The Week that Was ...
Ending Sunday, February 9, 2025
Welcome to the latest edition of The Week that Was, my rundown of what happened last week, curated, in the loosest sense of the word, for your reading pleasure, or displeasure.
Some of the lowlights include:
bitcoin for bodies;
a Palestinian-American Trump supporter explaining the why ethnic cleansing of Gaza demonstrates Trump’s humanitarianism;
Musk’s transactional use of Trump;
the insanity that Trump proves that the Democratic Party needs to be more conservative; and the
latest quasi-artistic film trashing Mexico while starring an Islamophobe.
Some of the links below have paywalls. I’ve tried to put in the gist of the stories and provide some comic relief to our countries slide into chaos.
1. Photo of the Week
This photo explains why Trump really lifted the tariffs. The amount of commerce between the U.S.A.
© Adriana Drehsler
2. To Tariff or Not to Tariff
Deal with Mexico!
The Trump Administration is with characteristic bombast trumpeting this as a big win:
“’If she sends troops, it's a sign Mexico takes the president seriously,’ the official said.”
Fine print: The deal involves U.S. help in stopping the flow of U.S.-manufactured arms to Mexico. Mexico has very strict gun control laws, but U.S. gun dealers knowingly sell a large number of weapons, such as AR-15’s, to Mexicans, where these weapons end up in the hands of cartels.
What are the MAGA gun freaks going to say about this?
Manufacturers and truckers rejoiced. The above photo goes a long way to explain why.
Mexico is “rushing” 10,000 Guardia Naciónal troops to the border to staunch the flow of fentanyl to the U.S. junkie population. Of course, most of the traffickers who are caught are Anglos (a/k/a Gringos) who bring small quantities across the border on their persons. Fentanyl is so potent that the quantities necessary are tiny. You only need a tunnel for good old-fashioned cocaine.
Trump, Sheinbaum agree to pause U.S.-Mexico tariffs for a month
Head-scratching from the New York Times, or the Most Convoluted Wording Possible to Say ‘What the F?’
Questions about the actual efficacy of Trump’s deal with Mexico have arisen. This is unsurprising, and it is basically ridiculous. In spite of Trump’s purported concern for drug addiction, this deal does not address drug addiction. It’s not Mexico where tens of thousands are dying from the opioid crisis. And it was not a Mexican company who devised Oxy-Contin or sent legions of sales reps to areas of the U.S. where people are dying in droves from “deaths of despair.” Addiction is a gigantic issue in the U.S.A., perhaps worse than anywhere else in the world.
From the New York Times:
“’It’s a lot of shock and awe, but very little policy,’ said Arturo Sarukhán, Mexico’s ambassador to Washington during President Felipe Calderón’s term from 2006 to 2012, an administration that aggressively pursued cartels inside Mexico, igniting extraordinary levels of violence nationwide.” [emphasis added]
Gotta love the NYT! “…aggressively pursued cartels inside Mexico…”? Huh? The Mexican government referenced here, that of Felipe Calderon, of the conservative PAN, had an interior minister who is now doing a 38-year sentence in U.S. federal prison for taking bribes from the Sinaloa cartel. And the D.E.A. worked with Mexican military officers who were later revealed to be working with one of the cartels, and using D.E.A. intelligence to target their paymasters’ rivals. Even the NYT had to eventually report that.
And …
“’Most of the fentanyl goes through legal points of entry into the U.S., not between them, and that’s where most troops will be deployed: at illegal points of entry.’”
Or so says the same former Mexican official quoted previously in the article, in an epic feat of laziness, by the reporters who are getting paid to write this.
And the kicker:
“Second, a majority of fentanyl smugglers are not illegal migrants, as Mr. Trump claims, but American citizens going through border crossings. In 2023, American citizens were responsible for 86 percent of fentanyl trafficking cases in the United States, according to government figures.”
So it’s Americans who bring it in (as noted above), Americans who use it, and Americans who die from it, so of course it’s Mexico’s problem. At least that’s the way Trump sees it.
How Much Can 10,000 Mexican Troops Achieve at the Border?
