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Today in Politics, Bulletin 69. 2/10/25 Ron Filipkowski Feb 11 ∙ … Chief Judge McConnell for the Fed District Court of RI ruled today that the Trump Admin is violating his order to lift their freeze on funding for a variety of federal programs. He ordered that funds be released immediately and suggested that if it doesn’t happen he will begin contempt proceedings against officials who refuse. The person a contempt hearing would likely focus on is Elon Musk. … Meanwhile, in DC federal court, Politico reported that a hearing was held on a lawsuit brought by litigants seeking to block DOGE's access to student loan data. The judge presiding over the case seemed especially interested in this Elon Musk post in court: … NY Post reports that Elon Musk did not fly to a conference in Miami last week due to death threats. He spoke at a JPMorgan Chase conference remotely and told the group he decided not to appear in person because he has received a lot of death threats recently. … Before heading to the Super Bowl, Trump predicted that the KC Chiefs would win: “I have to say, when a QB has won as much as he’s won, I have to go with KC. I have to go with KC.” … Trump claimed that fans at the Super Bowl loved him but hated Taylor Swift because she endorsed Biden: “The only one that had a tougher night than the KC Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!” … It wasn’t MAGA booing her because of Biden. It was Philly fans booing her because she’s dating a Chiefs player. Philly fans booed Santa Claus at a game. … Jon Batiste, who performed the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, was just fired from Kennedy Center Board by Trump. … Trump walked out of the game right before the halftime show with his team losing big. As soon as he got in car, he posted this: “For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful! I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies. Let's rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if it's a penny at a time.” … Atlantic columnist David Frum: “The penny is obsolete. The penny should be abolished. The Constitution vests power over the coinage in Congress, and Congress's laws require production of the penny. Trump's actions are illegal. Again. Obama wanted to abolish the penny too, but didn't do it because Congress would not change the law to allow him.” … Newsmax was upset that Fox only showed Trump once during the broadcast: “Do you wonder why he was only shown once during the National Anthem and never again? Interesting. Would that have happened to a Democrat?” … MAGA was very cranky during the Super Bowl, complaining about everything. Actor Randy ‘Cousin Eddie’ Quaid: “Super Bowl Ads are out of touch with America. Still too woke. They seem tone deaf. Where are J6rs doing a Bud ad with Clydesdales, Old Glory, and the rising swell of rousing patriotic music by the J6 choir!” … Sen. Tom Cotton: “That TikTok ad is a perfect example of a Chinese Communist influence operation infiltrating and corrupting American business, culture, and society.” … They also hated the halftime show. Charlie Kirk: “This music is not my style.” … Lauren Boebert: “Tell me I’m not the only one needing subtitles for this.” … Jack Posobiec: “DEI Halftime show.” … Rep. Mike Collins: “Embrace tradition.” He then posted a photo of Creed performing. … Ted Nugent: “Kendrick Lamar you suck!” … Country singer John Rich: “I didn’t understand one word of the halftime show, did you? I need a translator.” … Benny Johnson: “Hey NFL, Trump won. We no longer let talentless mumbling pagan satanic cultists do halftime shows and pretend like people like it.” … Matt Walsh: “Bizarre decision by the NFL to have some guy come out and lethargically mumble a bunch of songs that 90% of the NFL audience never heard.” … Matt Gaetz: “The halftime show you just watched is clearly the regime’s response to Trump’s historic gains with Black men.” … USA Today: “Musk’s aerospace company has benefited from nearly $19.8 billion in federal contracts since 2008. A majority of that money − $14.4 billion − went to NASA and $5.32 billion went to the Defense Department to pay for SpaceX rocket launches and satellites. Fiscal year 2024 was the largest on record for SpaceX, aided by at least $3.8 billion in U.S. government contracts.” … Telegraph (UK): “Tesla is in trouble. Sales have crashed 50% in Europe compared to last January. In China, its largest market, sales fell 11.5% in January. The share price has been dragged down 22% from its post-election peak in December. This matters a great deal, because Tesla’s stock price is the key to Musk’s business empire and his personal life. It unlocks capital for all the other businesses, including his rocket company SpaceX, and quixotic adventures such as buying Twitter.” … “Tesla is also the basis of his personal income. Even loyal investors are beginning to get nervous. Musk has demanded even more control over the car company, telling investors that he needs 25% to ensure it’s a leader in AI and robotics. ‘L’État, c’est moi,’ he’s telling the industry: ‘I am Tesla’. But more Musk isn’t necessarily what they want. Investors now bridle when Musk makes autonomous driving promises that can’t be fulfilled. At SpaceX, Musk sets ambitious goals but then steps back and lets the brilliant executive Gwynne Shotwell run the show. … Bloomberg reported