Like Maria Said Paz: 2025-04-20

Friday, April 25, 2025

Chump's corruption gets even worse

Singing in my best Sonny & Cher imitation, "The grift goes on, and the grift goes on . . ." Chump is a Convicted Felon. You put a Convicted Felon in the White House, can you really be surprised that he breaks the law? The lack of surprise does not justify or excuse his actions. But he is a Convicted Felon and he's shown no desire to rehabilitate. Zachary Leeman (MEDIAITE) reports:

Fox Business senior correspondent Charles Gasparino reported on Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration is giving insider tips to Wall Street executives about ongoing trade deals.

Citing “senior Wall Street execs with ties to the White House,” Gasparino wrote on X that people within Trump’s administration have alerted business leaders about an “agreement in principle with India.” He further reported that the deal could be used as a template for other trade deals the administration is working on with Japan and other countries. Markets have taken sharp hits amid uncertainty surrounding Trump’s tariffs and trade deals.

“No details on timing, and recall that we have been here before with Japan only to have the goal posts changed, and terms renegotiated,” Gasparino wrote. “But if this holds, the India deal being envisioned will include agreed upon goals, and issues that have been addressed and resolved as well as a deadline for the fully-baked trade pact, my sources say. It could be used as a template for a deal with Japan, South Korea and Australia, my sources add.”

Sadly, the reporter Gasparino is too stupid to grasp what he reported. Other journalists have attempted to explain it to him. When I saw the headline, I thought, "From FOX 'NEWS'?" Apparently Gasparino thought he was reporting good news and that this would make the world say, "Look, Dirty Old Chump IS talking to Wall Street!" He didn't realize that insider trading is a no-no. What an idiot.

Sadly, that is not the end of the corruption in the Chump administration. MEDIAITE's Alex Griffing reports:

CNN anchor John Berman asked Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that he will host a “private dinner” for the top holders of his meme coin, an announcement which sent its price skyrocketing – putting money in Trump’s pocket.

“There are reports, and we’ve seen it, that the Trump, you know, corporation as it were, a company has put out invitations to people having to do with Donald Trump’s meme coin, this crypto situation where he’s inviting people to come to a dinner,” Berman began, adding:

It says, ‘have dinner with President Trump, the most exclusive invitation in the world only for the top 220 Trump meme coin holders. President Trump is known as the crypto president at this intimate private dinner hear firsthand President Trump talk about the future of crypto.’

“And this, I think this announcement drove up the price of the Trump meme coin here. Do you see any issues with this?” he asked.

“I think it is a powerful indication, in fact, outright evidence of corruption. And the only difference between the corruption that we’ve seen in any other past administration, this one is President Trump seems to be self-dealing right out in the open,” Blumenthal replied, adding:

And Elon Musk as well in trying to slash and trash agencies that regulate his companies, SpaceX, Tesla. All of the federal agencies have been decimated, and this kind of self-dealing, including in tariffs, by the way, the only deals that President Trump has been able to conclude so far in tariffs are to exempt the companies and billionaires that donated to his campaign or to his inaugural or through parties for him.

MOTHER JONES covers the same story here. This corruption is not just unethical, it's illegal.

"The Snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Thursday, April 24, 2025. Donald Chump continues to wreck the economy and continues to make the case for his own impeachment, security risk Pete Hegseth remains in his position, David Hogg has failed at his mission to communicate, and much more.

Let's start with Pete Hegseth. The unqualified Secretary of Defense is in the news for so many things. Yesterday afternoon, a friend at CBS NEWS called me about this report by Jennifer Jacobs:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently ordered modifications to a room next to the Pentagon press briefing room to retrofit it with a makeup studio that can be used to prepare for television appearances, multiple sources told CBS News.

The price tag for the project was several thousand dollars, according to two of the sources, at a time when the administration is searching for cost-cutting measures.

My CBS friend joked that Hegseth was "wounded" by comments in yesterday's snapshot about his looks. I doubt it. But, sadly for him, I actually held back on that. As soon as he returns to wearing his make up on camera I may have to review his looks again. This time not just because that nose requires much more comment (as does the chin) and not also because I'm interested to see how much work is required to make him Maybelline Cover Girl camera ready -- no, mainly because that vanity is something that the US taxpayer is now paying to preserve.

Hegseth continues to lie and he's the spawn of a liar (Chump) so it may get confusing. But let's note one thing clearly. This was his second leak problem, his second breach of national security. Shouldn't he be explaining right now why, when the first one was revealed weeks ago, he gave no heads up about this latest example?

He knew during the last scandal, as he lied repeatedly, that he had done another chat on a non-secure device, using the risky Signal app, and he never said, "Let me explain, there's something else."

Maybe he didn't know?

I guess that's possible. Maybe he got blotto drunk, passed out and can't remember anything on the morning after?

If he wants to offer that excuse, I'm willing to consider it. But right now, he's just lying. Gustaf Kilander (INDEPENDENT) calls it like it is, "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did use his personal phone to send sensitive information to two group chats on the messaging app Signal, three officials have told NBC News." Colby Hall (MEDIAITE) notes, "Hegseth is reportedly troubled by the alleged 'total chaos' reported by his former spokesperson and is “in full paranoia, back-against-the-wall mode,” according to a source familiar with Hegseth’s state of mind over the last month, per CNN’s report." Morgan Music (LATIN TIMES) notes the Hegseth hypocrisy of it all:

In a 2016 Fox News segment, Hegseth harshly criticized former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over her handling of classified emails, declaring that "any security professional military government or otherwise would be fired on the spot for this type of conduct and criminally prosecuted for being so reckless."

"The fact that she wouldn't be held accountable for this blows the mind of anyone who's held our nation's secrets dear, who's had a top secret clearance—like I have," Hegseth continued. "Who know that even one hiccup causes a problem."

Now, Hegseth himself is accused of reckless conduct with the nation's secrets, reportedly sending sensitive information about US airstrikes in Yemen to Signal group chats.

So what say you now, Hegseth? You've mishandled sensitive information -- that's putting it nicely -- so why shouldn't you be fired? And don't give us a garbage reply like, "Hillary wasn't!" Hillary had already stepped down as Secretary of State in February of 2013 -- three years prior to the e-mail scandal emerging. When Hegseth was screaming she should be fired, she had, again, been out of that job for three years.

