Digby's Hullabaloo Posts

The president isn’t a king

Margaret Sullivan made a super important point in her newsletter the other day. The way the press is reporting on these Executive Orders, which is the only thing he’s actually doing,

Immediately after retaking the presidency in January, Donald Trump began signing executive orders with lightning speed. Wielding his fancy pen like a wrecking ball, he acted like he was autographing new copies of “The Art of the Deal” for his fans.

[….]

In his first three months in office, Trump has signed more than 120 executive orders — not only a record number for any president in that short time but closing in on what some former presidents have signed in their entire terms.

And the media — particularly in credulous headlines and news alerts — has too often covered them as if they’re settled law, accepting Trump’s inflated sense of his own power. A few examples:

“Trump Signs Order Barring Transgender Student-Athletes From Women’s Sports,” said a New York Times headline .

“Trump signs executive order to dismantle the Education Department,” according to NBC News.

“Trump Signs Order Requiring Citizenship Proof to Vote in Federal Elections,” blared another Times headline.

Deeper in the stories, journalists often pointed out serious legal or constitutional issues, but you’d never know it from the headlines…

But as I’ve noted before, many people never get very far into a news story. They scan a headline or a social media post, and come away with a conclusion that’s incorrect. And while it’s true that it’s difficult to get much nuance or context into a six- or eight-word news alert, it’s the media’s responsibility not to leave the public with a false impression.

To put it bluntly, these orders aren’t the law. Legally, executive orders essentially are memos to Trump’s subordinates to act within their existing powers. Those powers are authorized by laws enacted by this organization you might have heard of? It’s called Congress. (And, after all, Congress gets top billing in Article I of the Constitution as the body that gets all legislative powers. The president, says Article II, is supposed to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.)

Obviously, Trump doesn’t understand that his Executive Orders aren’t laws. He thinks he’s signing legislation. But the rest of us should be very clear that these are not laws and do not have the same authority.

It will be up to courts to decide just how much power Trump actually has to enact his own imperial orders (let’s hope not much) but a lot of what he’s doing is in contravention of laws passed by congress and signed into law which should force the courts to order that they not be followed. We’ll have to see. But none of us should ever think that this flurry of presidential decrees have the force of law in and of themselves. They do not.

The media should make that clear every time he signs one.

“Cut that. That’s fire.” pic.twitter.com/tNfPznyp2R

— chyea ok (@chyeaok) April 23, 2025

I’d never heard of this guy Andrew Shultz and his podcast. I understand he’s a significant manosphere influencer. Buttigieg did what people insist Democrats need to do by going into those alternate media spaces that lean right to make his case and I think he was effective:

Some more highlights:

I love to hear him talk about reclaiming values & democracy, but Pete Buttigieg talking about *belonging* in politics is still my favorite thing.

This clip is right at the end of him telling a story of not correcting an older woman who told him she’d met his wonderful “friend”. pic.twitter.com/UGFsXVKotI

— Pete Receipts (@PeteReceipts) April 24, 2025

Amazing. In *two* minutes, Pete Buttigieg got Andrew Shulz to see why government research is necessary.

That is why these conversations matter. A lot of the hosts & audience would never hear a message like this one. But when they do, it makes sense. pic.twitter.com/GKtV3lYicw

— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) April 23, 2025

NEW: Pete Buttigieg opens up about his black adopted children, says there is a discount depending on whether you adopt black kids or white ones.

"It was called a surprise adoption scenario. I was traveling. We got a phone call."

"Anybody who says race is not a thing in this… pic.twitter.com/0osBYEifin

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 23, 2025

Pete Buttigieg on DOGE. He started this segment making the distinction that if DOGE was about efficiency he’d be all for it because the layers of process in government make stuff hard to achieve & it’s what he worked on as mayor. But it’s not, it’s about consolidating power. pic.twitter.com/gQKJBH5FVn

— Pete Receipts (@PeteReceipts) April 23, 2025

I’m not entirely convinced that this is the silver bullet to get young men into the Democratic party but it sure can’t hurt. Just showing another side to the arguments, especially when wielded by someone as good at this as Buttigieg is worth trying.

Gavin Newsom bringing Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on his podcast to tell them how wonderful they are is something else. That’s sane washing the worst of the worst. He’s behaving like a patsy in front of his own audience and persuading the wingnuts that their fringe dwellers owned him. If he did what Buttigieg just did, which he used to be good at, he might make some strides with the influencers who aren’t 100% in the tank, like this guy and Joe Rogan.

