The Lunatics Are Running the Asylum
We always expected chaos and bad decisions from the Trump Administration, but now we are moving into very treacherous territory, as it pursues policies that are harebrained or downright dangerous. In this Orwellian world, there are no rules, no laws, and no guardrails, only the whims of the President and his inner circle. Facts and science are enemies of the people. Due process is for wimps.
Let’s look at some news stories from just the past week:
The US Navy destroyed a speedboat in the Caribbean that was allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, according to the White House. The Navy may have killed 11 people on board. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that the supposed drug traffickers posed a threat to national security. But drug smugglers are not soldiers, and the US had no legal right to attack the boat, particularly in international waters.
The government banned most Americans from getting Covid boosters, despite an uptick in the number of cases. Robert Kennedy, Jr., the nation’s top public health official, has called the vaccines a “crime against humanity”. The medical consensus is that the vaccines saved millions of American lives during the height of the pandemic.
Orsted, a builder of wind farms, sued the Administration, which had ordered it to stop work on a $6.2 billion project off Rhode Island. The wind farm was 80% complete and had received all necessary approvals from the Biden Administration and Rhode Island. Government officials claimed that the project posed a threat to…. national security.
Laura Loomer, a star in the MAGA social media ecosphere, prevented Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) from meeting with a Pentagon official to conduct a routine oversight meeting. Loomer objected to the meeting because Warner is a Democrat and has criticized Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence. Loomer is not a government official; it is not even clear how she learned about the meeting, which was classified.
Rambo Comes to Washington
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump posted a video on his social media account that showed a speedboat being blown up. The President said that 11 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were transporting large amounts of drugs and were killed in the attack. The Pentagon has not specified whether the boat was sunk, saying only that the vessel was traveling in the Caribbean, in international waters.
Marco Rubio, who is the US’ top diplomat, not a military leader, praised the attack, claiming that drug cartels and traffickers “pose an immediate threat to the United States, period.” Rubio added that seizing drug shipments had not disrupted the cartels. Channeling his inner Rambo, the Secretary added, “What will stop them is when we blow them up and get rid of them.”
Rubio seemed confused about the boat’s destination. First, the Secretary said the vessel was bound for Trinidad, which is quite far from the US. Then, after President Trump announced that the craft had been heading toward the US, Rubio changed his story and agreed with the President.
The President has claimed that Tren de Aragua gang members are a terrorist group controlled by the Venezuelan government. However, US intelligence agencies have rejected that view, stating there is little or no connection between the gang and the Maduro regime. Nonetheless, the Trump Administration is planning more attacks on Venezuelan gangs outside the US.
Murder on the High Seas
For decades, the US Navy and the Coast Guard have intercepted ships that they suspect are transporting drugs. However, the armed forces have not previously blown them up, because that would violate international and military law. Drug dealers are despicable criminals, but they are civilians, not soldiers. Killing civilians on the high seas is murder, under international law.
There are other several deeply troubling aspects to this operation, according to experts cited by the New York Times Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers. Suspected criminals should have the benefit of due process and a chance to defend themselves, rather than being blown to smithereens.
In addition, the facts don’t stack up:
· Congress has not authorized military action against Tren de Aragua or Venezuela
· Drug dealers typically use crews of two to three people on boats, so they can carry more drugs on the vessel
· Tren de Aragua does not focus on shipping drugs to the US
· Most drug shipments by sea travel via the Pacific, not the Caribbean
In fact, one former official suggested that the boat was probably carrying migrants, rather than drugs.
Here’s a hypothetical situation to show how far outside of the law the Trump regime is operating. Mexico has long complained that most of the drug cartels’ guns have been smuggled from the United States. Let’s imagine that the Mexican Navy attacks an American ship heading from Texas to Mexico, based on intelligence that the vessel is carrying illegal firearms to be sold there. Ten Americans die in the assault.
How would the US react?
Opening the Gates for Covid
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, has been an anti-vaxxer for many years. A lawyer, not a doctor, Kennedy has no medical training or experience. Kennedy has embraced many conspiracy theories about vaccines, falsely claiming that they cause autism, and he has described the Covid vaccines as the “deadliest in history”.
As Secretary of HHS, Kennedy has fired many distinguished employees. He has dismissed prominent doctors who served on the agency’s advisory committees on vaccines and other drugs. Kennedy has replaced them with anti-vaccine ideologues, many with unimpressive professional credentials.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. /photo: Getty Images
Denying Covid Vaccines
HHS has reversed its previous guidance on Covid vaccines, which allowed most Americans to obtain shots and boosters easily. A senior HHS official ignored the objections of his staff and issued new guidelines that basically limit the distribution of the vaccines to Americans 65 years and older.
This step flies in the face of numerous studies, which have concluded that the vaccines saved the lives of millions of Americans and are overwhelmingly safe. Unfortunately, some individuals suffered adverse side effects, as happens with vaccines. But on any reasonable cost-benefit analysis, HHS should continue to recommend that most Americans get the vaccines.
Here's the problem: insurers may deny coverage for the vaccines, and pharmacies may decline to dispense them, unless HSS recommends the shots for the broad population. Many Americans could become very ill or suffer long Covid. Some may die. Without new boosters, they could lose their immunity, because the virus is constantly evolving.
An Ill Wind Blowing Out of DC
In dictatorial regimes, such as Vladimir Putin’s, business executives must worry that the government may turn against them. They cannot assume that the regime will follow the law and observe due process. If they fall out of favor with Putin, they could lose their company.
