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Reposted by Joseph Britt

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 7h

We're spending $20B to bail out Argentina, but they cut USAID down to the bone, causing deaths around the world. The entire budget of USAID, the whole agency, was $21B last year. Shameful.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 8h

The Trump administration confirmed that the U.S. bailed out Argentina.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he had directly bought Argentine pesos in global currency markets in a bid to relieve pressure on the nation’s embattled President Javier Milei, a supporter of President Trump.

The U.S. just bailed out Argentina, Treasury Secretary confirms

The US Treasury has finalized a $20 billion financial rescue of Argentina, including a currency swap arrangement with the country's central bank.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 9h

Trump would be the first Nobel Peace Prize winner to have bombed Yemen, Iran, and Venezuelan fishermen in international waters.

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 9h

Biden also trapped American foreign policy in a time suck, committing senior Cabinet officials to cajoling their Israeli counterparts rather than working on Ukraine, the Western Pacific or other priorities more important to the United States.

Gaza will always be a black mark on the Biden Presidency

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 9h

I can’t speak to future appearances, still less to embarrassment. Biden let the United States be dragged around like a kite on a string for 15 months, trapped in a morass of sentiment for Israel as it existed many years ago, and without any thought for American interests distinct from Israeli ones.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 10h

Message discipline, man. Some candidates will never absorb the importance of saying exactly the same thing, over and over, but this one gets it.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 11h

I was afraid of this. It will get worse.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 11h

And putting them on record doing that, as Trump contemplates declaring insurrections when there are none, would be a prudent thing to do.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 11h

The upshot, again per @jonseidel.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/jons...

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 11h

#BREAKING Federal judge in Chicago temporarily blocks the Trump administration from "ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois."

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 11h

Perry says the order will say defendants are "temporarily enjoined from ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois."

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 12h

Thread. @chicago.suntimes.com reporter @jonseidel.bsky.social is covering the federal court hearing on Illinois’ request to block Trump’s deployment of the Texas National Guard to Chicago. Judge Perry (a Biden appointee, previously a longtime AUSA) is unimpressed by the government’s evidence.

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 12h

U.S. District Judge April Perry says it comes down to a "credibility determination."

"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 12h

#BREAKING A federal judge say she will grant "in part" a request by the state of Illinois for a temporary restraining order against the deployment of National Guard troops into the state.

U.S. District Judge April Perry is still ruling and has not outlined the details of her order.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 12h

The flow of aid into Gaza will be the key thing to begin with. It is also the most likely path to further Israeli punishment of the civilian population. The announcement of a deal is the most important aspect of it for the American side; Trump’s people will shrink from supervising compliance.

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 13h

It does. An impeachment resolution could be introduced upon dismissal of the Comey indictment or this one, whichever comes first. By that time the government shutdown crisis should be resolved.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 15h

A replacement can always be negotiated later if Congress thinks it necessary. Repealing it now, out of an abundance of caution, might save us a lot of unnecessary commotion and disruption of daily life later.

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 15h

As there is no insurrection currently underway in the United States or likely to start in the near future, and since nothing resembling an insurrection has occurred here since January 6, 2021….

Would it not be prudent for Congress to simply repeal the Insurrection Act?

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Reposted by Joseph Britt

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Longtime observers of the Catholic Church will remember how the last years of the Cold War in Europe were influenced by a Polish Pope.

That the new Pope is both American & spent many years among the very kind of people being persecuted by Trump’s migrant hunters may influence our politics as well.

Politico @politico.com · 1d

Pope Leo XIV says he will "stand with" Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants facing mass deportations in the U.S., according to advocates who recently met with the Pope.

Pope Leo will ‘stand with’ Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants’ rights, advocates say

The comments from the pope mark the most recent push from the Vatican against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

www.politico.com

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 19h

Thread. There is a theory that the Supreme Court issues so many rulings without opinions to muzzle Thomas and Alito. But @mjsdc.bsky.social thinks the Court’s Republicans simply rule as Republicans - against Biden, for Trump. He suggests ideas as to how Democratic President can repair the damage.

Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 19h

It is pretty galling that the Supreme Court spent four years telling Biden "you can't do that without Congress" then allowed Trump to seize a once-unthinkable amount of power from Congress within nine months and concentrate law-making authority almost entirely in the executive branch.

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Reposted by Joseph Britt

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Practically the first thing Trump did upon taking office last January was unleash Elon Musk on US foreign aid programs. Many warned people would die as a result; the medical journal @thelancet.com projected some 14 million. Kristen Gelineau tells some of their stories. apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

I’m sure Johnson and other Republicans are just covering up for Trump. Other pedophiles they don’t care that much about.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Only in America could a child of Cuban immigrants rise to a position that would be cut out of all important negotiations but responsible for whispering in Donald Trump’s ear about a social media post.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

John Fetterman, D-Keeping It Real

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Could have been worse. Trump could have said habeas corpus was a bad guy, sick and vicious, and that he belonged in prison. Noem would naturally have agreed with him, saying that it took a bold leader like Trump to say what has been true for a long time.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Longtime observers of the Catholic Church will remember how the last years of the Cold War in Europe were influenced by a Polish Pope.

That the new Pope is both American & spent many years among the very kind of people being persecuted by Trump’s migrant hunters may influence our politics as well.

Politico @politico.com · 1d

Pope Leo XIV says he will "stand with" Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants facing mass deportations in the U.S., according to advocates who recently met with the Pope.

Pope Leo will ‘stand with’ Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants’ rights, advocates say

The comments from the pope mark the most recent push from the Vatican against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

www.politico.com

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Thread. Federal fiscal situation, from CBO via @bbkogan.bsky.social.

We were warned that all of Elon Musk’s attacks on foreign aid, public broadcasting and so forth wouldn’t amount to much in the federal budget. The warnings were right; the government spends much more money on other things.

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 1d

CBO fy2025 projections for deficit/spending/etc are out

Some issues make simple comparisons apples-to-oranges, so I'll do apples-to-apples & explain in the thread

Relative to pre-Trump projections:
-Primary deficits ⬆️ $34 bn
-program spending ⬆️ $97 bn
-revenues ⬆️ $63 bn
www.cbo.gov/publication/...

2025 (January estimate, adjusted to fix issues) 2025 CBO estimate (remove student loan one-time revaluation) 2025 (adjusted for student loans) vs. 2025 projection (adjusted to fix issues)
Spending 7061 7166 105
Program spending 6108 6205 97
Interest 953 961 9
Revenue 5163 5226 63
Primary deficit 945 979 34
Total deficit 1898 1940 42

Reposted by Joseph Britt

Jim Manley @jamespmanley.bsky.social · 2d

Agreed

Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 2d

Again, Senators need to be Senators. They cannot just do what @whitehouse.senate.gov does here: ask a question, let the witness burn time with an insulting speech not germane to the subject, and hope this makes the witness look bad.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Not a word from the Bush family. As one would expect.

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Joseph Britt @zathras5.bsky.social · 1d

Technically not even then, since states not consenting to Union Army operations on their territory were those in rebellion.

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