No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Friends, the "Big, Beautiful Bill" that's supposed to transform MAGA aspirations into the law of the land is in trouble, as numerous Republicans are squabbling about what should be in it.  Some want more tax cuts.  Some want more spending cuts.  Some want free puppies.  It won't be easy to bring all these quarrelsome legislators together, but, if anyone can do it, it's DJT.  My two cents?  Tax cuts that add to the deficit, and aren't counterbalanced by equal or greater spending cuts, are irresponsible, and make a mockery of the work that DOGE is doing to restore some fiscal sanity to D.C.  It may not feel like it, but we're already an undertaxed country, given the size and breadth of our federal government.  Don't like paying taxes?  No problem -- then get used to a shallower federal trough at which to feed.  It ain't rocket science, people!

 

https://www.semafor.com/article/05/14/2025/republicans-wrestle-with-the-possible-failure-of-their-big-beautiful-strategy-for-trumps-agenda 

 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/big-beautiful-bill-house-budget-committee_n_68274cd1e4b0f10918e323d0 

 

In depressingly related news, Moody's has downgraded the credit rating of the U.S. government.  Could animus towards Trump be behind this move?  Easily!!!  But that doesn't change the fact that our present spending habits are unsustainable, and it's unclear that Republicans can change that, or if they even want to...

 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/16/business/moody-us-credit 

Former FBI Director James Comey is in hot water for posting a picture of a bunch of seashells spelling out "86 47".  Now, I'd say this was a pretty dumb thing for a former FBI Director to do, but it's typically asinine behavior for Trump haters, and doesn't necessarily imply a call for violence.  I know it's fun to get the vapors over everything that Dems and lefties do and say, but this time I'm inclined to give ole Jim a good talking to and let him resume his walk on the beach.

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/3414674/james-comey-interviewed-secret-service-8647-post/ 

 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you can listen to my latest Newsmakers broadcast simply by following the link below!!!  You'll be asked to share a few credit card numbers and your blood type, but don't be alarmed about that.  It's all on the up and up! 

https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-5-17-25/

Never a Kind Word

 

Friends, as President Trump tours the Middle East, collecting trillions of dollars in new investment to boost the American economy and create hundreds of thousands of jobs, the lefties and their media allies give him zero credit, as usual, but, even worse, they've manufactured another "scandal" out of nothing.  Qatar has offered to donate to the U.S. government a luxury 747 for our use as Air Force One.  Trump haters are aghast, as always.  They say the plane is a "bribe", and that Qatar is icky.  Well, the plane is going to the American people, not Trump personally.  And Qatar may be guilty of all sorts of sins, but who isn't, and what do we have to lose by accepting their big, beautiful jet?  Nothing.  Trump's one mistake, if you ask me, was announcing that the plane would go his presidential library at the end of his term.  Realistically, that isn't his decision to make.  It would be up to his successor.  Assuming his successor is a Democrat, presumably the plane will be set on fire out of pure spite.  Assuming J.D. Vance takes his rightful place as Trump's heir and our beloved overlord, then Trump's wishes may be respected.  In any event, countries give things to the U.S. all the time, and we give much more to them, so why the kerfuffle?  Well, it's obvious: TDS.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg4zk22n9wo 

Happy Mother's Day!

 

 

Friends, I wish you and yours, and especially mothers of all genders, a Happy Mother's Day!!!  At least in Western New York it's a beautiful sunny day, befitting the holiday.  Enjoy!

Pax Trumpiana

 

Friends, in a stroke of (characteristic) brilliance, Angel of Peace Donald J. Trump has facilitated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.  A few diehards seem not to have gotten the message, but the governments of both countries are talking and working towards a resumption of amity.  Kudos to the Trump Administration for espousing the cause of peace, and best of luck to it as it tackles the more intractable problem of the Russia-Ukraine War, which is in truth a proxy war between Russia and the West.

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pakistan-says-india-has-fired-missiles-on-its-air-bases/ 

 

In other news, Trump's tariffs have achieved a plunge in the value of Chinese exports to the U.S.  An equivalent surge in Chinese exports to Southeast Asia has also occurred.  If, perchance, there's also been a surge in Southeast Asian exports to us, then it's fair to say that the tariffs haven't achieved a whole lot except for an amusing game of musical chairs.  Even so, both China and the U.S. should work to deescalate tensions and stabilize tariffs at a rate that is sustainable but still punishes China for its (illegal and unfair) non-tariff barriers against U.S exports.

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-tariffs-chinese-exports-plunge/ 

Leonine (But Liberal?) Leadership

 

Friends, all of us here at WaddyIsRight -- so, me -- wish to extend our congratulations to recently installed Pope Leo XIV!!!  It remains to be seen in what direction he will take the Catholic Church and its 1.4 billion adherents.  (That makes Catholicism second only to Waddyism in popularity.)  The scuttlebutt is that ole Leo is a bit of a lefty, like his predecessor, but his remarks on controversial issues seem exceptionally diplomatic to me.  The "real" Leo could be anything from a reactionary to a revolutionary, although he's much more likely to fall squarely in the middle of most cultural debates, truth be told.  My guess is that the Catholic Church doesn't want, and couldn't survive, any major upheavals, so look for continuity rather than convulsions.  In any event, it's nice to have an American pontiff, and let's hope he makes a go of it.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0ln80lzk7ko 

 

In other news, the U.S. and the U.K. have clinched the outlines of a trade deal, which of course the media and all Trump haters are inclined to dismiss.  You can see why, since more deals are bound to ensue, and the enemies of Trumpism certainly can't admit that anything Trump ever says or does could be good.  Be this as it may, the substance of the deal may well improve our access to British markets while keeping British access to our markets more or less the same.  And wasn't that kind of the point of the whole exercise???  Sounds like a win to me!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp92r2kvk74o 

Trumpatraz

 

Friends, my latest article praises DJT's recent brainstorm: the reopening of Alcatraz as a federal prison!  Behold!

