Category: Corruption

Trump’s Venezuela Coup Shaped by Chevron Executive

Trump’s military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, was shaped by former Chevron executive Ali Moshiri, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal. Moshiri advised the CIA months before the Trump administration’s attack and takeover, recommending that Venezuela’s then-Vice President Delcy Rodríguez replace Maduro rather than opposition leader Maria Machado, despite Republican supporters backing Machado as the clear successor.

Hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump dismissed the idea of Machado leading Venezuela, claiming she lacked “support or respect within the country”—a position consistent with Moshiri’s earlier counsel to the administration. Moshiri left Chevron in 2017 and ended his consulting relationship with the company in 2024, yet his influence over Trump’s decision directly affected Venezuela’s political future and economic direction.

Investigative journalists identified a clear conflict of interest in this arrangement. Antonia Juhasz wrote that Moshiri, functioning as a CIA informant, “told Trump to ditch democracy and go for Rodriguez ’cause she’d secure the oil.” Kenneth Vogel of The New York Times noted that the secret CIA assessment backing Rodríguez was based on Moshiri’s advice and that “the oil company stands to profit from Trump’s decision to heed that advice.”

The revelation prompted stunned reactions from major media figures. New York Times columnist Lydia Polgreen described the story as one that “pulls back the curtain on how the world really works,” while journalists compared the arrangement to the 2005 film Syriana, which dramatized corporate manipulation of foreign policy. The disclosure demonstrates how Trump’s abuse of power extends to allowing corporate interests to determine military operations and regime change.

(Source: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2676159147/)

Trump Admin Investigates 13 States Over Abortion Coverage

The Trump administration launched investigations into 13 states requiring health insurance coverage of abortion, claiming these policies violate the Weldon Amendment, a federal provision that protects health entities from being forced to cover or refer for abortion services. The targeted states are California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, with all but Vermont led by Democratic governors. The administration reinterpreted the Weldon Amendment to apply to employers and health plan sponsors, a position the Biden administration rejected.

Paula M. Stannard, director of the HHS civil rights office, stated the investigations aim to address states’ “alleged disregard of, or confusion about, compliance with the Weldon Amendment,” asserting that health care entities are protected from state discrimination for refusing abortion coverage based on conscience. The Trump administration sent letters to the states demanding information to support its legal theory that state abortion coverage mandates violate federal law by preventing employers and insurers from opting out.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill characterized the investigation as “nothing but a fishing expedition wasting taxpayers’ money,” defending her state’s requirement that health insurance plans comply with all applicable laws protecting reproductive freedom. Legal experts note the Weldon Amendment’s text does not explicitly mention employers or plan sponsors among protected health care entities, potentially undermining the administration’s interpretation. Elizabeth Sepper, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, identified the investigations as fulfillment of commitments made to the religious right through Project 2025.

The dispute reflects a partisan pattern in interpreting conscience laws. During Trump’s first term in 2020, his administration attempted to withhold federal health care funding from California over Weldon Amendment violations, but the Biden administration reversed that decision upon taking office. The question of whether the amendment applies to employers and plan sponsors has never been definitively resolved in court, leaving the legal interpretation contested.

(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-administration-launches-investigation-states-170346571.html)

Olympic Bobsledder Awards Trump Medal for IVF Expansion

Bobsled athlete Kaillie Armbruster Humphries presented an Olympic medal to President Trump at a White House Women’s History Month event in March 2026, thanking him for expanding in vitro fertilization treatments that enabled her to become a mother. Armbruster Humphries, a six-time Olympic medalist and naturalized U.S. citizen from Canada, won two bronze medals at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after being told she could not compete as a mother, delivering her son Aulden in June 2024 following two and a half years of IVF treatments.

The athlete credited Trump’s executive actions on reproductive access and his ban on transgender women competing in women’s sports as meaningful contributions to her Olympic success. She stated that presenting the Olympic Order of Ikkos medal, which athletes may award to individuals who aided their path to the podium, was historically significant, claiming it marked the first time a president received such an honor from an Olympic athlete.

Armbruster Humphries debuted at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics competing for Canada before switching to Team USA in 2019, earning U.S. citizenship in 2021. At Milan Cortina, she won bronze in the women’s monobob on February 16 and partnered with Jasmine Jones to earn a second bronze in the two-woman bobsled on February 21.

