Chump's out of touch with Americans and that was obvious last week when he declared he wasn't focused on the way the economy was harming them. Erica L. Green (NEW YORK TIMES) reports:
With his generational wealth, his 20-acre Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., and his lucrative family businesses around the world, President Trump has never purported to be an ordinary American.
Instead, he has argued that he could use his business savvy to help lift up the country’s forgotten men and women.
But in recent weeks, as Americans feel deep economic strain from the war he launched in Iran, Mr. Trump’s actions and words have opened him up to accusations that he is either out of touch with — or indifferent to — the lives of everyday Americans.
The costs are ballooning from his renovation, re-decoration and building spree in Washington, D.C., and at the White House. He goes on social media posting frenzies that often focus on his pet projects, gripes and personal triumphs, including a 22-year-old newspaper review of his television show, “The Apprentice.” But perhaps the most striking example came on Tuesday, when Mr. Trump was asked whether the economic hardship Americans are feeling would motivate him to make a deal to end the war.
“Not even a little bit,” he said.
Donald Trump's White House ballroom project has hit another snag after a Senate parliamentarian ruled that Republicans could not include a provision in a bill that would move $1 billion in tax payer money toward security upgrades for the controversial construction project.
The funding proposal was added by Senate Republicans to a $72 billion budget bill for the Department of Homeland Security after GOP officials said the Secret Service requested them.
Had the provision stood, it would need only a simple majority to pass. But Elizabeth MacDonough, the nonpartisan parliamentarian, found the funding proposal broke budget reconciliation rules and needed to be revised or reach a 60-vote threshold. It comes after Trump was caught on camera doing a shocking act to Melania at an inappropriate moment.
“While we expect Republicans to change this bill to appease Trump, Democrats are prepared to challenge any change to this bill,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, of Oregon, the senior Democrat on the Budget Committee, said in a statement announcing the parliamentarian's decision. “We cannot let Republicans waste our national treasure on a mission of chaos and corruption while turning a blind eye to the needs of the American people.”
Trump has said private donors will fund the $400mn ballroom as Republicans have sought to use a portion of $1bn in taxpayer funds for Secret Service security upgrades.
Republicans are seeking the funds to bolster presidential safety following a shooting at a gala Trump attended in April at a hotel. The administration also tried to fast-track the project after the incident.
"Republicans tried to make taxpayers foot the bill for Trump's billion-dollar ballroom. Senate Democrats fought back — and blew up their first attempt," Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X on Saturday.
"Now Ballroom Republicans say they're going back to the drawing board to try again. And Senate Democrats will be ready to stop them again.
Schumer added: "Americans don't want a ballroom. They don't need a ballroom. And they sure as hell should not be forced to pay for one."
Chump did ignore requests for oversight by insisting that the US taxpayer wouldn't be paying a dime for the ballroom. No, he insisted, the entire costs would come via donations. And, like every other economic promise Chump made, that one turned out to be a lie as well. Now he's torn down a wall of the White House and is insisting that US taxpayers fork over $1,000,000,000 for his little fancy. Like a good little socialite, he wants a big, vast ballroom to make epic entrances in and to twirl around in his ball gowns.
Trump last year ordered the demolition of the White House’s East Wing – originally constructed in 1902 during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency and expanded four decades later during Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency – to make way for his ballroom.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization, then filed a lawsuit challenging the project, arguing that neither the president nor the National Park Service, which manages the White House grounds, possessed the authority to tear down the historic structure or erect a major new facility without explicit congressional approval.
More details could come out Monday, when Tova Noel, a guard on duty at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York when Mr. Epstein’s death occurred, is expected to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
A federal judge on May 6 unsealed an apparent suicide note that had been found by Mr. Epstein’s former cellmate. The late financier is believed to have written, “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye.” But neither Ms. Noel’s testimony nor the note, experts say, is likely to put conspiracy theories to rest.
