Monday, May 5, 2025
Woman who called child racial slurs on viral video raises half-million in donations - The Washington Post
Palantir’s 'spy tech' set to power Trump admin priorities : NPR
Following news of the company providing the Trump administration with help in immigration enforcement and deportations, prominent Silicon Valley investor Paul Graham accused Palantir of "building the infrastructure of the police state," asking a Palantir executive on X to commit to not building products that could be used to help the U.S. government violate citizens' constitutional rights…
"Their platforms can pull together information from tax returns, employment information, their immigration status, how many children they have, whether their children are legal or illegal. And then layer AI on top of that and predict movements and patterns. That can be a big asset. It also can be a big risk," he said…
After paying people to leave, USDA scrambles to fill positions : NPR
6 noteworthy moments from Trump's "Meet the Press" interview
The wide-ranging interview saw Trump expound on everything from a planned military parade in June, the possibility of a third term, and his views on Canada and Greenland's future...
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/04/trump-economy-tariffs-canada
Democrats reverse course to oppose Senate crypto bill - POLITICO
The lawmakers wrote Saturday that the legislation needs "stronger provisions on anti-money laundering, foreign issuers, national security, preserving the safety and soundness of our financial system, and accountability for those who don't meet the act's requirements."…
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/03/crypto-democrats-senate-stablecoin-00325255
14 MAGA Voters Are Finally Realizing What They Voted For, And The Stories Are Shocking | HuffPost Latest News
"I think it's time everyone who voted for Trump admit that we made a f****** mess."…
https://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelabramwell/trump-voters-regret-ballot-choices
Army helicopter forces two jetliners to abort DCA landings : NPR
"Unacceptable. Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear," Duffy said in a post on the social platform X. "Safety must ALWAYS come first. We just lost 67 souls! No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians."…
Duffy said he'll also be talking to officials at the Defense Department about "why the hell our rules were disregarded."
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/03/nx-s1-5385802/dca-army-black-hawk-helicopter-airlines-abort-landings
5 surprising things that may increase cancer risk - The Washington Post
Germany hits back at Marco Rubio after he panned labeling of AfD as ‘extremist’
In a response on X, the German foreign ministry pushed back against the US secretary of state, saying: "This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law. It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped."…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/03/marco-rubio-germany-afd
‘These people are disposable’: how Russia is using online recruits for a campaign of sabotage in Europe
On the ground, the acts are carried out by people who are recruited online and often paid in cryptocurrency. Some know exactly what they are doing and why, others do not realise they are ultimately working for Moscow. The professional intelligence officers who direct the operations never need to leave Russian territory.
This account of Russia's sabotage offensive is based on thousands of pages of court documents from Britain and Poland, interviews with current and former security and intelligence officials in several European countries and the US, and discussions with people who knew some of the perpetrators...
Fact-checking Donald Trump's May interview with 'Meet the Press'
…Trump claimed that the trade deficit under Biden meant that "we lost 5 to 6 billion dollars a day."
This is a mischaracterization of the data: The annual trade deficit for the U.S. in 2024 was about $918 billion, according to government figures. Sliced up in an average daily rate, that would be about $2.5 billion a day — less than Trump's claims.
More importantly, however, trade experts take issue with Trump's characterization of a trade deficit as "losing" money. A trade deficit refers to when a country is buying more goods and services from another nation than it is selling back to that nation. While it is integrally related to manufacturing, it has nothing to do with the concept of a nation making or losing money, and economic experts have explained that a trade deficit doesn't necessarily mean the U.S. is losing money.
Atheists Are Rejecting Trump (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #581)
— Southern Baptist membership hits 50-year low as Americans keep walking away. (14:15)
— “Satanology” activist challenges cities that raised Christian flags. (33:38)
— “No respect for God”: Florida mayor denies “Day of Reason” proclamation. (40:01)
— An Arizona school board member on a religious crusade has cost her district over $218,000. (49:31)
— White evangelicals still see Trump as ethical and honest, but atheists know better. (1:03:45)
— California court upholds $1.2 million fine against church that ignored COVID restrictions. (1:15:25)
Interview:
Trump, asked if he has to 'uphold the Constitution,' says, 'I don't know'
Trump said on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that he's following lawyers' advice as he tries to execute rapid deportations, arguing that giving immigrants due process is time-consuming...
