Democrat News

This post was originally published on this site

ABC News and Walt Disney Co. entertainment networks are being hit with a 6% reduction in staff amid shrinking ratings and revenues for traditional television.

Workers were told of the cuts Wednesday. The reduction of 200 positions is being made across Disney‘s television units, with news suffering the biggest job losses. A majority of the cuts will impact ABC News employees in New York.

Rumors of workforce reductions have circulated for months at the news division, which like other outlets has seen its audience leave TV channels for streaming platforms.

ABC News lost about 40 employees in a round of layoffs in October, which also hit the company’s TV stations for a total of 75 cuts. The reductions announced Wednesday will hit the network’s entertainment networks as well as the news division.

Almin Karamehmedovic, president of ABC News, said in a note to staff that the cuts are aimed at streamlining the operation and positioning it for the changes in the TV landscape.

“Rethinking the way we work to future-proof our team regrettably includes reductions to our extraordinary staff,” Karamehmedovic said. “These decisions are incredibly challenging and today will undoubtedly be difficult for our organization. ”

No on-air correspondents or anchors at ABC News will lose their jobs in the cutbacks, according to one person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to comment publicly.

ABC News will consolidate the staffs of “Good Morning America” with the afternoon edition of the show known as “GMA 3,” according to the Wall Street Journal, which was first to report the layoffs. The staffs of newsmagazine “20/20” and late night program “Nightline” are being consolidated under the ABC News Studios production unit.

ABC News is also shuttering 538, the data journalism unit Disney acquired from founder Nate Silver.

ABC News has long been the leader among evening news viewers with “ABC World News Tonight with David Muir.”

But “Good Morning America” — which has three of the highest-paid news hosts in TV with George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan — is running behind NBC’s “Today” for the first time in seven years.

In the 2024-25 season, “Today” has a slight edge over “GMA” in total viewers and wins a wider margin among the 25 to 54 age group preferred by advertisers who buy against news programming.

ABC News has also been investing in the streaming news service ABC News Live, which attracts younger viewers but only a fraction of the audience size for network TV broadcasts.

This post was originally published on this site

WASHINGTON  — Presidential addresses to the nation, whether joint sessions of Congress or State of the Union speeches, were historically an opportunity to promote national unity while also highlighting policy differences.

That ship has long sailed, but President Trump’s address in the Capitol on Tuesday night — and the response from lawmakers of both parties — was remarkable and fiery from the moment it began, and the most contentious in recent memory.

As Trump entered the chamber, Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) ripped a sign that read “This is not normal” out of the hands of Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) as he walked by her.

As soon as Trump took the dais, Democratic lawmakers raised small black signs saying “Save Medicaid,” “Musk steals” and “Protect veterans.” After Trump described his Nov. 5 victory as an unprecedented mandate, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) stood and shouted, “You don’t have a mandate!” as he pointed his cane at the president.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) warned that he would instruct the sergeant at arms to restore order if senators and representatives did not observe decorum. When Green continued to stand and speak, Johnson said, “Remove this gentleman from the chamber.” Green was led out as Republican lawmakers chanted, “USA! USA!”

The protests from Democrats continued throughout the speech, as they laughed at the president’s talking points and loudly grumbled. Others stood up to showcase T-shirts that said “Resist.” Several left the room, turning their backs on the president to walk up the aisle as he was still speaking.

Just before the president finished his speech, Democrats chanted, “January 6th,” a reminder of the violent mob of Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol four years ago.

It’s not unusual for presidents to tout their accomplishments during such addresses — something Trump did repeatedly — and rarely mention their predecessors. But in unusually harsh language in the House chamber, Trump attacked former President Biden again and again, referring to him as “the worst president in American history.”

Trump also noted how he won the popular vote, along with the electoral college, and mentioned the name of the candidate he defeated, former Vice President Kamala Harris. Again, this was unusual for an address before the House and Senate.

Historically, addresses in these revered settings sought to strike a tone of unity and cohesiveness among Americans, epitomized by President Reagan’s remarks in such locales.

