The US share of the world's GDP increased, surprising many. The US added the equivalent of Spain's entire GDP last year.
Finnair planes abort landings at Tartu airport in Estonia due to GPS interference, likely caused by Russian jamming.
SCOTUS hears arguments on Trump's immunity claim, with conservative justices appearing sympathetic, while Justice Barrett remains skeptical.
The Gateway Pundit, known for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, has declared bankruptcy.
The Arizona House voted to repeal the 1864 abortion ban, with three Republicans joining Democrats.
World Central Kitchen resumes operations in Gaza with a Palestinian team to address widespread hunger.
In the GOP Pennsylvania primary, Haley pulled 16.6% of the vote, performing better in counties around Philadelphia.
David Pecker testifies in the hush-money trial, revealing the National Enquirer's unethical practices to support Trump's campaign.
The Senate passed a $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, which Biden signed. The bill also forces the sale of TikTok.
Steve Bannon's "We Build the Wall" trial in Manhattan has been pushed back to September.
A U.S.-led Gaza humanitarian aid pier came under fire, with Hamas threatening to resist foreign military presence.
Bill Barr doubles down on his support for Trump.
Trump and DeSantis met privately in Florida, with DeSantis agreeing to help Trump in his general election campaign by tapping into his donor network.
SD Gov Kristi Noem (R) shares story (and defends) shooting her dog.
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1.) [TS] I’M BACK!
Unfortunately, there won’t be a weekly recap.
2.) IMF: The US share of the world’s GDP increased.
[TS] This is rather remarkable. Per Jeremiah Johnson: “I think a lot of people would be genuinely surprised that the US is not only not declining on the world stage, it's currently gaining in global economic share.
US GDP increased 1.4 trillion dollars last year, which is equivalent to adding the entire country of Spain.”
[TS] I’m just as surprised that the overall percentage hasn’t moved much since the 80’s. I would have thought countries like China/India etc. would have eaten into the overall share.
[UPDATE] [TS] Ok, I dug into this a little further. It looks like 1980 was a low. If we rewind the clock back to the 60’s the share was closer to 38%:
That makes more sense. Especially post WW2 we would expect the numbers to be much higher considering the developed world was bombed into oblivion. Still surprised to see an upward trend for the last 10+ years.
3.) ERR: Finnair plane aborts landing at Tartu airport due to GPS interference
"Our pilots are well aware of GPS disturbances, and the aircraft's systems detect GPS disturbances quickly. Our planes use multiple sources to calculate aircraft position, which allows hours of navigation accuracy to be maintained even when GPS is not working. Most airports have standard approach equipment that allows landing without GPS, but Tartu is one of the few airports where approach procedures require a GPS signal, which is why the landing was unsuccessful," Finnair's spokesperson told ERR.
David Priess(former CIA) “It’s only a matter of time before Russian GPS jamming kills someone in the Baltic region.
NATO may not think it’s at war with Russia, but Russia is acting like it is at war with NATO.”
4.) SCOTUS hears arguments on Trump's immunity claim.
[TS] The overall legal takeaway from the oral arguments was: disbelief. Prior to this hearing, no one considered the immunity argument as valid. This wouldn’t even make the President “a king,” as some have said — because even kings had to contend with laws — this would make the president a dictator. Full stop.
The Supreme Court's conservative justices, who have experienced political battles from their time in Republican administrations, appeared sympathetic to Trump's claim of immunity from prosecution over the 2020 election. Justices like Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Alito expressed concerns about using criminal laws against political opponents and the destabilizing effect of prosecuting a former president. However, Justice Barrett, a relative D.C. outsider, was skeptical of Trump's broad immunity claims, questioning if impeachment is required for prosecution.
To put it bluntly: “One vote away from the end of democracy.” This really isn’t hyperbole.
Trump already got a big win in the form of a delay: There is no chance the DC election interference case goes to trial before the election.
5.) The Gateway Pundit has declared bankruptcy
[CONTEXT] Controversial stories from Gateway Pundit:
Spreading misinformation and false conspiracy theories, especially around topics like the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 U.S. presidential election, and false claims of widespread voter fraud (incl. “campaign of lies” about two black GA election workers).
Being banned from platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook for violating misinformation policies by sharing hoaxes and unsubstantiated claims.
Promoting fringe anti-government ideology and being labeled as part of the "insurrection ecosystem" that helped fuel the January 6th Capitol attack.
Publishing stories based on falsehoods and fabricated evidence, such as pushing the debunked "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory claiming a pedophile ring linked to Hillary Clinton.
Founder Jim Hoft has admitted the site is willing to publish information from anonymous sources even if it cannot be verified, leading to the spread of inaccurate stories.
Being accused of unethical reporting practices like misrepresenting sources, deceptively editing videos/images, and failing to correct published errors.
6.) [UPDATE] NBC: The AZ House voted to repeal the 1864 abortion ban.
Three republicans joined democrats to kill it. It goes to the senate next.
[TS] You might be asking why, considering it failed to be repealed previously. Consider this point: Every single house member is up for re-election this year. I assume some were reminded of this fact.
7.) WaPo: World Central Kitchen will resume operations in Gaza today.
They’re resuming with a Palestinian team delivering food to address wide-spread hunger, including in the north.
[TS] Glad they’re resuming after the tragedy. Palestinians need it.
8.) [TS] Not news news but the GOP Pennsylvania primary was interesting.
Haley pulled 16.6% of the vote (158k votes). She did much better in counties around Philly. Biden won PA by 80,000 in 2020.
9.) [UPDATE] Hush-money trial. David Pecker takes the stand.
[INFO] Who is David Pecker?