 

Trump and “The Rock”

President Trump made headlines recently for suggesting that Alcatraz, the infamous prison in San Francisco Bay, should be reopened to house the worst criminal offenders in America. It is a notion that boggles the minds of liberals – as everything Trump says and does tends to – but it would be a magnificent, if mostly symbolic, achievement, and one entirely in harmony with many of the central themes in the MAGA movement.

Alcatraz was, in its heyday, a legendary and forbidding prison fortress. Most famously, it housed Al Capone, perhaps the greatest criminal mastermind in American history. Its isolation made it incredibly secure – and mysterious. It fame and the lore associated with it inspired multiple Hollywood films, including Escape from Alcatraz, widely regarded as one of Clint Eastwood's best acting performances. Its closure in 1963, on the orders of Attorney General Robert Kennedy, came mostly due to the high cost of running an island prison, but also reflected the ethos of the 60s and 70s, which often assumed that “criminals” were victims of society and of the justice system itself. Alcatraz, in the days of Kennedy and Dirty Harry, was a symbol of cold, inflexible, cruel, and even corrupt “justice”, and its closure represented a turn towards greater leniency and compassion in the treatment of federal inmates. It wasn't long before federal prisons became colloquially known as “Club Fed”. In other words, they became sources of mirth rather than fear.

Trump and the MAGA movement, however, are unabashedly nostalgic for the days when America was great, and Alcatraz, a symbol of full-throated American justice, fortified with puritanical harshness, is exactly the sort of prison that Trumpers should want to revive. America was, after all, infinitely safer in the days when the FBI's Most Wanted were, when captured, alternately electrocuted or packed off to prisons whose very names conjured dread amongst criminals and ordinary citizens alike. In those days, it was assumed that the punishments meted out to those who violated federal law would always be swift, severe, and unquestionably just. Alcatraz was a powerful symbol of a justice system that enjoyed the confidence and support of almost all Americans, rightly or wrongly. Before the 60s, no journalist would have dared to blame judges, prosecutors, and policemen for society's ills, or to spin fairy tales about the nobility of the men who landed behind bars. America was an innocent place, in many ways, and Alcatraz was the towering penitential edifice that sealed and protected that innocence, and kept a long, straight, clean line between good citizens, like you and me, and the criminal maniacs who belong in cages, or, better yet, dungeons prudently located across the briny deep.

By all accounts, bringing Alcatraz back to life as a federal prison would be immensely costly and difficult. It would be worth those costs and difficulties, however, because America would be reaffirming its commitment to law and order, its respect for legitimate authority, and its collective belief in personal responsibility. We would be (re)incarnating these principles, moreover, in stark, physical form, and, more importantly, in a name – ALCATRAZ – that would once again reverberate in the hearts of evildoers.

Trump has been successful as a politician and as a leader because he understands that America's identity is as much a conglomeration of symbols as it is a list of lofty ideals. We cannot be a sovereign nation unless our border is secure and no one is brazenly strolling across it – thus, “the Wall”. We cannot be an economic powerhouse unless our factories are humming with activity and producing big, beautiful, awe-inspiring machines that the world wants to buy. We cannot be a vibrant, forward-looking society unless our cities are sprouting tall, cutting-edge buildings that are the envy of foreigners. And we cannot be a nation where justice and peace are secure unless our worst malefactors are locked away in dark fortresses, never to be seen or heard from again (at least, that is what the criminals must believe).

It is imperative, therefore, that Alcatraz be reopened as a federal prison, and that, on the doorstep of America's most liberal city, we affirm our collective disdain for those violent, anti-social elements that ought to terrify and disgust any decent, patriotic American.

Let's hope that Trump can get it done.

Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at www.waddyisright.com. He appears on the Newsmakers show on WLEA/WYSL.

 

Do you agree 100%, or only 99.99%???  Let me know!

 

And here it is at World Net Daily:

 

https://www.wnd.com/2025/05/reopening-alcatraz-a-perfect-symbol-for-the-maga-movement/ 

 

***

 

In other news, two nuclear-armed countries are trading potshots, and that's never good.  Could war between India and Pakistan ensue?  We hope not.  Let cooler heads prevail.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6868pdpw4o 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump met today for the first time, and the dialogue was mostly cordial.  Carney seems to understand that "poking the bear" isn't in Canada's interests.  I advise him to behave!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g4gw18753o 

 

China and the U.S. are commencing negotiations that could lead to a deescalation of our ongoing trade war.  I approve.  Our trading relationship with China will never, I hope, return to what it was, but at the same time the spigot of Sino-American trade can't be shut off overnight.  A compromise solution is best for all.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rgrejkvmjo 

Finally, after an unexpected humiliation yesterday, Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz secured his grip on the office today.  He eschewed an alliance with the "far-right" AfD and instead joined forces with the socialist SPD.  None of this suggests that Germany will see fundamental changes anytime soon, unless by "fundamental" one means the intensified persecution of right-wingers.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgp22zlrgko 

Democracy Dies in...Europe?

 

Friends, you won't want to miss the latest Newsmaker broadcast, in which I speculate on AOC's chances to become a U.S. Senator and/or President of the United States.  I also analyze the consequences of Mike Waltz's demotion, the ongoing animosity between the Trump Administration and obstreperous federal judges, the futility of the endless barrage of attacks against President Trump, the phony "cuts" to Medicaid that lefties are incensed about, the meaning of the big rallies featuring AOC and Bernie Sanders, the ambiguity of the Trump Administration's stance vis-a-vis Ukraine, the prospects of a resolution to the US-China trade war, and the overall state of the economy.