If you and I were able to see what Trump was planning with his tariffs you’d think people like this would have seen it too:

US President Donald Trump is moving too fast, alienating allies, making Americans poorer, and tarnishing the sterling reputation of US assets, Citadel CEO and founder Ken Griffin said Wednesday.

Though the president may have identified real problems, his methods to solve them don’t appear to be working, and are unlikely to revive American manufacturing, Griffin told Semafor’s Gina Chon at the World Economy Summit in Washington, DC.

Previously, Griffin said, “no brand compared” to US Treasurys, the strength of the US dollar, or the nation’s creditworthiness. But Trump’s tactics have “eroded” that reputation. “We put that brand at risk,” the billionaire hedge fund manager said. “It can be a lifetime to repair the damage that has been done.”

Investors have dumped US stocks and Treasurys in recent weeks in response to Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs on imports to the US. While most countries have been granted a 90-day reprieve, Trump has increased duties on China and suggested he might fire Jerome Powell, the respected governor of the US Federal Reserve. (Trump walked back those comments, saying he has no plans to remove Powell.)

Using the euro as a reference, the US “has become 20% poorer in four weeks,” Griffin said, an environment that produces no winners or bright spots. “There’s no great opportunity when the pie is rapidly shrinking,” Griffin said. “All you’re trying to do is tread water and not drown.”

Griffin said his “gravest concern” is whether officials can conduct themselves so that they don’t “diminish the stature” of the US. “How does Canada feel about our country today versus two months ago? How does Europe feel about the United States today versus two months ago?” Griffin said.

He was signaling that he was going to get his revenge on his enemies, which included Canada and Europe, all during the campaign. I know I was expecting it and anyone who watched him carefully should have expected it too.

Griffin spent over $100 million on Republicans including Donald Trump[ in the last campaign. And now he’s whining because he’s getting exactly what he paid for. It’s maddening.

Griffin is one of the Republican Party’s biggest donors and has previously downplayed the threat of trade duties.

Still, the tariffs have been a major focus for Citadel, at a time when Griffin had expected a breather from the pressures of new regulations under the Biden administration.

Griffin had been relishing “the idea that I have four years to focus on my business.” But thanks to tariff turmoil, the country “has devolved into a nonsensical place” where business leaders are distracted by concerns such as supply chain disruptions.

He’s a fucking idiot.

Pete Buttigieg and the manosphere

Pete Buttigieg is comfortable in his own skin. Unlike Democrats who walk into a public space on the defensive or ready to do battle (fewer), Buttigieg’s affect is, “This is who I am. Take it or leave it.” It’s not only refreshing, but his openness allows some potential adversaries to lower their guards and listen.

On Wednesday, Buttigieg appeared on Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant podcast. “A Democrat has entered the manosphere,” declared The Verge:

According to co-host Akaash Singh, Flagrant, which has drawn controversy for its hosts’ willingness to engage with racist content, was unable to get Democrats to agree to come on the show, prompting Buttigieg to call them out for turning down the invitation. “We have to be encountering people who don’t think like us and who don’t view the world the way we do, both in order to become smarter and better and make better choices and take better positions, and also to persuade,” he said.

Piercing the bubbles

Coverage of the appearance is more about the novelty of it than the substance. Daily Beast presented a couple of quotes and described it as “the latest in a string of media hits for the former transportation secretary, popular Democratic surrogate, and potential 2028 presidential nominee who has urged the party to improve its anti-Trump attacks.”

The Advocate (no surprise) provided much more, describing Buttigieg as “just as fluent in barbershop banter and locker-room one-liners as he is in public policy”:

In a nearly three-hour appearance on Flagrant—the bro-y, wildly popular podcast hosted by comedians Andrew Schulz, Akaash Singh, and crew—Buttigieg showed that a Harvard grad, Rhodes Scholar, former mayor, and former presidential candidate can chop it up with some of YouTube’s biggest comedy bros without sounding rehearsed, robotic, or condescending.

Amid rising concern within the Democratic Party about its growing disconnect with male voters — particularly younger men — the conversation doubled as a political case study: What does it look like when a high-profile Democrat engages the “manosphere” not with disdain, but on its own turf, and its own terms?

MUST WATCH: Pete Buttigieg's vision for America. pic.twitter.com/PHbiPHfc5Q

— CAP Action (@CAPAction) April 23, 2025

Buttigieg described the learning curve he’s climbing in how to care for his Black daughter’s hair. He spoke to the threat posed by growing economic inequality, competition with China, and the risks of unchecked corporate consolidation. And about coming out to his parents.

