Monday, March 10, 2025

The snapshot

Monday, March 10, 2025.  Marco Rubio is the talk of social media, Donald Chump's math doesn't add up, a non-US citizen is being deported, and much more.



Let's start with news on a crackdown on foreigners in the US.  AP reports:


Federal immigration authorities arrested a Palestinian activist Saturday who played a prominent role in Columbia University's protests against Israel, a significant escalation in the Trump administration's pledge to detain and deport student activists.

Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia until this past December, was inside his university-owned apartment Saturday night when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered and took him into custody, his attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press.


That would make me cry -- were it not for the fact that this is a group who worked overtime to defeat Kamala Harris and put Donald Chump back in the White House.


Did you not here him about immigrants?


Did you not pay attention?


Well now you're suffering the costs and you always planned to go home.  Meanwhile, Latino immigrants and those suspected of being a Latino immigrant, are being rounded up -- because of you.  That is on you.  You made those choices.


The second thing I'd say is, I want the university to justify housing him.


His attendance ended with the winter semester.  Why the hell was the university, in March, providing him with an apartment?  


I don't see any qualifiers or exceptions in this posting from the university and if he was here on a student visa, frankly, he should be home if he's not taking classes. Oh, wait! He's a permanent resident with a green card!  I'd love to know who the hell approved that.  Regardless, he certainly shouldn't be allowed to take up university housing when actual students could be staying there.  


He came over here and he stirred up trouble and unrest as a student. Some idiot gave him a green card.  Now he's being deported.  Maybe next time, don't come into a host country and try to attack it verbally.  Go somewhere else.  You don't have to go home but you've got to get the hell up out of here.


Again, I have real sympathy for the immigrants being deported -- even those with family members stupid enough to vote for Donald Chump.


Some foreign activist?  Don't care.  Your work and actions and speech put Chump in the White House.  You should consider your deportation to be your reward for screwing over this country.


We have to fight right now to save our democracy.  That's on you.  I didn't ask you to come here, I didn't welcome you here.  You worked to defeat Kamala and you were successful.  Defeating Kamala meant electing Chump.  So you worked for his campaign and now you're being kicked out of the country.  


No tears are welling up in my eyes over you. 


Green cards are not citizenship.  They can be granted and they can be revoked.  More than likely, if forced to justify the deportation, the government can find something fraudulent on the application -- that's all it really takes to revoke a green card.  And it's never the difficult to find fraud on a green card application.  In fact, really all the government has to with a green card is allege fraud -- the courts have tended to side with government allegations and the burden of proof fell on the applicant.  


There are many people I cry for.  


I'm not crying for him.  This is the America that you, as a foreigner on our soil, helped create.  Deal with it.  Own your actions.  Grow the hell up and go the hell home. 


You can be sure that all the ones who attacked Kamala on YOUTUBE will be whining over the next few days over this non-event.  When what they should be doing is feeling sorry for whomever attended the university this semester and didn't have housing because Columbia was letting a non-student take up a university apartment. 


AP also notes, "In a message shared on X Sunday evening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration 'will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported'."  Two things on that.


First, idiots.  DSAer Phyllis Bennis has acted for decades like Hamas was wonderful.  It's not.  Ava and I have called her out repeatedly at THIRD for her glorification of a terrorist organization.  


That's why we didn't fall into that trap that a lot of others did.  We defended Palestinian civilians.  We did not glorify or applaud Hamas.  Some of you did.  You might want to consider pulling some of your videos down off YOUTUBE.  The US didn't start defining Hamas as a terrorist organization on January 20th.  That's a long term designation.


From October 2023 through July 2024, we covered the genocide daily.  We did so without ever glorifying Hamas or pretending that they were a peace organization.  Some of you can't say the same.  And the wide berth that we (Democrats) give to free speech isn't going to be granted by the Republican Party.  I'd think very seriously about examining the videos you posted and disappearing some of them because some of you were not doing commentary or news, you were advocating on behalf of a terrorist organization.


