This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 119

… AG Pam Bondi is going to start locking up journalists: “Safeguarding classified, privileged, and other sensitive information is essential to effective governance and law enforcement. Fed govt employees intentionally leaking sensitive information to the media undermines the ability of the DOJ to uphold the rule of law, protect civil rights, and keep America safe. This conduct is illegal and wrong, and it must stop. Therefore, I have concluded that it is necessary to rescind Merrick Garland's policies precluding DOJ from seeking records and compelling testimony from members of the news media in order to identify and punish the source of improper leaks.”

… Trump has called for this repeatedly in the past. Under this new policy, they will now subpoena reporters before grand juries and ask them to reveal their anonymous sources. When they refuse, they will be jailed for contempt. This is going to lead to more very high stakes First Amendment lawsuits against the authoritarian Trump regime.

… Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer now Deputy AG Todd Blanche: “The era of anonymous leaks and shielded sources protecting anti-Trump operatives is over. This DOJ is done looking the other way. We will hold leakers — wherever they are — fully accountable. No more safe havens in federal agencies.”

… Trump received some criticism for wearing a blue suit to Pope Francis’s funeral when 99% of attendees wore black. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked why he didn’t wear black: “The president looked great and presidential alongside our stunning First Lady, who was, as usual, dressed perfectly for the occasion.”

… Daily Beast’s Joanna Coles speculated on some reasons why Trump wore a blue suit and noted that the last time he met the Pope he was actually wearing a black suit - so he obviously has one. But she also said she thinks he lost a lot of weight recently, possibly from Ozempic, so maybe he didn’t have a black suit that fit him anymore.

… Coles’s interview drew an angry post from the always pleasant WH Comms Director Steven Cheung: “CNN had this blithering idiot on Inside Politics from the Daily Beast named Joanna Coles making unsubstantiated claims about President Trump’s health. Joanna is a piece of shit, clearly suffering from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome rotting her pea-sized brain.”

… The Pope’s funeral was also the same day as Melania’s 55th birthday, so Trump was asked if he was taking her out to dinner in Rome or had time to get her a present: “I haven’t had much time to buy presents. I’ve been pretty busy. But it’s working out. People are starting to understand how good tariffs are for us.”

… Before the service, Trump sat with President Zelensky in the Vatican for several minutes with nobody else present as they had a conversation about the war.

… After his meeting with Zelensky, Trump posted his 5th warning to Putin to stop bombing Ukraine: “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”

… Putin responded to this latest warning by launching new attacks today. Zelensky: “Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi provided an update on the frontline situation. In many directions, the situation remains difficult. By midday alone, there have already been nearly 70 Russian assaults on our positions. Fighting continues. The occupier continues its offensive attempts. I am grateful to every brigade and all our warriors defending Ukrainian positions and demonstrating the resilience our country so urgently needs.”

… Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) on Fox: "Putin has reneged on every promise he has made to President Trump. Putin thinks that America has taken the bullet train to chump town. He has jacked around President Trump at every turn."

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… Trump was asked about the car bomb that killed a senior Russian general in Moscow. He had no clue about it:

Reporter: Do you have any reaction to that?

Trump: Who killed what?

Reporter: A Russian general killed by a car bomb.

Trump: Well, you're just telling me that for the first time. Where did this take place?

Reporter: It took place in Moscow. It was a Russian general.

Trump: That's hitting close to home, right? That's a big one. I'll look at it.

… Sen. Chuck Schumer was asked on CNN about how Senate Democrats were going to respond to Trump's attempt to extort Harvard: "We sent him a very strong letter just the other day asking eight very strong questions." Bash: “You’ll let us know if you get a response to that letter.”

… Bash: When do you think it's time to pass the torch? Schumer: “Look, I'm focused on winning as I have always been. I am staying put.”

…Don Jr., Trump megadonor Omeed Malik, and Trump’s Special Envoy to Russia Steve Witkoff’s sons Zach and Alex just launched an invite-only club with an initial fee of $500,000 to join. Politico reported that the club is called the “Executive Branch” and will be located in Georgetown: “Their goal is to create the highest-end private club that Washington has ever had, and cater to the business and tech moguls who are looking to nurture their relationships with the Trump admin.”

… Founding members of the club include David Sacks, the Winklevoss brothers and Chamath Palihapitiya.

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): “Trump has set up a new club where CEOs, tech bros, and foreign oligarchs can pay $500,000 to join in order to get access to the Trump Cabinet who will all be there regularly. Just because the grift is all public doesn’t mean this isn’t the most corrupt White House in history.”

… Trump was asked if he would commit that nobody on his financial team was giving advance notice to certain Wall Street executives about his tariff announcements: “I can commit to myself. But I can’t imagine anybody doing that. I have very honorable people.”

