POLITICO Nightly: Why is a conversation about paying for roads and bridges so hard?

 

By Kathryn A. Wolfe Presented by  MAGA GOP ARE INCAPABLE OF SOLVING A PROBLEM - ANY PROBLEM!  GOP CREATED THE DEFICIT BY APPROVING TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY & PLAN TO MAKE THOSE TAX CUTS PERMANENT - PERMANENT DEFICITS!  Vehicles travel along I-95 on May 24, 2024 in Miami, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images ROAD WARRIORS — This week, GOP Rep. Sam Graves, the veteran chair of the House Transportation Committee, proposed a $20 annual fee for most passenger cars in America, pitched as a new way to pay for American roads and bridges that doesn’t depend on a tax on gasoline. The proposal had a lifespan of less than 24 hours — when his committee marked up its piece of the GOP megabill intended to fund President Donald Trump’s domestic priorities, it stripped out the provision. Yet it was still monumental in some ways. This signaled the first actual movement on a seemingly intractable issue from someone in a position to do something about fixing the structural deficit between revenues and spending in years, maybe even decades. The American Road and Transportation Builders Association praised Graves’ proposal, saying it would “begin an overdue conversation and bring fresh ideas to a problem that has been avoided for too long." Graves’ idea would have been the first meaningful change to the excise tax revenues that pay for federal transportation projects since Bill Clinton was president — and it would have marked a major move away from the political inaction on funding deficits that has been the cornerstone of the country's transportation policy for decades. Graves is among those who has long wanted to ditch the current scheme of taxing gasoline at the pump as a way to pay for infrastructure in favor of a fee that’s based on how many miles you drive . In an interview he confirmed that he intends for the fee to eventually replace the gas tax, which is no longer generating enough revenue to cover U.S. infrastructure needs. But implementing a new tax aimed at drivers is touching a political third rail in a car-loving nation. The Republican blowback was swift. “Like, are you out of your fricking mind? Like, the party of limited government is gonna go out and say we're gonna have [a car tax]?” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a staunch proponent of limited government. Graves promptly abandoned the proposal, but the congressman’s willingness to float it in the first place speaks to the current imperative of finding ways to pay for the Trump administration’s priorities. Trump’s ambitious domestic policy agenda — which includes making most of his 2017 tax cuts permanent and vastly increasing border security and mass deportation programs — costs a lot of money. And he and his allies must consider creative ways to make a dent in that price tag. Why is a conversation about how paying for federal transportation projects so hard? Because lawmakers have been incapable of raising the federal gasoline tax. It is simply a political non-starter, which is why it hasn’t been raised since 1993 – even in a world of rising materials costs and ever more efficient cars. Instead, Congress borrows money to cover the gap. Currently, gas tax revenues only cover about half of what’s spent on transportation-related infrastructure maintenance and improvement — meaning the party of small government has pulled back a proposal that would curb deficit spending on infrastructure, which amounts to about $275 billion since 2008. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at kwolfe@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @kathrynwolfe .   A message from The Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance: President Trump wants to put America First, but Big Pharma is putting America last. For too long, the pharmaceutical industry has ripped off American patients - charging them over 3x more than consumers in other wealthy countries, even for the exact same drugs. The time for reform is now.   What'd I Miss? ****SLASHING RESEARCH! SLASHING PERSONNEL! CLOSING OFFICES! SLASHING IRS SO WEALTHY TAX CHEATS ARE NO LONGER AUDITED! SLASHING HEALTH CARE! SLASHING FOOD PROGRAMS! OUT OF CONTROL SPENDING FOR ILLEGAL MASS DEPORTATIONS! SLASHING VETERANS CARE!  MASSIVE ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTS! MAGA GOP WILL SIT ON THEIR HANDS WHILE THE BANKRUPTCY KING BANKRUPTS THE NATION! **** — Trump sends a scorched-earth budget plan. GOP lawmakers hate it already: President Donald Trump is seeking massive, unprecedented funding cuts across the federal government, unveiling a budget blueprint asking Congress to slash non-defense programs by more than $163 billion while keeping military funding flat . Already, Republicans in Congress are alarmed. The proposal released today pressures Republican lawmakers to cleave more than 20 percent from federal coffers Trump has already been freezing without their approval since Inauguration Day. Congress isn’t accustomed to cutting anywhere near what Trump is proposing, amplifying tension between the White House and congressional Republicans as GOP leadership works to fund the government before the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline. ***MARCO RUBIO HAS ALREADY PROVEN HIMSELF INCOMPETENT IN A SINGLE POSITION!  — White House wants Rubio in powerful dual role long-term: Marco Rubio is expected to serve as both secretary of State and national security adviser for a minimum of six months, and a number of top advisers to President Donald Trump are interested in making the arrangement permanent , according to three senior White House officials. His dual role is seen as far more than a short-term solution. “It was not set up to be a stop-gap measure,” one of the officials said. THESE TRUMP LACKEYS ARE INCOMPETENT & JEOPARDIZE NATIONAL SECURITY!  On the day he was fired as National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz was using an Israeli app to archive Signal messages https://www.sott.net/article/499350-On-the-day-he-was-fired-as-National-Security-Advisor-Mike-Waltz-was-using-an-Israeli-app-to-archive-Signal-messages ****TRUMP INFLAMED HIS SUPPORTERS BASED ON LIES, JEOPARDIZED LIVES, CAPITOL WAS TRASHED WITH URINE & FECES, JAN 6 ATTEMPTED OVERTHROW OF DEMOCRACY THAT TRUMP WATCHED AS IT UNFOLDED & REFUSED TO STOP IT! TRUMP'S DISGRACE!**** — Trump administration reaches ‘settlement in principle’ with rioter shot by cop on Jan. 6: The Trump administration has reached a financial settlement “in principle” with the family of Ashli Babbitt , a member of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 who was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer guarding the House chamber. Justice Department attorneys and lawyers for the Babbitt family confirmed the agreement in court today, saying they hoped to iron out specific language and sign the settlement within the next 30 days. excerpt:  The impending payout to Babbitt’s family is likely to tear open lingering wounds on Capitol Hill, three months after President Donald Trump issued sweeping clemency to more than 1,000 people who stormed the Capitol. Babbitt was killed about 30 minutes after the mob entered the building. Three other Trump supporters died of natural causes amid the chaos and 140 police officers were wounded in the violence. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died after suffering a stroke the next day and several others died by suicide in the ensuing weeks and months. The settlement news comes as the Justice Department has also argued in favor of refunding restitution payments made by some rioters — funds meant to cover damage caused to the Capitol — and shortly after Trump himself floated the notion of payments to rioters. Meanwhile, members of Congress who fled the mob and several police officers injured during the attack are pursuing a lawsuit against Trump for his role in stoking the mob. ****KENTUCKY ANDY BESHEAR!*** — Beshear open to presidential run in 2028: Andy Beshear “would consider” running for president in 2028, he told a Louisville television station this week. The Kentucky governor is seen as a potential standout in what could become a crowded Democratic primary. His bona fides include winning statewide election three times in the ruby-red state. Beshear was also a finalist to serve as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election. ****TRUMP'S WAR AGAINST FACTS & INFORMATION CONTINUES! THIS IS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF INFORMATION IN AREAS WITH POOR MEDIA SOURCES (SUCH AS SINCLAIR OR FOX NEWS = FAKE NEWS LIARS), AS WELL AS LOWER INCOME FAMILIES THAT LACK CABLE OR INTERNET OR LIBRARY SOURCES!**** THIS IS WHAT FASCISTS DO! — Public media executives push back against Trump targeting NPR and PBS: Public media executives are pushing back against President Donald Trump’s late Thursday executive order seeking to strike federal funding for NPR and PBS , arguing it is unlawful. Trump’s Thursday order directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private nonprofit that Congress awards more than $500 million annually to fund public media, to “cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law” to NPR and PBS.   A message from The Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance:     AROUND THE WORLD TRUMP HAS UNITED THE WORLD AGAINST THE US!  