With only a week till Donald Trump takes the oath of workplace that can reignite his wildfire of a presidency, the MAGA motion is already in open civil struggle over who will get to be a part of Trump’s unique (and extremely highly effective) inside circle. Nowhere was that clearer than in Steve Bannon lambasting billionaire Elon Musk as “truly evil,” whereas urging the Tesla CEO to “go back to South Africa.” Yikes!
That media silence feels even weirder when you think about that the Bannon vs. Musk feud is among the dominant points burning up the terminally on-line right-wing punditverse. Really, we reside in two mutually unique worlds.
From MAGA brawls to the high-stakes battle to bury particular counsel Jack Smith’s report on Trump’s misconduct, cable TV’s speaking heads missed fairly a number of massive tales this week.
The states of Greenland and Canada
The foremost broadcasters wrote off Donald Trump’s stunning threats to annex Greenland, make Canada a U.S. state, and seize management of the Panama Canal nearly as rapidly because the president-elect issued them. Whereas it’s clear the company media plans to deal with Trump’s more and more hostile threats with an eye fixed roll, the reality is extra severe. Trump’s gambit isn’t only a slap within the face to America’s allies, it’s a possible political minefield each at dwelling and overseas.
Each day Kos’ Andrew Mangan wrote Sunday about how Trump’s effort to show Canada into America’s 51st state may trigger The Donald extra complications than he might understand. That features welcoming 5 new political events into the American political sphere, lots of whom are so progressive they make America’s Democrats appear like a bunch of right-wing radicals. However Trump’s troubles don’t cease with a brand new Congress: The state of Canada would possess 50 electoral votes—an enormous electoral shift.
Elsewhere at Each day Kos, Alix Breeden tackled Trump’s aggressive threats to economically sanction Denmark until they comply with hand over Greenland to america. And as Breeden notes, Trump’s lust for an island within the Arctic Circle isn’t pushed by delusion alone. Greenland’s large provide of precious minerals and shut entry to Arctic oil fields would show an enormous boon as america seeks to weaken China’s grip on strategically vital uncommon earth metals.
DOGE goes digging
As a substitute, among the most incisive protection of Musk’s unofficial presidency comes from media shops in Europe, the place Musk is being (appropriately) branded a democracy-threatening villain by political leaders, together with France’s Emmanuel Macron. Each day Kos’ Oliver Willis has additionally been sizzling on Musk’s path, together with an important piece on how DOGE is already harassing authorities officers regardless of not being an actual authorities company and holding no precise energy.
Vivek Ramaswamy
This all comes regardless of rising numbers of presidency officers—on either side of the aisle—telling Musk and his DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy that they merely gained’t discover $2 trillion in federal spending cuts. Each day Kos’ Emily Singer experiences that each one these conferences have led Musk to decrease expectations round what DOGE can obtain. When pressed, Musk couldn’t even title any spending areas he would reduce. That is going to go nice, y’all.
Singer additionally reminds Republicans of a fact they’d moderately overlook: Any spending cuts approaching something even near $2 trillion would essentially embrace slashing the nation’s huge protection funds. That’s a no-go space for the GOP. Ramaswamy has mentioned DOGE isn’t even contemplating trimming the protection funds, which suggests DOGE will wrestle to hit even sharply lowered spending objectives. This was imagined to be the straightforward half!
Democracy, as they are saying, dies in darkness—and it’s getting fairly dim on the market, of us.
Attain out!
Till subsequent week, preserve your eyes peeled and keep inquisitive, buddies.
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