Deal with Canada Includes a Fentanyl Czar
Canada will appoint a “fentanyl czar.” This person will certainly have a high mandate. I just hope he has a nodding acquaintance with drugs.
U.S. strikes deals to pause Mexico, Canada tariffs for 30 days
Trudeau says Trump agrees to a pause on U.S. tariffs on Canada
No Deal with China
The PRC, the People’s Republic of China, did not strike a deal with the U.S. Instead, the imposed both tariffs and export controls, including tungsten. The US stopped mining tungsten, a metal vital for aviation and one industry we still do well, weapons manufacturing.
Cutting off our tungsten supply is a problem. For us. Not China.
China counters with tariffs on US products. It will also investigate Google
3. The Future of U.S. Governance
USAID
It’s hard to keep track of what is going on .
Senator Sends a Letter Asking What’s Up
This is a matter of concern.
How Long Can the Odious Odd Couple Last?
The question of whether or not the White House, or Washington, or perhaps the known universe, is big enough for both Trump and Musk.
“All in all, the state of affairs is pretty tenuous. Earlier this week one White House ally told Playbook that Musk is quickly becoming “more liability than asset.” But on Friday, that same person said the assessment has now flipped given the results from Musk on USAID and the president’s enthusiasm for his work.
“A White House aide acknowledged that workflow needs improvement, but they’re optimistic that the benefit of Musk outweighs the negative — for now. “It’s all fine as long as nothing blows up on Musk to the extent it jeopardizes the president. Then that’s a different situation.”
“WHAT WHITE HOUSE STAFFERS ARE WONDERING: Can they handle two bulls in the proverbial china shop? The current consensus is both bulls quickly breaking things is good.
“But how long will the mutually beneficial alliance last? And will the narrative of Musk acting as the shadow president ultimately get on Trump’s nerves? Some Republicans close to Trump argue this is already the case.
“This person said Trump has no easy political solution to Musk, because of the $288 million he spent helping him win the White House.”
And now, the Money Shot:
“’It’s a lot of money, so Trump will have to put up with a lot of shit,’ this person said. ‘You can’t just fire him.’”
Playbook: Trump-Musk tensions rising?
Meanwhile, Back at the Rotunda
The Republicans in Congress are divided in their thieving strategies. Some want ten years; some five; and some two; for the constitutional window dressing on their looting strategy.
And that “Big beautiful bill”?
House GOP eyes new Plan B on extending Trump tax cuts
4. Preparing for the Next Pandemic by Shutting off All Information
The last thing anyone needs when a pandemic is looming is information. Just break out the chlorox.
C.D.C. Posts, Then Deletes, Data on Bird Flu Spread Between Cats and People
5. Annals of Expulsion, or Bitcoin for Bodies
Bitcoins for Bodies: Privatized Gulags Need Prisoners
The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, who has made Bitcoin the currency for his country, wants us to send him our tired huddled masses, to lock them up in his prisons, for fee:
“’We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system,’ Mr. Bukele wrote on X, saying his government was willing to take in convicted criminals, including U.S. citizens, for a fee. ‘The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.’”
And it will be a bargain to boot!
El Salvador’s president offers to accept criminals from the United States — for a fee.
Numbers
The Trump Administration is good at putting on shows; its skills in factual analysis are less. So, let’s do a little analysis, shall we?
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, said it had arrested 7,400 persons in nine days. That’s a rate of 822 per day (rounding down). That’s 300,111 for a year. How does that compare to past years.
As one can easily see from the below chart, that figure is easy surpassed by the first five years of the Obama Administration.
Source: © econofact.org
High Immigration Arrest Figures Under Trump Come With Few Details
6. Foreign Policy: Location Location Location
The Gaza Riviera of Peace
Trump has shown his ever-creative mind at work again with his plan to depopulate the Gaza, against the will of the people of Gaza, by moving them to Egypt and Jordan—and then creating an international park for the world with lots of hotels. Trump didn’t ask the governments of Egypt or Jordan or any other Arab state. He simply noted that “we do a lot for them,” meaning the US gives them a lot of money. Which we do, to keep these undemocratic and rather unpopular regimes in place. In Trump’s mind that means that of course these governments will go along with this.
