Today in Politics, Bulletin 385. 5/22/26 Ron Filipkowski May 22 ∙ … Tulsi Gabbard resigned as DNI, joining the ranks of a long list of Trump appointees who have been fired, forced out, or quit. Gabbard: “Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.” … Reuters says Gabbard is not being honest about her reason for leaving: “Gabbard said her husband had been ‌diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer and that she was stepping away from her role to help him. A source familiar with the matter said that ​Gabbard had been forced out by the WH.” … Putting those two things together, my read is that Trump fired her shortly after her husband was diagnosed with bone cancer. Which is definitely something he would do since he has reportedly been furious at her because she is against the Iran war. His diagnosis made it the perfect time for Trump’s vindictive nature to come out. … Reuters: “Trump’s election-security czar last year sought to ban voting machines used in more than half of US states by asking whether the Commerce Dept could declare their components national-security risks. WH adviser Kurt Olsen, a lawyer Trump has tasked with proving widely debunked election-rigging conspiracy theories, pushed the plan to target Dominion Voting Systems machines.” … “The idea emerged as Olsen and other officials brainstormed about how the federal govt could take control over elections from US states, an idea publicly aired by Trump. Olsen wanted a national system of hand-counted paper ballots, a frequent Trump demand some election-security experts say would be less accurate and potentially riskier than the current system of machines with auditable paper trails that almost all cities and states use.” … “The plan to exclude the machines got far enough that in Sept, Commerce Dept officials began exploring what grounds could be invoked to execute it. It eventually collapsed, however, because Olsen and other admin staffers working with him failed to provide evidence to justify such a move.” … Marge Greene went on Alex Jones’ podcast where they predicted Trump will cancel the 2028 election. Greene referenced what Trump said to Zelensky last year: “So you say, during the war, you can’t have elections. You say during the war, you can’t have elections. So let me just see. Three and a half years from now, so you mean if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections? Oh, that’s good.” … Greene: “I’m concerned. And he said it jokingly. But at the same time, knowing President Trump, I looked at that, and I thought, I don’t know if he’s saying it, joking. Jones: “I remember that clip. That’s what psychos do.” … Greene noted that Trump continues to make comments about staying in power after 2028: “That type of behavior is someone planting an idea over and over. He constantly says it so that he can normalize the idea and test the support and test people’s reactions. But saying it over and over and over again normalizes the idea.” … “I think it’s incredibly dangerous, and no one should ever accept it. Absolutely, absolutely not. There cannot be a third term, no. That’s against our laws. That’s against the Constitution. There is no third term. And if this country is at war, no, our election should not be canceled, absolutely not.” … Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to CBS on Todd Blanche’s meeting yesterday with Republican senators over the $1.8 billion criminal slush fund: “There were fireworks at an epic level, and I got to say it's one of the roughest meetings I've seen in my entire time in the Senate. Fiery does not begin to cut it. They were screaming at the AG.” … Punchbowl: “Michael Whatley backs Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund. Whatley, the Republican candidate in NC’s Senate race, said he supports Trump’s $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponization’ fund that’s been the subject of intense criticism from GOP senators. Whatley: ‘We’ll kind of see how they implement it and what they’re going to do with it - they did ridiculous persecution.’” … Trump posted: “I gave up a lot of money in allowing the just announced Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward. I could have settled my case, including the illegal release of my Tax Returns and the equally illegal BREAK IN of Mar-a-Lago, for an absolute fortune. Instead, I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Admin, receive, at long last, JUSTICE!” … Gas market analyst Patrick De Haan: “16 states are on track to set new all-time Memorial Day gas price records this year, surpassing the highs set in 2022: AK, CO, HI, KY, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NM, OH, OR, SD, WA, WV, WY.” … “Democrats have opened up their widest lead on the generic ballot for the midterms in the latest Zogby poll - 