Trump Wants to Pay Women to Have Babies. We Already Know Why. (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad argues that these measures are deeply rooted in white nationalist ideas and reflect a broader agenda to shape the American family. He draws connections to Project 2025 and discusses how Hungary, with its pro-family policies under Viktor Orbán, serves as an inspiration for US conservative policies despite Hungary’s economic and social issues.
These conservative agendas prioritize a specific vision of family and society, often at the expense of broader public welfare and economic stability.
Interview:
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Charlie Kirk’s Christian America (Warren Throckmorton; Telling Jefferson Lies)
Kirk and his fellow Christian nationalists use a variety of false stories to prop up a vision of a Christian American founding. They want to go back to that mythical time. In this segment, historians Aaron Cowan, Randall Balmer, and George Marsden, English professor Matthew Boedy, and co-host Michael Coulter join me to debunk Kirk's false claims and advocate for good history and religious pluralism.
For primary sources referred to in this segment, see this link: https://warrenthrockmorton.substack.com/p/charlie-kirks-christian-america
“It’s An Easy Fix” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)(It’s in the Code ep 144)
What Trump’s Tariff Shock Will Cost You (Reveal podcast)
Justin Wolfers teaches economics 101 at the University of Michigan. It’s an introductory course about supply, demand, and trade. The basics. He wishes President Donald Trump attended.
Wolfers, an Australian known for his research on how happiness relates to income, is one of the more prominent economists speaking out against Trump’s sweeping tariffs. He says they not only betray the most basic laws of economics, but could very well tip the US into a completely avoidable recession.
In early April, Trump announced a series of tariffs not seen in the US since the Depression era. The plan roiled the stock market, unsettled the bond market, and is resulting in an unprecedented global trade war. A week later, Trump backed off—somewhat—by announcing a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, but remained in the grip of an ever-escalating tit-for-tat with China, with no end in sight.
Trump has always argued that tariffs are needed to bring back manufacturing jobs to the US, which have been declining for half a century. But Wolfers says the president’s vision is misguided and steeped in fantasy. Even if the US can claw back manufacturing power in the future, he says, it will be dominated by automation and robotics, not humans.
“What we have here is an economic policy that’s fundamentally driven by nostalgia,” Wolfers says. “This is not how you rebuild the middle class.” He doesn’t know what the future of work will look like in the US but adds: “What I want to do is trust that people will make their own damn choices.”
On this episode of More To The Story, Wolfers sits down with host Al Letson to discuss why today’s tariffs are markedly different from the ones Trump imposed in 2018, the likelihood that the US tips into a recession, and ultimately how Trump’s tumultuous tariff plan might affect you.
Interview:
Opus Dei and the New Pope (Andrew Seidel; One Nation Indivisible, Episode #010)
Robert Reich on Fighting The Trump Autocracy (Al Franken podcast)
Plus, Reich tells the story of being classmates with Clarence Thomas, Hillary Rodham, and Bill Clinton and how he introduced Bill and Hillary at law school.
Listen to Reich’s podcast, The Coffee Klatch: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-coffee-klatch-with-robert-reich/id1635446643
Watch Reich’s videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RBReich
Interview:
Episode 84: The Demon Haunted Bible (Dan McClellan; Data Over Dogma)
But that doesn't stop some people from continuing to turn to the idea of demons to explain the bad things in their lives. So where did this idea come from? What are demons, and what does the Bible have to say about them?
Hold on to your apotropaic amulets, 'cause we're goin' demon hunting!
Interview:
Saturday, May 3, 2025
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2025-05-02
Domestic
As dropping approval ratings rolled in at the end of his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to claim that America is currently living with Biden’s stock market and not his.CEOs of major American companies like GM, Ford, and McDonald’s are issuing warnings about what the coming months – and years – could look like for their companies, and their consumers.
