Author Archives: M

Associated Press: 2-year-old girl reunites with her mother in Venezuela after US deportation

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A 2-year-old girl arrived Wednesday in Caracas to reunite with her mother after she was separated from her parents when they were deported from the U.S. in what Venezuela denounced as a kidnapping.

Maikelys Espinoza arrived at an airport outside the capital, Caracas, along with more than 220 deported migrants. Footage aired by state television showed Venezuela’s first lady Cilia Flores carrying Maikelys at the airport. Later, Flores was shown handing the girl over to her mother, who had been waiting for her arrival at the presidential palace along with President Nicolás Maduro.

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The U.S. government had claimed the family separation last month was justified because the girl’s parents allegedly have ties to the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua gang, which U.S. President Donald Trump designated a terrorist organization earlier this year.

The girl’s mother was deported to Venezuela on April 25. Meanwhile, U.S. authorities sent her father to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador in March under Trump’s invocation of an 18th-century wartime law to deport hundreds of immigrants.

2-year-old girl reunites with her mother in Venezuela after US deportation
A 2-year-old girl has arrived in Venezuela to reunite with her mother after she was separated from her parents when they were deported from the U.S.

https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-deportations-trump-maikelys-maduro-migrants-89caaeed43cfb92369626435bfa6483e

The Nation: Don’t Be Fooled by Trump’s Loudmouth Immigration Policy

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As a candidate he promised a “massive” crackdown. But since taking office his actions, though designed to be as frightening as possible, have fallen far short of that.

A desperate family, rushing their sick child to a Texas hospital, is forced back into Mexico… And a young Salvadoran, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, becomes one of the best known of millions of migrants, receiving his Maryland senator while remaining imprisoned—uncharged, untried in the US or in his homeland.

The Trump administration has shown it is willing to test both public tolerance and long-established legal principle. It has repeatedly labeled millions of undocumented residents of the United States “terrorists” and “criminals.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and “border czar” Tom Homan use exaggerated threats to create a country where an almost entirely law-abiding population—of construction workers, hotel cleaners, home healthcare workers—can be treated with brutality and summary justice.

Throughout his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump promised a swift and enormous federal effort to round up and deport millions of people living long-term in America. Signs calling for “Mass Deportation” were held up in cheering crowds at Trump rallies all over the country. Meeting almost no resistance or reply from Democratic candidates for high office, Republicans were able to define the battlefield, equating millions of workers, students, and homemakers scattered across American communities with cartel drug mules, rapists, and members of the notorious MS-13 gang.

Don’t Be Fooled by Trump’s Loudmouth Immigration Policy
As a candidate he promised a “massive” crackdown. But since taking office his actions, though designed to be as frightening as possible, have fallen far short of that.

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-immigration-crackdown

ABC News: Dems want investigation into whether Trump admin helping Musk make Starlink deals

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As President Donald Trump continues his first foreign trip through the Middle East, a group of Senate Democrats are calling for an investigation into whether the Trump administration is clearing hurdles for Starlink, a company led by White House senior adviser Elon Musk, to strike foreign deals.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi [Bimbo #3], acting Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics Jamieson Greer, acting Inspector General of the State Department Arne Baker and White House ethics official Scott Gast, the senators called for an investigation into whether the administration is “intervening” to benefit Starlink as it “negotiates tariff agreements and other matters with foreign governments.”

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“These reports indicate that Mr. Musk may be using his official role and his proximity to the President as leverage for his own personal financial benefit — even if it comes at the expense of American consumers and the nation’s foreign policy interests,” the senators wrote. “These actions raise questions about whether Mr. Musk or other administration officials may be violating ethics or other laws.”

Senate Democrats want investigation into whether Trump administration helping Musk make Starlink deals
Democratic senators are calling for an investigation into whether the Trump administration is clearing hurdles for Starlink, led by Elon Musk, to strike foreign deals.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-democrats-investigation-trump-administration-helping-musk-make/story?id=121795283

New York Times: As White House Steers Justice Dept., Bondi [Bimbo #3] Embraces Role of TV Messenger

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Attorney General Pam Bondi [Bimbo #3] has adopted a conspicuously performative approach, willing to execute White House directives with little fuss.

Pam Bondi [Bimbo #3], the attorney general of the United States, circled the Roosevelt Room in late February, handing out bulky white binders labeled “Epstein Files: Phase 1” to a conclave of Trump-allied influencers summoned to the White House for their first visit.

