Trina's Kitchen

Thursday, May 07, 2026

10 Minute Thai Shrimp, Cucumber & Avocado Salad

Melinda e-mailed to note Cookin' Canuk's 10-Minute Thai Shrimp, Cucumber & Avocado Salad Recipe:

Ingredients

The Dressing:

1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons agave nectar

½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce

The Salad:

½ pound shrimp shelled & deveined

½ English cucumber cut in half lengthwise & thinly sliced

¼ avocado diced

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Instructions

The Dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, fish sauce, agave nectar and chili garlic sauce.

The Salad:

Prepare a bowl of ice water.

Set a large saucepan of water over high heat, and bring the water to a boil. Add the shrimp and boil until the shrimp is just cooked through, 60 to 75 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge the shrimp into the ice water to stop them from cooking further. Drain

In a medium bowl, mix together the shrimp, cucumber, avocado and cilantro. Pour in the dressing and toss to combine. Serve.

News? David Badash reports:

Nobel laureate Paul Krugman calls right-wing politics “deadly” — and predicts that “MAGA Will Kill Many Americans,” by the thousands, driven by greed and willful ignorance.

Krugman goes one step further, arguing outright that this is not by accident:

“Does MAGA want to see thousands of Americans die prematurely from smoking and refusal to get vaccinated? Yes,” he writes.

He argues that the right’s decades-long opposition to health care is driven by greed, especially from “wealthy donors unwilling to pay taxes to help others in need.”

Krugman points to Tuesday’s decision by Trump’s FDA to allow blueberry and mango-flavored vapes, which critics warn will increase use among the young.

Why?

“Trump is reportedly hoping that support for vaping will win back support from young men,” Krugman writes — a constituency the president has been losing during his second term in office.

There’s also the recent decision, again by Trump’s FDA, to block the release of studies finding the COVID-19 and shingles vaccines safe, with side effects rare.

“Beyond this,” he continues, “right-wing politics in America often goes hand in hand with hostility to science in general and medical science in particular. The deadly linkage between reactionary politics and rejection of science was obvious during the Covid pandemic.”

Krugman also implicates greed in the anti-vaccine movement, saying that “quack medicine is big business.”

“Right-wing radio and social media have long relied on peddlers of snake oil for a large part of their revenue. So much of the attack on medical science can be seen as financially motivated,” he writes.

Ideological willful ignorance plays a part as well — driven by the alliance between oligarchs and white Christian nationalism, the latter of which is “deeply hostile to Enlightenment values, modern science very much included.”

To prove his point, Krugman points to the widely-reported resurgence of measles, that was seen as eliminated from the United States decades ago, thanks to vaccines. Now, many parents are choosing to forego vaccinating their children against this highly contagious and potentially deadly disease.

This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot" for Wednesday:

Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Democrats in Congress lead the fight for mifepristone, Donald Chump lies and encourages those under him to lie, so Hegseth lies, JD Vance lies, Homeland Security lies to the court, and much more.

Let's start with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

More than 250 House and Senate Democrats filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging them to overturn a Fifth Circuit decision that would upend the FDA approval process and restrict access to life-saving mifepristone.

ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on Fifth Circuit Ruling to Harshly Limit Access to Medication Abortion Nationwide

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, more than 250 Senate and House Democrats—led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA); Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY); Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Ron Wyden (D-OR); House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY); and Representatives Katherine Clark (D-MA), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)—filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging them to overturn a Fifth Circuit decision that would upend the FDA approval process and restrict access to mifepristone. This brief follows emergency appeals from the manufacturers of mifepristone; the Supreme Court issuing a temporary stay of the decision Monday morning until next Monday, May 11; and the announcement that the Court has ordered briefing on the stay by this Thursday, May 7.

The lawmakers argued that mifepristone already undergoes a rigorous FDA approval process, and the medication has repeatedly been found to be safe and effective. For a court to overturn this decision not only limits who is able to receive this vital and life-saving medication, putting lives at risk, but it also undermines the longstanding, congressionally mandated, and evidence-based decision-making process at the FDA.

“For more than a quarter century, FDA has repeatedly and consistently affirmed that mifepristone is safe. Over seven million patients in the U.S. have safely used mifepristone. And as with other drugs, FDA continues to monitor the post-marketing safety data on mifepristone—data confirming that mifepristone is safe without regard to how it is dispensed,” the members wrote.

The lawmakers also argued that the Fifth Circuit ruling was clearly not based on the merits of the distribution method of mifepristone, or the scientific backing of the medication, but rather a desire to limit the ability of individuals to receive abortion medication. The emergency stay is necessary to ensure that Louisiana is not able to deny medically appropriate care to patients far beyond the state’s borders.

“Decades after FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone and years after the in-person dispensing requirement was eliminated, the Fifth Circuit on an ‘emergency’ basis ordered FDA to re-impose this onerous nationwide restriction on all Americans. Allowing that decision to remain in place undermines the science-based statutory framework Congress commands and threatens patient access to reproductive health care,” the members continued. “As has been well publicized, many U.S. residents in states where abortion is legal live far from any reproductive health care provider. Reinstating an in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone exacerbates an already significant reproductive health crisis by limiting access to the most common method of early abortion.”

The members argued that this is a clear case of judicial overreach by a lower court.

“Preserving evidence-based access to mifepristone, including when dispensed by mail or retail pharmacy, is necessary to mitigate the imminent harm facing members of the public. Women deserve access to mifepristone for reproductive health care, and all Americans deserve integrity in the congressionally mandated, evidence-based process for FDA’s drug regulatory decisions,” the members concluded.

