The Morning Sixpack - May 30, 2025
Trump claims divine mission with alt-right memes, Saudi Arabia warns Iran to deal or face Israel, AI botches health report, Fed rejects political pressure, and 9/11 bad cop Bernie Kerik is dead
Trump is not well. He’s sick.
Trump Declares He's ‘On a Mission from God’ in Meme Featuring Alt-Right Symbol Pepe the Frog
Donald Trump posted a meme on Truth Social claiming he’s “on a mission from God,” featuring the alt-right symbol Pepe the Frog—stoking controversy and sparking a surge in a related crypto coin’s price.
This meme, showing Trump walking down a dark street with the caption “nothing can stop what is coming,” was posted just after a court struck down most of his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
The image’s origin from a “groyper” account linked to far-right figure Nick Fuentes drew sharp attention.
Trump’s post feeds into a long-held MAGA and QAnon belief that he is divinely chosen to save America from a secret cabal, echoing his repeated claims of being “saved” by Christ. His administration slammed the court’s tariff ruling as a “judicial coup,” and Trump responded with memes including a billboard stating “Trump was right about everything.” He was not. He’s wrong about nearly everything.
The Pepe the Frog symbol, co-opted by far-right extremists, also caused an 8.5% overnight spike in $PEPE meme coin, which now boasts a $6 billion market cap. Many in Trump’s circle, including guests at his recent crypto gala, hold assets tied to Pepe and other far-right tokens.
Source: The Independent
Trump’s cognitive decline and full embrace of the God Complex is clearly apparent to anybody with a brain.
More than $14 Billion in U.S. Clean Energy Projects Canceled Amid Tax Credit Shakeup
The U.S. clean energy sector has suffered a major setback this year, with over $14 billion in investments canceled or delayed due to political uncertainty around tax incentives.
House Republicans recently passed a tax bill that slashes key clean energy credits, casting doubt on the future of electric vehicle, battery, solar, and wind projects nationwide.
The cuts come despite the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which had fueled $132 billion in clean energy plans and helped create thousands of new jobs. According to nonpartisan groups E2 and Atlas Public Policy, the cancelations have already cost about 10,000 clean energy jobs this year alone.
Executives from companies like Kore Power, BorgWarner, and Bosch cited the changing policy environment as a primary factor in shelving or pausing major projects. Most canceled investments—totaling more than $12 billion—are in Republican-led states, where clean energy development had been surging. Talk about self-immolation…
“This plan, coupled with the administration’s focus on stomping out clean energy and returning us to a country powered by coal and gas guzzlers, is causing businesses to cancel plans, delay their plans and take their money and jobs to other countries instead,” said E2 executive director Bob Keefe.
Meanwhile, global rivals continue pushing green energy forward, leaving the U.S. scrambling to maintain its leadership. The Senate now faces pressure to act before an informal July 4 deadline to avoid further damage.
Source: AP News
We are a very stupid people.
Saudi Arabia Warns Iran: Cut a Nuclear Deal with Trump or Face Possible Israeli Strike
Saudi Arabia delivered a stark warning to Iran: Seize President Trump’s nuclear deal offer or risk military action from Israel.
Trump is offering essentially the same deal as the deal he walked away from in his first term. He’s like the guy who pushes the old lady onto the train tracks and then pulls her away when the train comes by. She loses a leg, but Trump claims, victoriously, “I saved her life!” He’s such a nimrod.
During a rare high-level visit to Tehran, Prince Khalid bin Salman conveyed King Salman’s urgent message to Iran’s leadership, urging swift progress in the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks to avoid regional conflict.
The closed-door meeting, attended by Iran’s top officials, including Supreme Leader Khamenei, was marked by Saudi concerns over the fragile stability in the Middle East. Prince Khalid emphasized Trump’s impatience for quick results and warned that failure to negotiate could lead to Israeli strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Iran expressed eagerness to reach a deal but voiced mistrust of Trump’s unpredictable demands, particularly over uranium enrichment.
A senior Iranian source said, “Tehran was not willing to sacrifice its enrichment program just because Trump wanted an agreement.”
