The Cruelty Isn't the Point.  It's the Pleasure.  —  Over the years, we've piled up some indelible images of gutless Republican surrender to Trump.  Ted Cruz's face of pure pain as he phone-banked for Trump in 2016.  Mitt Romney's rueful smile at dinner with Trump after that election.1 And now …

DOGE Claimed It Saved $8 Billion in One Contract.  It Was Actually $8 Million.  —  The biggest single line item on the website of Elon Musk's cost-cutting team appears to include an error.  —  The Department of Government Efficiency, the federal cost-cutting initiative championed by Elon Musk …

After ceding power of the purse, GOP lawmakers beg Trump team for funds  —  Republican senators are asking Cabinet secretaries and other Trump officials to let money flow back into their states.  —  Republican senators find themselves in an unusual position these days …

Despite DOGE, Trump's agenda calls for adding trillions of dollars to U.S debt  —  Budget experts say Trump's tax and spending priorities would increase red ink, even as he boasts of balancing the budget.  “I don't think their rhetoric matches reality,” says one.

Trump Media Group Sues Brazilian Judge Weighing Arrest of Jair Bolsonaro  —  The lawsuit came hours after the justice received an indictment of Brazil's former president, who is an ally of President Trump.  —  President Trump's media company sued a Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Wednesday …

Trump's approval rating slips as Americans worry about the economy  —  U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating has ticked slightly lower in recent days as more Americans worried about the direction of the U.S. economy as the new leader threatens a host of countries with tariffs, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them  —  In a statement, an Agriculture Department spokesperson told NBC News that officials are “working to swiftly rectify the situation.”  —  The United States Department of Agriculture on Tuesday acknowledged that …

Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:  —  Section 1.  Policy and Purpose.  The Constitution vests all executive power in the President and charges him with faithfully executing the laws.

The DOGE Brain Drain Has Begun  —  THREE DAYS AFTER the National Institutes of Health abruptly announced it would place a strict, low cap on the money it sends to universities and research institutions for the administrative costs of scientific research, the University of Iowa made an abrupt announcement of its own.

Why Democrats Won't Throw a Real Punch  —  Faced with existential threats from the right, the Democratic leadership remains timid; faced with demands for justice from the left, it goes on the attack.  —  Bluesky  —  Pocket  —  A relative of mine—an older gent with a penchant for salty language …

Trump's Kennedy Center Cancels Pride Concert That Would Have Featured Gay Men's Chorus of Washington  —  The Kennedy Center canceled a concert planned for May 21 that was to feature the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC, performing alongside the National Symphony Orchestra.

Tens of millions of dead people aren't getting Social Security checks, despite Trump and Musk claims  —  The Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments.  Over the past few days …

Vance's Munich Disgrace  —  In April 1928, Joseph Goebbels, later the Third Reich's chief propagandist, wrote a newspaper essay addressing the question of why the National Socialists, despite being an “anti-parliamentarian party,” would nonetheless compete in that May's parliamentary elections.

As measles outbreak rages in Texas, RFK Jr. pushes anti-vaccine message  —  The largest measles outbreak Texas has seen in over 30 years is sweeping through the western part of the state.  According to information released yesterday by the Texas Department of State Health Services, 58 cases have been confirmed throughout five counties.

A Frustrated Trump Wants His New Air Force One Planes Pronto  —  Among the ways being discussed to force faster delivery of two presidential planes are relaxing security clearances for Boeing workers and even purchasing a temporary luxury plane and retrofitting it.

Musk's X in Talks to Raise Money at a $44 Billion Valuation  — Valuation is the same as Musk's 2022 Twitter acquisition  — Billionaire has recently tapped private markets for big sums  —  Elon Musk's X is in talks to raise money from investors at a $44 billion valuation, according to people familiar with the matter.

RFK 's plan to make America healthy again?  Round up people with mental health conditions in camps  —  Robert F. Kennedy wants to replace standard psychological care with unpaid labor on “wellness farms”  —  Robert F. Kennedy's “make America healthy again” motto is meant to convey …

Musk and Trump Are Causing the Dumbest Imperial Collapse in History  —  Empires have fallen before.  But it's never been this purely idiotic.  —  Demonstrators march holding posters during a rally to protest President Trump's politics, on Presidents Day, February 17, 2025, in Los Angeles.

Trudeau announces $3.9B high-speed rail between Quebec City and Toronto  —  300km/hour trains to stop in Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City  —  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday revealed his government's $3.9 billion …

Elon Musk's DOGE Seeks Access to Americans' Data, Alarming Government Employees  —  Employees from Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency are gaining access to vast amounts of information held by federal agencies, even as lawsuits try to stop them.

Now is the time for Europe to show strength, not division, argues Sanna Marin  —  Finland's former leader makes the case for stumping up tens of billions more for Ukraine  —  All wars end, but how they end determines the shape of the peace that follows—and whether it will last.

Unelected billionaire breaks laws to “restore” democracy  —  🗽 🗳️ 🦅 With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever.  Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers.

Carr Jacked  —  Brendan Carr and Donald Trump.  (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)  —  Over the weekend, Tom Wheeler, the former Federal Communications Commission chair under Barack Obama, traveled to his local theater to finally see “Wicked.”  The Academy Award-nominated film …