Latest news with #pre-NewDeal
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trump judicial nominee wrote op-ed in favor of literacy tests for voters
Donald Trump's administration isn't being subtle in the steps it's taking to recreate the conditions of the segregated Jim Crow era. And one of his judicial nominees for a lifetime appointment once wrote in favor of one of the era's main tools for voter suppression. In March, the Trump administration lifted an express ban on the funding of federal contractors that support segregated facilities. Earlier this month, the administration ended a decadeslong school desegregation order issued to a Louisiana parish notorious for its history of educational discrimination. Taken together with his efforts to purge diversity, equity and inclusion programs from public and private institutions, the moves make a credible argument for Trump being the most pro-segregation president in living memory. Now HuffPost reports that one of his recent judicial nominees, Missouri's Solicitor General Joshua Divine, appears to favor one of the hallmarks of the Jim Crow era, with the outlet noting his past support for requiring prospective voters to pass a literacy test. According to HuffPost: One of President Donald Trump's nominees to a federal judgeship, Josh Divine, argued in a college opinion piece that people should be required to take literacy tests in order to vote — despite such tests being outlawed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because they were routinely used to keep Black people from voting. 'People who aren't informed about issues or platforms — especially when it is so easy to become informed these days — have no business voting, which is why I propose state-administered literacy tests,' Divine wrote in October 2010 in The Mirror, a publication of the University of Northern Colorado. At the time, he was a junior at the university. 'In the Civil Rights Act, literacy tests were banned because they were used as a form of discrimination in that they were only administered to certain groups of people,' he said, 'but literacy tests themselves are not a bad thing.' Some people might argue it's unfair to judge a man on views he expressed as a college junior, but there's a long tradition of scrutinizing judicial nominees' past writings that I don't think Divine should be excused from. After all, 2010 wasn't even that long ago! As HuffPost notes, it's not clear whether Divine still stands by his support for literacy tests for voting, and the Missouri Attorney General's Office did not immediately return MSNBC's request for comment. But that Divine ever expressed support for literacy tests — let alone in an op-ed that acknowledges their use as a racist tool to undermine civil rights — seems like it should give pause to the senators considering his nomination. Divine's nomination reminded me of the far-right Federalist Society director Leonard Leo, who's helped steer the conservative movement's judicial appointments for years. Leo's infatuation with returning America to pre-New Deal jurisprudence, a period when legalized racism was rampant, is well-documented; Joshua Divine, who is himself a contributor to the Federalist Society, seems suited to help Leo pursue that goal. This article was originally published on
Int'l Business Times
22-04-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Musk's $2 Trillion Promise Falls Short: DOGE Delivers Just 7.5% Of Target Savings
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency ( DOGE ), launched with bold promises to slash £1.56 trillion ($2 trillion) from US federal spending, has drastically underdelivered. By 22 April 2025, Musk admitted DOGE's projected savings for fiscal year 2026 are just £117 billion ($150 billion), a mere 7.5% of the original goal. Critics argue this shortfall, coupled with questionable cuts and Musk's reported plans to exit DOGE, suggests motives beyond efficiency. So, what's really driving Musk's controversial crusade? A Promise Unfulfilled: DOGE's Shrinking Ambitions Musk initially claimed DOGE would halve the federal deficit by eliminating 'waste and fraud,' targeting £780 billion ($1 trillion) in annual savings by 30 September 2025. However, the New York Times reports DOGE's 'Wall of Receipts' website, last updated 15 April 2025, lists only £117 billion ($150 billion) in savings, riddled with errors and inflated figures, such as claiming credit for a non-existent contract cancellation. Romina Boccia of the Cato Institute told the Times, 'they're spinning their wheels, citing overstated or fake savings.' Even Musk's fraud findings, like £297 million ($397 million) in unemployment benefits to toddlers and centenarians, were recycled from Biden-era investigations, per The Guardian . The numbers don't add up. DOGE's cuts to the Internal Revenue Service alone could cost £390 billion ($521 billion) annually in lost tax revenue, undermining any savings, according to Yahoo News. With Musk reportedly tiring of 'leftist attacks' and planning to leave DOGE, per a Washington Post source, the project's credibility is crumbling. Hidden Agendas: Power, Profit, or Politics? Critics argue Musk's motives extend beyond cost-cutting. DOGE's aggressive moves, including slashing 200,000 federal jobs and targeting agencies like NASA and the NLRB, suggest a deeper agenda. Yahoo News posits DOGE aims to rewind America to a pre-New Deal era, where industrialists like Musk faced minimal oversight. Musk's call for a 'wholesale spring cleaning' of federal regulations on 15 February 2025 supports this, potentially benefiting his companies. For instance, gutting NASA's budget could