Mediaite: Marco Rubio And JD Vance Open War of Words With Germany, Accusing Ally of ‘Tyranny in Disguise’

Our wannabe dictators are upset that Germany is clamping down on their neo-Nazis. Keep up the good work, Germany:

The Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), which would be Germany’s equivalent of the FBI, released a statement summing up their investigation that led to the new classification for the AfD.

“Following its statutory mandate, the BfV was required to assess the party’s actions against the central fundamental principles of the constitution: human dignity, the principle of democracy, and the rule of law. In addition to the federal party’s platform and statements, the review particularly examined the statements and other behavior of its representatives, as well as their connections to right-wing extremist actors and groups,” read the statement.

The AfD won some 20% of the vote in Germany’s last parliamentary election, but remains isolated politically as none of the other parties will work with its members.

The German Foreign Office hit back at Rubio’s statement, saying, “This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law. It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/marco-rubio-and-jd-vance-open-war-of-words-with-germany-accusing-ally-of-tyranny-in-disguise/ar-AA1E4Jzg

Raw Story: Ted Cruz thrown under bus as GOP senator desperately courts Trump ahead of brutal primary

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is fighting for his political life, according to new reporting from Axios.

The longtime Texas senator “is boasting a 99% voting record with President Trump in a new memo provided first to Axios,” said the report. This comes as Cornyn “and his firebrand primary challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, are battling to win Trump’s coveted endorsement in what is quickly shaping up to be the most dramatic and expensive GOP primary of the cycle.”

“Cornyn’s team is using fellow Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) as a foil, tallying the votes to tout that Cruz has voted against Trump more often than Cornyn,” said the report. “Over Trump’s first term and so far in his second, Cornyn voted in line with Trump 99.2% of the time while Cruz voted with him 96.6% of the time, according to the data, which removed duplicative procedural votes.”

It’s a dog-eat-dog world! Let them devour one another!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ted-cruz-thrown-under-bus-as-gop-senator-desperately-courts-trump-ahead-of-brutal-primary/ar-AA1E4Nyu

More here:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lies-gop-senator-lashes-out-after-stinging-ad-hits-airwaves-in-trump-s-backyard/ar-AA1E13WE

NBC News: Former aide who refuted Trump’s false 2020 election claims is under federal investigation

A former senior cybersecurity official who refuted President Donald Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was “rigged” is under federal investigation, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.

Chris Krebs is facing an unspecified government investigation, the DHS spokesperson said. As a result, Krebs was expelled from a U.S. customs program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved American travelers at airports, known as Global Entry.

Bully boy Trump exacts his revenge!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/former-aide-who-refuted-trump-s-false-2020-election-claims-is-under-federal-investigation/ar-AA1E4P83

Associated Press: Judge blocks Trump executive order targeting elite law firm, a blow to his retribution campaign

A federal judge on Friday permanently blocked a White House executive order targeting an elite law firm, dealing a setback to President Donald Trump’s campaign of retribution against the legal profession.

U.S. District Beryl Howell said the executive order against the firm of Perkins Coie amounted to “unconstitutional retaliation” as she ordered that it be nullified and that the Trump administration halt any enforcement of it.

The ruling was most definitive rejection to date of Trump’s spate of similarly worded executive orders against some of the country’s most elite law firms, part of a broader effort by the president to reshape American civil society by targeting perceived adversaries in hopes of extracting concessions from them and bending them to his will. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/judge-blocks-trump-executive-order-targeting-elite-law-firm-a-blow-to-his-retribution-campaign/ar-AA1E4P4H

CBS News: Department of Transportation is latest federal agency expecting layoffs

Employees at the Department of Transportation are bracing for layoffs, as part of the Trump administration’s effort to cut the federal workforce.

During a town hall meeting last week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy informed DOT employees that the layoffs — referred to as reduction in force, or RIF — are expected soon, DOT officials confirm to CBS News.

An employee attending the town hall said Duffy did not offer specifics about which agencies or employees would be affected. The Department of Transportation said the final number of cuts would depend on how many employees first take a buyout offer. 

The cuts could happen as soon as the end of the month.  

Never mind all the recent aviation incidents and the Newark airport meltdown!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/department-of-transportation-layoffs-federal-agencies

Mediaite: ICE Agents Storm D.C. Restaurants and Demand To Interrogate Employees: ‘Pretty Unnerving’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided several Washington, D.C. restaurants on Tuesday in a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, according to The Washingtonian.

The outlet reported that Millie’s, Pupatella, Chef Geoff’s, and Chang Chang were among the eateries targeted by the feds. Geoff’s is owned by Geoff Tracy, who is the husband of former CBS Evening News host Norah O’Donnell. At Millie’s, eight or nine agents entered the restaurant as it was opening for lunch.

“They all came in all of the public entrances at the same time,” owner Bo Blair said.

The Washingtonian further reported that agents demanded to speak with the staff at Millie’s, whose general manager called the experience “pretty unnerving”:

The general manager met the agents, who provided a “notice of inspection” and asked to question employees. The manager said they couldn’t, and they did not push back. They asked for I-9 forms, which the restaurant keeps securely at its corporate office, not at the restaurant.