… HuffPost reported that one of Don Jr’s other major business enterprises is a website called PublicSquare that he started two years ago which contains a listing of MAGA-friendly businesses who, according to Junior, “share our values.” It has become a right-wing Craigslist with lawyers, doctors, plumbers, and other trades listed. But it has also become a handy guide for people who want to boycott MAGA businesses.

- Reddit user “Jeff” started a viral movement by making anti-Trump consumers aware of the site: “MAGA has made it easy for all of us to avoid their businesses. A couple years ago, they introduced a website – publicsq.com — to promote MAGA businesses. We can use that same tool to make informed purchasing decisions. If a business is listed on the site, it’s not a fluke. It’s on purpose.”

… One response: “My god I just found out my dog’s vet is on there!”

… The company stock has fallen over 50% so far this year. Jeff: “The vast majority of people said, ‘I had no idea. I can’t believe this or that business is on there. I’m never going there again.’ I’d say 90% of responses are of that ilk. Right now, so many decisions are being made that affect our lives that are outside of our control, and many people feel helpless. The ability to make purchasing decisions that align with our values is one thing we can do.”

… Fox host Greg Gutfeld insanely speculated on air that the judge in WI who was arrested for obstruction by ICE may have done it because she was having an affair with the immigrant: “Maybe this judge has a backstory with this illegal. Could it be it is not just the gavel that she is banging?”

… Miami Herald: “A Cuban woman living in Tampa who came to the US in 2019 and is married to a US citizen was abruptly detained by ICE and deported to Cuba, leaving behind her one-year-old child. Heidy Sánchez was among 82 Cuban migrants sent on a plane from Miami back to Cuba. Her deportation has been so sudden and traumatic for their infant daughter, still breastfeeding and with ongoing health issues, that her grandmother was taking her to the hospital.”

… AP: “ICE officers have in recent days deported the Cuban-born mother of a 1-year-old girl — separating them indefinitely — and three children ages 2, 4 and 7 who are US citizens along with their Honduran-born mothers. Lawyers in the cases described how the women were arrested at routine check-ins at ICE offices, given virtually no opportunity to speak with lawyers or their family members and then deported within 3 days or less.” The 4 year old has a rare form of cancer.

… Gracie Willis of the National Immigration Project: “We have no idea what ICE was telling them, and in this case what has come to light is that ICE didn’t give them another alternative. They didn’t give them a choice - these mothers only had the option to take their children with them despite loving caregivers being available in the US to keep them here.”

… Immigration expert Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “The details of this case are even WORSE than it seems. The lawsuit says that when the 2-year-old’s father tried to talk to his partner and give her the contact information for their lawyers, the ICE officer literally grabbed the phone out of the mom’s hand and hung up on him!”

… Deportation Czar Tom Homan on CBS: “Having a US citizen child doesn't make you immune from our laws of the country. American families get separated every day by law enforcement. No US citizen was deported. Children aren't deported. The mother chose to take the child with her."

… Trump posted that he is tired of all this due process stuff: “We need Courageous JUSTICE in our Country. If the Courts don’t allow what we have been allowed to do for 250 years, America can no longer be the same. It is not possible to have trials for millions and millions of people. We know who the Criminals are, and we must get them out of the U.S.A. - and FAST!”

… Rep. Jake Auchinloss (D-MA) on Fox: “Until somebody gets to stand in front of a judge, we don’t know whether they are criminals, we don’t know whether they are illegal. In a free country, politicians can’t appoint themselves judge, jury and executioner. They have to go through courts of law.”

… AP reported that the wife of an active-duty Coast Guardsman was arrested by ICE at the family residential section of the US Naval Air Station at Key West, FL. Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Steve Roth: “The spouse is not a member of the Coast Guard and was detained by DHS pursuant to a lawful removal order. The Coast Guard works closely with HSI and others to enforce fed laws, including on immigration.”

… “When the woman and her Coast Guard husband were preparing to move into their on-base housing, they went to the visitor control center to get a pass so she could access the Key West installation. During the routine security screening required for base access, the woman’s name was flagged as a problem. NCIS and Coast Guard security personnel got permission from the base commander to enter the installation and then went to the Coast Guardsman’s home. They were joined by personnel from ICE, and the spouse was arrested.”

… A new CNN Poll at the 100 day mark of Trump’s presidency has his approval rating at 41%, the lowest at this point of a term for any US presidency in over 70 years.

… Veteran GOP latino voter political consultant Mike Madrid: “Pew poll has Trump at 27% approval among Hispanics. CNN poll has Trump at 28% approval among Hispanics. This is a complete collapse among what was the fastest growing group of GOP supporters. Trump is now where he was before the 2018 wipeout.”

… Virginia Giuffre, Jeffrey Epstein’s most well-known victim who was instrumental in his conviction, has reportedly committed suicide. Statement from her family to NBC: "It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia. She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors. In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight."

