Today in Politics, Bulletin 132. 5/16/25.

… For the first time since 1917, Moody’s Rating Service downgraded the credit rating of the US, which will shake up the markets, affect interest rates on the debt, and is a slap in the face to Trump and Mike Johnson: “We expect federal deficits to widen, reaching nearly 9% of GDP by 2035, up from 6.4% in 2024, driven mainly by increased interest payments on debt, rising entitlement spending, and relatively low revenue generation.”

… This move came hours after the budget reconciliation bill was voted down 16-21 by the House Budget Committee. That doesn’t mean that it is dead, but it means they have to go back to the drawing board and this will delay passage. The no votes on the committee are right-wingers who want much larger spending cuts - Andrew Clyde (GA), Chip Roy (TX), Josh Brecheen (OK), Ralph Norman (SC), and Lloyd Smucker (PA).

… These no voters don’t even include the faction that will oppose the bill if Medicaid is cut drastically, or the other faction opposed to the $30K cap on SALT (deduction for state & local taxes paid). Bottom line is that it is a mess.

… Trump tried to push Republicans on the budget committee to vote for it this morning, but he was largely ignored: “Republicans MUST UNITE behind, ‘THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!’ Not only does it cut Taxes for ALL Americans, but it will kick millions of Illegal Aliens off of Medicaid to PROTECT it for those who are the ones in real need. We don’t need ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE!”

… Steve Bannon, who sided with the no voters, addressed Trump’s post on his podcast: “Mr. President, I don't think these folks are grandstanding. The math simply doesn't work right now. There haven't been smart cuts, there haven't been enough cuts. President Trump has got a fiasco created by Johnson and clowns in the House that he has to fix.”

… Chip Roy: “This bill falls profoundly short. It does not do what we say it does with respect to deficits. The fact of the matter is this bill has back-loaded savings and has front-loaded spending, and I’m not going to sit here and say that everything is hunky-dory when this is the Budget Committee. This is the Budget Committee!”

… Ranking member Brendan Boyle (D-PA) drew laughter in the committee with this comment: “There is a strong divide between Republicans and some other Republicans.”

… Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) “This is not the big, beautiful bill that I had hoped for. The flaw with this bill is it doesn’t go far enough, fast enough, to get our fiscal house in order.”

… Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): “Too many people out here did not get the wonderful bill that so many of us were expecting in January and February.”

… Pete Buttigieg: “Republicans just blocked their own ‘big, beautiful bill’ that would kick millions of Americans off their health care … because it doesn't cut Medicaid enough.”

… Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX): “Let’s be clear, the Republicans that voted ‘No’ on the bill didn’t do so because they want to stand with the American people. They did it because they want to see even MORE cuts made. So, don’t get confused, they didn’t do this to stand with you. Democrats will continue holding the line and pushing back to protect healthcare, SNAP, and the services that millions of Americans need to survive.”

… Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) announced later that he was reconvening the committee this Sunday at 10 PM. Yes, that’s PM. To Fox: “While there are still a few issues being resolved from members on and off Committee, moving forward with our budget markup provided the clarification and catalyst we needed to keep us on track for final passage. Passing a big and beautiful bill takes time and hard work. I am confident we will get to a good place this weekend and have the votes to pass it out of Committee Sunday evening.”

… Karoline Leavitt then issued a threat from Dear Leader, who is displeased with his subjects: “The WH will continue to have conversations over the weekend, strongly urging House Members to seize the generational opportunity before them and vote for this historic legislation to fix the mess Joe Biden created. The WH expects ALL Republicans to vote for this bill and successfully pass it through Committee in the near future.”

… But things are even worse for the bill in the Senate, where it seems to have even less support among Republicans than the House:

• Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Fox: “The problem for conservatives such as myself is it's asking us to raise the debt ceiling $5 trillion in just two years. That’s historic. Nobody has ever raised the debt ceiling that much. If the DOGE cuts are real, why are we gonna borrow another $5T?”

• Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was asked on Fox Business if he will vote for the bill: “No. I refuse to vote for something that is going to actually increase the deficits. It’s not beautiful, I'm sorry.”

… Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill: “A brutal week for Hill Republicans: 1. Bond market chaos. 2. Failed Trump megabill vote. 3. Moody’s downgrades US credit rating.”

… The Supreme Court ruled today that Trump must halt deportations of alleged gang members without due process by a 7-2 vote. Thomas and Alito dissented.