I noted that in real time over and over.  I explained I did get questioned about the MEK.  I noted that the government already had the only communication: The MEK wrote me attempting to influence my coverage.  I did not reply in private, I replied at this site noting we would have no private conversations.  My argument on behalf of the MEK was a legal argument about how the US government got them to get rid of their arms and that it was now the US government's obligation to  attempt to get the MEK out of Iraq.  


And when the MEK didn't like this option or that option?  I pointed out that the government all they promised and if the MEK didn't want to go to another country (not Iran, their home country) then that was on the MEK.  The US fulfilled their legal obligation.  The MEK that then remained in Iraq were owed nothing from the US government.


Some of you would benefit from studying the law.


The second thing on that -- social media?  Marco Rubio?  

Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck (CNN) report:


             A top acting State Department official deleted at least half a dozen tweets that ridiculed his now boss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, including ones calling him “low IQ” and repeating a false rumor about Rubio’s sexuality.

The deleted tweets from Darren Beattie, the acting under secretary of state for public diplomacy, were uncovered as part of a CNN review of his social media and include a mixture of insults and harsh attacks against Rubio.

Beattie, who was fired from his role as a speechwriter during the first Trump administration after CNN’s KFile revealed he attended a conference featuring White nationalists, made a series of attacks over the years against other Republicans, including a number of offensive, homophobic and racist comments.

Though Beattie left up several of his most inflammatory posts, he does appear to have purged criticism of Rubio from his feed. Beattie deleted tweets suggesting a deep hostility toward Rubio — particularly after the then-senator voted to certify the 2020 election results and condemned the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. One deleted tweet also attacked Rubio for criticizing possible Russian actions in Ukraine.

             After being ousted from the Trump White House in 2018, Beattie launched Revolver News, a far-right media outlet that has spread conspiracies regarding the January 6 attack. The website has boosted false claims that federal agencies orchestrated aspects of the attack and that extremist groups involved were under government control.

In a tweet that was removed for violating Twitter’s terms of service, on the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, Revolver News posted about shooting women who get abortions.

“BREAKING: It’s now legal to shoot women having abortions in New York City with your Supreme Court-issued concealed handgun,” read the post.

Beattie’s appointment fueled outrage, with Democrats calling for his removal over his history of racist and misogynistic tweets and posts that denied the Uyghur genocide in China — most of which are still on his public X account.     



 The economy's tanking.  While We The People are bothered by that, Convicted Felon Donald Chump doesn't care.  Jonathan Allen (NBC NEWS) notes, "In a recent CBS poll, 80% of respondents said addressing inflation should be a top priority -- while just 29% said they believed Trump was prioritizing the issue 'a lot'."

If we're going to cut out waste and fraud in the US government, let's start with Donald Chump and the way he wastes our money.  He wasted money during his first term as well.  In fact, on the deficit, let's note this breakdown that Michael Tomasky provides at THE NEW REPUBLIC:


 Jimmy Carter added $25 billion to the deficit.
• Ronald Reagan added $74 billion. That seemed bad at the time; just you wait.
• George H.W. Bush added $102 billion.
• Bill Clinton reduced the deficit by $383 billion, leaving the budget in surplus when he left office.
• George W. Bush added $1.54 trillion to the deficit.
• Barack Obama got the deficit down to $585 billion; that is, he reduced it by $825 billion.
• Donald Trump added $2.1 trillion to the deficit.
• Joe Biden reduced the deficit by about $942 billion.


$2.1 trillion.  Pretty sure that Chump's going to leave us much higher in debt by the end of this term.  



The Trump administration appears to be sending the U.S. economy into a period of slower growth and higher inflation. In the past few weeks, the administration enacted steep tariffs on a wide range of imports from America’s top trading partners and threatened more; has laid off tens of thousands of federal government workers; and has frozen payments already appropriated by Congress for farms, Head Start facilities, economic development programs, and more.