IT'S TIME FOR DEMENTIA DON TO GO INTO A NURSING HOME! King Charles III holds an audience with the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney at Buckingham Palace on March 17, 2025 in London, England. | Pool photo by Aaron Chown FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES — Canada is hitting back at President Donald Trump’s repeated assertions about making Canada the 51st state by calling on King Charles to personally deliver Canada’s throne speech on May 27. Prime Minister Mark Carney, who will meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday, said he asked the monarch to perform the ceremonial role, underscoring Canada’s sovereignty. “It’s a very clear message being sent to other countries around the world. And it’s an honor for us,” Carney said in French in his first press conference since the Liberals won a minority government in Canada’s federal election on Monday. The invitation to the monarch, who is Canada’s head of state, is a dramatic example of the country’s “elbows up” defiance of Trump’s repeated insults and annexation threats. ****INDIA & PAKISTAN!**** RISING TENSIONS — The European Union’s top diplomat asked her counterparts in India and Pakistan to deescalate Friday amid fears of a military conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations . “Rising tensions between India and Pakistan are alarming. I urge both sides to show restraint and pursue dialogue to ease the situation,” the EU’s High Representative Kaja Kallas said, adding she said as much to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The latest rift in the decades-old feud between India and Pakistan started on April 22, when Islamist militants massacred 26 people in Pahalgam, a well-known tourist destination in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan control parts of Kashmir, and both claim sovereignty over the entire region.   A message from The Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance: For too long, Big Pharma has cut Americans the world's worst deal on drug prices - charging U.S. patients over 3x more than other wealthy countries for the exact same drugs. It's no surprise more than half of Americans worry about affording their prescriptions. The time for reform is now.   Nightly Number 177,000 The number of jobs American employers added in April , beating economists’ expectations, as the job market showed resilience in the face of President Donald Trump’s trade wars. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.2%, the Labor Department reported today.   POLITICO IS BACK AT THE 2025 MILKEN GLOBAL CONFERENCE: From May 4–7, California Playbook will deliver exclusive, on-the-ground coverage from the 28th Annual Milken Institute Global Conference. Get behind-the-scenes buzz, standout moments, and insights from leaders in AI, finance, health, philanthropy, geopolitics, and more. Subscribe now for your front-row seat to the conversations shaping our world.     RADAR SWEEP MICS ON THE MOVE — Late-night talk shows used to be the premier stop for celebrities on press tours and the dream job for wannabe comics. But social media is giving a new generation of comedians the chance to reach fame and host their own show — all they need is a microphone and a bit. TikTok shows like Tiff Baira’s “Street Hearts” and Kareem Rahma’s “Subway Takes” are racking up millions of views because they’re short and original. More celebrities and politicians are joining as guests, and traditional late-night talk shows are following suit, producing more clippable segments for social media. As Rolling Stone’s CT Jones observes: “The stars of the future are mics on the move.”   Cut through policy complexity and turn intelligence into action with POLITICO’s Policy Intelligence Assistant—a new suite of tools designed to save you time and demonstrate your impact more easily than ever—available only to Pro subscribers. Save hours, uncover critical insights instantly, and stay ahead of the next big shift. Power your strategy today— learn more .     Parting Image On this date in 1984: President Ronald Reagan gestures toward the crowd as Pope John Paul II stands by his side during a joint appearance at the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska. | Scott Stewart/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on X Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   Follow us

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Today in Politics, Bulletin 122. 5/1/25 Ron Filipkowski May 1 ∙ … Trump fired his National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong today. Waltz was embroiled in controversy after he linked Atlantic reporter Jeffrey Goldberg into Pete Hegseth’s Signal chat on bombings in Yemen … Mark Halperin broke the story: “Unhappiness with Waltz's performance has been growing at State, Treasury, NEC, West Wing, and elsewhere. IN as possible replacement: Steve Witkoff, who has backing from many senior officials. Other national security changes coming, as Susie Wiles and others have told SecDef he needs to bring in a team of serious people to help stabilize the Pentagon pronto.” … Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) told CNN that Hegseth should have been fired: “I think they’re holding the wrong guy accountable - I think they fired the wrong