The Reign of Trump

[bilateralrope]

Trump expresses doubts Putin is willing to end the Ukraine war

President Donald Trump said today that he doubts Russia's Vladimir Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon. Only a day earlier, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were “very close to a deal".

"There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said in a social media post as he flew back to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, where he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.


Trump also hinted at further sanctions against Russia.


“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!” Trump wrote.


The new doubts aired by Trump come as the president and top aides intensify their push to come to a deal to end the war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.


The comments also sharply contrasted with Trump's positive assessment that the two sides were “very close to a deal” after his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow on Friday (local time).


The Trump-Zelenskyy conversation on the sidelines of the pope's funeral was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since they argued during a heated Oval Office meeting at the White House in late February. That confrontation led the White House to briefly pause US military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.


Days after ordering the pause, Trump also announced he was “strongly considering” imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia to try to prod Putin to negotiate in earnest. Trump has not yet followed through on the threat — something even some of his staunch Republican allies are now pressuring him to do. In fact, when Trump announced new global tariffs this month, one major economy he excluded was Russia's.


US Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Friday (local time) urged Trump to “put the toughest of sanctions on Putin," arguing there is “clear evidence that he is playing America as a patsy”.


It's the second time in a matter of days that Trump has rebuked Putin, whom the American president rarely publicly criticises.


On Thursday (local time), Trump publicly urged the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.


After their brief meeting today, Zelenskyy’s office had said the US and Ukrainian teams were making arrangements for the leaders to talk again today. But Trump went directly to the Rome airport after the funeral and boarded Air Force One for the 10-hour flight back to the United States.


Zelenskyy's spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, said Trump and Zelenskyy did not meet again in person because of their tight schedules.


Zelenskyy called it a “good meeting” on social media after the funeral.


“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” said the Ukrainian leader, who also held talks today with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you."


The White House said the discussion was “very productive". The meeting lasted about 15 minutes inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, where Francis often preached the need for a peaceful end to the war, just before Trump and Zelenskyy took their seats at the outdoor funeral service.


The Vatican long ago had offered to help facilitate peace talks and Francis had regularly called for peace and dialogue from the altar of the basilica. That Trump and Zelenskyy spoke privately, face to face and hunched over on chairs on the marbled floors of the pope’s home, on the day of his funeral, was perhaps a fitting way to honor his wishes.


Trump said on social media, after he arrived in Italy late Friday (local time), that Russia and Ukraine should meet for “very high level talks” on ending the war.


Neither Putin nor Zelenskyy have commented on Trump's calls for direct talks.


Trump has pressed both sides to quickly come to a war-ending agreement, but while Zelenskyy agreed to an American plan for an initial 30-day halt to hostilities, Russia has not signed on and has continued to strike at targets inside Ukraine.


Putin did not attend Francis' funeral. He faces an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, which has accused him of war crimes stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.


Meanwhile, in a statement Friday night (local time), Zelenskyy said “very significant meetings may take place” in the coming days, and reiterated his calls for an unconditional ceasefire.


“Real pressure on Russia is needed so that they accept either the American proposal to cease fire and move towards peace, or our proposal — whichever one can truly work and ensure a reliable, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire, and then — a dignified peace and security guarantees,” he said.


“Diplomacy must succeed. And we are doing everything to make diplomacy truly meaningful and finally effective.”


The meeting today also came shortly after Trump had issued his most definitive statement to date about the need for Ukraine to give up territory to Russia to bring the war to a close. He said in a Time magazine interview published Friday (local time) that “Crimea will stay with Russia”.


Russia seized the strategic peninsula along the Black Sea in southern Ukraine in 2014, years before the full-scale invasion that began in 2022. Zelenskyy wants to regain Crimea and other Ukrainian territory seized by Russia, but Trump considers that demand to be unrealistic.

Russia has also seized Ukrainian territory in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions since invading in February 2022.


Referring to Crimea during the interview, which was conducted at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said, “everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time," meaning Russia.

Reality about Russia's invasion seems to be breaking through to Trump. Or he forgot about whatever leverage Putin has on him.

