My Views on the News
June 16/17, 2025
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength"
George Orwell, “1984”
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”
George Orwell, “Animal Farm”
Having picked fights with the G7 nations that should be our allies and telling them they were “stupid” to kick Russia out of the G8, suggesting they should be back
in, stating he’d be open to China becoming a member, and having hit their countries with tariffs, Donald John announced he is leaving the summit, departing a day early Monday to “monitor the conflict between Israel and Iran” as the conflict intensifies. He’s also declared Tehran should be evacuated “immediately.” And Marco Rubio who’s supposed to be the Secretary of State and not a lap dog is leaving with him. This G7 summit had the specific goal of defusing a series of global pressure points. But was disrupted by a showdown over Iran's nuclear program as Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran four days ago. Donald John warned Tehran it needs to curb its nuclear program before it’s “too late.” He said Iranian leaders had already had 60 days to reach an agreement on their nuclear program but failed to do so before the Israeli aerial assault which has taken out much of their military leadership began. “They have to make a deal,” he said. Asked if the U.S. might get involved militarily in the conflict, Trump said, “I don’t want to talk about that.“ But by Monday afternoon, he warned on Truth Social, “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” And warned Iran that if they struck at U.S. assets in the region, there’d be hell to pay. After that, he decided yo
skip a series of Tuesday meetings to address the ongoing war in Ukraine and global trade issues. But in typical Trump fashion, he prefers the United States taking solitary action, rather than in building a consensus with the other G7 countries. But by early Monday evening, as he got ready to leave the Canadian Rockies, Taco Don seemed willing to push back against his own supporters who believe the U.S. should embrace a more isolationist approach to world affairs. It was a sign of the heightened military, political and economic stakes in a situation evolving faster than the summit could process.
“AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform. Donald also put a greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations' trade policies. Going into the summit, there was no plan for a joint statement this year. Donald John has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on autos. Trump is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire. The trade framework signed Monday with the United Kingdom included quotas to protect against some tariffs, but the 10% baseline would largely remain as the Trump administration is banking on tariff revenues to help cover the cost of its income tax cuts. Canada and Mexico face separate tariffs of as much as 25% that Trump put into place under the auspices of stopping fentanyl smuggling, through some products are still protected under the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement signed during Trump's first term
And you thought MAGA Mike Johnson’s “Huge Heinous
Bill” was bad. Fiscally “conservative” Senate Republicans are proposing even deeper cuts to Medicaid than Mike’s bill to help pay for tax cuts for the budget plan released on June 16. The measure released by GOP leaders also seeks a more limited tax cut for tips and overtime than the House, changing one of Donald’s most recognizable 2024 campaign promises.
Setting up a showdown with the Republican-led House, which adopted its own version of Trump's so-called "big beautiful bill" in late May. The Senate Finance Committee would not increase the federal deduction for state and local taxes from $10,000 to $40,000 for people earning less than $500,000 per year. Senate Republicans plan to continue to negotiate changes to the so-called SALT tax deduction.
A federal judge ruled Monday it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants adding that the cuts raise serious questions about racial discrimination. U.S. District Judge William Young in Massachusetts said the administration's process was “arbitrary and capricious” and that it did not follow long-held government rules and standards when it abruptly canceled grants deemed to focus on gender identity or diversity, equity and inclusion.
In a hearing Monday on two cases calling for the grants to be restored, the judge pushed government lawyers to offer a formal definition of DEI, questioning how grants could be canceled for that reason when some were designed to study health disparities as Congress had directed. Young, an appointee of Republican President Ronald Reagan, went on to address what he called “a darker aspect” to the cases, calling it “palpably clear” that what was behind the government actions was “racial discrimination and discrimination against America's LGBTQ community.” After 40 years on the bench, “I've never seen government racial discrimination like this,” Young added. He ended Monday's hearing saying, “Have we no shame.”
During his remarks ending the hearing, the judge said he would issue his written order soon.
Young's decision addresses only a fraction of the hundreds of NIH research projects the Trump administration has cut — those specifically addressed in two lawsuits filed separately this spring by 16 attorneys general, public health advocacy groups and some affected scientists. A full count wasn't immediately available.
While Young said the funding must be restored, Monday's action was an interim step as the ruling could be appealed. The Trump administration is “exploring all legal options” including asking the judge to stay the order. “HHS stands by its decision to end funding for research that prioritized ideological agendas over scientific rigor and meaningful outcomes for the American people,” he said in an email. While the original lawsuits didn't specifically claim racial discrimination, they said the new NIH policies prohibited “research into certain politically disfavored subjects.” In a filing this month after the lawsuits were consolidated, lawyers said the NIH did not highlight genuine concerns with the hundreds of canceled research projects studies, but instead sent “boilerplate termination letters” to universities. The topics of research ranged widely, including cardiovascular health, sexually transmitted infections, depression, Alzheimer's and alcohol abuse in minors, among other things. Attorneys cited projects such as one tracking how medicines may work differently in people of ancestrally diverse backgrounds, and said the cuts affected more than scientists — such as potential harm to patients in a closed study of suicide treatment.
Lawyers for the federal government said in a court filing earlier this month that NIH grant terminations for DEI studies were “sufficiently reasoned," adding later that “plaintiffs may disagree with NIH's basis, but that does not make the basis arbitrary and capricious.” The NIH, lawyers argued, has “broad discretion” to decide on and provide grants “in alignment with its priorities” — which includes ending grants. Monday, Justice Department lawyer Thoms Ports Jr. pointed to 13 examples of grants related to minority health that NIH either hadn't cut or had renewed in the same time period — and said some of the cancellations were justified by the agency's judgement that the research wasn't scientifically valuable. The NIH has long been the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research.
To Bluetooth or not to Bluetooth, that is the question. The Trump Organization annoujnced it is starting a cellular phone service called T1 Phone by Trump Mobile that will charge $47.45 a month and include unlimited calls, text and data. It also plans to roll out a new $499 phone that will be built in the U.S. The new service was designed to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of President Trump's announcement of his first presidential run, the Trump Organization said. The company said its mobile phone plan, which it dubbed the 47 Plan in a nod to Mr. Trump's current rank as the 47th U.S. president, won't require a contract or a credit check. In an interview on "Mornings with Maria", Eric Trump — Mr. Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization — said the new phone and service will align with his father's policy plans to boost American manufacturing and employment by being made in the USA. Let the grift continue.
And having backed down on going after immigrants in the farm fields and in lower level jobs in restaurants and hotels after talking to donors, Donald John talked to Stephen Miller and has seemingly changed whatever reversal he made reversing the reversal and is threatening to do a LA on Chicago targeting one and all.