Notices by Chuck Darwin (cdarwin@c.im), page 10

Many essentials are imported almost entirely from China
— and with new tariffs,
they will soon be much more expensive.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/04/27/world/asia/china-products-us-tariffs-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

German intelligence has just arrested two suspected Russian spies, who were found with US Secretary of Defense Hegseth's private phone number stored in their phones.

The suspects, identified as German-Russian nationals, are accused of scouting targets for potential attacks
— including U.S. military facilities in Germany
— according to a statement released Thursday by the Federal Public Prosecutor General in Karlsruhe.

What Trump hath wrought

https://mstdn.ca/@Rasta/114410964206770558

The Smithsonian Institution has begun quietly removing some artifacts from the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC),
according to two museum employees and at least one high-profile donor.

Rev. Dr. Amos Brown, a longtime civil rights activist and pastor, tells WUSA9 he was notified via this month that several artifacts he donated
— including a Bible he carried during civil rights demonstrations
— were being returned to him

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/black-history/civil-rights-museum-of-african-americna-history-trump-administration/65-34b205a3-8763-48ce-9aa3-a8bacb71e926

Trump signed an executive order letting educators physically discipline kids—and this school principal’s response is perfect:

“No. We’re not going to be doing that. It feels like a set up.”

Because it is.

https://bsky.app/profile/cwebbonline.com/post/3lnqecsohac2l

-- cwebbinline

A new club is coming to Washington — and you are not welcome there.

Donald Trump Jr., megadonor Omeed Malik and several other investors are launching an invitation -only club that costs more than half a million to join, including an exclusive post-White House Correspondents’ Dinner gathering.

The referral requirements and prohibitive pricing is meant to ensure the C-suite crowd can mingle with Trump advisers and cabinet members without the prying eyes of the press and wanna-be insiders.

The price tag won’t be a problem for Trump’s cabinet
— given it’s by far the wealthiest in history.

The "Executive Branch" club already has a waitlist.

It’s no coincidence the opening salvo coincides with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
In years past, administration officials would rub shoulders and break bread with journalists. But that won’t be the case this year.

Donald Trump was already planning on skipping the jornalist's event before Pope Francis’ death took him to Rome,
and many of his aides and allies are staying away as well.

Instead the two camps will keep with their own kind.

The "Executive Branch" party is expected to be the gathering place for the Trump administration and its allies.

The owners of the club are Malik, a Trump donor and 1789 Capital founder; his business partner Chris Buskirk; Trump Jr.; and Zach and Alex Witkoff, the sons of Trump envoy Steve Witkoff.

Founding members include Sacks, the Winklevoss brothers and Chamath Palihapitiya.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/26/donald-trump-washington-club-00311720

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents did not have a warrant when they arrested Palestinian activist and green-card holder Mahmoud Khalil on March 8,
according to court papers filed by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday
— an admission that elicited outrage from members of Khalil’s legal team.
Marc Van Der Hout, an attorney representing Khalil, said Thursday that
“DHS agents who arrested Mahmoud lied to him: They wrote in their arrest report that the agents told him that they had an arrest warrant, but DHS has now admitted in their filing that that was a lie and that there was no warrant at all at the time of the arrest.”
“The government’s admission is astounding,” added Van Der Hout.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/ice-warrant-mahmoud-khalil

I still don't think US political system takes seriously what could be coming this year

Take tariffs:
One of our bigger customers did their investor call and it was basically
“the recession won’t be worse than COVID, and we were fine then”

To which:

1) It can definitely be worse

2) The feds aren’t giving away thousands of dollars this time to prop up demand -- shelves will be empty

-- achedes.bsky.social

Also people will give you grace in a real emergency like Covid, but in a made-up emergency patience is not going to be people's go-to move.

