The Morning Sixpack - February 28, 2025
Mass deportations are taking center stage in a Trump admin rife with unparalleled scandals, self-dealing, and grift.
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GOP’s Latest Budget Magic Trick: Just Pretend the Deficit Doesn’t Exist
Republicans in Congress are eyeing a budget sleight of hand that would make billions in tax cuts appear cost-free—by simply changing how the math works.
Instead of counting the $4.6 trillion price tag of extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts over the next decade, they want to use a “current policy” baseline that assumes keeping the cuts in place costs absolutely nothing. If they pull it off, this accounting trick would allow them to push through tax breaks for tips, overtime, and even more goodies for top earners—without having to explain how they’ll pay for it.
Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, is all in on the plan, insisting that extending current law “does not change the tax policy, does not reduce tax revenue.”
But watchdog groups aren’t buying it.
“This would represent a massive budget gimmick that would justify and allow trillions of dollars of new borrowing,” warned the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Democrats are already sharpening their knives, with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., calling it “a phony, fake concept” designed to let Republicans pump more cash into the pockets of billionaires while pretending the deficit isn’t ballooning.
Even some Republicans aren’t sure about this creative accounting.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, admitted it “can get kind of gimmicky,” and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, shrugged off the whole permanence debate, saying, “There’s nothing permanent around here.”
Meanwhile, Democrats warn that this move could backfire—if the GOP sets the precedent, what’s stopping them from using the same trick to create new spending programs that magically cost $0?
As Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., put it: “Refusing to measure something doesn’t mean it goes away. The earth is still warming even if you get rid of thermometers.”
Source: NBC News
I am at the point that I don’t give an actual shit about the budget anymore. Nor do I care about deficits or the debt. Know what I care about? Billionaires not paying their fair share.
And until they do, I say, “Eat the rich.”
Businesses Brace for ICE Raids as Trump Admin Ramps Up Crackdown
Across the country, businesses in industries like agriculture, hospitality, and child care are scrambling to prepare for a fresh wave of immigration raids under Trump’s second term.
Employers are organizing emergency meetings, reviewing worker documentation, and training staff on what to do if federal agents show up unannounced.
With Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, vowing to target companies employing undocumented workers, businesses are bracing for hefty fines and sudden labor shortages. I am ALL FOR punishing the businesses that hire people who aren’t eligible to work in the US. I am NOT for deporting and arresting the people they hired.
“We have seen this message coming directly from the White House that if someone has crossed illegally, even if they have zero criminal history, that they are at risk of arrest and deportations,” said Rebecca Shi, CEO of the American Business Immigration Coalition.
The crackdown is already underway.
ICE agents recently arrested 16 undocumented workers at a Mississippi manufacturing plant and nine employees at a New York lumber mill, in some cases without prior notice or warrants.
A lawyer for one affected company admitted they had outsourced hiring to a staffing agency, highlighting a loophole some businesses use to sidestep responsibility.
But ICE isn’t just going after farmhands and factory workers—child care centers in Washington, D.C., have started conducting extra reviews of employee paperwork to avoid becoming the next enforcement target.
Meanwhile, business leaders in sectors reliant on immigrant labor warn that these raids could devastate industries already suffering from workforce shortages.
“The workforce shortage in this country is a huge deficit right now, and it's a major concern,” said George Carrillo, CEO of the Hispanic Construction Council. “And we see the disaster that we're headed towards.”
Many employers are pushing back, arguing that verifying work status isn’t their job (it is, in fact) and that they shouldn’t be penalized for accepting government-issued documents at face value.This is true. If they inspect the document they are given and the documents are proven to be fake, they should be off the hook. But they don’t inspect the documents well and often, they KNOW they are forged.
“It is not the employer's job to determine the veracity of the documents that are being provided,” said Michael Marsh, president of the National Council of Agricultural Employers.
But that won’t stop ICE from showing up at their doors. As businesses scramble to prepare, the question remains: Is this about enforcing the law, or making an example out of industries that rely on immigrant labor? Yes?
