The House is about to pull an all-nighter
1 am start time to be exact
Heyyaaa!
First, thanks so much to everyone who donated to Adriana Smith. I spoke with the family and they started their own GoFundMe. You can donate here. ICYMI, here’s the story.
Now, there have been a boatload of headlines since we last spoke. And we’ll get to those. But, we also need to recognize that some of that is intentional. As they have said, this administration loves to deter and distract from the actual issues, and the media is all too happy to oblige.
So, before we get into the incredulousness, let's first talk about the sh*t you actually need to know like right now.
Republicans schedule a markup on the “one, big beautiful bill” for 1:00 am tonight.
honestly kind of fckn hilarious — can’t wait to see how many of them fall asleep
As they say, nothing good happens after midnight…
And I say this at 33. The average House Republican is 58.
Meanwhile, Trump visited Capitol Hill today trying to persuade Republican holdouts to vote for the bill, telling them to “unite immediately.” Nevertheless, said holdouts are staying firm, telling POLITICO that they weren’t going to budge.
Still at issue are two key provisions: the State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT) and cuts to Medicaid.
SALT: Moderate Republicans want an increase in SALT (meaning how much you can deduct from your federal taxes based on how much you pay in state and local taxes). Current cap is 10,000, and they’re looking to increase it to $30,000 — though some still see that as inadequate.
Trump’s position: Trump, who campaigned on “get[ting] SALT back,” seemed to switch his position Tuesday, telling Republicans that SALT would only help Democratic governors like “the big JB” (Gov JB Pritzker, Illinois) and “Gavin Newscum” (Gov Gavin Newsom, California). Which will almost certainly stick, especially during Newsom’s 2028 campaign.
Gotta give him points for creativity.
Medicaid Cuts: Hardline Republicans are pushing for deeper cuts into Medicaid in order to balance the deficit. While the White House says that the bill would decrease the deficit, everyone else in every other organization (including the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO)) has said the bill would increase the deficit by at least 3 trillion. Deficit hawks are not down for that. But moderate Republicans (and most of the Senate) are not okay with current Medicaid cuts, much less more. CBO estimates that if the bill is passed as written, 7.6 million people would lose Medicaid coverage.
Trump’s position: Today, Trump told the hardliners of the House Freedom Caucus not to “f*ck around with Medicaid.” Straight to the point.
Now, why would they schedule a bill markup for 1:00 am? Why do secret rendezvous occur late night? Why do scientists suggest that more dysregulated or dangerous behavior happens at night? That there are neurophysiological changes in the brain, that people tend to make more impulsive decisions? Studies suggest it’s because staying awake goes against the biological circadian rhythm.
Again, very little good happens after midnight. And I say this as a former night-owl.
Here’s the thing with markups though — they’re very rarely short. Most last for hourssss. So, it’ll likely continue well into the morning. Which is when Smartt Takes will tune in.
Turns out the Qatari Jet may not have been a gift after all, but a solicitation
According to sources, back in January, the Trump admin approached Qatar for a jet that could replace Air Force One. Initially, the U.S. was supposed to purchase the plane via a contract between the two countries. But, on May 11, Trump announced it was a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE!” There are still legal and security issues being worked out with the transfer of the plane. In the meantime, it’s in San Antonio, TX just sittin.
And all the Republicans & Democrats who were protesting the jet last week seem to have forgotten the issue overall.
Administration indicts Democratic Member of Congress
The administration dropped the charges against Newark’s mayor after arresting him for protesting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, but then turned around and charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) with assault. The member called the charges “purely political,” a “mischaracterization,” and intended to “criminalize and deter legislative oversight.” She further suggested that she was the one assaulted, not doing the assaulting.
No additional info yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
Administration strikes deal with El Chapo members, letting them in to the United States
Huh?
Reports indicate that the administration struck a deal with the family of Mexican cartel leader El Chapo, to allow them to cross into the United States. All in all, 17 family members were allowed to enter the country, as part of a negotiation.
No word from the admin, but perhaps it’s part of a plea deal. Either way, the Mexican government confirmed the agreement.
Joe Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
After discovering a nodule early last week, the Biden team announced that the former president is now fighting prostate cancer, and it’s at an aggressive stage. Immediately, theories started flying about whether the president hid his diagnosis from the public. Some have called for a review on the president’s actions, including his pardons (recall Trump charged that he was investigating the legitimacy of Biden’s pardons & use of an auto-pen). Others have just begun talking again about the declining health of the former president while he was in office.