That Ms. Bondi [Bimbo #3], the nation’s top law enforcement official, would prioritize a case of importance primarily to conspiracy theorists was telling. Anxious to appease the restive MAGA base, she hyped the disclosure as “breaking news” on Fox the night before, part of an effort to fulfill President Trump’s campaign promise to reveal new details on the financier Jeffrey Epstein’s misdeeds and death.

It was a dud. There were “no bombshells,” she said, according to one of those invited.

Later, activists on the right lashed out at Ms. Bondi [Bimbo #3]. She responded by blaming others, and then dispatched F.B.I. agents and prosecutors from the Justice Department’s national security division to scour the archives, officials familiar with the situation said. They found little. No one knows when Phase 2 is coming. But it is not likely to amount to much, those people said.

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Since taking office as U.S. attorney general in early February, she has adopted a conspicuously performative approach to survive inside a Trump cabinet that rewards self-promotion, ritualized public flattery and, above all, a willingness to execute White House directives with little fuss.

Over the last few days, Ms. Bondi [Bimbo #3] signed off on Mr. Trump’s acceptance of a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane upgraded to serve as Air Force One donated by the Qatari royal family, which raised a host of ethical and legal questions. As a lobbyist, Ms. Bondi [Bimbo #3] herself received six-figure consulting fees from Qatar.

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But her approach represents a noticeable departure from that of her predecessors at the Justice Department who saw themselves, to varying degrees, as guardians of institutional independence, attentive but not beholden to the presidency.

https://archive.is/fr5Xq#selection-4629.132-4629.368

New York Times: Trump Family Bitcoin Company Announces Plan to Go Public

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American Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency firm co-founded by Eric Trump, said it was merging with a company traded on the Nasdaq, the latest expansion of the family’s investments in crypto.

More profiteering on the coattails of our Grifter-in-Chief:

American Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency firm co-founded by Eric Trump, announced on Monday that it would become publicly traded, the latest expansion of the Trump family’s investments across the crypto industry.

The company, which focuses on Bitcoin mining, is set to merge with Gryphon Digital Mining Inc., a firm that is already traded on the Nasdaq. Mr. Trump, the president’s middle son, is listed as one of the founders and a member of the company’s management team.

American Bitcoin was started in late March, when Mr. Trump and his older brother, Donald Trump Jr., announced that they were joining forces with a Bitcoin mining firm called Hut 8. Bitcoin mining is a vital branch of the crypto industry, in which major companies, many of them publicly traded, run energy-guzzling data centers to process Bitcoin transactions.

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The business is one facet of an increasingly broad array of Trump family crypto ventures that have alarmed government ethics experts. President Trump and his sons have started a crypto firm called World Liberty Financial that offers its own digital coin. And working with a separate set of business partners, the Trump family has marketed the digital currency $TRUMP — a type of crypto called a memecoin that is typically treated more as a novelty investment than an actual currency.

At the same time, President Trump has taken steps to advance the crypto world’s interests in Washington, ending a Biden-era enforcement campaign against crypto companies and backing legislation supported by the industry.

In an investor presentation posted on its website, American Bitcoin aggressively promoted its connection with the Trump family, featuring a large photograph of Eric Trump near the beginning. A message next to the photo describes the company’s ambitions and links the firm to the domestic crypto industry in ways that echo the president’s messaging.

“Crypto is the future,” the message reads. “America must lead the way. American Bitcoin will set the standard.”

Among a list of key figures in the business, the presentation describes Eric Trump as a “strategic amplifier” who “drives brand equity and institutional visibility through unparalleled network reach.”

https://archive.is/dl1mG#selection-731.0-766.0

Business Insider: ‘A flashing red light’: how Donald Trump Jr. is cashing in on his dad’s presidency

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Last November, only six days after his father was elected president, Donald Trump Jr. made a career move that, on the surface at least, seemed a bit odd. He became a partner in a small investment startup called 1789 Capital, which is based in Palm Beach, Florida, 2 miles from Mar-a-Lago. At that point, 1789 was a microscopic player in the world of venture capital. It had raised less than $200 million, and it hadn’t made many investments beyond leading a group that put $15 million into Tucker Carlson’s new media company. Its goal, according to its founders, is to create a “parallel economy,” investing in “anti-woke” businesses that align with MAGA values.

