“On Monday, Mississippi state auditor Shad White will release a compilation of audits conducted by his office that tabulated a collective $400 million in waste over the course of his tenure. ‘In the last few weeks, we’ve jokingly started calling ourselves MOGE, the Mississippi Office of Government Efficiency, like Elon Musk’s DOGE,’ White told Fox News Digital, referring to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration. ‘We approach our work with the same attention to every penny as DOGE, and I’m happy to be Mississippi’s Musk,’ White said. While the auditor’s office cannot cut any of the wasteful spending, it alerts state lawmakers to what it discovers.” (04/14/25)
“Republican leaders in Congress have been working feverishly over recent days to renew the rich people: friendly 2017 Trump tax cuts set to expire at this year’s end. Both the House and Senate have now passed bills that do that renewing, and also add in some assorted new goodies. All that remains before this latest giveaway to grand fortune becomes law: a bit of dickering between House and Senate GOP leaders over the tax cut’s particulars and then President Donald Trump’s John Henry on whatever legislation that dickering ends up producing. Trump can barely wait for the signing ceremony. But he’s also pushing for much more than an extension (and expansion) of those 2017 tax cuts. His ultimate goal: erasing taxes on income from the entire federal tax code.” (04/14/25)
“A trial in the landmark antitrust case against social media giant Meta kicks off in Washington on Monday. The US competition and consumer watchdog alleges that Meta, which already owned Facebook, bought Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 to eliminate competition, effectively giving itself a monopoly. The FTC reviewed and approved those acquisitions but committed to monitor the outcomes. If the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wins the case it could force Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to sell off both Instagram and WhatsApp. Meta previously said it was sure it would win and experts have told the BBC it is likely to argue that Instagram users have had a better experience since it was taken over. ‘The [FTC’s] argument is the acquisition of Instagram was a way of neutralizing this rising competitive threat to Facebook,’ says Rebecca Haw Allensworth, a professor of antitrust at Vanderbilt Law School.” (04/14/25)
“Ten tariff questions aren’t being asked — but should be: 1) President Trump’s so-called ‘trade war.’ Many call the American effort to obtain either tariff parity or a reduction in the roughly $1 trillion trade deficit and 50 years of consecutive trade deficits a ‘trade war.’ But then what do they call the policies of the past half-century by Europe, Asia, China and others to ensure asymmetrical tariffs, pseudo-health and security trade restrictions, and large surpluses? A trade peace? Trade fairness? 2) Do nations prefer surpluses or deficits? Why do most nations prefer trade surpluses and protective tariffs? Are Europe, Asia, China and others stupid?” [editor’s note: “Nations” don’t prefer anything; only individuals have preferences. Regimes are gangs of individuals whose preferences come at the expense of the other individuals who identify with the “nations” the gangs rule – TLK] (04/13/25)
“A prosecutor in California blasted the state’s $239 million taxpayer-funded project to build a prison rehabilitation center in the Bay Area, arguing that it’s another example of politicians putting criminals ahead of law-abiding citizens. Construction is ongoing at the San Quentin State Prison, where construction crews are building a Norway-style rehabilitation center with luxury amenities such as a grocery store, library, café, farmer’s market and more. … The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Building 38 at San Quentin State Prison was demolished to make room for the rehabilitation center. The state agency said the rehab center is part of the ‘California Model,’ which is a ‘holistic initiative that leverages international, data-backed best practices to improve the well-being of those who live and work at state prisons’.” (04/14/25)
“Judicial officials on Monday rejected an appeal seeking the release of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu from jail pending the outcome of his corruption trial, the country’s state-run news agency reported. Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure and a key challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s more than two-decade rule, was detained on March 19 and formally jailed on corruption charges four days later. His arrest is widely perceived to be politically motivated, aiming to sideline a major rival ahead of presidential elections … On Monday, the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance ruled to reject the appeals made by Imamoglu’s lawyers, deciding that his detention would continue, the Anadolu Agency reported.” (04/14/25)
“Something odd is happening amid the great market instability touched off by Donald Trump’s lunatic tariff announcements. Normally during a chaotic trading situation, anxious financiers run to what has long been the safest of investments: dollars and dollar assets, like U.S. government debt. That drives the value of the dollar up and the interest rate on debt down. Instead, we are seeing the opposite: The dollar is falling against other currencies, and interest rates on American debt are increasing. As yet, these movements are relatively modest, and may represent nothing more than chaos in the market. However, they do indicate a likely weakening of confidence in the stability and security of the dollar as a global reserve currency – which, given Trump’s deranged behavior, ought to be expected. A country that elected a senile criminal madman twice is not to be trusted.” (04/14/25)
“President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs – duties on imports – have brought recriminations and specific threats by most nations. Notably, the European Union has struck a decidedly mild tone. ‘What’s important here is that Europe reacts in a calm and measured way’, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris said. Britain, an EU member until 2020, said it, too, would negotiate calmly with Washington. For the EU, the stakes in a trade war with the United States would not be low. But its mild reaction so far comes from a need to navigate the divergent interests of 27 member countries. Patient listening and consensus-making are the only options. That can be infuriating for some. The bloc’s bureaucracy can be a faceless force, binding energy and ideas in endless process. But recent weeks have shown the flip side.” (04/11/25)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Computer scientist and futurist Jaron Lanier made some comments on Vox’s The Gray Area podcast the other day that I’d like to make a quick observation about. In the podcast, titled ‘Will AI become God? That’s the wrong question,’ Lanier talks about how artificial ‘intelligence’ has become a sort of quasi religion in Silicon Valley, complete with its own deity-like entity, and a kind of Armageddon-cult-like vision for our future. Asked by host Sean Illing about people’s anxiety regarding AI and the possibility of human extinction, Lanier said many in Silicon Valley have come to view humanity as a mere birthing vessel for these new technologies, which will become our vastly superior replacement. ‘What drives me crazy about this is that this is my world,’ Lanier said.” (04/12/25)
“Previous administrations would have never dreamed of direct talks with a pariah state like Iran so early in a new administration. They would have favored a slower technocratic process of preliminary proposals, proffers, and, above all else, insulating the principals from any blame in the event the talks failed. Not Trump. He has never been much for bureaucratic foreplay. He’s bored by conventions and processes. And as we saw after the Saturday meeting, his instincts may again be right. Trump’s message to Iran is simple. You have no cards. The walls are closing in. Abandon your nuclear program, or else. To most observers, this appears to be the use of hard power, or the threat of it, by someone with a bigger gun.” [editor’s note: Epstein doesn’t mention that the situation Trump is trying to address is 100%, completely, totally of his own making – TLK] (04/12/25)
