Author name: moderat ereport

A cartoon by Pedro Molina. Related | Watch Trump make it weird when reporter asks about Epstein

One of the most enduring conservative myths is that of the self-reliant, salt-of-the-earth, rural-dwelling American who pulls himself up by his bootstraps, wrestles a steer before breakfast, and builds his own house out of patriotism and chewing tobacco because, by god, they sure do love America!  If that were ever true, it hasn’t been for a while. These days, rural America is largely dependent on the federal government it claims to hate. In fact, far from self-reliant, rural America is subsidized by blue states. And it’s not even close. The Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan public policy organization, has put together a map tracking the share of every county’s personal income that’s made up of government transfers, which include Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, food assistance, and veterans benefits—money specifically sent or spent on individuals.  I circled some of the country’s largest metropolitan areas to highlight how stark the urban-rural disparity can be. The metros around Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco all show minimal (less than 15% of personal income) or moderate (15% to less than 25%) reliance on government transfers. Rural America, meanwhile, is a glowing sea of government-dependent yellow. The South in particular looks like it took a bath in it. There are reasons for this. Rural regions have a big share of older people, given decades of young people fleeing for big cities. And while there is evidence of that trend reversing since 2020, due largely to the proliferation of remote work, rural areas still tend to be older than large metros. And more older people in a county means a bigger share of that country drawing Social Security and Medicare. And rural areas are more dependent on Medicaid. Government benefits are a good thing, so none of this is inherently bad, per se. But it does mean those rural areas are dependent on the very social safety net that Republicans are gleefully hacking apart with their cuts on Medicaid, food assistance, and the like. They’re also poorer than expensive urban regions, so they rely more on federal food assistance to eat.  But hey, that’s what these voters asked for. Rural areas lean heavily Republican, and farming-dependent counties voted for Trump at an eye-popping average of 78%. Maybe they were just eager to get back to some serious bootstrap-pulling, or maybe they thought the government cheese tasted better if it came with a side of moral superiority and immigrant-blaming. And can anyone actually eat when a handful of trans girls might be playing high school sports? They sure had their priorities!  And don’t worry, rural Republican voters: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, gets a tax cut. Which he definitely needed. For reasons. 

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s cost-cutting measures at the Federal Emergency Management Agency slowed search and rescue efforts in Texas by 72 hours, possibly costing some of the at least 120 lives lost in the devastating natural disaster, CNN reported. According to CNN, Noem created a new policy that requires her to personally sign off on any costs greater than $100,000. The Urban Search and Rescue crews seeking to be deployed to the Texas Hill Country—where hundreds of people were swept away by the rapidly rising rivers after heavy rainstorms—met that criteria. But CNN reported that Noem didn’t approve the deployment of those search and rescue crews until Monday—three days after the floods swept through Texas. From CNN’s report: As central Texas towns were submerged in rising waters, FEMA officials realized they couldn’t pre-position Urban Search and Rescue crews from a network of teams stationed regionally across the country. In the past, FEMA would have swiftly staged these teams, which are specifically trained for situations including catastrophic floods, closer to a disaster zone in anticipation of urgent requests, multiple agency sources told CNN. But even as Texas rescue crews raced to save lives, FEMA officials realized they needed Noem’s approval before sending those additional assets. Noem didn’t authorize FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began, multiple sources told CNN. DHS tried to deny that Noem’s incompetence hindered the search and rescue efforts. But their denial actually proved the CNN story. DHS said in a post on X, “President Trump approved a Major Disaster Declaration, hours after Governor Greg Abbott’s request. By Tuesday, FEMA had deployed 311 staffers, providing support and shelter for hundreds of people. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is reforming FEMA to prioritize state-led, locally executed disaster response, as Texas has exemplified.” That means that CNN’s report was correct, that it took until Tuesday for FEMA to deploy the search and rescue teams. Noem appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Thursday, where she was asked about the CNN report. But instead of providing evidence that she swiftly approved the search and rescue teams, she only attacked CNN—classic deflection that did not actually deny the report. “CNN has a report accusing you of slowing the process in Texas,” one of the hosts asked Noem, to which she replied, “Well there you go. Fake news CNN is absolutely trash, what they are doing.” YouTube Video Noem, for her part, has implemented the cost-cutting measures in DHS that hamstrung the search and rescue efforts in Texas even as she spends hundreds of millions galavanting around the country and globe cosplaying for PR stunts and visiting the torture camps she’s gleefully sending immigrants to. A Wall Street Journal report from April said Noem spent $9 million on a television ad advising immigrants to self-deport. She also sported a $50,000 Rolex watch on a visit to the CECOT prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration illegally deported immigrants against court orders. Noem is also seeking a $50 million private jet to transport her to the stunts she’s carrying out. Turns out, Noem cares more about creating torture porn than she does about saving lives. 

