… Serial fraudster George Santos was sentenced to 87 months in prison today for his role in defrauding donors and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations on lavish personal expenses. The former Republican Rep. was expelled from Congress in 2023.
… NYT: “He covered his face and was sobbing as the sentence was read. Judge Seybert said she did not believe Santos had shown remorse or contrition.”
… Last night before his sentencing, Santos went on Matt Gaetz’s show on OAN to talk about doing time in prison: “I plan to serve the entirely of any sentence in solitary confinement because I fear for my safety. It is definitely not an easy task.”
… He also offered a 67% discount on his Cameos this week as a “going out of business” sale to his fans. This was one of his previous Cameos when they were $500 each.
… Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the FBI today for allegedly obstructing justice by helping a migrant avoid arrest by ICE. Director Kash Patel: "The FBI arrested Judge Dugan on charges of obstruction - after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week. We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected fed agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject - an illegal alien -to evade arrest."
… Judge Dugan reportedly allowed Ruiz, who had a court date in her courtroom, to enter the jury room which had a back door which allowed him to exit the building as ICE agents were entering. He was apprehended after a short foot chase outside.
… AG Pam Bondi: "What has happened to our judiciary is beyond me. They are deranged. We are sending a very strong message today - we will come after you and we will prosecute you. We will find you."
… In a new interview with TIME, Trump claimed that China’s President Xi has called him to try and make a trade deal:
TIME: Will you call President Xi if he doesn’t call you?
TRUMP: No.
TIME: You won’t?
TRUMP: Nope.
TIME: Has he called you yet?
TRUMP: Yep.
TIME: When did he call you?
TRUMP: He's called.
… As Trump was boarding AF1 to fly to Rome today for the Pope’s funeral, he was asked about this claim that he spoke to Xi about a trade deal. REPORTER: You said you have spoken to President Xi. When did that happen? China says it hasn't happened. TRUMP: “I spoke to him numerous times. So, we're leaving and going to Rome. It's going to be very interesting.” Bye.
… Gov. Gavin Newsom was asked by MeidasTouch to give his take on Trump’s false claims that he’s negotiating with China: “Well, I saw a meme of Xi reading The Art of the Deal and laughing. I think that summed everything up. I mean, here’s Trump negotiating against himself.”
… “The impact of this is outsized in my state. I’ve got the Port of Long Beach—40% of the goods that move through this country come through LA and Long Beach—and it’s starting to dry up. There’s a significant decline in cargo coming into the US. This is the #1 manufacturing state in America. It’s the #1 state in terms of direct foreign investment and two-way trade. We dominate in every economic category. So I just pray that we can get a deal with China because of its outsized influence. I’ll just make one simple point - as a guy with 4 young kids: 80% of the toys that are supposed to be coming in the ports right now for the holidays come from China.”
… CNBC: “Amazon merchants are hiking prices for everything from diaper bags and refrigerator magnets to charm necklaces and other top-selling items as they confront higher import costs. E-commerce software company SmartScout tracked 930 products on Amazon that have seen increased prices since April 9, with an average jump of 29%. The price hikes affect a range of categories, including clothing, jewelry, household items, office supplies, electronics and toys.
… “The trade war with China has threatened to upend sellers on Amazon’s third-party marketplace, which accounts for about 60% of the company’s online sales. Many merchants are based in China or rely on the world’s second-largest economy to source and assemble their products.”
… Trump was asked about Peter Navarro’s pledge 14 days ago that they would make 90 trade deals in 90 days:
Trump: I’ve made 200 deals.
TIME: You’ve made 200 deals?
Trump: 100%.
TIME: I’m just curious, why don’t you announce these deals that you’ve solidified?
Trump: I would say, over the next 3-4 weeks.
… Usually he says “2 weeks” when things are never going to happen. This is so bad he’s saying 3-4.
… Treasury Sec Scott Bessent and Trump both announced that they expect their first trade deal to be with S. Korea. Univ. of Michigan’s Justin Wolfers explained on CBS why this is another Trump PR scam: “We already have a free trade agreement with Korea! We’ve had one for nearly 20 years. Almost all trade with the US and Korea is tariff free. There’s nothing more you can do, so of course they are going to sign an agreement. But this agreement would only paper over the problems that the Trump admin has created.”
