Today in Politics, Bulletin 117. 4/24/25 Ron Filipkowski Apr 24 ∙ … Tommy Tuberville announced that he will be leaving the Senate next year to run for Governor of Alabama. … From Yellowhammer: “Back in state while Congress is in recess, Tuberville told a group of donors at a private event on Wed night that his mind is officially made up. Rather than seeking re-election to the Senate, he is ready to run his next race in AL, and serve the people of the state in Montgomery instead of Washington. An official campaign announcement is imminent in the coming weeks. Tuberville has been privately discussing jumping into the 2026 gubernatorial race for quite some time.” … Trump called for Rupert Murdoch to fire the Fox pollster after their latest poll showed his approval rating slumping to a dismal 44%. Presidents typically enjoy a honeymoon period with the public during their first 100 days, but Trump’s first few months has a majority of Americans looking for a divorce. … Trump: “Rupert Murdoch has told me for years that he is going to get rid of his FoxNews, Trump Hating, Fake Pollster, but he has never done so. This ‘pollster’ has gotten me, and MAGA, wrong for years. Also, and while he’s at it, he should start making changes at the China Loving Wall Street Journal. It sucks!!!” … Fox host Bret Baier on air announcing the poll: “If you look at our new Fox News poll at 100 days job approval compared to other presidents, there you see the president at 44% and you see his first term at 45% at this mark.” … Fox Poll: Do you think imposing tariffs or fees on products imported from other countries makes the products you buy more expensive, less expensive, or doesn't make much difference? More: 72%, Less: 7%. … Fox Poll: Do you think imposing tariffs or fees on products imported from other countries helps the US economy, hurts the economy, or doesn't make much of a difference either way? Helps: 32%, Hurts: 55%. … Pew Research: “With President Trump’s second term approaching its 100-day mark, 40% of Americans approve of how he’s handling the job – a decline of 7% from February. 59% of Americans disapprove of the admin’s tariff increases, while 39% approve. 55% disapprove of the cuts the admin is making to federal departments and agencies, while 44% approve. … Pew: “Trump’s use of executive authority also comes in for criticism: 51% of US adults say he is setting too much policy via executive order. Far smaller shares say he is doing about the right amount (27%) or too little (5%) through executive orders.” … The Reuters/IPSOS poll is also bad: “Just 37% of respondents approve of Trump's handling of the economy, down from 42% in the hours after his inauguration, when he promised to supercharge the economy and bring about a ‘Golden Age of America.’ The reading is well below than at any point in his first term, when it ranged from the mid-40's to mid-50's.” … James Pethokoukis, with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, to Reuters: "You have a president who promised a golden age. But everything that's supposed to be up is down, everything that's supposed to be down is up." … Trump was asked about the steep drop in international tourism to the US: "It's not a big deal." … Axios reported that Elon Musk and Treasury Sec Scott Bessent hate each other and have been going at it, including an argument last week where they were in each other’s face screaming back and forth. One witness: "It was two billionaire, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing. They were not physical in the Oval, but the president saw it, and then they carried it down the hall, and that's when they did it again.” … A second witness: "It was quite a scene. It was loud. And I mean, loud." … A third Trump official: "Everyone thinks DOGE is great, but Elon's antics are just a bit much.” … Another: "Scott can't stand Musk. That goes pretty deep and pretty far back. But he's acting like a grown-up about it." … WaPo: “The showdown was just Musk’s latest confrontation with a top Trump appointee in a 3-month govt stint that has been peppered with controversy. He has rebuked officials such as Sec of State Rubio, Trans Sec Duffy and Trade Adviser Navarro in meetings or on social media, calling them incompetent or suggesting that they have lied. He also alienated Trump aides with unscripted remarks and abrupt edicts, forcing political appointees to scramble to explain his decisions.” … Press Sec Karoline Leavitt was asked about the story: "It's no secret President Trump has put together a team of people who are incredibly passionate about the issues impacting our country. Disagreements are a normal part of any healthy policy process, and ultimately everyone knows they serve at the pleasure of President Trump." … Trump is now speaking about Musk as if he is already gone: "He was a tremendous help.” … Steve Bannon, who despises Musk, is dancing on his grave: “Elon Musk should be required to submit a certified inventory of all the fraud and waste he found while in government, and there should be full disclosure of any non-governmental entities to have obtained sensitive federal data through DOGE.” … Fox: “Another US MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down by the Houthis in Yemen on Tuesday. This is the 7th MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down by the Houthis since March 3rd. It is the 6th