that Trump signed an executive order today directing DOJ to pause enforcing the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits American companies and foreign firms from bribing officials of foreign governments to obtain or retain business. … CNBC: “The FCPA’s intent is in part to prevent American firms from fueling rampant public corruption that undermines the rule of law in many parts of the world. Over time, the FCPA’s rules have grown into bedrock principles of how American businesses operate overseas. The law barred Americans from paying bribes to foreign officials. The DOJ in 2024 announced enforcement actions in 24 cases related to alleged violations of the FCPA. There were 17 such enforcement actions announced in 2023.” … A new WH statement indicates Trump about to sign an executive order reversing Biden’s ban on bank overdraft fees, and preventing medical debt from being used to negatively affect credit reports. … Financial Times: “China’s retaliatory tariffs took effect today. Compared with the blanket US tariffs, China’s measures - which target US exports of liquefied natural gas, coal, crude oil and farm equipment as well as some automotive goods with levies of 10-15% - were seen as creating space for negotiations to avert a wide trade conflict. Beijing last week also announced an antitrust probe into Google, whose search engine is blocked in China, and Illumina, a US biotechnology company. And it blacklisted the holding company of US clothing brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.” … “China also restricted exports to the US of 5 critical metals used in defense-related industries, solar panels, electric vehicle batteries and other green energy products. China produces about 60% of the world’s rare earths and accounts for 90% of processing in the industry.” … Trump announced a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum coming into the US from any other country: "Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25% tariff. Aluminum, too." … The EU responded immediately: "At this stage, we have not received any official notification regarding the imposition of additional tariffs on EU goods. We will not respond to broad announcements without details or written clarification. The EU sees no justification for the imposition of tariffs on its exports. We will react to protect the interests of European businesses, workers and consumers from unjustified measures.” … “The imposition of tariffs would be unlawful and economically counterproductive, especially given the deeply integrated production chains the EU and US established through Transatlantic trade and investment. Tariffs are essentially taxes. By imposing tariffs, the US would be taxing its own citizens, raising costs for business, and fueling inflation. Moreover, tariffs heighten economic uncertainty and disrupt the efficiency and integration of global markets." … The Express (UK) reported that UK Steel sold roughly 165 tons of steel to the US last year. Home Office Minister Angela Eagle: "We have a very balanced trading relationship with the US - I think £300 billion worth of trade between our countries - and I think it's in the best interests of both of us, as longstanding allies and neighbors, that we carry on with that balanced trade." … Trump gave a completely unhinged interview on AF1 flying to the Super Bowl. Reporter: You are going to meet with first responders today, but you pardoned hundreds of people who assaulted first responders. Trump: “No, I pardoned people who were assaulted themselves - by our government. They didn’t assault. They were assaulted. What I did was a great thing for humanity.” … Reporter: Why do you want to be chairman of Kennedy Center board? Trump: “Some of the shows were terrible. They were a disgrace.” Reporter: Have you seen any shows there? Trump: “No.” … Reporter: Why does Elon’s financial disclosure remain secret? Trump: “Because no one is looking at that. We’re looking at all the corruption that’s taking place.” … Trump was asked about Canada: “Now, I love the people of Canada. We have a great relationship. But if they became our 51st state, it would be the greatest thing they could ever do. And think of how beautiful that country would be without that artificial line running right through it. Somebody drew it many years ago with a ruler—just a line.” … Trump’s NEC Director Kevin Hassett was asked if Trump was really serious about taking over Canada: "When the US was founded, how many states did we have? And how many do we have now? And so, is it outlandish?" .. Reporter: Does your commitment to rebuilding Gaza extend beyond your time in office? Trump: “I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza. As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it. There’s nothing to move back into—the place is a demolition site. The remainder will be demolished.” … Reporter: Would the US accept Palestinian refugees since you’re asking other countries to do that? Trump: “It’s a very far distance for them to travel. They’re far away from their friends and family. They don’t want to go back to Gaza.” Sorry this is out a little bit later tonight than usual. There was just so much news today that it took quite a long time to put all of it together. There is a lot more packed into this below for paid subscribers. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can read it here. … Turkish President Erdogan on Trump’s Gaza plan: "From our perspective, there is nothing worth talking about the proposals brought up by the new U.S. administration regarding Gaza under the pressure of the Zionist lobby. This plan is completely futile. No one has the power to remove the people of Gaza from their homeland. The people of Gaza will continue to stay in Gaza, live in Gaza, and protect Gaza." … Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning Netanyahu on Gaza while noticeably refusing to name Trump, who is very much involved in this deal: “The Kingdom of SA appreciates the condemnation, disapproval and total rejection announced by the brotherly countries towards what Netanyahu stated regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land. The Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants on it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes.” … Economist Matt Stoller: “Trump CEA Chair Kevin Hassett says a key way to bring down inflation is to encourage Social Security recipients to work more by getting rid of taxes on Social Security. I mean, ok.” .. Bloomberg’s Matthew Yglesias on Trump’s Social Security plans: “The way this works is that the Trump plan: 1. Raises benefits for the richest retirees in the short term. 2. Accelerates the program’s bankruptcy in the medium term. 3. Grandma’s getting a lucrative new job picking fruit.” … KY Dem Gov Andy Beshear: “I believe that he was elected when those last group of movable voters decided he'd be the one that could potentially lower prices and help them pay bills at the end of the month. Yet that's the last thing he's doing. Signing EOs on culture war issues and anything but looking at how his actions impact the American people and whether or not they can afford to pay those bills at the end of the month. … This morning, Senate Democrats launched a new portal for fed employees to blow the whistle on illegal or illicit activities being done in the government under the purview of Trump, Musk, or DOGE. The portal, which asks a short set of questions, is the latest line of defense launched by Congressional Democrats to oppose the actions of Musk and DOGE. … Congressional Democrats held an ‘Elon Musk: Hands Off Our Social Security’ rally at the Social Security Administration today. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks: "When you target civil servants, you also target the people they serve. These are the American people who are in this building, and they serve our grandmothers, our grandfathers, our mothers and fathers, like mine. Does cutting Medicare lower the cost of eggs? I don't think so. How does slashing funding at the Social Security Admin cut the cost of gas? This man is hurting people who voted for him." … Rep. Johnny Olszewski addressed what Musk is doing: "President Trump - you have the White House, you have control of the House and the Senate. Come to the table. Let's have the conversation. Let's have Republicans in the House and Senate actually have to vote on these illegal and unconstitutional actions." … Sen. Chris Van Hollen: "We are doing everything we can to support the court actions that are being taken, because that is the first line of defense when you have massive lawbreaking and when you have Republicans on Capitol Hill who refuse to do anything." … Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox that “all options are on the table” for spending cuts to every government program as Republicans continue to argue amongst themselves as the March deadline before a shutdown approaches: “We have more time.” … Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) said the quiet part out loud to Fox that House Rs have Social Security, Medicare, and Veterans benefits targeted for major cuts: “We have an opportunity now with a unified govt to address mandatory spending. Mandatory spending is the biggest driver of debt in this country. That’s what House Rs are solely focused on while taking care of all these other agenda items. I think this is our once in a lifetime opportunity.” … Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris: "We think there should be work requirements for able-bodied people who choose not to work. We don't think they should be on Medicaid. We don't think they should be receiving food stamps." … Hakeem Jeffries: “House Repubs have no plan to love and cherish Medicaid. Let's be very clear about that. Their plan is to destroy Social Security, destroy Medicare, and destroy Medicaid as we know it. And now, with Republicans controlling the House, the Senate and the presidency, it's their intention to try and do it. Just watch what happens at the Republican budget hearing that is upcoming.” … Rock music publication Heavy Consequence reports that Kid Rock stormed off stage and refused to continue when his audience in Nashville this weekend wasn’t clapping enough during his show. He was performing in Nashville at the birthday party for Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan on Sat. “F**k them. F**k them. Hey, hey, stop,” he said to his band. If you ain’t gonna clap, we ain’t gonna sing. That’s how it’s gonna go. … “A handful of people clapped for a few seconds, and Rock lost it: “You know what, f**k y’all! You ain’t gonna clap, I’m gone.” He then stormed off the stage. … Trump’s NEC Director Kevin Hassett was asked if Trump was really serious about taking over Canada: "When the