After first expressing his condolences, Trump later said he was surprised the public wasn’t notified a long time ago, because “to get to Stage 9, that’s a long time.” News flash, there is no Stage 9.
These questions are fair; however, it’s extremely plausible that Biden had no idea about the cancer until last week. Speaking from experience, cancer can become aggressive quickly while still being asymptomatic. We got my mom’s biopsy, for example, after she died. So, we/she had no idea that she had Stage 4 cancer until she passed suddenly.
The diagnosis comes just as CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson’s book on Biden, titled: “Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” comes out today. People have been relatively outraged by the book, namely for Tapper not acknowledging his own role in covering Biden’s decline while he’s president. New York Post called him a hypocrite, and FOX News accused him of trying to “rewrite history.”
Smartt Takes Analysis: And this is why people don’t trust the media. Why on earth would you not tell us this, why would you not report on this story while he was running for re-election? Why would you instead wait to profit from his mental decline after he’s stepped down from the race and retired to private life? It doesn’t make sense. And it’s really disheartening.
The Daily Show’s John Stewart summed it up rather succinctly: “the news is selling you a book about news they should have told you was news a year ago for free.”
Astrology Tidbit: Skip if you don’t give a sh*t!
I did a lil analysis on Biden’s transits. And they’re pretty craaaazy. I mentioned that the Full moon last week leading into the Uranus (the planet of surprise) cazimi Saturday would bring sudden changes. Biden’s cazimi was happening in his 6th house of health, and right near his natal Uranus. And his sun (self) was opposing Uranus. Pretty crazy, check out this video for more info. It also shows the Tapper/journalist tidbit as well.
Meanwhile, these are real bullets that capture what happened in the news over the last week
RFK tells Congress people shouldn’t be taking medical advice from him. Sir, hate to break it to you but you are the Secretary of Health and Human Services, aka you ARE the primary voice of medical advice in this country
Kristi Noem has no idea what habeas corpus is. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Congress she believes habeas corpus is the constitutional right of the president to remove people from this country. Au contraire, Secretaire — habeas corpus is the right for citizens to challenge when they are detained or imprisoned, and that the government provide a reason for doing so. Would be fine, except she’s the one who would be carrying out the order. It’s like hiring someone to be a landscaper, but they don’t know how to work a lawnmower. Imperfect analogy, but you get the gist.
Trump plans to investigate Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah, Bono and every single other celebrity who performed or spoke at the Harris campaign. Trump argues that the campaign paid for their endorsements under the guise of entertainment. Apparently they’re living rent free in his head, along with Taylor Swift who “is no longer HOT.” Tell that to the millions of people who paid thousands (a total of $2 billion) to attend her Eras tour.
Grok, Elon Musk’s AI model, became obsessed with white genocide, and morphed into a Holocaust denier last week. Telling any and every user about its skepticism, regardless of what they asked. XAi likened the issue to a programming error, though Grok did tell users he was “instructed to accept [white genocide] as real.”
Administration investigating James Comey over social media post. Last week James Comey posted a shell image of “8647,” which some people have taken to mean “kill (86) the president (47).” Comey took down the post, saying he didn’t realize the implications, but the admin is now investigating Comey for the alleged threat, and he met with the Secret Service.
DHS reality show gets legs. DHS has apparently begun the vetting process for a new reality show, “The American,” which would feature 12 immigrants competing in a series of patriotic challenges across the nation. The winner would be granted citizenship. Smartt Takes posted a rather strongly worded video, bc, honestly what timeline are we living on?
Ben of Ben & Jerry’s arrested on Capitol Hill - Last week Ben Cohen was arrested on Capitol Hill protesting the war in Gaza. Cohen was later released, but faces a $500 penalty, 90 days in jail, or both.
Trump still doesn’t know what groceries are. Apparently Trump finds the word groceries antiquated, and just recently heard the term 3 weeks ago. No clue what he’s been using instead, or maybe he just doesn’t go to the grocery store? Watch this semi-hilarious Daily Show clip to round your evening out.
Alright, that’s it from me! Be back tomorrow! Adieu!
Another terrific issue.
Sad and dangerous how incompetent and dangerous Noem and RFK Jr are.