 

It's classic Waddy, folks!  Don't miss it.

 

https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmaker-5-3-25/ 

 

***

 

In other news, anti-democratic forces are conspiring to rig elections in Europe to ensure that conservatives and populists stay on the sidelines and out of government.  (The situation in Brazil is even worse.)  Take note of Romania's presidential election.  The most popular candidate has been barred from participating because...Russia Russia Russia!  And in Germany there are efforts afoot to expel members of the popular AfD party from the police and civil service.  Hey, maybe that could boost the AfD's poll numbers even more?  The problem, of course, is that, although Euro-Trumpers are winning more and more citizens over, almost nowhere can they command a majority, and failing that the establishment is usually in a position to join forces to preserve the status quo.  

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0zl1702ego

 

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/05/04/german-states-look-to-ban-afd-members-from-serving-as-police-or-civil-servants/ 

Pinko, Fund Thyself!

 

Friends, President Trump has delivered (we think) on a major goal of most conservatives: defunding the biased news coverage and woke programming of PBS and NPR.  For years, affluent leftists have lapped up what PBS and NPR have to offer...and for years taxpayers have abetted this scam.  PBS and NPR will be just fine.  They have deep-pocketed corporate and individual sponsors.  What's more, there's the usual danger that establishment judges will step up to defend these institutions' "constitutional right" to unlimited and eternal federal subsidies.  We'll see how that plays out, but this executive action is long overdue, so kudos to DJT!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly1jwe7582o 

 

In other news, Nigel Farage's nationalist, populist Reform Party has scored some major wins in English local elections and one key parliamentary by-election.  This proves that the British Trumpists are the real deal!

 

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/05/02/the-fightback-has-begun-farage-sweeps-england-elections/ 

Finally, lefties are chagrined, because the latest jobs report did not bolster their claims that the Great Depression is back.  On the contrary, many elements of the U.S. economy continue to show signs of resilience and strength.  We may yet whether the storm of tariffs and TDS...

 

https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/05/02/u-s-added-177000-jobs-in-april-better-than-expected-as-economy-defies-doomsayers/ 

Higher Ed Sinks Ever Lower

 

Friends, ever wonder why our elite universities look the other way when anti-Semitic radicals cause mayhem?  Ever wonder why undermining the nationalist populism of the Trump Administration is such a high priority for eggheads?  It's not rocket science, really.  All you have to do is...follow the money!

 

https://www.thefp.com/p/explosion-in-foreign-funding-for-american-universities 

Our Neighbors to the North

 

Friends, Canada has spoken, and it's hard not to view the election results there as a rebuke of President Trump.  Not only has Trump called repeatedly for Canada to become the "51st state", but he has also threatened Canada with draconian tariffs (equal to those he wishes to impose on Mexico, for reasons no one understands).  Canadians, not surprisingly, took offense.  Now, don't get me wrong: I support a political union between the United States and Canada, and I support the concept of tariffs, especially reciprocal tariffs.  However, there's no question that Trump handled Canadians -- who, let's face it, can be rather defensive about their sovereignty and nationhood -- roughly, and with a minimum of tact and consideration.  Canada was never likely to choose incorporation in the United States, especially as a single state rather than ten states (one for each province).  When DJT was elected U.S. president, that pretty much reduced Canadians' interest in joining the Union to nil.  Trump, however, seemed to think that, by threatening Canada with tariffs, he could bully the Canucks into embracing 'Merica, in all its glory.  Well, what happened instead is that Canadians reacted with horror and pique, electing a liberal, Trump-hating government instead of a conservative, America-friendly government, as all polls predicted just a few short months ago.  Quite simply, this depressing result is...Trump's fault.  It's a timely reminder that bluster can't always carry the day.  Hopefully Trump will learn this lesson and apply it going forward.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy6lg3p7ero 

 

https://apnews.com/article/trump-canada-carney-election-poilievre-trade-de99be6f8074cc7b2dae4d049216e0bc 

Trump Slump?

 

Friends, lefties are talking (gleefully) about a "Trump slump" these days, and magnifying recent market volatility into total economic "carnage", but the truth, at least with respect to the economy, is that it's very early days, and it's by no means clear that a recession will happen, let alone a bad one.  Be this as it may, there is real, albeit modest, softening in Trump's job approval numbers, which all pollsters are picking up, even the ones we like.  The market contraction probably explains most of this, but it's more than possible that consistent, vitriolic media narratives about "authoritarianism" and "chaos" may be having an effect.  I'm personally disappointed that the legacy media is still standing, and is in some respects experiencing a revival.  To me, the Trump haters don't seem cowed -- they seem invigorated and more deranged than ever.  What's more, for all the political headwinds the Democrats face, there's no evidence that their essential viability has changed much.  Sure, we can hope they go into an AOC-powered death spiral, but the likelihood is that they will remain a potent threat, and they will weaponize every mistake that Trump makes...and there've been a few!  All this is sobering, but at the same time we're only 90 days in, and we have all the resources of the executive branch, and some of the resources of the other two branches, at our disposal.  Let's see if we can't advance the ball a bit further.

 

https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/donald-trump/approval-rating 

 

In other news, "natalists", i.e. people who support the concept of having babies, are meeting in Texas, and leftists are aghast (as usual)!  Advocating for higher birthrates is pure "Nazism", as far as they're concerned, but the truth, unsurprisingly, is a lot more complicated...

 

https://www.thefp.com/p/how-did-having-babies-become-right 

Is the Trump-Musk Alliance Going Up in Smoke?