In the Senate, the amicus brief was signed by all 47 Democratic U.S. Senators.

In the House, the brief was signed by 212 Democratic U.S. Representatives.

The lawmakers’ amicus brief to the Supreme Court can be read in full HERE.

###

And now let's turn to the administration.

They lie to the American people. Every day. The administration lies about everything. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been lying to the American people about the 'success' in slowing Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Tom Latchem (DAILY BEAST) reported yesterday afternoon:

Pete Hegseth squirmed at the Pentagon over a damning intel leak showing Donald Trump’s war on Iran has barely slowed the regime’s race to a nuclear bomb.

The defense secretary, 45, was confronted by reporters on Tuesday after Reuters reported that the timeline for Iran to assemble a nuclear weapon—currently estimated at up to a year—has not budged since the U.S. first bombed the regime’s facilities last June, despite the fresh blitz the president launched in late February.

Pressed on how the timeline could be unchanged “after so much bombing,” Hegseth refused to engage with the substance of the question, telling the briefing room: “We don’t discuss the specifics about intel, and anybody that does shouldn’t be, and I can’t confirm or deny whether that is, indeed, correct.”

Will Neal had reported on the leak earlier for THE DAILY BEAST:

Donald Trump’s own military intel says he’s failing to make any progress on the key goal he says his war in the Middle East is designed to achieve.

Assessments by U.S. intelligence suggest Iran would currently need exactly the same period of time to build a nuclear bomb as it would have needed in the aftermath of Trump’s attacks on facilities in the country last June, Reuters reports.

The president claimed after those initial assaults that he had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. His officials instead suggested the attacks had pushed any prospective timeline on building a bomb back by a year.

Yesterday on MS NOW, US House Rep Seth Moulton took on the notion of "the cease-fire is holding" and noted that Hegseth is lying and wondered how truthful Hegseth was being with Chump?

US House Rep Seth Moulton: They obviously have no strategy to win this war, to end this war. And that's dangerous for us and our allies and our troops.

Meanwhile the editorial board of THE INDEPENDENT notes the reality of what Chump's done with his war of choice:

Every discussion about the war in the Persian Gulf should include a reminder that the Strait of Hormuz was open and entirely unblockaded before Israel and the United States attacked Iran. Had Donald Trump not decided to join Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign, we would not now be contemplating a global energy crisis, shortages of food and medicines, and widespread economic recession.

Two months in, and the world is poorer and less safe as a result of that decision. Notwithstanding Iran’s unlawful seizure of the channel, some accountability is needed.

Framed in that context, Project Freedom – Mr Trump’s audacious new plan to escort “innocent bystander” ships through the blockaded shipping lane – is an elaborate and costly exercise to solve a problem that didn’t exist only a few weeks ago.

Chump really screwed the pooch this time. He didn't have to join Netanyahu in the war. He didn't have to ignore the advice he was given not to go to war on Iran -- Tulsi Gabbard made her feelings known and he ignored them. He just knew it was going to be a few days and then done. But it hasn't turned out to be a few days. It's not over two months and counting. Oil prices have soared. Inflation has increased. The American people are suffering. And he still can't figure out a way to end the war. So it continues.

And Chump who has spent the past 16 months making it clear that the US doesn't need its traditional allies anymore, is now considering seeking a UN Security Council resolution per Secretary of State and White House press spokesperson Marco Rubio. Edith M. Lederer (AP) notes, "A proposed U.N. resolution threatens Iran with sanctions or other measures if it doesn’t halt attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, stop imposing 'illegal tolls,' and disclose the placement of all mines to allow freedom of navigation." The draft also calls for Iran to help implement a humanitarian corridor through the strait.

The war drags on despite federal law. Alexander Bolton (THE HILL) reports:

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is leading a push within the Senate Republican Conference for a vote on a resolution to authorize the use of military force against Iran beyond the 60-day window set by the 1973 War Powers Act. But Senate Republican Leader John Thune (S.D.) doesn’t appear eager to schedule a vote that would give Republican lawmakers ownership of the controversial war.

Senate Republican sources say Murkowski likely won’t get a vote on her measure because it’s not privileged. Additionally, she would need Thune to agree to put it on the busy Senate calendar.

But if Republican senators don’t have an opportunity to vote on a measure to authorize military operations against Iran, that could open the door for more Republicans to vote for a Democratic-sponsored resolution ordering President Trump to withdraw U.S. troops deployed against Iran.

Democrats plan to vote against any resolution authorizing the use of force against Iran because every Democratic senator opposes the conflict except for Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.).

This morning, Ben (MEIDASTOUCH NEWS) notes that Chump's Project Freedom which began on Monday has already been set aside.

David E. Sanger (NEW YORK TIMES) notes:

When the cease-fire in the war with Iran went into effect a month ago, President Trump was pretty direct that if the Iranians failed to end their nuclear program, or to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the bombers would be back in the air. “If there’s no deal, fighting resumes,” he said, making it very clear this was just a pause.

But it turns out, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the war actually ended at some point after the cease-fire took hold, or so he told reporters at a news conference at the White House on Tuesday. “The Operation Epic Fury is concluded,” he said. “We achieved the objective of that operation.” The effort to reopen the strait, Mr. Rubio said, is entirely a defensive and humanitarian operation that would result in direct military exchanges with the Iranians only if U.S. ships came under fire.

Later on Tuesday, Mr. Trump announced that he was pausing even that effort — which was only one day old, and had succeeded in getting just a few ships freed — “for a short period of time,” citing what he said was “great progress” toward an agreement with Iran. But he kept the American blockade in place, part of a strategy of maximum economic pressure.

