Today in Politics, Bulletin 84. 3/4/25

Ron Filipkowski Mar 5 ∙

… Alina Habba said many veterans getting fired aren’t fit to have federal jobs. She was asked about the high percentage of vets who are federal employees getting fired by DOGE: “We have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people who actually work. That doesn’t mean we are going to forget about our vets - we are going to care for them. But perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment or they’re not willing to come to work.”

… This really tells you all you need to know. They claim to support vets, and they know how to play the game with messaging and symbolism to exploit their patriotism, but every once in a while the mask slips and you see that they really think we’re just suckers and losers.

… Canadian PM Justin Trudeau gave a powerful press conference today responding to Trump launching a tariff war against his country: “Today, the US launched a trade war against Canada: their closest partner and ally - their closest friend. Canadians are reasonable, but we will not back down from a fight. Not when our country is at stake.” Some key moments of his speech:

• "They're talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin - a lying, murderous, dictator. Make that make sense! Canadians are reasonable and we are polite. But we will not back down from a fight.”

• “We’re probably going to keep booing the American anthem. But let me tell Americans, we're not booing you. We're not booing your teams. We're not booing your players. We're booing a policy that is designed to hurt us. And we're insulted. And we're angry. But we're Canadian. Which means we're going to stand up for each other. We're going to fight. And we're going to win.”

• “Canadians are not angry at the American people for this. We don't have anything against Americans. Americans are our neighbors, our friends, our partners. This is a policy decision by the American govt.”

• “I've just spent some time over the past few weeks meeting with allies to talk, and I can tell you that every country is very, very aware that if the American govt is willing to do this to their own closest ally, neighbor, and friend, everyone is vulnerable. What Trump wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy. Because that will make it easier to annex us. First of all, that's never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state.”

• “I want to speak first directly to the American people: Your government has chosen to do this to you. Your government has chosen to put American jobs at risk. They have chosen to raise costs for American consumers on everyday essential items.”

… Trudeau then announced retaliatory tariffs on the US: “Canada will be implementing 25% tariffs against $155 billion of American products. Starting with $30 billion worth of goods immediately, and the remaining $125 billion in 21 days’ time.”

TRUMP LIES:

… Right before Trudeau’s presser, Trump posted this on Truth Social: “Canada doesn’t allow American Banks to do business in Canada, but their banks flood the American Market. Oh, that seems fair to me, doesn’t it?”

… Trudeau responded: "I heard he talked about banking again this morning in a tweet, which doesn't make any sense because 16 banks are currently active in Canada holding about $113 billion worth of assets in this country, so American banks are alive and well and prospering in Canada. It's an example of not really being able to see what he wants - what he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that'll make it easier to annex us."

… Right after Trudeau was done, petulant child Trump rage-posted on Truth Social: “Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!”

… Ontario Premier Doug Ford: “If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything to fight back - including cut off their energy. I’ll do it with a smile on my face. They rely on our energy, so they need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard, we’re going to come back twice as hard. I didn’t start this tariff war, but we’re going to win this tariff war.”

… Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum: “There is no reason, rationale or justification to support this decision that will affect our people and nations. Nobody wins with this decision.” She said she will announce retaliatory tariffs on Sunday.

… China also announced retaliatory tariffs of 15% on US soybeans, chicken, beef, and produce. China also hit several US companies with export restrictions and placed them on its "unreliable entity" list.

… Deputy Secretary of the Intl Chamber of Commerce Andrew Wilson to WSJ: “Our deep concern is that this could be the start of a downward spiral that puts us in 1930s trade-war territory.” When asked if this could result in a global recession: “Right now it’s a coin-flip. It comes down to whether the admin is willing to rethink the utility of tariffs. That puts us in a remarkably precarious position that will cloud the global economy for the coming months.”

… Warren Buffett rarely comments on politics, but made an exception today: “Tariffs are actually an act of war, to some degree. Over time, they are a tax on goods. I mean, the Tooth Fairy doesn’t pay ’em! And then what? You always have to ask that question in economics. You always say, ‘And then what?’”

… Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) to MeidasTouch: “I want everyone to look at their auto insurance bill and their home insurance bill. Take a picture of it now. Take a picture of it 18 months from now. It’s going to go up double digits because your premiums are a message from the future about the cost of living. The cost to repair a car or a house is going to spike because lumber, steel, and aluminum are all taxed now.”