 

Friends, the attacks against Teslas, Tesla dealerships, and sometimes Tesla owners are, of course, symbolic of the vitriol that leftists have poured out against DJT from day one.  Elon Musk is the target du jour, but, as we all know, he's just a proxy for Trump himself, and for the populist movement that Trump represents.  No doubt the fondest wish of the anti-Trumpers is that they could, via their incessant, blistering assaults, drive a wedge between Trump and Musk -- a dynamic duo if there ever was one.  There are, alas, some signs that such a divergence is, in fact, appearing.  Musk has criticized Trump's trade policy (or policies, since they seem to change so rapidly).  More importantly, Musk has announced that he's stepping back from his leadership of DOGE, to a point, to refocus on his struggling business enterprises, especially Tesla.  Tesla sales and profits have slumped in the first part of 2025, almost certainly in response to Musk's alignment with Trump.  I question, frankly, whether Tesla will ever recover its footing, because the virtue-signaling progressives who used to be its customer base, domestically and internationally, now see the brand as toxic.  Musk can mitigate that stigma somewhat, but it's difficult to imagine that driving a Tesla will be "cool" again anytime soon in places like Los Angeles and New York City, let alone London and Berlin.  I would prefer to see Musk move in the opposite direction, therefore.  I would prefer to see him take a sabbatical from his businesses to concentrate on bringing efficiency and accountability back to the U.S. government.  In any case, that isn't happening, and one has to wonder whether the worldwide campaign of intimidation against Trump and Musk is bearing fruit, in more ways than one...

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0x50yr46lo

In other news, the U.S. is threatening to "walk away" from the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, which is an ambiguous threat, indeed!  Does this mean that we would give up on a negotiated settlement, or that we would give up on the conflict altogether and leave Ukraine to fend for itself?  The Devil is in the details, as usual.  Perhaps the ambiguity is strategic.  Perhaps, in the days ahead, both sides will see reason and find a way to stop the bloodshed.  I hope so.  Three more years of this insanity would be tragic beyond words.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78jx68d922o

Happy Easter, Right-Wing Nutjobs!

 

Fellow nutjobs, as this Easter holiday draws to a close, I hope you found joy, love, and peace in celebrating it, and in enjoying quality time with your families.  If the Easter bunny is more your speed, I hope he sprinkled your front lawn with "chocolate" morsels to your heart's content...

 

This Easter, there's some evidence that (gasp!) Christianity may have some life left in it, as Gen Z may be showing more interest than expected.  The problem, however, is that boys and men are more Christ-curious than girls and women.  As we know, young women are increasingly secular and leftist in their orientation, which presumably explains why (historically) none of these godless harridans will date me... 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2025/04/20/easter-church-christian-gen-z-men/83138618007/

 

In other news, President Trump shared a pious, loving message conveying his Easter greetings and good wishes to all Americans, even "radical left lunatics"!  I bet they were touched by it, too.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/04/20/trump-trolls-radical-left-lunatics-in-happy-easter-message-to-all/ 

Finally, enjoy these images from Easter celebrations throughout the world!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c045vvwlwr4o 

Life Finds a Way

 

Friends, scientists are increasingly confident that life exists on other planets.  The latest indication of a universe teeming with organic life comes from K2-18b (that gem!), which is a mere 700 trillion miles away.  Assuming your spaceship gets good gas mileage, that's a very manageable road trip.  I, for one, hope I live to see the day when the nature of alien life becomes clearer, because that would be fascinating to behold.  Bear in mind, though, that your ATM card and your T-Mobile phone won't work on K2-18b, so plan accordingly if you intend to pay it a visit.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39jj9vkr34o 

 

In other news, Deputy Emperor -- ahem, I mean Vice-President -- Vance is going to India soon to try to bolster our relations with what could become a superpower in the not-too-distant future.  A U.S.-India alliance could go a long way to breaking the back of Chicom hegemony in Asia (and someday the world?).

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz95j2z3lpeo 

President Trump met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni today, who is about as Trumpy as any European head of government gets.  I hope they're right that a trade deal with the EU is in reach.  That would be in everyone's best interest.

 

https://nypost.com/2025/04/17/us-news/trump-vows-there-will-be-a-trade-deal-100-with-europe-as-italy-pm-georgia-meloni-visits-white-house/ 

 

Finally, we saw a big win for school choice today in the great state of Texas.  GOP-dominated Texas has been surprisingly reluctant to embrace school choice, but Governor Abbott put his foot down, and I'm glad he did.  Eliminating the Department of Education is all well and good, but real change in our education system means disempowering teachers' unions and empowering parents.  More and more states are doing it.  With any luck, even blue states will get on the bandwagon someday.

 

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/17/texas-house-school-vouchers-public-education-funding/ 

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold...And It's Very Cold in New York!

 

Friends, I've speculated that things could get very interesting with Pam Bondi as our new Attorney General, because, for once, the prosecutorial powers of the federal government could be turned against our erstwhile overlords, i.e. Democratic and establishment politicians.  Well, voila!  Today we learned that Letitia James, the New York State Attorney General and a prominent tormentor of DJT, may be prosecuted for mortgage fraud.  Ha!  I say again: ha!  Is this pure political parback?  Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, but I'm pretty sure it's just the tip of a very large iceberg.  Oh my!  The next four years could be great fun...

 

https://nypost.com/2025/04/15/us-news/trump-administration-refers-ny-ag-tish-james-for-prosecution/ 

 

In other news, Sleepy Joe came out of hiding long enough to chastise the Trump Administration incoherently.  His most interesting remark was a cryptic reference to how Trump supporters are just "30%" of the population, and of course we/they "have no heart".  Well, moral judgements aside, it's a good sign that the Dems think they have us on the ropes, and America has turned against us, because what it shows is that they, the Democrats, are complacent and learned nothing from their defeat in November.  Of course, that isn't exactly news.  Self-satisfaction is a leftist specialty, as is contempt for other ways of thinking.  These foibles have led "progressives" down many a blind alley, and, I'm happy to report, they're still as blind as ever!

