van Hollen for having “a margarita with” Abrego Garcia during his El Salvador junket.

Along with fiercely defending the President’s agenda in congressional hearings, media interviews and in negotiations with leaders of foreign countries, Rubio has been adding to his already significant responsibilities. Currently, Rubio may be the one person holding more jobs than billionaire businessman Elon Musk.

As his spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, Rubio “has worn several hats from day one.” Along with his primary position as Secretary of State, Rubio is serving as the interim National Security Advisor and supervises both the National Archives and USAID.

Bumbling Biden Was Still a Tyrant By J.B. Shurk

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/06/bumbling_biden_was_still_a_tyrant.html

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard continues to declassify documents that show how the Biden administration defined political opponents as “Domestic Violent Extremists” (DVEs).  In a December 13, 2021, intelligence product entitled, “DVEs and Foreign Analogues May React Violently to COVID-19 Mitigation Mandates,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and National Counterterrorism Center created a framework for investigating critics of Biden’s COVID policies and labeling them potential domestic terrorists.  

The report claims that “anti government or anti authority” Americans see “COVID-19 vaccination and mask mandates as evidence of government overreach” and that “QAnon” has used these “prominent narratives” to encourage violence.  Dangerous thoughtcrimes “include the belief that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe, especially for children, are part of a government or global conspiracy to deprive individuals of their civil liberties and livelihoods, or are designed to start a new social or political order.”

This Intel designation encapsulates so much of what is wrong with the federal government today.  

First, it once again frames anti-government Americans as a national threat.  Conversely, the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights all recognize government as an inherent threat to Americans.  

When we celebrate the Fourth of July next month, we will be honoring the patriotic acts of our political forebears and the many sacrifices they bore so that we might be free.  Free from what?  Oppressive government!  Our nation was founded on the truth that government is an enduring threat to individual life, property, and liberty.  Being anti-government is to be American; bowing down to government is to reject the founding principles of this nation!  

Who Really Are the Lawless and the Dictatorial? The left cries “dictatorship” while wielding the courts, agencies, and media to undermine laws, crush dissent, and call it democracy. By Victor Davis Hanson

https://amgreatness.com/2025/06/02/who-really-are-the-lawless-and-the-dictatorial/

The left is in its usual sanctimonious but schizophrenic mood.

The media claims daily that the Trump administration has usurped power. It is supposedly destroying democracy. It tramples on the rule of law and thus has created a virtual dictatorship.

Yet at the same time, Democrats high-five the most recent district court judge who has put a stop to the current Trump executive orders—which the Trump administration abides by as it files appeals.

There are two clear conclusions from the flurry of the lower-court liberal justices’ orders: 1) Trump has obeyed their record number of interventions as the appeals go forward; and 2) rarely in the history of the republic has a pool of some 300-400 left-wing district judges exercised such nationwide control over the executive branch and indeed the entire nation.

Yet consider the array of double standards.

Donald Trump is accused of improperly dictating to private elite universities who choose to apply for and receive federal funds. At least, lower court cherry-picked justices predictably rule so.

But please spare us the district courts’ sermons on truth, justice, and the American way, given their lodestar is often ideology, not principled adherence to the law.

After all, Trump is only following the precedents of the Obama administration. With legal impunity, it had threatened fines and worse to public and private universities that did not fully implement Title 9 to Obama’s subjective standards.

Indeed, the Obama Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, in an unconstitutional fashion, habitually threatened colleges and universities (“Dear Colleague…”) with a cutoff of federal funds if they did not comply with its weird version of addressing charges of campus sexual harassment. For the “constitutional lawyer” Obama, gone was the American creed that Americans accused on campus were innocent unless proven guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

For the Harvard Law graduate Obama, gone were even past administrative rules that required “clear and convincing evidence” to convict the accused.

Instead, it ordered campuses to adopt its new Orwellian standard that a mere “preponderance of the evidence” might find the targeted guilty—or risk losing federal funds.

Hillsdale College long ago declined federal subsidies and grants, only to be a target of petty, even spiteful, federal harassment from both the Obama and Biden administrations.