New York Post: Trump lashes out at ‘ABC fake News’ over question about Qatari plane: ‘You should be embarrassed’

President Donald Trump on Monday lashed out at ABC News reporter Rachel Scott after she questioned whether a $400 million luxury jet donated by Qatar’s royal family to the Pentagon could be perceived as a personal gift to him.

The tense exchange with Scott, whose network recently paid $16 million to Trump as part of a defamation settlement, occurred during a signing ceremony at the White House, where the president praised the aircraft donation and dismissed any suggestion that it was inappropriate.

“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” Trump said.

“I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’ But I thought it was a great gesture.”

King Donald has no shame whatsoever, only greed!

https://nypost.com/2025/05/12/media/trump-lashes-out-at-abc-fake-news-over-question-about-qatari-plane

Alternet: ‘A way for Mar-A-Lago to get paid’: Don Jr.’s role in ‘anti-woke’ firm ‘raises serious questions’

In November 2024, Donald Trump Jr. became a partner in a Palm Beach, Florida-based investment firm startup named 1789 Capital. And its stated goal was to invest in “anti-woke” businesses.

The company has grown since then. And according to Business Insider reporter Bethany McLean, 1789 is raising questions about the possibility of President Donald Trump’s family “improperly making money by funneling government business to the companies it invests in.”

In an article published on May 12, McLean reports, “It’s not just legal experts who have concerns about the money flowing to Don Jr. One veteran Wall Street investor, who has personally reviewed 1789’s deals, says they enable the president’s son to profit from the (Trump) Administration’s actions — even if no contractors are given preferential treatment.”

https://www.alternet.org/don-jr-1789-musk

MSNBC: Trump is finally getting his parade — and it’s only going to cost taxpayers tens of millions

President Donald Trump is finally nearing the fulfillment of a dream that he’s had since his first term in office: a lavish military parade that proceeds through the streets of Washington.

NBC News reports the parade will be “to commemorate Flag Day,” and will also mark the Army’s 250th birthday on June 14. As it happens, that’s also the president’s birthday, though Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that the “big, beautiful” parade is “not necessarily” about his birthday. But, he said, “It’s a very important day.”

Regardless of the exact significance of the date, Trump throwing a party for himself with jets and tanks parading down Constitution Avenue will be a wasteful, infrastructure-destroying display of jingoism with authoritarian undertones, as well as a pithy summary of Trump’s presidential vision. That Trump is succeeding in staging this ceremony in his second term instead of his first also seems apropos, given how his second term so far has been defined by more baldly despotic stunts and policies.

In 2018, Trump was bowled over by Bastille Day celebrations during a visit to France. “It was one of the greatest parades I’ve ever seen,” Trump told reporters after the event. “It was two hours on the button, and it was military might.” He also said to French President Emmanuel Macron: “We’re going to have to try to top it.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-is-finally-getting-his-parade-and-it-s-only-going-to-cost-taxpayers-tens-of-millions/ar-AA1EBAai

OBOXMA: It seems Zuckerberg now wants US military contracts

While Meta is mired in antitrust proceedings threatening to lead to its dismantling, Mark Zuckerberg is desperately tightening his ties with the Trump administration, which he has been trying to seduce for several months in the hope of securing highly lucrative military contracts.

Mark Zuckerberg has made one strategic rapprochement gesture after another towards Donald Trump, combining financial initiatives, internal decisions and political signals: a million-dollar donation at his inauguration in January, a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, the dismantling of Facebook’s fact-checking program, the removal of Meta’s diversity team, the appointment of people close to Trump to the board of directors, and the purchase of a house in Washington D.C.

Move over, F’Elon and Jeff! Mark Zuckerberg — the guy who stole Facebook from his Harvard schoolmate — wants a piece of your pie.

Newsweek: Pentagon Issues New Sweeping Order Amid Trump Admin Crackdown on DEI

The Pentagon has issued its most sweeping directive yet in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s ongoing campaign to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content from the U.S. military.

In a memo distributed Friday, military leaders and commands were ordered to review and pull all library books related to diversity, anti-racism, and gender issues by May 21. The directive characterizes such materials as “promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology,” which it says are incompatible with the Department of Defense’s core mission.