… South China Morning Post reported that Chinese importers have canceled 12,030 metric tons of American pork. Dexter Roberts with the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub says they are doing this specifically to hurt Trump voters: “This is a targeted response from China to hurt parts of the US that are red. People are very aware of this and very worried. One bad year and you might be mortgaging the farm.”
… The National Pork Producers Council: “China’s duties on US imports have raised the effective tariff rate on pork shipments to 172%. US pork producers remain at the tip of the spear with China tariffs. The new tariffs make it impossible for American pork producers to compete in that market”.
… China bought $125 million in US pork last year.
… Fox Business host Stuart Varney: Has the president's policies thus far brought any new manufacturing jobs to your district? Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI): “The number one thing that the president is bringing to our state and specifically my district is hope.”
… Trump was pressed by TIME on his broken promise to end war in Ukraine 24 hours after he took office: “Well, I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration, because to make a point, and you know, it gets, of course, twisted by the fake news. Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest.”
… I watched him say it hundreds of times. Posted the video clips. At no time was he joking - he was assuring voters that he would stop the war immediately if they elected him. Besides, Trump doesn’t joke. About anything. He lied, and now he’s lying about the lie.
… Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was back in Moscow again today to meet with his good friend Putin. As usual, he inexplicably went alone to the meeting with Putin and his top advisors. He did not attend the talks in London with the leaders of Ukraine, for some unknown reason since he’s supposed to be our chief negotiator.
… Fox Chief Nat Sec Correspondent Jennifer Griffin: “Where are the subject matter experts with Witkoff? Putin, the KGB officer, is laughing. Meanwhile the instability at the Pentagon is not helping project strength during these delicate negotiations. There is still no confirmed NSA (Cyber Command) director after Hegseth fired Gen Hauck and his deputy for no reason, not even a nominee yet for the person overseeing the crown jewel of US intelligence and SIGINT, which might come into handy when you are negotiating with Putin and Xi.”
… Alex Marquardt, CNN’s Chief Nat Sec Correspondent: “Yet again, Witkoff meets with Putin with no other senior US officials. While Putin has two of his closest aides. This is the 4th Witkoff-Putin meeting this year and Witkoff doesn't appear to have taken a senior diplomat/intel/expert with him to any of them.”
… Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA): “I’VE SEEN ENOUGH KILLING OF INNOCENT UKRAINIAN women and children. President Trump please put the toughest of sanctions on Putin. You ought to see from clear evidence that he is playing America as a patsy.
… Trump sees that. Because he is the patsy.
… Yaroslav Moskalik, Dep. Chief of Operations Directorate of the Russian army, was assassinated by a car bomb in Moscow today. Russian state media: “According to available data, the explosion occurred as a result of the detonation of a homemade explosive device filled with destructive elements.”
… Telegraph: “Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service has been known to target high-profile military officers on Russian soil. In December, Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection troops, was killed outside an apartment building when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter exploded.”
… Former CIA Agent Marc Polymeropoulos on the car bomb: “No surprise. As the US disengages, meaning has less influence, Ukrainian intel no doubt will feel more emboldened to conduct such ops. No more US intel finger wagging not to do it. And given the US betrayal, I don’t blame them one bit. The little Mossad will be unleashed.”
… Trump issued his 5th warning to Putin yesterday on Truth Social to stop bombing Ukraine (Vladimir, STOP!). Russia responded last night by bombing Ukraine. 3 people were killed and 10 injured in a Russian drone strike on the Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad early this morning.
… CNN followed up reporting by Fox on the debacle in Yemen, that Trump and Pete Hegseth have been hyping as a great success: “In the month since the US launched a major military campaign targeting the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, the militants have successfully shot down at least 7 multi-million-dollar American drones, hindering the US’ ability to move into ‘phase two’ of the operation.”
… “The US was hoping to achieve air superiority over Yemen within 30 days and degrade Houthi air defense systems enough to begin a new phase focusing on ramping up intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance of senior Houthi leaders in order to target and kill them. But the platforms best suited to conduct that persistent effort, the MQ9 Reaper drones, keep getting shot down.”
