A new report published by former U. S. military officers this week decried president Donald Trump’s politicized use of the military and warned of the “eroding” effects his continued use of it will have, per a report from The Guardian. Since returning to power in January, Trump has become increasingly reliant on domestic military deployments in furtherance of his agenda. This has most notably included the use of National Guard forces to aid in immigration enforcement efforts, particularly in major cities, like Chicago and Los Angeles, that are run by Democratic elected officials. His administration has also seen numerous firings of high-ranking officers and lawyers who have been unwilling to support certain parts of the president’s agenda. All of these issues are at the heart of a new report, titled “The Perils of Politicizing the U. S. Military,” which warned that Trump’s use of the military for partisan purposes are damaging to the separation of the armed forces from political matters and the public’s trust in it to act apolitically. “The use of troops, bases, and ceremonies in partisan settings has blurred the line between military service and political messaging, eroding morale and public trust in the military’s apolitical character,” the report read. Released on Monday, the report was authored by retired Navy Admiral Steve Abbot, retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, former Army Secretary Louis Caldera, retired Army General George Casey, former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and former Navy secretary Sean O’Keefe. The former officials continued: “When service members, senior leaders, or military symbols are perceived as aligned with political agendas, the public begins to see the institution as partisan rather than national and once eroded, that trust is difficult to rebuild. This loss of trust makes it harder to recruit across the political spectrum, harder to retain talent, and harder to reassure allies and deter adversaries abroad.”.
Tag: donald trump
Trump defends Tucker Carlson after interview with activist known for his antisemitic views
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) President Donald Trump on Sunday brushed aside concerns about conservative commentator Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with a far-right activist known for his antisemitic views, which has caused a schism within the GOP. Trump defended Carlson, citing “good interviews” he’d had over the years with the former Fox News host. [.].
Trump admin finally acknowledges what economists have been telling us for months: analysis
Although President Donald Trump didn’t actually confess that his global trade war is driving up the cost of groceries for Americans, he did finally drop his dubiously named “reciprocal” tariffs on key imports on Friday. According to a White House fact sheet, Trump’s new executive order ends his tariffs on beef; cocoa and spices; coffee and tea; bananas, oranges, and tomatoes; other tropical fruits and fruit juices; and fertilizers. The New York Times had reported Thursday that “the Trump administration is preparing broad exemptions to certain tariffs in an effort to ease elevated food prices that have provoked anxiety for American consumers.”The reporting drew critiques of the administration’s economic policies, including from members of Congress such as Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who said that “Trump just admitted it: Americans are footing the bill for his disastrous tariffs.”Also responding to the Times reporting, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote on social media Friday: “After months of increasing grocery prices, Donald Trump is finally admitting he was wrong. Americans are literally paying the price for Trump’s mistakes.”More lawmakers and other critics piled on after Trump issued the order. CNN‘s Jim Sciutto said: “Trump administration now acknowledging what economists and business leaders have told us from the beginning: that tariffs are driving up prices.”MeidasTouch and its editor in chief, Ron Filipkowski, also called out the president on social media, with the outlet sarcastically noting, “But Trump said his tariffs don’t raise prices.”Congressman Don Beyer (D-Va), who serves on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, said in a Friday statement that “President Trump is finally admitting what we always knew: His tariffs are raising prices for the American people.”“After getting drubbed in recent elections because of voters’ fury that Trump has broken his promises to fix inflation, the White House is trying to cast this tariff retreat as a ‘pivot to affordability,’” Beyer said, referencing Democrats who won key races last week, from more moderate Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, the incoming governors of New Jersey and Virginia, to democratic socialist Mayors-elect Zohran Mamdani of New York City and Katie Wilson of Seattle. In addition to those electoral victories for Democrats, last week featured a debate over Trump’s trade war at the US Supreme Court. According to Beyer: “The simple truth is that Republicans want credit for something they think the Supreme Court will force them to do anyway, after oral arguments before the court on Trump’s illegal abuses of trade authorities went badly for the administration. Trump is still keeping the vast majority of his tariffs in place, and his administration is also planning new tariffs in anticipation of a Supreme Court loss.”“The same logic-that Trump’s tariffs are driving up prices on coffee, fruit, and other comestibles-is equally true for the thousands of other goods on which his tariffs remain,” he continued.”“Only Congress can do that, by reclaiming its legal responsibility under the Constitution to regulate trade, and permanently ending Trump’s trade war chaos,” he stressed. “All but a handful of Republicans in Congress are still refusing to stand up to Trump, stop his tariffs, and lower costs for the American people, and unless they find a backbone, our economy will continue to suffer.”As the Associated Press noted Friday, “The president signed the executive order after announcing that the U. S. had reached framework agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Argentina designed to ease import levies on agricultural products produced in those countries.”Trump’s order also came just a day after Democrats on the congressional Joint Economic Committee released a report showing that US families are paying roughly $700 more each month for basic items since Trump returned to office in January-with households in some states, such as Alaska and California, facing an average of over $1,000 monthly. The president has floated sending Americans a $2,000 check, purportedly funded by revenue collected from his tariffs, but as Common Dreams reported Wednesday, economist Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research crunched the numbers and found that the proposed “dividend” doesn’t add up.
