Jeff Stein
@jeffstein.bsky.social
61K followers 410 following 200 posts
Reporter at The Washington Post. Listen to my series on John Brown: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/american-carnage/id1723391781
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jeffstein.bsky.social
Statement from @postguild.bsky.social on the firing of Karen Attiah:
jeffstein.bsky.social
Some personal news: I am taking leave from The Washington Post for at least 5 months to write the definitive biography of Bernie Sanders

It's going to be a fascinating read about The Big Questions in America & you wont want to miss it; sign up to follow along

open.substack.com/pub/jeffstei...
I am writing a book about Bernie Sanders
And it's going to be really good
open.substack.com
Reposted by Jeff Stein
bbkogan.bsky.social
“No question — this is definitely the biggest cut. It’s the biggest rollback in federal support for health care ever”
the incomparable @larrylevitt.bsky.social

“You can very safely say this is the biggest cut to programs for low-income Americans ever”
me

@jeffstein.bsky.social on what's at stake
Senate GOP tax bill includes largest cut to U.S. safety net in decades
The Senate Republican tax bill speeding to passage includes the biggest reduction of funding for the federal safety net since at least the 1990s.
www.washingtonpost.com
jeffstein.bsky.social
NEW: The US is effectively giving up on taxing large inheritances

GOP bill would permanently raise to $15 million - $30M for couples - amount that can be passed on tax free

Estate tax already reaches 1/4 of the households it did in 1934, when US was much smaller

www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8rf51c9/
NEW: The US is giving up on taxing large inheritances. The GOP tax bill permanently raises the threshold so up to $15 million — $30M for couples — can get passed on tax free. #taxes #trump #us #gove...
TikTok video by Jeff Stein
www.tiktok.com
jeffstein.bsky.social
Scoop: We've obtained internal cables showing how the U.S. government is pushing countries facing tariffs to clear way for Musk's Starlink

State Dept says it's good to encourage Starlink adoption

Others point to blurring of Musk's private/government roles ...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk’s Starlink, cables show
Some countries have turned to the satellite internet firm in preparation for trade talks, State Department staffers wrote. The U.S. has a strategic interest in countering Chinese internet providers, b...
www.washingtonpost.com
jeffstein.bsky.social
Scoop: Senior aides across Trump admin holding high-level meetings over China curbs on rare earths critical to huge range of U.S. economic activity

Deep concern about impact; no easy answers

Companies relying on reserves that wont last forever

May help explain Trump blink
jeffstein.bsky.social
Bannon: Elon Musk should be required to submit a certified inventory of all the fraud and waste he found while in government, and there should be full disclosure of any non-governmental entities to have obtained sensitive federal data through DOGE
Reposted by Jeff Stein
washingtonpost.com
President Trump’s abrupt shift in rhetoric Tuesday toward Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell reflected the private lobbying of some of his senior advisers, who urged the president to back off his incendiary attacks.
Top Trump aides urged president to tone down attacks on Jerome Powell
The president’s about-face on the central bank chief, following advice from his treasury and commerce secretaries, sent markets surging.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Jeff Stein
sephmurtagh.bsky.social
For @thedodgemag.bsky.social I wrote a meditative short story about deer hunting (or about the pleasures of simply waiting in the woods, as the case may be). Big thanks to @addisonzeller.bsky.social for giving this piece a home. www.thedodgemag.com/sephmurtagh1
jeffstein.bsky.social
If BlueSky aware that over on Twitter a bunch of finance type accounts spread a fake rumor that the WH was considering a 90 day tariff pause, after which markets rose, and then the WH came out and called it fake news, after which markets sank
jeffstein.bsky.social
I feel for the Silicon Valley & Wall Street types surprised by Trump’s tariffs. Who could have even thought to pay attention to his speeches, the positions on his website, hundreds of newspaper articles, or nationally televised debates. The information was practically impossible to come by
jeffstein.bsky.social
I do think one amusing thing is that all the industry titans thought if they got on Trump's good side they could protect their own companies, which of course discounted the possibility they could be simultaneously crushed
jeffstein.bsky.social
“He’s at the peak of just not giving a f--- anymore,” said a White House official with knowledge of Trump’s thinking. “Bad news stories? Doesn’t give a f---. He’s going to do what he’s going to do. He’s going to do what he promised to do on the campaign trail.”
jeffstein.bsky.social
SCOOP: Trump personally selected now widely-mocked formula for determining country-specific tariffs from a menu

Numerous aides had for weeks been at work crafting country-specific tariffs that took into account a broad range of tariff & non-tariff barriers

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Inside President Trump’s whirlwind decision to blow up global trade
Why did Trump impose tariffs? Inside the advice that shaped his decision.
www.washingtonpost.com
jeffstein.bsky.social
Tfw you have erected tariff and non tariff barriers
jeffstein.bsky.social
All within a few hours -->

Howard Lutnick: “I don’t think there’s any chance Trump is going to back off his tariff"

Peter Navarro: “This is not a negotiation"

Donald Trump: "The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”
jeffstein.bsky.social
have you actually read my reporting
jeffstein.bsky.social
I know I’ve been tweeting about this a lot but what’s striking to me is not just that Wall Street so badly underestimated downside risk — it’s that they piled all-in on post-election euphoria that assumed, contrary to all reporting, the tariffs wouldn’t happen