… “Over the last 6 weeks, the Houthis have launched 77 one-way attack drones, 30 cruise missiles, 24 medium-range ballistic missiles, and 23 surface-to-air missiles either at US forces, into the Red Sea, or at Israel. The intelligence community has also assessed in recent days that over nearly 6 weeks of US bombing, the Houthis’ ability and intent to keep lobbing missiles at US and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and at Israel is little changed.”
… WSJ reported that DHS Sec Kristi Noem has inundated the HQ building of Customs and Border Patrol in DC with over a dozen action photos of herself in various outfits out in the field with agents. Many of these photo ops have subjected Noem to ridicule from both the right and the left. After Noem was asked about it by a sneering Laura Ingraham on Fox two weeks ago, she stopped doing them. But she has the photos all over DHS buildings. This is one hanging in the halls:
I will be serving as a judge for a “no rules” chowder competition here in Maine tomorrow. It’s a difficult task, but I have always been willing to serve my country in a variety of different ways. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. I will be back with the Weekend Bulletin on Sunday night!
… The Trump admin was forced to reverse course and restore the student visas of thousands of foreign students who had minor legal infractions and cases that had been previously dismissed. Over 104 separate lawsuits had been filed and were pending when this latest in a long line of policy reversals was announced. Over 50 judges in 23 different states had already issued temporary injunctions blocking the original order.
… Financial Times reports that the Trump admin is making it easier for Elon Musk to launch his self-driving cars on US roads while also loosening crash reporting requirements. Self-driving vehicles have been advocated strongly by Musk, who has also complained in the past about regulations on them and crash reporting rules.
… Transportation Sec Sean Duffy: “This admin understands that we’re in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Our new framework will slash red tape and move us closer to a single national standard that spurs innovation and prioritizes safety.”
… FT on Musk’s latest vehicles that will have no drivers: “Tesla plans to roll out a fleet of Cybercabs - futuristic models without steering wheels or pedals - in Austin, Texas, this June. To win approval, the company needs an exemption from the NHTSA to operate a non-standard car on American roads.”
… While on his flight to Italy for the Pope’s funeral, Trump posted that he was ending wars in Africa: “Big news coming out of Africa, where I am also involved in settling violent wars and conflicts. I don’t know why so many of these events have fallen to me and my Administration, but they have, and we have done an unprecedented job in getting them SETTLED or, putting them in position for PEACE. STAY TUNED!!!”
… Reuters reported that the Trump admin is about to approve an arms package worth well over $100 billion to Saudi Arabia, which will be announced when Trump visits the country next month. Trump also has several business deals with the Saudi government, including golf resorts, other developments, and the LIV golf league that plays events on his courses.
… Trump ordered DOJ to investigate ActBlue, the fundraising platform used by almost every Democratic candidate and cause. From NYT: “The move steps up Republicans’ effort to cripple their opponents’ political infrastructure. The inquiry is ostensibly meant to look into possible illegal donations made by people in someone else’s name, known as straw donations, as well as hard-dollar contributions from foreign donors.”
… ActBlue spokesperson Megan Hughes: “ActBlue plays a vital role in enabling all Americans to participate in our democracy and the organization strictly abides by all federal and state laws governing its activities. We will always stand steadfast in defending the rights of all Americans to participate in our democracy and ActBlue will continue its mission undeterred and uninterrupted, providing a safe, secure fund-raising platform for the millions of grassroots donors who rely on us.”
… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): “If anyone out there was undecided on whether Trump is operationalizing a precise, coordinated plan to destroy our democracy so he can rule until he dies, the move to shut down Act Blue, the primary way Democrats’ campaigns are funded, should be the final proof point.”
… Steve Bannon told Politico that there are bigger things on the horizon for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “After she’s spokesman for a year or two, I think she’s going to get a Cabinet position. Maybe Chief of Staff.”
… CSPAN asked Leavitt about her process for deciding who gets to sit in the “new media chair” at the press briefings: "It's not about ideology. It's just about increasing the wide array of outlets that have access.”
… Except they have all been from far-right media outlets and podcasters. We applied for it. Crickets.
… Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) gave a series of speeches recently on what she thinks the Democratic Party needs to do heading into 2026 & 2028. Politico reported that Slotkin said there is a public perception of the party as “weak and woke” and that needs to change. She said Democrats must “fucking retake the flag” with demonstrations of patriotism, and to adopt “the goddamn Alpha energy” of Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell.
