The U.S. government is planning to participate in the planned “partnership” between U.S. Steel and its Japanese rival Nippon Steel, the New York Times reports.
Trump Warned Netanyahu Not to Interfere with Iran Talks
“President Trump cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call last week not to take any action that could jeopardize negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on a new nuclear deal,” Axios reports.
“Israel has been making preparations to swiftly strike Iran’s nuclear sites if U.S.-Iran nuclear talks break down in the coming weeks.”
Elon Musk’s Neuralink Raises Money at $9 Billion Valuation
“Elon Musk’s Neuralink raised $600 million in a deal that values the brain-mapping company at $9 billion before the new cash,” Semafor reports.
“The startup was last valued at $3.5 billion in late 2023, but has since implanted three chips into the brains of patients paralyzed or unable to speak. The most recent, a non-verbal Arizona man with ALS, posted a video on Musk’s X last month in which he speaks using the chip.”
Trump Says Putin Is ‘Playing with Fire’
President Trump on Tuesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “playing with fire,” as Moscow continues battering Ukraine in the face of Trump’s attempts to broker a peace deal to end the war, Politico reports.
Said Trump: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD.”
Democrats Tee Up House Oversight Leadership Election
“House Democrats are teeing up a caucus election on June 24 to fill the party’s top job on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, vacated by the late Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia,” Politico reports.
“The contest to serve as the panel’s ranking member — and as a prominent foil to President Donald Trump’s administration — is shaping up to be a competitive four-way race that could test Democrats’ adherence to their seniority system for committee leadership and appetite to elevate younger members.”
Judge Blocks Trump from Ending Congestion Pricing
“A federal court judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to force New York to end congestion pricing, ensuring the tolling program would remain in place at least until early next month,” the New York Times reports.
“The move effectively keeps congestion pricing, which charges motorists to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, running through at least June 9 by blocking the Trump administration from withholding funding for New York transportation projects if the program is not halted. President Trump has vowed for months to kill the program.”
A Blue Wave Is Building
Harrison Lavelle and Leon Sit: “With all that’s changed, how likely is it that the national environment will be as blue as it was in 2018? The short answer: There’s a strong possibility.”
“Going back to the 2010 cycle, polling data has consistently shown that conditions tend to get worse, not better for the president’s party between their first months in office and the midterm election. Reviewing prior ‘generic ballot’ surveys asking Americans whether they would vote for a Democratic or a Republican candidate on a generic congressional ballot, the average gain for the party out of power from the early months of a presidential term to Election Day is 7 points.”
“Democrats will also be dealing with a different electoral landscape than they did in 2018. Since 2016, the Republican coalition has changed drastically, with Trump trading high-propensity, college-educated suburban voters for lower-propensity, non-college-educated voters.”
Trump to Expand Social Media Vetting for Student Visas
“The Trump administration is weighing requiring all foreign students applying to study in the United States to undergo social media vetting — a significant expansion of previous such efforts,” Politico reports.
“In preparation for such required vetting, the administration is ordering U.S. embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for such student visa applicants, according to the cable, dated Tuesday and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.”
U.S. Steel Situation Gets Even Stranger
“The U.S. Steel saga is entering its ludicrous era, more than 17 months after the Pittsburgh-based company agreed to be acquired by Japan’s Nippon Steel for around $15 billion,” Axios reports.
“None of this is working the way it’s supposed to, and the chaos has opened the door for potential impropriety.”
Trump Takes Aim at Apple
“In the run-up to President Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East, the White House encouraged chief executives and representatives of many U.S. companies to join him. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, declined,” the New York Times reports.
“The choice appeared to irritate Mr. Trump. As he hopscotched from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Trump took a number of shots at Mr. Cook…”
“On Friday morning, Mr. Trump caught much of his own administration and Apple’s leadership off guard with a social media post threatening tariffs of 25 percent on iPhones made anywhere except the United States.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Why attack universities? Why attack journalism? Because ignorance works for power. First, make the truth seekers live in fear. Sue the journalists. For nothing. Then send masked agents to abduct a college student, a writer of her college paper who wrote an editorial supporting Palestinian rights, and send her to a prison in Louisiana and charge her with nothing. Then, move to destroy law firms that stand up for the rights of others.”
“With that done, power can rewrite history. With grotesque, false narratives, they can make heroes criminals and criminals heroes. And they can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality. ‘Diversity’ is now described as ‘illegal.’ ‘Equity’ is to be shunned. ‘Inclusion’ is a dirty word. This is an old playbook, my friends…”
— Scott Pelley, in a commencement address at Wake Forest.
Trump Pardoned Tax Cheat After Mother Gave $1 Million
New York Times: “Mr. Walczak’s pardon application argued that his criminal prosecution was motivated more by his mother’s efforts for Mr. Trump than by his admitted use of money earmarked for employees’ taxes to fund an extravagant lifestyle.”
“Still, weeks went by and no pardon was forthcoming, even as Mr. Trump issued clemency grants to hundreds of other allies.”
“Then, Ms. Fago was invited to a $1-million-per-person fund-raising dinner last month that promised face-to-face access to Mr. Trump at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla.”
“Less than three weeks after she attended the dinner, Mr. Trump signed a full and unconditional pardon.”
Republicans Won’t Install Plaque for January 6 Officers
“More than three years after its installation was approved by Congress, a plaque honoring law enforcement personnel for defending the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is instead sitting in a Capitol basement utility room surrounded by tools and maintenance equipment,” the Washington Post reports.
“The cast bronze memorial to the officers, which declares that ‘their heroism will never be forgotten,’ was required by law to be installed by March 2023 near the west front of the building.”
How to Hide a 350-Foot Megayacht
New York Times: “Russian oligarchs use the offshore system to shield their luxury assets. The Trump Administration is ending an effort to find and seize them.”
Pentagon Spokesperson Made Antisemitic Comments
The Pentagon has promoted Kingsley Wilson to press secretary despite her history of antisemitic comments, Jewish Insider reports.
Wilson has also called Confederate General Robert E. Lee “one of the greatest Americans to ever live.”
Why Do Justices Keep Giving Trump More Power?
Kate Shaw: “The court may believe that it retains the ultimate authority to check presidential lawlessness, even as it signs off on the elimination of many other constraints on presidential power. The danger is that by the time the court tries to exercise that authority, it may be too late.”
A Leading Indicator?
Suddenly a lot of people are buying the Blue Wave T-Shirt.
CDC Stops Recommending Covid Vaccines for Some
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped recommending routine Covid-19 vaccinations for pregnant women and healthy children,” Reuters reports.
“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a video posted on social media platform X that the vaccines have been removed from the CDC’s immunization schedule for those groups.”
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