Tag Archives: Middle East

Axios: Qatari jet “gives the appearance of a conflict of interest” for Trump, senator says

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in a Sunday interview that the pending transfer of a Qatari luxury jet “detracts from” what he saw as President Trump‘s “largely successful” Middle East trip and “gives the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

Why it matters: Paul, who has already cautioned against the possible gift to Trump, is one of a group of Republicans who have raised legal, ethical and national security concerns over the prospect of the administration accepting a jet worth roughly $400 million to potentially serve as Air Force One.

…

Paul said on ABC’s “This Week” that there is “probably a perfectly legal way” the plane could be accepted, but added that he thinks the discussion has “raised more questions than I think it’s worth.”

  • Paul, who said he has in the past pushed to block arms sales to Qatar and Saudi Arabia over alleged human rights abuses, contended, “Could it color the perception of the administration if they have a $400 million plane to be more in favor of these things? Perhaps.”
  • Paul continued, “It at least gives the appearance of a conflict of interest. I don’t think it’s worth the headache.”
Qatari jet “gives the appearance of a conflict of interest” for Trump, senator says
Paul said on ABC’s “This Week” that the discussion has “raised more questions than I think it’s worth.”

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/18/trump-qatari-jet-conflict-of-interest-rand-paul

Newsweek: Why do MAGA Republicans hate Europe?

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In May 1988, Republican President Ronald Reagan spoke from the Oval Office in an address not targeted at the American people, but the citizens of Western Europe. The president was planning a trip to meet with Soviet Union General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and wanted to make his commitment to Europe clear.

Staring directly at the camera, Reagan said: “Shared [moral] standards and beliefs tie us to Europe today. They are the essence of the community of free nations to which we belong.”

Thirty years later, in July 2018, while sitting for an interview with CBS at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, Republican President Donald Trump was asked to name America’s top global foe. “Well, I think we have a lot of foes,” Trump said. “I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now you wouldn’t think of the European Union, but they’re a foe.”

Why do MAGA Republicans hate Europe?
The Trump administration’s stance on Europe has grabbed headlines, but the Republican Party’s icy posture toward internationalism goes back decades.

https://www.newsweek.com/maga-republicans-donald-trump-jd-vance-europe-2071814

Mediaite: Trump Made the First Move for Jet ‘Gift’ From Qataris: Report

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President Donald Trump’s claim that a jet plane from the Qatari royal family was a “gift” is facing turbulence after multiple sources tell CNN it was in fact the Trump administration that initiated talks to acquire the Boeing 747 that could temporarily serve as Air Force One.

Four sources familiar with the discussions contradict Trump’s implied line that Qatar spontaneously offered the plane. Instead, they say US officials, frustrated by delays in Boeing’s delivery of the new presidential fleet, actively pursued alternative options — Qatar among them.

“Qatar was one of the clients,” a source told CNN, explaining that Boeing pointed the Pentagon toward existing international customers. “The Pentagon offered to buy the plane and Qatar indicated it was willing to sell it.”

…

The administration was told by Boeing, which is making the next generation of Air Force One planes, that the two planes would not arrive until 2027. Trump wanted something sooner. So the Pentagon, with the White House backing, reached out to Qatar.

Boeing had given the administration a list of possible planes that could work as Air Force One in the meantime, and Qatar had one of those planes.

The president’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, he also helped facilitate these early meetings. The Pentagon then offered to buy the plane, and Qatar offered to sell it. Now, we’re told the lawyers are still hashing out the details, but the White House is still claiming that this is going to be a donation from Qatar. Or, as Trump wrote on Truth Social recently, a gift “free of charge.”

Trump Made the First Move for Jet ‘Gift’ From Qataris: Report
Trump’s claim that a promised Qatar jet plane was a “gift” is facing turbulence after sources tell CNN it was in fact the administration that initiated talks.
Trump Made the First Move for Jet ‘Gift’ From Qataris: Report

Washington Post: ‘I own the store’: Trump seeks a direct role in the economy

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From prices to tariffs to dealmaking, Trump’s involvement in economic issues prompts both frustration and applause.

With all due modesty:

And in his just-concluded Middle East trip, Trump pitched business leaders on doing business in America for one big reason: his personal involvement in the U.S. economy. “There’s no better place to make a future or make a fortune — to do anything, frankly — than what we have in the United States of America under a certain president, Donald J. Trump,” he said. “I have the right attitude.”

So says our royal buffoon, King Donald.

‘I own the store’: Trump seeks a direct role in the economy
From prices to tariffs to dealmaking, Trump’s involvement in economic issues prompts both frustration and applause.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/18/trump-economy-tariffs-taxes-trade

USA Today: Thousands of federal employees are on a roller coaster of being fired, rehired

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‘Inefficency in the name of efficiency,’ according to one federal employee who was fired, rehired and may be fired again.

In recent months, tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired, rehired and threatened with firing again.

For now, they have a two-week reprieve, after a federal judge in California ordered the Trump administration not to carry out any additional firings for two weeks, but the administration has asked the Supreme Court to overturn that ruling.

But employees describe weeks of uncertainty, worry and doubt as their jobs are off, then on, then off again.

Thousands of federal employees are on a roller coaster of being fired, rehired
‘Inefficency in the name of efficiency,’ according to one federal employee who was fired, rehired and may be fired again.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/05/18/federal-employees-fired-rehired-await-court-decision/83600693007

MSNBC: Trump took Bruce Springsteen’s bait [Opinion]

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This week’s mini-feud pits two predictable septuagenarians against each other. And the result is a personal gift to the Boss.

“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ’n’ roll in dangerous times,” he said in the minute-long speech, to raucous cheers.

“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” he continued before asking fans to “raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!”

Later in the evening, Springsteen offered a withering takedown of what he’s seen happening in the U.S. under Trump.

