Independent: Musk tried to block massive Trump-backed Mideast AI deal unless he was included: report

Elon Musk rushed to the Mideast to hold up a massive Trump-endorsed American AI operation in Abu Dhabi unless it included him, according to a new report

Retiring DOGE hatchet man Elon Musk rushed to the Middle East during Donald Trump’s visit there earlier this month to block a massive American AI partnership with the United Arab Emirates backed by the president – unless it included him, according to a new report. That apparently explains the tech billionaire’s sudden appearance at a Trump meeting with Saudi Arabia officials during the president’s three-country Middle East tour.

Trump’s team scrambled to soothe an irritated Musk so the president could announce the deal while he was in the Middle East, the Journal reported.

It wasn’t immediately clear if some kind of accommodation was worked out for the tech boss who has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the campaigns of Trump and other Republicans, or if he is now part of the deal. He could not immediately be reached for comment. His company has not been named as a participant in the business by any announcement of the deal.

Poor F’Elon!

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/musk-trump-middle-east-ai-deal-b2759700.html

Talking Points Memo: New Details Emerge On Trump Administration’s Defiance Of The Courts

Stone Cold Stonewalling

New details about the extent of the Trump administration’s stonewalling in the case of the mistakenly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia were revealed in a court filing Thursday. After six weeks of what was originally supposed to be two weeks of expedited discovery, the government has provided virtually no meaningful discovery responses, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers report.

Normal discovery disputes would not usually be newsworthy, but this comes in the context of a contempt of court inquiry. The administration’s defiance on discovery and the associated gamesmanship cut against its already-dubious claims that it has complied with the order by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return – an order endorsed and echoed by the Supreme Court.

After the Trump administration late Wednesday asked for an extension of the May 30 deadline by which all discovery is to be completed, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers filed a blistering response demonstrating how little discovery the government has produced so far. It was already clear from public filings that the government had offered witnesses for deposition who had little or no personal knowledge of the facts of the case, in contravention of the judge’s order. The precise details of that defiance are unclear because many filings remain under seal.

The new details show how desultory the government’s document production has been, too. As of two weeks ago, the government had only produced 34 actual documents. In the subsequent two weeks it was given in which to produce rolling discovery, it coughed up a total of one additional partial document, according to Abrego Garcia’s filing.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/new-details-emerge-on-trump-administrations-defiance-of-courts

USA Today: Michigan Gov. Whitmer says Trump vowed to ‘drop’ idea of pardoning kidnapping plotters

 Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a radio interview that President Donald Trump had previously told her he would not consider pardons for the men convicted of conspiring to kidnap her — a position he veered from this week, when he told reporters gathered in the White House that he would “take a look at it.

Never believe or trust King Donald.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/michigan-gov-whitmer-says-trump-vowed-to-drop-idea-of-pardoning-kidnapping-plotters/ar-AA1FKz7E

Newsweek: White House is “full of lunatics” says economist

A leading economist has said the White House is “full of lunatics” as debates over the legality of President Donald Trump‘s sweeping tariff plans have resulted in a federal court showdown.

On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit paused a previous ruling from the Court of International Trade (CIT) in Manhattan, which argued that Trump had overstepped his executive authority in imposing the majority of his tariffs.

Commenting on the muted market reaction to these two developments, Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, said investors had already reconciled themselves to the fact that the current administration is “out of control.”

Independent: ‘Creepy [Bimbo #1] Karoline’: Former Trump lawyer comes up with new nickname for White House press secretary

‘I don’t think anybody in America really takes her seriously,’ the former Trump lawyer said

Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb christened White House press secretary Karoline [Bimbo #1] Leavitt “Creepy Karoline” after she launched an attack on the judges who ruled against Trump’s tariff plans.

Cobb, a former prosecutor, jibed that “Creepy [Bimbo #1] Karoline” isn’t being “taken seriously” by Americans during an interview on CNN’s OutFront show Thursday, where host Erin Burnett grilled him on the overturning of Trump’s tariffs in the U.S. courts Wednesday.

“I don’t think creepy [Bimbo #1] Karoline – when she speaks – I don’t think anybody in America really takes her seriously on a matter of substance. I mean, she’s not learned by any imagination,” he said.

“And I think her comments are clearly so defensive and so ill-informed that people might largely turn her out. She’s wrong.”