Hands Off The Courts:
Emergency Protest Rally
· Hosted by Indivisible Twin Cities

Friday, April 25
3 – 5pm CDT

Federal Court House Plaza

Minneapolis, MN 55415

EMERGENCY ACTION ALERT: HANDS OFF THE COURTS FRIDAY, APR 25, 3-5PM (TODAY)
Federal Court House, 4th Ave S and S 4th Street, MPLS

The Hands OFF! Coalition is calling for an emergency protest TODAY in response to the shocking and unprecedented arrest of the Honorable Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan earlier this morning.
Federal authorities under the direction of the Trump regime have charged Judge Dugan with two felonies alleging she assisted an undocumented immigrant in avoiding arrest after a courtroom appearance last week.
This politically motivated act is a blatant attack on a respected member of the judiciary and a dangerous escalation in the authoritarian playbook of targeting judges, immigrants, and due process itself.
“This arrest is an affront to our judicial system and a direct threat to the independence of the courts. We will not allow the rule of law to be trampled under the weight of authoritarianism.
We are standing up not just for the Honorable Judge Hannah Dugan, but for the soul of our democracy,” said a spokesperson for the Hands OFF! Coalition.
Bring signs, bring your voices, and stand up for our judges, our communities, and our Constitution.

https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/781619/

Judge #Hannah #Dugan was charged with obstruction and concealing an individual to avoid arrest,
and faces a maximum of six years in prison if convicted on both charges.

During a hearing on Friday, a lawyer for Dugan said she "wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest".
"It was not made in the interest of public safety."

She was released on her own recognisance pending a hearing on 15 May.

An immigration judge had issued a warrant for Flores-Ruiz's arrest on 17 April, according to court documents filed in the case by the FBI.

The following day, Flores-Ruiz appeared in the Milwaukee court for a scheduled hearing, and officers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and the FBI went to the courthouse to make the arrest.

Dugan became agitated when she learned that immigration agents were in the courthouse and directed several of them to the office of the county's chief justice,
an FBI special agent wrote in the court document.

While they were there, the document says, the judge ushered Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer to a side door meant for jury members leading out of the courtroom.

Flores-Ruiz, who authorities say had previously been deported from the US in 2013, managed to leave the courthouse but was arrested just minutes later after a short foot chase.

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that Dugan was detained "for allegedly helping an illegal alien avoid an arrest... No one is above the law".

Dugan was first elected as a judge in 2016, and was re-elected to a second six-year term in 2022.

Judicial elections in Wisconsin are non-partisan, however Dugan was endorsed by Milwaukee's Democratic mayor.

The obstruction charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while the concealment charges can be punished by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly5xx017vko

The 19 wealthiest U.S. families now control 1.8%—or $2.6 trillion—of the nation's total household wealth.
In 2024, those ultrarich households saw the largest single-year wealth increase on record.
The Wall Street Journal noted in its Wednesday analysis
—based on data from Forbes, Fortune, and the Federal Reserve
—that the families in Zucman's "research on the top 0.00001% in the U.S. are worth at least $45 billion per household
and include Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and private-equity investor Stephen Schwarzman."
Their wealth is largely tied up in the U.S. stock market, which rose more than 23% in 2024.
The richest 10% of U.S. households control 93% of stock market wealth, according to the Federal Reserve.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/19-richest-us-families

It’s not just that the Trump’s overall approval rating has dipped into the low 40s
— although it has
— but that he’s losing his strong advantage on immigration as well.

Fifty percent of Americans said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of immigration, according to a recent poll from Quinnipiac University, and a new Reuters pollshowed Trump slightly underwater on the issue as well

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/opinion/trump-van-hollen-abrego-garcia.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Trump and his top aides demanded on Wednesday that Ukraine accede to an American-designed proposal that would essentially ⚠️grant Russia all the territory it has gained in the war, while offering Kyiv only vague security assurances.
The plan, which would also explicitly ⚠️block Ukraine from ever joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The proposal also appears to call for the United States to ⚠️recognize Russia’s 2014 takeover of Crimea, a region of Ukraine.
“There is nothing to talk about,” Mr. Zelensky said. “This violated our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of Ukraine.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/world/europe/ukraine-cease-fire-talks-london.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