“Information doesn’t always drive beliefs,” says Joseph Uscinski, a professor at the University of Miami who has studied public opinion and mass media through the lens of conspiracy theories. “This is a human way of thinking. People come to conclusions first, evidence will come later, if at all.”
In fact, a recent Ipsos poll found that nearly 65% of Americans believe the government is most likely hiding information about the death of Mr. Epstein, and nearly 75% believe the government is withholding information about his operation’s clientele.
Meanwhile, in France, new Epstein survivors are coming forward. Karl Sexton (AFP) reports:
Around 10 new suspected victims have come forward since France launched a probe into late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his network, Paris' top public prosecutor said Sunday.
France set up a special task force of magistrates in February to probe potential crimes committed in the country or involving French nationals who might be implicated in Epstein's crimes.
The move was triggered by the US Justice Department releasing the latest trove of documents — known as the "Epstein files" — relating to its investigation into the disgraced financier.
[. . .]
In remarks to RTL Radio, Laure Beccuau said around 20 people had come forward since she urged potential suspected victims to contact authorities in February.
Some of the alleged victims were already known to investigators, Beccuau said, "but we also had new victims come forward, ones we didn't know at all. There are around 10 of them."
"A certain number of them are abroad so the investigators are trying to set up meetings to suit when they are able to come to Paris," she told RTL.
The other victims, known to investigators, included people assaulted by Jean-Luc Brunel, a modeling agent indicted for the rape of minors, who committed suicide while in custody in 2022. Brunel was also suspected of having transported and hosted young women for Epstein.
It's amazing to watch the work of real investigations in other countries and think about how our own Justice Dept has been so reluctant to do any form of investigation. But we may see Chump pardon Ghislaine Maxwell or commute her sentence in the sex trafficking. Josie Ensor (TIMES OF LONDON) reports:
Epstein is long dead, while Maxwell, 64, is four years into a 20-year federal sentence for sex trafficking. Even so, victims still live in fear of her influence. The prospect of Maxwell being pardoned by the Trump administration, first raised last year after she agreed to speak with Todd Blanche, then deputy attorney-general, has had a further chilling effect on survivors thinking of coming forward.
To this day, the shadow of Maxwell’s abuse looms large over her alleged victims. That abuse has been extensively documented in civil lawsuits and during her 2021 criminal trial, when a courtroom heard how the British former socialite used power, money and influence to “silence and control” victims.
[. . .]
Julie K Brown, the Miami Herald journalist whose reporting on Epstein prompted federal authorities to reopen their criminal investigation into the sex offender, recently speculated, without evidence, that Maxwell and her associates may have been behind recent leaks of emails between Epstein and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has denied any wrongdoing.
Brown wrote on her Substack that Maxwell could have intended the documents “to send a message that this is what is at stake if she remains in prison.” The theory, which has not been substantiated, is that Maxwell might hold similar documentation implicating prominent figures including Donald Trump, who in February this year told reporters: “I have nothing to hide. I’ve been exonerated. I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein.” The DoJ has described the claims against Trump as “untrue and sensationalist”.
Out of more than a thousand identified survivors of Epstein, only about a dozen have ever come forward publicly, with many citing fears of Epstein’s living associates and co-conspirators.
I spoke to one lawyer who represents a number of survivors, who said he had been approached by women for legal counsel. They pulled out after reports that Maxwell may be offered clemency.
Last summer, Maxwell agreed to be interviewed by Blanche. A week later, Maxwell was transferred from her Florida jail to a low-security prison camp in Texas — an unprecedented move for a convicted sex offender with more than ten years left of their sentence.
The Trump administration offered no explanation. Victims feared it was a sign that they could be working on a deal to release her.
David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s lawyer, told Politico in an interview last month that he believed there was a “good chance” his client would ultimately receive clemency, a power available solely to Trump, who has not ruled out the prospect.