A Vermont judge ordered the release of Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi this week. He had been detained by ICE during a final interview for his American citizenship.
Interview:
International
As Donald Trump’s trade war continues, traditional U.S. trading partners are seeking to make connections with other global economic powerhouses.
In Canada, Mark Carney and the country’s Liberal party walked away from this week’s election victorious. Carney was appointed prime minister in March after Justin Trudeau chose to step down from the post.
The U.S. announced a deal this week that will see it receive a share of the revenue from Ukraine’s mineral deposits and the creation of a joint investment fund shared by the two countries.
Interview:
https://the1a.org/segments/china-trade-canada-election/
Gaza humanitarian aid ship bombed by drones in waters off Malta
Freedom Flotilla Coalition claims Israel to blame for attack on unarmed civilian vessel in international waters…
Forecasts of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels soar in Trump’s first 100 days
Tariff chaos hampers Trump's pledge to 'drill, baby, drill', but analysis still shows surge in planet-heating emissions…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/02/trump-drill-baby-drill-tariffs
Trump signs executive order to cut funding for public broadcasters
The CPB budget has already been approved by Congress through 2027, which raises questions about the scope of Trump's order...
CPB fires back at Trump's executive order pulling funding for NPR, PBS - ABC News
"CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President's authority," Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the CPB, said in a statement Friday. "Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government."
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cpb-fires-back-trumps-executive-order-pulling-funding/story
Extremist blogger to debate Harvard professor at unsanctioned campus event
Yarvin is beginning to represent, along with his allies in the rightwing corners of the "Silicon Reich", the growing calls to destroy American democracy and replace it with a new feudalism; something Vance, the second most powerful person in the US government, seems at the very least to be fascinated with...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/02/curtis-yarvin-harvard
Judge rules Alien Enemies Act does not allow White House to deport alleged gang members
Ruling only applies in southern Texas district, yet is the most powerful rebuke to Trump's use of 18th-century law…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/01/alien-enemies-act-judge-ruling-texas
Friday, May 2, 2025
Protect My Public Media
The White House is planning to release a proposal that would claw back already approved public media funding. If Congress agrees, your local stations could lose critical support – immediately.
Save your local stations. Urge your lawmakers to oppose the rescissions package…
Senate overturns EPA rule on seven highly toxic air pollutants - The Washington Post
Trump administration exploits landmark civil rights act to fight universities’ diversity initiatives | Trump administration | The Guardian
"The decision was about admissions practices, it did not say that diversity didn't matter or that diversity was unlawful," echoed Wiley, noting that what has been dubbed "DEI" is actually a diverse set of practices aiming to promote equity. "What this administration is doing essentially is taking one supreme court opinion about college admissions and trying to turn it into a sword against everything it doesn't like, whether it's lawful or not."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/01/trump-administration-civil-rights-act
The White House wants to avoid Medicaid cuts. To GOP hard-liners, they’re essential. - POLITICO
Miller touts Trump’s war against ‘cancerous, woke culture’ in fiery remarks - The Washington Post
Thousands of veterans face foreclosure after Trump's VA ends key mortgage program : NPR
The VA Servicing Purchase program has helped about 20,000 veterans avoid foreclosure. But Republicans in Congress have been critical of the program, saying it puts too much taxpayer money at risk...
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/01/nx-s1-5382448/va-veterans-affairs-mortgages-foreclosure-vasp
Egg companies are getting government bailouts while price-gouging consumers
Yet while families have been squeezed by grocery sticker shock, agriculture corporations have been raking in record profits. Cal-Maine, the country's largest egg producer, took in $509 million this quarter alone, tripling its profits from a year ago...
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5275227-egg-price-inflation-cal-maine/
Christian leaders blast Trump's "anti-Christian bias" unit
The leaders called out the administration for targeting groups such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Lutheran Family Services, which historically have helped immigrants and refugees...