US MQ-9 drone shot down over Yemen since US Central Command began daily airstrikes on the Houthis on March 15th. Today marks Day 40 of US daily air strikes against the Houthis, and yet the Houthis continue to fire missiles to shoot these expensive US assets down. Each MQ-9 drone costs about $30 million a piece.” … Whenever the subject of Pete Hegseth comes up, Trump always defends him by saying he’s doing a great job destroying the Houthis. Doesn’t sound like winning to me. … Fox Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume: “Trump keeps pounding Zelensky and saying it's harder to deal with him than it is with Putin. Putin hasn't agreed to much of anything except yes, he'd love to annex Crimea, which is part of the proposal that's before him now. That's no concession. All that is, is taking a gain. Zelensky resists that because Crimea, up until the Russians invaded it 10 years or so ago, was part of Ukraine. So, I'm not exactly sure what the president's talking about when he says that Zelensky has been more difficult to deal with than Putin." … Trump ally and former UK PM Boris Johnson: “Putin indiscriminately butchers more Ukrainian civilians, killing and injuring 100 in Kyiv including children. And what is his reward under the US peace proposals? 1. The right to keep sovereign Ukrainian territory he has taken by violence and in breach of international law. 2. The right to control Ukraine’s destiny by forbidding NATO membership. 3. The lifting of sanctions against Russia. 4. An economic partnership with America. 5. The chance to rebuild his armed forces for the next attack in a few short years’ time.” … “As for Ukraine - what do they get after 3 years of heroic resistance against a brutal and unprovoked invasion? What is their reward for the appalling sacrifices they have made? Apart from the right to share their natural resources with the US, they get nothing. What is there in this deal that can realistically stop a third Russian invasion? Nothing. If we are to prevent more atrocities by Putin then we must have a long term, credible and above all properly funded security guarantee for Ukraine - a guarantee issued by the UK, the US and all western allies.” … Since nothing else is working, Trump tried a new strategy today with this Truth Social post: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!” … At the WH later, Trump was asked if he really thought Putin was going to stop bombing civilians in Ukraine because of his Truth Social post: “I do.” … Trump was asked what Russia was being asked to give up in the US peace proposal: “Stopping the war, stopping taking the whole country. Pretty big concessions.” … Sec of State Marco Rubio with Trump today: “Everyone should be thanking the president for being a peacemaker and trying to save lives.” … The sycophants are obsessed with everyone else kissing Trump’s ass as much as they do. Pathetic. … Pete Hegseth on Tuesday about his Chief of Staff Joe Kasper: "He's staying with us. Going to be in a slightly different role, but he's not going anywhere, certainly not fired." … Today from Politico: “SCOOP: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's controversial chief of staff, Joe Kasper is *OUT* and will leave DOD today. Kasper is the *FIFTH* top DOD official to leave the agency in the past week, and was a central figure in a power struggle that cost three top aides their jobs.” … AP: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer. Known as a dirty’ internet line by the IT industry, it connects directly to the public internet where the user’s information and the websites accessed do not have the same security filters or protocols that the Pentagon’s secured connections maintain.” … WaPo reported that Pete Hegseth used a workaround so he could continue to use Signal in secure areas where he wasn’t permitted to use his personal cell phone, by installing the app on a computer in his Pentagon office. … Fox: “Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) says he spoke to President Trump earlier today about Defense Secretary Hegseth and advised the President to put more ‘establishment’ military advisors around Hegseth in the wake of the purge of Hegseth advisors, most of whom were friends and family.” … Sound like he’s talking about the Deep State. … CBS reported that Hegseth ordered modifications to a room next to the Pentagon press briefing room to retrofit it with a makeup studio that can be used to prepare for TV appearances: “The price tag for the project was several thousand dollars, according to two of the sources, at a time when the admin is searching for cost-cutting measures. The renovation that was initially planned was estimated to cost more than $40,000, but the ideas were scaled back.” … DOD spokesperson responded to the story: "Changes and upgrades to the Pentagon Briefing Room are nothing new and routinely happen during changes in an admin." … Full-time social media troll/part-time govt employee Hegseth posted a response to the story: “1) Totally fake story. No ‘orders’ and no ‘makeup’ - but whatever. 