Let's wind down with this from Senator Alex Padilla's office:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), to lead their Democratic colleagues in pushing back on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) dangerous budget proposal which includes the development of “smart glasses” for its immigration enforcement officers and agents.
In a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the Senators warn that these smart glasses would allow DHS officers and agents to quickly identify individuals in public by covertly taking their photo and running it through biometric identification systems — such as facial recognition software — threatening the privacy and civil liberties of every person in the United States. These biometric smart glasses are the latest example of the Trump Administration’s growing surveillance state, which is intended to silence dissent and intimidate people in communities across the country.
“Given DHS’s record during the Trump administration of exploiting surveillance technologies, we are deeply concerned that smart glasses will be abused by this administration,” wrote the Senators. “Over the past year, DHS has deployed biometric identification tools — including facial recognition technologies — to identify individuals engaged in protest activity, intimidate them, and deter lawful dissent. The Trump administration seems to relish these practices, which endanger the core democratic right to challenge the government without fear of punishment. Smart glasses would provide yet another opportunity for DHS to extend its surveillance capabilities and intimidate individuals across the country.”
In addition to Padilla, Markey, and Merkley, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).
Earlier this year, Padilla and his Democratic colleagues called for an investigation of DHS agencies, including ICE, over warrantless purchases of Americans’ location data.
Padilla has strongly opposed President Trump’s cruel and indiscriminate mass deportation agenda and denial of basic services for detained individuals. In March, Padilla opposed Mullin’s confirmation to be Secretary of Homeland Security. Padilla has also confronted former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on the Trump Administration’s cruel mass deportation and detention campaign, attacks on legal immigration, and efforts to meddle in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. Padilla has attended a series of bicameral spotlight forums to denounce DHS officers and agents’ unlawful arrests of U.S. citizens, violent tactics, and disproportionate use of force. He also co-led a letter denouncing the Trump Administration’s stops, arrests, detentions, and deportations of U.S. citizens.
Full text of the letter is available here and below:
Dear Secretary Mullin,
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 2027 budget proposal to develop “smart glasses” for biometric identification presents a grave threat to the privacy and civil rights of people across the United States. DHS’s proposed smart glasses could allow its agents to identify individuals, including U.S. citizens, in real time by covertly collecting their biometric information — for example, through a facial scan — without their knowledge or consent. Given the Trump Administration’s record of abusing surveillance technologies, DHS would be able to weaponize smart glasses and turn them into an authoritarian tool against anyone who speaks out against President Trump. DHS should immediately abandon any plans it has to develop this technology.
The Trump administration’s proposal to develop smart glasses represents a chilling expansion of its surveillance state. According to DHS’s own budget documents, the Department seeks $7.5 million to develop new technologies and analytics tools for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including smart glasses to “equip agents with real-time access to information and biometric identification capabilities in the field.” Smart glasses are designed to be indistinguishable from regular glasses but include small cameras, which would enable ICE and CBP officers to capture thousands of images of faces each day — without the subjects’ knowledge or consent — and identify them with biometric recognition technology. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that data collected would only be used for immigration enforcement. In essence, DHS wants to provide its officers with a tool to quickly and covertly identify members of the public, a breathtaking expansion of its technological capacity to surveil the American people.
The dangers here are obvious. This technology can easily be co-opted to support the wrongful arrest, detainment, and deportation of U.S. citizens or other lawful residents and immigrants, as the Department has already done since the start of the second Trump administration. An ICE officer could use smart glasses to identify and later target peaceful protesters, even exploiting that information to create a database of President Trump’s political opponents. A CBP officer wearing smart glasses in the field could covertly scan thousands of faces a day, cross referencing them against social media and government databases to flag journalists, activists or critics for detention. Meanwhile, immigration enforcement officers continue to use face coverings to avoid being identified in public, underscoring the irony of agents’ desire for privacy while simultaneously using privacy invasive technology. Such frictionless, real-time surveillance is un-American. Every person in the United States has the right to move through daily life without fear that the federal government is tracking, scanning, and cataloguing their every step.
