If it's Thursday, this must be Ashgabat.
Only 1,395 days to go...
Good Morning America to broadcast live from Asheville on Tropical Storm Helene recovery
On the six-month milestone marking Tropical Storm Helene's arrival in Western North Carolina, ABC's "Good Morning America" will broadcast live from Asheville to report on the recovery progress and ongoing challenges. GMA's two-hour special "Asheville Rising" will air from 7-9 a.m. March 27 on ABC affiliates. The episode will be broadcast live from Highland Brewing and BeLoved Asheville in East Asheville.
Living through these times…
How harnessing “happy hormones” can boost your sense of well-being.
Underrated ways to change the world
Kindness will make you happier than a higher salary, report shows
To Make Someone Happy, Ask for Help
Finding the humor…
Jon Stewart Reveals His Favorite Pete Hegseth Quote From Group War Chat
The Best Trump Burns at Conan O’Brien’s Kennedy Center Celebration
John Mulaney joked that the Kennedy Center would soon be renamed “The Roy Cohn Pavilion for Big Strong Men Who Love Cats.”
Trump’s Least Favorite Portrait Is Coming Down After His Tantrum
This is no joke. Republican grovelers who are crafting these bills call them well-earned recognition. In total, five such bills have been introduced in the House over the past two months by Trump flunkeys. They would:
Put Trump’s face on the $100 bill.
Create a new $250 bill with Trump’s face adorning it.
Make Trump’s birthday (June 14) a federal holiday.
Rename Dulles Airport to Trump Airport.
Carve Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore.
Thought for the day in honor of his birthday…
“A lie can be halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on.”
~James Callaghan
Must Read Article:
The 10 theories driving Dems' identity crisis
Talk to 20 Democrats and you'll find each one has a different theory of why they lost the 2024 election and sent the party into a spiral. The party was cohesive in 2017 under a resistance banner. That's no longer the case — and the finger-pointing goes in all directions. It's hard to win if you don't know why you lost.
word of the moment: pusillanimous; pu·sil·lan·i·mous;/; pyo͞osəˈlanəməs/; adjective; showing a lack of courage or determination; timid.
There Is a Way for Democrats to Stop Trump and Save America
Quote of the day:
“From an operational security perspective, this is the highest level of f****p imaginable. These people cannot keep America safe.”
~ Pete Buttigieg
What I’m reading today…
Donald Trump’s national security team has been exposed — and permanently unmasked — as moral degenerates. They are incompetent clowns, who beggar description because they stand peerless in the entire history of America as singularly inept, faithless and arrogant. Michael Waltz, JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, Stephen Miller, Tulsi Gabbard, Scott Bessent, Joe Kent and John Ratcliffe are monkeys with guns. "Heads should roll": Congress erupts over stunning Trump admin leak; A Molehill Becomes A Mountain; Now Europe Knows What Trump’s Team Calls It Behind Its Back: ‘Pathetic’
Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal
The statements by Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and Trump—combined with the assertions made by numerous administration officials that we are lying about the content of the Signal texts—have led us to believe that people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions. There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared.
Experts have repeatedly told us that use of a Signal chat for such sensitive discussions poses a threat to national security. As a case in point, Goldberg received information on the attacks two hours before the scheduled start of the bombing of Houthi positions. If this information—particularly the exact times American aircraft were taking off for Yemen—had fallen into the wrong hands in that crucial two-hour period, American pilots and other American personnel could have been exposed to even greater danger than they ordinarily would face. The Trump administration is arguing that the military information contained in these texts was not classified—as it typically would be—although the president has not explained how he reached this conclusion.
This week has brought yet another round of "soft" indicators that show slumping confidence in what lies ahead for the economy amid a fast-changing policy landscape.
Now Trump Is Talking About Handing Cash to Jan. 6 Rioters
President Donald Trump said there’s “talk” within his administration about paying compensation to the rioters who were prosecuted for storming the Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the 2020 election results.
Trump Says a Recession Might Be Worth the Cost. Economists Disagree.
Trump has said there will be a “period of transition” as his policies take effect.
Such comments may partly reflect an effort to align political statements with economic reality. Trump promised to end inflation “starting on Day 1” and declared, in his inaugural address, that “the golden age of America begins right now.”
Instead, inflation has remained stubborn, and while Trump has been in office less than two months, economists warn that his tariffs are likely to make it worse. Measures of consumer and business confidence have plummeted and stock prices have tumbled, attributable in large part to Trump’s policies and the uncertainty they have caused...while many economists are sympathetic to the idea that presidents must sometimes cause temporary hardship in the pursuit of longer-run goals, few are willing to defend the specific set of policies the Trump administration is adopting.