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-trump-social-security-first-post-presidency-speech-rcna201309 

The Crimson Tide Is Receding, At Long Last

 

Friends, as we all know, Harvard University has a glorious past, and an abysmal, woke present.  The future?  Well, that's to be decided, but the Trump Administration is trying to insist that Harvard pay its own way, come what may.  In other words, Trump's Department of Education is trying to starve Harvard of federal funds.  I think we can safely assume that some (Harvard-educated) federal judge will put an injunction on this funding freeze so fast that it will make our heads spin, but ultimately the Supreme Court will resolve the issue of whether the executive branch has this kind of leeway.  Higher ed better hope that it doesn't, because if it does I predict dark days ahead for academic leftists!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz01y9gkdm3o 

 

Meanwhile, as satisfying as it may be to have begun the process of uncoupling the U.S. from Red China, the fact is that the Chicoms can retaliate in some pretty effective ways.  We've become alarmingly dependent on China for a whole host of imports, not the least of which is rare earths.  Those Ukrainians better start ponying up their own rare earths (or maybe the Russians?), because the Chinese are apparently in a stingy mood...

 

https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2025/04/14/china-stops-exports-crucial-rare-earth-minerals-impacting-key-industries/ 

Waddy Does It Again!

 

Friends, forget "excellence in broadcasting".  At the Newsmakers show, we're taking it to the next level: PERFECTION in broadcasting.  I don't want to set the bar too high, but listening to this week's show is pretty much like sipping sweet ambrosia from Zeus's golden chalice while Aphrodite massages your feet.  With that said, this week Brian and I discuss the confusing strategic picture in the Russia-Ukraine War, the political perceptions of how Trump's trade war is unfolding, the significance of the "Hands Off" protests, and more!

 

https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-4-12-25/ 

 

In other news, Trump has decided to exempt smartphones and computers from his massive tariffs on China.  It's an interesting move that will spare U.S. consumers some angst, but will also confirm in the minds of Trump haters the erratic nature of our trade policy.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20xn626y81o 

The Kennedy Conundrum

 

Friends, RFK, Jr. has taken the helm at HHS, and he has this update on the status of his overlordship:

 

https://nypost.com/2025/04/10/opinion/rfk-jr-how-im-slashing-unhealthy-fat-at-hhs/ 

 

Streamlining the bureaucracy may be the easy part -- not that it's all that easy -- but changing the trajectory of America's deteriorating physical health will be darn challenging.  And what of RFK's claim that "America has the highest rates of chronic disease in the world"?  By what metric, exactly?  It's hard to imagine that we're less healthy than, say, Afghan peasants, but I'll try to keep an open mind...

 

In other news, there's talk of prosecuting New Jersey's woke Governor for blocking state and local law enforcement from communicating with, or assisting, ICE.  I say: it's about time!  The only thing that would put the fear of God into these public officials undermining our nation's immigration laws would be legal consequences.  Deport Phil Murphy!!!  Okay, it might be a bit tricky to deport a citizen, but at the very least hold his feet to the fire.

 

https://nypost.com/2025/04/11/us-news/nj-da-alina-habba-to-open-investigation-into-gov-murphy-over-states-ice-resistance-policy/ 

A Shot Across Globalism's Bow

 

Friends, you could be forgiven for feeling a sense of whiplash as you survey the progress of Trumpian America's "trade war" with...the rest of the world.  Those giant reciprocal tariffs we were promised have been withdrawn almost as soon as they were created.  Theoretically, they've been paused for 90 days so that all those countries that came hat in hand and "kissed" Trump's "ass" can complete the process of ass-kissing and agree to better trade terms than they've ever given us before.  If they don't cooperate, then those reciprocal tariffs might reappear down the line.  In the meantime, China, which showed particular cheek in retaliating against our tariffs, has been named persona non grata and hit with a stupefying 125% tariff!  Will it last mere minutes or hours, or will we go the distance and freeze China out of the U.S. market on a permanent basis?  No one knows the answers, or even Trump's true intentions.  The market, in any case, has responded very favorably to the "pause" on most reciprocal tariffs.  Think about that, though.  Trump has created a scenario in which all countries must pay a 10% tariff, and trade with China is about to grind to a halt, and the world is actually relieved!!!  In fact, the capitalist elite is positively giddy about it.  Only Trump could pull this off.  We should add, of course, that we're not out of the woods yet, and there remain innumerable uncertainties about the trading picture going forward.  Not least among these uncertainties is our relationship with China, which is as dicey as its been in ages.  But if Trump's goal was to get the world's attention, and make the markets march to his tune, then it's fair to say: mission accomplished!  What's next???  I'm waiting with bated breath to find out...

