America stands at a crossroads of political turmoil and economic uncertainty. The Supreme Court has temporarily halted President Trump's controversial attempt to use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act for expedited deportations of Venezuelan immigrants, marking a significant setback to his immigration agenda. Though the ruling offers momentary relief, the underlying battle continues across multiple federal courts, highlighting the ongoing tension between executive power and judicial oversight in our democracy.
Meanwhile, Republican infighting threatens to derail Trump's legislative priorities as GOP hardliners defy both the former president and House leadership by blocking his self-described "one big, beautiful bill" in a critical committee vote. These conservative holdouts demand deeper cuts to Medicaid and clean energy programs, creating a political headache for Speaker Mike Johnson who must somehow appease the right wing without alienating moderates whose support is equally crucial. The rebellion exposes the fragility of Republican unity despite Trump's dominance over the party.
Perhaps most concerning for everyday Americans, Moody's Ratings has downgraded the United States' debt, stripping the country of its last perfect credit rating after maintaining AAA status since 1917. This downgrade, following similar moves by S&P and Fitch in previous years, reflects growing alarm about America's ballooning deficits and political dysfunction. The timing couldn't be worse, as Trump's proposed legislative package would add approximately $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, potentially increasing borrowing costs for everything from mortgages to car loans. Amid this political and economic turbulence, scientific research offers an unexpected respite—Japanese gardens specifically designed to encourage wandering gazes have been shown to reduce stress and improve mood, a small but welcome reminder that solutions to our modern anxieties might be found in ancient wisdom.
Join me each episode as I navigate these challenging times.
Share your thoughts at resistdonaldnow@gmail.com, and help keep our democratic conversation alive during a world gone mad.
AWorldGoneMadPodcast@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a World Gone Mad.
This is a World Gone Mad, mad,mad, mad, mad.
With everything that happenedthis week.
This is a World Gone Mad.
I'm Jeff Fallon Wolfe and I'mhere again to give my commentary
on the news.
Thank you for joining me, andsome of you may have noticed
(00:22):
maybe none of you have but therewas an episode that was not
done Friday, and normally I postan episode late at night and
then ready for Saturday.
There were some technicalproblems, so I haven't posted a
new episode since Wednesdaynight, thursday morning.
With that being said, let'sjump right in.
Here we go.
(00:43):
Supreme Court blocks Trump fromrestarting the Alien Enemies Act
deportations.
The Supreme Court on Fridayblocked President Trump from
moving forward with deportationsunder the 1798 Alien Enemies
Act for a group of immigrants innorthern Texas, siding with
Venezuelans, who feared theywere poised for imminent removal
(01:04):
under the sweeping wartimeauthority.
Now the decision was I say thatfor a reason was a significant
loss for Trump, who wants to usethe law to speed deportations
and avoid the kind of reviewnormally required before
removing people from the country.
But the decision is alsotemporary, or was temporary, and
(01:26):
the underlying legal fight overthe president's invocation will
continue in multiple federalcourts across the country.
Now the justice has sent thecase at issue back to an appeals
court to decide the underlyingquestions in the case, including
whether the president's move islegal and, if it is, is how
much notice the migrantstargeted under the action
(01:48):
receive.
Two conservative justices, ofcourse Clarence Thomas, samuel
Alito publicly noted theirdissent.
The court's unsigned opinionwas notably pointed about how
the government was attempting tohandle the removals and also
how US District Judge JamesHendricks had dealt with the
case at an earlier stage.
(02:10):
Now the court referencedanother case that had reached it
previously, that of theMaryland man, kilmar Abrego
Garcia, who was mistakenlyremoved to El Salvador.
The court noted that the Trumpadministration has represented
that it is unable to provide forthe return of an individual
(02:32):
deported in error to a prison inEl Salvador.
Amazing, well, another rulingfrom the Supreme Court.
And I start to get excited thatI realize it's temporary
Supreme Court.
And I start to get excited then.
I realize it's temporarybecause apparently the Supreme
Court ruled today that Trump cango ahead.
Our Supreme Court is so screwedup right now, our justice
(02:55):
system is so screwed up andTrump is just getting away with
a lot of garbage.
So that's the case nowadayswith Donald Trump.
Nothing definitive, always grayareas.
I realize the law has nuances,but you just wish that for once
there would be a definitive slapdown on Donald and his illegal
(03:17):
actions.
Gop hardliners defy partyleaders and Trump as they vote
to block the agenda.
Now, president, donald Trump'sagenda has been thrown into
chaos after a group of GOPhardliners blocked the bill in a
key committee vote this pastFriday, dealing a major
embarrassment to HouseRepublican leaders and Trump
(03:40):
himself.
Now Speaker Mike Johnson andhis leadership team will now
spend the weekend or rather hadalready spent the weekend trying
to win over those Republicansbefore attempting to take that
vote again.