49-42%. Still a long way to go but +7 in the generic ballot is considered tsunami territory.” … Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) told CNBC that all the polls are wrong: “These nonsense polls that are out there telling us how the the president has never had a lower approval rating - what last week showed everybody once again is Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Trump still holds the strength. There’s never been anybody like him.” … Nobody questions he has influence in Republican primaries in Kentucky and Louisiana. But that’s not exactly representative of the entire country. … Q - “You support the settlement the president made with himself? You feel that’s totally on the up and up? Emmer: Let’s see what it is when it comes over to the House. Host: No no. The settlement unto itself. Emmer: I wasn’t in the room, so I don’t know the details. Trump was absolutely raked by these people for years.” … Q - “The AG is the only person that could’ve gotten rid of these IRS audits, and it was Trump’s personal lawyer. It just smells bad. Emmer: It was so egregious what they did to Trump and his family - it’s one of the reasons he’s back in the office. America wants this cleaned up and Trump is gonna make sure it is.” … Trump was fuming about Thom Tillis many disagreements with him over the past few months: “People don’t remember that Thom Tillis, the weak and ineffective Senator from NC, didn’t have the courage to fight it out in the Senate, remain in place, and run again for office, a thing he desperately wanted to do. I called him a ‘Nitpicker,’ always fighting against the Republican Party, and ME, mostly on things that didn’t matter.” … “When I told him that I would not, under any circumstances, endorse him for another run, too much work and drama (he couldn’t have won, anyway!), he immediately quit the race and publicly announced that he was going to ‘retire.’ Now he can have all the fun he wants for a few months, with some of his RINO friends, screwing the Republican Party.” … Tillis responded: “Mr. President, completely agree about having a lot of fun over these next 7 months. But nitpicking? Some of your advisors are telling you to support things like: Using billions of taxpayer dollars to compensate convicted felons and thugs who attacked police. (Ed Martin) Pushing 50-year mortgages. (Bill Pulte) Using taxpayer money to transform publicly traded companies into state-owned enterprises. (Howard Lutnick) Firing our very best generals and not holding Putin accountable for his systematic kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of Ukrainian civilians. (Pete Hegseth) … “If opposing these things makes me a RINO, then I gladly accept that nickname. We need Republicans to do well in Nov, but the stupid stuff is killing our chances!” … Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) to Meidas on Congress being sent home early after failing to pass the reconciliation bill: “The finger-pointing on the Republican side of the aisle right now is intense. They can’t even pass their ICE funding bill that they are so obsessed with because they’re arguing about the ballroom and the slush fund and all kinds of other stuff, so they’re in full-on disarray.” … Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) to Meidas: Q - It seems like we're the lame duck era of Mike Johnson's speakership. Crow: That ship has sailed a long time ago. This guy has no control over his conference, no control over the Congress and the House floor.” … Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) to Meidas: Q - What happened with the War Powers vote? Olszewski: The Republicans don’t have the votes, so they decided to take their bags and run home instead. Q - So they didn’t have the votes to continue the war, so instead of stopping the war they went home. Olszewski: They closed up shop for the holiday, and in the meantime, the American people are paying tens of billions, we’re losing service members, and we’re getting crushed at the pump.” … House Budget Chair Jason Smith on CNBC: Host - “Inflation is higher now than it was when Trump took office. Smith: It is. Since the Iran conflict, inflation has ticked up. It’s the result of the skyrocketing gas prices. Host: It was up even before the war though. Smith: It was at 2.4, 2.5. Host: But headline was high. Smith: Can we do better? Absolutely.” … Lousiana Gov. Jeff Landry was on Fox to talk about his special envoy trip to Greenland: “It was great. I found a lot of commonality between the Inuit and Greenland people and the cajun culture down in LA. They do love and embrace the US. So contrary what you read in the paper, they do want more US involvement in Greenland.” … I watched a lot of footage of his trip. Nobody liked him. He got zero love, lots of scorn and ridicule. The Fox audience