The administration’s sudden moves have raised uncertainty about what will happen next. What programs will they cut—and by how much? What regulations will the administration enforce or roll back? Will critical government services that help everyday Americans cease to function? The Economic Policy Uncertainty Index—maintained by researchers at Stanford, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University—was 161.9 percent higher in February 2025 than a year earlier. Massive uncertainty makes it harder for households and businesses to plan, invest, and spend. Put differently, even President Donald Trump’s threats to further undermine Americans’ economic security can hurt both economic growth and the stock market.

Over Trump’s first two months in office, some aspects of the economic outlook for typical Americans have become clearer, even as policy uncertainty escalates. At the urging of President Trump, Congress approved plans to make deep cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs to fund tax giveaways for wealthy households. And, over the past few weeks—amid the chaos of federal funding freezes and layoffs—the stock market has become more volatile, directly impacting the savings of millions of American households.

While some of the Trump administration’s policies have yet to go into effect or fully take hold, below are four areas to watch carefully over the coming months.

Tariffs are pushing prices up

Consumers’ inflation expectations are trending up, as revealed by February data from the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers. Trump’s calls for higher tariffs and mass deportation of immigrants created early inflationary pressures. In anticipation of the Trump administration’s actions, firms built up inventory of imported items and consumers accelerated discretionary purchases, such as home renovations and new or used cars.

The Trump administration’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada are expected to put upward pressure on prices and sticky inflation. The 25 percent taxes on goods coming from the United States’ biggest trade partners will raise costs for American businesses and households. Production costs will rise as firms pay more for energy, agricultural products, and intermediate goods such as car parts.

American consumers pay for higher tariffs—not foreign countries, as Trump has claimed. Indeed, the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee—which makes interest rate decisions—observed in January that “firms would attempt to pass on to consumers higher input costs arising from potential tariffs.” Some major retail chains have already said they are poised to hike prices, passing on all or some of these higher costs to American consumers.


When he should be at the White House doing actual work, he's instead on yet another golfing vacation.    Oliver O'Connell (INDEPENDENT) reports:


Less than two months after returning to the White House, Donald Trump has reportedly played golf on 13 of the 48 days he has been back in office — and the cost of those trips to Florida has been mounting.

On the same day his prized Scottish golf resort, Turnberry, was vandalized by pro-Palestinian activists in response to his “genocidal rhetoric” regarding the future of Gaza, the president was back on the course near Mar-a-Lago.

The White House pool report on Saturday (March 8) had him arrive at the Trump International West Palm Beach just after 8:15 a.m. after a short drive from his “Winter White House” just across the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Beach proper.

According to an analysis by HuffPost, this is his 10th trip to the club, adjacent to Palm Beach International Airport, since his inauguration on January 20th. He has also golfed three times at Trump Doral, just east of Miami International Airport.

The outlet claims, citing costs from a 2019 Government Accountability Office report, that the president’s apparent insistence on spending his weekends (six out of seven so far) in Florida has now cost American taxpayers in excess of $18 million.


Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:


Warren: “Congressional Republicans want to use ‘magic math’ to pass giant tax cuts, and then try to tell the American people those tax cuts cost nothing.”

Video of Exchange (YouTube) 

Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned Dr. Michael Faulkender, President Trump’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, on Republicans’ “magic math” for their plans to cut taxes for the ultra-wealthy. Republican leaders are increasingly supportive of using a “current policy baseline” for their tax package to hide the true cost of their proposed $4.6 trillion tax package.

Congress’ independent scorekeepers have historically scored legislation using a “current law baseline,” which assumes that temporary tax cuts will expire and that extending those tax cuts will cost money. A current policy baseline, on the other hand, assumes that temporary tax cuts will not expire and that extending those tax cuts will cost $0. When pressed by Senator Warren on whether this gimmick actually produces additional revenue, Dr. Faulkender admitted, "I can't imagine that it would.”

Last month, Senator Warren sent a letter to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), which provides Members of Congress with revenue estimates for tax legislation. She pressed for answers on whether JCT has ever used a “current policy baseline” for official scoring purposes on the Senate floor, among other questions, to set the record straight on Republicans’ “magic math."

Ahead of his nomination hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren also sent a 32-page letter to Dr. Faulkender, pressing him to explain his views on his potential Treasury responsibilities.

