Truth on April Fools Day

On April Fools Day, many people write about pranks played on others or fake stories that readers may believe. This true news shows what fools believe.

In Bulwark, conservatives Wiilliam Kristol and Andrew Egger reprise Robert Kagan’s article about how MAGA calls for “America First” wants to return the U.S. to the 1930s and its aftermath when Adolf Hitler began invading European countries—starting with Austria and Czechoslovakia before moving through another five countries and then taking over France. His effort finally failed after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt persuaded the nation to join Europeans and Russia against Hitler and Germany.

Determined isolationists after World War I, Republicans wanted to avoid all world conflicts. Nazi supporters, such as aviator Charles Lindbergh, praised Nazi Germany for its economy, and Sen. Robert Taft (R-OH) mocked those who feared advancing fascism. He said that world was “big enough to contain all kinds of different ways of life.” Instead, conservative Republicans worried about communism and believed that Hitler and Mussolini would protect the U.S. The antisemitic conservatives also felt Jews were responsible for their conspiracy theories and called the New Deal the “Jew Deal.” According to conservatives, Jews were pushing the United States into war “for reasons which are not American.”

By the 1940s, most people in the U.S. rejected arguments of these original American Firsters, which had 800,000 members in 400 chapters. FDR succeeded in entering World War II because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the majority of people who wanted to send aid to Britain in the Lend-Lease plan. “America First was generally rejected until former Dictator Donald Trump (DDT) used it to take over the U.S. His current authoritarianism has led to MAGA support for Russian President Vladimir Putin who threatens the world with the possibility that Putin will take over where Hitler failed. Putin has a better chance than Hitler to bamboozle the U.S. than 75 years ago when the GOP presidential candidate, Wendell Wilkie, opposed Hitler’s takeover and the abdication of U.S. responsibility. In 2024, the candidate DDT has a large number of supporters who think like Hitler. Once again, the U.S. faces the greatest ground war since World War II in a contrast between democracy and tyranny.  

If DDT is victorious and turns against Ukraine, international power will undergo a huge change. Before the election, MAGA is following DDT’s orders and blocking help for Ukraine. Even if Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson caves in to let Democrats vote for Ukrainian aid, in a effort to keep his position, the funding might not be quickly forthcoming. People are foolish is they believe that a coalition of Russia, Iran, and North Korea will not impact the United States.  

Russia has been spreading lies about Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelinsky and his wife to give the GOP Putin wing an excuse to not send funding to save the country in Russia’s invasion. According to a specialist in disinformation, tainting Zelensky then taints Ukraine’s image. One lie that went viral was Zelensky’s purchase of two yachts for $75 million. Russia even provided proof of purchase, but the yachts are still for sale. Another falsehood is that his wife Olena Zelenska bought $1.1 million worth of jewelry in New York when she came to New York last September with her husband who sought support from Congress. In fact, she was in Canada with her husband where they met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the date of the fake receipt that was provided. The woman who made the original claims was the owner of a store in Russia, not an employee of Cartier.

China is also using disinformation similar to that of Russia against Democrats to influence the 2024 election by masquerading as U.S. supporters of DDT in promoting conspiracy theories, pushing domestic divisions, and attacking Biden. These attacks come from Chinese government accounts called Spamouflage. Like Russia, China prefers DDT to Biden as president. In February, a Chinese-linked X account with a Western name beside a “MAGA 2024” reference shared a video from Russian state TV that claimed Biden and the CIA sent a neo-Nazi gangster to fight in Ukraine. The account declared it belonged to a 43-year-old DDT supporter in Los Angeles, but the profile image had been lifted from a Danish man’s travel blog. It appeared to originally be in Mandarin. Alex Jones shared the hoax with 2.2 million followers. Another account was posted in Mandarin until it was corrected. Meta removes these accounts, but X lets them flourish.