funnel rocket contracts to SpaceX, worth £11.7 billion ($15 billion) in 2024 alone according Reuters . Meanwhile, Musk's push for a 'DOGE Dividend'—tax rebates from supposed savings—has fizzled, with experts noting Congress must approve such payouts, which exclude low earners per Yahoo Finance. What's Next for Musk and DOGE? Musk's reported frustration and potential exit signal DOGE's days may be numbered. Set to sunset on 4 July 2026, the initiative faces growing backlash. A Rolling Stone report on 12 April 2025 cited Trump officials calling Musk 'irritating,' with some questioning his behaviour. According to this report from CNBC Tesla's stock, down 37% in 2025, reflects investor unease, with Wedbush's Dan Ives urging Musk to refocus on Tesla. As DOGE stumbles, the gap between Musk's rhetoric and reality grows stark. Whether driven by ambition, profit, or ideology, his moves have rattled markets and voters alike. With Congress poised to scrutinise DOGE's impact in May 2025, the initiative's fate hangs in the balance. Only time will reveal if Musk's vision reshapes government, or merely his own legacy. While Musk insists DOGE's work will endure, its overstated savings and chaotic cuts raise doubts. Is Musk dismantling government for efficiency, personal gain, or political clout? As Nate Silver's tracker shows Musk's favourability at -13.8% on 12 April 2025, public trust is waning. DOGE's legacy may be less about savings and more about exposing Musk's complex motives. Originally published on IBTimes UK
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Trump is the right's tool to dismantle a century of progress
At this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, the world's richest man waved a giant chainsaw over his head, gleefully celebrating his success at gutting aid to the world's poorest people, along with mass firings of scientists and medical researchers, national parks and forest service employees, workers who take care of veterans and stop big banks from ripping off consumers. At least Elon Musk is having fun. Musk has demonstrated his ability to lie like his titular boss, President Trump, about fictional fraud. He is attacking agencies that have investigated his own business empire, which was built in part on $38 billion from taxpayers. Musk told his CPAC audience that he's having a good time. I doubt Musk's enjoyment will provide much comfort to seniors who won't be able to get anyone on the phone to resolve issues with their social security. Musk wasn't the only one having a good time at CPAC. Steve Bannon praised the pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionists in the room. Attendees cheered the confirmation of FBI Director Kash Patel and the retribution they expect him to exact on Trump's enemies. Far-right political leaders from around the world spoke in solidarity, though a French politician pulled out after Bannon threw up an alarming salute that modeled Musk's so-called 'gesture' at a January Trump rally. The conference opened with Vice President JD Vance and closed with Trump, a symbol of Trump's dominance over the MAGA movement. Although Trump has demonstrated the ability to intimidate much of the Republican Party into submission, it is important to realize that Trump is not the originator or mastermind of the movement pushing America toward fascism. Long before Trump ran for office, right-wing operatives were scheming to reverse more than a century of progressive gains and return the U.S. to a pre-Civil Rights, pre-New Deal era, when the federal government was relatively powerless to protect Americans from corporate wrongdoing. Trump is this movement's tool. That's not to say he is not a willing and eager tool. He is bitter about 'deep state' officials he blames for his legal problems. He seems to revel in flashy displays of king-like power, like signing executive orders to target his personal enemies, banning the use of words like climate or inclusion and making it impossible for transgender people to live their lives in peace. It is unquestionably alarming when Trump claims that his mission to 'save' America puts him above the law. But the threat to our country and Constitution is much broader than Trump. it wasn't Trump who came up with the executive orders he is so proud of signing. They came from the ideologues at Project 2025 and the America First Policy Institute. Project 2025's agenda was backed by more than 100 organizations from across the overlapping legal, corporate and Christian-nationalist right-wing movements. When Project 2025's cruel agenda became public, Trump dishonestly disavowed it. At the time, Project 2025 architect Russ Vought wasn't bothered by the public rejection. Vought knew it was just for show — just one more lie to enable the right-wing movement to 'take the reins of government' and forcibly re-shape the country. Now, as director of the Office of Management and Budget, Vought is aggressively carrying out his admitted desire to put federal workers 'in trauma.' The Project 2025 presidency is a kind of culmination of the massive political infrastructure built with billions of dollars over the past 50 years that moved the Republican Party to the right and enabled the ideological takeover of the Supreme Court. To make matters worse, Vance is aligned with far-right billionaires and thinkers who are openly hostile to democracy. Political operatives have built support for their reactionary vision by encouraging Americans to be distrustful of media, cynical about government and resentful of efforts to ensure shared opportunity in an increasingly diverse country. They were assisted by a new media environment in which right-wing radio and cable networks were joined by social media and online influencers who amplified these destructive messages. The good news amid this bleak reality is that resistance is rising to MAGA-supporting Republicans' harmful assault on Americans' freedom and well-being. I believe most Americans share a different vision for our future, a country where everyone has the freedom to thrive and our government supports the common good. All of us who share that vision must make our voices heard in every way we can, now and during the long struggle ahead to reclaim our country. The purposeful, community-building work required will be hard. It can also be fun. No chainsaws required. Svante Myrick is the president of People for the American Way. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
