Extra, Extra
Ven Diagram: “The helicopters were engaged in training exercises, according to a U.S. official, that could serve as preparation for expanded conflict against alleged drug traffickers, including potentially missions inside Venezuela.” A day after Trump announced covert operations against Venezuela, WaPo (Gift Article) reports U.S. Special Operations helicopters near Venezuela expand Caribbean mission.
+ Hamas or Menos? Uniformed Hamas militants are back on the streets in Gaza, where they’ve carried out videotaped, public executions. As Jonathan Chait reports in The Atlantic (Gift Article), “the president seems undisturbed by the terrorist group’s murderous campaign against dissidents. In fact, he seems to admire it.” Why Is Trump Making Excuses for Hamas? “They did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad—very, very bad gangs … And they did take ’em out. And they killed a number of gang members. And that didn’t bother me much, to be honest with you. That’s okay. A couple of very bad gangs.”
+ Honky-Tonk: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Scratch that. Give me the white people. “The Trump administration is considering a radical overhaul of the U.S. refugee system that would slash the program to its bare bones while giving preference to English speakers, white South Africans and Europeans who oppose migration.”
+ The Wind Beneath Our Wings: “The administration and its allies in Congress have rolled back clean energy tax credits and thrown up roadblocks to renewable energy projects — efforts that, in the long run, will mean fewer wind and solar farms will be built than otherwise would have.” But for now, there’s a race to get those credits before they expire. Which means “President Trump is poised to preside over a renewable energy boom. Yes, really.” NYT (Gift Article): Renewable Energy Is Booming Despite Trump’s Efforts to Slow It.
+ It’s Buyback Time: “Over the past five years, those five largest companies spent more than $1 trillion on stock buybacks and dividends, according to a new analysis from Oxfam—more than five times what they paid in federal taxes over the same time period.” The biggest U.S. companies on the S&P 500 spent more than $1 trillion on stock buybacks and dividends in 2024.