Still, Mr. Trump’s suspension of the effort to guide ships out of the strait seemed to contradict the administration’s stated position that it was intolerable for Iran to block an international waterway, and that only the United States had the ability to force it open again.

For the White House, the insistence that the war was over was the latest rhetorical leap in an effort to put a war that has created the greatest political crisis of Mr. Trump’s presidency in the rearview mirror. But the mere proclamation does not make it true. Missiles were still flying. Both sides insist they control traffic in the waterway.

And despite Mr. Rubio’s declaration that the objectives of the war have been accomplished, they clearly have not.

It's nothing but another con job from our convicted felon Donald Chump.

It's not a war, JD Vance wants you to know, it's "a blip." Tom Boggioni (RAW STORY) notes:

The vice president spoke at a manufacturing facility during a rally to boost the candidacy of Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R) and, while downplaying the economic devastation being visited on US consumers by the war, he awkwardly admitted, "We also know that a lot of our farmers are struggling with high fertilizer prices. I'm aware of that. As the president of the United States has said, we got a little blip in the Middle East. We gotta take care of some business on the foreign policy side."

The panel on “Morning Joe” was quick to pounce on Vance’s dismissive comments.

Co-host Willie Gest, speaking with conservative columnist David French, prompted his guest with, “We had two days ago the president of the United States calling this a ‘mini war. ‘Yesterday you had Vice President Vance calling this a blip. I think everyone who's lost a family member in this war, or who's now paying $4.50 a gallon on national average, or much more in many states, would consider it much more than a blip. They're trying to sort of minimize and diminish the war and in many ways, wish it away.”

“You know, it's very clear at this point that it looks like Trump was essentially sold a bill of goods that he thought, and he keeps using the Venezuela comparison, we've heard it that he thought what he was getting was going to be a short and glorious and victorious military operation and he hadn't thought this through," French noted.

Co-host Joe Scarborough turned the conversation back to Vance’s remark.

“Over 100 school children being killed the first day of the war is a blip, up to maybe 10,000, 15,000 Iranians being killed, JD Vance is calling a blip,” he recited. “You have JD Vance calling a blip entire communities in Lebanon being wiped off the face of the earth. I mean, how would JD Vance feel if his community that he grew up in didn't have a building left standing? That's what's happening in Lebanon, all across Lebanon, because of this, quote, ‘blip.’”

“That's what's happening in Iran because of this blip,” he added. “And as you say, people across the world are paying for this day in and day out with an economy that's getting worse. And of course, I guess only people like me worry about spending money and the national debt, but this war has already cost us $250 billion at minimum.”

Moving over to the issue of the administration lying to the courts, Corbin Bolies (THE WRAP) notes:

MS NOW host Rachel Maddow appeared stumped after a Justice Department lawyer apologized to a federal judge for withholding information about an arrest warrant that led to a "patently false" Department of Homeland Security press release about said judge, leading the judge to consider contempt charges against the department.

"Lying to a federal judge, lying about a federal judge is a really big deal if you're a lawyer or a government official," Maddow said on Monday.

The "Rachel Maddow Show" host then broke down the case in Rhode Island involving the state's U.S. Attorney's office and U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose, a Biden appointee. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Bolan apologized to DuBose on Monday after a Homeland Security press release on Thursday -- titled "Activist Biden Judge Releases Violent Criminal Illegal Alien Wanted for Murder" -- accused her of knowingly releasing an ICE detainee who had been accused of murder in the Dominican Republic.

Bolan acknowledged on Monday that the press release "simply was not true" and said he didn't inform DuBose about the warrant because he believed authorities in the Dominican Republic hadn't signed off, according to Politico. DuBose said the "completely erroneous and dangerous" press release put "judicial security at risk" and was "setting up a false narrative," saying she would consider contempt charges for both federal departments.

Homeland Security caught lying to the courts yet again and lying about the courts.

This is how Chump's administration rolls. They lie repeatedly. They've done that since January of last year and it's past time that they are held accountable.

Daniel Hampton (RAW STORY) notes:

U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose, a Biden appointee based in Rhode Island, said Monday the "patently false” April 30 DHS press release headlined "Activist Biden Judge Releases Violent Criminal Illegal Alien Wanted for Murder" put her personal safety at risk and was still on the government's website as of Monday's hearing. DHS has yet to acknowledge the error.

“The April 30th, completely erroneous and dangerous press release is still on their website,” the judge complained, according to Politico. “It puts people at risk. It’s a threat to judicial security.”

“I’m not trying to make this political,” DuBose, a Biden appointee, added. “It’s also very important that the public has the facts. As long as this particular post is out there, it’s setting up a false narrative.”

Tommy Christopher (MEDIAITE) picks up there:

Judge Dubose also said “there was a decision made not to be truthful to the court,” and that “there certainly was a massive breach of this court’s trust in this case.”

Gomez attorney Melanie Shapiro said she was blindsided by the murder charge as well. She wrote in a statement: “I was completely shocked by the information about the warrant and deeply disturbed by the extremely inflammatory rhetoric against Judge DeBose. If I knew about an outstanding warrant from the Dominican Republic for murder, I would never have filed the petition.”

That was Monday. Mattathias Schwartz (NEW YORK TIMES) reports on Tuesday:

A federal judge said Tuesday that she was referring a Trump administration lawyer to face an investigation into potential misconduct for withholding key information from her about a case.