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/01/christian-leaders-denounce-white-house-task-force
House conservatives call for controversial Medicaid changes in reconciliation
The letter from Roy highlights the difficult path for Republicans to reach a consensus. While conservatives are clamoring for an end to the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, moderate and battleground-district Republicans have said they will not accept steep cuts to Medicaid benefits…
Why fired Justice Dept. pardon attorney says Trump pardons cost $1B - The Washington Post
RFK Jr.'s latest vaccine plan threatens future of shots, experts say
RFK Jr. wants you to 'Do your own research' on vaccines. That's problematic.
An ostensibly reasonable credo is an irresponsible one in the hands of the anti-vaxxer movement...
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/rfk-jr-vaccines-dr-phil-do-your-own-research-rcna203760
GOP Moves To Curb Abortion Pills With Junk Science | HuffPost Latest News
"It's troubling that President Trump's new FDA commissioner has refused to acknowledge mifepristone's longstanding record of overwhelming safety and efficacy," Liz Wagner, senior federal policy counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, told HuffPost. "And it's even more troubling that a deeply flawed, non-peer-reviewed 'study' was released by an anti-abortion group immediately after Dr. Makary told a reporter that the FDA may act on 'a real signal' on mifepristone." …
Democrats rally at US Capitol to decry ‘failure’ of Trump’s first 100 days
"A hundred days into this presidency, we've gone from three years of solid growth in our economy to the steepest decline that we've seen since the pandemic. That's the truth," said the Delaware senator Lisa Blunt Rochester. "Groceries are up, retirement savings are down, that's the truth. Outbreaks of measles and the avian flu, that's the truth."…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/30/trump-100-days-democrats
Trump can’t use Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants, Texas judge rules - The Washington Post
38 Republicans call for ‘full repeal’ of Democrats’ energy tax credits
Trump border pick accused of ‘cover-up’ over death of man beaten by US agents
Trump administration discontinues $1 billion in school mental health grants - ABC News
"They may not have agreed on everything, but Congress secured $1 billion in bipartisan mental health grants to help kids better understand themselves and the world around them," Weingarten wrote in a statement. "The benefits were obvious. Now, with the stroke of a pen, that halting progress has been wiped away, even as the president and his allies insist that improving mental health is the only way to fix the gun violence epidemic."…
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Trump warns ‘nothing will stop me’ at rally to celebrate 100 days in office
But the cavernous sports and expo centre in the city of Warren, near Detroit, was only half full for the rally, and a steady stream of people left before the end of his disjointed and meandering 89-minute address...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/29/trump-100-days-rally-michigan
Bernie Sanders mocks Donald Trump’s crowd size at 100 Days event in Michigan
"Congratulations to President Trump for drawing 4,000 people last night to a rally Warren, MI. Keep it up," Sanders wrote in a post on the social platform X. "You brought out almost half as many people as we did in the same city last month!"
"Americans are fighting back against authoritarianism and attacks on the working class."…
Trump pressures journalist to accept doctored photo as real: ‘Why don’t you just say yes?’ | Donald Trump | The Guardian
The exchange deteriorated further when Trump insisted GarcÃa had MS-13 tattoos on his knuckles, while Moran – after several times gently disagreeing and trying to move to a new topic – eventually pointed out that the image Trump was referring to had obviously been digitally altered.
"Why don't you just say, 'Yes, he does' [have a gang tattoo] and, you know, go on to something else," Trump said...
Judge orders release of Columbia student arrested by ICE - The Washington Post
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says Supreme Court ruling will hurt the ‘neediest among us’
"Indeed," she went on, "it is undisputed that systemically undercounting low-income patients for the purposes of the disproportionate-share formula might cause many such hospitals to close their doors entirely, such that patients from our Nation's poorest communities may not be served at all."
But the Biden appointee concluded this doesn't have to be the end of the matter. She called on Congress to step in and "restate its intention that low-income people have access to quality medical care and that hospitals be compensated accordingly."…











