Meanwhile, Hegseth still holds his job. So what does Hegseth think should be done with him? Hand him another bottle of beer? Nod while he exclaims, "I'll drink to that!"

Jack Hobbs (THE MIRROR) reports, "White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took to the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on Tuesday for her regular briefing, where she reaffirmed the White House's backing of the Secretary of Defense."

Yes, thus far the White House is standing by Hegseth.

That is correct.

Donald Chump is shirking his duty.

Hegseth should have been fired immediately. Now we have a second breach of security and Chump's waiting to see if it'll blow over.

The mid-terms aren't going to blow over. If Dems end up with control of just one house of Congress -- and they may get two -- look for impeachment charges.

And they'll be right to impeach and to remove from office. Nobody wants JD Vance as president but Donald's committing a high crime right now.

The leaking of classified information is a high crime.

Instead of addressing it, Chump is ignoring it. That's dereliction of duty.

Susan Rice was on Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC show last night. (Note, I'm beyond sick this morning. I don't see the video at MSNBC, I was sick last night. If it wasn't Lawrence, I'll note it tomorrow but as I'm remembering it, it was Lawrence's show. ADDED: It wasn't Lawrence, it was Brian Tyler Cohen's YOUTUBE program, we'll note it in tomorrow's snapshot.]) Details of an impending military strike are top secret. There's no debating this. And Hegseth's sharing this on two unsecure chats. This outrageous. She was the National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2017. She knows what she's talking about. She laid it out very cleary. He broke the rules.

That's it when you're President of the United States. You make the call, you fire the idiot.

Chump refusing to do so. He's dilly dallied for weeks now demonstrating that he lacks the strength of character to do the most basic tasks to ensure the safety of this country.

This is impeachable. This is not minor.

Yet, day after day, he refuses to address this situation.

Other countries are aware of this, it's on their news casts as well.

And other countries are far less likely to share important information with us if they have to worry that Gossip Girl Hegseth might let it slip in a group chat. That's harming us right now. When Hegseth's loose lips flutter, that also threatens the people tasked with carrying out a mission -- such as the bombing of Yemen.

There is no excuse for Hegseth's actions and he should be fired immediately; however, as Chump continues to delay that, we need to expand the spotlight so it includes Donald because he's refusing to do what a president needs to do which is fire Hegseth.

Chump's refusal to address this is a high crime. It puts the entire country at risk, it endangers the military personnel he is tasking with missions and it harms our relationships with other countries who share classified information -- or used to share -- with us.

Like most people, Haley Britzky and Natasha Bertrand (CNN) wonder why Hegseth needs to share sensitive information with his wife:

Jennifer Hegseth has been a constant presence in her husband’s inner circle from even before he was confirmed to the Cabinet job. Her involvement thrust her back into the spotlight over the weekend, when it was reported that she was in a Signal group chat with her husband, his brother, and his lawyer, in which the secretary disclosed sensitive information about military operations against the Houthis.

While Hegseth’s brother Phil and his lawyer Tim Parlatore have official positions within the Defense Department, Jennifer Hegseth does not.

A source familiar with the situation told CNN Jennifer Hegseth submitted paperwork for a security clearance, but it was unclear if she received one. When asked by CNN if Jennifer Hegseth has a clearance, a spokesperson said the department does not discuss security clearances for any individual. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson, however, added that Jennifer Hegseth has “never attended a meeting where sensitive information or classified information was discussed.”

Jen Psaki noted Monday night on MSNBC that she wasn't allowed to share sensitive information with her husband when she worked for the government.

You get what you pay for? Leslie Josephs (CNBC) explains:

America's richest and most powerful companies shelled out millions to fund President Donald Trump's inauguration festivities.

Three months later, some may be asking whether the famously transactional president has their backs. Many of those corporations have had their businesses roiled by Trump's tariff policy and resulting consumer caution, dampening the optimism much of the business and finance community felt when he was reelected.

Some of the nation's largest companies, including General Motors, BlackRock and Meta, donated to Trump's inaugural committee, leading it to raise a record $239 million – more than the previous three inaugural committees took in combined, according to filings released Sunday.

In other words, they didn't get what they wanted . . . nor did they get what they needed. They tried real hard but they bought from a con man so they got screwed. And screwed over is what is now happening to American business -- big and small -- thanks to Chump. AFP reports, "Boeing's CEO confirmed Wednesday that China had stopped accepting new aircraft due to the US-China trade war, as the company's shares surged following a smaller than expected loss" and they quote Kelly Ortberg (Boeing Chief Executive) stating the country "stopped taking delivery of aircraft due to the tariff environment." Mary Papenfuss (INDEPENDENT) notes:

Donald Trump’s tariffs are already triggering thousands of layoffs in American manufacturing plants, mostly in the Midwest and the East.

Companies are ejecting workers in the wake of Trump’s purported plan to use the levies to bring manufacturing jobs back to the country.

The Volvo Group has announced it’s cutting 800 workers at its Volvo and Mack Truck plants in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland.

“Heavy-duty truck orders continue to be negatively affected by market uncertainty about freight rates and demand, possible regulatory changes, and the impact of tariffs,” a Volvo Group spokesperson told Reuters.

Pennsylvania Democratic state lawmaker Josh Siegel told ABC27 that Trump’s tariffs have been a “devastating blow to Lehigh Valley workers” in a region where Mack remains one of the region’s largest employers.

“Workers are not just numbers—they are parents, neighbors, veterans, and skilled tradespeople who built America’s backbone,” Siegel said.

On the economy, Catherine Lucey, Hadriana Lowenkron and Jaewon Kang (BLOOMBERG NEWS) explain, "Confronted with fresh warnings from financial markets, business leaders and top advisers, President Donald Trump this week eased off on two of his frequent punching bags: Jerome Powell and China." Yes, Chump has gone from saying he wanted to fire the Fed Chair to his usual lying and pretending that never happened. Brian Schwartz, Josh Dawsey and Nick Timiraos (WALL STREET JOURNAL) report:

President Trump said this week that he never had any plans to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, accusing the media of pushing a false narrative that he was out to get the central bank chief.