But those occurred in different times, before the existence of social media and the multitude of media outlets that allow viewers to choose broadcasters and writers whose views align with their own.

One of the first notable outbursts occurred in 2009, when Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted, “You Lie!” at President Obama during an address focused on the Affordable Care Act to both chambers of Congress. At the time, the outburst was a shocking break from tradition. Soon after, his colleagues in the House rebuked him in a vote that was largely along party lines.

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) also frequently interrupted former President Biden during his State of the Union addresses.

But the change in behavior is not limited to one side of the partisan aisle.

After Trump finished his State of the Union address in 2020, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) purposefully ripped her copy of his speech.

Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) tears her copy of President Trump’s State of the Union address after he delivered it in February 2020.

(Associated Press)

Mehta reported from Los Angeles and Pinho from Washington. Times staff writer Kevin Rector contributed to this report.

This post was originally published on this site

President Trump gave his new administration high marks in a bullish speech to Congress on Tuesday, arguing he is making fast work of his promised agenda on immigration, the economy, international trade and global conflicts, and that the U.S. is stronger for it.

“We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplish in four years or eight years — and we are just getting started,” Trump said during his speech, which resembled a State of the Union address.

Trump’s largely rosy assessment was backed by many Republicans, who applauded often throughout the speech, and there is evidence to support some of his claimed successes. At the southern border, for instance, illegal crossings have dwindled, just as Trump promised — though not to their lowest level ever, as Trump claimed Tuesday.

However, other indicators of success for a new president — including public polling, economic markets, court rulings and the remarks of foreign allies — paint a far more nuanced picture. In some cases, they support the opposing view of congressional Democrats and other critics that Trump’s policies have made the nation far weaker in a stunningly short period of time by disrupting core government services, rattling global financial markets, sparking trade battles, abandoning U.S. allies and providing little of the economic relief most desired by struggling Americans.

“America wants change, but there’s a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy,” said Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan in a rebuttal speech delivered on behalf of Democrats.

Since his election in November — which was narrow in terms of votes but relatively decisive on the electoral map — Trump has claimed a wide mandate to enact his “America first” vision, including through sweeping executive orders designed to bypass Congress. He has used that argument to dismiss criticisms, including from federal judges, that his administration is overreaching, moving too quickly and potentially violating the law.

On Tuesday, Trump said that his November win “was a mandate like has not been seen in many decades,” that “for the first time in modern history, more Americans believe that our country is headed in the right direction than the wrong direction,” and that “it has been stated by many” that the first month of his presidency has been “the most successful in the history of our nation.”

However, recent polling has suggested that Americans are heavily divided on Trump’s policies, and that more disapprove of him and some of his key initiatives than approve of them. Trump’s key advisor Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which has targeted federal agencies for closure or dramatic reductions in staffing and funding, have even less support.

An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll conducted last week, for example, found 45% of Americans approved of the job Trump is doing, while 49% disapproved. That is a high approval rating for Trump, who had a 38% approval rating at the end of his first term, but historically low for a new president ahead of his first address to Congress, according to Gallup and other polling figures.

Among modern presidents, only Trump himself, at the start of his first term in 2017, has had a lower approval at this stage.

A CNN poll, also conducted last week, put Trump’s approval rating at 48%. Both polls were conducted before Friday, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance shocked the world by berating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, undoing a planned security and mineral rights deal.

Americans also are not overly optimistic about the path the country is on. According to the Marist poll, 53% of Americans said the state of the union is not very strong or not strong at all, 54% said the country is moving in the wrong direction, and 56% said Trump was rushing to make changes without properly considering the impacts.

On the economy, 42% said Trump was changing things for the better, 46% for the worse. On immigration, 47% said Trump was changing things for the better, 43% for the worse. On foreign policy, 44% said Trump was changing things for the better, 49% for the worse. On each issue, skepticism was highest among Democrats but also strong among independent voters, while Republicans largely backed the president.

Half of respondents said they had an unfavorable view of Musk, while 39% said they had a favorable view of him; 44% had an unfavorable view of DOGE, while 39% had a favorable view.

