Trump Just Proclaimed Himself King and Above All Laws & Musk Fires Nuclear Workers, Then Realizes They're Crucial to America's Safety
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Kierkegaard expounds on our knack for avoiding the truth.
President Trump Suggests He’s Above the Law in Social Media Post Invoking Napoleon: If you haven’t started worrying yet about Trump’s plan to destroy democracy and crown himself king, start now.
Trump administration tries to bring back fired nuclear weapons workers in DOGE reversal: This would be a funny SNL skit if the consequences weren’t so serious.
Kareem’s Video Break: The joys of arriving home to a loved one.
Thousands rally against Trump in nationwide "Not My Presidents Day" protests: It’s great to see the kind of American spirit that started this country still on display.
A quarter of US shoppers have dumped favorite stores over political stances: This is one way Americans can express their displeasure.
Dismantling of federal efforts to monitor election interference creates opening for foreign meddling: The party that ranted against “fixed” elections just made election interference easier and more likely.
Kareem’s Kvetching Korner: Today, for the first time, I have two kvetches: The actor from The Night Agent makes a fool of himself—and how the new Bridget Jones movie is detrimental to women.
What I’m Watching on TV: Since January, Saturday Night Live has returned from the dead actually to be funny again—and relevant.
Kareem’s Sports Moments: Not sure what I’d call this, but it looked cool to watch.
Dinah Washington Sings “I Remember You”: This song is guaranteed to calm anyone down and make them sway with her singing.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”
Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Danish theologian, philosopher
There is one universal truth that most religions, philosophy, and art try to address: People are so influenced by external sources—friends, family, traditions, peers, society, etc.—that it’s difficult for them to see the world as it really is. It’s like walking barefoot through a field of broken glass but having such poor eyesight that the world is blurry and all these outside influences are describing what’s in front of you so you don’t slice up your feet. You have to take a leap of faith that the people describing the path you should take have your best interests at heart and not their own.
Or…
In literature, there is usually a place in the story where the protagonist has “an opportunity for insight,” where the character sees their life for what it really is. It’s as if a pair of glasses was placed on their face and the blur is gone. They can see all the paths ahead with absolute clarity and can choose the right one for themselves. However, in literature, as in life, that window closes rapidly so we must then choose “insight into action,” where we then act upon this new knowledge—or, out of fear, we do nothing and return to the same pattern of life we had before, blindly stumbling after leaders who tell us where to go, ignoring our bloody feet.
In stories, characters often see their past mistakes and can change their lives for the better. As poet Richard Wilbur wrote, “The past is never past redeeming.”
However, as today’s quote warns, too often people prefer to be fooled than put the glasses on, see reality, and take responsibility for their decisions. During the 2024 election, many experts from across the political spectrum warned that Trump, based on his previous behavior, would Godzilla his way through the buildings of America’s foundation. They offered evidence, facts, and statistics. America ignored them. Now all those dire predictions are coming true: the economy is wobbly, our allies fear us because we have shown that we care for nothing but ourselves, our democracy is being pecked to death by people with the intelligence of ducks, medical research has been decimated. We stand for nothing except as a shiny trophy to Trump’s ego, like his wives. Unfortunately, he’s treating us the way he has treated them.
One clear example of this disconnect is Mump’s (Musk/Trump) destruction of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the primary vehicle for U.S. foreign aid. The White House justified these cuts by issuing a statement titled “At USAID, Waste and Abuse Runs Deep.” In it, they accused USAID of being “unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight.” A fact-check of the statement by The Washington Post showed that 11 of the 12 claims against USAID are misleading, wrong, or lack context. Yet, people will believe it with a resounding “Amen!”
As to popular opinion, a majority of Americans believe that the US spends about 25% of its budget on foreign aid. Most Americans believe that amount should be cut down to 10%. The problem is that in reality, the U.S. spends less than 1% of the budget on foreign aid. Why are so many people so wrong when they have the facts right on their phones? How much easier it is for Trump and the GOP to manipulate public opinion when that same public doesn’t value truth.
To alter Dorothy Parker’s famous quote: You can lead the hordes to water, but you can’t make them think. But we have to try, because our lives, our futures, and our country depends on it. Enough with this go-with-your-gut crap. Let’s not romanticize lazy thinking. You’re not really “listening to your heart,” you’re listening to the voices that brainwashed you since childhood. Don’t want to be fooled? Gather credible information, listen to voices from all sides, and use reason to form opinions.
Then go out and save our country.
President Trump Suggests He’s Above the Law in Social Media Post Invoking Napoleon (Time)
SUMMARY: Donald Trump set off a firestorm of criticism over the weekend with a tweet.
It might seem like nothing new, but critics say the President’s recent post is more than controversial—they say it’s dictatorial.