But inside the White House, some senior officials took Trump’s recent public musings about terminating Powell seriously. As Trump’s criticism of the Fed chair ramped up over the last week, White House lawyers privately reviewed legal options for attempting to remove Powell, including whether they could do so for “cause,” according to people familiar with the matter. The laws that created the Federal Reserve say Fed governors can only be removed before their term ends for cause, which courts have generally interpreted to mean malfeasance or impropriety. Finding a pretext for dismissing Powell would have edged the White House closer to a dramatic escalation with the central bank.

Those discussions came to a halt early this week when Trump told his senior aides that he wouldn’t try to oust Powell. His decision came after interventions from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who warned Trump that such a move could trigger far-reaching market chaos and a messy legal fight, the people said. Lutnick also told the president that efforts to fire the Fed chair likely wouldn’t lead to any practical change on interest rates because other members of the Fed’s board would likely approach monetary policy similarly to Powell, one of the people said.

Krystina Alarcon Carroll (RAW STORY) notes:

In an appearance on CNN, the U.S. National Editor for the Financial Times, Ed Luce, claimed President Donald Trump is being schooled — but he ‘isn't learning a lesson’.

‘The Situation Room’ hosts Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown both pressed the editor on the economy under Trump.

[. . ]

"I mean, 1.8% U.S. growth this year is still relatively on the high side. I would have thought if you see a resumption of the trade war. But the significance is that it just sort of feeds into this dawning and quite dramatic realization on the part of markets that U.S. economic policy is going to be capricious, unpredictable and a very hard climate in which to invest whilst Donald Trump remains president. That's really the sort of the salient fact in all of this. They don't trust President Trump."

Let's move over to immigration. John Clark (WGN) reports:

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the state will take punitive actions against the country of El Salvador for holding Kilmar Abrego Garcia in custody.

“The United States Constitution guarantees due process. We are witnessing Donald Trump erode our fundamental Constitutional rights in real time, and we must fight to restore the balance of power,” said Pritzker. “The State of Illinois will stand up for the Rule of Law and do everything in our power stop the Trump Administration from ripping apart our most basic rights.”

Garcia, an accused MS-13 gang member, was deported from Maryland to his home country in March, despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to El Salvador due to fear of persecution.

A federal judge said Tuesday that the Trump administration is ignoring court orders, obstructing the legal process, and acting in “bad faith” by refusing to provide information about the steps they have taken, if any, to free Garcia from an El Salvador prison.

The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration nearly two weeks ago to facilitate Garcia’s return to the U.S. from a Salvadoran prison, rejecting the White House’s claim that it couldn’t retrieve him after mistakenly deporting him.

Kilmer remains out of the US after being kidnapped by Chump and thrown into a concentration camp in El Salvador. He is not the only one this has happened to. Alex Bollinger (LGBTQ NATION) notes:

Out gay Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) sent letters demanding answers to his “grave concerns” about why gay makeup artist Andry José Hernandez Romero was sent to the CECOT torture camp in El Salvador. Authorities claim that he has tattoos associated with the Tren de Aragua gang, but that assessment appears to have been made by a disgraced former police officer who was working for a private contractor after losing his job with the police force.

While much of America is focused on Maryland dad Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to CECOT due to an admitted “administrative error,” Garcia is asking about Hernandez, a makeup artist who made national headlines.

Hernandez Romero is a Venezuelan immigrant who trekked to the U.S. and entered legally last year at San Diego. There, he asked for asylum, saying that he was being targeted in Venezuela for being gay and due to his political beliefs. He was held in a CoreCivic detention center, where he was screened by Charles Cross Jr.

Malathi Nayak (BLOOMBERG NEWS) reports:

A federal judge rebuked the Trump administration for thwarting the collection of evidence in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador.

US District Judge Paula Xinis, who is overseeing the case, on Tuesday largely rejected the government’s objections to information demands from Abrego Garcia’s lawyers as she keeps open the option of initiating contempt of court proceedings.

The judge said Justice Department lawyers must stop mischaracterizing a Supreme Court order to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release from custody and arguing that information can’t be disclosed because it’s confidential for one reason or another.

“For weeks, defendants have sought refuge behind vague and unsubstantiated assertions of privilege, using them as a shield to obstruct discovery and evade compliance with this court’s orders,” Xinis wrote. “That ends now.”

Chump and the crooks who work for him won't reveal anything on the deportees . . . unless they can use it to harm. Case in point? Alex Woodward (INDEPENDENT) notes:

The wife of a wrongly deported Salvadoran father living in Maryland was moved to a safe house after Donald Trump’s administration posted a court document that included her address on social media.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura said she began fearing for her safety and the safety of her three children after the Department of Homeland Security shared a protective order from 2021 that prominently featured her address to the department’s 2.4 million followers on X.

“I don’t feel safe when the government posts my address, the house where my family lives, for everyone to see, especially when this case has gone viral and people have all sorts of opinions,” she told The Washington Post. “So, this is definitely a bit terrifying. I’m scared for my kids.”

What they have done is 'doxed' her. This was not a mistake or an accident. It's retaliation. And it's outrageous. Chump's endless cycle of retribution where he tries to strike out for every real and imaginary slight he feels he's endured? It is leaving the US at risk. His mental decline has been noted -- and should continue to be -- but we also need to grasp that there's also a break with reality taking place as he tries to erase various people in our country. And there are a lot of ways to erase someone. For example, Meryl Kornfield, Lisa Rein, Hannah Natanson (WASHINGTON POST) report:

When Richard VanMetter tried to buy a sandwich, he didn’t realize he was dead.

The 76-year-old retired physicist, on vacation in Boca Raton, Florida, in February, assumed there might have been a fraudulent charge that caused his credit card to be declined for a $6 Italian sub purchase. Then he called his bank and learned the government had told every financial institution he had ever interacted with that he had died. The government clawed back his last Social Security check and shut off his retirement checks and Medicare. Months later, he’s still working on getting his pension payments back.

“It has been the bane of my existence,” VanMetter said.

VanMetter had been mistakenly added to Social Security’s Death Master File — a database the government maintains to keep track of deceased people who should no longer receive benefits that is also provided to financial institutions, employers, election offices and other organizations. The agency has acknowledged that about 600 people a month are placed in the database mistakenly, for reasons ranging from clerical errors to bad information.

