How will Americans know when they have lost their democracy and crossed the line into authoritarianism?
NYT » We propose a simple metric: the cost of opposing the government. In democracies, citizens are not punished for peacefully opposing those in power. They need not worry about publishing critical opinions, supporting opposition candidates or engaging in peaceful protest because they know they will not suffer retribution from the government. In fact, the idea of legitimate opposition — that all citizens have a right to criticize, organize opposition to and seek to remove the government through elections — is a foundational principle of democracy.
Under authoritarianism, by contrast, opposition comes with a price. Citizens and organizations that run afoul of the government become targets of a range of punitive measures: Politicians may be investigated and prosecuted on baseless or petty charges, media outlets may be hit with frivolous defamation suits or adverse regulatory rulings, businesses may face tax audits or be denied critical contracts or licenses, universities and other civic institutions may lose essential funding or tax-exempt status, and journalists, activists and other critics may be harassed, threatened or physically attacked by government supporters.
When citizens must think twice about criticizing or opposing the government because they could credibly face government retribution, they no longer live in a full democracy.
The Good
Gates Foundation Blog » Bill Gates pledges to give his $200 billion fortune over next 20 years, winding down Gates Foundation by 2045
There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people.
That is why I have decided to give my money back to society much faster than I had originally planned. I will give away virtually all my wealth through the Gates Foundation over the next 20 years to the cause of saving and improving lives around the world. And on December 31, 2045, the foundation will close its doors permanently.
Law firms that have made deals with Trump are getting the cold shoulder from corporate legal departments
Law.com » Microsoft isn’t the only company switching law firms lately amid President Trump’s ongoing battle with Big Law. Some in-house lawyers are quietly pulling work away from some law firms that have made deals with President Trump, citing their objections to such deals, according to interviews with legal department chiefs.
The Ugly
Bill Gates accuses Elon Musk of ‘killing’ children with USAID cuts
“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” he told the Financial Times.
Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates ratcheted up his feud with Elon Musk, accusing the world’s richest man of “killing the world’s poorest children” through what he said were misguided cuts to US development assistance.
Millions of people depend on the Great Lakes’ water supply. Trump decimated the lab protecting it.
Anna Clark, ProPublica » The Trump administration’s slashing of budgets and staff have Great Lakes scientists concerned that they have lost the ability to protect the public from toxic algal blooms, which can kill animals and sicken people.
The US Interior Department is finalizing reduction-in-force plans to target thousands of employees
Government Executive » US National Park Service is expected to issue around 1,500 RIFs, while the US Geological Survey will lay off around 1,000 employees.
Trump picks conspiracy theorist Casey Means with no medical license to be Surgeon General
The Independent » Trump has selected a conspiracy theorist and self-styled Make America Healthy Again “wellness influencer” who is not currently licensed to practice medicine to be the nation’s next Surgeon General.
Trump made the new pick after withdrawing his initial choice days before she was scheduled to go before the U.S. Senate for a confirmation hearing.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump said he was choosing Dr. Casey Means, a practitioner of so-called “functional medicine” who is a close ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, citing her “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials.”
The Corruption
Small-time $TRUMP coin buyers have seen their investments collapse
WaPo » Nearly 67,000 crypto novices have pulled out their debit cards to bet on Trump’s meme coin venture. So far it’s been a monumental bust.
Her $TRUMP coin’s value climbed for a few days but has since plunged 85% from its peak. Though some coin holders, including Trump’s allies, have profited handsomely on paper from the coin, she is not one of them; her $32 investment is now worth about $11.
“There was definitely a lot of influential people that had posted online about it that got me hyped up,” she said. “Then when it tanked, I was like, ‘Whoa, what the hell?’”
At least 67,000 new or small-time crypto investors like Davis have bet on Trump’s meme coin, pouring $15 million into the volatile venture endorsed by Trump and benefiting his personal wealth.
America’s tech titans backed Trump’s promise of a new “Golden Age” with seven-figure checks, glowing public praise, and front-row tickets to his inauguration
Axios » So far, those favors remain unreciprocated.
US pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Elon Musk’s Starlink
WaPo » “As the government of Lesotho negotiates a trade deal with the United States, it hopes that licensing Starlink demonstrates goodwill and intent to welcome U.S. businesses.”
Lesotho is far from the only country that has decided to assist Musk’s firm while trying to fend off U.S. tariffs. The company reached distribution deals with two providers in India in March and has won at least partial accommodations with Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam, although this is probably not a comprehensive count.
Trump’s Worldwide Trade and Tariff War
Toyota claims Trump’s tariffs will have erased C$1.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) in profits in April and May alone
NYT » The company estimated the effect of the auto tariffs, which started in April, only for those two months. Beyond that, their impact is “very difficult to forecast,” Toyota’s chief executive, Koji Sato, said in a briefing on Thursday. “The current environment surrounding the auto industry, including trade relations, is in extreme flux,” he said.
The murkiness of Toyota’s forecast underscores how the whiplash of Mr. Trump’s tariff agenda is upheaving the auto industry and leaving many global companies unable to estimate future prospects. A 25 percent tariff on vehicle imports into the United States, implemented early last month, was extended to auto parts last week.
US dollar may face a US$2.5 trillion ‘avalanche’ of sales as Asian countries unload their stockpile of the world’s reserve currency
Bloomberg » Asian exporters and investors may have amassed an “extremely large” pile of dollars through the years, widening the region’s trade surplus with the US, Eurizon SLJ Capital’s Jen and Joana Freire wrote in a note on Wednesday. As a US-led trade war deepens, some Asian investors might repatriate chunks of funds or ramp up levels of protection against a weakening dollar — potentially triggering an exodus from the world’s reserve currency.
“We suspect these dollar hoardings by Asian exporters and institutional investors may be extremely large – possibly on the order of $2.5 trillion or so – and pose sharp downside risks to the dollar vis-à-vis these Asian currencies,” Jen and Freire wrote.
In Trump’s usual fashion of overpromising and underdelivering, the so-called ‘trade deal’ with the UK appears to be little more than a framework for issues to be discussed and finalized over the coming months
Globe and Mail » Trump has announced an agreement with Britain that cuts US tariffs on most imports of British steel and vehicles, and paves the way for negotiations on a broader trade deal. Under the deal announced, US tariffs on some cars, steel and aluminum will fall to 10% from 25%. In return, Britain will reduce its tariffs on imports of US beef and lower some other trade barriers.
Quartz » Speaking from the Oval Office on Thursday morning, Trump said “the deal includes plans that will bring the United Kingdom into the economic security alignment with the United States that’s the first of its kind.”
Politico » Trump plans to announce details of a trade agreement with the United Kingdom Thursday morning, according to two people familiar with the agreement, granted anonymity to share not-yet-public details.
Specifics of the agreement were not immediately available. But the pact would represent a significant step forward for the United States, which has been mired in negotiations with dozens of countries since slapping hefty tariffs on its global trading partners last month. It also signals that similar agreements could be on the horizon with other countries.
