Welcome back to the Monday Good News Roundup, where your intrepid GNR Newsroom (Myself, Killer300, Bhu, and the GNR Discord) bring you all the news to start your week off right.
Not much to say this week really, so lets get right to it.
First music: Just a friend by Biz Markie
As a member of the public, it’s been pretty unbearable to watch Elon Musk take a front-and-center role in the new Trump administration. A preening, awkward spectacle of greed, stupidity, and self-importance, it’s easy to feel somewhat nauseated by the billionaire. According to a new report, high-level members of the Trump administration feel the same way.
Rolling Stone claims that senior Trump officials have characterized the billionaire as incredibly unfunny, radically annoying, “crazy,” and potentially in need of regular, mandatory drug tests. The outlet reports:
Yeah Elon isn’t exactly Mr. Popular right now is he? Even the Trumpists don’t like him.
What we're seeing today with Trump isn't dictatorship. Dictators control their countries. They don't rely on the opposition party to pass budgets; they dictate where money is spent. They don't get bludgeoned every hour in the press; they dominate the media. And they don't have their key initiatives stymied in the courts; they control the judiciary.
Nor is this Nazism. Nazis don't make Nazi salutes at rallies and then try (with mixed success) to downsize the government. Nazis make Nazi salutes at rallies and then go kill a bunch of innocent people. Nazis, moreover, don't just slap tariffs on their neighbors. Nazis invade their neighbors.
This isn't fascism, either. Fascists enforce a coherent vision of government through a murderous, totalitarian regime. They don't flail around pursuing incoherent and contradictory policies that get blocked as frequently as they get implemented.
Sure, there are similarities between Trump’s presidency and these historical forms of government. Trump's rhetoric, for example, is often lifted from the lips of history's worst tyrants. His abuses of executive power, moreover, often resemble certain dictatorial techniques. But, overall, these political pegs simply don't fit into the American hole. Having similarities with something is different from being the same thing. Both the mouse and the elephant have four legs and a tail.
No, what we have in America today is different. It's new. It’s unprecedented. What we have in America today is Trumpism.
Yeah Trumps form of awful has similarities to tyrants of years past, but at the same time its doing its own terrible thing, and we have the means to stop it.
In the past 24 hours, over two dozen people from across the federal government leaked to me various internal directives and memos killing their agencies’ DEI programs. One angry official even sent me Elon Musk’s new official White House email address (I verified the address, belonging to the Executive Office of the President, by sending an email which didn’t bounce back.)
In fact, I've gotten more leaked documents in the past day than I’ve gotten on any other day ever — and leaks for me were already so commonplace that someone even made a rap about it.
Government workers are angry, or some in the rank-and-file, anyway. The documents tell a story of both resistance (by those who leaked them) and obedience (by those who wrote them).
Once again Trump is incredibly unpopular, and so people in the government have no problem dishing on him.
Friends,
My heart leapt last Saturday when I saw how many people turned out for the Hands Off protests: More than 1,200 rallies were held across all 50 states — drawing an estimated 3 million participants. Even red states like Alaska, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Kentucky had well-attended protests.
Across the land, demonstrators were peaceful, civil, and respectful; the atmosphere was buoyant and joyful — yet determined.
There were other reasons for modest hope this week. Herewith:
Trump is not as unstoppable as you think he is, in fact he’s quite stoppable.
President Donald Trump lost a bid to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by plaintiffs known as the Exonerated Five (formerly the Central Park Five). Thursday’s court ruling brings Trump closer to potential civil liability for comments he made about them during a presidential debate against Kamala Harris last year, but it doesn’t guarantee that the plaintiffs will ultimately succeed in their case.
Trump’s history with Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown and Korey Wise dates back decades. They were teenagers in 1989 when they were charged with attempted murder, rape and other crimes after a woman named Patricia Meili was attacked while jogging in Manhattan’s Central Park. Before they were indicted, Trump took out a full-page newspaper advertisement — not naming but clearly referring to them — calling to: “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!”
Hey the first time Trump outed himself as a massive racist is coming back to haunt him. Man, remember when Trump was just a scumbag businessman and not the utter doom of Democracy? That was a great time.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The Connecticut Supreme Court has declined to hear conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ appeal in a defamation case that resulted in a $1.4 billion verdict against him for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a hoax.
Jones asked the justices to review both the 2022 trial court verdict and a lower appeals court ruling in December that upheld most of the verdict. The Supreme Court turned down his request without explanation Tuesday.
And another pie in the face for the foul gasbag that is Alex Jones.
California on Friday defied a Trump administration order to certify that the state's 1,000 school districts have ended all diversity, equity and inclusion programs despite federal threats to cut billions of dollars in education funding if the state does not comply.
The U.S. Department of Education has given states until April 24 to collect certifications from every school district in the nation — confirming that all DEI efforts have been eliminated, as it contends such programs are a form of race-based discrimination and violate civil rights laws.
In a letter to school district superintendents Friday, the California Department of Education, or CDE, defended the legality of DEI efforts.
California refuses to obey in advance? We should all follow their example.
Thanks to a technical glitch, Donald Trump’s tariffs haven’t even been collected at U.S. ports.
On Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that an entry code in the U.S. system for American ships to use to have their freight exempted from tariffs isn’t working, and “the issue is being reviewed.” As a result, no tariffs are being collected by the U.S. government for the time being.