“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social as well as on Elon Musk’s X platform (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. The White House account on X also shared the message alongside Trump’s official presidential photograph.
MY TAKE: If you’re surprised by this statement, then you haven’t been paying attention to the news for the last six weeks. Trump has been making the case that he alone is above the laws and the U.S. Constitution. In making this statement, Trump has effectively crowned himself King of the United States.
In fact, we directly said that! Reported The Guardian: On Wednesday, following a letter issued by his transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, to the New York governor, Kathy Hochul, that ended the transportation department’s agreement with New York over a new congestion pricing program for Manhattan, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
Said one NYC council member, “Doesn’t matter what [yo]u think of congestion pricing, federal government doesn’t get to make this decision. NY State passed a law, USDOT approved it. No matter what corrupt deal Donald Trump made with the Mayor, he isn’t king. Only fools concede to false power.” (For more fools, see today’s daily quote.)
Are you afraid yet, Trump supporters?
This fits with his behavior: Do things that are against the law and when those actions are challenged in court, complain that the courts are corrupt or don’t have the authority. Sadly, this has been working for him thanks to Republicans who care more about their careers than the country.
Last year, the Trump-stacked Supreme Court ruled that presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken within their “constitutional authority” and presumptive immunity for other official acts, but that: “The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law.” I don’t take much hope in this ruling since it came right after expanding his immunity to avoid criminal prosecution. We can’t count on SCOTUS to defend the Constitution, even though that is literally their only job.
The prevailing thinking among Republicans in Washington, D.C. is that they can do whatever they want and people will let them because they’re too afraid or too weary to fight back. True, America has shown signs of fatigue in fighting this political virus that drains our resolve. But the Revolutionary War was fought for eight years! Eight years!
That persistence is our legacy. That commitment is our duty.
Trump administration tries to bring back fired nuclear weapons workers in DOGE reversal (AP)
SUMMARY: The Trump administration has halted the firings of hundreds of federal employees who were tasked with working on the nation’s nuclear weapons programs, in an about-face that has left workers confused and experts cautioning that DOGE’s blind cost cutting will put communities at risk.
Three U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late Thursday, with some losing access to email before they’d learned they were fired, only to try to enter their offices on Friday morning to find they were locked out. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
One of the hardest hit offices was the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, which saw about 30% of the cuts. Those employees work on reassembling warheads, one of the most sensitive jobs across the nuclear weapons enterprise, with the highest levels of clearance.
The hundreds let go at NNSA were part of a DOGE purge across the Department of Energy that targeted about 2,000 employees.
“The DOGE people are coming in with absolutely no knowledge of what these departments are responsible for,” said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, referencing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team. “They don’t seem to realize that it’s actually the department of nuclear weapons more than it is the Department of Energy.”
By late Friday night, the agency’s acting director, Teresa Robbins, issued a memo rescinding the firings for all but 28 of those hundreds of fired staff members.
MY TAKE: So, you give the keys to the kingdom to unqualified computer people, aged 19 to early twenties, led by a megalomaniac too rich to care about the consequences, and here’s where we end up. Accidentally firing people responsible for nuclear warheads, managing nuclear waste so it doesn’t contaminate communities, and running the $750 billion nuclear weapons modernization effort. Both our national security and our domestic safety are now at severe risk.
When Robbins tried to rehire the NNSA staff, she was unable to locate some and others said they were weighing whether or not they wanted to return to such a chaotic agency run by unstable leaders.
Deputy division director Rob Plonski posted, “This is a pivotal moment. We must decide whether we are truly committed to leading on the world stage or if we are content with undermining the very systems that secure our nation’s future.”
Kareem’s Video Break
We should all be so lucky to have someone waiting for us with such eagerness. This kind of unconditional love is what makes coming home so meaningful.
Quick Takes
A new feature of mini-takes on news items.
“Thousands rally against Trump in nationwide "Not My Presidents Day" protests” (Axios): The political reality of the Trump/Musk rampage is finally showing up. A recent Economist/YouGov poll has shown Trump's approval rating and personal popularity both falling over the past two weeks: Today Americans are less likely to approve of Trump (46%) than to disapprove (48%), and less likely to view him favorably (46%) than unfavorably (52%). This is a significant change from just a few weeks ago. That public attitude was reflected in the numerous protest marches across the country decrying Trump’s policies. This is only the beginning, I hope.
