Tag Archives: Donald Trump

Guardian: US considers special status for Greenland amid Trump push for control

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Officials float idea of compact of free association (Cofa), used by US to keep close ties with Pacific Island nations

US officials are discussing a plan to pull Greenland into America’s sphere of influence using a type of agreement that the United States has used to keep close ties with several Pacific Island nations, according to two US officials and another person familiar with the discussions.

Under the plan being considered, the Trump administration would propose to Greenland’s leaders that the island enter into a so-called compact of free association, or Cofa, with the United States.

While the precise details of Cofa agreements – which have only ever been extended to the small island nations of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau – vary depending on the signatory, the US government typically provides many essential services, from mail delivery to emergency management to military protection. In exchange, the US military operates freely in Cofa countries and trade with the US is largely duty-free.

Excuse me, King Donald, but the Greenlanders and Denmark have both made it clear that they want neither you nor J.D. Dunce, nor do they want the horses that you rode in on. To top it off, there’s not a single family in Nuuk that wants Dunce over for coffee. Not a one!

US considers special status for Greenland amid Trump push for control
Officials float idea of compact of free association (Cofa), used by US to keep close ties with Pacific Island nations

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/09/us-greenland-trump

Sacramento Bee: ‘Unprecedented’: Judge’s Anti-ICE Ruling Signals Major Shift

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A federal judge in Texas has ruled against the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants Julio Cesar Sanchez Puentes and Luddis Norelia Sanchez Garcia. District Judge David Briones ordered their release from a Texas detention facility, finding that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) failed to provide a lawful basis for their continued detention. The court has found that the allegations against the couple relied on hearsay without personal knowledge from the declarants involved.

The couple entered the U.S. in 2022 in El Paso and were initially detained by immigration officials. After being paroled the next day, the family lived in Washington, DC, with their three children under temporary protected status. Their status was terminated due to an alleged association with the Tren de Aragua gang.

‘Unprecedented’: Judge’s Anti-ICE Ruling Signals Major Shift
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/unprecedented-judge-s-anti-ice-ruling-signals-major-shift/ss-AA1ElSjI

Independent: Trump team ordered to move Tufts student from Louisiana ICE jail after it couldn’t ‘take a position’ on her free speech

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A New York-based federal appeals court has ordered Donald Trump’s administration to transfer Tufts University scholar Rumeysa Ozturk from an immigration detention center in Louisiana to Vermont.

The case of Ozturk, a Turkish international student and former Fulbright scholar working towards her doctorate in child development, is among several high-profile cases at the center of the Trump administration’s targeting of international students for their advocacy for Palestine during Israel’s war in Gaza.

In March, Ozturk’s visa was revoked and she was arrested and detained by plain-clothes federal agents outside her apartment in Massachusetts in what her lawyers argue is a retaliatory attempt to deport her over an op-ed she wrote in a student newspaper.

The government has one week to transfer her, according to Wednesday’s order, which arrived less than 24 hours after a hearing in which government attorneys failed to say whether they even agree with the administration’s position that her pro-Palestine speech is not constitutionally protected.

Appellate Judge Barrington Parker, who was appointed by George W. Bush, pressed Department of Justice attorney Drew Ensign on whether Ozturk’s statements — and statements from another international student who was arrested for support for Palestine — amount to protected speech.

“Your honor, we haven’t taken a position on that,” Ensign replied.

“Help my thinking. Take a position,” Parked fired back.

“I don’t have authority to take a position,” Ensign said.

…

“She has been held behind bars for six weeks while her health deteriorates for writing an op-ed,” she told a three-judge appeals court panel Wednesday. “Detention is not the norm with respect to visa revocation, as we had here. The executive branch made a specific decision to detain Ms. Ozturk that was motivated by her speech.”

Trump team ordered to move Tufts student from Louisiana ICE jail after it couldn’t ‘take a position’ on her free speech
Trump team ordered to move Tufts student from Louisiana ICE jail after it couldn’t ‘take a position’ on her free speech – Federal appeals court gives government 10 days to transfer Rumeysa Ozturk to Vermont after DOJ lawyers refused to say if pro-Palestine speech is constitutionally protected

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-team-ordered-to-move-tufts-student-from-louisiana-ice-jail-after-it-couldn-t-take-a-position-on-her-free-speech/ar-AA1Ellat

The Atlantic: Trump’s Inevitable Betrayal of His Supporters

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On Sunday, Donald Trump went on TV and told Americans that their children should make do with less. “They don’t need to have 30 dolls; they can have three,” the president said on Meet the Press. “They don’t need to have 250 pencils; they can have five.” Critics were quick to point out the irony of America’s avatar of excess telling others to tighten their belt. But the problem with Trump’s remark goes beyond the optics. It’s that his argument for austerity contradicts his campaign commitments—and exposes the limits of his transactional approach to politics.