2) We should have installed tampon machines in every men’s bathroom at DoD instead - the leftist ‘news’ media would have loved that.” … Commerce Sec Howard Lutnick was in the Oval Office doing what he does best, kissing Trump’s ass just like Rubio, although he seems to enjoy it more than Lil Marco: "All those factories that you're bringing in because of your trade policy - we're gonna train people in tradecraft. Bring back tradecraft to America so that people can work in these factories with great paying jobs. We're gonna remake the American dream." … Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald: “Meanwhile in China they have already built robots to do ‘tradecraft’ - and retrained factory workers as mechanical engineers to use technology to run robotics. Old school factory jobs will not bring back the American dream - it will set us back decades. We need more engineers, not assembly line workers.” … After Trump claimed yesterday that officials in his Admin were actively negotiating a new trade deal with China, Ministry of Commerce spokesman He Yadong said Trump is lying: “Any claims about the progress of China-US trade negotiations are groundless as trying to catch the wind and have no factual basis. The unilateral tariff increase measures were initiated by the US. If the US really wants to solve the problem, it should face up to the rational voices of the international community and all parties at home, completely cancel all unilateral tariff measures against China, and find ways to resolve differences through equal dialogue.” … China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun also said there has been no talks: “This tariff war was launched by the US, and the Chinese side’s position has always been clear and consistent. If we fight, we will fight to the end; if we talk, the door is wide open. Any dialogue or negotiation must be based on equality, respect and mutual benefit.” … Reporter to Trump today: China is saying that it’s fake news that trade talks are happening. Trump: “They had a meeting this morning. We’ve been meeting with China. I think you have your reporting wrong.” Reporter: Who is “they”? Trump: “It doesn’t matter who ‘they’ is.” … In other words, just more lies from Trump. There are no talks. … WSJ: “Well aware of the divisions inside the US, Chinese state media in recent weeks has portrayed Trump as out of touch with many American voters, with Trump’s policies stirring inflationary concerns and raising uncertainty that has hampered business investment and hiring. On Thursday, it highlighted the news that 12 states have sued the Trump admin over the tariffs.” … WaPo: “Senior aides across Trump admin are holding high-level meetings over China curbs on rare earths critical to huge range of US economic activity. Deep concern about impact; no easy answers. Companies relying on reserves that wont last forever. It may help explain to explain Trump’s blink. Beijing does not feel like it is going to back down and that the US is in no position to dictate terms. A big, big part of that is rare earths, where they feel they have the capacity to do significant harm to American manufacturers.” … This is what I posted back on April 4: … Fox Business analyst Charles Gasparino: “The talk on Wall Street based on their sources inside the WH is that Team Trump is looking for a face-saving off ramp on trade even with China. It’s why you see the conflicting responses out of Bessent; they’re an attempt to negotiate through the media, acting tough but signaling the need for a deal (calling the China contretemps unsustainable because they are).” … Gasparino: “I hear one possible way out of this is not to do done deals, but to announce some broad outline that avoids what people inside the admin know but won’t say: An economic catastrophe if the original plan with China is implemented given just how much US businesses deal with the Mainland and the rest of Asia.” Yesterday on my podcast Uncovered we did a deeper dive into the Top 10 stories of the week. Link to show is here. This was a VERY BUSY news day with stuff happening all over the place, so this is a long Bulletin with quite a ways to go! Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … Bloomberg reported that Bessent’s plan to create an Asian trading bloc against China as leverage for the US has failed miserably: “Japan intends to push back against any US effort to bring it into an economic bloc aligned against China because of the importance of Tokyo’s trade ties with Beijing, according to Japanese govt officials.” … Bessent’s plan was to create a ‘Grand Encirclement’ of China where the US would make deals with Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and India, and part of the agreements would be that they would impose tariffs on China or cut ties with them in certain sectors. But he got zero takers, so that plan is toast. And they have no Plan B. … Craig Fuller of FreightWaves.com: “Import volumes will start drying up the first week of May. Companies tied to imports: port operators, truckers, warehouses, forwarders, and railroads will all struggle. Layoffs the following week. POTUS needs to declare victory by mid-next week, or we will be looking at a doomsday scenario for West Coast supply chain workers. The logistics industry employs 8 million people in the US.” … Exit polls showed 80% of truckers voted for Trump. … Trump complained about Chinese airlines refusing to move forward with orders from Boeing after he imposed tariffs, which is costing the company billions: “Boeing should default China for not taking the beautifully finished planes that China committed to purchase. This is just a small example