The lawyer, Kevin M. Bolan, leads the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island. In court filings and during a hearing on Monday, Mr. Bolan acknowledged that he had failed to disclose important information to the judge about an immigrant who had been arrested and had petitioned for release. Mr. Bolan has apologized, but Judge Melissa R. DuBose said that the court still needed to get to the bottom of the omission.

“It’s the candor and the lack of candor to this court that has to be addressed,” she said. “And it has to be fully investigated, so we don’t have anything like this happen again.”

The judge said the referral would be made under the court’s local rules that govern disciplinary proceedings against attorneys. Cases can be heard by a single judge or all active judges, with punishments ranging from private reprimands or fines to disbarment. At an earlier hearing on Monday, Judge DuBose also discussed the possibility of sanctioning Mr. Bolan’s client, the Department of Homeland Security.

Other lies include that Chump's ballroom wouldn't cost the taxpayers a single cent. That lie appears to have imploded.

Chump's winding down before our eyes. Nick Hilden reports that risk analyst Brett Erickson is attempting to determine what Chump's legacy will be. It isn't pretty:

As Erickson points out, Trump’s 2024 campaign boiled down to several key points, among which were the release of the Epstein files, no new wars and the general Make America Great Again ethos. But over the first 18 months of his term, Trump has not only failed to deliver on these promises but has fumbled them so badly that they will define his presidency.

“At this point,” writes Erickson, “it is clear that there will forever be a massive stain on the Trump legacy as a result of the Epstein cover-up. I don’t think anyone, Democrat or Republican would disagree with that.” The fallout from the mishandling of the Epstein files was so severe that it angered and alienated some of his strongest supporters, such as former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, podcaster Joe Rogan and far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

But Erickson devoted most of his criticism to Trump’s assertion there would be “no new wars,” saying, “this is where we see this conflict REALLY begin to rupture the foundation of his presidential legacy. It’s not JUST that he campaigned on ‘No New Wars’ and then decided to conduct regime change in Venezuela, launch a massive war against Iran and repeatedly say ‘Cuba is next’, it’s that he’s LOSING in Iran.”

Chump is losing it -- as his behavior around children makes clear.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:

Response from ED (PDF) | Response from Treasury (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee, released new responses from the Department of Education (ED) and the Treasury Department (Treasury) demonstrating that the agencies cannot articulate a clear purpose or plan for implementing their illegal interagency agreement (IAA) transferring the administration of federal student loans to Treasury.

The responses were in reply to Senator Warren’s April 2nd letter with Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), pressing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to rescind the IAA.

In new responses to the senators, the agencies failed to provide basic details about the implementation of the agreement, including timing, cost, and Treasury’s plans for forced collections, or concretely explain how the agreement will help borrowers and families.

Treasury also confirmed that while ED is transferring staff to Treasury to execute the IAA, Treasury is also transferring staff to ED, raising further concerns that the arrangement is wasting staff and resources.

Previous IAAs have cost ED over $1 million in extra program costs and resulted in weeks-long delays in grant disbursements that students and schools rely upon.

While ED and Treasury again insisted in the new responses that their IAA is legal, Secretary McMahon admitted to Senator Warren last year that she understands she has no authority to move the statutory responsibilities of the Department of Education to other agencies without Congress passing legislation first.

“The Trump administration has no explanation for how this latest attempt to dismantle the Education Department is helping anyone — because it isn’t,” said Senator Warren. “The truth is that Trump is jacking up costs for borrowers and wasting resources. This illegal agreement is bad for students and families, and I'll do everything I can to fight back."

Senator Warren has led the fight to make our higher education system more affordable, cancel student loan debt, and hold student loan servicers accountable for incompetence and malfeasance. She launched the Save Our Schools campaign in a coordinated effort to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education.

On April 28, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pressed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new Student Loan Ombudsman, Geoffrey Gradler, on his plan to protect student loan borrowers, especially given his past censorship of a key student loan report at the CFPB and his background as a lobbyist for lenders. The senators also asked him to recuse himself from past clients’ matters that might come before his office at the CFPB.
On April 2, 2026, Senators Warren, Sanders, Wyden, Murray, and Baldwin—all top Democrats on influential education committees—pressed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to rescind their plans to move the administration of federal student loans to the Treasury Department, the latest move in the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
On February 23, 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, along with Representative Ayanna Pressley, released a response from the Department of Education to their November letter regarding a potential sale of the federal student debt portfolio. In the response, ED confirms for the first time publicly that they are weighing a sale of the federal student loan portfolio.
On February 19, 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) pushed Education Secretary Linda McMahon on concerns that the U.S. Department of Education is apparently obstructing Congressional efforts to hold federal student loan servicers accountable for underperformance.
On February 2, 2026, Senator Warren released a new report revealing the findings of their investigation into how private student loan lenders will reap the benefits from cuts to federal student loan access enacted in Republicans’ Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBBA). The report is the first Congressional analysis of the impacts of the OBBBA’s student loan restrictions on the private lending market.
On January 22, 2026, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) led their Senate colleagues in demanding answers from Trump Education Secretary Linda McMahon about the Trump Administration’s proposal to eliminate affordable student loan repayment options for millions of Americans.
On December 8, 2025, Senator Warren led her colleagues in writing to the federal student loan servicers to ensure they are providing borrowers with the customer service they deserve in the wake of the Trump administration’s student loan policy whiplash. The senators sent letters to MOHELA, Nelnet, EdFinancial, Maximus, and CRI.
On December 1, 2025, Senator Warren published an op-ed in USA Today calling for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to resign following the recent news that President Trump and Secretary McMahon plan to further dismantle the Department of Education (ED).
On November 17, 2025, Senator Warren led over 40 of her colleagues in a letter urging Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to immediately end any plans to sell or transfer the federal student loan portfolio to the private market.
On November 10, 2025, Senator Warren led her colleagues in a letter urging the Trump administration to use the IRS’s existing legal authorities to stop the looming “tax bomb” facing borrowers who obtain income-driven repayment (IDR) discharges of their student loan debt.
On October 15, 2025, Senator Warren and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) led 70 members of Congress in a letter calling on the Trump administration to address the ongoing and unprecedented wave of student loan delinquencies and defaults, which threatens the financial stability of millions of people and could have disastrous effects on the American economy.
On September 19, 2025, following a push by Senator Warren and nine other senators, the Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education agreed to open an investigation into DOGE’s infiltration of internal systems, including the scope of its access to sensitive student loan borrower information and its impact on borrowers’ rights and privacy.
On August 26, 2025, Senator Warren led colleagues in sending a follow-up letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon condemning the Department of Education for deliberately hiding the “Submit a Complaint” button on the Office of Federal Student Aid’s website, firing employees responsible for providing customer service to borrowers and families and misleading Congress about the scope of these firings.
On August 4, 2025, Senator Warren led eight Senators in pressing major private student loan lenders on their plans to serve the incoming surge of borrowers who will be pushed to the industry because of Republicans’ recently passed “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
On July 17, 2025, Senator Warren released a new 23-page report, “Education At Risk: Frontline Impacts of Trump’s War on Students,” highlighting warnings from 11 major national education and civil rights organizations on the impact of the Trump Administration’s dismantling of the Department of Education (ED), slashing support to millions of American students, primary and secondary school teachers, administrators, parents, and student loan borrowers.
On July 15, 2025, Senators Warren and Sanders, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, urging her to reverse the interest hike on student loan borrowers in the SAVE forbearance.