‘Really really dumb’: Mark Cuban trashes GOP’s latest Obamacare replacement idea
Billionaire financier Mark Cuban has no kind words to say about Republicans’ newly circulated idea for how they could replace the Affordable Care Act. The plan, which started being circulated by President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress in the final days of the federal government shutdown as Democrats demanded an extension to ACA subsidies expiring for millions of people, was to take the money spent on subsidies and send it directly to American taxpayers to sock away in health savings accounts, or HSAs, to pay for treatment directly. But Cuban, who has himself pushed a drug sales company to try to disrupt the health care industry, panned the whole thing in a lengthy post to X on Friday. “This is dumb. Really dumb. Really Really Dumb,” wrote Cuban, who has clashed with Trump in the past. “Why? Because when you give it to Ins Carriers under the ACA, they have to spend at least 85pct of it on care for plan holders. When sent to people’s HSAs, there is no assurance that the money will be spent on healthcare costs at all. A recipient can save the money and take it out when they turn 65. MORE LIKELY, people will get that HSA cash, immediately take it out, pay the 20 pct penalty and buy whatever they want,” Cuban continued. “So your tax dollars could be throwing parties! Does this mean I like the subsidies going to the big insurance carriers? No,” he added. “It means there are better ways to do this. Whatever we do, taxpayer money HAS TO GO DIRECTLY TOWARDS PAYING or Guaranteeing NECESSARY MEDICAL CARE. Sending money to people’s HSAs is really dumb.”.
Government Shutdown Ends, BTC, XRP & Other Best Coins to Invest in Rebound: Tapzi Leads
The post Government Shutdown Ends, BTC, XRP & Other Best Coins to Invest in Rebound: Tapzi Leads appeared com. Bitcoin’s price slipped late Wednesday, dropping just below $101,000 before quickly turning around the next morning. The move followed news out of Washington, D. C., where President Donald Trump signed a bill that ended the record-long government shutdown. The 43-day standstill having come to an end, the response of both traditional and crypto markets was instant. Bitcoin surged nearly $3,000 in one night. Ethereum returned to more than $3,500. XRP also gained and regained the $2. 50 mark. Other altcoins experienced a comparable upturn. While the top altcoins to buy now are moving again, traders are also watching new crypto coins gaining early momentum. One of those is TAPZI, a Web3 gaming token still in presale. The platform focuses on skill-based gaming and has quietly passed 72% of its first presale round. Some investors now see it as a contender for the best coins to invest in before 2026. Shutdown Ends After 43 Days The U. S. federal government reopened late Wednesday after six weeks of gridlock. The House passed the funding bill 222 to 209. Trump signed it shortly after, calling it a win over political pressure from the opposing party. The bill allows essential services to resume and federal workers to begin receiving back pay. Agencies covering food assistance, transportation, and social security can now continue regular operations. Markets had been waiting for a breakthrough. Bitcoin, which had fallen below $101,000 twice on Wednesday, recovered quickly once the deal became public. Analysts had tied recent crypto weakness to uncertainty over government operations. That pressure seems to be easing. Ethereum, XRP, and Other Altcoins Rebound Ethereum moved past $3,500 after a 3% gain overnight. XRP climbed above $2. 50, returning to a level not seen in weeks. ZEC rose 12% in the same period. Other altcoins, including lesser-known tokens like IP, saw gains.
‘Not a MAGA Republican’: Former top TX GOPer says he couldn’t carry Trump’s agenda
Former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Thursday said his decision to drop his bid for another term leading the lower chamber last year was rooted in his disapproval of President Donald Trump’s agenda. Phelan, a Beaumont Republican who served two terms as speaker, narrowly survived a primary challenge last year from an opponent endorsed by Trump. He later declined to seek reelection as speaker amid opposition from within his own party. In August, Phelan announced he wasn’t going to run for reelection to his southeast Texas House district. Trump earlier this week posted on Truth Social: “Fortunately for the Great State of Texas, their Former Speaker, who is no longer Speaker, Dade Phelan, is quitting Politics.”Phelan at a Texas Tribune Festival event Thursday said it wasn’t anything new to have the president come after him. “That’s fine,” Phelan said. “It’s not a secret I am not a MAGA Republican. I never have been a MAGA Republican. I’m not a Donald Trump guy. Again, it’s the reason I decided not to be speaker again. I could not carry his agenda through the Texas House.”Phelan said that it felt “phenomenal” not to be running for office again. But he said he was concerned for the Republican Party as it headed into the midterms, where the party that controls the White House generally doesn’t do well. He noted that prices weren’t going down “regardless of what Mr. Trump says” and health care costs were set to rise next year with the looming expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits, spelling political trouble for his party.“We’ve got to get a handle on this or we’re going to have a very messy, very messy November of next year,” he said. This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
WATCH LIVE: Trump signs government funding bill to end record-long shutdown
President Donald Trump is set to sign the government funding bill, ending the longest government shutdown in U. S. history. The signing is scheduled to take place at 9: 45 p. m. The House voted 222-209 in favor of the bill, its last hurdle before reaching the White House. While earning criticism on both sides of the aisle, [.].
UK government is caught up in a feud between Trump and the BBC
Britain’s government was due to weigh in Tuesday on a feud between the BBC and U. S. President Donald Trump, who is threatening to sue the broadcaster over the way it edited a speech he made after losing the 2020 presidential election. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was set to deliver a statement on the BBC crisis in the House of Commons, with critics demanding major changes to the corporation and supporters urging the government to defend the U. K.’s public broadcaster from political interference. Outgoing BBC Director-General Tim Davie, who announced his resignation on Sunday because of the scandal, said the BBC.
CT plans $500M in relief for federal programs, but questions remain
Gov. Ned Lamont outlined plans to protect federal human service programs. But it remained unclear how far Connecticut will spread the money.
Trump Stimulus Check Could Trigger New Crypto Bull Run
The post Trump Stimulus Check Could Trigger New Crypto Bull Run appeared first S. President Donald Trump said Americans could receive direct cash payments funded by tariff revenue. The announcement came through Trump’s Truth Social post, where he claimed the U. S. is bringing in “trillions of dollars” from tariffs. According to him, this money will be used to reduce the.