guy.” … Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): “What the hell? And Hegseth gets to stay?” … Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): “Pete Hegseth shows real leadership by passing the blame to Mike Waltz. Was it Waltz who set up Signal on Hegseth's office computer and added his wife, brother, and lawyer in a war plan group chat?” … Trump then announced on Truth Social that he is nominating Waltz to replace Elise Stefanik as UN Ambassador. So he’s not competent for NSA but he’s the most qualified person in the country for UN Ambassador. Makes sense. … 3 of the 4 House Republicans Trump nominated for senior positions have already been replaced: Waltz, Gaetz, Stefanik. … CNN reported that several high level foreign officials said they are sad to see Waltz go. One senior western official: “Of all of them, we never thought he would be the first to be fired. But we know he will be the first of many.” … CNN: “Steve Witkoff has told people close to him he does not want the job, and they do not anticipate he’ll ultimately be selected (or asked by POTUS) as Waltz’s replacement.” … The firing also came hours after Waltz joined every other senior Trump admin official to lavish praise on Dear Leader at a Cabinet meeting in front of the press. Even right-wing talk show host Ann Coulter was sickened by the sycophancy: “Would it be possible to have a cabinet meeting without the Kim Jong il-style tributes?” … Reuters: “The government of Pakistan-administered Kashmir has closed all religious seminaries in the region for 10 days, officials said, citing fears they would be targeted by Indian strikes following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir.” … Fox’s Chief Nat Security Correspondent Jen Griffin: “Things heating up between these two nuclear armed neighbors: India and Pakistan. This could be the national security crisis the administration was not expecting. Every administration gets tested in its first year with a national security surprise.” … At a NewsNation town hall, Trump was asked by an audience member what was the biggest mistake he made during his first 100 days: “I’ll tell you that’s the toughest question I can have because I don’t really believe I’ve made any mistakes.” The audience of Republicans, Democrats and Independents erupted in laughter. … Meanwhile, Hegseth basically declared war on Iran last night with an unhinged X post: “Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You know very well what the US Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.” … Aside from the insanity of the entire thing, a SecDef has no business talking like this about a foreign adversary. Any communications of this nature should come from the Secretary of State in a formal public statement or communicated to his counterpart privately. Not by late night drunk tweet from a bumbling SecDef. … Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): “I support this administration, but the Secretary of Defense doesn’t have the Constitutional authority to declare war on a sovereign country. A planned military attack on Iran is an Act of War and requires a vote of Congress according to the US Constitution.” … Hegseth was also whining on X about how unfair the press is to him: “In case you wonder what we, and President Trump, are up against. 100% NEGATIVE coverage from so-call ‘mainstream’ press in the first 100 days. PERFECT SCORE.” … Disgraced former Rep. George Santos said he is leaving the country as soon as he finishes his 7 year prison sentence: “Once I finish my obligations with the US criminal justice system I will leave and never return. I rather take my chances in other countries than live in a country that has a weaponized justice system and is run by the industrial prison complex.” … Trump was showing off his copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office to ABC, and was asked what the Declaration means to him: “Well, it means exactly what it says. It’s a declaration of unity and love and respect and it means a lot.” … It was a declaration of war on King George III. It is a venomous and aggressive list of grievances from the colonies to the Crown. There is nothing in it that remotely resembles what Trump describes. The experiment of letting the dumbest person in the country run it continues to produce unsatisfactory results. OMG! PROGRAMMING KIDS TO GENUFLECT TO THE FASCIST LEADER! … Stephen Miller joined Karoline Leavitt for this morning’s press conference: "This Admin's fighting to get Critical Race Theory out of our school districts. Kids will be taught to love America. Children will be taught to be patriots. Children will be taught civic values for schools that want fed taxpayer funding. So as we close the Dept of Education and provide funding to states, we're going to make sure these funds are not being used to promote communist ideology." … RFK Jr. gave an interview on the measles outbreak and the measles vaccine: "The MMR vaccine contains a lot of aborted fetus debris." … Newsweek: “The MMR vaccine is produced using human cell lines that originated from two legal abortions in the 1960s but these cells are not present in the final vaccine. The Vaccine Education Center says that ‘the cells used to grow viruses for vaccines are sometimes called fetal cells because they were originally derived from two fetuses in the 60s, but fetal cells are not in the vaccine itself.’ These original cells have been replicated over time, and current vaccine production uses descendant cells, not any tissue from the original fetuses.” … Trump hosted a National Prayer Day event on WH rose garden this morning: "We're bringing back religion in our country and we're bringing it back quickly and strongly — because for America to be a great nation, we must always be One Nation Under God." … Trump talked about his WH Faith Office: "They work right out of the White House. That's never been done before. No other president allowed that. They say 'separation between church and state.' I said, alright, let's forget about that for one time." … Dr. Phil was there. He told the audience: “I have sat with President Trump with no cameras around, nobody watching, and I'm telling you: This is a man of deep faith.” … After he gives the commencement address of the Univ of Alabama tonight, Trump heads to Palm Beach for another 3-day golf outing. He has already played golf 31 days of his presidency. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY): “The GOP budget has $0 for FEMA’s emergency management funding, yet provides $300M to pay for Trump’s golf trips. Extreme weather doesn’t discriminate between red and blue districts. The GOP is choosing Trump’s golf over the safety and security of their constituents.” … Politico: “Something is going on with Ed Martin's nomination to be US attorney in DC. But what, precisely, is unclear. Sen. Durbin said this morning: ‘It’s my understanding that we are not going to move forward on the Martin nomination.’ Grassley said he'd have more to say when Martin's nomination was officially on the calendar.” … CNN: “As controversies pile up, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee met behind closed doors this week to discuss concerns about Ed Martin’s nomination and whether senators should take the extraordinary step of holding a hearing on it.” Martin’s post as interim US attorney runs out on May 20. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) says he has “serious questions” about Martin because of his comments trashing Capitol Police officers’ conduct on J6. … Martin defended several of the J6 defendants. An admin source told CNN that Trump will be unhappy if Martin is rejected: “Martin is President Trump’s favorite US Attorney.” … CNBC: “Initial unemployment claims posted an unexpected increase last week in a potential trouble sign for the wobbling US economy. First-time filings for unemployment insurance totaled a seasonally adjusted 241,000 for the week ended April 26, up 18,000 from the prior period and higher than the Dow Jones estimate for 225,000. This was the highest total since Feb. 22. Continuing claims, which run a week behind and provide a broader view of layoff trends, rose to 1.92 million, up 83,000 to the highest level since Nov. 13, 2021.” Tomorrow is my second of three spring weekend trips as we come out of hibernation in Maine. We are heading to the Berkshires going to the Baby Animals Festival at the Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA, then to a cider farm in Richmond and a Dairy Farm in Lee for some fresh ice cream. Saturday is the Daffodil & Tulip festival at the Naumkeag estate in Stockbridge and the Norman Rockwell Museum. Bed & Breakfast in Stockbridge. Weather isn’t supposed to be great, but we will still have fun. So that means no Bulletin tomorrow and the next one will be the weekend recap on Sunday night. If you missed the last Bulletin, you can find it here. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … Trump was asked about the impact of his China tariffs on working families: "Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally." … Greg Ahearn, CEO of the Toy Association representing 850 toy companies: “We have a frozen supply chain that is putting Christmas at risk. If we don’t start production soon, there’s a high probability of a toy shortage this holiday season.” … Sen. Bernie Sanders: “Billionaires like Musk and Trump do not have a clue about what it means for a working class family trying to buy presents for the kids or to take care of basic necessities." … Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was asked by HuffPost about Trump’s doll comment: “I think how many dolls you have is up to the people who buy, not up to the President. It sounds like the govt choosing for you what is a good amount of things to buy. When it's your own money, you decide, I don't care