Rejection of immigrant workers and a desire to pay lower wages are behind the weakened child labor laws in at least 16 states. Another issue is the arrival of migrant children from Latin America who can easily be abused in the work environment. In Florida, 16- and 17-year-olds can work seven days in a row and take overnight shifts if they are schooled online or in the home. Federal law forbids all minors from working in jobs deemed hazardous, including manufacturing, roofing, meatpacking, and demolition, but child-labor violations are soaring in the past few years. Contrary to federal law, Iowa permits minors to work in these areas. One way to avoid federal law is to call these children “apprentices.” Six other states consider laws permitting minors to work in dangerous jobs. In Virginia and Iowa, children as young as 13 clean head splitters and other kill-floor equipment at slaughterhouses on overnight shifts for Fayette Janitorial Services. The GOP argument for relaxed laws is to improve teenagers’ work ethic and reduce screen time. Some legislators simply say that they had jobs when were teenagers or they would let their own children work.

Yet another 13 states are trying to strengthen these laws. After deaths of minors illegally employed in dangerous jobs, Virginia unanimously approved a bill increasing employer penalties for child labor violations from $1,000 to $2,500 for routine violations. GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin hasn’t signed it yet, but it has enough votes to override a veto. Colorado has introduced the strongest bills that not only raise fines for violations but also publicize information about companies violating child labor laws.

Michelle Cottle warns the GOP that DDT bring the party to financial ruin because the RNC is helping him pay his legal expenses and focusing on his election to the detriment of all other candidates. Chris LaCivita, who got his job through DDT’s insistence, vowed that committee funds wouldn’t be used for DDT’s legal costs, but the arrangement for the April 6 fundraiser shows a different approach. The invitation states that he gets the first $6,600 for his campaign, the legal maximum, and the following $5,000 to Save America PAC, paying for DDT’s legal costs. The next $413,000 of the $814,600 asking price goes to the RNC and the rest to state GOPs, some of this battleground cash-strapped states Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia. Impoverished parties in chaos from leaders’ indictments and infighting don’t receive large donations. Congressional GOP candidates also aren’t getting the big bucks since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), an excellent fundraiser, was ousted from the position. And new Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson lacks confidence as House members have formed their own tribes in more infighting.

These aren’t pranks:

 With no facts, the RNC has to publish lies to convince the ignorant that Biden is incompetent. This video is an example with the message, “Biden slowly descends the Capitol steps (as his handlers keep a watchful eye), points toward his motorcade, and shuffles back into his limo. Vigor!” He is flanked by Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson and former Irish PM Leo Varadkar who resigned this month.

Judge Juan Merchan has expanded DDT’s gag order to limit his attacks on Merchan’s and Manhattan’s DA Alvin Bragg’s family members. DDT’s lawyers argued against the order, claiming that DDT needed to issue these threats as part of his campaigning with First Amendment rights. During his civil lawsuit regarding fraud, DDT also targeted Judge Arthur Engoron’s wife and son.

DDT has posted a $175 million bond, due on Thursday, to prevent New York from seizing his assets. An appeals court had let him post the bond for under 40 percent of what he owed. The amount owed is growing by $100,000 a day from interest. After posting the bond, DDT can file an appeal for the verdict.

DDT celebrated Easter posting and reporting 43 Truth Social messages with grievances about Judge Arthur Engoron, humorist Jon Stewart, Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter, New York AG Letitia James, and gag orders. He didn’t say whether he attended church on Easter Sunday.

Stock for DDT’s Truth Social dropped almost 22 percent on Monday to $48.66, about $1 billion, after the report of a $58 million annual loss in its regulatory filings. The cost had gone up to $79.38 last Friday after shareholders permitted stocks to trade. With a revenue of $4.1 million, the company spent $16 million on operative expenses and $39.4 million on interest. It expects losses during the foreseeable future. The company’s accountants doubts that it can “continue as a going concern.” Monthly active users are down 51 percent to 494,000 monthy users whereas X has 75 million U.S. users. Meta’s new Threats has ten times as many users as Truth Social. DDT is prevented from selling his millions of shares for six months.