A majority, 57%, expected grocery prices will increase over the next six months, while 17% said they believed prices would go down.

Trump on Tuesday said that he had inherited an “economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare” from the Biden administration — something Democrats and many economists dispute — and that one of his “highest priorities is to rescue our economy and get dramatic and immediate relief to working families.”

To do that, he said, his administration is rolling back restrictive energy policies to “drill, baby, drill,” calling for “tax cuts for everybody,” and instituting tariffs on U.S. trading partners, the latter of which he said “will take in trillions and trillions of dollars and create jobs like we have never seen before.”

Republican leaders broadly praised Trump and his speech. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally from Georgia, wore a red hat to the address that read, “Trump was right about everything.”

Still, many others around the world looked on with concern.

Trump’s remarks followed his imposition of new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China — the U.S.’ top trading partners — and promises of retaliatory measures from all three. Experts predicted American consumers would soon pay more for fresh vegetables, fruits and other perishable imports.

In announcing that Canada would immediately strike back with its own tariffs on many American goods, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Trump administration Tuesday of instigating a “dumb” trade war that would harm average Americans.

“We don’t want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally,” Trudeau told Americans. “And we don’t want to see you hurt either, but your government has chosen to do this to you.”

Trudeau’s remarks added to widespread anger among allies across Europe over Trump’s lashing out at Zelensky. On Monday, Trump doubled down by temporarily suspending all U.S. military aid to Ukraine until Zelensky falls in line with Trump’s vision for a cease-fire with Russia, a move many viewed as an ultimatum for a long-standing U.S. ally and a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

U.S. and global financial markets were clearly rattled by the tariffs and escalating tensions between the U.S. and its partners. Stocks have tumbled in recent days, wiping out much of the gains seen since Trump was elected on a business-friendly platform.

Worries about a trade war and a slowdown in the global economy Tuesday led to the Standard & Poor’s 500 index falling 1.2%, the Dow Jones industrial average sliding 1.6% and the Nasdaq composite slipping 0.4%. European markets fell sharply, stocks in Asia more modestly.

The volatility was mirrored on the domestic front, where Trump and Musk have riled Democrats and some Republicans with sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and other policies targeting vulnerable communities and constitutional rights.

In many instances, the Trump administration has admitted the cuts were poorly tailored, rushing to reinstate fired federal employees who protect the nation’s nuclear stockpile and national parks, among other things. Many of the cuts — including to social safety net programs such as Medicaid and the monitoring of infectious diseases — have been criticized as dangerous and legally dubious, including by California and other blue states, and been walked back by federal judges.

Judges have repeatedly questioned Trump’s executive power to redirect funds already appropriated by Congress, and called other Trump orders, such as one to end birthright citizenship for U.S.-born children of immigrants, clearly unconstitutional.

How Trump’s aggressive approach will be received by the American public moving forward, and whether incidents such as his berating of Zelensky will affect his approval ratings, is unclear. Also unclear is whether he will respond to resistance other than by ignoring it or promising to crack down on it.

On Friday, California for the second time accused the Trump administration of ignoring a court order requiring it to release appropriated federal funding that it had unilaterally frozen, saying Federal Emergency Management Agency funds remain blocked. On Monday, Trump dismissed people criticizing his administration at recent Republican town halls as “paid ‘troublemakers.’”

Before his speech Tuesday, he said his administration will be withholding funds from colleges and universities that allow “illegal protests” on their campuses, then threatened Trudeau with even greater U.S. tariffs — calling him “Governor Trudeau,” a reference to Trump’s outlandish idea to annex Canada and make it the 51st U.S. state.

This post was originally published on this site

WASHINGTON — President Trump laid out an aggressive approach to “renewing the American dream” in his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, heavily emphasizing his crackdown on immigration, diversity policies and the federal workforce while giving passing mention to his administration’s approach to the rising costs of goods.

Here are several takeaways.

A night of hyperbole, swagger and falsehoods

Trump’s fifth address to Congress was true to form for the president. His sharp attacks against Democrats included using “Pocahontas” as a slur against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who sat in the audience, and calling his predecessor, President Biden, the “worst president of all time.”