###

The following sites -- plus Rebecca's "justice dept defends todd blanche lying" and Mike's "Liars Chump and Hegseth" -- updated:

Wednesday, May 06, 2026

Easy Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa in the Kitchen

Libby e-mailed to note The Real Food Dieticians' recipe for Easy Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa:

Ingredients

For the Shrimp

1 lb. medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed and thawed if frozen, patted dry

1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder (may sub with additional chili powder for less spice)

½ teaspoon fine salt

For the Mango-Avocado Salsa

1 medium avocado, diced

1 cup diced fresh mango (1 large) or 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered (6 ounces)

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

¼ cup red onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced or grated

½ small jalapeño, finely minced (seeds and membranes removed for less heat)

2 tablespoons lime juice (1 medium)

Fine salt to taste

For serving:

8 corn tortillas, warmed

1 cup shredded red cabbage or coleslaw mix

¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional, omit for dairy-free)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (375-400℉).

In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with oil. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chili powder, and salt. Sprinkle over shrimp and toss to coat.

To make the salsa, combine the avocado, mango, cilantro, onion, jalapeño, and lime juice. Gently fold to combine. Taste and season with salt as desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Thread the shrimp on skewers and place skewers on the grill grate. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are cooked through.

Remove the shrimp from grill and divide among the tortillas. Top each taco with shredded cabbage, 1-2 tablespoons Mango-Avocado Salsa, and ½ tablespoon crumbled cotija cheese, if using.

News? Lisandra Gomez-Tate (2 Paragraphs) reports:

Former U.S. Naval War College professor Tom Nichols criticized President Trump’s Department of Defense/War for removing olive branches from the Great Seal of the United States.

The Never-Trump conservative shared an adaptation of the image used for an Operation Epic Fury press conference announcement (see below) and wrote: “A small thing, but removing the olive branches from the eagle’s talons on the Great Seal is a sign of an insecure and adolescent conception of what it means to be a great power. There’s a reason the founders put those olive branches there.”

While Trump supporters replied to Nichols saying the visual change “makes sense” due to the name change (from Department of Defense to Department of War) and “it’s because we’re at war,” others noted that olive branches symbolize more than peace.

As CSUF philosophy professor Amy Coplan replied: “I wonder if they realize that in addition to symbolizing peace & good will, olive branches also symbolize wisdom & strength. I highly doubt it.”

Pete Hegseth is a moron. It's that simple. He is a moron.

This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot" for Tuesday:

Tuesday, May 5, 2025. The American people overwhelmingly say the country is headed in the wrong direction and that Chump is too weak for the job, Todd Blanche continues to speak nonsense, the Iran War continues to drag on, and much more.

This morning on MEIDASTOUCH NEWS, Ben gives a rundown on the ongoing war on Iran.

John Yoon (NEW YORK TIMES) reports:

A top Iranian official warned on Tuesday of an escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and accused the United States of violating the fragile cease-fire, a day after the U.S. Navy began an initiative to escort commercial ships through the strait, a vital oil shipping waterway.

As the truce appeared to falter, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator in the stumbling peace negotiations, said in a social media post that “a new equation” was emerging in the waterway. He said that American actions had endangered shipping through the strait, which Iran has effectively blockaded since the war began in late February.

“We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even started yet,” Mr. Ghalibaf said.

The U.S. Navy began escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. The U.S. Central Command said that two commercial ships operating under the American flag had passed through the waterway. Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, said that one of its vessels, a carrier transporting vehicles that was flying the U.S. maritime flag, had passed through the strait.

But reports of attacks from Iran in and around the Persian Gulf quickly tested the American actions and the Pakistani-brokered cease-fire that paused the war last month.