Ever since Trump joined 1789, its portfolio has begun to blossom. Despite its tiny size, the firm has been granted shares in several coveted offerings, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The shares, which are widely viewed as an almost certain home run, are essentially an insider deal: To participate in the offering, you typically have to receive an invitation from someone already in the club. In addition, 1789 has invested in Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, as well as a handful of startups that have received or are vying for contracts from the Defense Department. Almost overnight, a VC firm involving the president’s son has become a significant beneficiary of the federal bureaucracy long derided by President Trump as “the swamp.”

‘A flashing red light’: how Donald Trump Jr. is cashing in on his dad’s presidency
With his unseemly investments in defense contractors, Donald Trump Jr. is the new Hunter Biden

https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jr-making-money-trump-presidency-1789-capital-2025-5

Associated Press: Trump’s plan to accept free Air Force One replacement from Qatar raises ethical and security worries

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For President Donald Trump, accepting a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar is a no-brainer.

“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” the Republican told reporters on Monday. “I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”

Critics of the plan worry that the move threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.

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But security is the primary concern when it comes to presidential travel. The current Air Force One planes were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War. They are hardened against the effects of a nuclear blast and include a range of security features, such as anti-missile countermeasures and an onboard operating room. They are also equipped with air-to-air refueling capabilities for contingencies, though it has never been utilized with a president on board.

A former U.S. official briefed on the Air Force One replacement project said that while it would be possible to add some features to the Qatari jet, there was no way to add the full suite of capabilities to the plane on a tight timetable.

Trump’s plan to accept free Air Force One replacement from Qatar raises ethical and security worries
For President Donald Trump, accepting a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar is a no-brainer. But Trump’s plan threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-qatar-air-force-one-2ef13d87b71185bde547abe6840b098c

Raw Story: ‘Wholesale overthrow’: Expert furious as Trump lawyer replaces ‘American hero’ librarian

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The Trump administration announced Monday that it was replacing longtime Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden — fired last week for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs — with Donald Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer, Todd Blanche.

Blanche is currently second-in-command at the Department of Justice, and will also serve as acting Librarian of Congress, according to Politico.

He famously defended Trump in his 2023 “hush money” case in which the then-former president was convicted on 34 felony counts.

A loser of a lawyer taking over the Library of Congress?

https://www.rawstory.com/library-of-congress-2671937161

Atlanta Black Star News: ‘Let’s Look at Fraud!’: Jasmine Crockett Shreds Marjorie Taylor Greene Again, Derails Hearing With Insider Trading Accusation

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The escalating feud between Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Jasmine Crockett — two outspoken political firebrands from opposite sides of the aisle — boiled over again Friday, as Crockett derailed a subcommittee hearing led by Greene with pointed accusations of insider trading.

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On Friday, Crockett, assisted by Texas congressman Greg Casar, threw a wrench into a Department of Government Efficiency subcommittee hearing on transgender athletes competing in fencing and other sports as they attempted to breathe new life into an old allegation of insider trading leveled against Greene, the committee’s chair.

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But are the accusations without merit?

Greene purchased tens of thousands of dollars in stock in a number of struggling companies between April 2 and 9, when President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement and subsequent pause led to large shifts in the stock market. Greene insisted the trades were conducted by an independent financial adviser.

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Proving what Greene knew and when she knew it would require an investigation that probably isn’t going to happen.

‘Let’s Look at Fraud!’: Jasmine Crockett Shreds Marjorie Taylor Greene Again, Derails Hearing With Insider Trading Accusation
The escalating feud between Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Jasmine Crockett — two outspoken political firebrands from opposite sides of
‘Let’s Look at Fraud!’: Jasmine Crockett Shreds Marjorie Taylor Greene Again, Derails Hearing With Insider Trading Accusation

Alternet: Trump admin resurrects a dissenting argument that already went before the Supreme Court — in 1898

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For more than 150 years, people who were born within U.S. territory automatically received citizenship – regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

President Donald Trump’s January 2025 executive order on birthright citizenship – stating that children born in the U.S. to parents who are not in the country legally, or who are not permanent residents, cannot receive citizenship – threatens to upend this precedent.

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on the case on May 14, 2025.

This comes after federal judges in three cases that took place in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington banned Trump’s order from going into effect, determining that the president cannot change or limit the Constitution by executive order.

Birthright citizenship been obvious to anyone with half a brain for a century and a half. King Donald just isn’t that bright.

https://www.alternet.org/birthright-citizen