SNOWPOCALYPSE!

 

MOI!

We've been there and done that!  Many, many times!

OLD STATE HOUSE

YOUR SUNDAY MOMENT OF ZEN

 

 JUST SAW THIS TODAY:

 

SATURDAY NIGHT GOLD!

 

Congratulations to Alysa Liu on winning the gold for her performance.

PS. Just a reminder, her father is an immigrant who was granted refugee status after his involvement in the Tiananmen square protests.

CONGRESS AND TARIFFS

 

Justice Gorsuch explains:

Trump Rages Over SCOTUS Ruling.

‘I CAN DESTROY THE COUNTRY!

TRUMP GOES BALLISTIC OVER SUPREME COURT RULING

RAW STORY — President Donald Trump erupted at the Supreme Court on Friday after it ruled against his authority to impose sweeping tariffs, vowing to circumvent its decision with “alternatives” and lambasting the justices for their "ridiculous opinion,” which he claimed permitted him to "destroy" countries.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 earlier on Friday that Trump acted outside his authority when imposing his sweeping tariffs, which his administration had justified under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). As such, a significant share of Trump’s tariffs have now been declared unlawful

“The court said that I'm not allowed to charge even $1! Can't charge one dollar to any country under IEEPA!” Trump raged during an address from the White House.

“But I am allowed to cut off any and all trade or business with that same country; in other words, I can destroy the trade, I can destroy the country! I'm even allowed to impose a foreign country-destroying embargo, I can embargo! I can do anything I want, but I can't charge $1!”

Trump has staked much of his presidency on his tariff policy, warning over the past several months that a ruling against the policy could lead to a $2 trillion “catastrophe” and reduce the United States to “almost Third World status.

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled against the tariffs, Trump appears ready to circumvent the order through alternative tariffs, tariffs that he argued could generate “more money.”

“I can do anything I want to do to them, but I can't charge any money,” Trump continued. “So I'm allowed to destroy the country, but I can't charge them a little fee. How ridiculous is that?”

SCOTUS STRIKES DOWN TRUMP’S TARRIFS!

 

Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s one-man tariff war

In anticipation of the high court’s ruling, big-name companies like Costco, Revlon and Bumble Bee Foods filed lawsuits in the U.S. Court of International Trade to secure tariff refunds for billions of dollars.

WHY IS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTING A "NO LONGER FULLY DEMOCRATIC" STATE?

 

Rubio plugs Orbán’s bid for another term in Hungary’s elections

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday enthusiastically endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ‘s bid to serve a fifth straight term after the April elections, emphasizing during a visit to Budapest the strong personal relationship between the nationalist leader and U.S. President Donald Trump. 

Trump and Rubio are supporting this: 

"Hungary is widely considered by international bodies, including the European Parliament and Freedom House, to have transitioned from a democracy to a hybrid regime or "electoral autocracy" due to significant democratic erosion under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party since 2010, with concerns over media control, weakened judiciary, suppression of opposition, and attacks on civil liberties. 

While it still holds elections, democratic norms have been undermined, leading to its "Partly Free" rating and classification as no longer a full democracy.

Why is Trump supporting a "no longer a full democracy" state?

Rubio was not always an Orban fan:

In the May 2019 letter to then-President Trump, Marco Rubio and his colleagues (Sens. Jim Risch, Bob Menendez, and Jeanne Shaheen) detailed several specific areas where they believed democracy in Hungary had 'significantly eroded.' 

The senators argued that the election process under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had become less competitive. They observed increasing state control over the judiciary.

The letter pointed to a decrease in press freedom, mentioning discouragement of advertising for independent media and consolidation of media ownership under a foundation exempt from antitrust regulations. 

The senators were troubled by Hungary's close ties with Russia, including its reliance on Russian energy and Russia's alleged use of Hungary's 'golden visa' program to bypass U.S. sanctions. 

They criticized Hungary's refusal of a U.S. extradition request for two Russian arms dealers, who were instead sent to Moscow by the Orbán government. 

The relocation of the Russian-controlled International Investment Bank to Budapest was seen as an assertion of Russian influence within a NATO member country." --AI mode