… NextOn9 News reported that federal judge Nina Wang in CO is threatening to refer Mike Lindell’s attorneys to the Bar for disciplinary proceedings after she got them to admit that they used AI to generate 30 legal citations to case precedents that were fake.
… Punchbowl reported that Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is backing Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) to succeed retiring Dick Durbin as Senate Democratic Whip. It has previously been reported that Schatz ultimately wants Schumer’s job as Leader, but said he will not run for that spot unless Schumer volunteers to step aside.
… New NYT/Siena Poll has Trump’s approval rating at 42%. When asked to rate him in several different areas, his lowest ratings were for his handling of Russia/Ukraine (35%) and the Kilmar Abrego Garcia deportation case (31%). Looks like voters care about due process after all, despite Stephen Miller’s assertions.
… The same poll has Musk’s approval rating even worse than Trump’s at 35%.
… Trump's Surgeon General nominee, Fox contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, is now facing allegations that she has lied about her medical qualifications. She has described herself as a double board-certified physician with a degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine - which Trump bragged about when he made the announcement of her nomination.
… However, CBS reported that Nesheiwat actually earned her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) School of Medicine, located in St. Maarten. A spokesperson for the University of Arkansas confirmed she did not obtain her medical degree there.
… Trump’s FEMA administrator Cameron Hamilton sent a memo to the WH Office of Management and Budget outlining a plan that would make it more difficult for states to get disaster aid. CNN: “It dramatically raises the threshold for states to qualify for public assistance, effectively quadrupling the amount of damage a community must suffer in order to receive fed aid. The proposal also recommends reducing the share of recovery costs the federal govt will pay, limiting the types of facilities eligible for assistance and denying all major disaster declarations for snowstorms.”
… “When a state requests a major disaster declaration, FEMA uses a metric that measures the estimated cost of the assistance against the state population – known as the Per Capita Indicator (PCI) – to evaluate the severity of the damage and inform its recommendation to the president on whether to approve public assistance. Hamilton’s proposal would increase the PCI from $1.89 to $7.56, which would focus fed funds on large-scale disasters and ‘eliminate small disaster declarations.’”
… Politico reported that RFK Jr’s draconian cuts to HHS are now affecting firefighters and first responders. Workers with the Center for Firefighter Safety, Health and Well-being, the World Trade Center Health Program, the Health Hazard Evaluation program, and CDC’s National Firefighter Registry for Cancer have been fired. These agencies provided services for hundreds of thousands of people over the years.
… Kenny Schroeder, a firefighter hired by the CDC to help recruit participants for the cancer database, described the cuts as “really a gut punch. It’s very disheartening. The government is supposed to assist us all - they’re there in place to do work for us as the people of this country.”
… NIOSH studies showed that firefighters have a 9% greater risk of a cancer diagnosis and a 14% greater risk of dying from cancer than the general population.
… A new Univ of NH/American Assn of Public Opinion Research poll shows that 71% of Maine voters do not want Susan Collins to run for another term. 53% of Maine Republicans don’t want Collins to run again. But she is running for a 6th term, despite pledging in 1996 that she would only serve 2 terms because she believed strongly in term limits and wanted to set a good example.
… Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who would likely be the strongest Democratic candidate for the seat, said today that she will not run for Senate in 2026.
… AllRiseNews reported that 3 Georgetown Law students got together to create a guide for law students applying for jobs at big firms which tells them how the firms have responded to Trump’s executive orders. They call it the ‘Legal Industry Responses to Fascist Attacks Tracker’, and it puts over 800 firms in one of 5 categories: 1. Caved to Admin. 2. Complying in Advance. 3. Other Negative Action. 4. Stood Up Against Administration’s Attacks. 5. No Response.
… Mari Latibashvili: “We didn't know how big this was going to get. It was just giving the students the opportunity to see what the firms that they were considering were doing and to show them alternatives. Firms have been emailing us asking to be added to the tracker, have their designation changed, and/or have other edits made to their entries.”
… Forbes reported on a growing trend of the best and brightest law students around the country now turning down 6-figure salary opportunities from firms who have surrendered to Trump like Skadden Arps, Paul Weiss, Milbank, and Willkie, Farr and Gallagher.
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