03-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump is the right's tool to dismantle a century of progress
At this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, the world's richest man waved a giant chainsaw over his head, gleefully celebrating his success at gutting aid to the world's poorest people, along with mass firings of scientists and medical researchers, national parks and forest service employees, workers who take care of veterans and stop big banks from ripping off consumers. At least Elon Musk is having fun. Musk has demonstrated his ability to lie like his titular boss, President Trump, about fictional fraud. He is attacking agencies that have investigated his own business empire, which was built in part on $38 billion from taxpayers. Musk told his CPAC audience that he's having a good time. I doubt Musk's enjoyment will provide much comfort to seniors who won't be able to get anyone on the phone to resolve issues with their social security. Musk wasn't the only one having a good time at CPAC. Steve Bannon praised the pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionists in the room. Attendees cheered the confirmation of FBI Director Kash Patel and the retribution they expect him to exact on Trump's enemies. Far-right political leaders from around the world spoke in solidarity, though a French politician pulled out after Bannon threw up an alarming salute that modeled Musk's so-called ' gesture ' at a January Trump rally. The conference opened with Vice President JD Vance and closed with Trump, a symbol of Trump's dominance over the MAGA movement. Although Trump has demonstrated the ability to intimidate much of the Republican Party into submission, it is important to realize that Trump is not the originator or mastermind of the movement pushing America toward fascism. Long before Trump ran for office, right-wing operatives were scheming to reverse more than a century of progressive gains and return the U.S. to a pre-Civil Rights, pre-New Deal era, when the federal government was relatively powerless to protect Americans from corporate wrongdoing. Trump is this movement's tool. That's not to say he is not a willing and eager tool. He is bitter about 'deep state' officials he blames for his legal problems. He seems to revel in flashy displays of king-like power, like signing executive orders to target his personal enemies, banning the use of words like climate or inclusion and making it impossible for transgender people to live their lives in peace. It is unquestionably alarming when Trump claims that his mission to 'save' America puts him above the law. But the threat to our country and Constitution is much broader than Trump. it wasn't Trump who came up with the executive orders he is so proud of signing. They came from the ideologues at Project 2025 and the America First Policy Institute. Project 2025's agenda was backed by more than 100 organizations from across the overlapping legal, corporate and Christian-nationalist right-wing movements. When Project 2025's cruel agenda became public, Trump dishonestly disavowed it. At the time, Project 2025 architect Russ Vought wasn't bothered by the public rejection. Vought knew it was just for show — just one more lie to enable the right-wing movement to ' take the reins of government ' and forcibly re-shape the country. Now, as director of the Office of Management and Budget, Vought is aggressively carrying out his admitted desire to put federal workers ' in trauma.' The Project 2025 presidency is a kind of culmination of the massive political infrastructure built with billions of dollars over the past 50 years that moved the Republican Party to the right and enabled the ideological takeover of the Supreme Court. To make matters worse, Vance is aligned with far-right billionaires and thinkers who are openly hostile to democracy. Political operatives have built support for their reactionary vision by encouraging Americans to be distrustful of media, cynical about government and resentful of efforts to ensure shared opportunity in an increasingly diverse country. They were assisted by a new media environment in which right-wing radio and cable networks were joined by social media and online influencers who amplified these destructive messages. The good news amid this bleak reality is that resistance is rising to MAGA-supporting Republicans' harmful assault on Americans' freedom and well-being. I believe most Americans share a different vision for our future, a country where everyone has the freedom to thrive and our government supports the common good. All of us who share that vision must make our voices heard in every way we can, now and during the long struggle ahead to reclaim our country. The purposeful, community-building work required will be hard. It can also be fun. No chainsaws required.
