LetMyPeopleVote
LetMyPeopleVote's Journal77 years ago today, NATO was founded in Washington, D.C., with 12 founding members
https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/2040472631166538054Trump's Pentagon Is Undercounting Troop Casualties in Middle East
An investigation found that the Department of Defense has sent out outdated statements about the number of troops wounded or killed in Iran.
https://x.com/newrepublic/status/2040428981120303597
https://newrepublic.com/post/208551/pentagon-iran-troop-casualties-donald-trump
An analysis by The Intercept found that the Department of Defense has used outdated numbers in statements on casualties, resulting in undercounts of how many troops have been wounded or killed.
In a statement sent Monday, CENTCOM said that “approximately 303 U.S. service members have been wounded” since the launch of Operation Epic Fury. But that number was three days old, and excluded the at least 15 troops wounded in a strike at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia last week.
CENTCOM would not provide any information about the number of U.S. troops who have been killed since the start of the war, but The Intercept placed the number at around 15. Six soldiers were killed in a strike on a makeshift operations center in Kuwait, and another six died serving aboard a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq. Another soldier was killed on March 1, during an enemy attack on the base in Saudi Arabia.
“This is, quite obviously, a subject that [Defense Secretary Pete] Hegseth and the White House want to keep under major wraps,” said the defense official, who spoke to The Intercept on the condition of anonymity.
Trump exposed in latest White House East Wing court filing: analysis
This is mind blowing to me. The DOJ let trump draft part of the filing in the trump ballroom appeal. It is clear that trump drafted a good amount of this brief. I have trouble imaging any attorney who would put their name on this filing
Trump exposed in latest White House East Wing court filing: analysis #RawStory
— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-04-04T14:49:50.000Z
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-white-house-2676665160/
Trump has faced a series of legal challenges against his White House renovations, particularly a $400 million ballroom project and the refurbishing of the Eisenhower Building's exterior. A legal team working for Trump asked an appeals court yesterday (April 3) for an emergency ruling, which, if granted, would allow construction on the East Wing to continue.
The documents making the argument to the appeals court appear to have been partly written by the president himself, according to CBS News' Arden Farhi.
He wrote, "The opening pages of the court filing are loaded with exclamation points ('Time is of the essence!'), parenthetical asides, misplaced capital letters ('Almost 400 Million Dollars of private donations'), and multiple adjectives for emphasis ('shocking, unprecedented, and improper injunction') – all rhetorical flourishes of the president's online posts.
"One sentence runs 130 words and covers more than half a page. 'Private donors and American Patriots singlehandedly funded the 300 to 400 Million Dollar project (depending on finishes), which is on budget and ahead of schedule.
"'No taxpayer dollars are being used for the funding of this beautiful, desperately needed, and completely secure (for national security purposes) ballroom,' the filing reads."
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell today: "There is effectively zero net job creation in the private sector."
https://x.com/amconmag/status/2040230252291510518Trump seeks 'mammoth' amount for even more White House renovations: report
These numbers are crazy
— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-04-03T23:20:22.854Z
https://www.rawstory.com/2676663322/
The administration’s fiscal 2026 proposal includes more than $377 million “for repairs and renovations to the executive residence,” with another $174 million projected for 2027, according to budget documents reported by Politico.
That represents “a mammoth 866 percent increase over the $39 million estimated to have been spent in fiscal 2025 on sprucing up the area of the White House where the president lives.”....
Trump has made upgrading the White House complex a priority in his second term.
“At the center of that effort is the proposed new White House ballroom, a roughly $400 million project that would dramatically expand the complex’s capacity for large-scale events,” Politico reported. “The plan envisions a sprawling addition capable of hosting hundreds of guests at once, replacing the current reliance on temporary tents on the South Lawn for state dinners and major receptions.”
MaddowBlog-Team Trump isn't done pursuing Cassidy Hutchinson over Jan. 6 testimony
Years after the former White House aide’s stunning revelations, many Republicans still seem to want to bring her down.