Throughout his 2024 run, the president promised Americans a return to the prosperity of his pre-COVID first term. “Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods,” he told a Montana rally in August. “They’ll come down, and they’ll come down fast,” he declared days later in North Carolina. But at the same time, Trump also promised to impose steep tariffs on consumer goods—dubbing tariff one of “the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard”—even though the levies would effectively serve as a tax on everyday Americans.

These two pledges could not be reconciled, and once elected, Trump was forced to choose between them. The results have disillusioned many of those who voted for him. Trump’s approval on the economy has plunged since he announced his “Liberation Day.” A former strength has become a weakness. “If you look at his economic net approval rating in his first term, it was consistently above water,” the CNN analyst Harry Enten noted last month. “It was one of his best issues, and now it’s one of his worst issues.”

Trump’s Inevitable Betrayal of His Supporters
Trump never meant to keep his promises. His voters are starting to notice.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/trump-s-inevitable-betrayal-of-his-supporters/ar-AA1EosZ3

Mediaite: Bill Gates Goes Nuclear on Elon Musk: ‘The World’s Richest Man Killing the World’s Poorest Children’

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Microsoft founder Bill Gates didn’t mince words in his evaluation of Elon Musk’s role in government, fuming that “the world’s richest man” was “killing the world’s poorest children.”

Speaking with the The Financial Times, Gates expressed his disgust with Musk’s role in shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” said Gates, who told the Times that he’d “love for him [Musk] to go in and meet the children that have now been infected with HIV because he cut” American aid that had been going to a hospital in Mozambique.

Bill Gates Goes Nuclear on Elon Musk: ‘The World’s Richest Man Killing the World’s Poorest Children’
Bill Gates didn’t mince words in his evaluation of Elon Musk’s DOGE, fuming that “the world’s richest man” was “killing the world’s poorest children.”
Bill Gates Goes Nuclear on Elon Musk: ‘The World’s Richest Man Killing the World’s Poorest Children’

More here:

Bill Gates pledges his remaining fortune to the Gates Foundation, which will close in 20 years
Bill Gates says he will donate 99% of his remaining tech fortune to the Gates Foundation. Today, that would be worth an estimated $107 billion.

https://apnews.com/article/bill-gates-foundation-996819a2c13c58f0c7c658a58374f236

And here:

https://archive.is/rKUs0

Independent: Australian conservative opposition leader loses seat in ‘Trump factor’ backlash

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The Australian opposition leader likened to Donald Trump for apeing his policies has lost his seat as the incumbent Labor government secures a landslide win.

Peter Dutton has suffered more than a 10 per cent swing against him to Labor rival Ali France, who has so far claimed nearly 59 per cent of the vote under Australia’s two-party preferred system, with election analysts projecting the conservative leader’s ousting.

King Donald’s coattails are toxic!

Australian conservative opposition leader loses seat in ‘Trump factor’ backlash
Australian conservative opposition leader loses seat in ‘Trump factor’ backlash – It comes days after Canada’s centrist Liberal Party stormed to victory in what will be seen as part of an international voter backlash against the Trump administration

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/australian-conservative-opposition-leader-loses-seat-in-trump-factor-backlash/ar-AA1E6fl5

Daily Digest: White South Africans call Trump’s refugee status a ‘Godsend’

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British newspaper The Guardian reports that almost two thirds of the white South African population are considering migrating, with quite a few eyeing towards the United States.

According to The Guardian, in a country with circa 7,000 murders a year, quite a few white South Africans were regarding Donald Trump’s offer a “godsend” in the face of their current reality.

King Donald is cancelling the refugee status of tens of thousands of legitimate Haitian and Venezuelan refugees while offering refugee status to the white supremacists who ran South Africa’s infamous apartheid system. Sieg, heil!

White South Africans call Trump’s refugee status a ‘Godsend’
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https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/white-south-africans-call-trump-s-refugee-status-a-godsend/ss-AA1BLzAg

Daily Mail: Gretchen Whitmer turns on Trump after Democratic Michigan Governor shocked supporters

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Gretchen Whitmer’s newfound friendship with Donald Trump appears to be short lived, as the Michigan Democrat governor slammed the president a day after appearing with him at an event.

The 2028 presidential hopeful was humiliated by Trump in a made-for-TV moment in her home state. 