Openness breeds trust

Hillary Clinton in 2016 was perhaps the most qualified candidate Democrats had ever run for president. Except after decades of relentless right-wing attacks, her public affect was a woman looking at you over the top of a shield. Even if it was Wonder Woman’s, it didn’t make her feel open and approachable to many voters. She was a highly skilled public servant. Not so skilled as a candidate. Buttigieg has skills.

The conversation turned to Democrat’s ability to speak to voters’ concerns. Or lack of it. Republicans know better how to reach voters on an emotional level, Schulz noted (Daily Beast):

“If you want to help them, say the thing that you think they need help with out loud directly and say that you’re going to do it and then endeavor to do it,” Schulz said. “We already expect you guys not to do it so the least you could do is f—ing lie to me. You don’t even lie to me!”

In the clip above, Buttigieg replies by laying out the kind of country he wants, Democrats want, even if they are ineffective at expressing it. [start at timestamp 1:38:55]

“I want you to have good public transit to get to where you’re going, and then when you get to that job, I want you to be paid well,” Buttigieg said. “If you’re about to have a kid, I want you to know that you’re going to have parental leave when you have that kid and if you don’t want to have a kid I want you to have the the right to choose whether to have a kid.”

Schulz said he agreed with Buttigieg’s ideals, but he felt that Democrats’ lack of action plans and emotional appeals contributed more to a Trump victory than Trump himself.

“Give me the solution to the feeling that I have,” Schulz continued. “I think that there’s a lot of Americans who are at the end of their hope.”

“It seems you know exactly what we’re feeling because that was beautiful,” Schulz added. “But I need the statements that are going to satisfy those feelings because that’s what gets people to sway over and that’s what [Republicans are] f—ing good at.

All of us should be so comfortable in our own skins and beliefs. The left is fighting an asymmetrical messaging war funded by right-wing billionaires. We need to turn their weapons to our advantage.

* * * * *

Have you fought dictatorship today?

May Day 2025 | 50501 site, May 1
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Attending a Protest Surveillance Self-Defense

Let the bot speak for him

This is a creative way to “fill” those empty chairs at town halls Republicans refuse to attend.

Former Ohio Democratic Party chair David Pepper (“Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual for Every American“) posted about a town hall Wednesday night in JD Vance’s hometown of Middleton, Ohio.

Rep. Warren Davidson (R) missed a chance to show up for his constituents. So the sponsors added a new twist to old “empty chair” routine.

So sponsors asked “ChatGOP” AI to improvise answers based on Davidson’s public statements.

And even though he wasn’t there, we asked AI—as we called it, “ChatGOP”—to draw from Warren Davidson’s public statements to approximate the answer he might provide if he’d bothered to show up here, or at any town hall.

7/ pic.twitter.com/zH0foVzmFs

— David Pepper (@DavidPepper) April 23, 2025

Pepper tells the full tale in his newsletter. ChatGOP really is next-level. Love it.

* * * * *

Have you fought dictatorship today?

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The Resistance Lab
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Indivisible: A Guide to Democracy on the Brink
You Have Power
Chop Wood, Carry Water
Thirty lonely but beautiful actions
Attending a Protest Surveillance Self-Defense

FFS:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently ordered modifications to a room next to the Pentagon press briefing room to retrofit it with a makeup studio that can be used to prepare for television appearances, multiple sources told CBS News. 

The price tag for the project was several thousand dollars, according to two of the sources, at a time when the administration is searching for cost-cutting measures. 

“Changes and upgrades to the Pentagon Briefing Room are nothing new and routinely happen during changes in an administration,” a Defense Department spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. 

The renovation that was initially planned was estimated to cost more than $40,000, but the ideas were scaled back, sources said.

Every one of these Trumpers, starting with the man himself, really wants to be a drag queen. It’s obviously why they are so obsessed with transgender people. Their presence in the world makes them feel all confused down there.

*None of this is to say there’s anything wrong with wearing make-up or being transgender, of course. I’m just pointing out that these allegedly manly, pussy grabbing rapist types who love to insult everyone else’s looks and degrade LGBTQ people as deviant seem to have an unusual affinity for traditionally feminine grooming habits.

Philip Bump has a fascinating look today at American public opinion. It starts with this:

Perhaps the best analogy for the first three months of Donald Trump’s second presidentialterm comes not from American history but from Looney Tunes.

“We’re in the Wile E. Coyote Moment where actually all the key changes have already happened,” writer Julian Sanchez offered this month, “and we’re just waiting for folks to look down.”

That seems right. Trump and his allies have ripped through any number of systems that constitute and bolster the United States, but the full extent of damage hasn’t yet become apparent to most Americans — and may not for years. We’re still jogging straight ahead, unaware that there’s no more cliff underneath us.

Yowza. He notes that there is one group that seems to see that we’ve gone over: the markets. It’s a wild ride as they try to grab on to something on the way down, screaming for a lifeline. But Americans are only now beginning to see just how bad it really is. Bump does graphs and charts and they’re all interesting so I’ve included a gift link for you to look at all of them. They’re not good if you are a person who participates in the economy — which means all of us.

I’ll just highlight this one that shows maybe people are starting to understand what’s happening:

That slide may be in part because the discussion about Trump and immigration is no longer about his reversal ofBiden’s immigration approach (an approach that the Biden administration itself had to some extent revised before the 2024 election). Instead, it’s about Trump’s worrisome overreach.

Trump’s election last year was heavily centered on the idea that he would be a better steward for the economy than his opponent. His approval on jobs and the economy, though, has dropped quickly.

Has reality finally bitten? Time will tell. But those of us who have been running around with our hair on fire were sadly under-reacting. Hopefully, people are finally catching up but all that means is that they now realize what’s happening as we all go down together.

This is utter insanity:

Officials from Nevada to New Jersey to Utah and beyond are scrambling to take stock of President Donald Trump’s cuts to the U.S. Forest Service — and deciding how to respond as the summer wildfire season looms. “Forest fires aren’t going to take four years off just because of who’s in the White House,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in an interview following the announcement of $7 million in state wildfire mitigation grants. “So it’s really important that states up the bar on preparation.”

Trump has cut 10 percent of workers at the Forest Service, an agency that manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands, with more firings and a steep reorganization likely coming. About 75 percent of agency staff are trained in wildland firefighting. That means there are fewer workers around the country clearing brush and thinning trees to reduce the risk and intensity of wildfires. And when fires do break out, there will be fewer workers available to stop the spread.

The cuts have prompted alarm bells in state capitals as attention on wildfires and forestry policy has arguably never been higher in the wake of devastating fires that ripped through Los Angeles earlier this year. Record drought, heat waves and sluggish prevention work have exacerbated fires in recent decades: An average of 3 million acres burned nationwide each year in the 1990s, but the average is now nearly 7 million, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center.

Now, with that critical prevention work at risk of slowing, states and cities are weighing drastic actions to safeguard against the threat of potentially more fire-prone national lands.

I suppose he figures that since he’s allowing clear cutting of the national forests it won’t be a problem much longer. There won’t be anything to burn.

I would normally point out that this will ravage red states too. South Carolina just had a terrible wildfire. But now that Trump has pretty much claimed a dictatorship what does he care? Elections no longer matter to him. He’s getting revenge against his enemies and on a crusade to prove that he has always been right about everything. Except, of course, he’s always been wrong.

Vance: "The Ukrainians and the Russians are both gonna have to give up some of the territory they currently own. There's gonna have to be some territorial swaps." pic.twitter.com/eL0tbrNOAX

— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) April 23, 2025

Except according to the plan Russia ends up with the huge chunks of Ukraine it obtained through invasion. It doesn’t “own” any of it.

Back in the Reagan years, neocon Jeanne Kirkpatrick famously insulted liberals being the “blame America first crowd.” Trump has turned that on its head by being the most “blame America first” leader in history, blaming all of his predecessors for allegedly destroying America. (He does this mostly because he doesn’t understand the issues so he simply does the opposite of them.)

He also has the habit of blaming Ukraine for Russia’s actions such as when he eagerly embraced the nonsensical conspiracy theory (told to him by his friend Vlad, of course) that it was Ukraine that did the election interference in 2016 on behalf of Hillary Clinton.

And he continues to blame Ukraine for the war with Russia and he doesn’t seem to be backing off on that:

The “deal” they are proposing is predictably one-sided:

The one-page document the U.S. presented Ukrainian officials in Paris last week describes this as President Trump’s “final offer.” The White House insists it’s ready to walk away if the parties don’t make a deal soon.

• Trump’s proposal would require major concessions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously ruled out accepting Russia’s occupation of Crimea and parts of four regions in eastern Ukraine.
• And while Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly offered to freeze the current front lines in order to reach a deal, he has previously rejected other elements of the U.S. framework, such as a European peacekeeping force on Ukrainian territory.
• A source close to the Ukrainian government said Kyiv sees the proposal as highly biased towards Russia: “The proposal says very clearly what tangible gains Russia gets, but only vaguely and generally says what Ukraine is going to get.”