Now, false claims by Elon Musk and his U.S. DOGE Service about dead people getting benefits have led to a new effort to move millions of names to the Death Master File — increasing the odds that more people who are alive will inadvertently be declared dead, according to current and former officials at the agency, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

A functioning president would be appalled by what happened to Richard VanMetter. Grasp that we do not have a functioning president in the Oval Office. We have a convicted felon experiencing cognitive decline as he abuses the power of the office to seek retribution.

This is from Ava and my "Media: Death of the sitcom and/or death of the Democratic Party?:"

People of color are not stupid. And that was especially driven home in this YOUTUBE video to David Hogg.

Who is David Hogg talking about replacing? People of color especially are concerned when a White man starts talking about replacing members of Congress -- and for good reason.

David needs to be having a conversation but it's been days since his announcement and he's still not eager for a conversation that reaches beyond the White world. DSAers want AOC to be the next president but they've yet to make any efforts to atone for what they did to the country and the Black community in 2024. The sitcom's just fine and not going anywhere. But maybe the media should hit hard on their other beloved trope: The Death Of The Democratic Party? If certain self-proclaimed players are unable to listen to minority populations, the party's going to do even worse in 2028.

Elements of DSA want to take over the Democratic Party. The reality is that, if they want AOC as the presidential nominee in 2028, they need to be talking to the Black community which is not as stupid as the White community.

DSA and MAGA share The Politics of Destruction -- which is why so many people can flip from one group to the other -- Tulsi Gabbard, Jimmy Dore, Jackson Hinkle, etc etc.

They want to destroy the system.

It's easy for White people to feel that way -- and White-identifying pocs.

They've been spoiled all their life.

Spoiled for centuries basically.

Not true for Black Americans.

We've had to fight to end slavery, we've had to fight for basic rights after slavery, as late as the 1960s the Civil Rights Movement was still ongoing and though that movement did so much, it did not bring about equality.

While spoiled White DSAers sat on their asses and plotted to take down the system, Black Americans had to fight daily for the system to open even a little for us.

So when you start your nonsense about tearing everything down -- again, no difference between DSA and MAGA -- we are going to stop and say, "Woah." Because the system you are spoiled on is one we're still fighting for our rights in. And when you talk about your idea of the future, you don't talk about anything concrete or anything that assures us that we will be part of such a system.

David Hogg is just another vain White person. Vain? White men with that awful hairdo -- think Gavin Newsom -- are narcissistic and that's why they continue to believe it's a cool and sexy hairdo when it's ugly and repulsive and should remain with Carrot Top.

David Hogg has taken to slamming James Carville. Slam away. I do. It's the only way you'll ever get his attention. He's a bean counter who has been overpraised for years (Betsy Wright, as we've noted her for decades, never got her due and she's much more responsible for Bill Clinton getting elected President than James). But if you're going to slam James be prepared for the return slam.

He hasn't given it yet to David, so I will. David keeps going around repeating a line about how James' last successful election came before he was born.

Yes, it did.

And that's still one more success than David's had.

Davis is 25. I supported his run and celebrated it. I thought he would work with the DNC, take a moment to learn some things and improve the party. Instead, months after being elected, he's now alarmed many with his plan to primary Democrats in Congress.

That's really not a DNC job. And it is alarming many. The video Ava and I highlighted resulted in more words from David.

More words.

But no response.

In "The David Divide" above, they play David's reply -- again, not an actual response.

It's appalling. A White man -- of 25, no less -- thinks he's going to educate the Black community? He thinks we need him to tell us how we could be participating at the local level? As though we don't know this, as though we aren't already? White Messiah, thank you, for your tone deaf reply that is racist and insulting.

This is why David should have kept his mouth shut and listened. He thinks he has all the answers but he can even respond to basic questions.

He tries to bury us with words that never address anything.

He preaches slogan and we're not idiots.

After they play David's words, the first onscreen response is from Hooks who types, "all I hear are Justice Democrats, DSA talking points."

Hooks is exactly right.

And this week, Ava and I again noted that the DSA did not have the Black community and does not speak for the Black community. Their inability to communicate with the Black community is one of the biggest reasons that they are a failure. For those late to the party, Justice Democrats is a Socialist front created by Kyle and Cenk, it's better termed Justice Socialists because that's what they are. But they knew Justice Socialists wouldn't get enough support so they tried to trick the people instead by dubbing it "Democrats."

We're not idiots. We hear what you're saying and we're not taken in by the sloganeering. We're fully aware that you're trying to put one over on us and we're not buying it.

David started this and has some time now to clear up what his aim is. He's insisting it's not about replacing older members with younger members. Then why, in all the time since he went public on this in April (this month), have they not updated their website:

Leaders We Deserve invests in candidates who reflect our generation and its values matching them with the resources they need to run strong campaigns, win, and change the face of power. Think EMILYs List for young, progressive courageous candidates.

You're failing on every level, David. And we're not giving our hard earned gains to back you as a leader when you can't even be honest and you can't even reply to actual questions with real examples.

Clearly, I was wrong to have backed you for your current positions and as you continue to create more of a mess and especially as you continue to alienate Black Democrats, I really think you need to step down from your DNC position because nothing you are doing at present is actually helping the party. We need control of both houses. You've offered nothing to demonstrate how your goals are going to help us with that.

As one member of the House Black Caucus said to me over the phone last night, "It really would be a White man, wouldn't it, who at the age of 25 would think he knew better than the whole damn party?"

Yes, it would.

David, maybe you'll be of value in other ways or later in life. But at present, you're a recent college graduate and that's basically it. Maybe gets some life under your belt and work on communicating? At present, we can't afford you and you're not offering much of value. I don't say that with glee. I was rooting for you. But this was your mission that you announced and you've yet to find a way to communicate your goals in a way that isn't racist or insulting.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

ICYMI: Senator Murray Demands Answers from Secretary Collins Over VA’s Unprecedented Refusal to Allow VA Puget Sound to Participate in Women Veterans Roundtable

ICYMI: REPORT: Trump’s Mass Firings at VA Hurt WA Veterans

ICYMI: Murray Statement on Trump & Elon Plans to Decimate the VA, Firing 80,000 Employees and Putting Veterans’ Care in Grave Danger

***AUDIO HERE; PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***

Seattle, WA — Today,U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, hosted a roundtable discussion at the Ballard-Eagleston VFW Post 3063 with women veterans and veteran advocates to discuss the challenges women veterans face in receiving quality care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and how the Trump administration’s steep cuts across the federal workforce—including at VA—are affecting veterans. Senator Murray’s roundtable at the VFW took place only after the Trump administration refused to allow VA Puget Sound to host or participate in a discussion about the current state of women veterans’ health care. Audio of the full roundtable discussion is available HERE.

