Days ago the House came forth with a budget resolution that makes clear that Republicans have no concern at all for the nation’s future. Given how
subservient Speaker Mike Johnson is to President Trump, we can be sure that the House plan is closely aligned with the president’s often expressed desires. Trump bellowed on Truth Social,

"We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to ‘kickstart’ the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, 'ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.'”

With the country flying past $36 trillion in debt, Trump plans still more tax cuts, beyond extending his 2017 cuts, which will be the fourth set in this quarter century, all by Republican administrations. The House resolution obliges Trump by deliberately allowing for cuts costing an alarming $4.5 trillion over the decade to come.

Money in the budget cannot be found to backfill that bunker busting crater, and the plan hasn’t figured out where to start. Johnson has simply directed the various committees to come up with $1.5 to $2.0 trillion in savings across the next ten years. Even if that were somehow possible, it still leaves as much as a $3 trillion shortfall. And, by the way, committees, stay clear of defense because, to make your task a bit more difficult, the House is voting for an added $100 billion, up from this year’s $849.9 billion defense budget.

Most significantly, the Energy and Commerce Committee, which handles health care spending, is asked to cut $880 billion over the decade and that unmistakably takes aim at Medicaid at least. Trump has vowed many times over that Social Security and Medicare will not… Read More »

Wall Street breathed a "collective sigh of relief", said Politico when President-elect Trump chose a traditional financial sort, Scott Bessent, to be the next Secretary of the Treasury. He is a "legendary stock trader who understands financial markets", said the Wall Street Journal. And surprise! The investor and hedge fund manager was once the chief investor for George Soros's fund.

But nothing rubbed off the left-wing philanthropist billionaire onto Bessent, as we just learned
They largely won. States have steadily raised the minimum
wage, but far from all of them.

from his appearance at the Senate confirmation hearings. Senator Bernie Sanders asked Bessent if he would join legislators "who want to raise the federal minimum wage to a living wage to take millions of Americans out of poverty". Back came the standard, reflexive conservative evasion in this exchange:

Bessent: Senator, I believe that the minimum wage is more of a statewide and regional issue.

Sanders: You don’t think we should change the federal minimum wage of seven dollars and twenty-five cents an hour?

Bessent: No sir.

The last time the minimum wage was changed — to $7.25 an hour — was 2009. The sixteen years since are the longest stretch… Read More »

Like a magician’s disappearing act, Trump’s attempt to take over the government and usurp the presidency from Joe Biden has vanished. In accordance with Justice Department practice never to prosecute a sitting president – an exemption nowhere found
in the Constitution — Special Counsel Jack Smith is closing his two federal cases against Donald Trump. He is doing so without prejudice, which means they can be brought again when (or should we say if) Trump leaves office, but that is unlikely.

We have been witness these last four years to how the propaganda of denial can successfully become the dominant ethos at the expense of both truth and justice. In what follows we trace the evolution of how the… Read More »