U.S. shippers told the news outlet that they have not been charged higher tariff rates on their containers as recently as Thursday, despite Trump’s claims that tariffs are in effect and are being collected. This latest snafu is on top of the fact that many companies and industry groups are still unsure of when tariffs will be collected, especially since Trump keeps changing the rates erratically in social media posts and executive orders, and making new threats almost daily.
The doom of democracy ladies and gentlemen.
Trump and the GOP could not pour water out of a boot if the instructions were printed on the bottom.
No quote for this one, but I think its important that Wisconsin be the first to do this, if they do it, other states will follow.
The US exports about $120B worth of goods to China, and about $30B worth of services. All of those goods are now subject to Chinese reciprocal tariffs. And the services exports (travel, tourism, Chinese students studying in the USA etc) will likely drop down to close zero anyway.
In essence, Trumps move will ensure that US exports to China drops down to close to zero, while we continue to import our Gameboys, and our Nintendos… and our iPhones etc. from China.
I’m starting to think this whole Tariff thing was not well thought out by Trump.
Now for a musical break: Tears for fears Head over heels
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador where he has been imprisoned.
The ruling requires the administration to comply with an earlier lower court order. There were no noted dissents.
Lawyers for the administration admitted that Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father of three, was deported by mistake. Nonetheless, they maintained there was nothing the administration could do to bring him back to the U.S.
The Supreme Court, however friendly they may be to Trumps agenda, knows they only has as much power as the rule of law, so when Trump goes around deporting people and defying court orders not to, the Supreme court knows their own power is threatened. This is a very clear message to Trump: Defy the rule of law at his own peril.
A bit of a cynical read on the situation perhaps but one does have to temper their expectations. Also I hope Mr. Garcia gets a safe and speedy return home.
A controversial bill seeking to reinterpret New Zealand's founding document, which established the rights of both Māori and non-Māori in the country, has been defeated at its second reading.
The Treaty Principles Bill was voted down 112 votes to 11, days after a government committee recommended that it should not proceed.
The proposed legislation sought to legally define the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi - causing widespread outrage that saw more than 40,000 people taking part in a protest outside parliament last year.
The bill had already been widely expected to fail, with most major political parties committed to voting it down.
Great news out of New Zealand.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has done more than his share of investigating Trump. While he was chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Schiff led the first Trump impeachment investigation and prosecution. Sen. Schiff also served on the select committee that investigated the 1/6 attack on the Capitol.
When Adam Schiff sounds the alarm about potential Trump crimes, people should pay attention.
Looks like Schiff isn’t done with Trump just yet, hopefully one of the day one of these screws will stick.
The GOP is in disarray. Again.
The House has a limited amount of time to try and pass the Senate’s budget resolution, adopted this weekend by the upper chamber. In a few days, the House goes into recess, so Speaker Mike Johnson is now on hurry-up offense, referring the bill to the House Rules Committee this morning in order to get it to a floor vote by tomorrow.
It’s a wild move that he no doubt hopes will call the bluff of the many budget holdouts. Yet it appears that moment from Hamilton is upon him again: Speaker Johnson, “you don’t have the votes.”
Hardliners claim the Senate bill—which is an absolutely monstrous transfer of wealth to the uber-rich that adds crushing amounts to our national debt—simply doesn’t slash costs enough. Indeed, while the House version calls for $1.5 trillion in cuts—including, by inescapable math, massive cuts to Medicaid—the Senate’s version has just $4 billion in spending cuts, or basically nothing in their eyes.
I think history will ultimately judge Schumer as having made the right call; he doesn’t need the Dems to take the heat for the Government shutdown when he can just sit back and let the GOP step on that rake all on their own.
Yes, we must stand guard and be alert to potential abuse of the Insurrection Act.
We must be prepared to use all means possible to prevent abuse of the Insurrection Act by Trump.
But to suggest that we will soon be under military rule is fearmongering that undermines confidence in our democracy and is offensive to the professional and loyal men and women of the US military.
But most of all, do not let fear-based algorithms shake your faith in America. We are bigger than Trump and will outlast him by centuries, long after Mark Zuckerberg has spent all the click-bait money he earned on Tuesday by frightening Facebook users. Don’t be Mark Zuckerberg’s victim. We control our destiny. If you don’t believe that proposition with all your heart and soul, we are lost.
We are not potted plants. We are not sheep. We cannot recoil in fear because someone speculates about what Trump “might” do. What Trump “might” do is determined in large part by what we do to resist Trump. Be part of the solution by acting boldly and bravely in the face of understandable fear and anxiety.
Honestly this says things far more eloquently than I ever could, so I’m gonna leave it at that. And this feels like a natural end point anyway.
Now, for Pokemon.
And now, a GNR Lightning round.
North Carolina is ditching 1960’s era zoning
Elon Musk Can’t take the heat
What could go right? Is Trump serious about a third term?
More great news that’s terrible for Trump and the GOP
And now, the cute corner.
And last but not least, the organizing spotlight
Unions as a 21st century anti fascist force
The power and pitfalls of protest
could we be entering a movement moment against Trump?
Chop Wood, carry water 4/10
And that’s all for this week, see you next Monday.
