Idiocracy

Politico reports: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro lit into Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday, saying there’s a “special place in hell” for a world leader that double crosses President Donald Trump. “There’s a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad-faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him …

The New York Times reports: President Trump has gone overseas to embark on some of the most consequential diplomatic negotiations of his tenure, threatening an all-out trade war with allies and seizing a chance to make peace with a nuclear-armed menace. But back home, he left behind a West Wing where burned-out aides are eyeing the exits, as the mood …

The Hill reports: White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Sunday tore into Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for “double crossing” President Trump with critical comments about U.S. trade policy. “He was polarizing. He really kind of stabbed us in the back,” Kudlow said in strikingly critical remarks during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “He did a …

CBS News reports: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he told President Trump he will go through retaliatory tariffs after Mr. Trump’s decision not to exempt allies such as Canada from tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Although Mr. Trump signed onto the communique for the G-7 summit, he tweeted afterward that he had instructed representatives “not to endorse” it …

Even on the world stage, he just cannot resist: President Trump slammed CNN as “fake news” after a reporter with the news organization asked him a question during a press briefing at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit. After the reporter asked Trump a question about tensions between him and other leaders at the G-7 summit, the president asked what …

Politico reports: HUD Secretary Ben Carson is backing off plans to triple the minimum rent paid by some of the country’s poorest households, citing Congress’ move to defy the administration and boost his agency’s budget. The proposal to increase the minimum rent paid by rental assistance beneficiaries is no longer “urgent,” due to the additional resources in the HUD budget, …

The Hill reports: President Trump is giving more details on his wife’s medical procedure last month, saying Melania Trump is on doctor’s orders not to fly. “The first lady’s great,” Trump told reporters Friday on the South Lawn before heading to Canada to attend the Group of 7 (G-7) summit. “She has to — because she wanted to go — …

The New York Times reports: President Trump called on the world’s leading economies on Friday to reinstate Russia to the Group of 7 nations four years after it was cast out for annexing Crimea, once again putting him at odds with America’s leading allies in Europe and Asia. The president made the suggestion to reporters as he headed to Canada …

First, a sweet dig from CNN: When Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday that Stormy Daniels has no credibility because she is is a porn star, he neglected to mention that his client, President Donald Trump, has appeared in three Playboy videos that feature nudity and softcore pornographic content. “So yes, I respect all human beings,” Giuliani said at a conference in …

The Washington Post reports: The meeting was supposed to be about hurricane preparedness, as disaster officials gathered at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters days after the start of the 2018 season. But President Trump had a lot else on his mind, turning the closed-door discussion into soliloquies on his prowess in negotiating airplane deals, his popularity, the effectiveness of his …

Media Matters provides the transcript: BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): What are you calling for now, John? You served your time, wrote a book about it, what are you asking for now? JOHN KIRIAKOU (FORMER CIA ANALYST): I would be forever indebted to the president for a pardon. This president is unlike other presidents. You know, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, they …

The Associated Press reports: Before President Donald Trump sits down with a third-generation North Korean autocrat, he will face what may well turn out to be a tougher crowd — some of America’s oldest allies. With his new tariffs increasing U.S. isolation, Trump heads to Canada on Friday for a meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations. The White …

Via Mediaite: On MSNBC Wednesday, host Katy Tur had her hands full when guests Democratic Strategist Bob Shrum and RNC Committeeman Shawn Steel [JMG: in the beret]  jumped right into a fight just after being introduced on the segment. The conversation went off the rails just after the first question, when Republican Steele began answering Tur’s question about ‘the Trump …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a testy phone call on May 25 over new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration targeting steel and aluminum imports coming from Canada, including one moment during the conversation in which Trump made an erroneous historical reference, sources familiar with the discussion told CNN. According to the sources, …

The Hill reports: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday pushed back against President Trump’s “spygate” claims, siding with Rep. Trey Gowdy’s (R-S.C.) defense of the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s campaign and Russia. “Chairman Gowdy’s initial assessment is accurate, but we have more digging to do,” Ryan told reporters during his weekly news conference. A week after a closed-door briefing on …

Politico reports: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway appeared to suffer a verbal glitch on Wednesday when she apparently referred to President Donald Trump as the “commander in cheese.” Conway, when asked about the recent dust-up over the president disinviting the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House, said, “The problem with the President of the United States, and the commander of …

The Washington Examiner reports: President Trump accused the media of being “unfair” and “vicious” to first lady Melania Trump, who has scantly been seen in public since undergoing a kidney procedure last month. The first lady appeared at a White House event for Gold Star families on Monday, which was her first public appearance since she was underwent a procedure …

Reuters reports: The U.S. State Department on Tuesday defended remarks by the new U.S. ambassador to Germany that drew condemnation from across that country’s political spectrum, saying that U.S. envoys “have a right to express their opinions.” “Don’t we as Americans have the right to free speech?” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in response to questions about U.S. Ambassador …

The New York Post reports: NBA star turned Kim Jong Un soulmate Dennis Rodman will be in Singapore during President Trump’s summit with the North Korean dictator next week, The Post has learned. “The Worm” will arrive in the country a day before the June 12 sitdown — and sources said he could even play some sort of role in …

Deadspin reports: Donald Trump’s hastily arranged replacement for the Super Bowl champion Eagles’ White House visit featured the president making a very brief appearance to talk about how great the economy is and, then, stand awkwardly while mouthing maybe half the words to “God Bless America” like a Yankees fan in right field who started drinking at seven in the …