Team Trump isn’t done pursuing Cassidy Hutchinson over Jan. 6 testimony
— Toni Growell (@togrowell.bsky.social) 2026-04-03T21:51:10.139Z
Story by Steve Benen •
www.msn.com/en-us/news/p...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/team-trump-isnt-done-pursuing-cassidy-hutchinson-over-jan-6-testimony
Under normal circumstances, the DOJ would blow off a criminal referral like this, recognizing it as more of a political stunt than a serious recommendation. However, note this detail that featured in a report The New York Times published Thursday on the DOJ’s efforts to please the president by pursuing his political foes:
[Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche] have gotten the president’s message. They have stepped up efforts to investigate several other Trump targets. … They have also pushed prosecutors to investigate a former White House aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, whom the president has accused of lying about his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, according to two officials briefed on the effort.
...What’s more, during a recent congressional hearing with former special counsel Jack Smith, GOP members pressed the prosecutor with questions about Hutchinson, reinforcing the perception that she’s a key party target. (Smith made it clear that Hutchinson’s testimony played little to no role in his decision to bring criminal charges against Trump.) Relatedly, Kash Patel, prior to the podcast personality becoming the FBI director, included Hutchinson on his notorious “government gangsters” enemies list.
Based on the publicly available information, there’s no reason to believe Hutchinson, who delivered stunning Jan. 6 testimony nearly four years ago, did anything wrong. But the president himself recently used his social media platform to talk about Hutchinson; he clearly controls the DOJ; and the Republican administration remains determined to punish Trump’s perceived political foes. Watch this space.
Trump plans spending $377M on executive residence renovations - and wants $174M more
The fiscal 2027 budget shows an 866 percent funding request jump for renovations to the White House living space and possibly other areas.
Trump plans spending 7M on executive residence renovations – and wants 4M more
— Politico (@politico.com) 2026-04-03T22:28:37Z
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/03/trump-plans-spending-377m-on-executive-residence-renovations-and-wants-174m-more-00858810
The budget document, which proposes slashing domestic programs to help fund a $1.5 trillion bump to defense spending, estimates spending $377 million in fiscal 2026 under an account for repairs and renovations to the executive residence. That’s a mammoth 866 percent increase over the $39 million estimated to have been spent in fiscal 2025 on sprucing up the area of the White House where the president lives.
An Office of Management and Budget spokesperson told POLITICO that the totals reflect budgetary projections that include not only rehabbing the White House but also security spending costs. The person added that it’s for a number of renovations, not just the executive residence. The spokesperson did not answer questions about what specific projects the money would go toward.....
An Office of Management and Budget spokesperson told POLITICO that the totals reflect budgetary projections that include not only rehabbing the White House but also security spending costs. The person added that it’s for a number of renovations, not just the executive residence. The spokesperson did not answer questions about what specific projects the money would go toward.
Though the budget doesn’t spell out exactly what the renovation funds are to be used for, Trump has repeatedly expressed his fixation on repairing the White House — publicly sharing upgrades to the living quarters, including bathrooms, to more ambitious projects like expanding entertainment space.
Trump plans spending $377M on executive residence renovations - and wants $174M more
Source: Politico
President Donald Trump plans to spend more than $377 million renovating the White House executive residence in fiscal 2026 — and is estimating another $174 million on top of it for the next year, according to the White House’s fiscal 2027 budget request.
The budget document, which proposes slashing domestic programs to help fund a $1.5 trillion bump to defense spending, estimates spending $377 million in fiscal 2026 under an account for repairs and renovations to the executive residence. That’s a mammoth 866 percent increase over the $39 million estimated to have been spent in fiscal 2025 on sprucing up the area of the White House where the president lives.....