of what China has done to the USA, for years!” … 13 days ago, Peter Navarro went on Fox and predicted the Admin was going to made trade deals with 90 different countries over the next 90 days. Today is Day 13. Still no deals. … Citadel CEO Ken Griffin told Semafor that US Treasuries’ brand used to be the gold standard as a safe and reliable investment, but Trump has “put that brand at risk. It can be a lifetime to repair the damage that has been done.” He talked about capital fleeing the US for other bond and currency markets, especially Europe: “There’s no great opportunity when the pie is rapidly shrinking. All you’re trying to do is tread water and not drown.” … Griffin: “How does Canada feel about our country today versus two months ago? How does Europe feel about the US today versus two months ago? And some people scream, well, it just doesn’t matter. But you know what? It matters for a very profound reason. The entire Western world is engulfed in a debt crisis.” … Bridgewater, the largest hedge fund in the world, in their latest newsletter: "We have been through many big economic shifts over Bridgewater's 50-year history, so we don't speak lightly when we say that this looks like a once-in-a-generation one. We see exceptional risks to US assets." … Trump has Biden Derangement Syndrome: NBC reported that Trump has mentioned Joe Biden’s name 580 times since his inauguration. … The Forward reported that Trump’s insane nominee for DC US Attorney Ed Martin is now apologizing for praising a Nazi sympathizer as he awaits his Senate confirmation: “Martin said ‘I’m sorry’ about his praise for Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, who is described by DOJ as a Nazi sympathizer and white supremacist. Martin called Hale-Cusanelli ‘extraordinary’ while emceeing an awards ceremony last year at Trump’s golf club in NJ.” … Martin: “I denounce everything about what that guy said, everything about the way he talked, and all as I’ve now seen it. At the time, I didn’t know it. I certainly didn’t know all the terrible things that he said and how he had acted. I think that’s terrible, and I denounced it completely. I hate it. I hate that it happened.” … Politico’s Kyle Cheney: “It is unfathomable that Martin was unaware of the widely publicized allegations about Hale-Cusanelli, who he has interviewed for hours and whose case made national headlines for years after Jan.6.” … Las-Vegas Review Journal: “JUST IN - Michele Fiore, the ex-Las Vegas councilwoman found guilty of defrauding donors who believed they were giving money for a statue to honor a fallen police officer, said President Trump has given her ‘a full and unconditional pardon.” … NBC reported that the liberal nonprofit Demand Justice is launching a media campaign called ‘Big Law Cowards’ that targets 8 law firms that have surrendered to Trump’s threats: “The group says the ads will be wheatpasted strategically around Washington on Thursday near the locations of the firms that have reached deals with the administration. The group will also have a mobile billboard circulating with ads criticizing the firms, along with a broader digital campaign.” … Maggie Jo Buchanan, executive director of Demand Justice: “When you see some of the most powerful law firms in the country, if not the world, unwilling to stand up to the admin when ordinary people are speaking out, we think it’s really important to shine a bright light on that and really show that ordinary people demand that those most powerful speak out against the admin and not bend the knee.” … Right-wing “investigative journalist” Laura Loomer has launched a new business enterprise in the wake of Elon Musk’s baby mama scandals: “At Loomered Strategies, I provide executive level vetting and a service called MATRIMONIAL DUE DILIGENCE. Let us vet your prospective sexual partners for you. At Loomered Strategies, we do the leg work before you spread yours. Slide into our DMs for more info.” … Trump continues to change the number hourly on egg prices. This was the latest update today: “Gas and grocery prices are WAY DOWN, just like I said they would be. Eggs are plentiful, and down 87%. NICE!” … Dimestore Goebbels Stephen Miller continues to complain about giving people due process. On Fox: “This is the choice facing every American. Either we all side and get behind President Trump to remove these terrorists from our communities or we let a rogue radical left judiciary shut down the machinery of our national security apparatus. President Trump will make this nation safer than ever before and do it over the fighting and opposition of the communist left-wing judges.” … The latest ruling came from federal District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher, who was appointed by Trump. Not a radical left marxist. … Daily Beast reported that DOGE moving 4 million people in the Social Security Dead Master File is creating havoc. Rennie Glasgow, a SSA claims analyst: “We have people who did not receive benefits come in every day with their ID and say, ‘I’m not dead, I’m alive!’ … Glasgow: “DOGE staffers went into the system and they killed off people. About 4 million people, they marked them as dead. But they’re not sure if those people were supposed to be marked as dead, so they’re sending us an email saying, ‘If these people come into the office with their identification, you can reinstate them.’ So we’re going to be resurrecting a lot of dead people. We have to go through this long process to resurrect them, to get them back as alive, which can take about 3-4 days.” … “When they mark someone dead on the Social Security record, it stops their life. It stops their car payments, it stops their credit, it stops their ability to do anything. Their identification gets flagged. And most times those things have to go to the payment center.” … NYT reported that Trump invited the top 220 investors in his $TRUMP crypto scam to “a private intimate dinner” with him at his club in VA, followed by a private tour of the WH. The invitation: “Have Dinner with President Trump and the $TRUMP Community! Let the President know how many $TRUMP coins YOU own!” … NYT: “As news of the dinner invitation spread on social media, the memecoin’s price surged more than 60%, suggesting that investors were rushing to accumulate the coin to qualify for a seat at the dinner.” … Corey Frayer, who oversaw crypto policy for the SEC during the Biden admin: “This is really incredible. They are making the pay-to-play deal explicit.” … Trump announced a surprise interview: “Later today I will be meeting with, of all people, Jeffrey Goldberg, the Editor of The Atlantic, and the person responsible for many fictional stories about me, including the made-up HOAX on ‘Suckers and Losers’ and, SignalGate, something he was somewhat more ‘successful’ with. The story they are writing will be entitled, ‘The Most Consequential President of this Century.’ I am doing this interview out of curiosity, and as a competition with myself, just to see if it’s possible for The Atlantic to be ‘truthful.’ Are they capable of writing a fair story on ‘TRUMP’?” … Laura Loomer isn’t happy about it: “I find it to be fascinating how the White House press team has refused to get back to me and my multiple requests for a White House press pass as I continue to break the most consequential stories, but Trump haters are welcomed into the Oval Office. Truly incredible.” … NOTUS reported that DNC Chair Ken Martin announced a rule proposal today in response to co-Vice Chair David Hogg’s announcement that he will use $20 million in his PAC to back challengers to incumbent Democrats in safe districts. The new rule will state that DNC officials must remain neutral in primaries. The rule will be voted on in August. … Martin to WaPo on Hogg: “No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election. While certainly I understand what he’s trying to do, as I’ve said to him, if you want to challenge incumbents, you’re free to do that, just not as a DNC officer.” … Martin also announced what he called the "largest-ever investment" in state parties. He said that each state party will receive a baseline of $17,500/month, but parties in "Republican-controlled states" will get an extra $5,000/month ($22,500 total). … Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Stacey Abrams considering her 3rd run for Governor: “Every Georgia Democrat is scared to death Abrams runs again because they know they can’t beat her in the primary,” says one GOP strategist. “But she’s also probably their worst candidate in the general.” … Disgraced former Republican Rep. George Santos has his sentencing tomorrow, and things aren’t looking good for the serial fraudster. He spoke to the NYT about it: “Right now, my expectation is I’m going to prison for 87 months. I’m totally resigned.” … The government is asking for 87 months in prison, which is what Santos’s sentencing guidelines recommends. Santos is asking for 24 months, which is the minimum mandatory sentence allowed by law. … The Times said his false public bravado is gone and Santos seemed depressed and dejected after not hearing from Trump on a pardon: “I came to this world alone. I will deal with it alone, and I will go out alone.” … I believe that Elise Stefanik is blocking a Santos pardon from Trump. She hates him because she called all her biggest donors to vouch for Santos when questions were being raised about his shady background. She wanted to win that seat so bad and she got burned when the full truth came out. They opened up their checkbooks despite their concerns because of Stefanik, and they all got defrauded. … Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) announced that FEMA has denied disaster aid for 8 counties affected by serious flooding in his state. FEMA wrote to him: “Based on the results of the joint Preliminary Damage Assessments, it has been determined that the impact to the individuals and households in Butler, Franklin, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, and Whitley Counties is not of the severity and magnitude to warrant their designation under the Individual Assistance program.” … “In addition, it has been determined that the impact to the infrastructure in Simpson and Woodford Counties is not of the severity and magnitude to warrant their designation under the Public Assistance program.” … Beshear: “We are disappointed to receive this latest news. We are actively comparing the damage assessments, and we plan to appeal this decision.” … Right-wing podcaster and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was just asked which Democratic candidate would have the best chance to win the presidency against the Republican nominee in 2028. Kirk: “Andy Beshear.”