It also featured a slew of false claims, such as the assertion that U.S. citizens who are hundreds of years old are receiving Social Security checks and that his administration has identified “hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud.”

The president also repeatedly said that his policies would produce results “like nothing that has ever been seen before,” including job growth resulting from tariffs and energy production from deregulation.

Democrats take disruption to a new level

The protests began as soon as Trump took the dais, with Democrats across the chamber raising small black signs saying “Save Medicaid,” “Musk steals” and “Protect veterans.”

Once Trump started speaking, Democrats took to live fact-checking the president, raising signs that said, “False.”

Then Trump began speaking about his victory in the November election, repeating his frequent refrain, “The presidential election of Nov. 5 was a mandate like has not been seen in many decades.”

Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) stood and pointed his cane at Trump, saying the president had “no mandate” to cut Medicaid.

House Republicans just passed a budget resolution that, while not explicitly mentioning Medicaid, many Democrats say will cut into the popular government-funded national healthcare insurance.

“It’s worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up” to Trump, Green said to reporters after being led out of the chamber.

Republicans leaped to the president’s defense, roaring against Green and chanting, “USA!”

• Share

  Share via Close extra sharing options

The protests from Democrats continued throughout the speech, as they raised signs, laughed and grumbled. Others stood up, revealing T-shirts that said “Resist.” A few left the room.

Just before the president finished his speech, Democrats chanted, “January 6th,” a reminder of the violent mob of Trump supporters that stormed the U.S. Capitol four years ago.

Climate policies and electric vehicles come under attack

Trump said he had “terminated the ridiculous green new scam” and touted his administration’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, the second time he has taken the United States out of the landmark agreement as president.

“We ended all of Biden’s environmental restrictions that were making our country far less safe and totally unaffordable, and importantly, we ended the last administration’s insane electric vehicle mandate, saving our autoworkers and companies from economic destruction,” he said.

Trump revoked Biden’s goal of ensuring that 50% of vehicles on U.S. roads are electric by 2030, among his first acts in office. But his executive actions have not changed tax credits, passed by Congress, for Americans purchasing electric vehicles, or policies in states including California that have their own standards driving the production decisions of automobile manufacturers.

Evoking felony charges, Trump asks: ‘How did that work out?’

Pointing to Democratic lawmakers, at this point seated and silent, Trump said that the prosecutions against him in his four years out of power fueled his return.

“We’ve ended weaponized government where, for example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent, like me. How did that work out? Not too good,” he said, pointing to the Democrats and cheered on by the Republican caucus. “Not too good.”

Trump’s Justice Department, led by Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, has launched a “Weaponization Working Group” to investigate those who were involved in the prosecutions of Trump, who had been charged with attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 president election he lost and illegally hoarding highly classified information at his Florida estate.

The president’s Cabinet members have said that they will not tolerate any political dissent among career government employees, and that those with differing political views will be fired. Trump has also ordered that every attorney at Covington & Burling, a major law firm representing Jack Smith, the special counsel who led the investigations against Trump, have their security clearances revoked, an act that the law firm has called retaliatory.

No answers on egg prices

Trump spent little time on his plan to address the costs of everyday goods in the speech, blaming his predecessor for inflation that polls show remain a top concern of Americans.

“As president, I’m fighting every day to reverse this damage and to make America affordable again,” Trump said. “President Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control. The egg prices, out of control. And we’re working hard to get it back down. Secretary, do a good job on that. You inherited a total mess on that from the previous administration. Do a good job.”

The price of a dozen eggs, now averaging roughly $5 nationwide, is expected only to increase over the coming year as a widespread bird flu continues to devastate chicken farmers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has said, and with the Trump administration cutting the federal workforce at the agency.

‘Wokeness is trouble’

The president called diversity efforts a “tyranny” throughout the country — a stark contrast to his first address to a joint session eight years ago, which opened with an appeal to fight for civil rights — and said he would continue working to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion measures across the federal government.