if you have four TVs in your house or one TV or no TV. It's none of my business. But for the govt to tell you shouldn't have so many TVs that sounds like big brother.” … Mike Pence wrote an OpEd for the WSJ opposing tariffs: “Trump’s proposed tariffs would be the largest peacetime tax hike in American history, harming consumers and driving inflation.” … Elon Musk was fuming this morning over a story in the WSJ that Tesla’s board was quietly looking to replace him as CEO. WSJ: “Board members reached out to several executive search firms to work on a formal process for finding Tesla’s next CEO. Tensions had been mounting at the company. Sales and profits were deteriorating rapidly. Musk was spending much of his time in Washington. … “The board narrowed its focus to a major search firm, according to the people familiar with the discussions. The current status of the succession planning couldn’t be determined. It is also unclear if Musk, himself a Tesla board member, was aware of the effort, or if his pledge to spend more time at Tesla has affected succession planning. Musk didn’t respond to requests for comment.” … Musk responded on X: “It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the WSJ would publish a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and fail to include an unequivocal denial beforehand by the Tesla board of directors!” … WSJ spokesman to CNN on Musk’s post: "We stand by our reporting. Tesla was given the opportunity to provide a statement before publication, which they did not do." … Later in the day, perpetual victim Musk made another post about it: “It’s not that all WSJ stories are fake, but they are almost all mean-spirited and deceptive.” … Jeffrey Kleintop, Chief Global Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab: Today's Q1 GDP data: +3.2% Ireland +0.6% Spain +0.4% Eurozone +0.3% Italy +0.2% Germany +0.2% Austria +0.2% Mexico +0.1% France -0.3% U.S. … After claiming that the first quarter stock market, job losses, and negative growth was Biden’s fault, Trump is now saying that the second quarter will also be Biden’s fault if it goes badly: “This is all Biden - and you can even say the next quarter is sort of Biden.” … Trump supporter and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy: “What’s that old expression? Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining? Well that applies here. The stock market is a direct reflection of Trumps 1st 100 days in office. Doesn’t mean it won’t get better and that we don’t need to be patient, but this is his market not Biden’s.” … Newsweek reported that Trump and his advisors badly miscalculated how China was going to respond to his tariffs. Todd Belt, Dir of the Graduate School of Political Management: "China has essentially called Trump's bluff. They're pivoting faster than he anticipated. They're not responding with the kind of economic pain he expected." … “Joseph Foudy, Prof. at NYU's Stern School of Business said China is actively building new trade relationships to reduce reliance on the US. Chinese officials have spent the last few months deepening ties with Europe and discussing new routes through Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Meanwhile, US allies like Mexico and Canada are upgrading infrastructure and expanding economic ties with China and the EU.” … Foudy: "If we push our allies too hard while we're pressuring China, we risk isolating ourselves. That's exactly what China wants." … Even Trump’s favorite restaurant McDonald’s is now struggling. WSJ: “Regulars are reducing their fast-food trips, fueling concerns about an economic malaise fanning across the restaurant sector. The burger giant posted a 3% drop in revenue in its latest quarter, driven in part by fewer guests visiting its US locations. Same-store sales in its home market dropped 3.6% in the 3 months ended March 31. … Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI): "I'm hearing an awful lot from manufacturers in Wisconsin. If this thing drags on, the tariffs remain high, their businesses will be put out of business." … Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko on the new minerals deal: The real art of the deal is when, through negotiations and diplomacy, an openly idiotic and monstrously exploitative ‘agreement’ to hand over Ukraine’s entire economy and imaginary ‘rare earth metals’ in exchange for a $350 billion ‘debt’ dreamed up by Trump ends up being transformed into a fairly standard long-term investment framework with no real obligations - one that, frankly, no one is likely to ever act on after signing. But at least the deranged despot will declare it a grand victory, not bother to read the actual deal, and calm down for a few minutes.” … Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine: “Facts: Ukraine retains control. Subsoil resources remain Ukrainian; decisions on extraction stay with the state. Equal partnership. The Fund will be