Senator Murray has been outspoken in calling attention to how Trump and Elon’s indiscriminate mass layoffs are hurting people—especially veterans—across the country and will undermine services Americans everywhere rely on. She has hosted multiple press conferences with veterans and VA employees in Washington state who are being laid off by Trump and Elon for no reason and through no fault of their own.

Participating in the discussion with Senator Murray today were: Minnette Mason, Veterans Training Support Center Program Manager at the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA); Alyson Teeter, Commander of VFW Post 3063; Barbara Heston-Moore, President of VFW Post 2289 Auxiliary; Sarah Rubin with VFW Post 3063; Dr. Samantha Powers, Director of UW Veteran Student Life; and Shellie Willis, Chair of the WDVA Women’s Veterans Advisory Committee.

“I’m furious that under Trump, VA leadership is barring VA Puget Sound from participating in or hosting this important discussion on women veterans’ issues. Throughout my time in Congress, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, I have been able to have open and honest conversations with VA and engage with my veteran constituents in Washington state—but this administration has proven to be vastly different,” Senator Murray said. Yesterday, Senator Murray sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins expressing concern and dismay over the unprecedented refusal—with no justification—by VA to allow VA Puget Sound to participate in today’s roundtable. In the hearing on his nomination to lead VA, his meeting with Senator Murray ahead of the Senate vote on his nomination, and in his own public statements, Doug Collins promised to be maximally transparent with Congress if confirmed.

“Even though women are more likely to seek care through VA, and are more likely to be dealing with depression, anxiety, or sexual trauma—women are also more likely to face barriers to getting the care they need,” Senator Murray said. “And it’s been deeply frustrating to see the Trump administration undermine VA care, fire researchers, and push out other crucial workers who help veterans get care over the past few months, to say nothing of the disrespect they have shown female veterans—literally erasing the history of some women in uniform and denigrating the service of women in combat. I’m going to push every day to make sure you get the respect you deserve, and the care you were promised—whether that’s making sure VA is implementing women’s health care laws I worked to pass, fighting to expand access to IVF services and menopause research, and providing the federal resources we need for VA to improve care for women veterans.”

Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a WWII veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for Murray. Advocating for women veterans in particular has been a longtime focus for Senator Murray. As Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in 2010, Senator Murray passed her landmark Women Veterans Health Improvement Act into law. Murray has worked to permanently authorize the VA child care pilot program to increase access to free, quality child care for veterans during their appointments, make much-needed improvements to the women veterans call center, and fix a loophole that left veterans footing the bill for medically-necessary emergency newborn transportation that VA should be covering. Murray introduced and helped pass the Deborah Sampson Act, legislation to address gender disparities at VA that established a dedicated Office of Women’s Health at VA and required every VA health facility to have a dedicated women’s health primary care provider, among other things. Murray also helped to pass the MAMMO Act to expand access to high-quality breast cancer screening and treatment services for veterans.

Last year as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray delivered a record $900 million investment in women veterans’ health care. Earlier this month, Senator Murray introduced bipartisan legislation to require VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) to research and study the effects of menopause on women servicemembers and women veterans.

Senator Murray has also been a leading voice in the Senate in speaking out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees and VA researchers across the country and Elon Musk and DOGE’s infiltration of the VA, including accessing veterans’ sensitive personal information. In recent weeks, Senator Murray and her colleagues sent letters to VA Secretary Doug Collins demanding that the VA swiftly reverse moves to cut VA researchers, as well as multiple letters pressing Secretary Collins to sever Elon Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information. Senator Murray grilled Trump’s nominee for VA Deputy Secretary, Dr. Paul Lawrence, on the mass firings of VA employees and VA researchers, and voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary in early February, sounding the alarm over reports of DOGE at the VA and making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk.

###

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Businessman Chump Will Tempt You." went up last night. The following sites updated:

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Tiny Nuts Junior strikes again

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Businessman Chump Will Tempt You."

Morbidly obese Chump. In bikini bottoms.

Chump is a joke. He's determined to destroy everything and so are the people, the scum of the earth, who are part of his administration. People like? Tiny Nuts Junior. The Health and Human Services Secretary who shrinks his nuts down to raisin size with all the steroids he keeps injecting. Kate Plummer (NEWSWEEK) reports:

The federal government's purported plan to track Americans who have autism, which social media users have referred to as an "autism registry," has been heavily criticized.

On Tuesday, CBS News reported that the National Institutes of Health—a body within the Department of Health and Human Services, which is headed by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—was overseeing the launch of a registry to measure Americans with autism amid a wider plan to collect patient data for autism research.

[. . .]

Richard Angwin, an X user with more than 190,000 followers, wrote: "RFK Jr.'s autism registry is a chilling overreach, tracking private medical data without consent violates HIPAA and echoes eugenics. It's not about health; it's about control. Stop this now."

That's exactly what it is. He's betrayed everything his family stands for. His recent use of the "r" word was so offensive and he used it while trying to bank on the work -- the solid work -- Eunice Shriver did. He spits on his father, he spits on Eunice, he spits on his entire family.

He's crazy and he's nuts.

To be very clear, there's no need for a registry of autistic people.

The fact that he proposes it from the administration he's a part of?

I'm seriously concerned that this might be some sort of quack move -- like eugenics -- because there's just too much Hitler wafting out of the current Oval Office.

"The Snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Chump continues to drop in the polls, Walmart and Target and Home Depot warn him higher prices likely in two weeks and/or empty shelves if he doesn't change course, he continues his attempt to fire the chair of the Federal Reserve while refusing to fire Pete Hegseth, his refusal to take action with regards to a security risk is a dereliction of duty which is an impeachable crime, and much more.