[bilateralrope]

FBI arrests Wisconsin Judge Dugan for obstruction, escalates Trump immigration enforcement effort

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/25/fbi-arr ... wtab-en-us

One update I've heard about this is that this arrest was made without going to a grand jury first.

Which gives the Trump administration 10 days to get an indictment from a grand jury. Otherwise this all gets thrown out because of the lack of due process and then we get complaints about "technicalities".

[EnterpriseSovereign]

FBI arrests Wisconsin Judge Dugan for obstruction, escalates Trump immigration enforcement effort

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/25/fbi-arr ... wtab-en-us

One update I've heard about this is that this arrest was made without going to a grand jury first.

Which gives the Trump administration 10 days to get an indictment from a grand jury. Otherwise this all gets thrown out because of the lack of due process and then we get complaints about "technicalities".

These large-scale, mass deportations to foreign internment camps without trial, opportunity to contest their internment, or adequate legal process have drawn frequent comparisons in the international media to the early stages of the Holocaust.

[bilateralrope]

Federal judge temporarily halts order for details on any efforts to return Abrego Garcia to US

By BEN FINLEY
Updated 12:50 AM NZST, April 25, 2025

A federal judge temporarily halted her order requiring the Trump administration to provide information on its efforts so far, if any, to retrieve a man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.

The seven-day pause ordered by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis on Wednesday came with the agreement of lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Xinis said, and is the first sign of a possible change, either in tone or position, in the contentious legal fight that already has been to the Supreme Court and led the judge to accuse administration lawyers of acting in “bad faith.”

Drew Ensign, a deputy assistant attorney general, filed a sealed motion requesting the stay of the judge’s directive for the U.S. to provide testimony and documents that involve plans to retrieve Abrego Garcia. The administration is also seeking relief from having to file daily updates on its progress.

Xinis did not explain her legal reasoning in granting the stay until April 30. She also did not make any changes to the required daily status updates.

Lawyers for Abrego Garcia filed their own sealed document, styled as a response in opposition, but Xinis wrote that her order was made “with the agreement of the parties.”

The rest of the article goes into the history of this case and how unhappy the judge is.



I can't see Garcia's lawyers agreeing to a delay unless the government promised something big, like returning him to the US. If the government lied here, we will know in a week when the judge gets angrier.

[Raw Shark]

Has it occurred to you that maybe she just enjoys having that much money on her?

Not gonna lie, back in my Black Hat days I occasionally flashed a fat pimp roll as a power play, accompanied by a grin that said, "Try and take it," at a guy who was looking like trouble. Not my proudest moments, but it works sometimes.

But as a dog person, I will add: Fuck Kristi Noem. Fuck her right in the ear.

[LadyTevar]

So, now Trump is going after NPR and PBS.

Now all we needs are billboards and placards "TRUMP HATES SESEME STREET!"

[Wing Commander MAD]

So, now Trump is going after NPR and PBS.

Now all we needs are billboards and placards "TRUMP HATES SESEME STREET!"

Well, Stephen Colbert did this on the Late Show recently:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYfk7AeQMIs

[Solauren]

Trump says he can't run again in 2028: 5 takeaways from 'Meet the Press' interview

by Joey Garrison
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump wouldn't take responsibility for the shrinking economy, expressed uncertainty whether he must uphold the Constitution to carry out his deportation agenda and said he's not looking at running for a third White House term during a wide-ranging interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."

Trump's interview with host Kristen Welker, which aired May 4, comes as he marked his first 100 days in office during his second term with a media blitz.

While the president has touted his work on central 2024 campaign promises – including sweeping tariffs and a nationwide immigration crackdown – he's been pressed on rising economic anxieties as his approval ratings reach new lows.

Here are five takeaways from the interview as Trump looks to the rest of his second term:

Trump says he's not looking at running again in 2028

Trump, during the interview that was conducted May 2, said he's not looking at running for a third term for president in 2028 and acknowledged he's not allowed to do so ‒ after repeatedly floating the idea since returning to the White House.

"I'm not looking at that," Trump said, even as the Trump Organization recently started selling "Trump 2028" hats on Trump's online store.

"I will say this. So many people want me to do it. I have never had requests so strong as that," Trump said. "But it's something that, to the best of my knowledge, you're not allowed to do. I don't know if that's constitutional that they're not allowing you to do it or anything else."