… Trump responded on Truth Social with an all-caps rant: “THE SUPREME COURT WON’T ALLOW US TO GET CRIMINALS OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!”

… Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT): “SCOTUS extends deportation block. Do seven of our nine justices really want to Make Aliens Terrorists Welcome Again? Do American voters get no say in this?”

… Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA): “So it’s legal for a president to ship millions of illegal aliens into our country but it’s illegal to send them home? The system is broken. The Supreme Court failed us. Whose country is this anymore?”

… Trump and senior members of his admin continue to call for the arrest and imprisonment of former FBI Director James Comey after he posted a photo of sea shells on the beach in the shape of the numbers “86 47”. They claim that “86” in this context means “assassinate”, and Comey is sending out a code to operatives to take out Trump.

… FBI Director Kash Patel: “We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”

… DNI Tulsi Gabbard: “James Comey just issued a call to action to murder the President. As a former FBI Director and someone who spent most of his career prosecuting mobsters and gangsters, he knew exactly what he was doing and must be held accountable under the full force of the law. We fully support the Secret Service investigation into Comey’s threat on President Trump’s life.”

… Stephen Miller: “As the former FBI director, and key leader of the deep state, Comey’s call for assassination — while the president is abroad no less — is a chilling escalation of the war against our democracy by a faction committed to its destruction.”

… Trump: "He knew exactly what that meant - it meant assassination. It says it loud and clear - he's calling for the assassination of the president. It's gonna be up to Pam Bondi what happens. He's a dirty cop."

… Speaker Mike Johnson: “President Trump has already survived TWO assassination attempts. Now, former disgraced FBI director James Comey is either threatening to kill Trump or suggesting someone should. This is as outrageous as it is dangerous. Grateful Secretary Noem and FBI Director Patel are looking into this.”

… Newsmax host Todd Starnes: “Did James Comey's beach message activate a sleeper cell? Is President Trump's life in danger? At the very least the Secret Service and FBI should've conducted a guns-drawn, pre-dawn raid on Comey's house. He should've been dragged onto his front lawn in handcuffs with CNN cameras pre-positioned in the bushes. His mug shot should've already been posted on national TV. The fact that Comey is not in jail this morning is yet another troubling sign that our 3-letter agencies are still controlled by the Deep State. Let's see what AG Bondi says on her hourly Fox News segments.”

… Actor Randy ‘Cousin Eddie’ Quaid: “Get Comey’s fingerprints on the shells, (unless he was wearing gloves), but there should definitely be some drool that escaped from his mouth as he gathered shells and fashioned them to create his sinister message threatening Trump’s life, knowing it would go viral as a clandestine message for world agencies to see. Send a couple of guys over to arrest Comey and put him in a double-wide lock up in a corner of the prison yard for being a security risk to America!”

… Laura Loomer: “If Comey doesn’t get arrested and Pam Blondi doesn’t fire James Comey’s daughter from the DOJ, then you’ll know all of the talk about accountability from the DOJ is nothing more than a Fox News talking point. If we care about law and order, now is the time for Blondi to prove it.”

… It is pretty unlikely Comey was using “86” to mean "assassinate.” But that’s what MAGA says it means. But MAGA influencer Jack Posobiec posted “86 46” in 2022. They sold “86 46” tee shirts. And Matt Gaetz previously posted this.

… Nashville Scene reported that Kid Rock’s restaurant in Nashville sent their undocumented immigrant kitchen staff home after ICE raids were rumored to be taking place over the weekend. The restaurant is named Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse. An employee: “Around 9.30pm, our manager came back and told anyone without legal status to go home.”

… Kid Rock also previously called for a boycott of Bud Light but was photographed repeatedly drinking Bud Light during the boycott.

… Meanwhile, Kid was on Fox last night sharing his wisdom: “We have this low birth rate in America, and it just hit me right now because who's going to sleep with these ugly ass broke liberal women? You look at these rallies, it's like a bunch of women that no guy wants to sleep with and a bunch of dudes that want to sleep with each other.”

… Peace talks in Turkey between Ukraine, the EU and Russia with lower level US diplomats present was a complete waste of time, with Putin refusing to appear and his lackey showing up with ridiculous demands and terms. Lackey Vladimir Medinsky, who lead the Russian delegation: “Maybe some of those sitting here at this table will lose more of their loved ones. Russia is prepared to fight forever.”

