I had a nice conversation with the great Julie Mason about Donald Trump’s trip to China, what might happen next in Cuba and who should be the next James Bond.
Justices Won’t Restore Virginia’s Gerrymander
“The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginia’s bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives,” the AP reports.
“The court’s order is the latest twist in the nation’s mid-decade redistricting competition.”
Colorado Governor Grants Clemency to Tina Peters
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) “will reduce Tina Peters’ sentence by half, he confirmed Friday, appearing to bend to demands from President Donald Trump — while ignoring the pleas of many other Colorado elected officials and the prosecutor who won the former county clerk’s conviction in an election data-breach scheme,” the Denver Post reports.
“The commutation will reduce Peters’ original sentence of nearly nine years, which was thrown out last month, to about 4.5 years, Polis said in an interview Friday. His decision will make her parole-eligible for release from prison beginning June 1.”
New York Times: “Mr. Polis said he believed that Ms. Peters, a nonviolent first-time offender, had received too harsh a sentence because of her embrace of conspiracy theories about Mr. Trump’s 2020 election loss.”
Oil Prices Could Soon Rise Convulsively
The Economist: “The largest supply shock in petroleum history is getting larger fast. Some 2 billion barrels, or 5% of the world’s yearly oil supply, have already been lost because the Strait of Hormuz is shut. Every day it remains closed the deficit grows by 14 million barrels. Since peace talks between America and Iran have stalled, a reopening still seems many days away.”
“Yet oil markets look strangely calm. Brent crude futures, at $105 a barrel, have fallen from April highs of nearly $120. They remain below the peak of $129 in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine. Spot prices have slid even more, implying that crude oil is more plentiful than it was earlier in the war. The surprising mini-glut is real—but do not take too much comfort from it. A full-blown energy disaster may be weeks away.”
Another Bonus Quote of the Day
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for the country. To the folks at CBS, in the words of the great Ed Murrow: Good night, and good luck, motherfuckers.”
— David Letterman, quoted by CNN, speaking to Stephen Colbert as “The Late Show” ends its 33-year run on CBS.
Eric Trump to Sue Jen Psaki Over China Trip Claims
Eric Trump said he will sue MS NOW and one of its hosts Jen Psaki after a monologue on her show questioned whether his business interests, combined with traveling with his father on a high-stakes trip to China, was a conflict of interest, The Hill reports.
Republicans Waited to Challenge Trump on the Iran War
New York Times: “The Republican-led Congress has missed a crucial window to play a role in the U.S. military operation in Iran, with G.O.P. lawmakers who deferred to President Trump for months on the war now hand-tied by their reticence to challenge him and his administration’s efforts to evade congressional oversight or input.”
“That posture — the latest move by Republicans to cede congressional power to the president — has effectively allowed Mr. Trump to run out the clock for quick action by Congress on the conflict.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“This administration is dripping with corruption from top to bottom, but rushing a settlement to steal $1.7 billion taxpayer dollars for a slush fund before a judge can toss your junk lawsuit would be among the most corrupt acts in American political history. This lawsuit has never been anything more than a shakedown of the American people by a crook president and his crook lawyers.”
— Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), quoted by CNBC, on the reported settlement proposal the Justice Department has with President Trump for his lawsuit against the IRS.
Executions Surge in Iran Since Ceasefire
New York Times: “Iran has executed four prisoners this week on charges that include espionage and terrorism, according to Iranian news media, the latest in what rights groups say is a rapid escalation in the government’s use of the death penalty.”
“Iran has long been one of the world’s most frequent users of capital punishment. Yet the pace of sentencing and hangings appears to have surged over the last two months, amid the war with the United States and Israel.”
Trump Waffles on $14 Billion Arms Sale to Taiwan
President Trump said he’s unsure whether he would greenlight a planned $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan after discussing arms sales in “great detail” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Axios reports.
Demonstrations to Sweep the South Over Redistricting
Axios: “A wave of voting rights battles and GOP redistricting fights is triggering a coordinated response across the South, with organizers preparing a ‘Summer of Action’ campaign with marches that start this weekend.”