Opinion: Republicans' new 'budget framework' will still add trillions to national debt
According to the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, SSA program administration costs less than 1% of the revenue that funds it. The problem is not bloated staffing, it’s demographics. The solution to the cash flow problem is not dismantling the program. It is removing the income cap on payroll taxes so that the wealthy pay tax on their entire income just like the rest of us. The SSA program actually works remarkably well, considering its skeletal staffing and antiquated computer systems. All bets are off once DOGE gets done with it. And when something breaks, as it most certainly will, you can bet that the “solution,” once again, will be privatizing social security. Yet, whenever we “privatize” something, it costs us more money for less in return, because the goal of private enterprise is to make a profit, not to serve the public.
Chinese policymakers, aware of the problem, have been planning more than trade war tactics. Since Trump’s first term, they have been adapting their approach to the United States, and they have spent the past three months further developing their strategy to anticipate, counter, and minimize the damage of Trump’s volatile policymaking. As a result of that planning, a broad effort to shore up China’s domestic economy and foreign relations has been quietly underway. How Elon Musk’s DOGE Cuts Leave a Vacuum That China Can Fill
Musk Comes for the ‘Third Rail of American Politics’
If Musk wants to meet his goal of cutting $1 trillion in federal spending, he’ll have to do a lot more than eliminate USAID, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and even the Department of Education. He knows the real money is in the three pillars of America’s social safety net: Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. “Most of the federal spending is entitlements,” he said earlier this month. “That’s the big one to eliminate.”
Republicans have learned that going after these programs carries a huge electoral risk. Musk, apparently, has not. “He doesn’t think politically,” Tom Davis, a former House Republican from Virginia who ran the party’s campaign committee in the early 2000s, told me. His approach, Davis said, is “ready, fire, aim.”
Jamie Raskin And The Way To Stop The Trump Administration
While the Trump administration has come out and openly admitted that they are defying the courts, there have been clear indications, especially in the matter of the federal funding freeze, that the Trump administration has been defying court orders. What can be done about this? Instead of going after Trump, the courts can punish members of his administration. House Judiciary Committee ranking member Raskin (D-MD) wrote in a letter to Trump:
To your credit, you indicated that your Administration would obey the courts, stating “I always abide by the courts and then I’ll have to appeal it.”
It may therefore behoove you to remind members of your Administration that violating court orders personally exposes them to potential criminal and civil penalties. Federal judges do not need the assistance of the executive branch to impose civil or criminal penalties for violations of a court order.
Decades Ago, Columbia Refused to Pay Trump $400 Million
A quarter century ago, the university was looking to expand. It considered, and rejected, property owned by Donald Trump. He did not forget it…The first battle between Mr. Trump and Columbia involved the most New York of New York prizes. It was over a lucrative real estate deal, according to interviews with 17 real estate investors and former university administrators and insiders, as well as contemporaneous news articles…Some former university officials are quietly wondering whether the ultimately unsuccessful property transaction sowed the seeds of Mr. Trump’s current focus on Columbia. His administration has demanded that the university turn over vast control of its policies and even curricular decisions in its effort to quell antisemitism on campus. It has also canceled federal grants and contracts at Columbia — valued at $400 million.
Angry Voters Yell at ‘Empty Chair’ Town Halls as Republicans Chicken Out
Angry voters flocked to “empty chair” town halls around the country this weekend to vent their frustration with Republican lawmakers who are refusing to face their constituents. Facing a growing public backlash over President Donald Trump’s policies—particularly his megadonor and adviser Elon Musk’s efforts to dismantle federal agencies and purge the civil service—Republican leaders have advised their caucuses to ditch town halls. In their absence, local activists held packed events in red states and districts during the congressional recess that ended Sunday. Lawmakers were invited but didn’t attend, leaving participants to rage in absentia against their representatives for their unflinching support of the Trump administration…. In Maryland, Republican Rep. Andy Harris hasn’t held an in-person town hall since 2017. The progressive group Indivisible invited Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin to drive two hours to Harris’ district to answer questions at a packed middle school gym instead.
“We are being governed by morons…”
As Trump Broadens Crackdown, Focus Expands to Legal Immigrants and Tourists
The Trump administration has opened a new phase in its immigration agenda, one that goes well beyond the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. U.S. border officials are using more aggressive tactics, which the administration calls “enhanced vetting,” at ports of entry to the United States, prompting American allies like Germany to update their travel advisories. At the same time, the administration is targeting legal immigrants who have expressed views that the government believes threaten national security and undermine foreign policy. The tactics have unnerved foreign tourists and sent a chill through immigrant communities in the United States, who say they are being targeted for speech — not for breaking any laws.
JFK’s Grandson Jack Slams Assassination Document Drop, Says Trump Only Cares About JFK “Carcass”
Schlossberg’s Wednesday missives grouped Secretary Kennedy in with Trump, listing off JFK’s achievements in areas like civil rights, foreign aid, funding for the arts, and not being best buddies with Russia, contrasted with the Trump administration’s efforts to reverse that legacy.
“These men are stealing history from present and future generations—by appropriating the past for their criminal agenda, they normalize themselves in the minds of those without living memory.”