He also repeated his assertion that air traffic controllers may be getting hired based on DEI policies, alluding to claims he made in January — without evidence — that an airplane and helicopter collision at Reagan National Airport near Washington might have been the fault of diversity hiring.

“We believe that whether you are a doctor, an accountant, a lawyer, or an air traffic controller, you should be hired and promoted based on skill and competence, not race or gender,” he said.

This month, the president of a union representing employees of the Federal Aviation Administration said that the Trump administration had fired essential employees from the agency as part of its government-wide purge of the federal workforce.

Trump also highlighted his efforts to restrict transgender women from playing in women’s sports and from schools “indoctrinating our children with transgender ideology.”

“Our country will be woke no longer,” he said. “Wokeness is trouble.”

Dismissing the need for immigration reform

On multiple occasions, Trump congratulated himself for the sudden drop in illegal border crossings since he took office.

“The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation — we must have legislation to secure the border. But … it turned out all we really needed was a new president,” Trump said. “Joe Biden didn’t just open our borders — he flew illegal aliens over them to overwhelm our schools, hospitals and communities across the country.

“We are achieving the great liberation of America,” he said, “but there is still much work to be done.”

He touted the first bill he signed into law this year, the Laken Riley Act, which gives authorities more power to deport immigrants accused of crimes who are in the U.S. illegally. The mother and sister of Riley — a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed by a Venezuelan immigrant in the country illegally — joined the speech from the House chamber gallery.

Trump also took the unusual act of delivering an executive order, renaming a wildlife refuge in honor of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old from Texas who was killed in June. Two Venezuelan immigrants in the country illegally are charged in her death.

He also touted his idea for a “gold card” visa, a novel way for foreigners to obtain U.S. citizenship by paying $5 million.

“Citizenship for sale!” one Democrat in the audience cried out.

Few claps for attacks on Ukraine

Trump’s least popular segment of the speech, across party lines, was his critique of Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.

Days after berating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an Oval Office meeting whose reverberations were felt around the world, Trump said he received a letter from the Ukrainian president earlier Monday, saying he is ready for peace.

“I appreciate that he sent this letter,” Trump said. “Simultaneously, we’ve had serious conversations with Russia and we’ve received strong signals that they are ready for peace.”

Trump repeated his goal of ending the war in Ukraine. “The United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defense,” he said, eliciting the only applause of the night from the Democratic lawmakers, many of whom were wearing yellow and blue in support of the embattled country.

He praised his administration for facilitating the return of Israeli hostages in Gaza, which took place just as Biden was transitioning out of office.

“A lot of the things are happening in the Middle East,” Trump said. “It’s a rough neighborhood, actually.”

Trump also repeated his goal of taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal.

“My administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it,” he said, referencing a deal announced by BlackRock on Tuesday to take over ports in the vicinity of the canal. “We’re taking it back.”

This post was originally published on this site

Fox News hosts posited that Democrats were conspiring to end cursive writing in schools so children are unable to read the U.S. Constitution.

During a Sunday segment on Fox & Friends Weekend, co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy noted that one Idaho bill would force schools to teach cursive in elementary schools.

“So you guys, I didn’t realize this is a generational thing,” Campos-Duffy said. “I talked to our producers, who are a lot younger than us. And they said some of them don’t write in cursive, and they don’t even know how.”

Co-host Peter Doocy noted that Democratic former President Joe Biden had “bad” cursive handwriting.

“But you know, one of my favorite conspiracy theories, and I kind of believe it, is that the reason Democrats don’t want people to learn how to write cursive is so they can’t read the actual Constitution,” co-host Charlie Hurt opined.

“Oh, that’s a good one!” Campos-Duffy exclaimed.

“Like when they’re on a tour of Independence Hall.. this could be ‘National Treasure Three,'” Doocy said. “Oh, I’m here. And I want to steal the document. But I don’t know which one is right exactly.”

“You know who’s — who’s cursive handwriting is [great]?” Campos-Duffy asked. “It’s Donald Trump. Have you ever seen his signature?”

“He’s old school,” Hurt remarked.

