I’m excited to announce a new program here at TPM, one I’ve been working on for the last couple months. It’s called the Future Is Now program and it will allow us to share our journalism with a new generation of readers and turbocharge our independent journalism in the newly dawning era in which it will be more important and needed than ever.
Today at the White House CEO event President Trump, leaning on the say-so and presence of big Wall Street CEOs, started ripping up the reforms put in place to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis. “We have some of the bankers here. There’s nobody better to tell me about Dodd-Frank than Jamie, so you’re going to tell me about it,” Trump told JPMorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon.
There were reports last weekend that what appeared to be a military convoy driving through Kentucky were flying “Trump flags” on their military vehicles. It now turns out that they were in fact military vechiles, specially a Naval Special Warfare unit moving equipment and vehicles between two training locations. And yes, flying “Trump, Make American Great Again” banners.
Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho has been receiving so many anti-Trump visitors at his Boise office (as well as calls) that he’s closed the office to visitors and asked anyone who would like to visit the office to make an appointment in advance.
There seems to be a similar situation in Coeur d-Alene.
This statement, which was released by Press Secretary Sean Spicer just before 6:30 this evening, is a masterful evocation of a first glancing blow with reality (emphasis for purposes of humor) …
“The American desire for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians has remained unchanged for 50 years. While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal. As the President has expressed many times, he hopes to achieve peace throughout the Middle East region. The Trump administration has not taken an official position on settlement activity and looks forward to continuing discussions, including with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visits with President Trump later this month.”
It’s a lesson even bad people need to learn. Never trust Donald Trump.
President Trump met briefly today with King Abdullah of Jordan.
In all of Trump’s bullying of US corporations, threats of erecting 35% tariffs on goods either from various countries or on specific US corporations, one thing that strikes me is this: In many ways, this is just industrial policy, only done in the stupidest possible way. And yet, the concept of industrial policy has basically been verboten in US political discourse for 25 years. It was briefly a big thing at the beginning of the Clinton administration. But it didn’t survive first contact with Washington, DC. And it was written off entirely after Republicans took over Congress in 1995.
The Trump administration has amended the Obama-era sanctions against Russia specifically for “certain transactions with the Federal Security Service.” The FSB (the Russian acronym) is the successor organization to the KGB. In other words, it’s the main Russian spy agency. I would think I’m missing something but the former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, seems to think it’s odd too.
McCain calls Ambassador from Australia to express “unwavering support” for the United States’ century-long alliance with Australia (i.e., apology and reassurance with regards to the maniac in the Oval Office.).
I’ve heard from various observers in Australia in response to the now widely-reported rage bender call – some from readers outside of politics, others deeply ensconced in the political establishment. The one word I hear over and over is “bombshell.” This is just today’s freakshow here in the United States. It’s quite a bit more down there. Here’s one analysis of the background that I found edifying …
It now seems clear the special ops raid in Yemen did not go according to plan and it went badly. This Times account relates a “a chain of mishaps and misjudgments that plunged the elite commandos into a ferocious 50-minute firefight that also left three others wounded and a $75 million aircraft deliberately destroyed.” Chief Petty Officer William Owens was killed in the operation. There also appear to have been a large number of civilian casualties.
Obviously, not every military operation is successful. But there is an extraordinary passage in this article just out from Reuters. What Reuters identifies as “U.S. military officials” says that “[President] Trump approved his first covert counterterrorism operation without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup preparations.”