The budget is also asking that $350 million of the $377 million figure be counted as mandatory spending, a classification used for programs that Congress must fund by statute, such as Social Security or Medicare. Granting that spending such a designation would essentially force congressional appropriators to fund the renovations at no less than $350 million. However, the budget request is mostly a statement of priorities, which lawmakers can and routinely do simply ignore.
When asked why the budget requests the renovation spending be made mandatory, the spokesperson observed that private donations being used to fund Trump’s new ballroom are being held at the National Park Service. The person refused to elaborate.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/03/trump-plans-spending-377m-on-executive-residence-renovations-and-wants-174m-more-00858810
Trump plans spending 7M on executive residence renovations – and wants 4M more
— Politico (@politico.com) 2026-04-03T22:28:37Z
Trump made Supreme Court move his seat to right in front of the judges during birthright hearing, ACLU head says
President raged against the Supreme Court after the hearing, calling it a ‘KANGAROO COURT!!!’
https://x.com/Independent/status/2040145454722056608
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-supreme-court-seat-birthright-citizenship-b2951631.html
Trump became the first president to attend a Supreme Court oral argument, a move that many critics took to be a naked attempt to intimidate the court into ruling in his favor. Early in his second term, Trump issued an executive order challenging the 14th Amendment, which establishes that anyone born on U.S. soil is a U.S. citizen.
ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero told MSNOW that Trump was initially seated at the end of the first row of seats, but Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the court's security that the president wanted to be moved to the center, where he would face the justices.
“Then it was clear that he was endeavoring to put his thumb on the scale,” Romero said. "“He was endeavoring to glower at the justices to kind of intimidate them, almost defy them to rule against him.”
Romero said that rather than appearing intimidating, Trump spent the hearing fidgeting in his chair. He said after ACLU Legal Director Cecilia Wang began making her opening arguments that the president "started getting restless" and that his "shoulders slumped a little bit."
Trump may have accidentally torpedoed his own bid to seize voter rolls: analyst
I am still pissed that Texas gave trump all of Texas' voter information. The trump DOJ has sued 20+ states trying to get these records and so far has not won any of these lawsuits. In these lawsuits, the DOJ never really states why they really need these records. trump's voting by mail executive order is clearly the reason for these lawsuits.
Trump acknowledged in his executive order that he "directs DHS to create a nationwide voter registration database.â€
— Evie (@evie55.bsky.social) 2026-04-03T20:06:48.463Z
Trump may have accidentally torpedoed his own bid to seize voter rolls: analyst
www.rawstory.com/trump-voting...
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-voting-2676662305/
That's because this order could also undermine one of the main arguments Trump's Justice Department has used in court to defend the lawsuits filed against dozens of states to seize their voting rolls.
"In those lawsuits, the DOJ has claimed it needs millions of voters’ private sensitive data in order to ensure the states are complying with federal laws that require states to take steps to ensure accurate rolls," said the report. "But outside of court, DOJ officials like Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon have undermined that claim by boasting that the state voter records they’ve already obtained have been used to verify citizenship status using the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program."
After judges began ruling against the lawsuits on these grounds, DOJ officials backpedaled somewhat and said there was no plan to help the Department of Homeland Security build a national database of voters.
Trump, however, may have blown that excuse by outright acknowledging in his executive order that he "directs DHS to create a nationwide voter registration database," noted the report.
"Along with Dhillon’s statements and Trump’s orders, the DOJ’s courtroom attestations have been impeached repeatedly," wrote Saksa. For example, "last week, CBS reported that DOJ and DHS were working to formalize a data-sharing agreement for the voter rolls. And on the same day Tucker was assuring a federal judge that the DOJ wouldn’t share state records with DHS, Eric Neff, acting chief of the DOJ’s Voting Rights Section, admitted to another judge in Rhode Island that they, in fact, would."
trump's DOJ/DHS really want a nationwide voter database with a ton of confidential information. This database would be used to enforce trump's voter id executive order. It will be fun seeing trump's executive order being cited in these lawsuits.
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