Chump makes one inane remark after another. Erica L. Green and Zolan Kanno-Youngs (NEW YORK TIMES) note his lies regarding the domestic impact of his war of choice:

Facing pressure to address the economic fallout of his war in Iran, President Trump on Monday sought to portray his policy wins for small businesses as evidence that he was succeeding in building up the economy.

Speaking to business leaders from across the country at an event in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Trump declared that slashing taxes and regulations had yielded “record business,” and that the economy was “roaring.” The White House described the Small Business Week event as highlighting “the extraordinary revival of Main Street under his America First agenda.”

But looming over it all was a war abroad that Mr. Trump had begun, and whose economic impact is compounding cost-of-living concerns among Americans, many of whom increasingly say their economic reality has worsened under his tenure.

Mr. Trump’s comments on Monday created a sharp contrast with the economic reality outside Washington, as rising energy prices hammer families and businesses alike.

This comes as Americans look at him and judge him to be unfit to serve as president. Ashleigh Fields (THE HILL) reports:

A new poll found that most Americans say they believe President Trump is mentally and physically unfit to serve as commander in chief.

The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that 59 percent of U.S. respondents said that Trump does not have the mental sharpness it takes to lead the country. Forty percent of respondents said the president is mentally equipped for leadership, and 1 percent of participants skipped the question.

Comparatively, 55 percent of U.S. adults said Trump is not in good enough physical health to serve as president, while 44 percent disagreed and 1 percent of survey participants skipped the question.

59%. That is what you could call a landslide. 59% of Americans believe "Trump does not have the mental sharpness it takes to lead the country."

And he doesn't.

But 59% of the American people are no longer willing to bite their tongues. They've seen Chump and his lies and they've watched him destroy the economy. They see him claim that he doesn't need Congressional approval to continue his war on Iran even through he does need it.

They've grown used to the fact that he lies and then he lies some more.

That is how he plays it.

Khaleda Rahman (NEWSWEEK) notes:

RealClearPolitics’ average of polls shows 61 percent of Americans believe the country is on the “wrong track” as of April 28, marking the first time public sentiment has reached that level during Trump’s second term. Some 61.6 percent of Americans thought the county was heading in the wrong direction on January 18, 2025, two days before Trump was inaugurated for a second term, according to RealClearPolitics’ average.

It comes as polls have shown the president’s approval rating has dropped in recent months, and that his rating on handling of all major issues including the economy remain underwater amid high grocery and gas prices due to the Iran war.

61% believe the country is on the wrong track.

61%.

Again, a clear majority of Americans.

Yesterday's snapshot noted:

In related news, AP reports:

European leaders on Monday said that U.S. President Donald Trump’s snap decision to pull thousands of U.S. troops out of Germany came as a surprise but is a fresh sign that Europe must take care of its own security.

The Pentagon announced last week that it would pull some 5,000 troops out of Germany, but Trump told reporters on Saturday that “we’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”

He offered no reason for the move, which blindsided NATO, but his decision came amid an escalating dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S-Israeli war on Iran, and Trump’s anger that European allies have been reluctant to get involved in the conflict in the Middle East.

Sam Levine (GUARDIAN) reports:

Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw more US troops from Germany after stunning European leaders and some senior members of his own party by last week announcing the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany.

The move left 30,000 US troops still in the country, according to CNN. But Trump threatened on Saturday that more cuts were coming. “We are going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he told reporters on Saturday.

[. . .]

The Republicans who chair the armed services committees in Congress, Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama, released a joint statement on Saturday saying they were “very concerned” by the possibility of reducing troops in Germany.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress are speaking out on the move. For example, Ashleigh Fields (THE HILL) adds:

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) on Sunday criticized the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany following a public spat with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Last week, the German chancellor said that Washington was being “humiliated” by Iran amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in remarks condemned by President Trump.

Crow said, “It appears as though this decision was made because Donald Trump was upset by a comment made by the German chancellor, like he is getting emotional and angry about this, and he’s making really consequential troop decision — troop movement decisions based upon being upset by the comments of a foreign leader, which is no way to run a foreign policy,” during an appearance on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”

“So, we’re looking into it, and we’re going to make sure that any movements, if they do occur, are actually in our interests,” the House Democrat added.

Steve Benen (MS NOW) observes:

This is the start of a presidential tantrum, not the end of one: Trump told reporters late Friday that he intends to cut U.S. troop deployments in Germany “a lot further” than 5,000. Hours earlier, a reporter asked whether he was considering pulling U.S. troops out of Spain and Italy, too, since its leaders also recently hurt Trump’s feelings. “Yeah, probably,” he replied. “Why shouldn’t I?”

The Pentagon reportedly didn’t see this coming: Politico reported last week that Trump’s threats, preceding Friday’s announcement, “stunned defense officials.”

The Putin angle: The same Politico report noted that Trump’s initial threat “came hours after he spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long sought to reduce the number of NATO troops in Europe.” The American president has been going to scandalous lengths to please Moscow, and the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany belongs on the same list.

The pushback on Capitol Hill has been relatively bipartisan: While Democratic officials were quick to condemn the administration’s move, they weren’t alone, as some congressional Republicans agreed that the redeployments are a mistake.

This won’t help our geopolitical interests: In an opinion piece for The New York Times, Linas Kojala, the chief executive of the Geopolitics and Security Studies Center in Lithuania, argued persuasively that Trump’s move “risks weakening one of America’s best strategic investments: a military presence that deters Russia and keeps Europe’s old rivalries from becoming America’s problem again.”

As Rachel Maddow noted last night on MS NOW, the US troops he's removing from Germany?