… Needless to say, this has launched thousands of new right-wing conspiracies led by the likes of Alex Jones and Catturd on social media.

… MSNBC’s Katie Phang said farewell on her final show : “And now that my time here at MSNBC comes to a close, I am taking that fight back to a familiar place. I hope you'll follow along with me as I continue to meet you where you are at places like Substack and YouTube with fellow truth tellers like MeidasTouch.”

… We are excited that our friend Katie will have a new podcast on our Meidas network. I’m sure it will be excellent. MSNBC’s loss will be Meidas’s gain.

… The Independent interviewed famed Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Faryan Jalalabadi about the infamous ‘Mar-a-Lago Face’ that so many in Trump’s orbit have adopted: “It’s the tiny little pixie nose and big lips. The opposite of a natural face in which there’s a delicate balance of proportions. It is not the anatomically true way to do these things. When we age, our face not only loses a little bit of volume, but really, tissue becomes lax and kind of falls down. So, people think that they can lift tissue, but the only way to lift it with volume is to overfill. Then we see these overfilled high cheekbones, puffy-looking faces, bordering on non-human looks, because what happens is people keep going back for little maintenance touch-ups, trying to keep up with these high cheekbones and soft shadows. But unfortunately, they’ve now stretched all their tissue and they kind of accelerated the aging of their face with things like the Joker smile, where your lips are pulled too horizontally, or you get windswept eyes because the skin wasn’t set in a proper direction.”

… The Atlantic published an article called ‘Trump’s Cosplay Cabinet’ that detailed all their costumed photo ops and social media posts. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI): “It looks like a lot of them are sort of showing up at a govt costume party in which they get to wear the costume of being the Sec of Defense or the costume of being DNI, but they don’t have the qualification for those roles. Part of it is they know the point of entry to the costume party is you have to suck up ferociously to Trump every minute, and to get on his radar, images help. He likes the fake macho imagery, and so that’s just part of the deal.”

… Trump ordered Sec of State Marco Rubio to demand that Panama and Egypt allow the US to use their canals for free while everyone else pays: “American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals! Those Canals would not exist without the USA. I’ve asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately take care of, and memorialize, this situation!”

… We had nothing to do with building the Suez Canal.

… Rubio was asked on Meet the Press if Trump still wants to make Canada the 51st state: “I think the president has stated repeatedly he thinks Canada would be better off as a state.”

… The new Kennedy Center under Trump’s board has canceled the Tapestry of Pride events planned for June 5-8 celebrating LBGTQ rights to coincide with this summer’s World Pride Festival in DC. June Crenshaw with Capital Pride Alliance to AP: “We are a resilient community, and we have found other avenues to celebrate. We are finding another path to the celebration - but the fact that we have to maneuver in this way is disappointing.”

… Trump posted that he is making Columbus Day Great Again: “I’m bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes. The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much. They tore down his Statues, and put up nothing but ‘WOKE,’ or even worse, nothing at all! Well, you’ll be happy to know, Christopher is going to make a major comeback. I am hereby reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations, as it has had for all of the many decades before!”

… Columbus was a mass-murderer, thief, kidnapper, enslaver, torturer, and incompetent governor-general who was despised by his own men and fellow officers and died penniless after being imprisoned. He also never set foot in what is now America. The only argument you can make that he deserves some kind of special recognition is for his navigational skills - where he ended up in the Bahamas instead of India like he planned.

… Trump DC US Attorney Ed Martin told NBC that an arrest has been made of an immigrant from Chile who allegedly was was the one who stole DHS Sec Kristi Noem’s purse. Martin said he doesn’t think the man knew who Noem was: “There is no indication it was because of that. It was frankly, just a nice looking purse.”

… Fox Business analyst Charles Gasparino: “People close to the legal drama between CBS and Trump say the two sides will be meeting this week (barring a scheduling conflict) on Wednesday before a mediator who could determine if the network will pay Trump damages for its Kamala Harris interview that Trump says was deceptively edited. CBS denied the charges but Paramount chief Shari Redstone is eager to settle.”

… After receiving a lengthy prison sentence, former Rep. George Santos is now begging Trump for a pardon: “I believe that 7 years is an over-the-top, politically influenced sentence, and I implore that President Trump gives me a chance to prove I’m more than the mistakes I’ve made.”

… Republican VA Lt. Gov candidate John Reid released an angry video where he said that Gov. Glenn Youngkin is demanding that he drop out of the race because he thinks evangelical voters won’t support him because he’s gay. Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity was considered the front-runner, but he just dropped out of the race for health reasons. That caused Youngkin and the GOP establishment to panic that they may now have a gay nominee, which could cause some of their base to stay home this year and hurt them in other races.

… Politico reported that the Trump admin may allow some Afghan refugees who are Christians to remain in the US even though their immigration status has just been revoked. Some Christian leaders have lobbied the WH to allow the small percentage of Afghan immigrants who are Christian to be shielded from deportations.