“Organizers say the fight over congressional maps, voting access and political representation is accelerating in real time as states redraw political power ahead of November’s midterms and the 2028 general election.”
Democrats Have ‘Break-the-Glass’ Plan for California
“Gavin Newsom said he’s confident at least one Democrat will advance from California’s June gubernatorial primary, hinting at a ‘break-the-glass’ contingency plan as he declined — yet again — to endorse in the race,” Politico reports.
Newsom “alluded to behind-the-scenes efforts to rally people. He did not specify his activities, but the Democratic Governors Association recently began sending mail highlighting Republican Steve Hilton as a fierce conservative. The ostensible opposition campaign could drive GOP voters to Hilton, ensuring he consolidates the party’s voters and saps the support of the other Republican candidate, Chad Bianco, enough to keep him from finishing in the top two.”
Trump Faces Decision on Whether to Resume Iran Strikes
New York Times: “President Trump returned from China on Friday facing major decisions on Iran, as his top aides have drafted plans for a return to military strikes if Mr. Trump decides to try to break the impasse with more bombs.”
“Mr. Trump has yet to make a decision on his next steps, the aides say. Officials from interested countries have been trying to patch together a compromise that would prompt Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow Mr. Trump to declare victory and try to convince skeptical American voters that the expensive and deadly military foray into Iran was a success.”
Absent GOP Congressman Is Under Doctor’s Care
“Top House Republicans have grown increasingly concerned by Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s mysterious absence from the chamber,” CNN reports.
“Now his father, former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., is seeking to offer assurances that his son will be returning soon — though he, too, declined to offer any specifics as to why the congressman has been out of the public eye for more than two months.”
“Kean Sr. said his son is recovering from what he described as a serious but temporary illness, pushing back on speculation surrounding the congressman’s prolonged absence from Washington.”
Iraqi Militia Chief Accused of Plotting Attacks in U.S.
“A commander of an Iran-backed militia has been charged with plotting to attack Jewish sites in the United States, including a synagogue in New York City,” the New York Times reports.
Trump’s China Trip Underscores How Power Has Shifted
Time: “He may have descended Air Force One late Wednesday to the cheers of schoolchildren brandishing the Stars and Stripes, and flanked by tech’s most influential tycoons, but it didn’t take long for President Trump to be put in his place in Beijing. In the first closed-door discussions of the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a stinging rebuke regarding American arms sales to Taiwan…”
“Given that Trump explodes at even the most trifling perceived affront… it was telling that Xi felt empowered to lay down the law from the get-go… the optics of the U.S. President, for whom belligerence has long been a badge of honor, appearing awkward and cowed is a stark illustration of the shifting balance of global power.”
“More than anything, Trump looked strangely alone despite the phalanx of top executives traveling with him… Xi’s choice of words was again telling. China is never shy about trumpeting its ‘partnerships’ of various degrees with scores of nations across the planet, even if in truth these are never evenhanded and exclusively transactional.”
“But with Trump, Xi eschewed any semblance of partnership, merely advocated a framework of ‘constructive strategic stability,’ indicating he’s settled that the U.S. is a rival and, while not wanting ties to spiral, is confident in China’s ability to hold its own…”
Trump Left with Little to Show for Two Days of Talks
“As a parting gesture to Donald Trump before he left China, Xi Jinping promised to send some rose seeds to the White House to be planted at the seat of the American presidency,” the Financial Times reports.
“But over two days of talks in Beijing — spanning the Temple of Heaven, the Great Hall of the People and, finally, the gardens of the Chinese leadership’s tightly guarded compound — Xi appeared to concede little else to the US president.”
“Their discussions yielded no clear breakthroughs on the big foreign policy and economic fissures between the two countries and fell short of delivering the sort of big business deals the White House covets from international summits”
Communist Cuba Leanings on Capitalists as Oil Runs Out
Bloomberg: “To Fidel Castro and Cuba’s communist elite, private businesses were totems of capitalist evil.”
“Now, with the country running out of food and fuel, the regime on the brink and anger spreading in the streets, it’s those private businesses — run by once-persecuted, small-scale capitalists — that hold the key to salvaging what’s left of Cuba’s economy.”
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