Rachel Maddow: Where do you think they sent the US troops who had to be evacuated really quickly off of all those undefended bases all over the Middle East? Where'd they send them? They sent them to Germany because we have a really big troop presence in Germany and lots of facilities for our troops in Germany. There have been hundreds of US troops wounded in Trump's Iran War so far. Where do US troops get evacuated to when they're wounded in the Middle East? They get evacuated to Germany because we have such a big troops presence there and lots of military facilities there to handle those things. Trump is now sending 5,000 American troops home from that crucial position.

As Americans suspect, he has no idea what he's doing. Take the battleships he wants built. Alex Henderson reports:

In December 2025, President Donald Trump announced that a World War 2-era battleship would be back in use. But defense technology has changed considerably since that war, which ended 81 years ago in 1945. And according to analysis from the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, the "Trump-class battleship" doesn't meet the needs of 21st Century defense and warfare and is absolute technologically.

Fortune's Jake Angelo, in an article published on May 3, explains, "Here's the issue: the U.S. Navy hasn't operated a battleship since the last Iowa-class vessel was retired in 1992 — a type of vessel which hasn't even been constructed since the mid-20th Century. The Trump-class battleship, which the Department of Defense is requesting upwards of $1 billion to build, will inherently be stuck in WW2, and would be rendered helpless against modern-day weapons. In fact, despite the billion-dollar price tag, Cato puts the true cost at $20 billion apiece, and it still won't be able to subvert modern-day, advanced anti-ship missiles."

Turning to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche,

Sarah K. Burris reports:

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made an appearance on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, where he was forced to admit that the term "8647" wasn't worth indicting someone over.

Since the arrest of former FBI Director James Comey, clothing bearing the message "86-47" has appeared all over Etsy and Amazon. During the show, host Kristen Welker pulled up the search on Amazon for such clothing and asked Blanche whether everyday Americans should expect a visit from the FBI and Secret Service for wearing such a shirt or for posting the numbers anywhere online.

Blanche was clear, no one is being targeted over "86-47" unless there is a reason to believe they are specifically threatening the president.

“This is not just about a single Instagram post,” Blanche said. “This is about a body of evidence that [prosecutors] collected over the series of about 11 months. That evidence was presented to the grand jury.”

CNN legal analyst and former prosecutor Elie Honig explained that the filing from the Justice Department makes it clear that it's only about the Instagram photo that Comey posted.

"If you look at the indictment, if you look at the statute that DOJ has chosen to charge here, if you look at the wording of the indictment, it's quite clear that Jim Comey's Instagram post with the seashells, that is the case. And the case is that post. So I'm skeptical," said Honig.

The legal expert doesn't think that the DOJ will find much that would materially change the meaning of the phrase "86-47" to be more threatening than what Comey posted and said.

Former prosecutor and ex-law school professor Glenn Kirschner explained that the comments dealt a blow to the Justice Department's case.

Blanche's press conference made it clear that the photo was part of a larger case involving "threatening the life of the president."

After showing the clip of Blanche promising that every post of "8647" "does not result in indictments," Kirschner asked, "Really? Todd?"

"He just admitted that there are countless, maybe thousands, tens of thousands of people posting, saying, wearing t-shirts that display that very same thing, and what did he say? 'No! They're not prosecuted for that!'" recalled Kirschner. "Why? Well, they're not Donald Trump's perceived enemies, are they?"

Steve Benen (MS NOW) notes of Blanche:

During his latest appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Donald Trump’s former defense lawyer, who’s launched an unsubtle campaign to persuade the president to nominate him as former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s successor, argued that people should stop talking about Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices gutting the Voting Rights Act and start instead talking about voter ID.

“Every time you walk into a restaurant or a club, you have to show your ID,” the acting attorney general told host Kristen Welker. “How about you have to show your ID to vote? That’s not anything that’s crazy, and that’s what we should be talking about.”

So, a few things.

First, treating the gutting of the Voting Rights Act as an inconvenience to be overlooked is ridiculous.

Second, I’ve been to plenty of restaurants, and I’ve never even heard of one that requires patrons to show identification at the door.

Third, the right to dine out is in no way comparable to the right to vote, as the acting attorney general really ought to understand.

But as important as these elements are, they’re not unfolding in a vacuum. Blanche is in the midst of an unannounced audition, which he’s trying nail through a series of unsubtle moves that include indicting people the president doesn’t like, advocating firing squads as a method of federal execution, releasing absurd reports critical of the Biden administration while gratuitously slamming Joe Biden himself, and intervening in support of Trump’s ballroom crusade.

So while the Republican lawyer’s “ID at restaurants” line was laughable, it wasn’t intended to persuade the public; it was intended to impress the president watching to see whether Blanche would embarrass himself in support of Trump’s agenda.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

The Fair Trusts for Fiscal Responsibility Act cracks down on tax avoidance and ensures that millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share

A conservative estimate projects Murray’s bill would generate $675 billion over ten years

Senator Murray: “The revenue from this bill alone could extend the ACA tax credits AND provide high quality child care for every working family in America.”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced the Fair Trusts for Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2026 to close tax loopholes used by the wealthiest Americans to avoid paying taxes through complicated trust arrangements. The legislation is co-led by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee.