US was founded, how many states did we have? And how many do we have now? And so, is it outlandish?" … The Fox interview of Trump with Bret Baier was very heavily heavily edited. Trump is suing CBS for $20 billion for editing Kamala Harris’ interview. Every single one of Trump’s Fox interviews are pre-recorded and his answers are heavily edited in an attempt to sanewash him. … CNN reports that Trump is pardoning former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, 5 years after commuting his 14-year prison sentence for 18 felony counts, including his attempt to sell the appointment to Barack Obama’s former Senate seat in exchange for $1 million. … Sen. Susan Collins says she is concerned about the Trump Admin’s cuts to NIH, but she called RFK Jr. about it and he promised to look into it after she votes to confirm him later this week: “This morning, I called RFK Jr to express my strong opposition to these arbitrary cuts in funding for vital research at our Maine institutions, which are known for their excellence. He has promised that as soon as he is confirmed, he will re-examine this initiative that was implemented prior to his confirmation.” … Collins was asked by Punchbowl about JD Vance’s comments that the Trump Admin might defy court orders: “I'm not going to fall into your trap of trying to criticizing the VP. I will give my opinion on it, which is that I believe the administration has to follow the court rulings.” … CNN reports that there is some disagreement among Democrats whether they should force a govt shutdown if Republicans can’t agree among themselves on a budget before the March 14 shutdown date: Rep. Jim Himes: “As tragic as it is what’s happened to USAID and our efforts abroad, I’m not sure that it hits many Americans emotionally - certainly not outside the Beltway.” … But AOC says Dems should only vote for a budget if Rs made significant concessions: “If Senate Democrats don’t have the gumption to do what is necessary in this moment, I believe that House Democrats will.” … Rep. Jim McGovern agrees with AOC: “We’re not a cheap date.” … Sen Andy Kim says Democrats will not do anything to help Republicans as long as Musk is unilaterally cutting and dismantling programs: “If they cannot govern then that’s for the American people to see. Unless we see a change in that behavior, we should not condone or assist in that.” … Jeffries says said he will continue to try and reach a deal with Republicans if there is one that can be made to satisfy his caucus: “I’ve encouraged those bipartisan conversations to continue.” … Fox reporter Chad Pergram: “House Republicans are still scrambling to form an agreement. It’s still not ready, it was due last week.” … Mike Johnson: “We might push it further because details matter. Remember, I have the smallest margin in history - a two-vote margin currently.” … Lindsey Graham said that the Senate is ready to move on a more limited package that doesn’t include Trump’s huge tax cuts, and wants the House to have a deal done by Wednesday or the Senate will move forward. … Johnson told Fox he disagrees with Lindsey and wants the Senate to be more patient: “The House has to drive this process, but I appreciate the Senate’s zeal.” … Lindsey: “Johnson is right. Like President Trump, I prefer ‘one big beautiful bill’ that provides funding to implement the Trump border security agenda and a boost in military spending, makes the Trump tax cuts permanent and includes substantial spending reductions. That is my preference, but reality is something altogether different. Tom Homan and Secretary Noem need the money now. My goal is to get them the money now.” … Jeffries: “Last year, all we heard from my Republican colleagues was the need to do something about the high cost of living, while at the same time they ran away from Project 2025 as if it didn't exist. This year, Republicans have spent all of their time implementing the most extreme parts of Project 2025 and have done nothing to lower the high cost of living. Not a single thing. Not a single bill, not a single idea. Not a single proposal from my Republican colleagues to do anything about the high cost of living.” … Jake Denton announced that he is leaving Heritage Foundation where he worked on Project 2025 because Trump has just appointed him Chief Technology Officer at the Federal Trade Commission. … Rep Dan Goldman squashed any rumors about him running for NYC Mayor: “I unfortunately, know Donald Trump very well. And, I've been in this, battle against him and the Republicans since well before I got to Congress. And so, I think that my best and highest use, to the party is to remain in Congress.” … After Musk called Goldman “corrupt”, he responded: “I’ll make you a deal, Elon Musk: I’ll submit an affidavit under oath about any questions you have about me if you first submit to a full background check by the FBI. Sound good?” … Goldman then referenced this report in New Republic from Greg Sargent: “In Dec, NYT revealed that Musk and SpaceX were failing to meet govt reporting protocol designed to protect state secrets while they haul in billions in Pentagon contracts. This triggered 3 reviews, per NYT. One was from the Defense Department IG. One of the IGs that Trump fired was examining Musk's failures to meet reporting protocol designed to safeguard national security as a major recipient of Pentagon contracts.” … 5 former Treasury