THEY’RE FLAILING: House Dems reintroduce reparations legislation: ‘We refuse to be silent.’

House Democrats on Wednesday reintroduced legislation that aims to find ways to deliver reparations to Black Americans who are descendants of slaves.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., is co-leading the reintroduction of H.R.40, or the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, to Congress with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

Pressley, a progressive member of the Squad, said during a news conference that “reparations are a necessary step in achieving justice.”

“We are in a moment of anti-Blackness on steroids and we refuse to be silent,” Pressley said. “We will not back down in our pursuit of racial justice.”

That’s a strange way to say “other people’s money.”

Democrats had four years’ worth of opportunities to pursue reparations, 2009 through 2010 and 2021 through 2022. They didn’t because they know it’s political suicide. This news is just a desperate attempt to change the subject from Trump’s early successes.

But one day the Crazy/Back-in-Power circles might overlap enough that they’ll finally go and do it — and break the country.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Strap In Dems — Republican Women Are Here to Manhandle You. “Letitia James is soon going find out that she’s way out of her league after baiting Pam Bondi into a legal street fight. I can’t pinpoint what James is thinking here. Even she can’t be stupid enough to think that the Department of Justice was bluffing about how it would go about dealing with Democrats who tried to interfere with Trump’s immigration agenda. She’s probably just so used to being able to play mini-tyrant in New York that she’s begun to think that she is untouchable. This isn’t going to go well for her.”

ANALYSIS: TRUE. Trump’s Greenland Gambit Is a Masterclass in Statecraft.

Donald Trump is serious about boxing China out of the Arctic. A month before assuming the U.S. presidency for the second time, Trump notched another geopolitical win in the Arctic competition space and set the tone for the next four years. On December 29th, Trump revived his 2019 proposal to purchase Greenland from Denmark, saying U.S. ownership of the largest island in the world “is an absolute necessity.” A week before the inauguration, Trump’s son Don. Jr. traveled to Nuuk, Greenland to discuss Trump’s interest, leading to further speculation about the incoming President’s intent. In 2019, few supported Trump by publicly describing Greenland’s strategic importance – and reminding that the U.S. twice attempted to purchase Greenland from Denmark. Others warned about China’s expanding presence and influence in Arctic affairs, highlighting Beijing’s desire to build airports in Greenland. Still, during Trump’s first term, most claimed his interest in acquiring Greenland was “absurd.”

Not much has changed today with pundits casting Trump as impulsive – as they did in 2019 – and lacking knowledge of geopolitics. This time even the Danish Prime Minister chimed in saying “Greenland is not for sale” tacitly hinting at Trump’s perceived neocolonial provocation. Weeks later, Denmark reversed the message and indicated interest in discussing Greenland’s future with Trump. While Greenland’s future is yet to be determined, the mainstream narrative is naïve – Trump’s masterclass in statecraft is now in session – and Beijing is taking note.

Where the media focuses on Trump’s claim to use the military to acquire the island, they miss the effect of the rhetoric. The reality is this was a deliberate strategic provocation few will see or acknowledge. In poking Denmark about his intent to purchase, or even forcefully acquire the island, Trump gave a masterclass in geostrategic chess, saving the U.S. billions, furthering deterring China from staking a claim on Greenland, and improving U.S. national security in the process. As the dialogue progresses, the stakes could evolve further.

The “crazy talk” act also sows confusion in Beijing as an added benefit.

IT’S THE GULF OF AMERICA: You Won’t Believe Why the White House Banned an AP Reporter…

FLASHBACK: The Next POTUS Should Reclaim The Constitutional Spending Power Congress Stole.

Enacted in 1974, the ICA made it unlawful for the president not to spend every dollar Congress appropriated regardless of whether he needed to use all the funds. This law went against 200 years of history in which both Congress and the president agreed he was not required to spend every dollar of an appropriation if he could carry out a program for less money and even, in many cases, if he disagreed with the program itself.

Appropriation laws were always meant as a ceiling, not a floor. Stretching back to our English forebears, the British Parliament used the legislative power of the purse to make it unlawful for the king to incur obligations that exceeded the appropriations provided. No one wants to incur debts they can’t pay. Parliament worried about the king spending more money than provided, not less.

That was the case in our new republic, and our founding era is replete with examples of presidents not spending the full amount of appropriated funding. The most famous early impoundment precedent came in 1803 when President Jefferson impounded a congressional appropriation of $50,000 for 15 gunboats for use on the Mississippi. The impoundment was on pure policy grounds: Jefferson did not want to provoke France during the secret negotiations over access to New Orleans and the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. Once the purchase was completed, Jefferson spent the funds.

Today:

The Impoundment Control Act is an unconstitutional roadblock that limits President Trump’s authority to reject wasteful spending and tame our ballooning national debt.

That’s why I’m fighting to repeal the ICA. pic.twitter.com/ZNItgCUl75

— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) February 11, 2025

Endorsed.

KRUISER: Dumbest TDS Hot Take This Week…So Far: The ‘Wrong People.’

Welcome to the next phase of my “Trump Derangement Syndrome Meltdown of the Week” column. That was always intended to run just through the end of the 2024 election cycle. As we are all too well aware, however, the meltdown situation with the poor dears on the Left has gotten much, much worse now that President Trump is large and in charge again.

Ain’t it grand?

You’ll want to read the whole thing.

OH MY:

BREAKING: AG Pam Bondi announces the DOJ has filed charges against the State of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, AG Letitia James, and Mark Schroeder:

“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops — it stops today.”pic.twitter.com/CwWaQTjCxL

— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) February 12, 2025

Developing…

THEY CERTAINLY DIDN’T SURVEY MY FAMILY: We Speak 3,000 Fewer Words Daily Since 2005. “A recent study has revealed that on average, we speak 3,000 fewer words each day compared to the year 2005. Between 2005 and 2018, researchers from the University of Arizona found that the average number of spoken words fell from 16,000 to around 13,000. Technology, particularly texting, is one of the reasons for the decline, say the authors of the study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.”

MORE SCHADENFREUDE: Feast Upon the Sweet, Salty Tears of The New York Times!

ARE WE STILL PLAYING THIS GAME IN 2025, REALLY? JD Vance’s 12-year-old relative denied heart transplant because she is unvaccinated. “Adaline Deal, a distant relative of the VP by marriage through his half-siblings, was born with two rare heart conditions that her family knew would one day require a transplant, her mother Janeen Deal told The Cincinnati Enquirer.”

KEVIN DOWNY JR LIVED TO TELL THE TALE: What to Expect if You Snag That New Wonder Flu, From Someone Who Almost Survived It.

IS POLITICO REALLY A NEWS ORGANIZATION WHEN THE “NEWS” THEY REPORT IS MONTHS OLD AND IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY REPORTED WHEN THE STORY WAS ACTUALLY FRESH?

Politico before vs after the election: pic.twitter.com/LZ4QWceK5F

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 12, 2025

WAGING PEACE: So Donald Trump Just Got Off the Phone With Vladimir Putin…

THAT IS NOT WHAT MY TUESDAY LOOKED LIKE:

Federal workers just want the dignity and privileges all normal American workers have, like taking a Tuesday off to sing about throwing their boss in jail, without fear of repercussions. Is that not what your Tuesday looked like? https://t.co/Rbkoch1PG2

— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) February 12, 2025

Looks like a firable offense to be. Let the pink slips fly as a warning to the others.

SCHADENFREUDE: The Democrats’ Downfall Is a Sight to Behold.

THIS IS CNN:

CNN meltdown after Scott Jennings asks: A judge can cover up fraud, but the President of the United States can’t stop it? 🤔🔥

The panic is real! Jennings hit a nerve, and now CNN is spiraling. Apparently, an unelected judge can sweep fraud under the rug, but if a sitting… pic.twitter.com/5zsa75bNIT

— TheWakeninq2 (@wakeninq2) February 11, 2025

If you’re taking the side of the people helping cover up the fraud, I have to assume that in some way, you’re in on it.

IT’S OFFICIAL: Chuck Schumer Is the Worst Politician in Washington.

BREAKING: Tulsi Gabbard Confirmed as Director of National Intelligence.

PEPPERIDGE FARM REMEMBERS:

Federal employee retirements are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania. 700+ mine workers operate 230 feet underground to process ~10,000 applications per month, which are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes. The retirement process… pic.twitter.com/dXCTgpAWLs

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 11, 2025

I couldn’t believe this was real at first, but apparently WaPo reported on it ten years ago — and of course, nothing was done.

RABBI MICHAEL BARCLAY: Today, Trump Made the World a Safer Place and the Middle East Primed for Peace.

MUSK KEEPS FINDING NEW WAYS TO SQUEEZE THEM WHERE IT COUNTS:

BREAKING: DOGE is looking into federal workers who have a high net worth despite having a low salary, according to Elon Musk.

🔥🔥

"We find it sort of rather odd that there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who who have a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars, but… pic.twitter.com/XnHAUnysIX

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 11, 2025

Maybe a message could be subtly sent to take the buyout and avoid the investigation. Or maybe not.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: Jeff Bezos and Walmart Are Wetting Themselves Over This Threat.

CHANGE: ‘Black men love Trump’ dooms Democrats with 42% support.

In a new Cygnal survey shared with Secrets, Trump has a shocking 42% approval rating from black men, a massive edge over any past Republican president.

Brock McCleary, Cygnal vice president of polling, told Secrets, “Forty-two percent of black men approving of Trump’s job so far is no small thing. Unlike Democrats’ approach previously, this isn’t about placation or offering new attractive policies with no follow-through. His popularity and approval surges because he does the things he says he’ll do — and that’s a breath of fresh air for everyone.”

McCleary, who polled for Trump in 2016 and Vivek Ramaswamy last year, added, “In the pre-Trump era, these numbers for a Republican would be aspirational rather than realistic. In the thicket of this new Trump era, these gains among black Americans are noteworthy and certainly beyond a threshold of statistical normality. It boils down to follow-through, which is the most elusive of traits for politicians.”

Even if Cygnal’s numbers are off by 50% — nearly impossible for any pollster not named J. Ann Selzer — Trump has a Reagan-like approval rating from black men. If Cygnal’s numbers are correct, Trump is performing significantly better with them than Reagan did.

Exit quote: “The results match other recent polls, including a John Zogby Strategies survey featured in Secrets that showed the so-called Obama coalition swinging behind Trump.”

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Low-T Dem Wusses Stupidly Think They’re in Shape for a Fight. “Of course, the loudmouth elected Dems don’t fight their own battles; they’re exhorting the little people in the party to get out there and make life difficult for President Trump and his supporters. It’s rough for them that a lot of their little people voted Trump-Vance last November. It’s tough to whip up a mob when it’s lost a lot of its mobbishness.”

ANALYSIS: TRUE.

🚨JOE ROGAN: "People are worried that Elon is going to steal everyone's money. He has $400B. Elon's not going to steal your money. That's not what he's doing. He's a super genius that has been f**ked with. When you've been f**ked with by these nitwits that hide behind 3-letter… pic.twitter.com/GtFe8eLBEP

— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) February 11, 2025

The red-pilling of Joe Rogan is probably only second in importance to the red-pilling of Elon Musk in empowering Trump.