While speaking to Michigan National Guardsmen on Tuesday, the president spotted Whitmer in the crowd and then called her up for a spur-of-the-moment address.

Both that and a bizarre moment where she covered her face with folders and looked embarrassed during a trip to see President Trump have drawn ridicule from liberals.

Speaking to left-leaning Pod Save America Wednesday, she appeared to have finally rediscovered her dislike for Trump when former Barack Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau asked if the U.S. was in a constitutional crisis. 

‘We are, I think that no one is above the law. The thought that we’ve got an administration that is just blatantly violating court orders should, I think, scare everybody. This is a very serious moment,’ she said. 

Gretchen Whitmer turns on Trump after Democratic Michigan Governor shocked supporters
Gretchen Whitmer’s newfound friendship with Donald Trump appears to be short lived, as the Michigan Democrat governor slammed the president a day after appearing with him.

https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/gretchen-whitmer-turns-on-trump-after-democratic-michigan-governor-shocked-supporters/ar-AA1E1pJv

Raw Story: ‘Our Country, as we know it, is finished!’ Trump rages at legal setback in overnight rant

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Buffeted by multiple court rulings overturning actions taken by his administration, Donald Trump took to Truth Social in the wee hours of Saturday morning to lash out at the legal system.

On Thursday, Trump-nominated U.S. District Judge Fernandez Rodriguez permanently blocked the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security from transferring or removing Venezuelans held under the Alien Enemies Act in the Southern District of Texas.

Judge Rodriguez wrote, “The court concludes that as a matter of law, the executive branch cannot rely on the A.E.A., based on the proclamation, to detain the named petitioners and the certified class, or to remove them from the country.”

That, apparently, set off the president who fired off an attack on his social media platform.

Early Saturday, Trump wrote, “Can it be so that Judges aren’t allowing the USA to Deport Criminals, including Murderers, out of our Country and back to where they came from? If this is so, our Country, as we know it, is finished! Americans will have to get used to a very different, crime filled, LIFE.”

“This is not what our Founders had in mind!!!” he insisted.

Poor crybaby King Donald!

‘Our Country, as we know it, is finished!’ Trump rages at legal setback in overnight rant
Buffeted by multiple court rulings overturning actions taken by his administration, Donald Trump took to Truth Social in the wee hours of Saturday morning to lash out at the legal system. On Thursday, Trump-nominated U.S. District Judge Fernandez Rodriguez permanently blocked the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security from transf…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/our-country-as-we-know-it-is-finished-trump-rages-at-legal-setback-in-overnight-rant/ar-AA1E62Pg

MSNBC: As Trump blames Biden for the shrinking economy, here’s who really owns this crisis

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During the campaign, there were repeated warnings about what would happen if Donald Trump went through with his promise of sweeping global tariffs. Just over 100 days into his second term, we’re seeing those warnings come to life.

On Wednesday, the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.3% during the first quarter, marking the first quarter of negative growth since Q1 of 2022. In a Truth Social post, Trump quickly tried to pass the blame for that number onto Joe Biden. “This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th,” Trump wrote.

But the truth is, Trump isn’t the only one who deserves blame here. If I’m a Democrat, I’m not blaming this all on Trump. Republicans in the Senate had a chance on Wednesday to take a stand against these tariffs and terminate the “national emergency” the president used to implement them. There’s no national emergency that could justify what the president has done. Republicans know that.

Before Trump took the White House, the U.S. economy was the envy of the world. Republicans needed to protect that economy, and they had the opportunity to do that with Wednesday’s vote. But, in the end, only three Republican senators were brave enough to take a stand against Trump. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to tell the administration that they refused to forfeit all of their power on tariffs to the White House.

The American people will feel the impact of Trump’s tariffs — if they haven’t already. When the next election comes around, the same Republicans who refused to stand up to the president can’t go on the campaign trail and point their finger at Trump. Those Republicans own this. The Republican senators who refused to join their colleagues on Wednesday own it. Republican House members who have stood idly by as Trump wreaks havoc on the economy own it.

Under Trump, elected Republicans have given up their power. They had a chance to take back their constitutionally mandated power on Wednesday — all but three said “no” and effectively told the American people that they wrap their arms around this economy, around a possible recession, and they take full credit for it.

As Trump blames Biden for the shrinking economy, here’s who really owns this crisis
Joe Scarborough calls out Republicans for refusing to stand up to Trump over tariffs and says they deserve part of the blame for the struggling U.S. economy.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/as-trump-blames-biden-for-the-shrinking-economy-here-s-who-really-owns-this-crisis/ar-AA1E3o5z