Small Business Administration cutting 43% of staff in latest move to downsize executive branch
Roughly 6,500 people, or less than half-a-percent of the entire federal workforce, are employed at the SBA, according to the most recent data available. The agency said in a statement that it will "reduce its workforce by 43%" and said the cuts would save more than $435 million a year by next fiscal year…It provides loans to businesses that fall victim to natural disasters and offers support on international trade issues. The agency's federally backed loans and grants were a lifeline to small businesses and nonprofit groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump's 2025 seeks to reverse LBJ's 1965
President Trump has embarked on a systematic effort to unravel Lyndon B. Johnson's civil rights legacy, rolling back protections that have shaped American life for nearly six decades. Backlash to the racial justice movement of 2020 has overshadowed a more fundamental, long-standing conservative goal: Turning back the clock on the sweeping societal changes of 1965. The Trump administration's aggressive push to reverse LBJ's signature achievements could radically alter how communities of color confront discrimination in a diversifying America.
The Big Secret About Medicaid: It’s a Middle-Class Benefit
Millions of people who are financially comfortable now may be just one bad break away from needing Medicaid for themselves or a member of their immediate family. Without coverage, the cost of care for an aging parent or a sick or disabled child — of any age — can be ruinous….It could be an aging parent who needs nursing home care, whose significant nest egg has been drained after 20 years of retirement. Or it could be a 26-year-old adult child who can’t be covered on your health insurance anymore but is not yet making much money. Or perhaps it’s a severely disabled child.
The Paradox of Trump’s Economic Weapon
Now, he appears to be doubling down on attempts to shore up American power by pushing friendly countries into deeper dependence on the U.S. market and the dollar. This strategy, however, is likely to work only in bilateral relationships in which the United States is unquestionably economically dominant. As the global economic order moves in a more protectionist, mercantilist, and multipolar direction, it is increasingly uncertain how many countries will fall into this category…The apparent lesson here—heaping economic pressure on U.S. adversaries often fails but bullying allies can yield results—seems to animate Trump’s current push to rein in partners who are still tied to the U.S. market. Instead of launching all-out economic warfare, the president has indicated his interest in forging a new nuclear agreement with Iran, rekindling economic ties with Russia, and inking an enlarged trade deal with China, all while putting more coercive pressure on partners dependent on U.S. security assistance and market access.
Western NC farms, schools and food bank take hit from Trump administration funding cuts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture notified the state that it was canceling an agreement for its Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative program… The agreement, made with North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, would have provided the state nearly $19 million in federal funding over three years to help school systems and childcare facilities purchase unprocessed, or minimally processed, food from local farmers and small businesses.
“Losing this support is devastating, not merely because of the financial setback, but because it directly affects an essential lifeline connecting agriculture, regional economic well-being, and the health of WNC families.”
Why insurance on Teslas is about to get way more expensive
Tesla shares surged to their highest-ever peak after the 2024 election, but since mid-December, they’ve been on a sharp decline. The EV brand is facing a number of headwinds: Sales have plummeted in Europe and China; the war against Chinese competitor BYD is heating up; and Tesla showrooms across the U.S. are facing an influx of protests and vandalism in response to Musk’s draconian cuts to the federal government. To top it off, some analysts are now warning that the increased risk of vandalism against Tesla vehicles could result in inflated insurance prices for drivers. How #TeslaTakedown is bringing the fight to Musk; Chicago residents report Tesla vandalism amid protests centered around Elon Musk; Trump Threatens to Jail Tesla Vandals in El Salvador Prisons; Tesla Exodus Continues As Senator Mark Kelly Dumps Car Over “A--hole” Elon Musk; Tesla’s Europe sales collapse as anti-Musk backlash grows
The Trump Administration’s First 100 Days
The Musk Effect: Elon Musk is seemingly everywhere, dominating the news out of Washington and beyond. His influence in the White House has raised complicated questions about how he could reshape the nation.
Law Firm Bends: Paul Weiss was targeted by an executive order. Its chairman, who had worked against Trump during his first term, then went to the Oval Office and cut a deal. Many in the legal field are condemning the agreement.
Migrant Children: The Trump administration notified aid organizations that it would cancel a contract that funds the legal representation of more than 25,000 children who entered the United States alone, a decision that leaves them vulnerable to swift deportation.
Columbia Agrees to Demands: The university agreed to overhaul its protest policies, security practices and Middle Eastern studies department in a concession to the Trump administration, which has refused to consider restoring $400 million in federal funds without major changes.
Attempts to Resolve Global Conflicts: Allies say the foreign policy version of “flood the zone” is working. But critics argue that the hurry-up approach in Israel, Ukraine and Iran may not lead to stable, durable solutions to conflicts around the world.
What Is DOGE?: The Department of Government Efficiency described in court filings bears little resemblance to the no-holds-barred approach taken by Musk and praised by Trump.
What I’m listening to….
What I am watching…