“Firefighters and nurses don’t get to hide their money in a trust fund and skip out on paying their taxes—billionaires shouldn’t get to either,” said Senator Murray. “The very wealthiest Americans hide their fortunes in a trust for generations and call it tax planning—that is absurd and those are dollars that should be going to our schools, infrastructure, and health care. In America, if you earn a paycheck, you are paying taxes—it’s time to close the loophole that lets individuals with armies of lawyers stash away billions without paying taxes. This Republican Congress has bent over backwards to rig the system for billionaires. I am simply proposing that the ultra-wealthy—people with more than $50 million sitting in a trust—finally pay what they owe and contribute their fair share back to the country that made their success possible. I’ll bet that most Americans would prefer we fund child care and pre-k for every working family in this country rather than let billionaires get a free ride on their taxes. The revenue from this bill alone could extend the ACA tax credits AND provide high quality child care for every working family in America. If you don’t have more than $50 million laying around in a trust, you don’t have to worry about this bill resulting in anything other than better funded roads and public schools.”

“We cannot allow there to be ultra-wealthy dynasties in this country hoarding all the money and power for generations on end, and we cannot have a tax system that encourages it,” said Senator Wyden. “Our budgets suffer and economic opportunity bleeds away when the ultra-wealthy dodge taxes in America, so this bill is a smart way of ensuring the highest earners are paying a fair share just like nearly everybody else.”

Most Americans will not receive an inheritance, and for those that do, only those with assets exceeding $30 million—for a married couple—are required to contribute a portion through taxes, and even then, only on amounts over that substantial exemption. Fewer than 0.1% of Americans pay estate tax at all. These funds provide revenue that can be used for essential investments in our country, like schools or critical infrastructure. Yet many of the very wealthiest Americans use special trusts to delay, minimize, and avoid paying taxes. Experts estimate that hundreds of billions of dollars and potentially trillions of dollars are held in generation-skipping transfer tax exempt trusts that are not subject to the rule against perpetuities.

The Fair Trusts for Fiscal Responsibility Act addresses tax avoidance head on by applying a 1 percent rate on trust assets between $50 million and $100 million, 1.5 percent between $100 million and $250 million, 2 percent between $250 million and $1 billion, and 3 percent on assets above $1 billion. To ensure fairness, the bill provides full refundability of the withholding against estate tax liability so that only those actively avoiding transfer taxes face increased burdens, while also capping total withholding so it does not exceed estate tax owed. The legislation further strengthens compliance through new reporting requirements and penalties for noncompliance, while exempting charitable trusts, ERISA-qualified employee benefit trusts, and other trusts not typically used in estate planning.

A conservative estimate of a similar proposal indicates that Murray’s legislation would raise approximately $675 billion over ten years, noting, “even based on our low-end estimate of $4.5 trillion in GST-exempt trusts today, if those trusts face an average annual tax of 1.5% under the withholding tax, that is approximately $675 billion over ten years.” This could fund free school lunch for every kid in America, child care for every working family, and the replacement of every lead pipe in America; alternatively, the revenue could fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for decades, or extend the enhanced premium ACA tax credits nearly twice over.

In addition to Senators Murray and Wyden, the bill is also co-sponsored by Senators Van Hollen, Booker, and Alsobrooks.

The legislation is endorsed by Americans for Tax Fairness, Patriotic Millionaires, Public Citizen, Groundwork, Economic Security Project Action, NETWORK Lobby, National Women’s Law Center, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and United for a Fair Economy.

“A tax system that favors the rich makes America a poorer country for everyone, including the rich themselves. Working Americans can’t wait until later to pay taxes,” said Bob Lord,Senior Vice President for Tax Policy, Patriotic Millionaires. “Taxes are withheld from every one of their paychecks. So when ultra-rich Americans use trusts to delay paying estate tax for 50 years on billion-dollar fortunes left for their grandchildren, average Americans feel cheated. Sen. Murray’s Fair Trusts for Fiscal Responsibility Act would end this outrageous preferential treatment and restore a feeling of fairness to our tax system. Ultra-rich families wouldn’t make more tax payments. They’d just make more timely tax payments, like the rest of America does.”

“ATF applauds Senator Murray for introducing the Fair Trusts for Fiscal Responsibility Act,” said David Kass, Executive Director of Americans for Tax Fairness. “For decades, the wealthy have been able to hoard massive amounts of wealth and pass it down to future generations through key loopholes. The existing estate-tax exemption is so high ($30M for married couples) that only the wealthiest 0.1% of estates owe any tax. Yet wealthy families can further reduce what they pay through strategies like GRATs and dynasty trusts, leading to losses in revenue for public investments in education, healthcare, and more. This legislation would make key reforms to curb these abuses and rein in dynastic wealth in our country.”

Senator Murray is fighting for tax fairness and closing loopholes on Wall Street. Last month, at a Senate Budget Committee hearing on Social Security, Senator Murray slammed the Trump administration for gutting the Social Security Administration (SSA) and questioned witnesses on the fact that the very wealthiest Americans have the smallest effective payroll tax rate. Murray made clear that when it comes to addressing SSA solvency, there is no reason for working people to face drastic benefit cuts when the very wealthiest could simply pay their fair share.

In 2025, Senator Murray helped introduce the Carried Interest Fairness Act to eliminate a tax loophole that benefits wealthy money managers on Wall Street. The current carried interest loophole allows investment managers to often pay almost half the tax rate compared to most other Washington workers. Over the course of her career, Murray has long championed a fair tax system—rejecting Republican efforts to cut benefits for working people and repeatedly pushing for reforms to ensure the very wealthiest Americans simply pay their fair share. Murray has always recognized that the national debt and deficits pose real challenges; however, it has been her longstanding belief that America can reduce budget deficits while still investing in national priorities that support economic growth.

The full text of the legislation is HERE.

A one pager is HERE.

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The following sites -- plus Ruth's "Chump would love for everyone to live in a state of fear" -- updated: