Ed Martin Reveals J6 Pipe Bomber Probe Shakeup, Warns DOJ 'Much, Much Worse Than People Think'

Ed Martin, a senior official in the Trump administration’s Department of Justice, is warning that corruption within federal law enforcement is far more severe than the American public realizes. Martin, who holds the roles of Director of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Pardon Attorney, made the comments during an interview with Tucker Carlson.

Martin weighed in the unresolved case of the January 6, 2021, pipe bomber, expressing frustration with the investigation’s lack of progress, wondering whether the lack of answers may have been intentional. “The pipe bomber—as a prosecutor - I’ve got the pipe bomber case in my office,” Martin told Carlson. Martin revealed FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told him that the bureau had reassigned agents to the case, however, the renewed effort was still in it early stages. “It’s been going on for five weeks?” Martin said, likening the past probe to the bumbling “Keystone Cops.”

Starts at 16 minutes

Ed Martin was on his way to cleaning up Washington as the new U.S. Attorney, until Senate Republicans decided he was too sincere and killed his nomination.

(0:00) Introduction
(1:20) Ed Martin’s Response to the Crazed Leftist Who Spit in His Face
(7:21) Why Would Republican… pic.twitter.com/WBtNxdnAqg

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) May 14, 2025

Martin further criticized the FBI’s previously handling of the case, alleging that basic investigative steps were overlooked. “They didn’t interview some of the people that you would have said, ‘That might be a suspect.’ They hadn’t interviewed him,” he said. Raising concerns about the agency’s competence, he added, “The question becomes, ‘what’s happening here?’ Is it incompetence? It feels worse than incompetence.”

When asked by Carlson whether the DOJ is worse than people believe, Martin went further, declaring, “I think it’s worse than incompetence.” However, he urged that importance of following the facts and not getting ahead of investigations, saying, “The only way forward is not to describe what I think of the motives but to expose over and over again what’s happened. If you expose what happened and the truth gets out, then accountability is possible.”

Martin went on to praise Bongino’s efforts, noting, “He is going hammer and tongs at this stuff.” The Trump DOJ official acknowledged the complexity of pursuing accountability, saying, “You can’t arrest everybody in the first month, but you got to get this going.”

Martin then described the issues facing the DOJ as “much, much worse than people think.”

The FBI has begun delivering subpoenaed documents to House Judiciary Committee Republicans, addressing demands for greater “transparency and accountability” within the bureau, the Epoch Times reported in March.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, had pressed FBI Director Kash Patel in a March 7 letter for information and records allegedly withheld during the tenure of former FBI Director Christopher Wray.

In response, FBI Assistant Director Marshall Yates provided an initial batch of documents covering key issues, including the investigation into pipe bombs discovered near the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., in January 2021, as well as the FBI’s interactions with social media platforms and probes into threats against school officials.

Jordan’s push for transparency began with a February 24 letter, sent shortly after Patel’s confirmation as FBI Director. The letter targeted Wray’s leadership, accusing him of “slow-walking” the pipe bomb investigation tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and questioning the FBI’s use of “confidential human sources” during the event.

Some Republicans have claimed FBI informants were active on January 6, a claim partially substantiated by a December 2024 report from the FBI’s inspector general. While the report confirmed no undercover FBI agents were present, it revealed over two dozen informants were at the Capitol that day, according to the Epoch Times. 

*  *  *

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Click pic... buy seeds... take food supply into your own hands... Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 16:40

Supreme Court Set To End Era Of Nationwide Judicial Injunctions

Authored by Matt Margolis via PJMedia.,com,

The days of rogue district court judges hijacking executive authority may finally be numbered. On Thursday, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a consolidated case, Trump v. CASA, which challenges lower court rulings that blocked President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants. Despite the constitutional authority granted to the executive branch on immigration matters, three district judges issued sweeping nationwide injunctions halting the order. 

Now, the highest court may have the chance to rein in judicial overreach and restore balance between the branches of government.

Since President Trump began his second term, liberal judges have weaponized nationwide injunctions against his administration an astonishing 17 times in just the first few months — and that's only counting through late March 2025. This is nothing new, of course. 

Even Newsweek seems to believe that the court will side with the Trump administration.

In recent years, some justices have expressed criticism of universal injunctions.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, one of the court's conservatives, argued in a 2020 concurring opinion that injunctions are "meant to redress the injuries sustained by a particular plaintiff in a particular lawsuit."

He said the "routine issuance of universal injunctions is patently unworkable, sowing chaos for litigants, the government, courts, and all those affected by these conflicting decisions" and that the court must address them.

He also noted that nationwide injunctions mean that plaintiffs can shop around for the judge that is most likely to be sympathetic to their cause.

"Because plaintiffs generally are not bound by adverse decisions in cases to which they were not a party, there is a nearly boundless opportunity to shop for a friendly forum to secure a win nationwide," Gorsuch wrote.

Even Justice Elena Kagan, one of the Court’s three liberal justices, has criticized broad nationwide injunctions and the blatant judge-shopping tactics used by plaintiffs to game the system.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue because Joe Biden's outgoing Solicitor General, Elizabeth Prelogar, also filed a brief in December 2024 asking the Supreme Court to limit these broad orders despite knowing Trump would benefit from the decision. 

"In the Trump years, people used to go to the Northern District of California, and in the Biden years, they go to Texas," Kagan said in 2022. 

"It just can't be right that one district judge can stop a nationwide policy in its tracks and leave it stopped for the years that it takes to go through the normal process."

Let’s be honest: Nationwide injunctions were never about judicial oversight.

They’ve been the left’s go-to tool for blocking President Trump’s agenda through activist judges. 

With just one ruling, any of the hundreds of district court judges in the country can nullify federal policy they don’t like.

Now, the left is panicking. 

Without these judicial shortcuts, they’ll have to argue their cases on the merits instead of in front of cherry-picked friendly judges. Even Vox admitted these injunctions were “the core of the resistance.”

But that era may be ending.

The Supreme Court looks poised to rein in this abuse of power and restore constitutional balance. 

For anyone who believes in law, not lawfare, this moment can’t come soon enough.

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 16:20

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on May 6, 2025

Which of Piketty’s “Rich Get Richer” Theories Matters More? – by Steve Roth Wealth Economics For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. —Matthew 25:29, Revised Standard Version Steve Randy Waldman reminded me recently of this […]

The post “Rich Get Richer” Theories appeared first on Angry Bear.

'Hey, Comrade Putin, Just Go': Brazil’s Lula Presses Russian President On Istanbul Talks

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was just recently one of the some 29 heads of state who attended the Victory Day Red Square parade and events in Moscow. He also met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin while in the country.

And now amid plans for 'direct' Russia-Ukraine talks to be held in Istanbul Wednesday, Brazilian media is reporting that Lula is urging Putin to attend in person. 

"It costs me nothing to say, ‘Hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate, come on'," Lula was quoted as saying by Brazil’s state news agency Agencia Brasil.

Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Vladimir Putin. Kremlin.ru

But on Wednesday, Kommersant newspaper is reporting that not even Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the Istanbul talks.

"Speaking to reporters during a visit to China, Lula said he would stop in Moscow on his way back to Brazil in an effort to press Putin to take part in negotiations," another regional source reports.

As for the United States, President Trump is dispatching his two top diplomats, but there are reports they could arrive after main talks are scheduled to happen, while currently they are accompanying Trump in the Gulf:

US President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Friday, May 16, reports The Guardian.

As the outlet reports, Witkoff told journalists that he and Rubio will head to Istanbul on Friday for talks regarding Russia and Ukraine. He also noted that it remains unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will be present at the planned negotiations.

However, the potential talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul are scheduled for Thursday, May 15.

The Kremlin has since confirmed that it still plans to participate, also as Zelensky is trying to goad Putin into attending in person. Zelensky has said he's ready to be there if Putin is.

And even Trump had days ago said he was "thinking about actually flying over"; however, this is looking increasingly unrealistic. 

Rubio and Witkoff might arrive late, as regional sources are reporting.

Despite some sensational recent headlines and statements, one thing we can be sure will not happen is President Putin's personal presence. There's no reason for him to be there - from a strategic point of view - given Kiev has yet to make any major concessions, and Russian forces are winning on the ground in the east.

And if Moscow is not willing to send Lavrov, it's a clear sign the Kremlin is not approaching the Istanbul meeting as if it will result to much of great consequence or substance.

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 15:45

Is The Senate Stablecoin Bill Dead? Dems Demand Treasury Info On Trump Citing Crypto "Bribery" Risks

Update (1405ET): CoinDesk's Margau Nijkerk reports that Top House Democrats sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury Department Wednesday, asking its money laundering watchdog to hand over all suspicious activity reports (SARs) tied to President Donald Trump’s crypto ventures.

In a letter sent to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Reps. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) - the ranking members of the House Oversight, Administrative, and Judiciary committees - called for an urgent investigation into Trump’s blockchain project World Liberty Financial and the $TRUMP memecoin, citing possible violations of campaign finance laws, bribery statutes and securities regulations.

“The Committees seek to determine whether legislation is necessary to prevent violations of campaign finance, consumer protection, bribery, securities fraud, and other anti-corruption laws in connection with fundraising by candidates for federal office and federal officeholders and to guard against deceptive and predatory campaign fundraising practices, illicit foreign influence over federal officials, and other financial misconduct connected to prospective or current federal officials,” the leading Democrats on the committees wrote in a press release shared with CoinDesk.

The request marks an escalation in congressional scrutiny on whether President Trump and his entourage are abusing their positions of power to benefit their crypto businesses. Senate Democrats pointed to Trump’s crypto ventures last week as part of their reason for not voting to advance stablecoin legislation that previously saw bipartisan support.

The inquiry zeroes in not only on the Trump family’s September 2024 launch of World Liberty Financial and the $TRUMP memecoin launched just days before his inauguration, but also Elon Musk’s America PAC and whether they are using Trump’s name to solicit donations under false pretenses.

As Sander Luz reported earlier via Decrypt.co, it was supposed to be a slam dunk.

The American crypto industry, flush with more political capital than it has ever had (and perhaps will ever have), was to get its long-awaited “regulatory clarity” on stablecoins last week.

And yet the Senate failed to pass a key procedural vote on the marquee stablecoin legislation. 

As the bill, dubbed the GENIUS Act, languishes in legislative purgatory, should it be considered functionally dead—or might there be hope yet for its passage? 

It depends who you ask. 

Technically speaking, according to the Senate’s rules, the window to file a motion to reconsider the bill—which would establish a legal framework for offering stablecoins in the United States—has already passed. 

Such a motion would have had to be filed by Monday evening, and no senators did so in time. 

A source familiar with the Senate’s rules of procedure confirmed this state of affairs to Decrypt.

Stablecoins are a key component of the crypto economy. They are essentially digital dollar-equivalents that allow their users to enter and exit digital asset trades, and send payments or remittances overseas, without the need to access dollars directly.

It’s expected that once these assets are anointed by the U.S. Congress, rules of the road signed into law by President Donald Trump, banking giants and Wall Street titans will join the fray and enter the stablecoin market—bringing billions if not trillions of dollars into crypto. That’s why the lobbying arm of the crypto industry has been pushing so hard for this legislation.

But the GENIUS Act has not been taken up for a cloture vote this week because, functionally, political calculus has not changed on the topic since Thursday. 

A small cadre of pro-crypto Democrats still have yet to reach a deal with Republican leadership over the bill’s language. Republicans are confident, however, they will be able to take advantage of “other procedural opportunities” to get the GENIUS Act back to the Senate floor if such a deal is made, sources told Decrypt. 

After a largely uneventful weekend, key Democratic and Republican stakeholders are resuming talks this week over the contents of the bill, sources familiar with the plans told Decrypt. Both sides are remaining exceptionally tight-lipped, however, about what exact language is holding up progress. 

Five Senate Democrats who voted against the bill last week previously voted to advance it from the Senate Banking Committee. Two of the Democrats who opposed the bill on Thursday, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), are consponsors of the legislation. 

In a statement issued last weekend, pro-crypto Democrats blamed their withdrawal of support for GENIUS on portions of a new draft of the bill, which they said contained insufficient anti-money laundering and national security protections. But optics appear to also be playing a significant role in their change of tune. 

In the last two weeks, President Donald Trump and his family have made multiple flashy crypto and stablecoin-related announcements that have animated Democrats over perceived conflicts of interest in the White House. 

That line of attack has only been exacerbated since the weekend, with Trump announcing Monday that he intends to personally accept a $400 million Boeing jet as a gift from the Qatari government.

The Senate’s decision to block the GENIUS Act on Thursday drew immediate condemnation from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who warned the vote could jeopardize the U.S.’s position in the global digital assets race. 

“For stablecoins and other digital assets to thrive globally, the world needs American leadership,” Bessent posted on X. 

“The Senate missed an opportunity to provide that leadership today by failing to advance the GENIUS Act.”

Multiple crypto policy leaders told Decrypt Tuesday they are growing increasingly worried that the political stakes involved pose a very real threat not just to any chance of salvaging the GENIUS Act, but also the rest of the industry’s legislative agenda. 

A parallel stablecoin bill is currently making its way through the House, and foundational market structure legislation is pending in both chambers of Congress. 

The policy leaders all agreed that this week is do or die for crypto’s political momentum in Washington. 

Should the GENIUS Act fail to make significant progress by Friday—as in, pass the cloture vote it failed last week—the situation could become terminal, they warned. 

“Grim if something doesn’t give soon,” one D.C. insider put it. 

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 15:25

What's Behind Ethereum's Recent Price Surge?

Authored by James Hunt via TheBlock.co,

Ethereum has lagged behind Bitcoin and alternative Layer 1s throughout this cycle amid a wave of relative bearishness.

And yet, since the crypto market's April lows, ETH has surged nearly 100% - gaining 65% in the last 30 days alone to tap $2,750, back above pre-election levels (and key technical levels). 

So what's driving the move?

Analysts at research and brokerage firm Bernstein, led by Gautam Chhugani, said in a Wednesday note to clients that several narratives have been put forward attempting to explain this performance.

While bitcoin claimed all-time highs, crossing the psychological $100,000 barrier, the ETH/BTC ratio has dropped 45% over the past year as bitcoin dominated store-of-value mindshare amid the success of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds and corporate treasury adoption, while retail flows shifted to faster Layer 1s like Solana, the analysts wrote.

Ethereum, caught between its Layer 2 roadmap and limited ETF traction comparatively, was "stuck somewhere in the middle," they added - neither the best store of value, nor the best blockchain destination for speculative retail trenches.

Stablecoins and tokenization, Layer 2 institutionalization, and an ETH short unwind

However, according to the analysts, the narrative is beginning to change amid a boom in stablecoin and securities tokenization, Layer 2 institutionalization, and an ETH short unwind.

The cycle is expanding beyond store-of-value use cases, they said, with stablecoin payments and tokenized securities gaining real traction. 

Stripe's $1.1 billion acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge and Meta's recent comments about reigniting its stablecoin venture are helping to bring back a focus on the underlying blockchains, and Ethereum — which holds 51% of the total stablecoin supply — is emerging as the key platform proxy for this growth trend, they added. 

Traditional finance giants like BlackRock and Franklin Templeton are also advancing adoption of a real-world asset tokenization market now valued at over $22 billion, according to RWA.xyz — with Ethereum again dominating deployment.

Secondly, while critics question the value accretion of Layer 2s to ETH, the Bernstein analysts said that with networks like the Coinbase-incubated Base earning revenue of around $84 million last year, Ethereum Layer 2s are taking a growing role in institutional crypto infrastructure. With Robinhood's recent acquisition of WonderFi — which also runs an Ethereum Layer 2 — brokers may soon offer tokenized equities on their own chains, they argued. Since these Layer 2s use ETH for gas and settlement, they help drive Ethereum demand and position it as a leading platform for institutional smart contract adoption, they added.

Finally, the third driver of ETH's recent outperformance is more tactical, in the analysts' view. Over the past 12 to 18 months, crypto hedge funds have often used ETH as a delta-neutral hedge - staying long BTC and SOL while shorting ETH. But as the narrative shifts toward institutional adoption of blockchain and stablecoin payments, and beyond store of value, ETH's role as the underperformer is becoming harder to justify, they said.

As a result, the resurgence of ETH and other non-bitcoin assets is good for crypto exchanges and broker-dealers, they argued, as a broader crypto market rally reinvigorates retail traders, driving stronger volumes.

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 14:45

Federal Judge Rules Against Student Who Wore A "Let's Go Brandon" Shirt

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

We previously discussed how schools were making students remove sweatshirts reading “Let’s Go Brandon.”

I have argued that the shirts should be treated as protected speech. 

However, United States District Court Judge Christopher Boyko just delivered another blow to free speech in rejecting a claim for such protection, at least as the basis for injunctive relief, in  Conrad v. Madison Local School Dist—Bd. of Ed.

In the prior Michigan case with the sweater shown below, Judge Paul Maloney in D.A. v. Tri County Area Schools (W.D. Mich.) ruled that a “Let’s Go Brandon” T-shirt could be the basis for punishment:

A school can certainly prohibit students from wearing a shirt displaying the phrase F*** Joe Biden. Plaintiffs concede this conclusion. Plaintiff must make this concession as the Supreme Court said as much in Fraser … (“As cogently expressed by Judge Newman, ‘the First Amendment gives a high school student the classroom right to wear Tinker’s armband, but not Cohen’s jacket [which read {F*** the Draft}].'”) The relevant four-letter word is a swear word and would be considered vulgar and profane. The Sixth Circuit has written that “it has long been held that despite the sanctity of the First Amendment, speech that is vulgar or profane is not entitled to absolute constitutional protection.” …

If schools can prohibit students from wearing apparel that contains profanity, schools can also prohibit students from wearing apparel that can reasonably be interpreted as profane. Removing a few letters from the profane word or replacing letters with symbols would not render the message acceptable in a school setting. School administrators could prohibit a shirt that reads “F#%* Joe Biden.” School officials have restricted student from wearing shirts that use homophones for profane words … [such as] “Somebody Went to HOOVER DAM And All I Got Was This ‘DAM’ Shirt.” … [Defendants] recalled speaking to one student who was wearing a hat that said “Fet’s Luck” … [and asking] a student to change out of a hoodie that displayed the words “Uranus Liquor” because the message was lewd. School officials could likely prohibit students from wearing concert shirts from the music duo LMFAO (Laughing My F***ing A** Off) or apparel displaying “AITA?” (Am I the A**hole?)…. Courts too have recognized how seemingly innocuous phrases may convey profane messages. A county court in San Diego, California referred an attorney to the State Bar when counsel, during a hearing, twice directed the phrase “See You Next Tuesday” toward two female attorneys.

Again, I strongly disagreed with that decision. However, it has now been replicated in Ohio.

In his complaint, C.C. details how he was wearing a shirt with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” on November 25, 2024, underneath a flannel shirt. 

He alleges that teacher (and registered Democrat)  Krista Ferini was bothered after spotting the shirt and ordered him to “button that up. I know what that means.” 

C.C. did so, but later, he was in a classroom that lacked air conditioning, so he took off his flannel shirt. That is when allegedly Ferini proceeded to write him up for the infraction. Principal Andrew Keeple then instructed C.C. to wear the flannel the rest of the day and never to wear the shirt to school again.

C.C. defied that order and wore the shirt again in January of 2025. 

While no one else complained, Ferini was reportedly irate and again wrote up C.C.  Keeple declared that C.C. had once again violated the school’s dress code and that the shirt constituted a vulgar expression even though it contained no vulgar terms. He stated that further discipline would follow if C.C. continued to wear the shirt.

On March 24, 2025, C.C. wore the t-shirt again.

While no one complained,  he received a detention from Keeple.  C.C. was disciplined on two other occasions for wearing the shirt.

The court ruled:

“While this case presents serious questions of student free speech versus a school’s interest in protecting students from vulgar and profane speech, the Court finds Plaintiff has not met his high burden to show a substantial likelihood of success on the merits by clear and convincing evidence. While the D.A. case was on summary judgment and presented facts that are different than those before this Court, Defendant’s burden on summary judgment was a preponderance standard which is a lesser burden than Plaintiff’s here. Moreover, that case presented fact issues going to the reasonableness of the school’s interpretation. Here, as Defendants point out, Plaintiff acknowledges in his Verified Complaint that “Let’s Go Brandon” is a euphemism for F*#% Joe Biden. 

“In school speech cases where a school limits or restricts a student’s expression, courts must determine whether the school’s interpretation of the expression is reasonable.”

“The student’s expression must be considered in the proper context but the student’s motivation or subjective intent is irrelevant.”

Given the strong interests of both sides, the unique characteristics of speech in a school setting, the finding by at least one court in this circuit that the school’s interpretation of the phrase as vulgar was reasonable, and the acknowledgment in this case by Plaintiff that the phrase is a vulgar euphemism, the Court finds Plaintiff has not shown a substantial likelihood of success on the merits to support injunctive relief. This does not mean Plaintiff cannot win on the merits of the claim as discovery will likely provide clearer evidence on the reasonableness of the interpretation. But given the high standard for injunctive relief, the Court finds against Plaintiff….”

“Let’s Go Brandon!” has become a similarly unintended political battle cry not just against Biden but also against the bias of the media. It derives from an Oct. 2 interview with race-car driver Brandon Brown after he won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race. During the interview, NBC reporter Kelli Stavast’s questions were drowned out by loud-and-clear chants of “F*** Joe Biden.” Stavast quickly and inexplicably declared, “You can hear the chants from the crowd, ‘Let’s go, Brandon!’”

“Let’s Go Brandon!” instantly became a type of “Yankee Doodling” of the political and media establishment.

This teacher was clearly put out over the political messaging of the shirt. However, we should encourage students to be politically aware and expressive. Moreover, if schools are allowed to extrapolate profane meaning from non-profane language, it is hard to see the limits on such censorship.

So what if students now wear “Let’s Go Krista” shirts? How many degrees of removal will negate the profane imputation. Does that mean that the use of “let’s go” in any shirt is now prohibited?

C.C. and his family should continue to litigate and, if necessary, appeal this worthy case in the interests of free speech for all students.

*  *  *

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 14:05

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Part 2: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-May 2025

A brief excerpt:

Last Friday, in Part 1: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-May 2025 I reviewed home inventory, housing starts and sales. I noted that the key story right now for existing homes is that inventory is increasing sharply, and sales are essentially flat compared to last year. That means prices will be under pressure (although there will not be a huge wave of distressed sales). And there are significant regional differences too.

In Part 2, I will look at house prices, mortgage rates, rents and more.
...
The Case-Shiller National Index increased 3.9% year-over-year (YoY) in February and will likely be lower year-over-year in the March report compared to February (based on other data).

The MoM increase in the seasonally adjusted (SA) Case-Shiller National Index was at 0.26% (a 3.1% annual rate), This was the 25th consecutive MoM increase in the seasonally adjusted index.

There is much more in the article.

 – by New Deal democrat Last month, I wrote that the March CPI report was the one we had been waiting for for the past three years. April’s was the second one in a row. To cut to the chase, there were no major components besides shelter which qualified as “problem children,” i.e., sectors with 4.0% […]

The post April CPI: the second victorious report in a row appeared first on Angry Bear.

Circling The Firing Squad: Democratic Party Moves To Negate Earlier Election Of David Hogg

Authored by Joanthan Turley,

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is about to show the perils of circling a firing squad. In its announcement that it will nullify the election of David Hogg and another Vice Chair, the DNC reminded the public why they have left the Democratic Party. The sudden decision that there were procedural irregularities in the election (after Hogg said that he would target older Democratic incumbents) leaves the DNC looking more like the CCP. 

However, it gets worse.

Hogg caused a controversy by announcing that he will work to primary older Democratic incumbents through his group, Leaders We Deserve, to bring young candidates into the party. The leadership ordered him to retract the pledge or resign. He did neither.

Then, the DNC announced that there were “irregularities” in how he and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta won two of the three vice chair positions.

The reason? One of the losing candidates, Kalyn Free, filed a complaint during the original election alleging that the DNC failed to follow rules on gender diversity.

If you recall, the Democratic Party was widely mocked over the difficulty of the DNC leadership to explain its convoluted rules for guaranteeing gender and racial diversity. It became a parody of itself.

This is just one of the efforts to explain the rules:

Jamie Harrison eventually had to turn it over to another DNC member who had equal difficulty explaining the gender equality rules and procedures:

HARRISON: “Because of our gender balance provisions on this next ballot, you will be able to vote for two candidates of any gender on the next ballot. OK? So on this next ballot, you will be able to vote for two candidates of any gender on the next ballot. If two candidates receive — I’m going to turn to Helen to clarify this last part.”

UNKNOWN FEMALE: “You are in this next ballot where you have two votes. As the chair has said, you may vote for two males, two females, two of any gender. OK? No, you can’t do that. Because we’ve got to balance. You could vote for one of any gender, OK? Non-binary gender. Excuse me. It is late. OK?”

After she lost, Free filed her complaint. 

It would have been an easy matter to determine if there was an invalid balloting but the DNC moved on…for months.

After Hogg refused to recant or resign, the DNC then issued this procedural excuse to negate the election.

For many, the exercise seemed yet another manipulation by the DNC after it refused to have a real debate over the nomination of Kamala Harris and simply held a coronation at the convention after she failed to secure a single primary vote. Despite spending over $1.2 billion, she lost to Trump.

DNC members rushed forward to insist that this was just a coincidence and had nothing to do with Hogg’s controversy.

However, they then contradicted that claim in comments to the media as Hogg himself said that it was about his campaign to bring in young voters.

One former official told the media, “This is not about David Hogg, despite what he’s saying. It is gender balance…. It’s in the rules that the officers need to be balanced between men and women.” 