This post was originally published on this site

These are just not serious people. Trump’s “Chicken Lady” has received scathing reviews for her comments.

Source: Huffington Post

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins this weekend offered some unusual advice to Americans frustrated by rising egg prices: raise your own chickens.

“People are sort of looking around thinking, ‘Wow, well maybe I can get a chicken in my backyard,’ and it’s awesome,” Rollins told Fox & Friends Weekend host Rachel Campos-Duffy. The agriculture secretary, who was sworn in last month to the position in President Donald Trump’s cabinet, added she has her own backyard chickens.

Rollins also referred to raising chickens at home in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last week.

“We also want to make it easier for families to raise backyard chickens,” she wrote as she explained her five-part plan to reduce egg prices.

Trump’s Sec of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says the solution to high egg prices for Americans is to get some chickens and raise them in your backyard. pic.twitter.com/sYFAYKeR5Q

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) March 3, 2025

This post was originally published on this site

FOX Business host Stuart Varney found a needle in Trump’s horrific tariff haystack to bloviate about as he tried to misdirect the newscycle’s anxiety caused by the stock market collapse.

Varney’s My Take:

VARNEY: The tariffs have brought high anxiety to a variety of industries.

They don’t know how things are going to play out.

There is one industry, though, that’s having a grand old time.

The tree farmers of America are celebrating.

Hurrah!

Trump gets to destroy old growth forests.

In 2022, shortly before Biden announced his executive order, a group of more than 130 scientists wrote a letter to Biden advocating a ban on logging in old-growth forests.

“Older forests provide the most above-ground carbon storage potential on Earth, with mature forests and larger trees driving most accumulation of forest carbon in the critical next few decades,” the letter read. “Left vulnerable to logging, though, they cannot fulfill these vital functions.”

Stuart Varney’s response to the market collapse from Trump’s tariffs is to attack anyone who supports climate change.

How fucking boring and immature.

The public will suffer while these fools put lipstick on Trump’s pig face.

This post was originally published on this site

VP JD Vance told Sean Hannity that all he did was try to diffuse the situation during the Zelensky press conference, which is, in fact, a lie since he instigated the entire meltdown.

That is not surprising that Vance ran to the fertile MAGA pastures of Hannity’s program to rewrite the embarrassment he and Trump caused.

VANCE: And then when it really went off the rails, of course, is when I asked, or you had a Polish journalist who asked a question, the president answered it, and then I answered it.

And then something about my answer just really set Zelensky off. So then he came at me.

HANNITY: So you blame yourself.

VANCE: And then I went back at him. And what I tried to do originally was actually try to diffuse the situation a little bit, because I’m like, you know, we’re having this meeting.

What a fucking joke.

JD Vance provoked Zelensky by claiming he didn’t want to be part of diplomacy. Pres. Zelensky tried to educate JD Vance and explain they went through all this diplomacy with Putin previously and the Russian president broke every agreement that he signed.

Obviously, there are 100 television cameras here. Let’s try to have this conversation in private.

And then the president, as we kept on going back and forth, I tried again to say, well, maybe we should have this conversation in private.

And the president was like, nope, actually, I don’t want to have it in private anymore. I want to have this actual conversation in public for the American people to see.

And I do think that there was just a certain sense of there was a lack of respect. There was a certain sense of entitlement.

The only entitlement lack of respect was from JD Vance.

VANCE: And most importantly, look, we can look past all that stuff, but the president has set a very clear goal for his administration.

He wants the killing to stop.

And I think that it’s very important that President Zelensky and, of course, President Putin, too, they’ve both got to come to the negotiating table.

And that’s ultimately where things broke apart.

I really don’t care what President Zelensky says about me or anybody else, but he showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process that President Trump has said is the policy of the American people and of their president.

That’s the real breakdown, is I think Zelensky wasn’t yet there.

And I think, frankly, now still isn’t there, but I think he’ll get there eventually.

He has to.

During these faux “peace” talks, you never hear Trump tell Vladimir Putin what he must do to stop the war. We never hear him tell Putin he must give up Crimea and un-occupy all the land he invaded. Has Trump told his mentor he doesn’t have the cards any longer?

