“How ironic: The most inefficient bureaucracy in government turns out to be Donald Trump’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency.’ That could be humorous, except that DOGE — a creature of the right-wing Project 2025 — has been devastating to millions of people. And it’s about to get worse. Elon Musk — the flighty überrich autocrat put in charge of ‘efficiency’ by his buddy Trump — is now going after the Social Security deposits of 73 million senior citizens. But wait, hasn’t Trump himself promised (loudly and often) that he would not ax this essential retirement program? Yes … but Elon is his ‘gotcha.’ Rather than an honest kill, Musk is strangling the program with bureaucratic red tape.” (04/19/25)
“Donald Trump promised that he would lower prices on day one of his new term in office. He also promised to end the war in Ukraine on his first day. Neither of those quite panned out. But it looks like he might accomplish something not on his list, he quickly ended the manufacturing boom he inherited from President Biden. You may not know of this boom because it didn’t get much attention during the campaign. This was partly because it was in construction not employment. Biden’s record on employment in manufacturing was pretty good given the reality of the pandemic, but it did not surge. His recovery package quickly brought back the 600,000 manufacturing jobs lost in the pandemic. We had gotten back those jobs by the spring of 2022.” (04/19/25)
“Pakistan has deported more than 19,500 Afghans this month, among more than 80,000 who have left ahead of a 30 April deadline, according to the UN. Pakistan has accelerated its drive to expel undocumented Afghans and those who had temporary permission to stay, saying it can no longer cope. Between 700 and 800 families are being deported daily, Taliban officials say, with up to two million people expected to follow in the coming months. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar flew to Kabul on Saturday for talks with Taliban officials. His counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed ‘deep concern’ about deportations. Some expelled Afghans at the border said they had been born in Pakistan after their families fled conflict. More than 3.5 million Afghans have been living in Pakistan, according to the UN’s refugee agency, including around 700,000 people who came after the Taliban takeover in 2021.” (04/20/25)
“Here’s an issue for the new Trump appointees to the Homeland Security Advisory Council: deep-sixing the Transportation Security Administration’s airport-screening work. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently ended collective bargaining with the union representing TSA agents after DHS found that more TSA employees are busy doing ‘full-time union work’ than actually screening passengers on any given day, while 60% of ‘poor performers’ don’t get fired. But as any beleaguered traveler can contest, TSA’s issues go far beyond that: Virtually the whole security/screening apparatus is a pointless circus. Having understaffed teams of low-wage workers screen millions of air passengers a day brings painfully long lines, contradictory and arbitrary ‘rules’ (Are we taking off shoes today? Laptops out of the bags? It depends!) and countless invasive searches that turn up nothing but pocket lint.” (04/19/25)
“U.S. Vice President JD Vance will embark on a four-day visit to India on Monday as the two countries seek to unlock economic opportunities and negotiate a bilateral trade deal. Vance will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi for talks on the economy, trade and geopolitical ties. Vance’s visit is seen as an important diplomatic mission by President Donald Trump’s administration, and it coincides with a rapidly intensifying trade war between Washington and Beijing, which is New Delhi’s main rival in the region. A trade deal between India and the U.S. could significantly enhance economic ties between the two countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic ties. The U.S. is also India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at $190 billion until recently.” (04/19/25)
“Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s, D-Md., sudden trip to El Salvador to try to free deportee Kilmar Abrego Garcia is getting the attention of critics who believe the Maryland Democrat may have violated a 1799 law prohibiting unauthorized diplomacy. The Logan Act – named for former Pennsylvania Sen. George Logan – stipulates a fine and/or imprisonment for Americans corresponding with foreign officials ‘with intent to influence the[ir] measures … in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States.'” [editor’s note: Only two people have ever been charged under the Logan Act, and neither was convicted. It’s also plainly unconstitutional – TLK] (04/20/25)
“What if this was the letter the U.S. president received from those at what some consider the nation’s premiere institution for aspiring lawyers? Dear President Trump: We are Harvard Law students who have read the lengthy and comprehensive list of demands on our Harvard University by your staff. They are assuredly designed to turn this institution of higher education, older than the U.S.A., into a fiefdom under your iron rule. As modest students of medieval history, we see that your demands provide a status for the peasants – the students, the vassals – the faculty, but no one for the role of the Lord of the Manor. It is obvious that you want to become the LORD OF THE MANOR. We have a proposal.” (04/19/25)
“Former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee has defeated former Oakland city council member Loren Taylor by a thin margin in Tuesday’s special election. Lee is slated to serve in the role until the next election in 2026. The coveted seat was temporarily filled in November after former Oakland mayor Sheng Thao, who faces federal corruption and bribery charges, was removed from office, leaving a sense of unrest in the East Bay city already facing public safety and financial concerns. … Nine candidates jumped into the race for the highly sought-after seat, although Taylor and Lee were the two dominant frontrunners. Votes were tallied by a ranked-choice voting system, which means the candidate who receives the most first-choice votes after candidates are eliminated round by round is declared the winner.” (04/18/25)
“I think we all realize now that radical, godless Marxist Leftism has taken control of the Democratic Party. This really shouldn’t surprise us. It took over in the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, and other Leftist hellholes. They are trying to turn America into a similar slime pit. Only time will tell if they will succeed or not. The radical Left are the Bolsheviks in the Democratic Party, not the Mensheviks. To explain the history, Vladimir Lenin’s Marxist movement in Russia, in the early 20th century, split into ‘Bolsheviks’ (Russian for ‘majority’), and ‘Mensheviks’ (minority). Lenin’s party, the Bolsheviks, were not actually the majority in the party, but they won. And the Bolsheviks were never the majority in Russia, not even close; in the only semi-free election in Russia before Lenin took dictatorial power, they received relatively few votes.” [editor’s note: I doubt that many “realize” Lewis’s fantasy that the center-right Democratic Party represents leftism of any kind – TLK] (04/19/25)
“A team of scientists claim to have discovered a new colour that no human has ever seen before. The research follows an experiment in which researchers in the US had laser pulses fired into their eyes. By stimulating specific cells in the retina, the participants claim to have witnessed a blue-green colour that scientists have called ‘olo,’ but some experts have said the existence of a new colour is ‘open to argument.’ The findings, published in the journal Science Advances on Friday, have been described by the study’s co-author, Prof Ren Ng from the University of California, as ‘remarkable.’ He and his colleagues believe that the results could potentially further research into colour blindness.” (04/20/25)