Convicted Felon Donald Chump's poll numbers are in free fall. Stephen Silver (REUTERS) reports:

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday, 42 percent of voters approve of Trump’s performance in office, down from 43 percent three weeks earlier, and from 47 percent shortly after January’s inauguration.

The poll results, Reuters said in its analysis, “suggest many Americans are uncomfortable with his moves to punish universities he sees as too liberal and to install himself as the board chair of the Kennedy Center.”

Several weeks of bad polling for U.S. President Donald Trump led to a new poll featuring what, in that poll, is the lowest approval rating of Trump’s second presidency.

Kate Plummer (NEWSWEEK) adds

Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at City University of New York, told Newsweek: "The president's signature policy in his first 100 days—introduction of large new tariffs—is unpopular with many Americans, including nearly half of Republicans who think it will harm the U.S. economy in the near term. It then is not surprising that the president's popularity has dipped to the low levels shown in recent polls."

Yesterday Home Depot CEO Ted Decker, Target CEO Brian Cornell and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon went to the White House and met with Chump to explain the uncertainties that Chump is creating in the markets and that, in two weeks, if Chump continues down this road, you're going to see an increase in prices and you're going to see empty shelves in the stores. CNBC notes, "For retailers, tariffs are the latest threat to an already challenging economic landscape, where consumers are looking for low prices after years of high inflation."

Didn't have to be this way but Chump only knows The Politics of Destruction and the crazy fool took a hammer to our economy and pulverized it. At THE NEW REPUBLIC, Alex Shephard explains:

Sometime in the next year, the United States will almost certainly slide into a recession, if not something altogether worse. Last week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that “there isn’t a modern experience of how to think about” the current economic situation: an unprecedented trade war, anemic growth, rising unemployment, and ballooning inflation—a recipe for potentially catastrophic stagnation. On Tuesday, The Wall Journal found that, nearly two weeks after President Trump had paused much of his trade war, the stock market was still on pace for the worst April since 1932.

And what might Trump’s answer be to this economic havoc? To fire Powell. His attacks on the Fed chair have been growing over the past week—on Monday, he wrote on Truth Social that “there can be a SLOWING of the economy unless Mr. Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW”—and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett has confirmed that Trump is considering firing him. Should Trump do so, it may not be as catastrophic as his tariffs. But it nevertheless shows that Trump has learned nothing from his disastrous trade war, and that he is determined to enact maximum economic destruction on America.

If and when a recession comes, it will have a clear author: Trump, who has embarked on a path that can only be described as economic suicide. Despite being warned of the economic consequences, he slapped gargantuan tariffs on the entire world—minus North Korea and Russia, of all places—based on the quixotic belief that these would enrich the U.S., bringing about a prosperous age in which American workers labor in factories, producing pretty much everything. It’s a simply delusional vision, and one that would take decades to see through.

When Trump backed down on the trade war on April 10, pausing tariffs on most of the world except China, markets breathed a sigh of relief. There was a hope that he had learned his lesson and would ultimately return to the laissez-faire economic management that defined most of his first term. That was a ridiculous conclusion to draw then, and it’s even more absurd now that Trump might fire Powell—the very possibility of which has sent the markets spiraling further.

It is tempting to shrug off Trump’s desire to fire Powell. Trump has been complaining, with increasing regularity and viciousness, about the performance of the Fed chair more or less since he appointed him in late 2017. Trump despises the administrative state generally, but it’s easy to understand why he detests the Federal Reserve in particular: It wields vast power—its decisions to raise or lower interest rates move global markets in the short term and shape the economy in the long term—with more or less total independence. Trump wants that power, like he wants all power, for himself.

Last night on THE 11TH HOUR WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE, they discussed the economy, tariffs, China and more.

Lawrence O'Donnell noted last night that Chump backed down from China.

"Economic policy dementia" is what Lawrence labeled Chump's so-called "plan" and he's exactly right.

Chump has no legal power to fire Powell. Nils Pratley (GUARDIAN) notes, that "the first effect of firing Powell should be obvious. Financial markets would tank, possibly to the extent of making the current upset over tariffs look like a mild tantrum. You do not mess with central bank independence lightly – especially not in today’s circumstances. If loose monetary policy were thrown into an already unstable inflationary and tariff mix, the dollar would fall further, the flight from US assets would accelerate and long-term borrowing costs for the US would increase." Despite the harm it's doing to the economy, Chump continues to attack Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. Theron Mohamed (BUSINESS INSIDER) reports on some reactions:

Removing Powell before his term ends in May 2026 "could call into question the ability of the central bank to set interest rates without political interference, and hence the outlook for price stability," Mark Haefele, the chief investment officer of global wealth management at UBS, said in a Tuesday note.

Haefele and his team said markets are "likely to be sensitive" to any signs that the White House intends to expel Powell or "replace him with a more 'malleable' candidate" once his term ends.

Ousting Powell and installing a more compliant Fed chief would undermine the central bank's vital independence, Liz Ann Sonders, the chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, said on "Market on Close" on the Schwab Network on Monday.

In that scenario, "any move by the Fed to preemptively start easing policy aggressively" that doesn't fit its mandate "might not have the intended effect of boosting growth or boosting confidence," Sonders said.

It could even push long-term bond yields higher, "defeating the purpose of a lot of this," she cautioned.

Between Chump's attacks on Powell, Chump's tariffs and his continued erratic behavior, gold is being seen as one of the few things currently worth investing in. Though gold surges are not seen as a predictor of a recession, they are often seen as a symptom of one.

Chump's stupidity and erratic behavior is creating this panic and this impending recession. It's effecting big businesses and small businesses. Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following yesterday:

***AUDIO HERE; PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***

Seattle, WA— Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, met with small business owners in Seattle’s University District to hear how Trump’s chaotic trade war is impacting them. Trump is currently taxing goods from every country—including close allies like Canada—at a minimum 10 percent tariff rate across-the-board. He has also significantly escalated his trade war with China, with 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods—meaning higher prices and serious pain for families and small businesses across Washington state and the country. Even with his 90-day “pause” on reciprocal tariffs, Trump’s new tariffs are still the highest tariff rates in decades, and are estimated to cost American families more than $4,000 each year—the largest tax increase since 1968.