Fox News’ Andy McCarthy wrote a scathing article trashing Trump over their Zelensky meeting: Blame Trump for the Oval Office Fiasco with Zelensky

I don’t understand the logic of blaming Zelensky for Friday’s debacle. The fact that Trump is “transactional,” thinks the consummation of a deal is more significant than its substance, can’t get over himself, has a thing for despots, and craves flattery is not something we are required to consider “the facts on the ground” that Zelensky and everybody else have to grow up and deal with. Yeah, Zelensky should have been well-prepared; he should have dressed like this was serious diplomatic business, and he should have performed more adeptly. But his shortcomings in these regards are not the problem.

Nor is Vice President JD Vance to blame. True, it’s impossible to watch the 50 minutes of cringe without noticing the rehearsed manner of Vance’s demagogic provocations — as the White House, not Zelensky, let the televised spectacle go on for at least a half-hour too long. Vance was insidious, spouting lies (Zelensky hasn’t said “thank you” . . . except, you know, for the eight zillion times he’s said thank you — and that was only on Friday) in an effort to bluster past (a) the administration’s lack of a coherent answer to the question of why any sentient person would trust Putin to honor a cease-fire, and (b) the administration’s previous slew of lies — e.g., Trump had a plan to end the war in 24 hours; Russia has “lost” 1.5 million soldiers (the number killed is probably smaller than 200,000, with around half a million wounded); we’ve given Ukraine $350 billion (an exaggeration by a factor of at least two and more likely three); Zelensky is a “dictator”; Ukraine “started” the war (apparently by living next door to an unreconstructed KGB monster who can’t help himself but invade and annex); blah, blah, blah.

This post was originally published on this site

Donald Krasnov Trump took to Truth Social to say that he will strip federal funding from schools that allow such “Illegal protests,” and that “agitators will be imprisoned,” adding “NO MASKS!” Interestingly, the Proud Boys, and some of his Jan. 6th rioters wore masks. So, Pumpkin Pol Pot is vowing to imprison any protesters who hurt his feelings with no regard for the First Amendment. He’s confusing the United States with Russia again.

“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” he wrote. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on [sic] the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Lumpy thinks people protesting against him are from other countries. Agent Krasnov’s message didn’t go down well.

Trump’s tariff wars with Canada, Mexico, and China will hurt our economy. The Trump recession is coming, and it will be painful, but the co-president doesn’t want you to complain about it.

This post was originally published on this site

RSBN host Matthew Alvarez daydreamed on-air that he wished Donald Trump was president of the entire world.

In 2023, Alvarez prayed for the January 6th insurrectionists that attacked the US Capitol.

This is how cult members act when talking about their cult leader.

Trump has done nothing to help this country, neighboring countries, and our allies except to infuriate and belittle them while attaching ridiculous tariffs on their products. He has attacked the Ukrainian president in service of the murderer Vladimir Putin when Zelenskyy questioned him.

Elon Musk’s grift called DOGE has found nothing while lying about it incessantly and illegally trying to take over sensitive government computers, firing feeral workers and accessing the private data of our citizenry.
.

LEVELL: That’s what President Trump ran on, and that’s what he’s trying to inspire to push towards the American people to get back to the people’s business and not the pay to play.

Alvarez: And to your point, Bruce, all of the terrible things going on within the departments that have been happening, all the corruption that we’ve seen with Doge uncovering things and just on and on and on.

So we’re seeing the leadership get cleaned out, you know, Kash Patel at the top of the FBI.

It’s great to see that. We’re seeing all these departments do that, but it seems that the world has that as well.

You know, some of these leaders, that corruption, I wish they could be cleaned out too in the sense of, you know, voted out, but it’s obviously a different situation.

And I know President Trump is the president of this nation, but man, it would be great if he was the president of the entire world.

And I’m just saying, figuratively speaking, because of the amount of corruption that’s happening out there.

To keep the MAGA con job alive, right-wing media personas must act and say moronic and untrue things about the tie dyed Trump to service his raptured evangelical base.