Republicans Fail to Govern

Republicans have another reason to be upset: a monthly jobs report of 199,000 more jobs that is called “robust,” “upbeat,” and “stronger than expected,” with the unemployment rate dropping to a near-50-year low (3.7 percent, compared with a forecast of 3.9 percent).

Heather Long Xeeted this:

• 4.7 million more jobs than pre-pandemic
• Below 4% unemployment for two years
• Wages growing faster than inflation
• Women (ages 25 to 54) at an all-time high for labor force participation

Usually anti-President Joe Biden, Maria Bartiromo admitted, “Overall you’ve got to look at this report as a big positive. We’ve got more jobs created than expected.” She agreed with Joe Lavorgna, former chief economist of the White House National Economic Council under Deposed Donald Trump (DDT), that “the economy is a lot stronger than anybody understands.” Those who refuse to give Biden any credit for the economic achievements are the same people who blamed him for all the country’s economic problems.

The holiday season is growing closer, and Congress has four more working days before their three-week vacation. When members return on January 9, they have eight days before the January 19 shutdown. And just three days until the next shutdown deadline on February 2. Instead of working on stopping the multiple shutdowns, House members have been playing with retribution against Democrats. What they almost certainly won’t accomplish before the end of the year: 

Federal spending: The House may have abandoned five pending appropriation bills. Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) staff has talked with that of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) with no agreement. House conservatives refuse to spend money outside their last summer’s debt deal caps and push emergency money such as assistance for Israel and Ukraine under those caps.

Foreign aid: The GOP senators failed to vote for Biden’s $100+ billion proposal, moving the discussion to border security decisions acceptable to Republicans to pass aid to Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has said that Democrats must pass border restrictions to “pay” for the foreign aid.

FAA: Reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration was decoupled from government funding to save the agency from a shutdown, but the temporary fix expires on December 31. With no progress, Congress may need to pass another delay, extending FAA’s authorization until March 8.

Farm bill: The 2018 farm bill’s stopgap extension ends September 30, 2024, with no movement until next year. Meanwhile, the parties are fighting over funding for the $1 trillion-plus food and agriculture bill.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat writes:

“Authoritarianism revolves around the power to commit crimes with impunity. That is why protecting and promoting criminals and turning violent and corrupt activities into patriotic and necessary actions are always priorities of authoritarian parties and governments….

“Crime, and the law, have a different meaning for authoritarians and their enablers. In the amoral and transactional world of leaders such as Trump, all means are justified to get to power and stay there. So, actions that might be defined as criminal in a democracy take on a different meaning in an autocracy.”

Speaker Johnson claims that Republicans are the “law-and-order team,” but his “team” keeps proving him wrong, starting with blurring faces of January 6 insurrectionists on the 44,000 hours of tapes he will release. The DOJ already has the footage, but Johnson wants to protect those attacking the U.S. Capitol from public view.

The Washington, D.C. circuit court ruled that DDT is subject to the gag order to not comment on the testimony of likely witnesses or single out others that might interfere with the case but permits him to attack Special Counsel Jack Smith. As might be expected, DDT threw another tantrum, playing the victim, and his lawyers will appeal the decision either to the full circuit court or the Supreme Court. Donald Ayers, George H.W. Bush’s AG, wrote that the criminal and civil cases against DDT “are graphic demonstrations for all to see that our democratic rule of law, and not Donald Trump, is indeed supreme.”

In attempts at revisionist history, former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnamy slammed Biden for the new crime rate data showing an increased murder rate. The statistics were for 2020, DDT’s last year in the White House. Earlier, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) blamed Biden for Covid-related schools disclosures—also in 2020. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) blamed Biden for “paying people to stay home” in 2020 with the bill that DDT signed into law. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) blamed Biden for a Michigan woman whose sons died of overdoses in 2020. While MAGA folk lie about how bad things were in 2020, ignorant that DDT was in the White House at that time, other Republicans claim that 2020 was great because of DDT.