“They made it pretty public that they’re coming back to the restaurant on Monday [to collect the forms], which is pretty unnerving to the staff, obviously,” says the group’s CEO Marisa Casey. She says she is asking them not to come back to the restaurants because the documents are not kept there. “We also don’t want them to go back to our restaurants scare everybody.”

The Atlantic: Airport Detentions Have Travelers ‘Freaked Out’

Fears of being detained are in overdrive, even if the Trump administration insists that they’re overblown.

Jeff Joseph, a 53-year-old immigration attorney in Colorado, has recently started taking precautions while traveling abroad that, at another time, he would have considered a little paranoid. He leaves his phone at home. Instead, he carries a “burner’’—a device scrubbed of his contact list and communications—in case U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers send him to secondary inspection or seize his electronics when he returns home. Joseph told me his knowledge of immigration law has left him with less confidence, not more, about the risks of crossing U.S. borders during the second Trump administration.

“Among immigration lawyers who are well versed in this, and who know what happens in secondary, there’s a level of anxiety and panic that we’ve never seen before,” said Joseph, the president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “Myself included.”

Immigration attorneys also note Trump has curbed CBP officers’ ability to allow the entry of migrants or visitors using an authority known as “parole.” So travelers who do not qualify for admission to the United States are more likely to be handed over to ICE for detention and deportation. Although U.S. citizens cannot be denied entry to the United States, all other categories of noncitizens—even, in some cases, legal permanent residents with green cards—are at risk of being denied entry or deemed inadmissible by a CBP officer.

https://archive.is/47W6S#selection-745.0-748.0

Express: Donald Trump slapped down by Mark Carney in White House clash – ‘Canada is not for sale!’

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney slapped down Donald Trump in a meeting at the White House, indicating Canada is “not for sale”. President Trump and Prime Minister Carney met for the first time in person in the Oval Office today (Tuesday) after the US leader had previously said he would like to make Canada the “51st state”.

However, as the pair sat down in chairs in front of the assembled media, Mr Carney said “some places are never for sale”, adding that: “It won’t be for sale ever”. Before the meeting Mr Trump had taken to the unusual step of posting on social media, raging that the US didn’t need “anything” from Canada in the context of Canadian imports of lumber, cars and electricity.

King Donald pretends he won’t discuss making Canada our 51st state:

Mr Trump said, “It takes two to tango,” when asked about Canada becoming part of the United States, but that “we’re not going to be discussing that unless someone wants to discuss it”.

But then the buffoon rambles on:

President Trump then listed benefits he believed Canadians would receive by ceding their sovereignty, but Mr Carney held firm on the matter.

The Canadian Prime Minister, and former Governor of the Bank of England, replied: “As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale, we’re sitting in one now…it’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale.”

However, even as the conversation moved on, Mr Trump couldn’t resist quipping: “Never say never.”

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2051488/donald-trump-mark-carney-canada

CNBC: Mattel CEO says toy manufacturing won’t come to America, but price hikes will

  • Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz told CNBC he does not foresee toy manufacturing coming to America.
  • Instead, the company expects to raise prices in the U.S. to offset President Donald Trump’s 145% tariff on Chinese imports.
  • By the end of the year, less than 40% of Mattel’s product will be sourced from China, with a goal of reducing that to below 25% in the next two years.

One of the goals of President Donald Trump‘s 145% tariffs against China is to drive manufacturing back to America. But the odds of that are low, at least when it comes to toys.

“We don’t see that happening,” Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday, less than a day after the company withdrew annual financial targets.

“We need to remember that a significant part of toy creation happens in America,” he said. “Design, development, product engineering, brand management all happens in America. Making product, producing product in other countries, allows us to create quality products at affordable price points.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/06/mattel-ceo-toy-manufacturing-trump-tariffs.html

CNN: The first boats carrying Chinese goods with 145% tariffs are arriving in LA. Shipments are cut in half. Expect shortages soon

American consumers are on the cusp of tough choices because of President Donald Trump’s trade war.

Ships now pulling into US harbors from China are the first to be subject to the massive tariffs that America is imposing on most Chinese imports. That means, in a matter of weeks, consumers will face higher prices and shortages of certain items.

Imports from China have fallen dramatically since Trump imposed steep tariffs – particularly since last month, when the tit-for-tat trade war sent the tariff on most Chinese goods up to 145%.

“This week, we’re down about 35% compared to the same time last year, and these cargo ships coming in are the first ones to be attached to the tariffs that were levied against China and other locations last month,” Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, told CNN Tuesday. “That’s why the cargo volume is so light.”

The drop-off in imports from China on the boats now coming into port is more than 50%, Seroka said. Many importers have canceled previous orders because US businesses aren’t interested in paying the steep tariff, which can more than double the price of Chinese goods.

The Port of LA had expected 80 ships to arrive in May, but 20% of those have been canceled, Seroka said. Customers have already canceled 13 sailings for June.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/economy/ar-AA1EgCdN