Serving a third presidential term is explicitly barred by the 22nd Amendment, which states, "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice."

Trump added that he's "looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward."

Trump says he's responsible for only 'good parts' of economy

Trump again refused to take responsibility for the state of the economy and blamed his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, after the U.S. gross domestic product shrank at a 0.3% annual rate in the first three months of the year.

"It partially is right now," Trump said when asked when the economy becomes his. "And I really mean this. I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job."

Trump said he's been able to "get down the costs," although economists warn his tariffs could end up causing consumer prices to increase.

The first quarter GDP covers the first three months of the year, the first three weeks of which were helmed by Biden, whose last full day in office was Jan. 19.

Amid stock market turbulence, Trump last week declared, "This is Biden's Stock Market, not Trump's," even though Wall Street's volatility has widely been caused by his tariff polices. But after stocks surged over the past week, Trump touted the recent turnaround.

"Ultimately, I take responsibility for everything," Trump said. "But I've only just been here for a little more than three months. But the stock market, look at what's happened in the last short period of time. Didn't it have nine or 10 days in a row, or 11 days, where it's gone up? And the tariffs have just started kicking in. And we're doing really well."

Trump says he doesn't know whether he must uphold Constitution

Trump said he does not know whether he's required to uphold the Constitution as he defended his administration's actions to remove people who are in the country illegally.

Trump's comments follow the Supreme Court last month saying his administration must "facilitate" the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland sheet metal worker and father of three who was wrongfully deported to an El Salvador prison without receiving a trial.

"I don't know," Trump said when asked whether he needs to uphold the Constitution. "I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said."

The Trump administration has said it doesn't need to request Abrego Garcia's release from El Salvador, where he's originally from, because of how the court worded its decision. Democrats and other critics have argued that such statements show the administration is refusing to obey the nation's highest court.

Pressed whether he agrees that everyone deserves due process under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution ‒ which says no person "shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law," ‒ Trump said he wasn't sure.

"I don't know. It seems – it might say that, but if you're talking about that, then we'd have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials," he said.

Trump officials have accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of the MS-13 gang and said if he were returned to the United States, he would be deported back to El Salvador because of his immigration status. Abrego Garcia has denied he was a member of MS-13 or any other gang.

Trump doubles down on kids getting fewer dolls

Trump said little girls in America don't need to own so many dolls, doubling down on an example he gave last week to defend his universal tariffs on imports that could spike the prices of many goods, particularly imports from China.

"I don't think that a beautiful baby girl needs – that's 11 years old – needs to have 30 dolls," Trump told Welker. "I think they can have three dolls or four dolls because what we were doing with China was just unbelievable. We had a trade deficit of hundreds of billions of dollars with China."

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs totaling 145% on imports from China, while he's paused reciprocal tariffs on goods from other nations for three months. Trump's baseline 10% tariffs on other countries remain in effect.

Nonetheless, Trump said his doll scenario is not an acknowledgement that prices for Americans are going to increase or that store shelves could become empty under his economic agenda.

"No. I think tariffs are going to be great for us because it’s going to make us rich," said Trump, who has argued his steep tariffs are needed to rejuvenate domestic manufacturing in the U.S. "No, I'm not saying that," he said of empty store shelves in the future. "I'm just saying they don't need to have 30 dolls. They can have three. They don't need to have 250 pencils. They can have five."

A growing number of experts have told USA TODAY that they foresee a recession by the second half of the year, spurred by tariffs as well as Trump's sweeping federal layoffs, removal of migrants and other actions.

Trump says it will be 'OK' if U.S. economy falls into recession
Trump downplayed economic anxieties caused by his tariffs, saying that everything would be "OK" even if the U.S. enters a recession in the short term.

"Everything's OK," Trump said, arguing the United States is in a "transition period" following the implementation of his steep new tariffs last month.

Asked whether he is concerned about an economic recession, Trump said he's not. "No, I think we’re going to have the greatest economic ... ," he said, but added that he can't rule it out.

As the Trump administration negotiates trade deals with more than 170 countries, Trump did not rule out the possibility that some of the tariffs could be permanent.