In 2020, people experienced a deadly contagion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives as officials struggled for a solution, a recession, a collapse in the job market, nationwide social-justice protests after George Floyd’s murder, and an increased murder rate. Since then the number of Covid deaths dropped and the unemployment rate fell while the economy grew at a healthy pace.

Last Thursday, 20-week pregnant Katie Cox, carrying a fetus that will die, succeeded in obtaining a court order for an abortion in Texas. Without the procedure, she will lose her fertility and possibly her life. AG Ken Paxton, under indictment for bribery and fraud, sent letters to three hospitals threatening them with legal action if they followed the court’s ruling. Following that, the state Supreme Court temporarily blocked the decision from a Travis County district judge with no indication of when they will rule on the restraining order. The state’s top court is also considering a case in which 20 women claim they were denied medically necessary abortions; the state argues that the women lack standing because they are not currently seeking abortions. Paxton disagrees that a lethal fetal anomaly qualifies a patient for an abortion under the state’s anti-abortion ban’s narrow medical exception.

After DDT said he would be a dictator only on “Day One,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) stated that DDT has a great sense of humor and “the most quick-witted leader in a generation.” He follows the GOP spin that criticism of DDT’s authoritarian plans, laid out in detail, are “legitimizes illegal and violent conduct,” ignoring Republicans’ promoting violence for years. He wants people concerned about DDT’s authoritarianism goals to “take a chill pill.” Vance should take his own chill pill after he demanded DOJ investigate Robert Kagan, who called for “resistance against Trump ‘Dictatorship’” in the Washington Post. Kagan isn’t alone in his position; this theme has become common.

In addition, Vance wants Secretary of State Antony Blinken to look into whether Kagan’s wife, Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, should have her security clearance revoked because her “close relationship with her husband might compromise her judgment about the best interests of the United States.” Vance wrote:

“Based on my review of public charging documents that the Department of Justice has filed in courts of law, I suspect that one or both of you might characterize this article as an invitation to ‘insurrection,’ a manifestation of criminal ‘conspiracy,’ or an attempt to bring about civil war.”

Ruth Marcus pointed out the conservative backgrounds of both Kagan and Nuland, also describing DDT as “a defeated candidate accused of pressuring state officials to subvert election results, scheming to submit slates of false electors, and strong-arming his vice president to refrain from performing his constitutionally prescribed role.” Vance has mislabeled Kagan as a “left-wing journalist” instead of a conservative who left the Republican party because of DDT.

Karen Tumulty wrote:

“A Donald Trump ally who worked in his Justice Department said Tuesday that if the former president is elected again, his administration will retaliate against people in the media ‘criminally or civilly.’”

In another act of hatred, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced a bill to guarantee that transgender youth in foster care will be put into homes with transphobic parents. The misnamed bill, the Sensible Adoption for Every (SAFE) Home Act, cuts federal funding to any child welfare agencies and groups that doesn’t follow the requirement. Banks calls the transphobic environment as “loving homes” and is reacting to a proposed HHS rule requiring children to be placed in a safe, supportive environment free from hostility, mistreatment, or abuse based on a child’s LGBTQI+ status. This week, 18 GOP AGs signed a letter opposing the rule change, stating it violates constitutional rights. Mistreatment of LGBTQ+ youth in foster care is linked to an increased risk of depression, suicide, homelessness, food insecurity, illegal drug use, and other serious health risks.

Even some GOP House members are becoming nervous about the intent of the chamber’s radical right. The Judiciary Committee is warring with the Intelligence Committee about the warrantless surveillance powers. On the Intelligence Committee, conservative Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) said that the “disagreement … should frighten the hell out of us” because of “the reforms coming out of the Judiciary Committee.” Judiciary members are equally critical of Intelligence ones. Judiciary wants a warrant before the government reviews information on surveilled people from the U.S.; Intelligence doesn’t. In addition, Intelligence voted down an amendment including provisions dealing with election interference. To fuel the fire, Speaker Johnson is bringing both bills to the floor next week.