What Russia gets under Trump’s proposal

1. “De jure” U.S. recognition of Russian control in Crimea.
2. “De-facto recognition” of the Russia’s occupation of nearly all of Luhansk oblast and the occupied portions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
3. A promise that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO. The text notes that Ukraine could become part of the European Union.
4. The lifting of sanctions imposed since 2014.
5. Enhanced economic cooperation with the U.S., particularly in the energy and industrial sectors.

There’s no surprise there. Trump thought he could just threaten Ukraine with U.S. withdrawal on the day after the election and Zelensky would immediately drop to the floor and begin licking his boots while his good pal Vlad agreed to a phony “ceasefire” in order for him to win the Nobel peace prize. He was mistaken. But he’s still intent upon punishing Ukraine which he believes screwed him over in his first term (he hates Zelensky) and help out his buddy so the U.S. can do some bad “deals” he can pretend will benefit the United States.

I’m not sure what will happen now but it appears that we’re finally at the moment we knew was coming: the abandonment of Ukraine. It’s possible that Europe can fill the void but it will be difficult especially with the U.S. likely lifting sanctions against Russia and essentially coming in on its side economically. It was always going to happen.

American Hispanics who voted for Trump probably should have realized that Trump’s goons wouldn’t be discriminating about who they pick up:

The Trump administration’s disturbing trend of ensnaring American citizens with its immigration crackdown has shown no signs of stopping, with the latest incident involving a 19-year-old whose family says he was held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility for 10 days.

The White House is trying to beat back allegations surrounding its April arrest and detention of Jose Hermosillo of Albuquerque, New Mexico. As NBC News reported:

Immigration agents detained a U.S. citizen for 10 days after he was accused of illegally entering the United States while reportedly visiting Arizona this month, his family said.

But the Department of Homeland Security said Jose Hermosillo’s arrest “was the direct result of Hermosillo’s own actions and statements.” Hermosillo, 19, who lives in Albuquerque, was detained near Nogales, Arizona, on April 8, court documents say.

They allege that he illegally entered the country from Mexico and was found “without the proper immigration documents.”

There’s dispute over some of the basic facts in the case. The Trump administration said the arrest occurred after Hermosillo approached Border Patrol agents in Arizona and identified himself as a Mexican citizen who had entered the U.S. illegally, and the Department of Homeland Security posted what it says is a signed affidavit from Hermosillo that support its claims.

But according to Arizona Public Media, Hermosillo’s girlfriend’s aunt said that he did, in fact, say he was a U.S. citizen “but they didn’t believe him” and that he probably would’ve been deported to Mexico if his family hadn’t provided officials with his birth certificate and Social Security card. The Trump administration didn’t immediately respond to MSNBC’s request for comment.

I never understood why they voted for him in the first place. It’s obvious that he has no respect for them, their culture or their countries. Stephen Miller is an outright Nazi. They were always going to go after law-abiding tax-paying people who are just trying to feed their families.

Not to mention innocent children:

In shelters across New York, migrant children sit in front of computer and TV screens, appearing virtually in real court proceedings. They swivel in chairs, walk in circles and play with their hair — while immigration judges address them on the screens in front of them.

“The reason we’re here is because the government of the United States wants you to leave the United States,” Judge Ubaid ul-Haq, presiding from a courtroom on Varick Street, told a group of about a dozen children on a recent morning on Webex.

“It’s my job to figure out if you have to leave,” ul-Haq continued. “It’s also my job to figure out if you should stay.”

The parties included a 7-year-old boy, wearing a shirt emblazoned with a pizza cartoon, who spun a toy windmill while the judge spoke. There was an 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old sister, in a tie-dye shirt, who squeezed a pink plushy toy and stuffed it into her sleeve. None of the children were accompanied by parents or attorneys, only shelter workers who helped them log on to the hearing.

Immigrant advocates and lawyers say an increasing number of migrant children are making immigration court appearances without the assistance of attorneys, which they say will lead to more children getting deported.

The Trump administration on March 21 terminated part of a $200 million contract that funds attorneys and other legal services for unaccompanied children. Those are children who arrive without parents or legal guardians — and typically instead come with aunts, uncles or older siblings, according to immigration attorneys.

While the contract termination is being challenged in court, immigrant advocates say the impact is already being felt, as lawyer groups pull back on services – leaving some children on their own.

“How is a child supposed to navigate this?” said Beth Krause, supervising attorney of the Immigrant Youth Project at the Legal Aid Society. She noted many adults find themselves confused and disadvantaged in immigration court proceedings.

He did this before. Why would anyone think he wouldn’t do it again?

I’m glad to see some recognition that maybe the price of eggs wasn’t worth it. I wish people would realize that the authoritarian right will always come for them too eventually. Always.