A cartoon by Clay Jones. Related | You won’t believe how badly Kristi Noem bungled Texas flood response

Sen. Thom Tillis may be heading for the exits, but he’s not leaving quietly. The retiring Republican from North Carolina—who stunned the political world in June, when he announced he wouldn’t seek reelection—suggested to CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday that he regrets casting the deciding vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “With the passing of time, I think it’s clear he’s out of his depth as a manager of a large, complex organization,” Tillis said, pointing to Hegseth inadvertently sharing military attack plans with a journalist and, more recently, pausing weapons shipments to Ukraine without informing the White House. “That’s just amateurish,” he added about the Ukraine pause. “That’s from somebody who doesn’t understand large organization dynamics.” YouTube Video It’s the first time Tillis has spoken at length with the national media since his retirement announcement, which came just one day after President Donald Trump threatened to back a primary challenger over Tillis’ opposition to the bill carrying Trump’s domestic agenda. Trump also threatened Tillis earlier this year. In January, Tillis reportedly worked behind the scenes to corroborate abuse allegations against Hegseth, and even urged Senate GOP leadership to pull the nomination. But after Trump floated backing a primary challenge, Tillis folded and voted “yes,” despite concerns about Hegseth’s alleged history of excessive drinking and alleged abuse of women. Now that reelection’s off the table, Tillis admits he might’ve voted differently if the confirmation came up today. “If all I had was the information on the day of the vote, I’d certainly vote for him again,” he told CNN. “But now I have the information of him being a manager, and I don’t think his probationary period has been very positive.” Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears at House hearing on May 14. Tillis also voiced regret about another Cabinet pick he supported—Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—but Tillis said he relied on the judgment of fellow Republicans in both instances. For Hegseth, it was the Armed Services Committee. For Kennedy, it was Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who has a medical degree and chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. “The main reason I supported Kennedy was because Bill Cassidy thought that we should see how it plays out,” he said.  Tillis also took a swipe at Trump’s new domestic policy law, which will slash Medicaid and food-assistance benefits to partially fund tax cuts and immigration enforcement. Only three Republican senators voted against it—Tillis among them. “What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore?” Tillis said in a scathing floor speech as the bill was going through Congress. But even now Tillis avoids criticizing Trump directly, instead blaming the president’s inner circle. “What the president needs to do is start really looking at the outcome of some of these policy decisions and ask himself, is he really getting the best professional advice?” he told CNN, adding, “But as somebody who’s been in elected office for 20 years at the leadership level in the statehouse and doing all I can up here, I hope that [Trump] starts listening to more of us and fewer of those people who pretend like they’re the president when he’s out of the room.” YouTube Video Tillis may be free to speak his mind now. But for those living with the fallout of his votes—especially the one that put Hegseth in charge—it’s too little, too late.