getting their daily diet of BS. … Landry: "Greenland needs a deal. Greenland could be exporting 2 million barrels of oil a day right now. Think about what kind of pressure that would relieve in the Strait of Hormuz, what kind of leverage that would give America. It's time for the Danes to come to the table and let's get a deal done." … Greenland journalist Orla Joelsen: “Greenland’s government suspended future oil exploration in 2021 due to climate, environment and fisheries concerns.” … NY Mag: “As John Fetterman isolates himself from many of his colleagues, one man named David Safier has had an increasingly large influence on him. When he is on Capitol Hill, Safier will ‘hang out and sit in Fetterman’s office all day or walk with him to the floor,’ a former staffer says.” … "The senator has isolated himself from many of his Senate colleagues and members of his own party. There are few who Fetterman seems to trust beyond his dad and brother, who are conservative; Bobby Maggio, his 2022 campaign manager; and now Safier. Safier has unofficially operated as a top campaign fundraiser and senior adviser. He has even set up and attended sensitive meetings with foreign officials; in some cases, he is the only person staffing those meetings." … “Fetterman has largely sidetracked other legislative matters, a current staffer said, and is now spending most of his time focusing on Israel. A few people working for Fetterman have even begun to joke that he is the ‘senator from Tel Aviv’. By early this year, many on Fetterman’s staff were incredulous and exhausted. In private, their boss was acting like a Republican, they say.” … “In January 2026, Fetterman sent to a group chat with staffers a screenshot of an article headline about how the average working family spends nearly $4,000 annually on health care. 'How should it cost? Free?' he complained in the text, which I obtained. 'I don’t understand what affordability it is.'" … NewsNation: “Today Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the US is pausing arms sales to Taiwan because of the war with Iran. ‘Right now we're doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury,’ Cao told Sen. Mitch McConnell.” … “Pete Hegseth has said ‘we have plenty’ when asked about munitions concerns. Last week, Trump said the $14 billion package of US arms to Taiwan that awaits his approval is a ‘very good negotiating chip’ with China.” … Sen. Lindsey Graham posted: “I believe the liberation of the wonderful people of Cuba from the clutches of communism is close at hand. Cuba Libre.” Trump is giving off signals that some kind of strike or military action could be happening in Iran or Cuba this weekend. I will note there is a report that Junior supposedly moved his wedding from the Bahamas to Palm Beach this weekend at the last minute. Would make sense for him not to be in the Bahamas if we are doing something in Cuba. I guess we will see. As for me, on my day off tomorrow we are going to a flower and plant festival where a bunch of local vendors will be selling different plants. We are moving into our new house in 3 weeks and looking for landscaping ideas. Next Bulletin will be out Sunday night recapping the weekend. Maybe it will be one about a new war. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … Axios: “DNC chair Ken Martin is facing a surge of anger and even some calls to resign from congressional Democrats following the release of the DNC’s 2024 election autopsy. The chaotic handling of the report builds on concerns among Dems about Martin’s leadership and the DNC’s anemic fundraising numbers compared to its GOP counterpart.” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA): “He should resign for his lack of leadership. It’s utterly nuts it took us this long to release the autopsy.” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) when a caller on a show told him Martin needs to go: “I agree. Having what we have right now is not doing it.” Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) to Semafor: “There doesn’t seem to be a plan to turn things around and the clock is ticking. I believe it’s time for him to move on.” Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX): “I just think the whole thing is odd, saying we’re going to this thing and we’ll release it, and then you don’t release it and then you do release it, it doesn’t give much confidence.” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) on whether Martin should resign: “It is not my place, but the status quo at the DNC should be cause for alarm for every Democrat in the country.” … “The DNC released what it says was its full, unredacted 2024 autopsy after months of pressure on Martin, who had initially signaled he would not release it. Martin said that he is ‘not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards and it won’t meet your standards.’ He said he didn’t release it initially because he “didn’t want to create a distraction. Ironically, in doing so, I ended up creating an even bigger distraction. And for that, I sincerely apologize.” …Robert Kagan in The Atlantic: “The outlines of Trump’s endgame in the Iran war are now emerging. In a phone call with Israeli PM Netanyahu, Trump reportedly explained that the US was negotiating a ‘letter of intent’ with Iran that would ‘formally end the war and launch a 30-day period of negotiations’ on Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.” … “The purpose and effect of such an agreement should be clear: The US is walking away from the crisis. Trump may launch another limited strike to look tough and satisfy the demands of the war’s supporters, but it would be a performative gesture. Endgame in this case is a euphemism for ‘surrender.’ … “Trump’s repeated threats to resume attacks since then have proved to be bluffs. The leaders in Tehran have been calculating for two months that Trump would not launch another attack, and for this reason they have made no concessions despite the damage they suffered from 37 days of relentless strikes. On the contrary, their terms for a settlement are those of a victor: They demand war reparations, no limits on uranium enrichment, recognized control of the strait, and an end to sanctions.” … “For Trump to respond to this defiance by now calling for another 30 days of cease-fire and talks is a tacit admission of defeat. If he does launch a performative attack in the next few days, the Iranians will understand it for what it is. No one believes that he is going to resume a full-scale war a month from now. Among other reasons, with 30 more days to heal, rearm, and fill its coffers with tolls, Iran will be a more formidable adversary.” … “On the present trajectory, Iran will emerge from the conflict many times stronger and more influential than it was before the war. It will exercise leverage with dozens of the richest nations in the world, all of which will have an acute interest in keeping Iran happy. They will be unlikely to take Israel’s side in any conflict that it has with Tehran or with its proxies in Lebanon and Gaza, because Iran will have the means to punish them if they do.” … “Israel will emerge more isolated than it has been at any time in its history—and not least from its only reliable protector, the US. When Trump turns his back on Israel, as he must do to implement this policy, MAGA will gladly follow. The bipartisan anti-Israel consensus in the US will grow and harden.” … Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker isn’t happy with the way things are looking: “We are at a moment that will define Trump’s legacy. His instincts have been to finish the job he started in Iran, but he is being ill advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on.” … “Our commander-in-chief needs to allow America’s skilled armed forces to finish the destruction of Iran’s conventional military capabilities and reopen the strait. Further pursuit of an agreement with Iran’s Islamist regime risks a perception of weakness. We must finish what we started. It is past time for action. … The Wrap: “Jimmy Kimmel aired a rerun on Thursday night in order to make room for Stephen Colbert’s final episode of ‘The Late Show.’ On Wed night, he instructed his ABC audience to tune in to CBS for the impending series finale: “We will be off tomorrow night out of respect for our colleague and friend Stephen Colbert, and the writers, producers and staff and crew at ‘The Late Show,’ whose final show on CBS airs opposite ours. I think you know how I feel about the fact that they’re being pushed out. I hope the people who did the pushing feel ashamed of themselves tonight - although, I know they probably won’t.” “But that being said, I think it is most important to congratulate Stephen and the team at ‘The Late Show’ for all the great work over the last 11 years and all the great work they will continue to do in other venues. Everyone at that show has always been very gracious to us. We never felt like we were competing against them. It was nothing like the old days of late-night. I always loved being on Stephen’s show. I loved having him on ours. I hope we’re able to do that again. I hope he comes to visit as many times as possible.” “And on behalf of everyone at our show, we want to say to everyone at your show: It has been a pleasure to work alongside you. I will be watching tomorrow night. I hope that those of you who watch our show will also tune in to CBS for the last time. Don’t ever watch it again, but watch tomorrow night to wish Stephen and our friends at ‘The Late Show’ a fond farewell.” … “OK. Now let’s talk about the asshole who forced them off the air.” … Trump posted: “Stephen Colbert’s firing from CBS was the ‘Beginning of the End’ for untalented, nasty, highly overpaid, not funny, and very poorly rated Late Night Television Hosts. Others, of even less talent, to soon follow. May they all Rest in Peace!” … New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh was sworn in today by Justice Clarence Thomas. In his speech he said he chose Thomas because he was "a brilliant and independent thinker, a man dedicated to our Constitution and, no less important. A joyful and collegial presence on our highest Court. My esteemed friend." … Debbie Wasserman Schultz: “Today, I’m announcing my candidacy for Florida’s 20th congressional district. I’ll continue to use my seniority in Washington to make Broward a safer, less expensive place to live, raise a family, and retire. We cannot let Trump and DeSantis take away Broward County’s power.” … Elijah Manley, who has been running in FL-20: “Debbie Wasserman Schultz is carpetbagging to FL-20, a black opportunity district instead of running in her own. DWS is everything that’s wrong with the Democratic establishment. From insider trading to payday lenders. I look forward to retiring her from public office permanently.” … Swedish economist and immigrant Anders Aslund: “I am a US citizen, but I have never in my life been so disappointed with the US. The reasons are many: The US people have elected a president who represent all the deadly sins. How could they do that? Are they so morally deprived? Lying has been normalized. Trump made it the standard. The US used to claim the non-partisan rule of law, but SCOTUS has been proven utterly corrupt and obedient to Trump. The US used to boast about its checks and balances, but they don’t exist. The republicans in Congress are obedient servants of one man. The US used to oppose corruption, but the Trump crime family is probably the most corrupt ruling family in the world. How can SCOTUS and the Republicans in Congress accept that? The US used to be considered a democracy, but massive gerrymandering and voter discrimination make US elections not very democratic. Reporters without Borders have rightly lowered the US to rank #64 in its sound World Press Freedom index. The US no longer has media freedom, because of extortion and oppression through defamation court cases. The US used to be the security guarantee of the free world, but Trump only praises Xi Jingping, Putin, Lukashenko and Kim Jong Un. … Is the US able to extract itself from the Trump trap, in which it has fallen so deeply?” … Elon Musk has been wrecked for weeks after director Christopher Nolan cast a black actress as Helen of Troy for his movie The Odyssey. He has posted multiple times a day about it since the announcement was made. This was today’s post: “Chris Nolan is an anti-white racist.” … Axios: “Trump Org has 25 Trump-branded real estate projects under development in 12 foreign countries - more than triple the number of Trump properties operating abroad before he returned to office. They include a $1 billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and a $500 million Trump Intl in Oman. Vietnam’s govt has moved to fast-track a Trump project despite legal objections.” … Forbes: Trump’s net worth today is $6.1 billion, up from $5.1 billion last year, $4.3 billion in 2024 and $2.4 billion in 2021. … Irish Star: “In 2017, Trump Org launched an official retail website, TrumpStore.com, which sells Trump-branded merchandise, from the president’s famous ‘Make America Great Again’ hats to T-shirts, glassware, and more. While Trump’s two older sons, Eric and Donald Jr., are listed as the leaders of the Trump Org, it is still owned by the president.” … “A new report found that the Trump Store continues to release hundreds of products - and he’s making an impressive profit from the merch. CREW - a nonpartisan nonprofit govt watchdog - released a new analysis finding that the Trump Store has launched at least 622 products since the start of Trump’s second term in office.” … “The site sells a range of products at various price points, with a men’s ‘Mar-a-Lago Mock Neck Pullover’ listed for $265, a classic red ‘45-47 MAGA Hat’ listed for $55, and a ‘MAGA Flag Pickleball Paddle’ priced at $180. If a supporter wanted to purchase every in-stock item from the Trump Store right now, it would cost $91,145.12 for the 1,492 items. At least 99 of those items directly reference the presidency.” … Trump posted that he is skipping Junior’s wedding this weekend: “While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the USA, do not allow me to do so. I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the WH during this important period of time. Congratulations to Don and Bettina!” … There is a greater than zero chance Trump will play golf the day of Junior’s wedding. Or bomb someone.