"No, I wouldn't do that because if somebody thought they were going to come off the table, why would they build in the United States?" Trump said.

At first, I thought maybe Trump was replaced by a doubleganger or something. (About not running in 2028). Then I realised he probably knows how hard it would be to get that amendement changed, so he'll just put a puppet in the office.

[Raw Shark]

...or he thinks the coup will be complete by then and there won't be an election.

[Solauren]

...or he thinks the coup will be complete by then and there won't be an election.

On that note... (also Dawn it, Raw Shark, psychic much?)

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-sho ... rcna205945

White House’s Stephen Miller: ‘We are actively looking at’ suspending habeas corpus
Miller claimed the U.S. can suspend the right to challenge the legality of a person’s detention “in time of invasion.”

In recent months, the radicalism of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda has come into focus, leaving many to wonder just how much further the Republican White House is prepared to go. It was against this backdrop that CNBC reported:

White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller said Friday that the Trump administration is ‘actively looking at’ suspending habeas corpus, the right to challenge the legality of a person’s detention by the government. Miller’s comment came in response to a White House reporter who asked about President Donald Trump entertaining the idea of suspending the writ of habeas corpus to deal with the problem of illegal immigration into the United States.

“The Constitution is clear — and that, of course, is the supreme law of the land — that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in time of invasion,” the presidential adviser said. “So, that’s an option we’re actively looking at.”

As part of the same comments, Miller went on to say that the White House’s actions will be guided by whether federal courts “do the right thing or not.”

In other words, if Miller and his colleagues are satisfied that judges are ruling in ways that satisfy the White House, then everything will be fine. If judges fail to make Team Trump happy, then Miller and his cohorts are “actively looking at” alternative ideas, such as suspending the writ of habeas corpus.

There are legal experts who can speak to this with greater authority than I can, but the basic idea behind habeas corpus is that people who are taken into custody by the government have a legal right to challenge their detention. To suspend habeas — something that happened during the U.S. Civil War, for example — is to allow the government to lock people up without charges and without the ability to contest incarceration.

This, according to Miller, is a point of discussion in the White House.

When I spoke about this to my colleague Lisa Rubin, an MSNBC legal correspondent and a former litigator, she described Miller’s idea as “truly crazy,” adding, “Miller isn’t proposing suspending a statutory right; rather, what he’s talking about is triggering a specific constitutional provision, namely the Suspension Clause of Article I of the Constitution. That clause provides ‘The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.’”

Steve Vladeck, a Georgetown University law professor, similarly explained that the Constitution’s Suspension Clause “doesn’t allow the President to unilaterally suspend habeas, especially when Congress is in session; applies only to cases of invasion or rebellion (this is quite clearly neither); and even then applies only ‘when the public safety may require it.’ (It doesn’t.)”

This is precisely why it was relevant throughout the 2024 campaign that Donald Trump and his allies would reference the word “invasion” as part of their anti-immigration pitch.

Time will tell whether the president is seriously prepared to pursue such an extreme approach, but that this conversation is even underway is a startling reminder of just how far the United States has gone down a radical path.

[Raw Shark]

...or he thinks the coup will be complete by then and there won't be an election.

On that note... (also Dawn it, Raw Shark, psychic much?)

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. If I was a psychic, I wouldn't be posting here right now, I'd be sitting on a bus bench on Wall Street pretending to read a newspaper and growing wealthier by the minute.

[bilateralrope]

Had Trump gone a bit slower with his mass deportations, and provided some lip service to the courts, SCOTUS probably would have gone along with it.

Instead he's rushing as fast as he can towards a confrontation with the courts, pissing off all the judges as he goes. If we get lucky, SCOTUS might make some big holes in qualified immunity so that state prosecutors can deal with the kidnappings.

Or Trump might start a war with Canada or Mexico, just so he can get the invasion he wants when insurgents retaliate on US soil.

[Zaune]

Maybe he thinks he can pull a Jake Featherston, and use the backlash to get rid of the Supreme Court entirely?

Not that he strikes me as a Turtledove fan, mind you.