… Oil and gas analyst Patrick De Haan: “As a result of Trump's tariffs- at 12:01am, Irving Oil, a major refinery based in St. John, Canada, adjusted fuel prices on nearly all fuel heading for the US Northeast market to reflect the 10% tariff. Gas and diesel prices in ME, CT, VT, MA, RI, NH are likely to begin rising today- pace will vary- but by mid-March could be 20-40c/gal higher. Jumps may stretch into NY as well.”

… Fox host Maria Bartiromo is not so sure her hero is making the right moves. To Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL): “Are you worried about all of these spending cuts potentially leading to recession? Now we're expecting a contraction in the first quarter.” Trump cultist Steube: “We have to cut spending, and if that means short-term pain for the country, then we're gonna have to walk through that together.”

… We didn’t hear about this “short term pain” stuff during the campaign.

… Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): “I’m against the tariffs and I’m going to do everything I can to stop them. US tariffs inevitably bring Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese tariffs which means higher prices for lumber, steel, aluminum and more expensive homes and cars. Retaliatory tariffs lead to lowered US farm exports, lowered bourbon exports, and less international shipping. Tariffs are taxes and if you tax trade you’ll get less trade and less prosperity.”

… Fox Business host Charles Payne: “Look at GDP projections now - Thursday it was 1Q - 2.3%. Friday it was negative 1.5%. Yesterday it was negative 2.8%. We’re seeing dramatic declines - just free falls! This is scary stuff. There’s a lot more substantial things going on besides tariffs - those haven’t even hit yet. The economic data moving the markets are moving in the wrong direction.”

… A veteran stock market analyst on X: “Target is out with earnings this morning. Comps were flat. A lousy year, and they say 2025 isn't looking so good. So now add Target to the list with Home Depot, Amazon, and Walmart of retailers guiding lower. Looks like a storm is coming.”

… JD Vance created another international incident in a new Fox interview where he disparaged the fighting capabilities of the French and UK military: "If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine. That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years."

… The UK and France recently made the pledge to send 20,000 troops to Ukraine. They also fought with US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

… After a huge backlash ensued, Vance did what he always does - he lied and claimed that he wasn’t talking about those two countries: “This is absurdly dishonest. I don’t even mention the UK or France in the clip.”

… Veteran UK Journalist Antonello Guerrera, who posted the clip that Vance was referring to, responded: “Could you please tell us which ‘random countries’ were you referring to in the video, as so far only the UK and France have announced to be willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine?”

… Former UK Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer: "This clown needs to check his privilege. I read JD Vance’s book. By his own admission he spent his time in the Marines 'writing articles and taking pictures'. Perhaps if he had got his hands dirty serving his country like so many of his fellow American and British veterans, chasing his own country’s crazy foreign policy ideas, he might not be so quick to dismiss their sacrifice."

… Vance was a correspondent during his service in the Marines and was never in combat.

… Former Armed Forces Minister James Heappey: "Serving with the USA and France were defining moments of my military career. Sad to hear the relationship reduced to this."

… Former British Army Officer and Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty: "JD ‘I was lucky to escape any real fighting' Vance wrote in his 2016 memoir about his time as a Marine Corps journalist in Iraq. I was part of British forces fighting in highly kinetic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the latter in response to the US’s invocation of NATO Article 5 following 9/11. The disrespect shown by the new US VP to the sacrifices of our service personnel is unacceptable."

… Trump/Vance ally and UK Reform Party leader Nigel Farage told GB News that Vance was “wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. For 20 years in Afghanistan - pro rata our size against America's - we spent the same amount of money, we put the same number of men and women in, and we suffered the same losses. We stood by America all through those 20 years, putting in exactly the same contribution. And, alright, they may be 6 times bigger but we did our bit. So, on this one, JD is wrong.”

(****DEREK CHAUVIN WAS CONVICTED ON STATE CHARGES BY A JURY. MUSKRAT IS BRAIN DEAD & NEEDS TO FAMILIRIZE HIMSELF WITH LAW. TRUMP CANNOT PARDON STATE CHARGES!****)

… Elon Musk posted on X that it is time for Trump to consider pardoning Derek Chauvin, the police officer who was convicted in both state and federal court of murdering George Floyd.

… Reuters reported that Trump is going to withhold further aid to Ukraine that was previously voted on and approved by Congress. A US official told them: "President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution."

