A clear and present danger After the obligatory niceties and review of his accomplishments in office, President Joe Biden’s farewell address from the Oval Office got to the nub of it: America is at risk. That is, from “the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people.” Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. We see the consequences all across America. And we’ve seen it before. More than a century ago, the American people stood up to the robber barons back then and busted the trusts. They didn’t punish the wealthy. They just made the wealthy play by the rules everybody else had. Workers want rights to earn their fair share. You know, they were dealt into the deal, and it helped put us on the path to building the largest middle class, the most prosperous century any nation the world has ever seen. We’ve got to do that again.
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That pig Donald Trump demanded that they raise the flags that are lowered for Jimmy Carter for him and his submissive pet Mike Johnson saluted smartly and said yes sir. They will be raised for Dear Leader. You can bet Nixon didn’t think much of Truman. But even he didn’t deign to disrespect him the way Trump is disrespecting Carter.
The Wall St. Journal’s Callum Borchers wrote about the new moves among corporations to end their DEI programs. It seems like it’s coming in an avalanche — McDonalds, Walmart, Meta and many others have announced in recent days that their commitment to making their workplaces more diverse and equitable is over. But that means mediocre white guys no longer have any excuse: I wondered how these self-described DEI casualties are feeling. So, I spoke this week with the aggrieved engineer and seven others who contacted me with stories about doors allegedly closed on them because they were the wrong race or gender. Most feared for their jobs and insisted I not name them publicly. They generally believe they’re more likely to get hired or promoted in an environment where Donald Trump is president, Robby Starbuck’s name-and-shame threats loom over corporate America, and Mark Zuckerberg heralds “masculine energy” on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Their optimism isn’t unbridled, however.
That’s actually a pretty good headline for a change: Jack Smith, the special counsel who indicted President-elect Donald J. Trump on charges of seeking to cling to power after losing the 2020 election, said in a final report released early Tuesday morning that he believed the evidence was sufficient to convict Mr. Trump in a trial if his success in the 2024 election had not made it impossible for the prosecution to continue. “The department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind,” Mr. Smith wrote. He continued: “Indeed, but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial.” The Justice Department delivered the 137-page volume — representing half of Mr.
Did you vote for any of these people? Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, according to an official involved with the planning of the event. They will have a prominent spot at the ceremony, seated together on the platform with other notable guests including Trump’s Cabinet nominees and elected officials. That image is going to be iconic. It says everything. By the way, this isn’t just a ceremonial thing for Musk: The New York Times is reporting that Elon Musk is preparing to set up the Department of Government Efficiency in the Eisenhower Building, which is less than a five-minute walk from the White House. It’s still unclear if the billionaire will have complete unfettered access to the West Wing (that requires a “special pass”), but at this point it’s obvious that the CEO—who has billions of dollars in federal and international contracts—will be a full-time cast member in Trump’s second term. It’s still unclear what exactly DOGE will look like in D.C., as it is not an official government department and Musk is not a government employee.
As Louisiana Sinks Slowly Into The Sea House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) of Louisiana said Monday “there should probably be conditions” on any federal aid package to help California recover from the devastation wrought by apocalyptic wildfires. Scripps News Service: Johnson criticized the response of California’s state government, claiming it amounted to dereliction of duty. “Obviously, there has been water resource management, forest management, mistakes, all sorts of problems, and it does come down to leadership, and it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty, and in many respects,” he said. “So, that’s something that has to be factored in.” Mr. Speaker, as Arlo Guthrie once said to the sergeant, “you got a lot a damn gall” to talk about California’s water resource management, unspecified “problems,” and dereliction of duty. Large portions of Louisiana parishes, particularly around New Orleans, obviously lie below sea level. Much of your state’s coastline is slowly sinking into the sea.
Just thought you needed to see that he’s as deranged as ever.
Trump: When I was president, I demanded that this guy, the governor, accept the water coming from the north, from way up in Canada. And, you know, the north, it flows down through right through Los Angeles. I mean, massive millions and millions of gallons of water a week,… pic.twitter.com/rnfbadSlkk — Acyn (@Acyn) January 14, 2025 Here’s the whole clip: When I was president, I demanded that this guy, the governor, accept the water coming from the north, from way up in Canada. And, you know, the north, it flows down through right through Los Angeles. I mean, massive millions and millions of gallons of water a week, probably, I think, even a day. Massive amounts coming out from the mountains, from the melts. And even without it, even during the summer, it’s a natural flow of water. They would have had so much water they wouldn’t have known what to do with it. You would have never had the fires. People would have been able to sprinkle their lawns and everything else. You know, the problem is it’s so dry. It was always so dry there. And it’s just it’s just a mess. They could have maintained their forests. He’s brain damaged.
He didn’t use his name, though. Some of the moves, such as the parade of CEOs visiting Trump in Florida, the donations, and the effort to do business with people in his inner circle, appear designed to curry favour with a man famous for attacking companies and executives he dislikes. But the election has also accelerated a wider shift back to more conservative social and political stances and an embrace of unfettered capitalism. Companies are scrapping diversity, equity and inclusion departments, cutting their support for racial diversity charities, and dropping out of climate change groups. They are also scrubbing anything that could be perceived as “woke” from public statements, corporate documents and advertising. The election has empowered some top executives to start speaking out in favour of conservative policies, from tax cuts to traditional gender roles. The article has a ton of examples but this one really got me.
JV Last asks us to consider Pete Hegseth as if he wasn’t a red-pilled, alcohol dependent, rapist and instead is a moderate, pure as the driven snow boy scout. And then consider this: Last is right when he says that Hegseth will get this job not in spite of his noxious personal character or total lack of qualifications but because of them. He quotes from this excellent piece on Hegseth by Rebecca Traister: Some Democrats retain the wan hope that they can persuade a Republican or two to actually defeat Hegseth’s nomination, and they worry that coming in ablaze will impede those efforts. Winning, said several staffers from offices less inclined to light Hegseth up, would mean not leaning in on the rape allegations and instead creating space to oppose him on grounds that Republicans can also oppose him on. Instead of giving Fox News the woke-mob martyrdom its audience craves, they say they can highlight his financial mismanagement and lack of relevant experience. That’s where we are now. If anyone raises the prospect of a nominee’s lack of character it actually helps them get confirmed.