That is now happening in the US, as Trump pursues his vendetta against various industries. For example, the President is using all the levers at his command to stop any construction of wind farms.
Orsted, a Danish company, has completed 80% of Revolution Wind, a wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island. The cost for the project is $6.2 billion. Orsted began construction in 2023, after securing financing and all the requisite Federal and state approvals. The company has said that the installation is on track to provide enough electricity for 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Last month, the government abruptly ordered Orsted to stop work on the project, citing vague concerns about “national security”. Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior, subsequently mentioned other concerns, such as the possible impact on whales. However, studies have shown that wind farms do not harm whales or other marine life.
Last week Orsted brought a lawsuit to overturn the government’s order. The company said that it had spent $5 billion on the project and would incur $1 billion in penalties if it failed to complete it. The company would also lose billions of dollars in revenues, of course.
Attacking Other Wind Farms
The Trump Administration has tried to stop several other wind projects in various stages of completion. In April the Interior Department ordered that work be stopped on Empire Wind, a $5 billion project off Long Island, even though much of the installation had already been built. New York Governor Kathy Hochul had to lobby President Trump, who relented and allowed the project to go forward.
The government plans to revoke previously granted Federal approvals for the New England Wind Project, which was to be built about 20 miles south of Nantucket. Construction has not yet started on that project.
A Clean, Competitive Technology
Trump’s assault on wind projects is a profoundly short-sighted policy. The US needs new sources of clean energy, to slow down climate change and limit pollution. The country also requires more energy for data centers for artificial intelligence, which are growing rapidly. Wind energy is cost-competitive with gas and oil, and it can be installed more quickly. There is a large backlog of orders for gas turbines.
Here’s a fun fact: Texas, hardly a bastion of liberalism, is the largest source of wind power in the US. Wind power provides about 30% of the state’s generating capacity.
A rational government would promote the growth of wind power (and solar energy). Other major economies are ramping up their use of wind and solar power.
Making It Personal
Trump’s opposition to wind power seems to be driven by personal pique and corruption, rather than a coherent energy policy. About 10 years ago, Trump was infuriated when a wind farm was constructed off the coast near one of his golf courses in Scotland. Trump lobbied furiously against the project, because he thought it would spoil the views from his golf course, but he failed to block it. He’s been steaming ever since.
Trump received about $250 million in donations from fossil fuel companies during his last Presidential campaign. He promised to “take care” of his donors, and he has, by promoting fossil fuels and sabotaging wind and power energy.
Laura Loomer/photo: Getty Images
The Power Behind the Throne
Laura Loomer, an ultra-MAGA activist, is so looney that she could not get a post in the Administration. She is rabidly anti-Muslim and espouses wild conspiracy theories; even Trump’s aides considered her too extreme. Nonetheless, Loomer has Trump’s ear because of her large following on social media, which she uses to hound her enemies relentlessly.
Loomer has appointed herself the de facto chief personnel officer and chief enforcer of ideological purity for the Trump regime. She meets frequently with the President. Loomer recently convinced Trump to fire several top national security officials because, in her opinion, they were not sufficiently loyal to him. All were highly regarded professionals.
Showing the Senate Who’s Boss
In her latest power play, Loomer scuttled a meeting between Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and a military spy agency. Warner, the ranking minority member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, had set up a meeting with Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, the head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
The agency analyzes spy satellite imagery and critical intelligence on troop movements, terrorist camps and the like. Warner and other Senators on the Committee frequently meet with agencies to exercise oversight. This is particularly important because spy agencies operate in the shadows and are not subject to public scrutiny.
The meeting was classified. Somehow, Loomer learned about it and complained on her social media account. Loomer attacked Sen. Warner because he had criticized Tulsi Gabbard and because he was a Democrat. She also denounced Whitworth for agreeing to meet with the Senator:
“Why are the Pentagon and IC allowing for the Director of an Intel agency to host a rabid ANTI-TRUMP DEMOCRAT SENATOR AT NGA under the Trump Administration? Clearly a lot of Deep State actors are being given a pass in the Intel community to continue their efforts to sabotage Trump under the Trump admin”.
The Pentagon informed Sen. Warner that the meeting was canceled.
In an interview last Wednesday, Loomer said that Warner should “be removed from office and tried for treason”. Treason is a capital offense, punishable by death.
Loomer believes that Warner spread allegations that Trump worked with the Russians to steal the 2016 election. Warner, along with Marco Rubio and other Senators on the Intelligence Committee, did investigate the ties between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. However, the Committee did not accuse Trump of working with Russian intelligence.
Crazies Running the Show
This is not just a tale of palace intrigue; it also shows how lawless and dysfunctional the Trump regime is. Loomer, who is not even a government employee, should not have access to classified information. She should not interfere with the Senate’s oversight of a clandestine agency.
It is ridiculous to attack an agency official for meeting with a Democratic Senator. It is Stalinist to denounce Sen. Warner because he criticized an Administration official; he has every right to do so. Loomer apparently does not believe in First Amendment rights.
Furthermore, the Administration seems to have used Loomer’s complaint, or perhaps even colluded with her, to sabotage the Senate’s role in overseeing key government agencies. This is yet another assault on the balance of power in our government.
This has become a government of the loonies, for the loonies, by the loonies.
The Wall Street Democrat