WATCH OUT - HERE COMES FRIDAY

“This is great. I love your blog. Keep at it.” - Stephen King (free subscriber on March 15, paid subscriber on April 28, and yes...)

“This is great. I love your blog. Keep at it.” - Stephen King (free subscriber on March 15, paid subscriber on April 28, and yes...)

There are 177 days to the mid terms.

Here in California, the price of a gallon of regular gas is an average of $6.19/gallon. The last tanker with oil from the middle east arrived this week; there will be no more until Trump’s War is resolved. California now faces a growing shortage of gas, oil ande jet fuel. Chevron announced they are going to try and obtain oil from Venezuela and Brazil. It will not be a vast quantity and it will not be cheap. I’m glad I live within a 5 minute drive of every service I need, other than the VA - unfortunately I have six VA appointments over the rest of this month. It’s not going to take long for $6.19/gallon to look like good times. The rest of the country is unlikely to experience shortages like we will, due to the fact interstate gas lines exist; they don’t here.

The Great Whitening of America continues: this morning, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned the recent state referendum allowing a mid-term redistricting that Virginia Democrats used to pick up four seats. The decision states: “We hold that the legislative process employed to advance this proposal violated rticle XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia. This constitutional violation incurable taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy.” Yes, the Virginia Supreme Court is packed with justices nominated by previous Republican governors and confirmed by the votes of Republican-dominated sessions of the Virginia legislature. With the seven states of the original Confederacy having done their best to remove all Black Democrats from Southern congressional delegations and now the loss of the four Virginia seats, there is every possibility that - despite a national voting majority in favor of Democrats in November - MAGA could maintain control of the House of Representatives. The only way to prevent this is to get out the vote and for Democrats to overperform even more than they have this past year, to create a majority so large it cannot be stolen from us despite the fact that the system is now almost completely rigged against a return to anything like the semi-democracy we even had back in 2015. We cannot despair. As hard as we have worked, we must work harder.

Let’s move on to what little good news there is today, since there’s not much of that around: Thursday, a three-judge panel of the International Court of Appeals imposed a permanent injunction on the 10 percent tariff Trump imposed on nearly all U.S. imports in February. Judges Mark A. Barnett and Claire R. Kelly ruled that Trump administration improperly used a provision of trade law giving the president power to impose tariffs to correct “balance of payments deficits” when issuing the 10 percent global tariff. Judge Timothy C. Stanceu (a Trump appointee) dissented from the ruling. The ruling is the latest in a series of major legal blows to the tariff regime central to Trump’s aggressive trade agenda. Trump imposed the tariff subject to Thursday’s ruling after the Supreme Court struck down his “Liberation Day” import taxes on good from dozens of global trading partners. The CIT majority, however, ruled that Maladministration II failed to identify an actual balance of payments deficit when imposing the tariff. “This case turns on the meaning of Section 122 and whether the President asserted the existence of the conditions required by the statute in order to lawfully proclaim the import surcharges. … As discussed further below, the President’s Proclamation fails to assert that those required conditions have been satisfied,” the majority wrote.

And also: A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit sharply questioned the Pentagon over its assertion thatSenator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, is subject to military punishment for participating in the video that called on service members to “refuse illegal orders.” “You’re saying that, if he wants to speak freely, he should discharge himself, which means giving up his retirement pay, giving up his rank, giving up all of those things,” said Judge Florence Pan, an appointee of former President Biden. “That - that is the price that our military retirees and veterans should pay if they want to speak freely?” Kelly sued in January after Defense Secretary Should Have Been Fragged Long Ago announced the Pentagon had initiated retirement grade determination proceedings and issued a formal letter of censure over the November video, in which Kelly and five other Democrats with intelligence or military backgrounds called on troops to “refuse illegal orders.” A federal judge in February blocked the Pentagon’s efforts, asserting that while service members enjoy weakened First Amendment protections to preserve discipline in the armed forces, no court had ever extended that doctrine to retired service members. Ben Mizer, a lawyer for Kelly, told the panel that the punishments imposed on the senator are “textbook retaliation against disfavored speech. The senator did not counsel disobedience of lawful orders. He simply recited the bedrock proposition of military law that every service member learns when they enter the military, which is that service members can refuse illegal orders.” TrumpDOJ lawyer John Bailey contended that the video amounted to a veiled call to reject lawful directives. “It was the secretary’s inference that this was a ‘wink, wink and a nod,’” he said, suggesting that Should Have Been Fragged Long Ago viewed the message as regarding “specific ongoing operations” and encouragement to disobey directives relating to them. The judges pointed out that the rule requiring service members to refuse unlawful orders is taught at all three service academies.