 

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y66qe404po 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrggqydxv5o

Mad As Hell/Mad As A Hatter

 

Friends, the lefties were out in force today, demanding that Trump and Musk keep their "hands off"...pretty much everything.  The demonstrations had no thematic focus, except for TDS, but that's hardly a problem.  TDS has become the central organizing principle of so many people's lives these days.  I reckon most of them are Democratic Party activists and/or geriatric white liberals who watch CNN or MSNBC all day.  Assuming they remain the "face" of the Dems and the resistance to Trump, we have little to worry about.  On the off chance that the economy tanks, however, you better believe that these wackos will be joined by plenty of centrists and swing voters, at least in the short term.  We would be foolish to dismiss the political relevance of these protests altogether, therefore.  The Left can and will become a bonafide threat to the GOP/conservative/Trump agenda, if we aren't careful.  We had a chance to strangle the legacy media by denying it access to the president, and by starving it of advertising dollars based on our irresistible political/cultural momentum.  We didn't do either.  Thus, the Left has been able to suck in more than enough political oxygen to keep its hopes alive.  In the near term, of course, they have precious little ability to accomplish anything in D.C., except by judicial obstructionism.  What they may be able to do, however, by battering away at Trump and Musk's popularity, is scare enough GOP Senators and Congressmen into defecting from Trumpism that further progress on DJT's agenda becomes impossible.  The best way we can prevent this from happening is to 1) deliver the goods on the policy front and keep the economy strong, and 2) discredit the "resistance" as a bunch of violent cranks.  It remains to be seen whether we succeed on either point.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz79ewg193ro 

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/04/05/thousands-of-protesters-gather-for-hands-off-rallies-across-u-s/ 

Liberation Day?

 

Friends, the reciprocal tariffs we were promised have arrived, and, in the short term, the markets don't seem to like them much.  That was predictable.  Trump is upending the whole international trading system, which has long been based on, and taken for granted, American gullibility and stupidity, and such a sea change will certainly inconvenience and even terrify some.  The long-term impact of tariffs, and even whether many of these tariffs will endure for the long-term, is hard to predict.  What wasn't hard to predict is the panic that many Democrats and leftists are currently feeling, which mirrors their sense that America is but inches from totalitarianism.  My big fear is not that tariffs will wreck the economy, but that Trump haters will wreck the economy by selling all their stocks and refusing to purchase any consumer goods.  Their economic pessimism may be as delusional as their political predilections, but even delusions can become self-fulfilling prophecies.  In any case, I wouldn't lose hope just yet.  The U.S. economy, and the world economy, can boast a lot of fundamental strengths, and those fundamentals may yet carry the day.  And, if they don't, any recession may be brief or shallow.  There's no doubt, however, that Trump has taken a big risk by imposing these sweeping tariffs.  And I say that as someone who is broadly sympathetic to the idea of reciprocal tariffs, and who believes that we ought, as a nation, to have taken these steps a long time ago.  The simple fact is, though, that just because Trump is in the right does not mean that his gambit will work as intended, especially when so many powerful people are determined to make sure that it doesn't.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly1g63x7q8o 

 

https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/the-day-trumps-tariff-threats-turned-into-a-harsh-reality-for-ceos-and-investors-f0e58ad3 

Split Decision

 

Friends, the GOP and the dastardly Dems fought each other to a draw last night, as the Dems won the big State Supreme Court race in Wisconsin, but Republicans won two House special elections in Florida, plus a referendum to require photo ID in future Wisconsin elections.  All in all, not a terrible showing.  The talking heads are trying to blame Elon Musk for the failure of Brad Schimel to win his Wisconsin race, but maybe he's just a bad candidate, or maybe he should have leaned into Musk's support instead of away from it, or maybe the Dems cheated more lavishly than ever.  Who knows.  Anyway, our House majority is now just a bit more robust than it was before, and that may be the biggest takeaway of all, because we need the House to produce some RESULTS...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2025/04/01/trump-challenged-democrats-win-wisconsin-republicans-slip-florida/82702615007/

In somewhat related news, the media is celebrating declining Tesla sales and blaming Musk for his political activism.  Well, it's true that many lefties are turning away from Tesla for essentially (asinine) political reasons, but isn't that proof that Elon is even more of a patriot than we thought he was?  I mean, he's losing money by taking on the Swamp, and yet he's still at it.  What a swell guy!

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g4zp3z1p3o

P.S.  Help is on the way, Elon, as I plan to buy at least 5 million Teslas in the second quarter.  Think I might need a bigger garage?

Generous To A Fault

 

Friends, Democrats and progressives have hearts of gold!  We know that because they keep telling us over and over.  But it's true: they're extremely generous when spending other people's money.  As it turns out, misplaced "compassion" is a defining characteristic of the Left, as I note in my most recent article.  It falls to us hard-hearted right-wingers to undo the damage that liberal altruism has inflicted on this country.

 

https://townhall.com/columnists/nicholaswaddy/2025/04/01/killing-us-with-kindness-is-a-democratic-party-specialty-n2654759 

Vive L'Establishment!

 

Friends, France's Fifth Republic just got a whole lot less republican and/or democratic.  That's because the leading candidate in the country's next presidential election was disqualified by a judge from running for office for five years.  Neat trick, that!  Increasingly, as J.D. Vance warned, it looks like the Eurocrats have decided that they won't abide any popular input into who gets to lead them.  On the contrary, the "experts" will curate what passes for democracy so that no one offensive to establishment/progressive values can win political office.  No doubt the Dems are thinking to themselves, "Damn! We should have done that here a long, long time ago!"  They tried, half-heartedly, with the attempt to exclude Trump from the presidential ballot based on his supposedly insurrectionist crimes.  They tried more seriously with a series of prosecutions of Trump that were supposed to land him in the slammer for the rest of his natural life.  Well, this is one arena in which the French have us at a disadvantage.  They're apparently much more ruthless when it comes to crushing dissent.  We, on the other hand, seem to do FREEDOM way better than them.  I can live with that!

 

https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-administration-marine-le-pen-banned/ 

 

Finally, there's unfortunately some considerable international blowback from Trumpism that's affecting how our nation is perceived and, more practically, whether anyone wants to come here as a tourist.  It's inevitable that an almost uniformly hostile global press corps will vilify Trump, and it's equally inevitable that the hatred for Trump overseas will bleed over into a species of contempt for Americans as a whole.  It's asinine, but it's going to be a fact of life for the next four years, and hopefully for a lot longer than that!  Get used to fewer foreign visitors, and a lot of dirty looks when you travel abroad.  It's the price we Americans must pay for exercising genuine sovereignty and going against the internationalist grain.  So be it.