The first rule of being an alpha male is to never outwardly say that you’re an alpha male. At least, that’s what President Donald Trump’s new pick for ambassador to Malaysia would tell you.  Nick Adams is a serially online MAGA supporter whose qualifications for Malaysian ambassador likely aren’t that far off from Trump’s ambassador to Greece nominee, Kimberly Guilfoyle. But if there’s one thing Adams definitely has in his armory of far-right expertise, it’s that he’s unashamed of his deep-seated misogyny.  In an off-putting rant, the Australian-born naturalized citizen wrote about his “ideal woman” who is “low maintenance” and “picks me up from Hooters when I’ve had a few too many domestics with the boys.” To make matters worse, Adams also dabbles in fan fiction in which he rants about hating having to wear protective eye gear against eclipses while calling women “good girls” who fetch him domestic beers. And, of course, they address him as an “alpha male” in these fantasies.  While the obvious art of trolling is written all over Adams’ social media, the question of how casual—or blatant—misogyny seems to be in the White House is ever present.  Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth passed through his Senate confirmation despite sexual abuse lawsuits and his own mother calling him a womanizer. And Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly blamed his ex-wife for his infidelity with more than 30 women. And of course we can’t forget Guilfoyle herself, who was engaged to Donald Trump Jr. and at one point had the affection of the president. But when Trump Jr.’s new relationship caused chaos in MAGAland, Guilfoyle was conveniently given a job thousands of miles away.  The Trump administration is clearly for the boys, so surely “alpha male” Adams will fit right in.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is adding another role to his current gig, for which he has no qualifications, as interim NASA chief—a position in which he is similarly unqualified. We are all being forced to see Duffy cosplay as an astronaut because President Donald Trump and Elon Musk got in a slap fight. One of the many pieces of fallout from that breakup was Trump’s pulling Jason Isaacman as his NASA nominee to spite Musk, who picked Isaacman. Just think: Duffy will bring the same gravitas and capability to NASA that he has brought to the crises at the Federal Aviation Administration—blaming President Joe Biden, moving Jesus out of the basement, muttering like a weirdo about how everything at the FAA went to hell because you can no longer say “cockpit.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to the media at the White House on May 6. To be fair, Duffy was always going to be out of his depth. His ”Real World” experience has not exactly translated to actual real world experience. But—like so many others in the Trump administration—what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in pugnaciousness. Duffy is happiest when he goes to his safe space, Fox News, to raise the alarm about how the New York City Subway is now basically just ”The Warriors”. Hopefully he isn’t as afraid of spaceflight as he is the mere thought of public transit.  It isn’t clear if Duffy’s time playing boss means that he will oversee the imminent decimation of the agency, slated to shed more than 2,000 employees. Unlike Duffy, those people have decades of relevant and specialized experience, and the loss to NASA will be catastrophic.  For whatever reason, Trump has an utter disinterest in NASA at the moment. During the Trump-Musk bromance, it looked like the real goal was to let Musk privatize NASA and turn it into a money machine for SpaceX, but that dream is dead. Hence, treating running one of the most beloved, iconic, and scientifically complex agencies in the United States like driving for Uber to make a few bucks.  Related | Kash Patel loses ATF gig as Trump kills gun safety measures Take Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who got his high-level post because he was one of Trump’s criminal defense attorneys. After Trump ousted the librarian of Congress as part of his war on DEI, he put Blanche in that role, too. Sure, why not? There’s no doubt that Duffy is hoping his sojourn at NASA will not end in mysterious ignominy, as when FBI Director Kash Patel lost his night job running the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Some folks just have trouble holding down two jobs.  All of these guys are pikers compared to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Besides being in charge of U.S. foreign policy, he’s also the national security adviser, the acting archivist, and the acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development.  Then again, that may have changed even by the time you read this. But rest assured that Trump will continue throwing top government jobs around as patronage—or punishment.

The Trump administration’s attack on immigrants is a whole-of-government effort. There’s no lever he won’t pull, no cruelty too petty or vast. On Thursday, a few Cabinet departments debuted their newest move: redefining what “federal public benefit” means so that undocumented immigrants can no longer access a host of resources.  Buckle up—we have to get a bit wonky.  Broadly speaking, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for “federal public benefits” under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, or PRWORA. The more programs the administration can stuff under that definition, the more things they can withhold from undocumented people.  Even prior to PRWORA, undocumented immigrants were largely excluded from direct assistance programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Things get trickier outside of that context, which is why there are lengthy guides on this from immigration groups, as well as detailed congressional reports. The administration is working on sweeping all those distinctions, all that nuance, away so that it can get to the same bottom line it always does: taking things away in order to hurt people.  Healthy and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in January. On Thursday, the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor put out press releases that were substantially similar, gleefully boasting about how they’ve further managed to marginalize undocumented people. Each statement declares, either explicitly or in essence, that certain programs they administer are now federal public benefits and therefore can’t go to undocumented immigrants.  Why? Because they say so, basically.  Education’s statement declares the department is rescinding part of a 1997 “Dear Colleague” letter issued during the Clinton administration, which defined exceptions to PRWORA’s federal benefits definition. Is that letter linked in the press release? Heavens, no. Is it easy to find otherwise on a government site? Nope! Is there any legal analysis underpinning the administration’s assertion that the definition has been wrong since 1997, and they’re just setting things straight? Lol.  But here’s the big change, and it’s ugly: Previously, if a federal public benefit was administered at the community level, then it was not a direct benefit to someone who was able to access that community resource. For example, undocumented immigrants could enroll in Head Start or could get food from a food bank because they weren’t receiving the benefit directly. Not anymore. The new interpretation now seems to be that even an indirect, non-cash service cannot go to undocumented immigrants. So what does that look like? Per HHS, undocumented immigrants can no longer access Head Start, an early childhood education program for low-income families. They can’t go to many federally funded health clinics, they can’t get mental health services or substance abuse treatment funded by community block grants, and they can’t get family-planning services funded by Title X.  And if you thought it was an exaggeration to say that this new, stretched-beyond-recognition definition of “federal public benefit” would mean that an undocumented immigrant can’t get food from a food bank that receives federal funding, just peep Thursday’s Department of Agriculture notice in the Federal Register: Accordingly, the ultimate beneficiaries to whom federal funds flow from a contract or grant provided by FNS or appropriated funds of the United States are recipients of a “Federal public benefit.” For example, if a food bank receives a grant which is used to purchase food for distribution, the individual who receives the food assistance has received a “Federal public benefit.” Besides excluding undocumented immigrants from a host of resources, this creates an additional—and certainly intended—problem. Any organization that receives block grants or other federal funding will now have to begin aggressively policing those they serve, demanding citizenship verification.  HHS programs got the brunt of this today, which is no real surprise given how this administration hates poor people almost as much as they hate immigrants, so slashing benefits targeted at lower-income people will always get them hyped. Over at the Education Department, the new special redefinition means that undocumented immigrants can’t access adult education programs or career and technical education that receive federal funding. The administration has not been shy about using the tools of violence to push immigrants out of public life. But deploying soft power like this, by withholding resources, is just as dangerous—so of course they’re doing it.

