“Laura Loomer is now de facto White House personnel director”
Independent: RFK Jr. either ‘clearly lied to me’ about surgeon general nominee or someone ‘is controlling’ him, ex-running mate claims
Nicole Shanahan is so alarmed by the sudden nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General that she’s now claiming Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. either “clearly lied” to her or someone “is controlling” Kennedy’s decisions.
A day before former Fox News pundit Dr. Janette Nesheiwat was scheduled to appear at a Senate confirmation hearing, President Donald Trump pulled her as his nominee to be the nation’s top doctor. The withdrawal comes amid concerns that Nesheiwat embellished her credentials, as well as growing anger among Trump loyalists over her support for vaccinations.
Means, whom the president said “has impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials,” has been a close ally of Kennedy’s and rose to prominence in recent years as a “wellness influencer” and a practitioner of so-called “functional medicine.” Along with her brother Calley, a former food industry lobbyist who now serves as a White House health adviser, Means appeared on former Fox News star Tucker Carlson’s show last year – which ended up being the most-watched podcast episode of 2024.
(Independent more…)
MEDIAite: Trump’s New Pick for Surgeon General Dropped Out of Medical Residency and Has an Inactive Medical License
NPR: Trump picks Casey Means for surgeon general, after first nominee withdraws
Closer to the Edge: Shanahan Detonates: “Manchurian Assets” and the Biohacked Takeover of HHS
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Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American -May 8, 2025
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Prevost’s choice of the name Leo invokes the principles of both Leo XIII and his predecessor, Pope Francis. In his own lifetime he has aligned himself with many of Francis’s social reforms, and his election appears to be a rejection of hard-line right-wing Catholics in the U.S. and elsewhere who have used their religion to support far-right politics.In the U.S., Vice-President J.D. Vance is one of those hard-line right-wing Catholics. Shortly after taking office in January, Vance began to talk of the concept of ordo amoris, or “order of love,” articulated by Catholic St. Augustine, claiming it justified the MAGA emphasis on family and tribalism and suggesting it justified the mass expulsion of migrants.
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Cardinal Prevost was close to Pope Francis, and during this controversy he posted on X after Vance’s assertion but before Pope Francis’s answer: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” After the pope published his letter, Prevost reposted it with the comment: “Pope Francis’ letter, JD Vance’s ‘ordo amoris’ and what the Gospel asks of all of us on immigration.”
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
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Fast Company: More Trump trade war fallout: China’s exports to U.S. sink 21%
While shipments to the U.S. plunged, China’s total exports rose 8.1% in April.
WSJ: Trump Stages a Trade-War Retreat
WSJ: Trump’s Bespoke Trade Deal With U.K. Sets Little Precedent for Other Nations
Fortune: Detroit automakers fuming after Trump’s first trade deal gives preferential treatment to imported U.K. cars over their own
NPR: Americans are already seeing Trump’s tariffs kick in. They sent in receipts to prove it
Many other agreements weren’t seen as likely to come together quickly
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NY Times: Harvard Leaders See Only Bad Outcomes Ahead as They Battle Trump
Harvard could choose to either keep fighting or seek a deal with the administration. Its leaders are starting to realize that any path will very likely change the identity of the school.
Even if Harvard wins its court battle with the Trump administration, it could see its funding curtailed and research significantly affected.
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NBC: Trump abruptly fires Librarian of Congress
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ABC: Trump appoints Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as top prosecutor in DC
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Bulwark: Popular Resistance to Trump Is Working
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NPR: Court rules Alabama redistricting intentionally discriminates against Black voters
A panel of three federal judges says the Alabama Legislature intentionally drew its congressional district map to dilute Black voting strength, which is unconstitutional and violates the Voting Rights Act.
A voter walks past a sign that reads “Vote here” with an American flag on it during Alabama’s March primary election in Mountain Brook, Ala.
Elections
A federal judge has ordered Alabama to stop trying to purge voters before Election Day
The judges also said the state can’t use the map in future elections.
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Google: ICE deports farmworkers
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Spectrum Greensboro: Attorneys general sue Trump administration over EV charger funding
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Dean Blundell: #BOYCOTTUSA UPDATE: The U.S. Preparing for a $90 Billion Dollar Economic Disaster as the World Cup Approaches
As the 2026 World Cup looms, a tidal wave of economic fallout is crashing toward the United States—and it’s coming from north of the border. Canada, once the U.S.’s most reliable travel and trade partner, is leading a full-scale boycott that’s rapidly turning into a global rebuke of Trump’s America.
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Thom Hartmann: How the Republican Party Became America’s Ministry of Propaganda
FDR warned us 80 years ago about the rise of political lies. Today, the GOP has turned that warning into a roadmap…
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NY Times: Europe’s Wind Industry Faces Uncertainty Over Trump’s Policies
Not long ago, the U.S. was seen as a promising market for offshore wind. Now industry executives aren’t making any assumptions.
…But those plans were thrown into disarray last month when the Trump administration, which is skeptical about offshore wind power, ordered an indefinite halt to construction.
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If Empire Wind is permanently shut down, Vestas will lose a manufacturing order likely worth around $1 billion for 54 of its latest turbines, which have blades nearly 380 feet long.
(NY Times more…)
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Fox News: Kash Patel warns FBI mission at risk under Trump admin’s massive FBI budget cut
FBI seeks $1B budget increase to combat rising crime, maintain staffing levels amid cuts
NY Times: F.B.I. Director Walks Back Concerns About Trump Budget Cuts
After telling House lawmakers that the F.B.I. needed more resources, Kash Patel told senators that he agreed with a proposal to slash more than $500 million from the agency.
Roll Call: FBI director now says he supports Trump budget proposal
In Senate, Kash Patel changes course from his previous day’s testimony in the House
Project 2025 Tracker
DOGE Tracker
ProPublica: Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew