Some leading European powers now accept that ships transiting the vital Strait of Hormuz will have to pay fees to Iran and Oman, according to people familiar with the matter.
Following a bombshell New York Times report that Don Jr. and Eric Trump will profit off a billion-dollar mining deal President Donald Trump signed with Kazakhstan, there has been much discussion of the family’s rampant corruption. Now, one person formerly in Trump’s orbit has bad news for the Trump boys, who likely expect their father's pardon should they ever face charges: they can still face prosecution, and face other more spiritual forms of punishment. This is according to lawyer George Conway, ex-husband of Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway and former Republican turned Democratic congressional candidate, who on Tuesday asserted that the president’s sons’ Kazakhstan grift is “flat-out criminal.” When asked whether he thought any of those associated with the scheme — which in addition to Trump’s sons includes the sons of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum — would “see the inside of a jail cell,” Conway shared his thoughts on the matter. “Some will,” he asserted. “Many federal offenses can be charged under state law, and many federal offenses involving activity in foreign nations can be prosecuted under foreign law. Trump's pardon power can't prevent these prosecutions. Also — many of these individuals will burn in Hell.”Conway posted this over an explanation of the Kazak deal from Representative Mike Levin (D-CA), who laid out the extent of the gift clearly.“The Trump administration cut a billion-dollar tungsten deal with Kazakhstan,” he explained. “Tungsten is the metal we need for missile warheads, fighter jets, and computer chips. Trump himself got on the phone to close it. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick worked it from the inside, sending letters, leaning on the Kazakh president, lining up as much as $1.6 billion in federal financing.” Then their sons got involved: “Within weeks of those negotiations, investors tied to a firm partly owned by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump took a 20 percent stake in an entity connected to the very same Kazakhstan project their father was negotiating. Around that same time, Cantor Fitzgerald, the firm run by Lutnick’s own sons, raised $210 million for a partner in the deal and pocketed the fees.”In other words, “The fathers set the policy. The sons cashed in. Six days after the Trump sons and their partners moved their money, Lutnick signed the final deal.” All told, there are nearly $9 billion in federal tax dollars going to these companies, noted Levin, saying, “This is the most corrupt administration in American history.”News of this corruption has prompted outrage even from those who are typically in Trump’s corner. On Tuesday, the New York Post — which usually reports in the president’s favor — said the deal “stinks to high heaven,” asserting that “the Lutnick and Trump boys have been sloshing around in the muck since their dads came to power 18 months ago. They’ve profited handsomely from cryptocurrency deals while the government their fathers control were setting crypto policy.” And on Wednesday, conservative media personality Megyn Kelly told an Australian news outlet, “I don’t feel great about our leaders, I’m not gonna lie. I’m disappointed with some aspects of the Trump presidency for sure, like the Iran war, that’s number one…it’s so grifty, I’m not gonna lie, it’s grifty. You know, the Trump family is grifty. There’s been like story after story about all the money his sons are making off of the government, these government contracts they’re getting, all that. I can’t stand that stuff.”
A European politician lectured “American journalists” and “influencers” on climate change after some had pointed out her country’s relative lack of air conditioning. Paris Deputy Mayor Audrey […]
The Supreme Court gutted one of President Trump's signature policies, rejecting his effort to end birthright citizenship. Jan Crawford has more details.
The Supreme Court ruled correctly on birthright citizenship, but the vote revealed an outrageous conclusion from the dissenting justices, says Harvard Law Professor and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Noah Feldman. (Source: Bloomberg)
After the Supreme Court upheld the Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship, Trump and MAGA lost it. Trump threatened to get Congress to end the guarantee, which it can’t do, and he lamely claimed it was a “WIN” for China: The sheer haplessness of his response hinted at how disoriented the ruling left him. But MAGA exploded: One personality called on the masses to “use whatever force is necessary” to repel “invaders,” a clear threat of violence. Another one, flagged by Media Matters, accused the liberal justices of wanting to “burn the country to the ground” and suggested “men of action” must stop them, also a dark, veiled threat. And Stephen Miller absurdly described the ruling as “national self-obliteration,” which would seem to justify anything in response. We talked to Raul Pinto, deputy legal director of the American Immigration Council. We discuss why the ruling was too close for comfort, how that’s inviting MAGA to wage a longer war to overturn birthright citizenship, how that might unfold, and why there’s cause for cautious optimism about what’s next. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