Professor Robert Pape presents a solid analysis of how the U.S. has lost our traditional power and position in the Persian Gulf: According to multiple reports, Saudi Arabia blocked U.S. access to Prince Sultan Airbase and denied use of its airspace for Operation Freedom, the Trump administration’s attempt to force oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait reportedly denied access as well. The US “Operation Freedom” paused within roughly 36 hours. This is not a small diplomatic disagreement. It is a structural warning sign. The United States was not blocked primarily by Iran. It was blocked by the states America was supposedly defending.

That Changes the Meaning of the War. For decades, the foundation of U.S. power in the Gulf rested on a simple bargain: America would protect the regional order, and Gulf monarchies would align strategically with Washington. That bargain weakens the moment local states begin concluding that U.S. escalation may endanger them more than protect them. That is what we are now seeing. The shift began when Iran struck energy-linked infrastructure near the UAE pipeline system connected to Fujairah — the last major bypass allowing Gulf oil exports to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. That route can move roughly 1.5 to 1.8 million barrels per day outside waters Iran can directly threaten. The message was unmistakable: There is no longer a safe alternative to Hormuz. Once that became clear, Gulf states faced a new calculation. Supporting expanded U.S. military operations no longer simply risked angering Iran. It risked placing their own economies, infrastructure, and regime stability directly inside the escalation zone. Under those conditions, survival logic begins to overpower alliance logic. Put differently, states will abandon balancing strategies when these increase the danger to their survival. That is exactly what appears to have happened. This is how great-power influence weakens in the real world. Not through speeches. Not through symbolism. Through allies quietly recalculating risk.

Senate Republicans are giving up for now on passing the SAVE America Act. Senate Republicans aren’t willing to tear down Senate rules just to pass it, Punchbowl News reported: “Now, even the bill’s most outspoken GOP supporters are acknowledging that another drawn-out Senate floor debate would be a futile exercise. But the Senate’s tabling of SAVE will only anger the party’s base and intensify the long-shot push to scrap the filibuster. This issue has become a major point of contention between Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.”

Meanwhile, per the report, “The most recent SAVE-related vote, which occurred during a vote-a-rama last month, fell just short of 50 votes. To Senate GOP leaders, that alone is a good enough reason to move on. Many of the most vocal SAVE America Act supporters now agree, pointing to the rejected vote-a-rama amendment as proof they need a new strategy.”

Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday that the Supreme Court doesn’t feature “purely political actors,” comments that come after a notable decision affecting the Voting Rights Act. “I think, at a very basic level, people think we’re making policy decisions, we’re saying we think this is how things should be, as opposed to what the law provides,” Roberts told 3rd U.S. Circuit judges and lawyers at a conference, according to The Associated Press. “I think they view us as purely political actors, which I don’t think is an accurate understanding of what we do.” We view you as “purely political actors” BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE!

With “Chief Justice” Roberts and his crew of “non-political actors” promoting The Great Whitening, Rep. James Clyburn, the lone Democrat representing South Carolina in the House, ripped a push among Republicans to redraw district lines amid pressure from Trump. “Republicans in the South Carolina state legislature began the process of extending their session to allow for the redrawing of the state’s congressional map - with one goal in mind: eliminating the state’s only Democratic House district that is occupied by a Democrat. Republicans are trying to break apart South Carolina’s 6th District. Not because voters demanded it, but because Donald Trump requested it, we cannot let them succeed.” Clyburn is the only Democrat among the state’s seven House lawmakers, representing the majority-Black 6th Congressional District that sprawls around Columbia and Charleston. If the red state moves forward with redrawing its map, Republicans will likely shift to a 7-0 advantage. All the result of the six “non-political” political motherfuckers. As of this morning, the legislature adjourned without the Senate passing the House-passed measure giving the legislature the option of coming back into special session this summer to return and redistrict. Senator Lindsey Graham is worried about the “dilution” of GOP voters that will result from this, saying: “You don’t know what’s going to happen in any election, but I know this, that if a Republican won in 2020 by 51 percent, that’s not exactly a safe Republican seat.” He’s right and we can defeat this if we “massively overperform.”

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) vowed legal action Thursday after Tennessee passed a new House map that carves up his majority-Black congressional district in an effort to flip his seat red in November. The bill was immediately signed by Governor Bill Lee. Cohen, the lone Democrat in Tennessee’s nine-member House delegation, called the new map “shameful” and criticized Republicans for heeding Trump’s call to pursue mid-decade redistricting ahead of the midterm elections. Writing on X, Cohen said: “And just like that, the TN GOP voted to enforce a racial gerrymander of Memphis and strip our city of effective representation for decades. Trump knows he HAS TO rig the game to keep his majority in November. And the TN GOP was willing to go along with it. It’s shameful. Next stop is the courts.” The NAACP has already filed an emergency petition to block Tennessee’s attempt to remove the only majority-Black congressional district in the state, which the organization argues violates the state constitution.

I’m soooo surprised: Major energy companies are reaping enormous profits from the ongoing Strait of Hormuz stalemate triggered by Donald Trump’s war on Iran, with European oil giants reporting dramatic earnings surges while American producers sit on the sidelines, the New York Times is reporting. British energy giant Shell reported robust first-quarter profits Thursday, with adjusted earnings soaring 24 percent to $6.92 billion — more than twice what the company earned in the previous quarter and significantly higher than analyst expectations. In a statement, Shell’s chief executive, Wael Sawan, attributed the windfall to an “unprecedented disruption in global energy markets,” with oil prices briefly trading above $126 a barrel last week. Shell is not alone in profiting from the conflict. Britain’s BP more than doubled its first-quarter profit to $3.2 billion from the previous quarter, driven by superior oil trading and elevated prices. French oil company TotalEnergies reported quarterly net income of $5.4 billion and announced it would raise its dividend and double its share buybacks, the Times is reporting. That stands in sharp contrast to American oil producers who are reporting declining profits despite elevated prices. Exxon Mobil reported $4.2 billion in first-quarter earnings — down 46 percent from a year earlier — while Chevron’s quarterly profit slid to $2.2 billion, a 37 percent drop year-over-year. The Times report adds the caveat that the companies attributed the declines to accounting adjustments and paper losses they said would be unwound in coming months as gas prices stay high.

The WSJ’s John Keilman reported yesterday that Whirlpool, which makes refrigerators and washing machines, said the Iran war has caused a “recession-level industry decline” and that Americans should expect to pay higher prices for appliances going forward. Life in the U.S. continues its downward arc. Thank you very much, Republicans.

Corruption continues everywhere: Trump’s push to have his administration take a bigger stake in major American businesses is beginning to scare industrialists and executives, according to a new report. the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday: “Some executives are so worried Trump will ask for a stake in their company that they have prepared for Oval Office meetings by rehearsing what they would say to fend off the president’s advances.” Trump’s reach for large stakes in the biggest American businesses “startles many large U.S. companies that fear an expansion of government power in their industries.” The WSJ pointed towards recent “progressive-style” efforts by Maladministration II to “cap credit-card rates to assertive deals grabbing government shares in private companies.” Top Trump aides also brought up the idea of taking a stake in a merger between United and American Airlines that ultimately fell through, and also asked for a “significant stake” in the now-defunct Spirit Airlines before it went out of business. “When the company offered 80 percent in exchange for the government bailout, Trump suggested 90 percent,” the WSJ reported. Trump is moving forward with plans to acquire a stake in “at least 10 companies, including a 10 percent equity stake in Intel,” the U.S. tech maker, “and a ‘golden share’ of U.S. Steel, which grants the government power to influence company decisions.” The Trump administration has already secured “significant shares of critical minerals” that are “crucial for industries and national defence contractors.” Yes, this is not “conservative,” but it is very Fascist.

Trump’s calls for violence and repression against political opponents continues: Trump has escalated his threats against House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries. He has been posting a photo of Jeffries from last year holding a baseball bat in his office and calling the House speaker a “thug” and insulting his intelligence. Trump stepped up his attacks this week by calling for Jeffries’ impeachment after he criticized the Supreme Court, posting on Lies Anti-Social: “Hakeem Jeffries, a Low IQ individual, said our Supreme Court is ‘illegitimate. After saying such a thing, isn’t he subject to Impeachment? I got impeached for A PERFECT PHONE CALL. Where are you Republicans? Why not get it started? They’ll be doing this to me!” (Congreemen don’t get impeached, you numbskull moron). Thursday morning, he posted on Lies Anti-Social: “This lunatic, Hakeem ‘Low IQ’ Jeffries, should be charged with INCITING VIOLENCE! The Radical Left Democrats actually want to Destroy our Country. President DJT” - this was accompanied by side-by-side photos of Jeffries in front of a sign promising “maximum warfare” against the president’s agenda and a surveillance photo of a gunman attempting to rush into the White House Correspondents Dinner. Jeffries replied: “As it relates to the comment related to ‘maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,’ in connection with the redistricting battle that Republicans launched, I stand by it. You can continue to criticize me for it. I don’t give a damn about the criticism ... get lost.”

The otherwise-employables-were-they-not-paid-Trump-shills, aka the MAGA “influencers” were spreading conspiracy theories about the rat-borne illness that has left three luxury cruise ship passengers dead, according to reports on Thursday. Experts from the WHO have said that the hantavirus outbreak on MV Hondius is being transmitted human-to-human. MAGA social media accounts are now suggesting the virus was purposefully introduced to the passengers. The ship has been stranded off Cape Verde throughout the week but is now back to sailing with the plan to disembark passengers in the Canary Islands starting on Monday. Eight confirmed cases have been connected to the cruise, prompting medical evacuations in South Africa, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. According to the mouthbreathers like The MAGAVoice, who wrote on X: “Strange how viruses only occur when President Trump is in office and during Elections…”

Florida governor Ron DeSantis is talking with Maladministration II about closing the Everglades detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz. The center has been called unsanitary and inhumane since it opened ten months ago, yet the cost of housing its 1,400 detainees is more than $1 million a day. DeSantis has asked for $608 million to run the camp for a year.

Remember, you are not the crazy ones, and we were made for these times. Regardless of what you may feel right now, act as if you believe that and redouble your efforts.

“Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the Government, nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might; and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty, as we understand it.” - Abraham Lincoln

William

The current media scene is a stark reminder of the importance of independent journalism. No billionaires. No oligarchs. No corporate media. No dark money PACS. None of us can do it alone. You are not the crazy ones. These are truly the times that try men’s and women’s souls. This is the fight of our lifetimes, and the challenge of our generation. I realize times are getting harder, which is why some readers understandably didn’t renew their subscriptions. There are free subscribers who read TAFM daily according to the site stats. If you folks happen to be in a position to help make up the gap, please consider joining the other paid subscribers here at That’s Another Fine Mess to keep things going. Across Substack, authors like me need your help! It’s only 21 cents a day. I am deeply thankful to those who have done so. Remember, independent media brought down Viktor Orbán - we can bring down Trump, with your support. I hope you’ll join Stephen King - one of my favorite writers - in keeping TAFM operating.

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