… Sen. Susan Collins told CNN that she’s concerned: “This is a critical time for Ukraine. And I managed the Ukraine supplemental last year that provided additional help to Ukraine, and I do not think we should be pausing our efforts. It's the Ukrainians who are shedding blood. It is Putin who launched an unprovoked and unjustified attack on a free, democratic and sovereign country. And I am not backing off my support for Ukraine.”

… Fox host Brian Kilmeade went rogue and posted this on X last night: “Can we all remember Russia is the bad guy? They invaded, they kidnap kids. Whatever happens, Ukraine cannot lose. Eastern Europe will be next.”

… I figured he was drunk, since the syntax was a little garbled and he just randomly went after Trump. But no, he came on air this morning and said this: “If the president wants maximum leverage for a great negotiation, he shouldn’t do Russia a favor by cutting off aid to Ukraine. He just gave Russia a huge advantage. Now what’s Russia’s incentive to get to the table?”

… Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) was asked on Fox why SecDef Pete Hegseth stopped Cyber Command from conducting operations to combat cyber attacks from Russia: “The Admin is trying to be the middle of the road neutral arbiter that can be viewed by both sides as somebody that can bring a peace deal. That’s why they’re stepping away in that respect.”

A reminder that there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my live podcast Uncovered on Wednesdays at 4:00 pm ET where we do a deep dive into the Top 10 stories of the week. It is called Uncovered because we report of a lot of things that were not covered by legacy media outlets.

If you were not one of the 278,434 people who read yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… Marge Greene’s boyfriend Brian Glenn was asked by BBC if he was aware he upset a lot of people when he told Zelensky in the Oval Office it was disrespectful that he wasn’t wearing a suit: “I know by the tens of thousands of comments I received on social media, death threats, phone calls. I don’t know how they got my number. My intention was just to see if he understood the level of respect that people have when they go to the Oval Office.”

… When the host asked Glenn why he hasn’t complained about Musk wearing a tee shirt and hat in the Oval Office, he said it’s ok for him because “he’s saving us billions of dollars.”

… Ukraine PM Denys Shmyhal: "Our military and the government have the capabilities, the tools, to maintain the situation on the front line. We will continue to work with the US through all available channels in a calm manner. We only have one plan - to win and to survive. Either we win, or the Plan B will be written by someone else."

… Military expert Michael Kofman told them the impact of this will not be felt for several months, which will give Europe time to step into the break if this continues: "It's pretty significant, but not nearly as impactful as it would have been earlier in the war because Ukraine is far less dependent on direct US military assistance now."

… The EU is having an emergency summit on Thursday to deal with crisis. EU President Ursula von der Leyen previewed a Rearm Europe Plan: “We are in an era of rearmament. Europe is ready to massively increase defense spending by $840 billion. The EU will waive budget rules for members to allow them to run a deficit for defense purposes and provide loans to countries to increase weapons production plants: “This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up.”

… Former Rep. Tom Malinowski on CNN: “Zelenskyy did not want to have a meeting with Trump on national TV. I mean, this is a weird thing that's happening now that we are negotiating with foreign leaders on couches in front of national TV. Zelensky came to sign the mineral deal. And since the oval office meeting, he has repeatedly said, ‘I'm ready to sign the mineral deal’. It's Trump who's not signing the mineral deal because what he really wants is to have his ego stroked. His fragile ego is more important right now than the national security of the US.”

… “And this goes way beyond Ukraine. This same problem is why top Republicans aren't willing to tell Trump that these tariffs that he just imposed are going to tank the U.S. economy - because no one is allowed to contradict the President. Zelensky is not allowed to do it. Republicans in Congress aren't allowed to do it.”

… Rep. Darrell Issa R-CA): “Today, I will nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. No one deserves it more.”

… Zelensky issued a new statement today trying to make the petulant child who is our president happy: “We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal. We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence.

… “We remember the moment when things changed when Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this. Our meeting at the WH did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive. Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.”

… Kristi Noem was migrant hunting in Arlington, VA this morning:

… Tesla sales are tanking all over the world as Elon Musk’s politics have become toxic to the brand. Reuters reports that sales were down 42% in Sweden last month, Norway down 48%, France down 45%, Denmark down 48%. Sales are also way down in UK and Germany.