 

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250328-the-people-boycotting-travel-to-the-us 

You Could Be A Winner!!!

 

Friends, as you know, there's a high stakes election coming up in Wisconsin for a State Supreme Court Justice.  Elon Musk is working the same magic he employed in the 2024 presidential election to try to gin up support for the Republican, Brad Schimel: he's handing out checks for $1 million to voters who sign a petition.  The Dems are naturally saying that Musk is "buying votes", although that's absurd.  What Musk may be doing, however, is buying enthusiasm and publicity, and both can go a long way in an off-year election.  We'll know in a few days whether Musk's machinations were a success.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd7v3jj5xy9o 

Euro-Weenies on the Rampage!

 

 

Friends, check out my latest Newsmakers broadcast, in which I dare the Europeans to assume the burden of their own defense.  I also analyze the emptiness of the Dem attacks on the filthy rich, the outrageousness of public funding for PBS and NPR, the last minute decision to pull the nomination of Elise Stefanik as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., the rarity of pro-Hamas protests on most college campuses, the persistent problem of judicial overreach, the possibility of U.S. membership in the Commonwealth of Nations, and the makeover that the Smithsonian Institution is getting under MAGA auspices.  You won't want to miss my hard-hitting and incisive commentary!

 

https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-3-29-25/ 

 

In other news, could Russia be playing for time in ceasefire talks with the U.S. and Ukraine, with an eye to landing a knockout blow during a spring offensive?  It wouldn't surprise me.  It rather depends on what is more important to Russia: repairing its relationship with the West, or grabbing more land.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/03/29/ukrainians-predict-russia-preparing-for-spring-offensive-amid-ceasefire-talks/ 

The dastardly Dems are making a lot of a tiny uptick in inflation, but so far the U.S. economy has weathered the storm of a "tariff war" fairly well.  Note as well that wages went up the same amount as prices, so there's no impending doom for consumers, much as the media would like you to believe otherwise...

 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/february-2025-pce-inflation 

A Smithsonian Makeover!

 

Friends, the MAGA Revolution is coming to the Smithsonian, and members of the brie-and-chardonnay set are fit to be tied.  Expect the venerable experts who run the place to kick and scream like toddlers.  It will be most interesting to see if the hostile presentation of "America" that has thus far prevailed at these otherwise fine museums will be adjusted.  I'll believe it when I see it.  In fact, I anticipate some universal injunctions from district court judges in the very near future mandating exactly what is and isn't included in museum exhibits.  I mean, why not?

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjy1jmvvwzo 

 

Apparently there's more and more talk in D.C. about defunding PBS and NPR, and I couldn't be happier!  This is a step that Republicans should have taken decades ago.  

 

https://pjmedia.com/victoria-taft/2025/03/26/bring-out-the-doge-machine-for-the-public-broadcasters-who-hate-half-of-america-n4938305 

Finally, DJT has withdrawn the nomination of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to be our Ambassdor to the U.N., because her vote is desperately needed in the House of Representatives, where Republicans are clinging to a frightfully narrow majority.  I approve.  In fact, nominating Stefanik in the first place made little sense.  Her talents would be wasted at the United Nations, which is little more than a debating society for internationalist windbags.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/trump-elise-stefanik-united-nations.html 

Go Google Yourself, Google!

 

Friends, my latest article expands on my view that Google/Alphabet needs to be dismembered, once and for all, by the antitrust team at Trump's DOJ.  See if you don't agree:

https://townhall.com/columnists/nicholaswaddy/2025/03/26/bigger-is-only-sometimes-better-n2654501

In other news, establishment forces and the legacy media are trying to spin the proposed visit of the Second Lady, Usha Vance, to Greenland as a "provocation" and an act of imperialism.  I say Greenland and Denmark's inhospitable and unnecessarily defensive attitude is a provocation, and I advise President Trump to initiate a draft in anticipation of a long, bloody struggle against Danish military forces.  Better safe than sorry!

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgwjllld1ro

In All His Glory

 

Friends, democracy hangs by a thread, and World War III is imminent!!!  No one cares about all that, however, because a portrait of Donald Trump, which he considers unflattering, has been removed from the Colorado State House.  The only thing that surprises me is that Trump's Colorado mug shot wasn't much less flattering.  I mean, the purpose of art, like the purpose of everything, is to trash Trump, right?  Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has sent Trump a different portrait (of Trump) that he (Trump) reportedly likes.  Images of that picture haven't been released, but I believe it looks a little something like this:

 

 

In other news, Trump is sticking it to a number of elite universities, and apparently some of them are caving to his demands.  That's very heartening.  In the long run, even better might be the complete disinvestment of the federal government from the debacle of elite higher ed.  Scaling the ivory tower will prove mighty difficult for conservatives, but knocking it down could prove more feasible...and just as gratifying!

 

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-03-24-columbias-capitulation-wesleyans-pushback/ 

Together At Last!

 

Friends, His Majesty President Trump of the Republican Kingdom of America has made his wishes known: he commands these United States to join the British Commonwealth of Nations!  As a loyal subject, I hear and obey.  I've thought for years that the U.S., a former British colony and a country in a long-term "special relationship" with the U.K., ought to be in the Commonwealth.  Make it so, I say.  God Save the King, and God Bless President Trump!

 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-suggests-us-could-join-british-commonwealth-offered-king-charles 

 

P.S.  I hope joining the Commonwealth doesn't bar us from conquering and annexing other Commonwealth members, because that could be fun.