[Zwinmar]

I'm waiting for his version of Saint Mary's, ala V for Vendetta. I do not think he has the discipline to do it...'correctly'

[Raw Shark]

I will be honestly shocked if the guy lives until 2028. Man eats nothing but Mickey Ds, all Project 2025 has to do is let nature take its course and they'll get to replace his fat ass with whomever they want. Probably Vance; he's in position, and would take orders well.

[Ralin]

I will be honestly shocked if the guy lives until 2028. Man eats nothing but Mickey Ds, all Project 2025 has to do is let nature take its course and they'll get to replace his fat ass with whomever they want. Probably Vance; he's in position, and would take orders well.

All of that was true in 2016 too.

Trump has the best medical care in the world and all of his known health problems are things that respond very well to medication. The man doesn't drink, smoke or climb stairs so that's three huge risk factors removed right there. Obviously he's going to die at some point but we should assume he's more likely to be alive a year from now than either of us until something changes.

This is America. Doctors have lots of experience keeping fat old people alive. The man doesn't need to be healthy to be functional.

[LadyTevar]

This is America. Doctors have lots of experience keeping fat old people alive. The man doesn't need to be healthy to be functional.

Doctors have a lot of experience keeping **RICH** old fat people alive.

Everyone else they nag to lose weight and think being fat is the source of every complaint, especially if you're female. Which is why you get so many women with ovarian cancer or cysts going untreated because "Oh, you're just FAT"

[Ralin]

This is America. Doctors have lots of experience keeping fat old people alive. The man doesn't need to be healthy to be functional.

Doctors have a lot of experience keeping **RICH** old fat people alive.

Everyone else they nag to lose weight and think being fat is the source of every complaint, especially if you're female. Which is why you get so many women with ovarian cancer or cysts going untreated because "Oh, you're just FAT"

As I said, he has the best medical care in the world

[Solauren]

This is America. Doctors have lots of experience keeping fat old people alive. The man doesn't need to be healthy to be functional.

Doctors have a lot of experience keeping **RICH** old fat people alive.

Everyone else they nag to lose weight and think being fat is the source of every complaint, especially if you're female. Which is why you get so many women with ovarian cancer or cysts going untreated because "Oh, you're just FAT"

As I said, he has the best medical care in the world

Hopefully, his 'best medical care' actually has morals and wants to see him out of office quickly.

[bilateralrope]

Trump has the best medical care in the world and all of his known health problems are things that respond very well to medication.

He can afford it. But he thinks that RKF Jr is a good choice to be the countries top health official. Someone who rejects germ theory and goes swimming in sewage tainted water.

So we have to ask, how much influence does the head of Health and Human Services over the presidents healthcare ?

[LadyTevar]

And now we find out whose side SCOTUS is on.

SUPREME COURT HEARS ARGURMENTS OVER ENDING BIRTHRIGHT

[Solauren]

I have actually heard a valid argument for ending it.

When the parents didn't mean to have the kid in the States, but have to, the kid automatically gets citizenship (regardless of the parents wishes).
The kid then has the IRS hounding them when they are adults.

At the very least, there needs to be adjustments on it, so that parents can 'op-out' on behalf of their kid.

And our right reversal, however? Probably not.

[Ralin]

God can you imagine putting the power to opt their kid out of birthright citizenship in the hands of religious nut parents, anti government militia types, straight up abusive sadists looking for a means of control, etc?

[Solauren]

God can you imagine putting the power to opt their kid out of birthright citizenship in the hands of religious nut parents, anti government militia types, straight up abusive sadists looking for a means of control, etc?

It would have to be set up only for those children born in the US to non-Us Citizens, or that had not been granted refugee status.

The child of a US citizen would still automatically get citizenship if born within US jurisdiction.

Also, isn't that the case of children born to US Citizens anywhere on Earth?

[bilateralrope]

I have actually heard a valid argument for ending it.

When the parents didn't mean to have the kid in the States, but have to, the kid automatically gets citizenship (regardless of the parents wishes).
The kid then has the IRS hounding them when they are adults.

At the very least, there needs to be adjustments on it, so that parents can 'op-out' on behalf of their kid.

And our right reversal, however? Probably not.

It seems like a better idea to let the kid decide if they opt out when they are an adult. So make that easy.

But only they get to make that decision for themselves.