Trump responded briefly to the presentation, stating “I knew I liked her. That’s really nice,” according to reporting from USA TODAY. Armbruster Humphries used the platform to encourage mothers to pursue their goals without self-imposed limitations, framing her Olympic success as validation of her personal journey to motherhood and athletic achievement.

(Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2026/03/12/kaillie-armbruster-humphries-bobsled-donald-trump-olympic-medal/89125971007/)

FCC Chair Carr Threatens License Revocation Over Trump Coverage

FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcast licenses on Saturday, directly echoing Trump’s criticism of media coverage of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. Carr stated on social media that broadcasters running “hoaxes and news distortions” would “lose their licenses” during renewal periods, though he cited no specific networks or stories. The threat followed Trump’s Truth Social post attacking news coverage of five U.S. tanker aircraft in Saudi Arabia, claiming networks falsely reported damage when “four of the five had virtually no damage.”

Trump has repeatedly demanded license revocation for negative coverage, telling reporters in September 2025 that networks covering him negatively should “maybe” have their licenses revoked and that the decision would be “up to” Carr, whom he appointed. In August, Trump said NBC and ABC “give me 97% BAD STORIES” and he would be “totally in favor” of revoking their licenses. This pattern mirrors earlier instances where Trump administration pressure preceded consequences, such as when Carr demanded patriotic content from broadcasters and Kimmel’s show was pulled from air in mid-September after Carr called Kimmel’s remarks “a very, very serious issue.”

The FCC’s own website states that the “First Amendment and the Communications Act expressly prohibit the Commission from censoring broadcast matter” and that its role in overseeing broadcast content “is very limited.” The agency issues eight-year licenses to individual broadcast stations, not to television networks themselves. Carr did not identify which specific stories he believed were distorted or provide evidence contradicting any reporting.

Some Republicans including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz stated Carr went too far, yet Trump defended his appointee, saying “I think Brendan Carr is doing a great job.” Trump’s direct control over agency actions targeting his media critics demonstrates the weaponization of federal authority against news organizations that report unfavorably on his administration.

(Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/fcc-brendan-carr-threat-news-networks-broadcast-license/)

Trump Goon Stages Public Meltdown After Judge Humiliates Her

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro experienced a public meltdown during a press conference after Federal District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg ruled against her office’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Judge Boasberg determined that Pirro’s probe was motivated by President Donald Trump’s desire to remove Powell and lower interest rates, blocking subpoenas the office had issued to the Federal Reserve Board.

Pirro denounced the ruling as “outrageous” and “the antithesis of American justice,” claiming it had “neutered the grand jury’s ability to investigate crime” and granted Powell immunity. She vowed to appeal the decision while attacking Powell for posting a video announcing the subpoenas, accusing him of calling “friends” to “gin up support for himself.” Her comments demonstrated how Trump’s weaponization of the DOJ against perceived enemies extended to targeting the Federal Reserve chairman.

During the question-and-answer session, Pirro became hostile toward reporters. When asked about her office’s failure to prosecute six Democratic members of Congress who posted a video reminding military personnel they can refuse unlawful orders, she erupted, declaring she was “not here to talk about six members of Congress” and dismissing the question with visible irritation.

The press conference deteriorated further when Pirro screamed at a final reporter to “cut it out,” then launched into an incoherent tirade about her prosecution record compared to her predecessor. She boasted about prosecuting cases at higher rates than the previous U.S. Attorney, then abruptly ended the event and left the stage without further comment.

The incident exemplifies how Trump appointees use federal law enforcement to target political adversaries while misusing the machinery of justice. Pirro’s abuse of power in pursuing a baseless investigation against Powell, combined with her failure to prosecute Trump’s political allies and her hostile reaction to legitimate scrutiny, underscores the authoritarian capture of federal institutions under Trump’s direction.

(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-goon-stages-public-meltdown-232814034.html)

Trump Administration Extracts $10B Fee From TikTok Deal Investors

The Trump administration is set to receive approximately $10 billion from investors who gained control of TikTok’s U.S. operations through a deal completed in January 2026. Investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX paid the Treasury Department $2.5 billion when the deal closed and committed to making additional payments totaling $10 billion, according to sources familiar with the transaction. This arrangement represents an abuse of power, as Trump personally negotiated compensation for his administration’s role in facilitating the deal.