managed jointly by Ukraine and the US. No privatization changes. State-owned assets remain under Ukrainian ownership. No debt obligations for Ukraine. Funded by new licenses only. Existing or planned revenues are not included. US partners will bring in investments and technology. The Fund’s income is tax-free in both countries to maximize impact. This Fund is not about giving away resources. It’s about rebuilding Ukraine with fair, transparent, and innovation-driven cooperation.” … Former CIA Agent Marc Polymeropoulos: “Lesson: pushing back works. Ukraine gets a good reconstruction deal, nothing remotely close to extortion deal first proposed by Trump. The US caved (thank goodness). Symbolically positive for bilateral relationship.” … NYT: “Trump Org has agreed to a new Middle East golf course and real estate deal that involves a Qatari govt-owned firm, two weeks before Trump is set to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE on a state visit. The project in Qatar, a key US ally and home to a major American military base, is a partnership with Qatari Diar, a real estate company established by the country’s sovereign wealth fund and chaired by a govt minister.” … “Eric Trump traveled to the Middle East this week to attend a cryptocurrency conference and promote the company’s real estate developments, which include a separate Trump-branded tower in Dubai. The two projects will also involve Dar Global, the international subsidiary of the private Saudi real estate firm Dar Al Arkan, which is leading the project and has close ties to the Saudi govt.” … Fox host and gang tattoo expert Jeanine Pirro said that Trump wasn’t wrong when he was talking about the photoshopped gang tats spelling out MS-13: “The marijuana on his finger stands for M. And the smily face on his finger stands for S. And the plus sign means 1 and the skeleton means 3.” … “M-S-1-3”! Sounds legit. Lock him up for life! … Rep. Marge Greene (R-GA) has doubled-down on her post after Pope Francis’ death where she responded to the news with: “Today there were major shifts in global leaderships. Evil is being defeated by the hand of God.” Catholic League President William Donohue sent a complaint about her comments to the House Ethics Committee. … Greene responded to the complaint by posting that she grew up Catholic but left because “she could not trust the church leadership to protect my children from pedophiles. It’s the church leadership I was referring to when I invoked the Devil. Just so we’re clear, bishops, when I said ‘controlled by Satan,’ I wasn’t talking about the Catholic Church. I was talking about you.” … Fox host Steve Doocy, who has been with Fox & Friends since it began in 1998, announced he will be leaving the show as a host and today was his last day. He is moving to Florida and will do part-time work for the network. He has been pretty critical of Trump the last few months - I guess he figured since he was on his way out the door he could start telling the truth. … NBC asked AOC if she was going to run again for ranking member of House Oversight after Gerry Connelly just stepped down: “It’s something that I’m weighing.” Rep. Jasmine Crockett told Politico that she has been making phone calls to see what level of support she would have for the position. … Kamala Harris gave her first major speech since Trump took office in SF last night: "Instead of an admin working to advance America's highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals. And what we are also seeing in these last 14 weeks is Americans using their voice. I have been inspired by the movements like the one in WI that put Susan Crawford on the supreme court and by leaders across the spectrum - including congressional leaders like Cory Booker, Chris Van Hollen, Chris Murphy, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost, AOC and Bernie Sanders.” … Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) to HuffPost on a new poll showing him down big to MAGA AG Ken Paxton in the Republican primary: “It’s 10 months out, I haven't been on the ballot since 2020, and so it's not surprising that the polls would show me with not the name identification that I would otherwise have if I if I was in the middle of a campaign, but we've got more than enough time and more than enough resources to make up for that.” … A sitting US Senator saying he doesn’t have name recognition in his own state. Not looking good for Cornyn. As bad as he is, Paxton is much worse. But Texas Dems believe they can beat Paxton in the general election because he is so toxic to moderate Republicans and independents, and are actually rooting for him to win. … MD Gov Wes Moore announced on The View today that he will not be running for president in 2028. The rising Democratic star certainly will be a very popular VP option for whoever gets the nomination. … JD Vance was playing steel mill worker today for our cosplay government.