Transcript: Hearing to examine the nomination of Michael Faulkender, of Maryland, to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
Senate Finance Committee
March 6, 2025 

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. So, President Trump had exactly one big legislative accomplishment in his first term: a giant tax cut for millionaires, billionaires, and massive corporations. In fact, it was so giant that a big hunk of it lasted only eight years and still cost $2 trillion. Now, the eight years are up, so Republicans want to do another tax cut for the ultra-wealthy, which Congress’ non-partisan budget scorers say is going to cost $4.6 trillion this time. Now, Congressional Republicans say they care about the deficit, so they have a plan to fix things up: repeal math. Here's their story: because they already had eight years of tax cuts that ran up the debt, Congressional Republicans claim that 10 more years of tax cuts will be free. They named this gimmick the ‘current policy baseline.’ They should have named it “magic math.” It is so nuts that when we need to figure out the cost of tax cuts, the Senate has never, never switched to it over using real math. 

Now, Dr. Faulkender, if confirmed, you will play a role in whatever tax deal the Republicans put together. So let's talk about math,“magic math” and real math. Dr. Faulkender, does renaming tax cuts produce any additional revenue?

Michael Faulkender, Deputy Secretary-Designate, U.S. Department of the Treasury: Does renaming them–

Senator Warren: Yes, calling them something different. Does that produce any additional revenue?

Dr. Faulkender: I don't think renaming something changes—if it changes behavior, it has the potential to change revenues.

Senator Warren: Wait, so, are you saying renaming tax cuts produces additional revenue? Just renaming it?

Dr. Faulkender: I can't imagine that it would, unless it causes people to behave differently. 

Senator Warren: Okay, I'll take that as no. Fair enough? Claiming that somehow losing $4.6 trillion in tax revenues is free is just plain nuts. Congressional Republicans are hoping they can fool people long enough to deliver giveaways to their wealthy donors before anyone figures it out. But at the end of the day, Republicans cannot repeal math. A bunch of tax cuts for billionaires will cost $4.6 trillion.

But congressional Republicans don't like that answer. So, I'm wondering, if they love magic math so much, I want to ask the same question in reverse. If the Republicans’ idea of magically not counting the cost of tax cuts for billionaires makes sense, what about not counting the cost of tax cuts for ordinary people? That is, for extending the Child Tax Credit? 

Dr. Faulkender, according to Republicans’ magic math, if extending the tax cuts is free, shouldn't extending a temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit also be free?

Dr. Faulkender: Thank you, Senator. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act increased the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000, and so if we allow that tax cut to expire, it would mean that the child tax credit would go back to the $1,000. 

Senator Warren: Right. So, the question I'm asking is, using Republican “magic math,” if it is free to extend tax cuts for billionaires, isn't it also free to extend tax cuts for poor kids? 

Dr. Faulkender: Senator, I'm not familiar with magic math, but what I do know is that the American people look at the current tax code, what they paid last year and what they paid this year as the current environment. So, the question is, when we talk about extending it, I would argue that extending the TCJA is making sure that the American people don't incur a $4.5 trillion tax increase.

Senator Warren: So, you do think that renaming the tax cuts will produce $4.5 trillion in revenue? 

Dr. Faulkender: No, Senator, I didn't say that it had any impact on the bottom line deficit. I'm just saying when you ask me what a baseline is, to me, the baseline is what I'm currently doing.

Senator Warren: I’m not asking you that. I'm asking you what it costs to put in $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. Look, if Republican “magic math” works, then why not extend it to everything we spend money on? How about the money we spent last year on roads and bridges or child care subsidies and the workers who process Social Security checks? Of course not. No one is going to do that. 

Congressional Republicans want to use “magic math” to pass giant tax cuts, and then try to tell the American people those tax cuts cost nothing. Hard-working Americans understand that $4.6 trillion for a billionaire tax cut is not free. Congressional Republicans are trying to sell magic math so they can help billionaires, and fortunately, the American people are just not buying that. 

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