Trump explicitly justified the government fee by claiming the size of the deal and effort invested by his administration warranted compensation. In September, Trump stated that “The United States is getting a tremendous fee-plus” and indicated he did not want to “throw that out the window,” demonstrating his direct involvement in securing financial benefit for the executive branch. The administration’s extraction of $10 billion from private investors for brokering a transaction is nearly unprecedented, according to historians cited in reporting.

The deal structure allowed Trump-friendly investors to take control of TikTok’s U.S. operations from Chinese parent company ByteDance while the government extracted billions in fees. The new U.S. entity running TikTok operations is valued at approximately $14 billion in the deal, which tech analysts have characterized as dramatically undervaluing the company. This arrangement demonstrates how Trump weaponized regulatory authority to extract personal and governmental advantage from the TikTok situation.

Trump’s fee arrangement violates the separation of powers by allowing the executive branch to profit directly from private commercial transactions it facilitates. The payment structure, where investors loyal to Trump’s administration gain operational control while enriching the government, exemplifies how Trump uses public office for financial gain. This transaction contradicts Trump’s populist rhetoric about fighting for ordinary Americans while demonstrating his pattern of enriching himself and allies through governmental authority.

(Source: https://www.wsj.com/tech/tiktok-deal-fee-trump-administration-5aa31c9f)

Trump Orders U.S. Agencies to Stop Using Anthropic AI Tech After Pentagon Standoff – The New York Times

Trump ordered federal agencies to cease using Anthropic’s artificial intelligence technology on Friday, attacking the company as “radical Left” and claiming its leadership lacks understanding of reality. Within 13 minutes of Trump’s announcement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally designated Anthropic a “supply-chain risk to national security,” barring any military contractor from conducting business with the company, a designation previously reserved for foreign adversaries rather than American firms.

Anthropic had resisted Pentagon demands for unfettered access to its AI systems without safety guardrails, citing two specific concerns. The company refused to allow its AI models to be deployed in autonomous weapons systems, arguing current models are unreliable and would endanger American troops and civilians, and rejected use of its technology for mass domestic surveillance, which it characterized as violating fundamental rights.

Legal experts characterized the Pentagon’s action as unprecedented and legally vulnerable. Anthropic stated it would challenge the designation in court, calling it historically reserved for U.S. adversaries and warning the move establishes a dangerous precedent for American companies negotiating with the government. The company had attempted good faith negotiations with the Pentagon over acceptable uses of its AI technology for national security purposes.

The confrontation reflects Trump’s pattern of weaponizing government authority against corporations that resist his demands, consistent with his broader efforts to remake federal institutions and eliminate independence from executive control. Hours after Anthropic’s designation, OpenAI announced a deal with the Defense Department to provide AI technology for classified military systems, demonstrating Trump’s preference for companies willing to comply without restrictions.

(Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/us/politics/anthropic-military-ai.html)

Trump Claims He’s Entitled to Illegal Third Term

President Donald Trump declared Friday that he is “entitled” to an unconstitutional third term, stating at a Texas port event, “Maybe we do one more term…we are entitled to it.” This assertion follows his State of the Union address Tuesday, where he repeated his false claim that Democrats stole the 2020 election and characterized a third term as rightfully his, contradicting the 22nd Amendment, which limits presidents to two terms.

Trump has repeatedly alluded to extending his presidency beyond constitutional limits, admiring authoritarian leaders like Chinese President Xi Jinping, who eliminated term limits in 2018. Republican allies including Senator Lindsey Graham and convicted fraudster Steve Bannon, whom Trump pardoned, have publicly backed a third term for Trump’s administration. A constitutional amendment enabling a third term remains impossible by 2028, forcing Trump and his allies to pursue alternative strategies centered on voter suppression.

Right-wing activists are drafting an executive order granting the president “extraordinary power over voting,” according to reporting by The Washington Post. The draft order, published by Democracy Dockets in April 2025, contains numerous errors and falsely cites Chinese election interference as justification, despite the Office of the Director of National Intelligence concluding no such interference occurred. National security expert Marc Polymeropoulos characterized the draft order as “authoritarian.”