… House Republicans are seeking to add $68.8 billion in new spending as part of their budget for Trump’s border wall, more agents, and new facilities for Customs and Border Patrol. Trump and Republicans promised to reduce the deficit while enacting massive tax cuts and huge new spending for deportations and national defense, while pledging not to cut any entitlements. Whatever ends up passing is going to send the bond market into a tailspin as the deficits are going to be absolutely insane.

… But Trump posted that we probably won’t have to pay taxes anymore: “When Tariffs cut in, many people’s Income Taxes will be substantially reduced, maybe even completely eliminated. Focus will be on people making less than $200,000 a year. Also, massive numbers of jobs are already being created, with new plants and factories currently being built or planned. It will be a BONANZA FOR AMERICA!!! THE EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE IS HAPPENING!!!”

… Former Trump economic advisor Gary Cohn on Face the Nation: “Poorer people end up paying a disproportionate percentage of the tariffs, because they spend 100% of their paychecks on goods. The tariffs are going to affect the poorer people more."

… Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) talked about the state of the Democratic Party on Fox: “President Biden did not do enough to secure the border. There's no question about that. The policies allowed too many asylum seekers in. We were overwhelmed by an immigration problem. Biden did belatedly change that near the end of his term to better enforce asylum laws, and Trump has continued that.”

… Smith: “We also need to get off of our obsession with identity politics. We need to battle bigotry and racism and discrimination. But we don't have to do it in the extreme left-wing way that we've seen. So we need to address those issues, and I think what Mr. Hogg is part of, he's part of an effort to jam our party further to the left, when what we need is more effective progressive policies. I consider myself to be very progressive. But we also have to use common sense, practical thinking.”

… Mother Jones reported that China sees a huge opportunity to dominate climate science tech since the Trump admin has halted and dismantled US initiatives. President Xi said China has “built the world’s largest and fastest-growing renewable energy systems as well as the largest and most complete new energy industrial chain. Although some major country’s persistent pursuit of unilateralism and protectionism has seriously impacted international rules and the international order, as long as we enhance confidence, solidarity and cooperation, we will overcome the headwinds and steadily move forward global climate governance and all progressive endeavors of the world.”

… Xi made the remarks to over a dozen heads of state of large economies, UN Secretary General António Guterres, and EU President Ursula von der Leyen.

… Guterres: “The world is moving forward, full speed ahead. No group or government can stop the clean energy revolution. Science is on our side, and the economics have shifted.”

… CNN’s Dana Bash asked Ag Sec Brooke Rollins about Trump’s claims he has been negotiating with Xi:

Bash: “You said there are talks with China every day. Who are the talks with and at what level? Because the Chinese are saying that's not true.”

Rollins: “Well, according to our team in Washington, the conversations are ongoing regarding multiples of trade. On the deals, we have 100 countries that are knocking on the door. I’m not in the room but my understanding is we should have several this week that are very close.”

… A reporter asked Trump on the Italy trip: You said that you’ve spoken to President Xi multiple times. Is that since taking office? Trump: “I don’t want to discuss that.”

… ABC tried to pin down Treasury Sec Scott Bessent: Q - Trump said he has made 200 deals on tariffs. Who has he made deals with? Is there actually ANY deal at this point? Bessent: “I believe that he is referring to sub-deals within the negotiations that we are doing.”

… Bessent was then asked point blank if Trump has spoken to Xi like he claims: “I don’t know if President Trump has spoken with President Xi.”

… Electrek: “Tesla has increased prices across its entire EV lineup in Canada amid increase tariffs due to Trump’s trade war. The American automaker was already struggling to sell cars in Canada this year, but with these prices, we should expect a total demand collapse. Canadian EV buyers had already turned sour on Tesla for a few months, reducing sales. We see Tesla still having significant inventory in lots across the country. The prices have increased by as much as 22%, making Tesla’s products unaffordable for the vast majority of Canadians.”

… CNN reported on the political fallout from the $10 million fraud scandal involving Casey Desantis’s charity: “The DeSantises have grown increasingly isolated. Donors, fundraisers and operatives are fleeing their orbit, and few in FL politics seem willing to sign up for another campaign with the couple. Multiple people have turned down positions in a potential gubernatorial campaign.”

… “Earlier this year Ryan Tyson, the pollster for DeSantis’ presidential campaign, gave the couple a blunt assessment of the hurdles Casey would face in trying to extend their political dynasty: ‘It wasn’t well received,’ a longtime GOP operative said, ‘and no one has tried to give them advice since.’”

… Trump’s Secretary of the Navy John Phelan posted on X after his visit to US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor that he toured the place where “thousands of service members died on June 7, 1941.”

… The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was December 7, 1941. Not June.