Steve is just finishing up the second leg of a bit of vacation time. He'll be back on Maddow Monday and this newsletter will return to normal. In the meantime, here are some stories we're watching... |
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WHAT'S ON RACHEL'S BLUESKY RADAR? |
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- What a paragraph.
"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that to calm the markets, the United States was thinking about releasing more from the Strategic Oil Reserve, which the administration had failed to refill to capacity in the run-up to the war. But more strikingly, he has discussed suspending sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea — in an effort to free up roughly 140 million barrels — as another way to tamp down prices."
(Eric Umansky shares New York Times)
- Holy smokes. Literally. This ending.
This use of religion—HIS preferred type of religion—-is unprecedented, unacceptable and deeply unAmerican.
Our troops and citizens come from many religions (and none). Not just his.
And they deserve and expect leadership that understands and respects that.- Hegseth: "My 13 year old son popped into my office last night while I was editing these remarks. He asked about the war and the families I met at Dover. I looked at him and said, 'They died for you, son. So your generation doesn't have to deal with a nuclear Iran.'"
(Paul Rieckhoff shares Aaron Rupar's video of Pete Hegseth)
- Well at least there's an art collector in charge of the Navy and a former junior co-host of Fox and Friends Weekend in charge of the Defense Department.
"It took more than 30 hours for sailors to put out the fire aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford last week, sailors and military officials said, as the beleaguered ship continued its monthslong slog through President Trump's military operations.
The fire started in the ship's main laundry area last Thursday. By the time it was over, more than 600 sailors and crew members had lost their beds and have since been bunking down on floors and tables, officials said.
The U.S. military's Central Command said two sailors received treatment for "non-life-threatening injuries." People on the ship reported that dozens of service members suffered smoke inhalation.
And in the category of non-life-threatening, but still not ideal, many sailors have not been able to do laundry since the fire.
The ship, along with its 4,500 sailors and fighter pilots, was in the Mediterranean on Oct. 24 when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered it to steam to the Caribbean to add weight to President Trump's pressure campaign on Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's leader before his seizure.
From the Caribbean, the carrier rushed to the Middle East for the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which is now in its third week."
(New York Times)
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OTHER STORIES WE'RE WATCHING |
- "After repeatedly expressing concern to federal officials that the city's water and sewer infrastructure is not capable of accommodating such an enormous facility, city officials revealed this week that they placed a lock on the warehouse's water meter — effectively cutting off water and sewer service from the empty warehouse before it can be converted. "
Georgia town defies ICE: No water for planned detention warehouse — Social Circle officials have repeatedly said the city's infrastructure can't sustain a large-scale detention facility.
(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- "In surprise testimony in federal court Thursday, an immigration officer revealed that more than 100 asylum seekers were wrongfully deported in violation of a court-ordered settlement agreement in a long-running case that has gotten national attention."
(Talking Points Memo)
- "I knew there was no place for me in the Justice Department if I was being asked to bring felony charges against these protesters in a way that would compromise my integrity," Mr. Barker said in a recent interview. "This was not an organized conspiracy. It was a protest where people were exercising their free-speech rights."
(New York Times)
- "Gregg Phillips, appointed in December to lead FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery, rose to prominence not through his time as a federal emergency management professional but as a far-right activist who spread conspiracy theories about voter fraud and frequently used violent rhetoric toward political opponents.
Most notably, Phillips on multiple podcasts made bizarre claims to have been involuntarily teleported, including once to a Georgia Waffle House 50 miles away."
(CNN)
- Some DHS contractors told White House officials they were asked to pay Corey Lewandowski — Some companies complained to the Trump administration that Lewandowski has stood to personally profit from the DHS contracting process. Lewandowski denies the allegations.
(NBC News)
- "Meritus Medical Center — the regional hospital serving the Hagerstown area — is already beyond capacity. More than 50 local doctors signed an open letter saying it cannot absorb this. And that pattern will repeat itself everywhere one of these facilities opens."
(Project Salt Box)
- Who is the biggest alleged grifter in the Trump administration?
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(Jen Psaki)
- "Royer Perez-Jimenez was 19 years old. He died by suicide at 3am on March 16 at Glades County Detention Center in Florida. He is the 2nd person to die in ICE custody this week, the 13th this year, and the 42nd under Trump. 🧵"
(Austin Kocher, PhD threads)
- NEW: Virginia lawmakers just passed a bill that'd forbid sheriffs and local police from contracting with ICE, if ICE doesn't say it'll follow state laws and agree to let its agents be prosecuted.
Everyone seems to agree that'd spell the end of ICE contracts in Virginia:
(Taniel shares Bolts)
- "You rarely see officeholders just straight up announce that they're bribing a candidate to drop out of a race with a publicly funded job - mind you, I've definitely seen them do it, they just tend to be a little hush-hush about it"
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