However, the same official then added “The full DNC now gets to vote again. If they like what Hogg is doing then that’s great, and he’ll be re-elected. It was disingenuous to not reveal his intentions the first time before they voted. While it has nothing to do with him, it’s an elected position so now we’ll find out if the party supports it or not, which they very well may.”

Another former official insisted that the vote was needed because “either Hogg is wrong and misled members or they think he’s doing the right thing. Either way, it’ll be settled. And he can’t complain. A re-vote is not forcing him out, there are other ways to do that if they chose to.”

I grew up in a liberal Democratic family in Chicago and spent much of my life working for Democratic politicians. It has been astonishing to watch the current Democratic leadership destroy their own party with identity politics and radical agendas.

Yet, this takes the cake. We have not seen such a display since the arrival of the Judean People’s Front Crack Suicide Squad:

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 12:45

Boeing Scores Largest-Ever Order As Dealmaking Trump Tours Gulf States

President Trump's Gulf tour began Tuesday with the lifting of long-standing U.S. sanctions on Syria and a massive $600 billion investment deal from Saudi Arabia to invest in the American economy. The visit quickly led to a flurry of other investments, including multibillion-dollar AI deals between U.S. chipmakers Nvidia and AMD with Humain, a newly launched artificial intelligence firm backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. On Wednesday, the momentum continued in Qatar, where Trump unveiled Boeing's largest widebody aircraft order ever. 

Faisal Al-Mudahka, editor-in-chief of the Gulf Times, described Qatar Airways' massive purchase of between 160 - 200 widebody aircraft from Boeing—the largest order in the company's history—as a "win-win" for both nations.

"I think Donald Trump and Qatar know how to package things to make political gains and economic gains," Al-Mudahka said.

Qatar Airways has become one of the world's top airlines, with a growing market share worldwide. The expanded fleet of the 787 Dreamliner model will allow the airline to add more long-haul flights. 

Earlier, Trump participated in a signing ceremony on a series of bilateral agreements with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, including:

• Qatar Airways signed an agreement to purchase 210 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace engines.

• A number of defence agreements, including a letter of intent on defence cooperation and a letter offer and acceptance for MQ-9B drones. 

• A joint declaration of cooperation between the two nations. 

President Donald Trump says Boeing won an order from Qatar Airways amid a flurry of deals between Gulf nations.

The agreement signed by the carrier is for 160 aircraft in what it said is the largest order in the company’s history https://t.co/tUQDzkarlz pic.twitter.com/9OF61zHB4f

— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) May 14, 2025

After the signing ceremony, Qatar's emir said he had a "great" few hours with Trump, during which they discussed various topics. 

"I think after signing these documents, we are going to another level of relations," the emir said. 

Trump also congratulated Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who was also in Doha, for the signing of the deal. 

Here's the White House's fact sheet of the agreement with Qatar to generate at least $1.2 trillion in economic activity between both countries:

• The landmark deals celebrated today will drive innovation and prosperity for generations, bolster American manufacturing and technological leadership, and put America on the path to a new Golden Age.

• Since President Trump took office, his commitment to American manufacturing and innovation has attracted trillions of dollars in investments and global commercial deals. Allies like Qatar are partnering in the United States' success.

Boeing shares rose 2% in the late morning cash session in New York, trading around the $208 handle—the highest level in roughly 15 months

On Tuesday, at the start of Trump's trip, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund announced a $4.8 billion Boeing order. 

President Trump is expected to return to the U.S. later this week, ready to boast about the mega-deals signed with Gulf states—deals he's likely to frame as part of the agenda to ascend America into a new Golden Age. This strategy comes as easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China has helped the stock market recover much of the recent trade war-related losses.

The media strategy from the White House appears clear: build and sustain momentum with positive economic news that squeezes left-leaning corporate media out of the conversation because of their persistent misinformation and disinformation campaigns.

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 12:25

Department Of Defense Orders Halt To Gender Transition Medicine, Procedures

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Department of Defense said in a new memorandum that it is halting medical treatments and procedures for troops who identify as transgender and other personnel with gender dysphoria (GD).

“Within the direct care component, meaning at military medical treatment facilities ... Service members and all other covered beneficiaries 19 years of age or older may only receive mental health care and counseling for GD,” Dr. Stephen L. Ferrara, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said in the memo, which is dated May 9.

“Apart from consults for the diagnosis of GD and provision of mental health care and counseling ... staff will refer all other care (e.g., cross-sex hormone therapy) for GD to the private sector.”

The Pentagon did not return a request for comment by publication time.

GD refers to when a person believes they’re a gender that’s different from their sex.

President Donald Trump, after taking office in January, said in an order that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”

Defense officials later said that all troops with a history of GD would be discharged, with limited exceptions. That process was paused after court rulings against the policy. The Supreme Court on May 6 stayed those rulings, enabling officials to resume the process.

Officials said on May 8 that they were discharging about 1,000 troops who identify as transgender or otherwise have GD.

Ferrara said in the new memo, which was sent to the director of the Defense Health Agency and assistant secretaries at the Army, Navy, and Air Force, that he was providing fresh guidance in light of the Supreme Court ruling.

That includes emphasizing that military doctors are not to perform any surgeries that would aid in gender transition, such as breast removal.

Ferrara also said that all unscheduled, scheduled, and planned surgical procedures “associated with facilitating sex reassignment for Service members diagnosed with GD” are now canceled, as are any previously approved waivers for the surgeries. 

Ferrara said his office would accept waiver requests for care deemed medically necessary to address surgical complications.

The military is allowing troops with GD who have been receiving cross-sex hormones to keep receiving them until they are separated, if a health care provider recommends that path “in order to prevent further complications.”

The Department of Defense, though, will no longer pay for newly initiated cross-sex hormones, according to the memo, as ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 12:05

Average Americans Poised for Double-Digit Tax Cuts In 2027, Sparking Partisan Clash

A sweeping Republican tax overhaul proposal, estimated to deliver double-digit percentage reductions in tax bills for average-income Americans, is drawing mounting opposition in the Senate over its accompanying cuts to health care and clean energy programs - underscoring the internal divisions complicating Republican efforts to advance a unified economic agenda.

According to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), households earning between $30,000 and $80,000 would see their federal taxes drop by approximately 15 percent in 2027 under the House GOP plan. Americans earning between $15,000 and $30,000 would see an even steeper 21 percent decline - at least initially.

But those same low-income earners would see their tax bills rise sharply in later years unless extended, with increases of 12 percent in 2029 and 20 percent in 2030, the JCT found. The report attributed some of those changes to proposed reforms of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a benefit for low-income workers that Republicans argue is vulnerable to improper payments.

While the report’s topline numbers have fueled Republican claims that the proposal is middle-class focused, Democrats seized on the overall distribution of tax cuts in dollar terms, Politico reports. Taxpayers earning more than $500,000 are slated to receive an aggregate cut of about $170 billion in 2027 - nearly triple the $59 billion going to households earning $30,000 to $80,000.

The proposal has already provoked heated exchanges in the House Ways and Means Committee, where lawmakers debated the fairness and sustainability of the tax package. Democrats derided the bill as a boon to the wealthy, while Republicans pointed to new breaks for tips, overtime, and seniors as evidence of its broader appeal.

The report is not a complete picture of winners and losers under Republicans’ plans. It doesn’t include a potential deal among lawmakers to further increase the SALT cap, beyond a proposed $30,000 limit.

The report also only looks at the tax side of Republican plans, and does not account for changes in spending programs, like Medicaid. -Politico

"It's a trick," said Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI). "You do it temporarily so you can get through the 2026 election" and "then these benefits for children and elders and workers disappear, while the tax benefits for the ultra-wealthy soar."

Senate Republicans Balk

Yet beyond the debate over tax cuts, the House plan is facing stiff resistance in the Senate for how it proposes to offset some of the revenue losses: by slashing Medicaid and rolling back key clean energy incentives passed under the Biden administration.

A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate found that the House bill’s Medicaid reforms could result in 8.6 million people losing health care coverage, largely due to new work requirements, cost-sharing mandates, and restrictions on how states finance their Medicaid programs.

Several Senate Republicans voiced concern over the health care implications, especially for rural areas.

"These are working people in particular who are going to have to pay more," said Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), referring to new cost-sharing rules. He warned that changes to provider taxes - which states use to draw federal Medicaid dollars - could reduce coverage in his state and strain rural hospitals.

"I continue to maintain my position we should not be cutting Medicaid benefits," Hawley said.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), said the proposed treatment of provider taxes "would be very harmful to Maine’s hospitals," echoing concerns raised by other senators from rural and Medicaid-reliant states.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), also pointed to the disproportionate burden that Medicaid cuts would place on states like hers, calling the issue a key sticking point in ongoing Senate discussions.

Not So Fast?

In addition to health care, some senate Republicans are also wary of the House’s aggressive plans to unwind tax credits for clean energy and hydrogen development, incentives championed in the Inflation Reduction Act and credited with bringing manufacturing investments and jobs to red and purple states alike.

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), who faces a competitive reelection race next year, expressed concern over quickly ending climate initiatives - suggesting that the House language on energy tax rollbacks would need to be revised.

"You can’t shock the markets by doing it all at once," Tillis said of the proposed clean energy phaseouts.

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) also flagged potential impacts to her state’s clean hydrogen initiatives, saying she would review the House’s plan to eliminate the 45V hydrogen production credit, which could affect nearly $1 billion in planned federal support for the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub.

The House GOP plan is expected to pass narrowly along party lines, but Senate Republicans made clear this week that the legislation will require significant changes to win broader support in the upper chamber.

"We are coordinating very closely with our House counterparts," said Senate Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota. "We know they have to get 218 votes... but it’s likely we’ll have a Senate substitute."

As Republican leaders try to reconcile competing priorities — delivering tax relief, restraining federal spending, and maintaining political support in swing states — the path forward for the legislation remains uncertain.

"How we navigate this," said Murkowski, "is something we’re all trying to wander through."

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 11:45

This report was submitted to the Comptroller General in accordance with Section 5 of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Act of 2008. The report summarizes the activities of GAO's Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the 6-month reporting period ending March 31, 2025. During this reporting period, the OIG issued one audit report, closed 13 GAO related investigations, opened 12 new GAO related investigations, and processed 58 substantive hotline complaints. The OIG also initiated two performance audits, continued work on another performance audit, and worked on developing a manual to conduct inspections and evaluations. In addition, in November 2024, Congress passed the GAO Inspector General Parity Act. This law provides greater budget independence, ensures prior congressional notification of changes in the Inspector General's employment status, improves our ability to recruit and retain staff, and codifies changes to align with other Inspectors General. For more information, contact the OIG at oig@gao.gov.

Announcement On COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids Coming Soon: FDA Commissioner

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

Health officials are poised to make an announcement on COVID-19 vaccines, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

“That is something that’s being discussed right now,” Dr. Marty Makary, the commissioner, said in an interview, released on May 12, after being asked by political activist Charlie Kirk about whether COVID-19 vaccines will remain on the childhood vaccination schedule.

“I think you’re going to see some announcement on that in the coming weeks, but I know they are trying to review all of the scientific data.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services, which maintains the schedule, did not respond to a request for comment.

Makary told Kirk that there’s no evidence available at this time that supports giving healthy children additional COVID-19 vaccine doses.

“That evidence does not exist, and so we’re not going to rubberstamp things at the FDA,” he said. 

“I don’t think you’re going to see the CDC pushing COVID shots in young, healthy children.”

The FDA commissioner, who expressed concern before joining the agency about vaccinating children, noted that there is no data from randomized, controlled trials for the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available. The regulatory agency cleared the vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax in 2024, pointing to animal testing and data from previous versions of the shots.

“There’s no good randomized control data that the current version, the latest formulation, of the COVID shot, is necessary for young, healthy children. Other leading countries in Europe have recommended against it,” Makary said. 

“So I think you’re going to hear something forthcoming.”

The CDC, in 2023, added the COVID-19 vaccines to the vaccination schedule, following a recommendation from its vaccine advisory panel.

The same panel said in April that it is leaning toward narrowing the current universal recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination. In the same meeting, officials noted that the United Kingdom and Australia are among the countries that do not recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for healthy children.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that same month that officials were considering removing the COVID-19 vaccines from the schedule. Makary has said he would support that move.

The CDC, which has an acting director at present, has not commented on the prospect of the schedule being adjusted.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is among the organizations that support the current COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. The group says on its site that the vaccines are safe and effective.

The FDA is set to meet with its vaccine advisers on May 22 to discuss selecting updates to the COVID-19 vaccines, with Novavax saying it plans to participate in the meeting. Pfizer and Moderna have not responded to queries.

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 11:25

 

Key takeaways:

• Some state lawmakers are abetting Trump’s far-right, anti-worker agenda laid out in Project 2025 by proposing legislation that intentionally conflicts with federal worker protection laws.
• State-by-state efforts to erode workers’ rights—including protections against hazardous or exploitative child labor, the right to a minimum wage, and a safe workplace—build pressure for eventual relaxation or elimination of standards for the whole country.
• These attacks are not new, but they are an increasing threat under an administration that has launched an all-out war on workers and the federal agencies that safeguard their rights.
• State lawmakers have a responsibility and opportunity to resist such attacks and strengthen state worker protections.

Following a growing trend, Republican lawmakers this year proposed legislation in Florida, Kentucky, and Ohio that would undermine federal laws on child labor, minimum wage, and worker health and safety protections. These proliferating state challenges to federal law are laying the groundwork for more extreme and dangerous Project 2025 proposals to allow employers across the country to hire children for hazardous jobs or to allow states to “opt out” of various federal labor standards like the minimum wage.

Multiple states have enacted or proposed legislation to weaken state child labor and minimum wage protections in ways that conflict with federal law

The Trump administration’s first 100 days have closely followed the Project 2025 policy roadmap. Mass firings of federal civil servants, closures of field offices with labor enforcement roles, and deep cuts have quickly imperiled the federal government’s capacity to ensure U.S. workers get paid what they’re owed, stay safe at work, have the freedom to form a union, and work in environments free from discrimination.

Meanwhile, many states have weakened child labor protections in recent years, and some states like Iowa have openly defied long-standing federal laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which has set a national floor for minimum wages, overtime pay, and child labor standards since 1938. State laws can provide more protection than the federal statute mandates, but they cannot provide less. Where state standards are weaker than those provided in FLSA, federal law preempts the state standard.

This year, legislation in both Ohio and Florida attempts to weaken state child labor standards in ways that challenge federal law. In Ohio, Republicans have reintroduced a proposal to extend the hours employers can schedule 14- and 15-year-olds to work during the school year, conflicting with FLSA guardrails in place to ensure that young teens can enter the workforce without jeopardizing their health or education. A concurrent resolution introduced with the child labor bill calls on Congress to amend the FLSA to align with weaker hours guidelines proposed for Ohio. As of this publication, the legislation has passed the state Senate and is now being considered in the House.

As Ohio’s concurrent resolution illustrates, state legislators have often been clear that they understand these weaker standards conflict with FLSA rules (and therefore only apply in non-FLSA-covered employment contexts)—and that such conflict is in fact part of the point. In 2024, an Indiana lawmaker speaking in support of a child labor bill that would have violated federal law promised that, if elected to Congress, he would “throw out all the book of regulation of employing our youth.” In 2023, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed an unprecedented package of rollbacks to child labor standards, over many public objections that the extreme changes conflicted with federal law and would create confusion and increased legal liability for employers. A year later when some Iowa employers were fined for FLSA violations after following the state’s weakened child labor laws, Governor Reynolds enlisted the state’s congressional delegation in protesting the federal fines and published her own editorial arguing that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) should “look to Iowa as an example” of how to relax child labor standards and enforcement.

In Florida, lawmakers are seeking to treat minors like adults with regard to work hours while paying them a subminimum wage. Proposed legislation would eliminate all hours of work guidelines for 16- and 17-year-olds, allowing employers to schedule these teens for unlimited hours year-round, including overnight shifts during the school year. The House version of the bill initially proposed also allowing employers to schedule 13-year-olds to work during the summer of the calendar year in which they turn 14, even though federal law has set 14 as the minimum age for employment in most jobs. In response to concerns raised by youth advocates, the provision to allow 13-year-olds to be gainfully employed was amended out of the bill.

Meanwhile, a separate bill in Florida would allow employers to pay youth “interns” or work-study participants an hourly wage lower than the constitutionally mandated state minimum wage, attempting to reestablish a subminimum wage loophole that was closed by a Florida ballot measure in 2020. FLSA rules are clear that individual workers cannot legally be induced to waive their right to a minimum wage, and employers may only pay subminimum wages under narrow special circumstances that require DOL certification. Yet, this long-standing FLSA protection has faced repeated challenges. An Arkansas legislator, for example, suggested in 2023 that the state should allow high school students to complete required community service hours by working for free for local businesses.

Fortunately, after significant public opposition, both Florida bills are expected to fail this session. While the child labor rollback bill passed in the House, as of this publication it was not slated to be taken up by the Senate before Florida’s legislature adjourns this year.

However, by repeatedly proposing and—in some cases—implementing standards that conflict with federal law, these states are chipping away at the already fragile federal floor for workplace protections. At the same time, they are shifting the entire burden of enforcing worker protections to chronically underfunded federal agencies that, amid Trump administration attacks, are now facing even more pronounced staffing shortages that will limit enforcement capacity.

Some states are already modeling Project 2025 proposals to allow states to “opt out” of federal labor laws

While Project 2025 proposes allowing all states to seek exemptions from the FLSA, some states have already adopted systems for employers to sidestep child labor laws. Florida has long maintained a system to grant individual employers approval to schedule minors to work beyond the limits of state child labor laws. Legally, the only state child labor protections that a state could legitimately “waive” would be those that exceed federal standards, but Florida’s statute on granting waivers does not spell out this limitation, leaving the system ripe for abuse by employers who may see it as an opportunity to gain state sanction to ignore federal law with little oversight (Florida’s labor department was dismantled in 2002).

In 2023, Iowa lawmakers created a system that even more explicitly violates federal law, allowing the state to grant “waivers” to employers seeking to employ minors in violation of federal hazardous occupations orders. Under the new system, the agency has begun to grant such waivers despite objections raised by the state’s department of inspections and state Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

State lawmakers are also challenging federal workplace health and safety protections

Beyond child labor laws, some states have proposed legislation that conflicts with federal OSHA standards that set a floor for workplace safety for workers of all ages.

This year, Kentucky enacted legislation that could be in violation of federal requirements that states with their own OSHA plans must maintain standards and enforcement that is “at least as effective” as provided by federal OSHA. The new law prohibits the state from enforcing any worker health and safety regulations that are more protective than federal standards—effectively dismantling existing state standards—and also makes it harder to file complaints and hold employers accountable (making fines “optional” for violations, for example) in ways that fall below the minimum threshold of expectations set by federal OSHA.

In 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis proposed creating a state OSHA agency, but only because he did not want the state to be subject to federal OSHA standards and falsely believed that a state agency would allow Florida to enact weaker health and safety protections for Florida workers.

Lawmakers can resist these threats by strengthening state worker protections

Many aspects of these current attacks bear close resemblance to past industry-backed attempts to block or dismantle federal worker protections, from the New Deal to OSHA. For example, today’s conservative calls to weaken federal child labor laws hearken back to 1982 proposals from Ronald Reagan’s labor department to extend maximum daily and weekly work hours for minors, expand youth subminimum wages, and roll back hazardous occupations orders that protect minors from being employed in particularly dangerous jobs. And arguments for rolling back child labor laws (re)surfacing in states today often closely echo those used by the business interests that aggressively fought passage and implementation of the FLSA from the 1930s up to the present.

Most of these past assaults on federal minimum labor standards were largely defeated, but not without persistent, coordinated responses from workers, unions, advocates, and policymakers. As Project 2025-style threats to workplace rights continue to mount today, it is particularly urgent to defend against state-level attacks on labor standards and seize opportunities to shore up state worker protections—at a minimum to ensure more states are equipped to maintain and enforce basic protections should at-risk federal standards disappear or go largely unenforced under the Trump administration. The crisis also presents opportunities for states to do much more, such as remedying long-standing gaps and exclusions in weak or outdated employment and labor laws that leave millions of workers without coverage; advancing new policies that address the economic challenges of growing income inequality, persistent racial and gender wage gaps, and declining job quality; and reasserting states’ roles in raising the floor for labor standards rather than driving a race to the bottom.

Don Lemon Rages Over White Refugees: "Most Racist Shit Ever!"

Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news,

Ex-CNN host Don Lemon had a total meltdown over Trump resettling a small number of white South African refugees in America, calling it “the most racist shit ever.”

A mere 59 Afrikaners arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington on Monday, prompting widespread derision and demonization from leftists and the media, who claimed they were not real refugees while also monstering them as white supremacists.

The backlash to the refugees arriving in America was so vociferous that it became a stunning mask off moment in proving that anti-white hatred is still mainstream.

Don Lemon hyperventilated over “this South African farmer bullshit, which is the most blatantly obvious racist shit ever,” implying that Afrikaners couldn’t be refugees because they “own most of the land and the property” in South Africa.

Lemon failed to acknowledge that this is precisely why they are being targeted, sometimes violently, and officially by government discrimination in the form of compulsory land grabs.

The former CNN anchor’s main bone of contention was that Trump was “trying to cut down on immigration from other countries” while favoring people from white countries.

Don Lemon has a meltdown over South African refugees: “The most obvious racist sht ever”

pic.twitter.com/eNXmnXTEXu

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) May 13, 2025

Because legally admitting 59 white people from South Africa is totally the same as the millions upon millions of illegal immigrants who entered America under Joe Biden, many of whom were violent criminals.

Lemon then ludicrously tried to justify the South African government taking land from farmers without compensation by claiming it’s only for land that isn’t being used.

Who decides whether the land is being used or not?

The same government seizing it without compensation.

I’m sure that’s a completely impartial and fair process!

Suddenly developing a flair for per capita statistics that leftists can’t seem to grasp when it comes to crime, Lemon complained that white South Africans own more land than blacks despite being a minority of the population.

Apparently, this alone, in true Communist dictatorship style, is enough to justify the government just stealing it from them without compensation.

As we highlighted earlier, African-American influencers are now suggesting that the white refugees should be violently targeted because they’re “racist,” proving precisely why they needed to flee South Africa in the first place.

“These racist motherfuckers gonna find out the hard way, they’re gonna fuck around and find out, you can’t talk that shit over here on our soil,” he said.

Tiktoker threatens the immigrants from South Africa and says they’re all racist and Trump brought them here to be racist

“They’re gonna find out the hard way… These people will start getting their ass whooped”

Seems totally normal and stable… pic.twitter.com/NuRrBxweap

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 14, 2025

“So what’s gonna happen is that these people will start getting their ass whooped…we’re gonna start lighting motherfuckers up because they don’t know how to talk to black people in America,” he added.

The influencer then complained that when white South African refugees start getting violently attacked, people will complain about it, prompting more discrimination against black Americans.

*  *  *

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 10:45

WTI Rebounds From Overnight Dip But 'Drill, Baby, Drill' Remains Elusive

Oil prices are marginally lower this morning after four straight sessions of gains driven by tariff optimism, following a bigger than expected build in crude stocks reported by API overnight.

The rise in stocks comes as OPEC+ readies to add another 411,000 barrel per day tranche of supply to the market as it unwinds 2.2-million barrels per day of voluntary production cuts. The new supply is likely to check prices as Saudi Arabia looks to regain market share and respond to a U.S. call for lower prices, even as U.S. President Donald Trump began the first presidential trip of his current term with a visit to Riyadh on Tuesday.

"While OPEC officials maintain that the US played no role in the decision to accelerate the phase -in of the voluntary barrels, the oil price environment has provided a beneficial backdrop to the Presidential visit from the Washington standpoint, Helima Croft, Head of Global Commodity Strategy and MENA Research at RBC Capital Markets, said in a note.

All eyes now on the official data for confirmation of builds...

API

• Crude +4.29mm

• Cushing -850k

• Gasoline -1.37mm

• Distillates -3.68mm

DOE

• Crude +3.45mm

• Cushing -1.07mm

• Gasoline -1.02mm

• Distillates -3.16mm

The official data echoe API's report with a sizable crude build but draws at the Cushing Hub and in products...

Source: Bloomberg

In a week when the Trump administration proposes a major bill to refill the SPR, total crude stocks rose around 4mm barrels (including 528k barrels to the SPR)...

Source: Bloomberg

US crude production rose very modestly last week but along with the rig count is basically unchanged since President Trump's election...

Source: Bloomberg

OPEC released its May Monthly Oil Market Report on Wednesday, sticking with its forecast for 2025 demand growth of 1.3-million barrels per day, higher last week's estimate from the Energy Information Administration for demand growth of one-million bpd this year. 

The International Energy Agency will release its monthly outlook on Thursday.

The cartel also lowered its estimate from production growth for countries outside of OPEC+ by 100,000 bpd to 0.8-million bpd.

WTI is rallying back from overnight weakness...

Finally, the question many are asking is when will see prices at the pump lower as Refineries are expected to keep ramping up ahead of the summer, allowing nationwide crude processing rates to remain at the highest seasonal level since 2019.

...and along with those lower prices, lower inflation.

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/14/2025 - 10:39

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Q1 NY Fed Report: Mortgage Originations by Credit Score, Delinquencies Increase, Foreclosures Increase

A brief excerpt:

The transition rate to serious delinquent is generally increasing and foreclosures are close to pre-pandemic levels. The Q1 increase is likely due to the end of the VA foreclosure moratorium.
...
There is much more in the report.

There is much more in the article.