David Pecker is the former CEO of American Media Inc (publisher of National Enquirer, Sun, Weekly World News, and Globe), best known for his role in arranging hush money payments (with Michael Cohen) to women alleging affairs with Donald Trump to buy and bury their stories, an illegal campaign finance scheme that implicated Trump in 2018.
Pecker revealed the tabloid's unethical practices, including paying for stories, fabricating stories, and striking secret deals to support Trump's political campaign. These actions violate basic journalism ethics and go beyond the looser standards of tabloid journalism. Key points of Pecker’s testimony:
The National Enquirer doctored photos to create a false story about Ted Cruz's father with Lee Harvey Oswald.
The tabloid engaged in "checkbook journalism," paying sources up to $10,000 for exclusive rights to their stories.
Pecker buried negative stories about Trump and his alleged affairs with Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.
The arrangement with Trump was described as "mutually beneficial," but it's unclear what the publication gained from burying the stories.
Former National Enquirer employees and media ethics experts condemn these practices, stating they damage the tabloid's credibility and potentially harm mainstream journalism's reputation.
Here were some trial exhibits:
Some of the National Enquirer headlines that ex-AMI chief David Pecker testified were part of the behind-the-scenes scheme to prop up Trump and discredit his political rivals have been released by the court.
They were entered into evidence last Tuesday (23rd).
[TS] Good quote from CNN’s Oliver Darcy: “Trump and his allies like to complain at length about imagined 'collusion' between the Democratic Party and the media. But on Tuesday… David Pecker lifted the curtain on the actual media collusion that took place in the 2016 election.”
I also find it odd that Trump has not attacked David Pecker like he would any other witness. What gives?
[SEMI-RELATED] Trump claimed that the courthouse blocked all his MAGA supporters from attending:
[CONTEXT]: The courthouse is open to the public. The park outside, where a handful of his supporters have gathered on trials days, is easily accessible.
[PICTURED] A real beehive of activity
10.) [TS] Old news now, but the Senate passed (& Biden signed) the $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, & Taiwan (+ forces the sale of TikTok.)
Vote was 79-18, it then went to Pres Biden's desk for his signature — who signed it last Wed.
[TS] It’s unfortunate that legislation with this much bipartisan support took so long to pass thanks to House GOP leadership’s unwillingness to confront their most irresponsible members.
[UPDATE] TikTok related: CBS ByteDance, the China-based owner of TikTok, said it doesn't have plans to sell the social media service in the wake of a new law that requires it either to divest ownership of the popular app within 12 months, or face a U.S. ban.
Fun fact I didn't realize until I looked it up yesterday for pod-fodder: GOP votes for Ukraine $
9/28/23- 101 for $300 Million
4/20/24- 101 for $60.8 Billion
Nays actually came down from 117 to 112 210 Dems each time, so 311 total for both roll calls
11.) Steve Bannon’s “We Build the Wall” trial in Manhattan criminal court has been pushed back to September.
[CONTEXT[ Bannon is accused of falsely promising donors that all money given to the We Build the Wall campaign would go toward building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead, prosecutors allege that the money was used to enrich Bannon and others involved in the project.
12.) MILITARY TIMES: US-led Gaza humanitarian aid pier comes under fire, UN officials say.
A pier under construction for a U.S.-led aid project in Gaza was attacked, forcing U.N. officials to take shelter. No injuries reported. Hamas threatens to resist foreign military presence. Security concerns remain as aid groups mourn recent deaths of workers. Port seen as critical for aid delivery.
13.) Bill Barr on CNN doubles down on Trump support.
Barr, who was pressed on why he claims Biden poses a bigger threat to democracy than Trump cites:
“Open borders”[FACTCHECK - Mixed. The borders are not open. Border crossing have reached all time highs, however, R’s refused vote on bipartisan border legislation.]
“…lawlessness in our cities…” [FACTCHECK - False. Violent crime is down vs Trump peaks]
“telling people what stoves they can use” [FACTCHECK - False. No current legislation or proposals on stovetops.]
D’s wanting to control what cars we can drive [FACTCHECK - Mixed. There are current proposals to regulate emissions which could impact future car sales for certain models.]
[TS] The fact that he thinks any of the above pose a bigger threat to democracy vs Trump who ATTEMPTED TO OVERTURN AN ELECTION(ie the will of 81M voters) is laughable. I did appreciate this banner:
[RELATED] McConnell on Face the Nation reiterates that he will support Trump. I won’t even post clips here. One notable line when pressed by CBS’s Margaret Brennan about how he can support Trump for president, McConnell ultimately folds by saying "even if I chose to get involved in the presidential election, what kind of influence would I have?” [TS] A pathetic end to a self-serving career.
14.) WaPo: Trump and DeSantis meet privately in Florida
Former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis met privately in Miami on Sunday morning, marking a potential thaw in their relationship after a contentious Republican primary. The meeting, orchestrated by real estate investor Steve Witkoff, lasted several hours and was described as friendly. DeSantis agreed to help Trump in his general election campaign, particularly by tapping into his extensive donor network to help close the fundraising gap between Trump and President Biden.
15.) GUARDIAN: SD Gov Kristi Noem (R) shares a story from her upcoming book involving shooting her dog and goat.
She recounted shooting her dog after deciding it was “less than worthless” and “untrainable.”
In her account, Noem grabbed her gun and led the dog, named Cricket, to a gravel pit.
“It was not a pleasant job, but it had to be done. And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done,” Noem wrote.
She then went on to kill a family goat, which she called “nasty and mean.” Noem also led the goat to a gravel pit, where she said her first shot wounded but did not kill the animal. She got another shell for her gun and killed the goat, according to the book.
Noem wrote that her daughter seemed confused when she came home from school, asking, “Hey, where's Cricket?”
[TS] Predictably, she got panned for this. I assume this will hurt her chances for Trump’s VP (not that I thought she was a frontrunner).