… Auto industry mag Fast Company: “China is Tesla’s 2nd most important market after the US. However, sales in the country fell off a cliff last month. In February 2025, Tesla sold just 30,688 cars in China. That is a staggering decline of 49.2% from a year earlier. It’s also the lowest number of vehicles Tesla has sold in any month in China since August 2022. During the same month, one of Tesla’s main Chinese competitors, BYD, reported 614,679 vehicles sold—a 90.4% increase.”

… This was a parade yesterday in Dusseldorf, Germany.

… House Republicans launched a new strategy today to deal with the fallout from Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts - hide from their constituents. From WSJ: “NRCC Chair Richard Hudson just very dramatically told members to put down their phones and listen. He said no one should be doing town halls. Likened it to 2017, said the protests at town halls and district offices are going to get even worse. Another congresswoman got up and complained that they’ve been picketing at her house and targeting her kid.”

… Tim Walz: “That’s a shame. If your Republican representative won’t meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will. Hell, maybe I will. If your congressman refuses to meet, I’ll come host an event in their district to help local Democrats beat ‘em.”

… Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) told Spectrum News that he doesn’t agree with the plan and is still doing his town hall in a few days in Asheville: “I enjoy getting out among the people. The constituents have asked for it, they’ve demanded it, and my responsibility is to hear from people even though their opinions might differ from mine. We should not shy away from the conversation.”

… With a govt shutdown looming in 11 days and Republicans unable to pass a budget, Democrats told Politico that they are not going to vote for Mike Johnson’s Plan B - which is to pass a CR to continue current tax and spending levels until Sept to give them more time to figure things out. One senior Dem House aide: “Nobody wants a shutdown, but they don’t feel like aiding and abetting what’s happening, with Musk and Trump taking a wrecking ball to health care in particular. Why would we be complicit in that?”

… Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) on whether she would vote for a Johnson CR: “No fucking way!”

… Politico’s Rachel Bade: “Some senior House Dems believe the impacts of the DOGE cuts have already created a shutdown of sorts, and passing a clean funding extension would effectively green-light the status quo and potentially undercut pending court cases challenging Trump and Musk.”

… “Dems have been emboldened by recent polling showing that the public has started to shift against DOGE, as Americans hear more about potentially losing benefits and veterans getting kicked out of jobs. Perhaps most importantly, Dems up and down the leadership chain are hearing not only from the liberal base but people they consider more mainstream - donors, strategists and constituents who believe they need to show some fight, and fast.”

… Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI): “This morning, I sent a letter to Secretary Doug Collins calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to review and reconsider their workforce reduction process to ensure only those who have truly underperformed are relieved of duty. Our veterans deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, even if separation is warranted. We need to get this right.”

… Trump posted on Truth Social that he wants protests on college campuses to end: “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

… It will be interesting to see how he or his DOJ defines “illegal protest.”

… 9News CO reports that DOJ has filed a ‘Statement of Interest’ in the case of Mike Lindell associate Tina Peters, who was convicted and sentenced to 9 years in prison for tampering with voting machines and disclosing confidential voting data to outside parties in her quest to prove the 2020 election was rigged. The filing says DOJ is searching for “abuses of the criminal justice process." It is highly unusual for DOJ to do something like this in a state court prosecution.

… Republican leaders in Colorado have asked Trump to withhold federal funding to their state until Democratic Gov. Jared Polis agrees to pardon Peters.

… Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) went on Matt Gaetz’s show on OAN last night and made a wild claim that the FBI Director in NY was just fired for obstructing the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Gaetz was shocked because there has been no reporting anywhere on that, and it would be a huge story. So Gaetz asked Luna for her source: “As of right now, it appears to be so. I just saw this being reported on X, so I haven’t had time to confirm it.”

… Didn’t happen.

… AG Pam Bondi says that she will be firing a lot more people: “There are a lot of people in the FBI and in the DOJ who despise Donald Trump, despise us, don't want us to be there. We will find them because you have to believe in transparency. You have to believe in honesty and right now we're going to to root them out. We will find them and they will no longer be employed.”

… Rep. Nancy Mace continued her anti-trans crusade by posting this on X. Except this is a photo of a male lion.

… Right after she was confirmed as Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon announced that her “final mission” will be to dismantle the agency: "Send it back to the states. Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the president they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education—a momentous final mission—quickly and responsibly."

… Protesters are gathering outside Capitol today before Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress tonight.