So racism and gender discrimination must be part of “the Department of Defense’s core mission”?

https://www.newsweek.com/hegseth-pentagon-dei-books-us-military-libraries-2070469

Daily Beast: Bad News for Pete Hegseth as Pentagon Signal Probe Widens

The Pentagon inspector general has reportedly expanded an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the encrypted messaging app Signal. Citing a congressional aide and a source familiar with the inquiry, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins plans to widen his investigation to include a second Signal chat Hegseth made that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer. Stebbins initially announced the launch of the investigation last month, and stated it would examine a Signal group chat Hegseth and other top officials were a part of. That chat became public after then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. The inquiry will now include a probe into the second group chat as well, and could pose trouble for Hegseth—who has repeatedly denied ever using the app to send classified information. Crediting their source, WSJ adds that Stebbins is concerned in part about “who took information from a government system for highly-classified information and put it into Hegseth’s commercial Signal app.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/bad-news-for-pete-hegseth-as-pentagon-signal-probe-widens/ar-AA1E0Rw9

Business Insider: Hegseth says the Pentagon is done ‘walking on eggshells.’ Women in uniform say it feels like a ‘slap in the face.’

A rash of changes at the Pentagon has been sparking concern among some female service members. Now, a new memo set to potentially bring more change is causing additional alarm.

Since Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took over the Pentagon, top female officers have been fired, some women’s service histories have been erased, women’s leadership programs have been squashed, and an advisory board focused on women in the military has been dismissed.

Last Friday, Hegseth signed a memo directing a review of equal opportunity programs and the processes for reporting and investigating harassment allegations. Hegseth said the moves, which he’s dubbed the “no more walking on eggshells” policy, would ensure faster and more impartial investigations.

“Too often at the Defense Department, there are complaints made for certain reasons that can’t be verified that have ended people’s careers,” he said in an accompanying video, calling some complaints “nonsense.”

But current and former female service members told Business Insider that they worry potential changes could reverse recent progress in addressing problems like hazing, sexual harassment, racism, and social media misconduct.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hegseth-says-the-pentagon-is-done-walking-on-eggshells-women-in-uniform-say-it-feels-like-a-slap-in-the-face/ar-AA1E5IHd

Politico: Hegseth attorney’s dual roles trip conflict of interest alarms

Tim Parlatore is a personal attorney and top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. At the same time, he’s suing the Navy and defending private clients against the U.S. government.

Parlatore, who represented Donald Trump in a criminal case two years ago and rejoined the Navy Reserve in March to aid Hegseth, was recently tapped to coordinate the leak investigation that led to chaos at the Pentagon. The probe was publicly tied to the firings of top advisers and preceded further revelations that Hegseth was careless with classified information. Parlatore was also reportedly in the Signal group with Hegseth’s wife and brother in which the Defense secretary shared details of a strike on Yemen.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/hegseth-attorney-s-dual-roles-trip-conflict-of-interest-alarms/ar-AA1E64sP

Associated Press: Army plans for a potential parade on Trump’s birthday call for 6,600 soldiers, AP learns

His Majesty King Donald would like a big parade to celebrate his birthday:

Detailed Army plans for a potential military parade on President Donald Trump’s birthday in June call for more than 6,600 soldiers, at least 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands and possibly a couple thousand civilians, The Associated Press has learned.

While the slides do not include any price estimates, it would likely cost tens of millions of dollars to put on a parade of that size. Costs would include the movement of military vehicles, equipment, aircraft and troops from across the country to Washington and the need to feed and house thousands of service members.

https://apnews.com/article/army-parade-trump-birthday-96bb9c8e9af1ef285c56fdc3d1ba4b35

Talking Points Memo: Trump Has Ordered Safeguards Stripped From Procurement As Pentagon Prepares To Spend $1 Trillion

To summarize, the new executive orders purport not merely to change or improve regulations, but to simply eliminate most of the existing procurement rules developed through years of oversight processes and outside scrutiny. They effectively undo procurement safeguards put in place after tremendous waste was exposed during the Cold War. In their place, the executive orders would elevate certain procedures that allow the government to spend unlimited sums without competition — the so-called “other transactions” process that need not be competed and that circumvents safeguards put in place to protect tax dollars. The Executive Orders say there should be a “first preference” for other transactions processes, which is like having a “first preference” for bringing a pistol with no safety to compete in a boxing match.

It’s all about lining their own pockets. They’ll get a pardon [they hope!] at the end of King Donald’s term and all will be well.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-has-ordered-safeguards-stripped-from-procurement-as-pentagon-prepares-to-spend-1-trillion/ar-AA1DLRfe