“The I.M.F. has suffered from mission creep,” Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said in remarks to the Institute of International Finance.
“The I.M.F. was once unwavering in its mission of promoting global monetary cooperation and financial stability.
Now it devotes disproportionate time and resources to work on
💥climate change, 💥gender, and 💥social issues.”
Arguing that its focus has overshadowed its economic mission, Mr. Bessent added:
👉“These issues are not the I.M.F.’s mission.”
The Treasury secretary also had tough criticism for the
World Bank, which under the Biden administration increased its focus on combating climate change.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/business/bessent-imf-world-bank-overhauls.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Several earthquakes have hit Turkey's largest city Istanbul - the strongest with a magnitude of 6.2

The tremors - also felt in the Turkish capital 275 miles away - sparked panicas people fled shaking buildings

More than fifty aftershocks have been recorded but no significant damage has been reported so far

No deaths have been reported but at least 151 people are injured after jumping from heights in fear, officials say

The BBC's Orla Guerin says the quake was one of the strongest to hit the cityin recent years

Scientists have long said a big earthquake could hit the city at any time, so moments like this always strike fear into residents,

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cm2yly2j4k9t

How does anyone know that these guys in plainclothes 💥and wearing balaclavas are legitimate federal officers, and not kidnappers?

And what happens when a "good guy with a gun" kills a "bad guy with a gun" who turns out to be a Fed?

It will happen

https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_9ce921d6-5f61-4546-b0c9-ea2287d8bf16.html

CEO of The Federalist is openly calling on Trump to defy the Supreme Court.

https://bsky.app/profile/rachelbitecofer.bsky.social/post/3lnbaj4zp2s2g

As the H5N1 bird flu virus mutates and rapidly spreads through American cattle herds — a first for the U.S. — doctors and veterinarians are fearful that if the virus is left unchecked, it could spiral into a possible pandemic

Avian influenza is constantly changing. Every new infection increases the odds bird flu could potentially become more deadly or easily transmissible between humans, infectious disease expert Dr. Kamran Khan warns. Today, the virus does not spread person to person, but Khan warns that could change. His company BlueDot was among the first to flag the virus in China that led to the COVID pandemic. Khan said bird flu is just as concerning.

Khan said he wants people to know "this is a very serious threat to humanity" and that the longer bird flu is left to spread, "the greater the risks are going to be."

"We are really at risk of this virus evolving into one that has pandemic potential," Khan said. "And the reality is none of us know whether this is next week, or next year, or never. I don't think it's never. But it may be here far sooner than any of us would like."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bird-flu-pandemic-potential-scientists-60-minutes/

Under orders from Donald Trump, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin is simultaneously moving to
💥rescind Biden-era rules meant to protect the public from toxic pollution
💥while inviting hundreds of petrochemical manufacturers and the dirtiest coal-burning power plants to apply for sweeping “#presidential #exemptions” from meeting updated pollution limits for up to two years, after which they can be renewed.
🔥Handing out regulatory exemptions to polluters provides the Trump EPA time to dismantle years of regulatory work toward limiting emissions of hazardous toxins such as mercury and cancer-causing benzene before private companies face requirements to invest in pollution controls that protect public health.
https://truthout.org/articles/epa-deletes-pollution-tracking-tools-as-it-offers-exemptions-to-polluters/

Tesla faces a proposed class action claiming it speeds up odometers on its electric vehicles so they fall out of warranty faster,
saving Elon Musk's company from having to pay for repairs.

The plaintiff Nyree Hinton alleged that Tesla odometer readings reflect energy consumption,
driver behavior and "predictive algorithms" rather than actual mileage driven.

He said the odometer on the 2020 Model Y he bought in December 2022 with 36,772 miles on the clock ran at least 15% fast, based on his other vehicles and driving history, and for a while said he drove 72 miles a day when at most he drove 20.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-speeds-odometers-avoid-warranty-213536905.html