Secretaries published a letter in the NYT condemning “arbitrary and capricious political control of federal payments” by Musk’s DOGE. Robert E. Rubin, Lawrence H. Summers, Timothy F. Geithner, Jacob J. Lew, and Janet L. Yellen: “While significant data privacy, cybersecurity and national security threats are gravely concerning, the constitutional issues are perhaps even more alarming. They lack training and experience to handle private, personal data. Their power subjects America’s payments system and the highly sensitive data within it to the risk of exposure, potentially to our adversaries.” … The vote on Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination as DNI is likely to be Wednesday. RFK Jr.’s will be held on Thursday. Kash Patel’s is likely to be delayed. … Politico has filed a motion with a court to unseal records related to Kash Patel's appearance before the grand jury in Trump's Mar-a-Lago documents case. … WaPo reports that 19-year old Musk DOGE known online as “Big Balls” has now been appointed Senior Advisor to the State Department. … Law360 reports that Steve Bannon has made a deal with Trump’s DOJ where he will plead guilty to his border wall scam for no jail time. He bilked millions from MAGA donors promising to use it to finish the border wall, but pocketed most of the money. … Democratic campaign consultant Fred Wellman on Musk’s claims: “If corruption in government is so pervasive why didn’t James Comer and the House GOP use the Oversight Committee and others to investigate it all instead of Hunter Biden’s dick pics? Because it’s all bullshit.” … James Comer had two years to dig into all this supposed government corruption that Musk is “discovering.” That’s what Oversight Committee is supposed to do. Instead, he spent two years on Hunter Biden - which resulted in nothing except a James Comer book deal. … Ron DeSantis told the Yale Federalist Society that his newly appointed AG James Uthmeier may prosecute Dr. Fauci using state charges to get around Biden’s pardon: “We have got a new AG coming in. I think he’s of the mindset to look at this to see what the jurisdictional hooks are, to see what what if any statutes may have been violated. … Desantis said if FL takes the lead in going after Fauci, then “some other states would also do it. So it may end up boomeranging against Fauci. Biden intended to shield him from accountability and it may have actually sparked state-based efforts to ensure his accountability.” ... Fox host Emily Compagno says Trump’s WH is putting out so much accurate info that there is really no need for investigative reporting: “His Office of Comms is putting out every day all day exactly what they are doing. So all you have to do, legacy media, is simply repeat, retweet, repost, and that is the news, and that is the facts.” … Prof. Peter Goldsmith with the Soybean Innovation Lab: “Today is a dark day when once there were so many winners. The SIL will shutter all it’s doors as all USAID funding has ceased. US soybean farmers lose one of their best tools to expand their markets and US standard globally. International security is a loser, as local populations now fall back into poverty, unrest, and migration, due to great food insecurity. US influence loses as Innovation Labs operate on the ground in direct collaboration with hundreds of local businesses, organizations, and govts building long and lasting friendships. Today we all lose.” … Politico has filed a motion with a court to unseal records related to Kash Patel's appearance before the grand jury in Trump's Mar-a-Lago documents case. … AP reports that the head of the U.N. AIDS agency Winnie Byanyima said that the number of new HIV infections could jump more than 6 times by 2029 if American support of the AIDS program is dropped, warning that millions of people could die and more resistant strains of the disease could emerge: “We will see a surge in this disease. This will cost lives if the American government doesn’t change its mind and maintain its leadership.” … AP: “In one Kenyan county, she said 550 HIV workers were immediately laid off, while thousands of others in Ethiopia were terminated, leaving health officials unable to track the epidemic. She noted that the loss of US funding to HIV programs in some countries was catastrophic, with external funding, mostly from the U.S., accounting for about 90% of their programs.” … Jerusalem Post reports that Christian Zionist leader and host of Focus on Israel, which has millions of viewers globally, Laurie Cardoza-Moore condemned Tucker Carlson after he was in the WH this weekend with Trump and Musk: “Tucker Carlson’s antisemitism does not reflect the values of the Trump Admin. His antisemitism is appalling. Following the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, Tucker has chosen to platform Holocaust revisionists, Jew-haters, and fake Christian leaders on the Palestinian Authority payroll. Carlson should not be allowed anywhere near the WH. His positions on Jews are demonic.” … Republican voter registration organizer Scott Presler: “I’m asking legislators across the country to sponsor legislation that will offer voter registration whenever an eligible American citizen applies for hunting, fishing, concealed carry, and dairy licenses. If Motor Voter is legal, then let’s do Hunter Voter.” … Kristi Noem continued her photo op tour today, this time she was in Guantanamo Bay.