During the visit, Senator Murray heard from small business owners about how the Trump administration’s reckless trade war is leading to serious uncertainty for businesses and consumers in Seattle. Businesses are worried that tariffs will push them to raise prices—potentially driving customers away—and lay off workers to cut costs. Participating in the discussion with Senator Murray, held at Café Allegro, were: Yasuaki Saito, Owner of Saint Bread; Miles Richardson, General Manager of University Volkswagen/Audi Seattle; Trevor Peterson, CEO of the University Book Store; Efrem Fesaha, CEO of Boon Boona coffee; Jennifer Antos, Executive Director of Seattle Neighborhood Farmers’ Markets; Chris Peterson, Owner of Cafe Allegro since 1985; Lois Ko, Owner of Sweet Alchemy ice cream shops in the U District, Ballard, and Capitol Hill, and Anson Lin, Owner of Astora Construction.

“These small businesses are at the heart of the U District community, and it was important to hear from them about how Trump’s tariffs and his pointless trade war are affecting their bottom lines—it’s something I’m hearing about everywhere I go across Washington state,” said Senator Murray. “Trump’s ham-fisted trade war is threatening livelihoods here in Washington state—small businesses are worrying about whether they can keep their doors open without laying people off, families that are already scrambling to pay the bills are worried about rising costs at the grocery store, and our farmers are deeply concerned about retaliatory tariffs from other nations in response to Trump’s tariffs. Trump’s tariffs are an enormous new tax on hardworking Americans and businesses. I will continue to share the stories and raise the voices of the people in Washington state who are being affected by Trump’s thoughtless trade war. There is no good reason for us to be picking fights with our trading partners and close allies like Canada—it’s time for Republicans in Congress to stand up and vote with us to end this chaos.”

Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs tied to international commerce. Washington state is the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada. Additionally, more than 12,000 small and medium-sized companies in Washington state export goods and will struggle to absorb the impact of retaliatory tariffs. Canada is Washington’s largest trading partner, accounting for nearly $20 billion in imports and $10 billion in exports. China is the world’s second-largest economy and Washington state exported over $12 billion in goods to China last year—making China Washington state’s top export partner—and imported $11.2 billion in goods, the most in imports from any country aside from Canada. Trump’s tariffs during his first term were extremely costly for Washington state—for example, India imposed a 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples, causing Washington apple shipments to India to fall by 99 percent and growers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in exports.

Senator Murray has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s chaotic trade war and has been lifting up the voices of people in Washington state harmed by this administration’s approach to trade and calling on Republicans to end Trump’s trade war—which Congress has the power to do—and take back Congress’ Constitutionally-granted power to impose tariffs. Earlier this month, Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state who highlighted how Trump’s ongoing trade war is already a devastating hit to Washington state’s economy, businesses, and our agriculture sector. Senator Murray also took to the Senate floor to lay out how Trump’s chaotic trade war is seriously threatening our economy, American businesses, families’ retirement savings, and so much else. Last week, Senator Murray joined her colleagues in pressing U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer on how the Trump administration’s tariffs are affecting farmers across the country. Last week, Senator Murray also held a roundtable discussion in Tacoma with local businesses and ports, toured local businesses in downtown Vancouver, and held a roundtable discussion in Vancouver with local businesses and ports, to highlight how Trump’s chaotic trade war and senseless tariffs are harming the overall economy in Washington state.

###

Drunken and insane Chump denied yesterday, on camera, that he was attempting to force Powell out as Feed Chair -- this despite Chump's earlier public statements on camera as well as his many late night/early morning social media posts. While Chump angles to oust Powell -- again, he does not have the legal authority to do so, he refuses to fire someone that he actually can fire and should fire: Pete Hegseth.

Yesterday, Ellie Cook (DAILY BEAST) wondered what everyone else was: Is Hegseth going to be fired? Cook writes:

Reports trickling out of the Pentagon have painted a picture of disorder and infighting under the leadership of the former Fox News host and National Guard officer, who was an eyebrow-raising pick for the country's top defense official in November. Hegseth was heavily criticized by Democrats and a handful of Republicans for what opponents termed a lack of experience and expertise.

The White House has started searching for Hegseth's replacement as Defense Secretary, NPR reported on Monday, citing an anonymous official not authorized to speak publicly.

White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called the report "total FAKE NEWS."

Krystina Alarcon Carroll (RAW STORY) notes:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, might be in a whirlwind of controversy, but his biggest problems are coming from “inside the house,” according to a Column from Salon.

“Unfortunately, it does appear that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth,%2010%20second(s)) is not living up to what the president and the entire Republican Party apparently believed was his vast potential based upon his 'central casting' good looks and white supremacist tattoos,” Heather Digby Parton wrote..

She added, “[Hegseth] appears to be obsessed with his Fox News culture war issues, particularly DEI, and spends an awful lot of time worrying about things like physical fitness rather than the big picture.”

The biggest problem Digby Parton has, however, is “that he's so ridiculously underqualified for the real job of running the Pentagon that the whole place is starting to come apart — and it's happening at the hands of Hegseth's own closest allies who are apparently at each other's throats.”

Heather? Good looks? He's got boobs. Bitch tits is what weight lifters used to call it. He's got nasty hands -- he brags he hasn't washed those filthy in years. He's got boils on his forehead and cheeks. He's got a deviated septum and a nose with something weird going on between the brows and a bottom half that can't figure out what angle it's wanting to jut out on. But worst of all is the stringy, greasy hair with its 80s RAVE PERM bumps. There are things I can go along with but saying Hegseth has good looks? Only if you're grading on the FOX Steve Doocy scale. Sorry, can't join you walking off that cliff.

UPI reminds, "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday blamed media and former 'disgruntled' employees for reports that he shared military war plans via a second Signal group chat involving his wife and brother, but did not deny the accusations." Is he that stupid or does he just hope the rest of us are? This is news. It's news because it happened, it's news because of what he did. And he wants to blame the media and disgruntled employees? This is a manchild who has never learned to take accountability for his own actions. No wonder his mother's embarrassed by him.