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/ty-cobb-trump-lawyer-karoline-leavitt-b2760735.html

Telegraph: Trump’s cabinet turns on tariff architect

Members scrutinising Peter Navarro after ‘smack in face’ court ruling halting levies

The architect of Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs is facing scrutiny from cabinet members after the levies were halted by judges.

A New York court ruled on Wednesday that Mr Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs were illegal and overstepped the authority of the Oval Office.

The ruling is a “huge smack in the face” for Peter Navarro, one of the president’s closest advisers, a source close to the White House told The Telegraph.

Members of Mr Trump’s cabinet are now closely scrutinising Mr Navarro, who is widely viewed as the architect of the president’s tariff scheme.

“Navarro has been given enough rope to hang himself,” the source said.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/05/29/peter-navarro-donald-trump-tariff-court

Raw Story: ‘This is my show!’ CNN host fires back at a furious Stephen [“Goebbels”] Miller in interview

“Am I going to sit here today and engage in radical hypotheticals?” [“Goebbels”] Miller asked when talking about the executive powers of the president. “This administration has religiously complied with even the most unlawful court orders, but it completely upends the constitutional system to have a single judge in Boston assert the same powers of the president of the United States — is such an offense to democracy.”

Whatever you say, Herr Goebbels.

[“Goebbels”] Miller’s voice continued to grow louder as he accused the Biden administration of “trying to throw President Trump in jail, claiming somehow that was what democracy required, when, in fact, the Democrat Party has been waging war against democracy. They should be renamed the Communist Party, and district court judges that are trying to keep millions of illegal aliens here, to steal our, jobs, to steal, our livelihood, to steal our benefits —”

Last time I checked, Biden’s been out of office for 4 months and 10 days, Herr Goebbels. If you’re displeased with the current state of affairs in American government, it’s high time you and your grifter-in-chief stepped up and started owning what you’ve been f*ck*ng up for 130 days and counting.

https://www.rawstory.com/stephen-miller-2672235409

The Hill: Musk drug use on campaign trail sparked concerns: Report

Alleged drug use by tech billionaire and close President Trump ally Elon Musk on the campaign trail during the 2024 presidential election has sparked concerns, according to an explosive New York Times report published Friday morning

The article comes as Musk is exiting the Trump administration after a whirlwind several months in which he led efforts to cut down on the government’s size.

Musk told people he was using ketamine so often that it was impacting his bladder, along with utilizing psychedelic mushrooms and taking ecstasy, the Times reported.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5325589-elon-musk-drug-use-reports

New York Times: Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans

The Trump administration has expanded Palantir’s work with the government, spreading the company’s technology — which could easily merge data on Americans — throughout agencies.

In March, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the federal government to share data across agencies, raising questions over whether he might compile a master list of personal information on Americans that could give him untold surveillance power.

Mr. Trump has not publicly talked about the effort since. But behind the scenes, officials have quietly put technological building blocks into place to enable his plan. In particular, they have turned to one company: Palantir, the data analysis and technology firm.

The Trump administration has expanded Palantir’s work across the federal government in recent months. The company has received more than $113 million in federal government spending since Mr. Trump took office, according to public records, including additional funds from existing contracts as well as new contracts with the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon. (This does not include a $795 million contract that the Department of Defense awarded the company last week, which has not been spent.)

Representatives of Palantir are also speaking to at least two other agencies — the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service — about buying its technology, according to six government officials and Palantir employees with knowledge of the discussions.

The push has put a key Palantir product called Foundry into at least four federal agencies, including D.H.S. and the Health and Human Services Department. Widely adopting Foundry, which organizes and analyzes data, paves the way for Mr. Trump to easily merge information from different agencies, the government officials said.

Be very afraid! If you value your privacy, an all-knowing, all-seeing government database is the last thing you want.

https://archive.is/4DyVk#selection-659.0-689.326

Jerusalem Post: Qatar insists Trump admin initiated free plane transfer to US

Trump allegedly told reporters in the Oval Office: “[I] got a beautiful big magnificent free airplane for the United States Air Force. Very proud of that.”

Qatar insists that a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Doha specifies that the Trump administration initiated the aircraft transfer and that Qatar is not responsible for any future transfers of the plane’s ownership, The Washington Post revealed on Thursday.

President Trump wants the aircraft for the US Air Force, and he allegedly told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday: “[I] got a beautiful big magnificent free airplane for the United States Air Force. Very proud of that.”

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-855921