As it turns out, neither the military government of Egypt nor the Hashemite Bedouin monarchy of Jordan thought this was a good idea. Perhaps the rulers of those countries want to hold on to their heads. Neither do the Palestinians, with the exception of one Palestinian-American living in Michigan.
“I think it’s too early to jump to conclusions that this is intended to be the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip.”
“Is it resettlement or is it relocation temporarily?”
“A forcing function such as this from Trump might be the catalyst that is needed for the region to take more ownership ….”
“Well, this is sort of an arena of disappointment. I think in four years you’re going to see some Arab Americans disappointed in the president’s policy.”
That man just gave us a world class example of living in a fantasy.
Live Updates: Trump Officials Try to Walk Back Gaza Takeover Plan
Canadians Discover Patriotism
Canadians have not been known for overbearing nationalism; quiet pride has suited them just fine. Until Trump threatened and joked about making Canada the 51st state.
“But all of that was forgotten over the weekend, when he addressed the nation underlining the allyship between the U.S. and Canada from providing support during 9/11 to sending firefighters last month to fight the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
“From beaches of Normandy to the mountains of the Korean Peninsula; from the fields of Flanders to the streets of Kandahar, we have fought and died alongside you,” he said.
Canadians had been feeling gloomy about their country. Trump changed that.
7. Using Trump to Promote Milquetoast Democrats
The Democratic Party Establishment Grasps for a Straw
The Washington Post and the rest of the “liberal” media, meaning investor-driven media, continue with their efforts to force the Democratic Party further to the “middle,” a location that does not exist. Below is a great example:
“I don’t think that it’s been very effective, the Dem response, so far. In fact, I’m frustrated by it. If you make everything Defcon 5, then eventually nothing is Defcon 5, you know what I mean? And on questions of overreach of constitutional authority, it’s not always so cut and dry.
“There are some clear precedents of something that’s unconstitutional, right? But in a lot of cases, it’s not exactly self-evident and it takes time and patience and an interest in getting to facts before you can make these types of assertions. And I think if you rush right out and just say, like, ‘This is, like, dictatorial or illegal,’ you might end up being wrong, and that undermines your credibility.”
Or so pronounces Representative Jared Golden of Maine, in a masterful display of non-talking talking. “Defcon 5”? Is that his characterization of the Democratic Party establishment’s response? They still haven’t sued over appropriated funds not being spent. Bills passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. And the money not being spent.
Trump’s first days: The view from a tough Democratic district
8. Someone Fights Back
Department of Spine-Growing
A lawsuit was filed.
Unions sue to block Elon Musk’s access to Treasury payment data.
The decision was reversed, then reinstated.
DOGE access to Treasury data again limited
Now this is good news as well.
Judge bars Trump from putting 2,700 additional USAID workers on leave
Keep up with the Resistance.
Below is a link to all of the litigation actions going on. It’s updated frequently, I might add.
Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
9. Culture Watch
Emilia Pérez Scandal
Emilia Pérez, the new Spanish language crime musical, written and directed by the French director, writer, and opera librettist—and novel adapter—Jacques Audiard, has been engulfed in a scandal because of the trans star, Karla Sofía Gascón, had a habit of tweeting Islamophobia, and more, verging on fascist race theory. Nice.
The film concerns a trans person who rises to lead a cartel in Mexico. It has garnered 13, count ‘em, 13 Oscar nominations. I became aware of it and took a look. It looked a bit cringey, as they say nowadays, and not too accurate, either. First of all, the film in set in contemporary Mexico City, and while the photography looked good, that’s not a cartel place. The mountains of Sinaloa or Guerrero are where to look for that. I wondered if its depiction of Mexico could be as awful as that in the critically praised monstrosity Sicario. I’m not going to find out. I don’t have the time. There are a lot of great films out there, so I’ll skip this one.
There’s a Simple Explanation for the Emilia Pérez Scandal
10. Inflation Watch
Strangest Episode of the Sopranos
Someone must have egged them on.