PoliticusUSA is a strong independent media voice that relies on your support. Please consider supporting us by becoming a subscriber. Subscribe now The Trump administration has shown zero curiosity about how the most deadly flood in a century was able to occur in the United States in the year 2025. The reason why the administration is not willing to do some digging and investigate is beginning to emerge, and it is all about DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. CNN reported: For example, as central Texas towns were submerged in rising waters, FEMA officials realized they couldn’t pre-position Urban Search and Rescue crews from a network of teams stationed regionally across the country. In the past, FEMA would have swiftly staged these teams, which are specifically trained for situations including catastrophic floods, closer to a disaster zone in anticipation of urgent requests, multiple agency sources told CNN. But even as Texas rescue crews raced to save lives, FEMA officials realized they needed Noem’s approval before sending those additional assets. Noem didn’t authorize FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began, multiple sources told CNN. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) reacted to the CNN report by calling out Noem’s deadly incompetence on Bluesky: Trump made Kristi Noem his DHS pick even though she had zero experience in any area of homeland security. Noem’s only qualification is that she has spent years as a devoted Trump cheerleader. PoliticusUSA is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Lives could have been potentially saved if Senate Republicans and the seven Senate Democrats who voted to confirm her (Kim, Kaine, Slotkin, Peters, Hassan, Shaheen, and Fetterman) had said no. Kaine and Kim have already publicly regretted their votes for Noem. Those Senators of both parties who voted for an unqualified DHS nominee deserve blame as well. Trump won’t get rid of anyone who is loyal to him. Sen. Wyden was right. It is dangerous to have Kristi Noem running DHS, and it may have gotten kids killed in Texas. Was Ron Wyden right about Kristi Noem? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Leave a comment

PoliticusUSA is independent news that you can trust. Please consider supporting our work by becoming a subscriber. Subscribe now The 2026 midterm election is looking like it could be a year for Republicans all the way around. Their president’s approval rating is in the dumpster. The party’s signature legislation is historically unpopular, and a Senate race that was widely thought to be close in Georgia is looking very good in the early going for Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff. The Ossoff campaign announced some very impressive new fundraising numbers: Sen. Jon Ossoff’s re-election campaign is building momentum and today announced raising over $10 million in the second quarter of 2025 with $15.5 million in the bank. The strong Q2 fundraising haul proves that Sen. Ossoff’s re-election campaign is entirely powered by small-dollar donors, with over 387,100 individual donors contributing in 2025. The average contribution remained $32, with nearly 98% of second quarter unitemized contributions being $100 or less. Sen. Ossoff also continues to earn strong support across Georgia, having received donations from 156 out of 159 of the state’s counties. PoliticusUSA is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Sen. Ossoff’s massive momentum heading into next November is palpable, having set up an impressive, early, and strong organizing operation. In the past couple of months alone, thousands attended his first campaign rally of the cycle in Atlanta, over 1,700 people have signed up to volunteer for his campaign, and the Senator has had notable moments taking Donald Trump officials to task over harm to Georgia while garnering tens of millions of views and engagement. Even Republican pollsters currently show Sen. Ossoff with a lead in the very early stages of the campaign, and neutral polls suggest Ossoff begins with a lead that could be as much as ten points. When Gov. Brian Kemp decided not to challenge Ossoff, it took away the GOP’s best chance of flipping the seat. Georgia still being Georgia, the race should be viewed as one that will get close, but it is a contest that now leans toward Sen. Ossoff. The early momentum is clearly with the incumbent Democratic senator. If national conditions continue to deteriorate for the Republican Party, things will look good for Jon Ossoff to win reelection next November. What do you think of Sen. Jon Ossoff? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Leave a comment