Courtney Kube (NBC NEWS) reports on Hegseth in the video below and also in text:

Minutes before U.S. fighter jets took off to begin strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last month, Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command, used a secure U.S. government system to send detailed information about the operation to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The material Kurilla sent included details about when U.S. fighters would take off and when they would hit their targets — details that could, if they fell into the wrong hands, put the pilots of those fighters in grave danger. But he was doing exactly what he was supposed to: providing Hegseth, his superior, with information he needed to know and using a system specifically designed to safely transmit sensitive and classified information.

But then Hegseth used his personal phone to send some of the same information Kurilla had given him to at least two group text chats on the Signal messaging app, three U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the exchanges told NBC News.

The sequence of events, which has not previously been reported, could raise new questions about Hegseth’s handling of the information, which he and the government have denied was classified. In all, according to the two sources, less than 10 minutes elapsed between Kurilla’s giving Hegseth the information and Hegseth’s sending it to the two group chats, one of which included other Cabinet-level officials and their designees — and, inadvertently, the editor of The Atlantic magazine. One of them was composed of Hegseth’s wife, brother and attorney and some of his aides.

Three days ago, Kube, Gordon Lubold and Raquel Coronell Uribe (NBC NEWS) had reported, "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used his personal phone to send information about U.S. military operations in Yemen to a 13-person Signal group chat, including his wife and his brother, two sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed to NBC News. He did so after an aide had warned him to be careful not to share sensitive information on an unsecure communications system before the Yemen operation, the sources said."

Repeating from earlier this week, Pete Hegseth is the title character in THE CW show GOSSIP GIRL. He was told not to do it but he did. He gets the information and immediately feels the need to share with his wife and brother and who knows who else. Did he sign out of the chat with, "XOXO Gossip Girl"?

Ben Blanchet (HUFFINGTON POST) reports:

Retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis slammed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday for his reported use of Signal to share highly sensitive military plans with Trump officials as well as family members and his attorney.

“There is absolutely no reason on the planet earth he should be doing that and he knows it,” said the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Hegseth’s use of the third-party messaging app in an interview with CNN’s Boris Sanchez.

“He’s a former major in the U.S. Army, he was trained throughout his time as a junior officer to protect and guard the nation’s secrets. He’s got to know that he has failed to do that.”

Hegseth — who shared details of upcoming attacks in Yemen in a Signal chat with senior Trump officials (and a journalist) — is reportedly close to being replaced in his post after The New York Times reported Sunday that he shared nearly identical details in a separate chat with his wife, brother and lawyer.

Stavridis argued that “Signalgate 2.0,” compared to the first chat involving high-ranking officials only to be “leaked inadvertently” to a member of the press, now involves “unclassified individuals who lack the need to know any of this.”

“So it’s gone from outrageous to truly egregious and it’s conduct that, frankly, is indefensible,” Stavridis said.

Like the old joke says, "Telephone, Telegram, Tell-a-Hegseth."

Quil Lawrence and Tom Bowman (NPR) note:

According to a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly, after CENTCOM commander General Erik Kurilla sent Hegseth details over secure communications about impending military operations on March 15th, Hegseth shared that information, verbatim, with two separate chat groups on Signal. One was made up of top Trump administration officials — and inadvertently included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg. But the other chat group included people with no clear reason for receiving the sensitive information.

"The last time he was wrongly using an insecure communications device, and he mistakenly thought he was speaking only to security clearance holders," said Kevin Carroll, who served 30 years in the Army, then in the CIA and then the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration. Security breaches like what happened in the Signal group chat are called "spillage" by the military, but this is more, says Carroll.

"Here he's knowingly using an insecure communication device and he's knowingly giving classified information to people who are not security clearance holders so it's really more than a spill," Carroll said. "It really gets more to the sort of willfulness that is typically prosecuted by the Department of Justice."

Repeating, Chump has no authority to fire the Fed Chair but he's trying to. He has the ability to fire the Secretary of Defense but he refuses to do so.

Hegseth's actions cannot be defended or excused.

Grasp that.

Now grasp the reality that the dereliction of duty right now is on the part of Donald Chump who refuses to fire Hegseth. Two big security breaches that we know of -- that we know of -- and Chump does nothing.

He refuses to protect this country. He refuses to fire this idiot who keeps going on non-secure devices in non-secure apps sharing classified information -- and with people who shouldn't be hearing it -- true of both group chats we know of. The second one that just emerged? Yes, it's obvious that his wife and brother and attorney did not have the clearance for him to share security secrets. But that's also true of the first chat where Jeffery Goldberg was included.

This is impacting what other countries feel comfortable sharing with us. It also put the lives of those carrying out the Yemen mission -- a mission he ordered -- at risk.

And Chump won't fire Hegseth.

That's dereliction of duty. He can be removed from office on a charge like that.

And "dereliction of duty"? It's a phrase he loves to toss around when he's not the one in the Oval Office. At THE GRIO, Gerren Keith Gaynor writes:

Critics of Trump point out that the president sang a different tune when he called for America’s first Black Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2021, to resign after he failed to disclose that he had undergone a surgical operation to treat his prostate cancer. Trump and several Republicans at the time said that Austin’s actions were similarly a threat to the nation’s national defense. Trump said Austin “should be fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty.”

“Trump promised to bring the most qualified to the helm of the American military — instead, he’s appointed a rudderless degenerate to replace a four-star general whom he called a ‘DEI hire.’ It’d be funny if it wasn’t so damned scary,” said Markus Batchelor, political director at People For the American Way.

Batchelor told theGrio, “Less than 100 days in office, and the dangerous incompetence of Pete Hegseth is blatantly clear to everyone but Donald Trump. Former friends in the White House, the Pentagon, and on the Hill are ready to throw him out while the president plays bodyguard to his Fox News friend.”

U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told theGrio, “Secretary Lloyd Austin, a four-star general, and Pete Hegseth, an incompetent and unqualified Fox News host, are not the same.”

“It is appalling but not surprising that the same Republicans who called for Secretary Austin to resign after a medical procedure are dismissing Pete Hegseth’s repeated national security failures,” said Kamlager-Dove. She added, “Republicans prioritize mediocrity over competency, and it shows. For the safety of the nearly 350 million people who call the U.S. home, Pete Hegseth must be fired—immediately.”

Some BLUESKY reaction to Pete Hegseth.