The visit was the first by a senior Saudi royal to Iran in over 20 years, signaling a cautious but critical thaw in Riyadh-Tehran relations brokered by China in 2023 amid shifting regional power dynamics.
See that? CHINA is leading the way from a global leadership standpoint. No longer is it the United States.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt underscored the seriousness of the situation: “President Trump has made it clear: Make a deal, or face grave consequences, and the whole world is clearly taking him seriously, as they should.”
Source: Reuters
White House Health Report May Have Been Botched by AI-Generated Fake Science
The White House’s MAHA Report, aimed at tackling America’s declining life expectancy, contains numerous flawed and even fabricated scientific citations—likely generated by artificial intelligence.
Experts reviewing the report found repeated references, nonexistent studies, and incorrect authors, casting serious doubt on its credibility.
Of the 522 footnotes, at least 37 appeared multiple times, and some cited articles didn’t exist. The telltale sign was “oaicite” tags, markers linked to AI tools like OpenAI, indicating the research was partly produced by AI chatbots prone to “hallucinating” false data.
Oren Etzioni, an AI professor, called the work “shoddy” and said, “We deserve better.”
The report, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., blames environmental toxins, poor nutrition, and screen time for worsening health outcomes. But the muddled citations have experts like Georges C. Benjamin, APHA’s executive director, declaring it “not an evidence-based report” unfit for policymaking.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the report’s substance despite formatting errors, calling it “one of the most transformative health reports” ever released by the government. George Orwell’s “newspeak + doublethink” is alive and thriving in Trumplandia.
As AI becomes a double-edged sword in research, critics warn of the risks when technology outpaces rigorous scientific validation.
Source: WaPo
AI is great, but it must be proofed. Duh.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell Tells Trump: Monetary Policy Won’t Bow to Politics
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell made it crystal clear to President Trump that the Fed’s decisions on interest rates won’t be influenced by political pressure.
In a Thursday meeting requested by Trump, Powell emphasized that monetary policy will be based solely on economic data, not politics.
The Reserve’s statement stressed that the Federal Open Market Committee’s job is to support maximum employment and stable prices through “careful, objective, and non-political analysis.”
No promises were made about changing rates, despite Trump’s push to lower them amid concerns over competition with China.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump’s disagreement, saying the president believes the Fed’s current stance puts the U.S. at an economic disadvantage compared to other countries.
Since summer 2024, the Fed has cut rates from 5.5% but held steady around 4.25%-4.5%, wary of inflation fueled partly by unpredictable tariff policies under Trump’s administration.
Powell’s firm message reinforces the Fed’s independence, even as Trump’s tweets and Truth Social posts continue demanding rate cuts.
Source: UPI
Trump may have an economics degree, but he clearly didn’t attend his econ classes. Speaking of which, since Trump is fond of showing off (all those Time Magazine covers), why doesn’t he display his Wharton diploma showing his economics degree? HINT: It doesn’t exist.
Bernard Kerik, 9/11 NYPD Chief and Convicted Felon, Dies at 69
Bernard Kerik, New York City’s police commissioner during 9/11 and later a convicted felon and grifter, has died at 69 after a private illness.
Hailed as a hero for his role during the attacks, Kerik’s legacy was tarnished by federal tax fraud convictions stemming from shady dealings while in office.
Kerik pleaded guilty in 2010 to tax fraud and false statements related to over $250,000 in apartment renovations from a construction company with alleged mob ties. The judge noted his crimes were committed while serving as “the chief law enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has.”
He served three years in prison before being pardoned by President Trump in 2020.
An Army veteran turned NYPD leader, Kerik was appointed by Rudy Giuliani and later nominated to head Homeland Security before withdrawing amid controversy. Despite his fall, Kerik remained a prominent figure in conservative circles, supporting Trump’s political causes.
FBI Director Kash Patel described Kerik as “a warrior, a patriot,” while Giuliani tearfully called him “like my brother” who made him “a braver and stronger man.” Still, critics never forgot Kerik’s grifter past overshadowing his heroics.
Kerik’s life journey—from troubled youth to top cop, convict, and Trump ally—reflects a complicated legacy of valor and scandal.
Source: NPR
Kerik was a bad, dirty cop.