“They are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent,” Springsteen began, in remarks that were later posted on his website and YouTube channel. He continued:

They’re rolling back historic Civil Rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society. They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They’re defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They’re removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons.

He also took aim at Trump’s fellow Republicans, as well as the Democratic Party, arguing that they had all failed to protect Americans “from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government.”

Still, he said, “The America that I’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real, and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So, we’ll survive this moment.”

And of course the vile King Donald just can’t resist the temptation to badmouth the Boss, and Biden, too. The final score:

Boss 1

Trump 0

Opinion | Trump took Bruce Springsteen’s bait
This week’s mini-feud pits two predictable septuagenarians against each other. And the result is a personal gift to the Boss.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-post-bruce-springsteen-taylor-swift-gift-rcna207397

Telegraph: ‘It’s open season for corruption’: How Trump turned the White House into a cash cow

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Naked profiteering by the US president and his family has triggered alarm bells in the Maga movement

Most.

Corrupt.

President

Ever!

Donald Trump caught his first sight of the so-called “palace in the sky” in February as he climbed the red-carpeted steps of the Boeing 747-8.

The Qatari plane was parked at Florida’s West Palm Beach International Airport, and offered a chance for the president to see what a newly refitted Air Force One could look like, easing his frustration with the long-delayed Boeing project.

In the event, it appears to have been more of a test drive. His administration’s plan to accept the $400m (£300m) luxury jet from the Qatari royal family, which he is expected to use after his presidency, is the latest example of what many view as an increased disregard for ethics in Washington under his second term.

During his first term in the White House, foreign governments buying meals and block-booking rooms at Trump hotels set alarm bells ringing.

Yet now the president has created even more opportunities for those looking to curry favour with him – and his children. From pay-to-dine cryptocurrency schemes, a new social media platform that carries advertising and the expansion of their property empire, it has never seemed easier for the Trump family to line their pockets.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/05/18/trump-turned-white-house-cash-machine

Bloomberg: Iran’s Khamenei Brands Trump a Liar in Escalation of Rhetoric

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“Some of the remarks made during the US president’s trip to the region aren’t even worth responding to,” Khamenei said. “The level of the statements is so low that they are a source of shame for the speaker and a source of shame for the American people.”

Even the world’s worst ogre gets one right every now & then!

https://archive.is/IUjpG#selection-1509.0-1509.254

Explicame: Trump proposes $50 tax on every $1,000 sent in remittances

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Also billed as the Republican’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” and bullshit like this subtitle:

… the bill actually continues tax cuts for the wealthy on the backs of the working poor, those living hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck. Buried starting at page 327 of 389 is a new 5% tax on remittances sent to family & friends overseas. This 5% tax is on top of the income taxes and the 15.3% (yes, the actual amount is twice the deduction that appears on your check stubs!) social security and medicare taxes that the sender has already paid, plus 2-4% in currency exchange fees.

Amidst the buzz surrounding the ambitious fiscal plan revealed by Republicans this week, a particular proposal has flown under the radar yet holds the potential to severely impact millions of workers and their families both within and outside the United States: a new tax on remittances sent abroad, costing up to $50 each month.

This initiative is part of the ‘ways and means bills,’ as termed by lawmakers aligned with President Donald Trump. The legislative package seeks to extend and expand tax exemptions implemented during his first term while introducing a series of public spending cuts. However, among the numerous provisions, the remittance tax stands out for its immediate and silent social impact.

The proposal specifically calls for a 5% tax on remittances sent from the United States. This levy would fall on the sender, meaning the worker in the U.S. who sends money to their home country to support loved ones, with an amount of $50 for every $1,000 sent.

With this tax, a monthly transfer of $300 could cost the worker an additional $15 in taxes, a figure that may seem small in macroeconomic terms but represents a significant expense for households living paycheck to paycheck.

Trump proposes $50 tax on every $1,000 sent in remittances
In a sweeping fiscal plan unveiled by Republicans, a proposed tax on remittances could significantly impact millions of workers and their families.

https://www.explica.me/en/News/Trump-proposes-50-tax-on-every-1000-sent-in-remittances-20250516-0016.html

GOP’s “big beautiful bill” would tax payments that many immigrants send back home
The bill would impose a 5% tax on remittance payments, with exceptions for most transfers made by U.S. citizens.

https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/05/14/gops-big-beautiful-bill-would-tax-payments-that-many-immigrants-send-back-home

Apparently there are a few Republicans who think the bill is not so big and beautiful.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5304927-trump-agenda-shaky-congress

Daily Beast: Now ICE Barbie [Bimbo #2] Wants Her Own Brand New $50M Private Jet

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem [Bimbo #2] appears to have taken her cue from President Donald Trump with a new request for her own private jet.

The U.S. Coast Guard made a last-minute change to its 2025 budget to secure a $50 million new plane for Noem, Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood revealed in a Wednesday hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.

“I was horrified last Friday when we received a last-minute addition to your spend plan for Fiscal [Year] ‘25: A new $50 million Gulfstream 5 for Secretary Noem’s [Bimbo #2’s] personal travel coming from the Coast Guard budget,” Underwood told acting Coast Guard Chief Admiral Kevin Lunday. “She already has a Gulfstream 5, by the way. This is a new one.”

One Gulfstream 5 isn’t enough for this leech, who already has a U.S. government Gulfstream 5 at her disposal. This spoiled brat needs a new one to go along with her $60K Rolex, presumably so she can travel in style the next time flies home to South Dakota to murder another family goat.

Now ICE Barbie Wants Her Own Brand New $50M Private Jet
The Coast Guard put in a last-minute addition to its budget for the Homeland Security secretary.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/now-ice-barbie-kristi-noem-wants-her-own-brand-new-50m-private-jet