“A quarter of US shoppers have dumped favorite stores over political stances” (The Guardian): The people are speaking out—this time through their wallets. A new Harris poll shows Americans changing their spending habits to express their moral views: “A quarter (24%) of respondents have even stopped shopping at their favorite stores because of their politics (Black: 35%, gen Z: 32%, Democratic: 31%).” The poll also found that 36% of Americans are choosing to remove themselves from the economy, cutting back on spending as a passive boycott. Said John Gerzema, CEO of Harris Poll, “Instead of demanding more, they’re simply disengaging with the marketplace and businesses who disappoint them.” I have also stopped shopping at businesses that voluntarily abandoned DEI programs.
“Dismantling of federal efforts to monitor election interference creates opening for foreign meddling” (AP): Remember how adamant Trump and his followers were about the 2020 election being stolen? How many of the advisors Congress recently confirmed admitted they still believe it was stolen? In response to nothing (since no evidence of election fraud was ever provided), GOP-led states across the country passed “election integrity” laws aimed at making it harder for the poor, students, and minorities to vote. Now, Republicans have removed all pretense that they care about election integrity. In a stunning display of hypocrisy, new Attorney General Pam Bondi (who claims the 2020 election was stolen) disbanded an FBI task force dedicated to investigating foreign influence operations, including those that target U.S. elections. During each election, Iran, Russia, and China have exerted more influence through effective campaigns of disinformation. Bondi just removed our defenses against that. “Our adversaries are upping their game every day,” said former Department of Homeland Security cyber chief Suzanne Spaulding. “I’m worried that we are, at the same time, tearing down our defenses.”
Kareem’s Kvetching Korner
For the first time, I’m expanding my Kvetching Korner to include two items of little consequence that irritate me nevertheless.
Night Agent star who played JD Vance in Hillbilly Elegy condemns actors who get political (The Guardian)
SUMMARY: The [Night Agent] actor who portrayed JD Vance in the Oscar-nominated film Hillbilly Elegy before the latter man became the vice-president of the US has said his fellow thespians should “shut the fuck up” rather than express their political opinions.
…[Gabriel] Basso added: “We’re court jesters. We’re entertaining. We’re public servants. We’re there to perform, to entertain, and then all of sudden, the jester, because he’s in the courtroom starts to be like: ‘I might want to go sit on the throne!’”
MY TAKE: There are so many examples of bad logic here, but I’ll start with the most obvious. By saying actors shouldn’t give opinions about politics, he’s actually giving his opinion about politics. He’s saying that entertainers should not exercise their free speech rights because they are just show people. The more logical opinion would be to caution anyone from taking the political opinions of someone too seriously simply because you like the characters they play. But he attacks the speaker rather than the listener—and expects us to listen to him because he’s an entertainer. As is typical of many irrational people, Basso wants to stop free speech rather than educate the listener.
I also want to point out his odd metaphor about entertainers being court jesters who want to sit on the throne. In fact, the actors he’s ranting against haven’t tried to claim the throne but merely described who they would prefer to sit on the throne. There is some irony in the fact that Trump rose to fame as a reality TV star—a jester—who then claimed the throne—the presidency.
Famous people—like myself—may have access to a bigger megaphone, but it’s up to the people to use reason to weigh the merit of what is being said. Not silence them as Basso would prefer. He’s just given us ample reason not to listen to his opinions, though he’s free to offer them.
Why the New Bridget Jones Movie Is Bad for Women (and Why That’s Important)
[Spoiler Alert: Important plot details will be revealed.]
The fourth movie in the popular franchise, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, is now streaming on Peacock. It’s a pretty standard rom-com with some touching and funny moments. But, while it purports to be a movie about empowering women in their fifties, it actually does the exact opposite.
All genre movies have certain requirements, which is why we love the ones we do. The mystery will have a body and the murderer will be uncovered by the end. The action movie will feature a tough hero/heroine who overcomes a formidable villain. The rom-com will have a cute meet, a pulling apart, and a reconnection. When these expectations aren’t met, we are disappointed, even angry. The challenge for the moviemakers is to find ways to be original within that tight structure.
The movie’s failure to provide much originality isn’t just a plot issue, it’s a deep failure for women. Jones is still experiencing understandable grief four years after the death of her husband (Colin Firth). One night, she has a convenient epiphany and wakes up the next morning ready to embrace life again. We should be cheering her on (despite the unconvincing suddenness) as she balances being a mother with going back to work and looking for love.
But here’s the problem: When the movie wants to portray Jones as attractive (and able to have a handsome 28-year-old fall in love with her), it does so by making her dance around like a teenager, complete with a Risky Business-like montage. She walks stiffly like an adorable classroom nerd, always has her mouth open as if she doesn’t understand anything that’s happening to her. She’s meant to be quirky and lovable but just seems childlike. Basically, she’s Zooey Deschanel in New Girl, only 25 years older. Why would acting like a non-threatening, passive dork be what’s attractive in a middle-aged woman? Rather, it should be her wit, intelligence, confidence, and the passions in her life that define her.