 

In other news, Elon Musk's Neuralink is improving the lives of paralytics, and it might someday soon be revolutionizing the human condition in a much wider sense.  You can see the subtext in this BBC article -- why would anyone (gasp!) want a little piece of Muskery inside their head??? -- but much of what Musk has done and is doing is all about helping his fellow man and saving civilization from itself.  Boy, what a jerk!  Where's a Molotov cocktail when I need one?

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewk49j7j1po 

 

Finally, there's a big State Supreme Court election coming up in Wisconsin that will give us a sense of how Republicans and conservatives are doing in the wake of DJT's big win in November.  Methinks that reports of the death of the Democratic Party are greatly exaggerated, but nonetheless I'm hopeful that us right-wing nutjobs can pull off another glorious triumph in the Badger State.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/03/22/president-trump-endorses-conservative-wisconsin-supreme-court-candidate-brad-schimel/ 

Out of This World (No Longer)!!!

 

Friends, thanks to SpaceX -- an American success story, if ever there was one -- two NASA astronauts are back on terra firma.  Way to go, Elon!  Boeing may not be able to deliver the goods, but SpaceX has become "old reliable" when it comes to launching satellites into space and now, almost as an afterthought, crewed missions as well.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mw221z2yyo 

 

Trump and Putin agreed today on a ceasefire limited to attacks on energy infrastructure.  Will further progress be made?  Perhaps.  One has to question whether the Russians even want a ceasefire, at this stage, because they're the ones winning the war.  Ironically, the Russians, the Ukrainians, and the Euro-weenies may all be on the same page -- fight fight fight! -- albeit for radically different reasons, while we Americans may be relatively alone in wanting an end to the whole debacle.  How crazy is that?

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd65pz1p7d9o 

Finally, yet another federal district court judge has put yet another roadblock in the way of the Trump Administration and DOGE.  Specifically, this judge is insisting that USAID must be reopened.  The judicial obstructionism targeting Trump and friends is becoming pervasive and severe.  Something has to give.  I implore SCOTUS to act with urgency to strip district court judges of these dictatorial powers.  I implore SCOTUS, but I can't say I have enormous confidence that the Supremes will act.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/news/judge-orders-halt-to-musk-shutdown-of-us-aid-agency/ 

Above the Law?

 

Friends, I strongly encourage you to drink deep of this article, which explores the issue of "universal injunctions" that have been coming from (Democrat-appointed) district court judges in massive quantities of late.  Basically, a single, lower level federal judge can tell anyone to do anything (or to stop doing anything), and that includes the President of the United States.  Injunctions can be overturned, sure, but that can take months and even years.  Do we want "unelected" judges to wield this kind of power?  The Democrats sure do, and you can see why...  Ultimately, the Supreme Court may decide the issue, or DJT may decide to tell the judges who issue such injunctions to take a flying leap.  All things are possible!

https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2025/03/16/injunction_dysfunction_or_tyrant_disruption_trump-era_judicial_paralysis_explained_1097816.html

Disaster...Deferred?

 

Friends, in some ways, media efforts to gin up a recession are bearing fruit, but one card the doomsayers won't be able to play is a government shutdown.  It ain't gonna happen, thanks to a small number of Dems, who decided it wasn't in their narrow political interests to cause one (the interests of the country, of course, were a secondary consideration).  This is a victory for Trump and Republicans, but economic headwinds are becoming considerable, AND we mustn't forget that the country hasn't had a recession since 2008-2009.  That means that we are, historically speaking, overdue for one.  Again, a recession isn't inevitable, but we right-wingers should start to think about how one might play out, and how we can minimize our political losses, and maximize our gains, should one occur.  Needless to say, we would also want said recession to be as brief as possible, which many are.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/14/trump-tariffs-government-shutdown-recession/82368800007/ 

 

These questions and so many more are explored in this week's Newsmakers show.  Do make it a point to tune in at your earliest convenience:

 

 https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmaqkers-3-15-25/

The Blind Leading the Blind?

 

Friends, Democrats think they're reclaiming the political high ground and that President Trump's popularity is "plummeting".  Well, they aren't acting like it.  In fact, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is taking a filibuster of the Republican-backed budget resolution off the table, meaning that House and Senate Republicans are likely to get a funding formula more or less according to their tastes.  The alternative, says Schumer, would be a government shutdown that would empower Trump and Musk to make even more draconian cuts to the federal government.  He has a point there!  The upshot, however, is that the Dems are once again powerless to stop Republicans from enacting their agenda, bit by bit.  An added bonus is the fact that Democrats can't agree amongst themselves on the proper strategy in this scenario.  AOC is among those who insist that any appeasement of Trump and Republicans is a terrible mistake.  Let's hope that AOC and her fellow Bolsheviks continue to speak with a loud voice and to lead the Democrats down the self-destructive path of unrelenting, scattershot Trump hatred.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdx2j8n7xz1o 

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/03/14/aoc_slams_schumer_over_spending_bill_i_cannot_urge_enough_how_bad_it_is_to_empower_and_enable_trump_and_musk_in_this_moment.html 

 

Take note of the fact that Musk Derangement Syndrome has reached such insane proportions that Tesla infrastructure, including privately owned vehicles, is being targeted by vandals and arsonists worldwide.  Not only does this portend serious commercial challenges for Tesla itself -- and thus your first Tesla might be obtainable at a bargain price! -- but it also suggests that the rift between the United States and its supposed friends and allies in Canada and Western Europe is large and growing.  The Trumpier America gets, the more isolated it may become.  Tariffs, in this sense, may be just the tip of the iceberg.  Again, we'll know things are getting serious when X itself is banned by the EU.  Just you wait!

 

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2025/03/14/musk-hatred-goes-global-firebugs-destroy-4-tesla-evs-in-berlin/