Given DHS’s record during the Trump administration of exploiting surveillance technologies, we are deeply concerned that smart glasses will be abused by this administration. Over the past year, DHS has deployed biometric identification tools — including facial recognition technologies — to identify individuals engaged in protest activity, intimidate them, and deter lawful dissent. For example, in Portland, Maine, an ICE officer recorded a protester on video and told her that her information would go into a so-called “domestic terrorist” database. In a separate incident, an ICE agent, without consent, photographed a Minneapolis woman documenting ICE activity in her neighborhood and then recited her personal information to her, including her address — a clear intimidation tactic. The woman later described being terrified by the encounter. The Trump administration seems to relish these practices, which endanger the core democratic right to challenge the government without fear of punishment. Smart glasses would provide yet another opportunity for DHS to extend its surveillance capabilities and intimidate individuals across the country.
DHS’s funding request for smart glasses continues the Administration’s unaccountable expansion of its surveillance infrastructure under the banner of national security. Since the start of President Trump’s second term, we have repeatedly sounded the alarm on DHS’s abuses of its growing arsenal of surveillance tools. We, individually or as a group, have written oversight letters requesting detailed information about ICE’s “Mobile Fortify” facial recognition application; CBP’s nationwide network of license plate readers; DHS’s use of predictive algorithms to identify national security threats; DHS’s monitoring of social media information; and DHS’s deployment of Predator drones to observe protesters. DHS or its subcomponents have refused to provide a meaningful response to any of these inquiries. The pattern is unmistakable: DHS continues to introduce powerful new surveillance technologies while stonewalling legitimate congressional oversight. That is unacceptable.
Given the serious risk to the privacy and civil liberties of Americans, DHS should abandon its plans to develop and deploy smart glasses. In the meantime, the Department owes the American people answers about its plans to deploy such an invasive and dangerous technology. Please respond to the following questions in writing by June 4, 2026:
1. Please describe all evaluations DHS has conducted regarding the civil rights and privacy implications of deploying smart-glasses technologies. In your response:
- Identify and describe any assessments of how such technologies would affect the privacy rights of individuals whose images or data may be captured, including bystanders and other non-targets.
- Describe any analysis of whether biometric identification through smart glasses could chill lawful activity protected by the First Amendment.
- State whether DHS has evaluated the risks of misidentification, disparate impact, or other discriminatory outcomes associated with these technologies, and provide any findings.
- Describe any safeguards DHS has considered or adopted to prevent misuse by DHS personnel or contractors.
- Identify any Privacy Threshold Analyses, Privacy Impact Assessments, or third party audits conducted or commissioned in connection with smart-glasses technologies, and provide copies. If none have been conducted, state whether DHS intends to do so and provide a timeline for completion and public release.
2. Please describe DHS’s anticipated practices regarding the collection, use, and retention of biometric data in connection with any deployment of smart glasses. In your response:
- Identify the categories of biometric data that would be collected and the legal authorities supporting such collection.
- Describe how DHS would provide meaningful notice and obtain consent from individuals whose biometric data may be captured, including bystanders and nontargets.
- Specify applicable retention periods and the policies governing data minimization, deletion, and access controls.
- State whether individuals will be able to request deletion of their biometric data and, if so, describe the procedures that will govern such requests and ensure timely and complete compliance.
- Explain how DHS will ensure compliance with applicable state biometric privacy laws, including requirements related to notice, consent, retention, and restrictions on data sharing.
3. Please identify any third parties with which DHS has contracted or otherwise partnered to develop, test, or deploy smart-glasses technologies, and describe the scope and terms of those engagements.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
###
Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Susie Wiles Frets Over Mike Banks" went up Friday. The following sites updated:
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THE BOYS (Spoilers)1 day ago
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Idiots of the Week1 day ago
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Things worsen for Chump1 day ago
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A Chump recession?2 days ago
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