Source: MDGN
Meanwhile, word has it, in my sleepy little town, ICE raided the local Home Depot where all the guys looking for construction jobs hang out.
Gee, if we only had local newspapers that could investigate and report out on such things.
Trump and Zelenskyy Meet Amid Tense Peace Talks—And a Big Mining Deal
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are set for a high-stakes White House summit, just days after trading barbs over Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Trump, who has been cozying up to Putin and dismissing Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections,” is now pivoting toward a major economic deal: securing U.S. access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
“We’ll be digging. We’ll be dig, dig, digging,” Trump said, framing the extraction of rare earth minerals as a win for both countries.
Zelenskyy, however, sees it as a necessary trade-off to keep American backing for Ukraine’s defense.
The agreement, which stops short of providing the military guarantees Ukraine needs, would establish a joint U.S.-Ukraine investment fund for post-war reconstruction.
But there’s a catch (there is always a catch when Trump is involved)—success depends on private industry buying in, and Trump himself admitted, “You know, you dig and maybe things aren’t there like you think they’re there.”
Critics argue the deal is more about securing a transactional relationship with Ukraine than providing lasting security.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Russian officials met in Istanbul to discuss potential diplomatic openings, with Trump expressing faith in Putin’s promises: “I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word. I don’t think he’ll be back.”
For Zelenskyy, this meeting is a crucial attempt to keep Washington engaged. Trump’s sudden change in tone—he now praises Ukrainian soldiers’ bravery after weeks of insults—suggests the deal could thaw tensions, at least temporarily.
“Zelenskyy's visit highlights how far he has come,” said former U.S. ambassador John E. Herbst.
He means cowered. Zelenskyy has caved. He has to. And Trump knows it.
But with Trump’s unpredictable approach, experts warn that Ukraine’s security cannot hinge on handshakes and vague assurances.
“It’s imperative that President Trump harbor no illusions about Mr. Putin,” said Clifford D. May of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Whether this meeting strengthens Ukraine or merely sets up another transactional Trump deal remains to be seen.
Source: ABC News
BONUS: US, Ukraine agree to minerals deal but no security promise for Kyiv
This meeting in DC between Zelenskyy and Trump is all for show. Trump loves making cucks out of his marks.
U.S. Abruptly Cuts Global Health Funding—Because, Apparently, Saving Lives Isn’t a Priority
In a move that can only be described as breathtakingly cruel, the U.S. government has pulled the plug on 5,800 global health programs—effective immediately.
Emails went out Wednesday with the icy phrase: “This award is being terminated for convenience and the interest of the U.S. government.”
Translation? Millions of people relying on HIV medication, malaria treatment, polio vaccines, and basic nutrition will now be left to fend for themselves.
“People will die,” warned Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center, adding, “but we will never know, because even the programs to count the dead are cut.”
The mass defunding wipes out key initiatives, including a $131 million UNICEF-backed polio immunization effort, a malaria control program that protected 53 million people, and HIV treatment for 350,000 individuals in Africa. It also shutters 87 shelters for rape and domestic violence survivors in South Africa, ends medical aid for millions of malnourished children in Yemen and Nigeria, and halts the only functioning health clinics in parts of Sudan.
Even mosquito control efforts under the President’s Malaria Initiative—responsible for protecting 12.5 million people—are now toast.
And if you think this is just about foreign aid, think again. Critical health data collection, used for global disease monitoring and U.S. health planning, has also been axed.
This abrupt shutdown follows the Trump administration’s so-called "review" of foreign aid, which was more of a slow-motion execution of America’s role in global health.
The result? Malaria cases will spike, polio eradication efforts could unravel, and HIV/AIDS deaths will surge—all while Washington shrugs.
As one Ugandan health official put it, “We have no idea how to fill this gap. This isn’t just policy—it’s life and death.”
But hey, at least the government can now pat itself on the back for “saving” a very small fraction of the federal budget while millions suffer.
Source: NYT
Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Expands: New Jersey Detention Center to Reopen
The Trump administration is escalating its immigration enforcement efforts with plans to reopen Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.
The privately operated center, which closed in 2017 and was later converted into a halfway house, will now serve as a key hub for detaining immigrants in the Northeast.
This move aligns with President Trump’s push for mass deportations, coming just weeks after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began publicizing arrests in New York and New Jersey.
The facility’s proximity to major airports makes it strategically positioned to process detainees for deportation flights.
ICE Acting Director Caleb Vitello confirmed the decision, stating, “The location near an international airport streamlines logistics and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump’s mandate to arrest, detain, and remove illegal aliens from our communities.”
Delaney Hall, owned by the private prison giant GEO Group, is expected to generate $1 billion over its 15-year contract.
This expansion of detention capacity is critical to Trump’s immigration agenda, as ICE has been facing a shortage of available detention beds while ramping up arrests. The announcement has sparked backlash from New Jersey officials and immigrant rights advocates, with Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka vowing to resist the facility’s reopening:
“We will not stand by while ICE, under the heavy-handed policies of the Trump administration, operates with impunity, violating not only our values but the very legal processes that govern this country.”
The GEO Group, which has been making upgrades to the facility since last year, celebrated the move during an investor call, emphasizing the business opportunities presented by the administration’s immigration policies.
The Trump administration is also eyeing additional sites, including a military base in Fort Dix, New Jersey, to further expand detention capacity. With an estimated 400,000 undocumented immigrants living in New York City alone, the reopening of Delaney Hall underscores the administration’s intent to make mass deportations a defining feature of Trump’s second term.
Source: NYT
Musk’s “Teapot Thunderdome”: How America’s Data Became the New Oil
Elon Musk joins forces with President Trump to implement a so-called “workforce optimization initiative” designed to shrink government, but critics say it’s really about one thing: land grabbing.
Much like the infamous Teapot Dome scandal under President Warren G. Harding, Musk’s efforts are aimed at seizing valuable government resources.
Only this time, the treasure trove comes in the form of personal and corporate data stored in federal agencies.
The parallels to Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil and the film There Will Be Blood are striking. In the movie, Daniel Day-Lewis’ character hoists his adopted son on his shoulders to project a sympathetic, family-man image, winning over townspeople to secure lucrative oil contracts. Musk, with his young son X perched atop his shoulders in a photo op at the White House, is similarly portrayed as the visionary family man. Beneath that friendly facade, however, lurks a calculated effort to gain unfettered access to federal records, including Social Security, Medicare, and even business and patent data.
Data is the new oil.
Armed with his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) (not a real department), Musk now has the power to collect information worth far more than the $300 million he spent to help Trump return to office.
By shuttering regulatory agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and weakening others charged with watchdog responsibilities, he removes any roadblocks to leveraging this data for his own ventures—like Starlink, X Money, Neuralink, and more.
Critics see it as a modern Teapot Dome scandal, where Albert Bacon Fall once sold public oil reserves for personal gain. This time around, it’s not about barrels of oil but about entire databases of Americans’ personal information—medical histories, tax records, and intellectual property filings included. Musk’s partnership with the White House offers him a direct pipeline to prospective patents, business proposals, and the potential to weaken or eliminate government oversight that might impede his tech empire.
Meanwhile, parallels to Daniel Plainview’s cutthroat tactics in There Will Be Blood keep popping up. Toward the film’s finale, Plainview slurps up a rival’s milkshake in a grand metaphor for siphoning off someone else’s fortune. This scenario echoes Musk’s current data power grab, prompting deep concern over what one man—backed by presidential authority—can achieve when he’s effectively rewriting the rules.
“Elon Musk is drinking America’s milkshake. We must stop him before he drinks us dry.”
Source: Rolling Stone
We are living in the worst Batman movie ever!