The effort to suppress voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections demonstrates Trump’s systematic abuse of power to manipulate electoral outcomes rather than pursue legitimate constitutional amendments. Trump’s cabinet meetings have showcased alarming acceptance of authoritarian governance, while banners displaying Trump’s image on federal buildings signal his control over government institutions. These actions construct the infrastructure for permanent authoritarian rule.

(Source: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2675435238/)

Trump’s Surgeon General Pick Dodges Vaccine Questions at Senate

Casey Means, Donald Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general, testified before the Senate health committee on Wednesday and repeatedly declined to directly answer questions about vaccine guidance. Despite graduating from Stanford School of Medicine, Means does not have an active medical license, did not complete her surgical residency, and is not board-certified, instead building her career as a wellness influencer aligned with health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s vaccine skepticism.

When pressed by Republican Senator Bill Cassidy on whether she would encourage routine childhood vaccinations like the MMR vaccine, Means avoided a direct answer and instead emphasized parental “autonomy” in medical decisions. She similarly sidestepped questions about whether vaccines cause autism, a discredited theory promoted by Kennedy, and declined to affirm whether the flu vaccine prevents hospitalization, instead offering only that it prevents severe illness “at a population level.”

Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders expressed serious concerns about Means’s ability to counteract Kennedy’s disinformation about vaccine safety and efficacy at a time when measles outbreaks are spreading across the country, including the worst outbreak in South Carolina in over 30 years. Means also faces significant conflicts of interest stemming from undisclosed financial partnerships with wellness products, with Senator Chris Murphy noting apparent violations of Federal Trade Commission rules regarding compensation for product promotion.

Under Kennedy’s direction at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Trump administration has terminated grants, driven out career public health experts, and installed anti-vaccine loyalists to the immunization advisory committee despite Kennedy’s assurances during his own confirmation that he would not interfere with its composition. Means’s nomination represents a direct threat to evidence-based public health policy, with former Surgeon General Richard Carmona calling it a “disgrace” and stating the role requires “a real leader” equipped to combat disinformation.

Means abandoned her medical residency after becoming “disillusioned with traditional healthcare” and co-founded a glucose-monitoring company while co-authoring a book with her brother, a Kennedy adviser, arguing that metabolic health offers alternatives to conventional medicine. This is Trump’s second surgeon general nomination; his first nominee, Dr Janette Nesheiwat, was withdrawn after reports of misleading medical credentials emerged.

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/25/casey-means-surgeon-general-nominee)

Trump Demands Netflix Fire Susan Rice Over Corporate

President Trump demanded Netflix fire Susan Rice, a board member since 2023, after Rice criticized corporations that capitulate to Trump’s agenda. In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump called Rice a “racist, Trump Deranged” political hack with “no talent or skills,” threatening Netflix with unspecified consequences if the company did not comply immediately. Trump’s attack followed a video clip shared by Laura Loomer showing Rice warning that companies bowing to Trump will face accountability from Democrats if they return to power.

Rice, former National Security Adviser and U.N. Ambassador under President Obama, stated that corporations, law firms, universities, and media entities taking a knee to Trump will not fare well. She argued their capitulation represents short-term self-interest and predicted they will be held accountable by future Democratic administrations for firing employees and abandoning principles. Rice specifically challenged the assumption that Democrats would forgive such actions, saying corporations have “another thing coming” if they expect leniency.

The timing of Trump’s attack coincides with Netflix’s efforts to close a $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery while facing Department of Justice scrutiny over potential harm to consumers. Trump’s demand for Rice’s firing exploits regulatory vulnerability as competing bidders, including Paramount Skydance, attempt to block the merger and acquire WBD themselves. Rice has previously criticized Trump initiatives, including his dismantling of federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and his defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth.

Trump’s demand weaponizes his presidential authority to pressure a major media company into firing a corporate board member for expressing political speech. This attack exemplifies Trump’s use of regulatory power and public threats to silence critics and enforce loyalty, directly targeting someone who warned corporations against capitulating to his administration.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-demands-netflix-fire-racist-susan-rice-after-ex-obama-ambassador-slammed-companies-that-take-a-knee-to-potus/)

1 … 5 6 7 8 9 … 47