I guess he’d better change the locks.”
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Even Elon Musk hates Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Democrats are hoping the gazillionaire will orchestrate one final act of sabotage — by helping to sink this plan.
- Are President Donald Trump and tech freak Elon Musk finally headed for a fiery, mushroom-cloud-style, bromance-ending blow-up? Suddenly, that seems like a real possibility. Yesterday, Musk called Trump’s monstrous bill to slash taxes for the wealthiest Americans a “disgusting abomination.” It’s bad news for MAGAworld, considering the bill is already unpopular. Elon’s revolt caught the White House totally off guard: Trump isn’t “delighted that Elon did a 180 on that,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters today. A White House official put it this way: “The West Wing is perplexed, unenthused, and disappointed.”
- What caused Musk’s hissyfit? There were several reasons, according to multiple reports: The bill slashes electric vehicle tax credits that would help Musk’s carmaker, Tesla. Musk wanted to remain a “special government employee,” but the White House told him to kick rocks. He also wanted the FAA to use his Starlink satellites, but the White House, again, told him to kick rocks. And Trump blocked Musk’s buddy from becoming NASA administrator. In essence, “Elon was butthurt,” a person close to the president and centibillionaire told Axios. Yes, we are in the Junior High School realm of politics, when our nation’s future depends on whether the richest man in the world is feeling… “butthurt.” Ay, caramba.
- Elon’s dissent matters, no matter how childish it is. Senate Republicans can only afford to lose three votes — and Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) have already said they’re against it unless there are major changes. Musk’s opposition could provide backing for more Republicans to stand against the legislation. They also may be hesitant to anger the world’s richest man, who threatened to potentially target “all politicians who betrayed the American people” by supporting Trump’s big, bad bill.
Musk isn’t alone. Even ultra-MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has doubts.
- Greene admitted that she didn’t even read the bill before approving it — and now regrets her vote: “I did not know [the bill] strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years,” she wrote on social media. “I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there.” Last week, Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) said he didn’t know the bill would limit courts’ ability to hold people in contempt for violating court orders (which the Trump administration has repeatedly done).
- There’s fresh pressure on Republicans to reject this plan. If passed, the bill would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt, and nearly 11 million people would lose their health insurance, according to a new analysis from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Meanwhile, some GOP lawmakers want steeper budget cuts, while others want to scale back Trump’s most ridiculous requests.
- “We do have a chance to kill this bill … I like our chances,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) told Pod Save America. The question is whether enough Republicans will develop a spine when Trump comes calling: “When he makes those phone calls, and says, “Listen, I need this from you, it’s getting in the way of our friendship,’ very few people have demonstrated a willingness to stand up.”
Awww, Donnie doesn’t wanna lose any friends! Welp, millions of Americans don’t wanna lose their health insurance. Tough decision! |
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Some heroes wear capes. Others stand in front of green screens, wearing fits from Men’s Wearhouse.
That’s right: The nation’s TV weathermen are increasingly speaking out about climate change — and the need for good science and monitoring to protect folks from mega-storms. Crooked’s Climate Correspondent Anya Zoledziowski breaks down why they’re ringing alarm bells.
NBC Miami weatherman John Morales issued an emotional warning to his viewers this week that he may no longer be able to accurately warn them about hurricanes, thanks to President Donald Trump’s aggressive rollback of meteorological and climate research.
“I’m not sure I can do that this year because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammer attack on science in general,” he said on live television earlier this week, after Trump curtailed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service.
“We may be flying blind,” Morales warned. “We may not exactly know how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline.”
“If I lived in Florida, I’d be really worried,” a former top FEMA official told What A Day. “Is FEMA going to be able to help me if I get a storm and the president declares a disaster? Am I going to get the assistance that I’m entitled to by law?”
As the New York Times put it: “The weather is no longer the neutral territory it once was.”
This story is supported by our nonprofit partner, Crooked Ideas. |
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The Trump administration accused Columbia University of violating Title IV, threatening to revoke its accreditation. The Education Department alleged that Columbia “acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students.” It’s the latest tactic by the Trump administration to pressure a university to bend to its will, and arguably its most drastic measure yet.
Iran’s supreme leader rejected the Trump administration’s nuclear deal offer, which would allow the country to temporarily continue enriching uranium before shutting the program down entirely. “To the American side and others we say: Why are you interfering and trying to say whether Iran should have uranium enrichment or not? That’s none of your business,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote on X, where a disconcerting number of major foreign policy decisions are announced these days. The U.S. thinks Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon, while Iran claims its intentions are peaceful.
Donald Trump complained that Chinese leader Xi Jinping isn’t making a trade deal with him: “I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. This prepubescent ranting comes as Washington and Beijing blame each other for violating a tariff truce last month. Trump has been “ obsessed” with lining up a call with Xi, his latest bromantic interest.
Trump signed an order doubling steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico, bumping the rate up to 50 percent. The president claims the tariffs will “effectively counter” those countries’ prices on the products, but (surprise!) economic analysts expect the tariffs to cause higher consumer prices and inflation.
One reason young men have left the Democratic Party is because they’re stressed, ashamed and confused about what it means to be a man in America right now, according to an initial round of long-term study to understand Democrats’ problems with that demographic. One respondent told researchers that the Democratic campaign didn’t address his concerns: “Oh, I got Beyonce on stage with me. Oh, I got Lady Gaga on stage,” and “it just kind of felt like, what does that have to do with me? I’m trying to move up in life.”
That’s something Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) seems to understand: Many Democratic lawmakers say the status quo is alright and that they’ll work gradually to fix issues, but that doesn’t resonate with voters, he told The Guardian. “Their credibility is now quite low. And they don’t have much of a message for working people, other than to say Trump is dangerous,” he said. “I think that’s just not enough.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)’s husband, a Lebanese-American attorney, was removed from a government watchlist last year after she called up Transportation Security Administration officials. That’s a frustrating revelation for many Americans, since it’s often a lengthy process to be removed from that watchlist.
Remember Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden’s press secretary who defended his every decision? Well, she’s becoming an Independent, apparently! And she’s making sure everyone knows it, with her forthcoming book titled, “Independent: A Look Inside A Broken White House, Outside The Party Lines.” I guess she changed her mind on… well, everything? “Everyone thinks this is a grift,” a former Biden official told Politico. |
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LET'S MEET, IRL
THIS Friday, June 6, join Jon Lovett, Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell from The xxxxxx for Free Andry — A Fundraiser at World Pride at the Lincoln Theatre.
They’re raising money to help bring makeup artist and actor Andry Hernandez Romero back to the U.S. after he was denied due process and deported to an El Salvadorian mega prison. All proceeds will go to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, the org fighting to reunite Andry and others like him with their loved ones. Before the live show, Vote Save America will join forces with the Human Rights Campaign for a protest at the U.S. Supreme Court to bring more attention to this important case.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James urged local politicians and officials to continue standing up to the Trump administration, even when they’re targeted: “A lot of this is performative politics. A lot of this is for headlines,” James told Pod Save America today. “People are rising up … I am really excited about all of the energy that I’m seeing on the ground.” It’s a great conversation, give it a listen!
Americans are finally saving almost as much as financial advisors recommend for retirement, according to new data released by Fidelity Investments. The average savings rate so far this year is 14.3 percent, inching close to the usual 15 percent recommendation. Do the wads of cash stashed away in my underground bunker count??? What about all the cans of soup I’ve collected???
A rogue elephant strolled into a grocery store in Thailand and started munching on snacks, including nine bags of sweet rice crackers, a sandwich and bananas. Okay… why is this elephant eating more well-rounded meals than me??? I’m embarrassed.
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