The Needle: Nearly 60 Percent of Americans Think Trump Is a Dangerous Dictator, FEMA Wants State and Local Governments to Handle Disasters, the Pentagon Wants 70 Percent of Our Tax Dollars, and More
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Gail O'Hara (via Washington CityPaper)
All poll down: A new poll says 58 percent of Americans think convicted felon and President Donald Trump is “a potentially dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy”—including two-thirds of independents and Latin Americans. Many respondents worry about their right to vote and federal interference in elections. Just 37 percent believe Trump is a “strong leader who should be given the power he needs to restore America’s greatness”; 71 percent say the country is headed in the wrong direction. Plus one point for reality checks. +1 [Democracy Docket]
Emergency mismanagement: Even though we all pay federal income tax into FEMA, the agency wants to reduce reliance on federal aid and shift the burden to state and local governments. FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton says the Trump administration plans to launch “national mutual aid,” where states help each other recover from damaging storms, floods, wildfires, and other events, which sounds a lot like democratic socialism. Trump threatened to abolish FEMA last year. Minus one point for making Americans less safe. -1 [Politico]
Pardon him: Venezuelan billionaire banker Julio Herrera Velutini wanted a Trump pardon and he received one shortly after his daughter gave former Trump adviser Alina Habba a $50 million deal. NYT reports that Herrera was facing felony bribery charges in the U.S. and struck a lenient plea deal for a campaign finance violation last year, but he wanted it removed from his record. His daughter donated $3.5 million to a Trump super PAC, and then his family offered to hire Habba at a rate of $50 million over four years. Weeks later, Herrera received a full pardon. Habba denies having a role. Minus one point for paying to play. -1 [NYT]
On the docket: Jerrell Jackson, who is accused of shooting a National Guard officer outside a Barracks Row bar over the weekend, was scheduled to be arraigned on “charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault on a police officer and emergency personnel, carrying a pistol without a license, and possessing a firearm” in D.C. Superior Court yesterday. The U.S. Attorney for D.C. intervened with a motion to transfer the case to U.S. District Court. Data shows federal court sentences are harsher than their D.C. counterparts. Minus one point for harsher sentences. -1 [WTOP, City Cast DC]
Penny dreadful: The Pentagon wants $1.54 trillion for fiscal year 2027, a 45 percent increase over 2026’s $1.06 trillion budget. Nearly 300 humanitarian, labor, and environmental organizations have signed a letter urging Congress to reject the request and invest in the people instead. National Priorities suggests using that money to fund Medicaid, Child Tax Credit, SNAP, the Department of Education, highways, the National Institutes of Health, school meals, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and substance use and mental health programs instead. Minus one point because NO. -1 [Politico]
Rage bait: Meta has paid at least 29 anti-LGBTQIA accounts for their posts through its Facebook Content Monetization program for content creators, including Libs of TikTok, Tucker Carlson, and Alex Jones. Minus three points for paying haters. -3 [The 19th]
13 days … until the midterm elections. Plus one point for hope. +1