… A Ukrainian diplomatic source told Axios that the Russians demanded the Ukrainian army withdraw from several areas inside Ukraine that Russia has been unable to occupy and conquer in return for a ceasefire: "Russian demands are detached from reality and go far beyond anything that was previously discussed."

… Bloomberg UK: “Russia made a series of hardline, maximalist demands in today’s meeting in Turkey as it once again refused a ceasefire. Its delegation said:

— Ukraine must adopt neutral status

— it can have no foreign troops on its territory

— it cannot have weapons of mass destruction

— it must abandon claims for war reparations from Russia

— there must be international recognition of five Ukrainian territories including Crimea as Russia’s

— Ukrainian troops must leave areas claimed by Russia that Russia doesn’t currently control.

… “Europe is pushing Trump once again to hit Russia with massive coordinated sanctions, believing it now has yet more evidence to convince the US that Putin is not serious about ending the war. But ultimately they have no idea what the US will do next due to Trump’s constant lurching around. The ball is really in the president’s court.”

… Polish PM Donald Tusk: "The information was clear: the Russian side did not show goodwill, the Russian side was not willing to negotiate. The Russian side set absolutely unacceptable conditions again, not only for Ukraine, but also for all of us."

… Zelensky: "Ukraine is ready to take all realistic steps to end this war. I called on Putin to give his delegation real authority. We need a full stop to the killing – long enough to give diplomacy a real chance."

… Marco Rubio: "Frankly, at this point, I think it's abundantly clear that the only way we're going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin. It's going to require that level of engagement to have a breakthrough in this matter. I don't think anything productive is actually going to happen from this point forward, all that, until they engage in a very frank and direct conversation, which I know President Trump is willing to do."

… Trump claimed he was going to do it on his first day in office, said he knew exactly what to say to Putin, and he would end the war in 24 hours. Here we are in mid-May. Trump hasn’t met with Putin, Putin refuses to sign a cease fire, Putin refuses to show up to peace talks, he’s preparing a new summer offensive, and Rubio is talking about Trump maybe meeting with Putin someday as the solution to all of this.

… Trump then said he can resolve the whole thing in the next two weeks: “I think in two or three weeks we could have the world in a much safer place.”

… He also claims that lots of trade deals are going to happen in two weeks: “We have 150 countries that want to make a deal, but you’re not able to see that many countries, so at a certain point over the next two to three weeks we’ll be telling people what they will be paying to do business in the United States.”

… “Two weeks” in Trumpspeak means never. He’s also claiming that 150 countries want to do deal, but he can’t announce any actual deals because they won’t sign actual deals because he’s full of shit and there are no deals, so he’s going to punish them all somehow. I speak fluent Trump, which is it’s own peculiar syntax. I think only 4 people speak fluent Trump: Me, Acyn, Aaron Rupar, and Susie Wiles.

… Likely Democratic candidates for president in 2028 continue to get asked in their TV appearances about Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s book about Biden alleging Democrats covered up his cognitive decline, and suggesting that they played a role in it to try and discredit them. This has happened so far to Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, JB Pritzker, Pete Buttigieg and others even though they were brought on to talk about other subjects.

… Multiple legacy media outlets continue to promote this book around the clock as if the American people care about any of this at this point while Trump is dismantling our country. Politico ran this headline today: ‘Dems confront the first real litmus test of 2028: Biden’s mental acuity.’ I wrote a Substack about what they are doing and why I think it is so outrageous. You can find it here.

… Keith Olbermann responded to the Politico headline and article on the Biden book: “This is how irretrievably lost Politico and its hiveminders like Holly Otterbein and Adam Wren are: This isn't a groundswell of concern they're addressing. It's a PR campaign to sell a book by scumbags Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson.”

Reminder that Saturday is my off day so no Bulletin tomorrow, but I recap the entire weekend in a big Bulletin on Sunday night. The Weekend Bulletin always gets about 10% less readers than the ones during the week, maybe you can give me some theories about why that is the case? Maybe some people just don’t want to read anything heavy on Sunday night.

I am heading to Boston tomorrow for a guided food tour of Chinatown. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… It appears that Trump did not completely annihilate the Houthis like he claimed. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee last night: “Just coming up from shelter after sirens sent us to bunker due to Houthi ballistic missile. Every missile is courtesy of