The movie wants us to believe she’s very smart and informed by giving us one scene where she rattles off questions for an interviewer to ask a politician. But we never again see her do anything interesting at work, nor does she ever read a newspaper or discuss current events. Instead, she dresses like a pixie and giggles. She also argues with her son’s science teacher because he criticized the boy’s diagram of the layers of the atmosphere for including Heaven at the top. It’s a science class! All of this diminishes mature women by telling them they must act like guileless children if they want to be attractive to men.
The story wanted to be a modern Jane Austen-type comedy of social manners, but Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice was fiercely intelligent, never pandered to expectations of what a woman should be, and would not be bullied. Yet, she was also filled with compassion for her family and everyone in her community. There are many admirable women in rom-coms, including Andie MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Martine McCutcheon in Love Actually, Rachel Weisz in About a Boy, and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday.
The movie did the exact opposite of what it pretends to do.
What I’m Watching on TV
Saturday Night Live
When SNL first appeared in 1975 I was 28-years-old. Society was in turmoil with the Vietnam War, and the numerous protests about free speech, women’s rights, gay rights, and, of course, civil rights. Ten years earlier, The Smothers Brothers Show had tried to infuse social and political comedy into their variety show and were relentlessly censored until finally being canceled after one season. SNL took up the challenge to satirize politics and pop culture. For me, the show spoke to my age and my politics like no other ever had. Seeing performers like Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor satirizing racism on TV when most shows pretended there was no such thing (pretty much like today) was empowering.
For the past ten years, SNL has been a bit tepid. Most of the skits seemed poorly written as if they were content on amusing themselves rather than an audience. Sometimes there would be a gem of a sketch, but it was surrounded by too much dullness. Only Weekend Update was consistently funny. I only watched it on occasion, hoping for that same spark it used to have. I was usually disappointed.
That changed in January 2025. Three shows in a row—hosted by Martin Short, Timothée Chalamet, and Dave Chapelle—were actually funny all the way through. Chapelle’s opening monologue was one of the best in years. Short and Chalamet’s monologues were also funny. Add to that, last week’s 50-year celebration show featuring many stars from previous casts as well as guest hosts, and you have a resurgence of the irreverent wit and rebellious spirit that first made the show a hit.
If, like me, you’ve abandoned the show for its lack of energy and good writing, I suggest you give it another try, starting with these three episodes. I’m cautiously optimistic that it may be on the path once again of being a voice for generations in search of their country.
Kareem’s Sports Moments
Sometimes I wonder how people come up with the idea of trying something like this.
Kareem’s Jukebox Playlist
Dinah Washington: “I Remember You” (1959)
This album was released in 1959 and is one of my favorites. It’s especially effective when listened to on a rainy day while staring at the falling drops. I hope to get around to featuring every song from this album in the coming years.
Dinah Washington (1924-1963) was a blues and jazz singer known as “Queen of the Blues” as well as “Queen of the Jukeboxes.” (How I miss plunking a quarter into a jukebox and picking five great songs while I ate a hamburger and fries.) Her background was gospel music but her talent couldn’t be contained. For a while, she sang in the upstairs room of the Garrick Stage Bar in Chicago while Billie Holiday sang in the downstairs room. Jazz great Lionel Hampton hired her to sing with his band. After she started her solo career, she had 27 R&B top-10 hits.
“I Remember You” was written by Johnny Mercer and Victor Schertzinger, but Washington imbues it with such passion and conviction that it will embed itself inside you. I’ve been listening to it for 66 years and it still affects me.
Your Soren Kierkegaard quote:
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. And when the magaites now cry and moan about what the the two kings (or is one just a pretender) are doing to our country, then we can just say that's what you voted for. Why are you crying? Or something I read earlier here on Substack: it's stupidity, stupid. I never thought I would see the dismantling of our government and rule of law and disloyalty to our country in such rapid fashion and the willingness of the succubus to bow down without any conscience or ethical center or morality. It will come back upon them. All of them. Evil begets evil and will devour those who willingly wallow in it. The pup and the school boy. So adorable! Dogs are really wonderful. And thank you for Dinah Washington and I Remember You. Love that song.
Have a great weekend Kareem. Stay strong, be well and happy. Peace and Love.✌️♥️
A couple of weeks ago, my grandson discovered that someone had pilfered his entire savings from his first job. It took them all of four hours to empty his account. A lesson he needed to learn about taking care of his money. Now, here we stand with “Mumps,” where inflammation to our Treasury is their bottom line. We sit watching, helpless—prey to a feckless congress. They have the power, but no guts! Kareem, I wished they did have the intelligence of ducks, at least they take care of their own. Mumps is a perfect name, by the way.