April 10, 2025 at 4:50 PM EDT
'Blood oath': Johnson tells GOP to fire him if he doesn't follow through on major promise

During a tense negotiating session, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reportedly put his own job on the line when attempting to win over holdouts within his own party. Politico reported Thursday -- shortly after the House of Representatives narrowly voted on a 216-214 margin in favor of a budget bill -- that Johnson persuaded members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus to vote with him by risking the speakership itself. Some present during the session referred to Johnson's promise as a "blood oath," according to Politico's sources.

April 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM EDT
'Everyone on the planet will pay the price': How the GOP is giving Trump 'absolute power'

Atlantic writer Anna Applebaum diagnosed the reason President Donald Trump can effortlessly accumulate power to himself with king-like executive orders. There's also a reason he can wield the US attorney general's office and the FBI like his personal police, and it has everything to do with one political party's dedication to a strongman regime. "The Republicans who lead Congress have refused to use the power of the legislative branch to stop him or moderate (Trump), in this or almost any other matter," Applebaum writes. "The Cabinet is composed of sycophants and loyalists who are willing to defend contradictory policies, even if doing so makes them look like fools. The courts haven't decisively intervened yet either. No one, apparently, is willing to prevent a single man from destroying the world economy, wrecking financial markets, forcing this country and other countries into recession if that's what he feels like doing when he gets up tomorrow morning.

April 10, 2025 at 3:37 PM EDT
'All for show': Senator who blocked military promotions rips Dem doing same thing to Trump

A Republican lawmaker who held up hundreds of promotions for high-level military officers for months isn't a fan of a Democrat doing the same thing for President Donald Trump's appointees. AL.com reported Thursday that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is now making his thoughts known about an ongoing blockade by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). Just as Tuberville did in 2023, Schatz is denying unanimous consent (the process by which the Senate conducts most official business) for hundreds of Trump administration nominees and several pieces of bipartisan legislation. Tuberville quote-tweeted a story from far-right outlet The Federalist suggesting Schatz was being a hypocrite for opposing Tuberville's 2023 hold while doing the same thing in 2025.

April 10, 2025 at 12:14 PM EDT
'Giant grift': Calls for Trump insider trading probe surge over 'corruption' questions

President Donald Trump's 9:37 AM call for supporters to buy stocks""followed just hours later by his announcement of a so-called "pause" on his market-crushing tariffs""generated billions in new wealth for those positioned to profit. A few of Trump's billionaire allies were conveniently at the White House celebrating with him as the markets soared, posting single-day gains not seen in decades. To some, the timing of Trump's statements""and trading activity that some suggest may indicate insider knowledge""has intensified calls to investigate whether the president used his public office to orchestrate a profitable insider scheme. While no definitive proof of market manipulation or insider trading has been published, questions abound.

April 10, 2025 at 12:09 PM EDT
'Going to revolt': GOP budget bill 'manages to unite two health industry sectors normally at war'

During the 2024 presidential race, many Democrats warned that if Donald Trump won, cuts to important safety-net programs would be on the table. Trump, however, insisted that he wouldn't cut either Social Security or Medicare. Now that President Trump is back in the White House, GOP lawmakers are proposing major Medicaid cuts. And according to Politico, they "have managed to unite two health industry sectors normally at war: insurers and hospitals."

April 10, 2025 at 11:22 AM EDT
How Trump's Fox News obsession 'may have been the nudge' needed for 'stunning' policy reversal

President Donald Trump is known for being a voracious consumer of Fox News and its sister channel Fox Business, keeping the right-wing cable news outlets on constantly whether he's inside the White House or at Mar-a-Lago. And according to according to Mediaite's David Gilmour, that habit may have inspired a major decision on a key economic policy. As the stock market continued to plummet, Trump made a major announcement on Wednesday afternoon, April 9: He is pausing most non-China tariffs for 90 days. Stocks increased in value following the announcement, although a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety remains on Wall Street.

April 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM EDT
'Crazy Uncle Elon': Why top Trump officials are 'deeply annoyed' by 'most irritating person ever'

Some senior Trump administration officials and Cabinet members are reportedly "deeply annoyed" by tech billionaire and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk. According to a report in Rolling Stone published Thursday that quotes sources close to the administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has a "disdain" for Musk. The report further says the DOGE head is disliked to the extent that some State Department officials nicknamed him "Crazy Uncle Elon."

April 10, 2025 at 10:35 AM EDT
'Ongoing large distrust issues' fuel Trump move to limit access to Presidential Daily Brief: official

The Trump administration has reportedly limited the number of individuals who can access President Donald Trump's confidential daily intelligence briefing. CNN reported Thursday that officials within the administration intended from the beginning of Trump's second term to reduce access to the President's Daily Brief (PDB) partly due to instances during his first term when information from the report was leaked to the media. This fueled Trump's belief that the intelligence community was working against him.

April 10, 2025 at 6:12 AM EDT
This chart explains why Trump flip-flopped on tariffs

The Trump administration has announced a 90-day pause on its plan to impose so-called "reciprocal" tariffs on nearly all US imports. But the pause does not extend to China, where import duties will rise to around 125%. The move signals a partial retreat from what had been shaping up as a broad and aggressive trade war. For most countries, the US will now apply a 10% baseline tariff for the next three months. But the White House made clear that its tariffs on Chinese imports will remain in place.

April 10, 2025 at 5:59 AM EDT
Republicans provide plenty of affirmation action for mediocre white men

Being a Republican in Kansas means never having to say you're sorry. Not really. Sure, you might have to mumble a half-hearted apology or lose an election here or there. But don't worry! You won't face any sanctions with teeth or be out of office for long. Kansas Republicans embrace affirmative action for middle-aged, mediocre white men who believe the right things.

April 10, 2025 at 5:35 AM EDT
The sickening secret sauce to Trump's political success

THE ANSWER: Racism. THE QUESTION: How in the hell did we get here?

April 10, 2025 at 5:25 AM EDT
The suffering of white Trump voters isn't going to change a thing

Now that trillions of dollars have vanished as a consequence of the Trump tariffs, I see that some liberals who are sitting on high perches are talking about how the tide is turning against the president. They tell us that even Donald Trump's voters are changing their minds. It's things like this that worry me. It tells me that liberals still operate according to certain articles of faith that are well beyond their expiration dates. It tells me that liberals grossly underestimate the power of corruption, greed, arrogance and stupidity, and grossly overestimate the inherent goodness of the American people.