But it'll be a tough task toflip the right-wing Republicans
who are demanding more spendingcuts from Medicaid and from
federal clean energy programs,especially as Johnson must, you
(04:04):
know, also be careful not toalienate moderates, whose votes
he also needs, with any changesto the bill.
Now, core right-wingRepublicans had warned Johnson
and his leadership team, bothprivately and publicly, that
they planned to oppose the votein the House budget panel
meeting, but GOP leaders tookthe gamble and went ahead with
(04:25):
the vote anyway.
Five Republicans opposed thebill Friday in the budget
committee's meeting.
To stitch together the variouspieces of Trump's sweeping tax
and spending cuts bill.
The panel is not empowered tomake substantial policy changes
during its meeting, but the billneeds to be advanced out of the
committee to make it to a fullfloor vote.
(04:47):
The no votes were Ralph Normanof South Carolina, chip Roy of
Texas, josh Brechin of Oklahoma,andrew Clyde of Georgia and
Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania.
Now there are just a fewoutstanding issues.
I think everyone will get to.
Yes, smucker told reportersFriday afternoon, adding that
(05:07):
the panel wants to hold a vote,ideally today, and that was
already passed.
Smucker voted with the GOPhardliners, but only for
procedural reasons, so he couldcall it up again.
Their opposition enraged manyof their fellow Republicans and
many of whom have spent monthshelping to draft the bill, which
(05:28):
includes trillions of dollarsin tax cuts and a big boost to
the US military and to nationalsecurity and, of course, largely
paid for by overhauls tofederal health and nutrition
programs and cuts to energyprograms.
These are people who promisedtheir constituents not to raise
(05:49):
their taxes and those five novotes just voted for the biggest
tax increase in Americanhistory.
Gop Representative TomMcClintock of California, who
voted in support of Trump toadvance the bill.
Negotiations with leadership arestill ongoing.
The GOP hardliners havedemanded stricter overhauls from
(06:11):
Medicaid, specifically puttingwork requirements into effect
immediately rather than waitinguntil 2029, and deeper cuts to a
clean energy tax program.
But any changes to the billcould upset Mike Johnson's
fragile coalition in the House,where he can't afford any big
changes.
That would upset the GOP's moremoderate members.
(06:34):
And Trump himself, who isclosely watching any changes to
Medicaid, also needs to sign offon changes.
Johnson and House MajorityLeader Steve Scalise will
continue to work furiously totry to assuage the
Conservatives' efforts thatincluded late-night negotiations
.
Now Roy and other GOPhardliners repeatedly urged
(06:56):
Johnson to delay that vote.
They warned party leaders, bothprivately and publicly, that
they plan to oppose the vote inthe House budget panel that came
up on Friday, and they did.
But GOP leaders refused to lendto hardliners' demands to delay
the vote.
Eager to quickly advance thebill, rushing it through.
(07:16):
Johnson has said he wants topass the bill next week on the
floor, though that prospect isnow uncertain.
We're working on answers Some ofthem.
We need to get answers from theTrump administration but we got
a pretty clear idea of what thefinal pieces are and we're
working through those right now,scalise said.
Scalise said that they're inagreement about changes that
(07:37):
they want to make, but saidthey're working through timing
implementation.
The work requirements forable-bodied adults enrolled in
Medicaid, for instance, wouldnot go into effect until 2029,
after Trump has left office, andsome of the clean energy
subsidies which were enactedunder Biden wouldn't be phased
(07:58):
out for years after that.
Scalise said that Trump, who isreturning from an overseas trip
, has been keeping track of thebill's progress.
Norman, however, said he is nothurt from the president directly
Now.
Trump posted to True Socialthis past week we don't need
grandstanders in the RepublicanParty.
Stop talking and get it done.
(08:20):
Republicans must unite behindthis one big, beautiful bill,
trump said.
Another one of the holdouts,clyde, had another issue with
the bill its failure to removegun suppressors, also known as
silencers, from regulation underthe National Fire Arms Act.
Now it's not clear if thispolicy change would make it into
(08:41):
the final bill.
However, gop leaders must followstrict budgetary rules as they
draft the package, because theyplan to pass it without using
Democratic votes, forcing theparty to comply with Senate
rules that allow a bill tobypass a filibuster.
House Budget ChiefRepresentative Jody Arrington
(09:02):
could only afford to lose twoGOP votes in the committee vote.
Now, in a sign of the gravityof the vote, gop leaders pushed
to have Representative BrandonGill, whose wife just had their
second child, to return toWashington this past Friday
morning for that vote.
Two GOP sources previously toldCNN on Thursday that Gill would
(09:25):
not be in attendance, whichwould have meant House leaders
could only lose a single vote,and they lost five.
Look, all this long battle froma faction of the Republican
Party opposed to Trump's big,beautiful bill.
We all know what's going tohappen, right.
We all know what's going tohappen right.
All the Republicans are goingto come together in the end and
(09:47):
stay the course and vote yes forTrump, and the outcome of the
bill passing will be us, thecitizens of America, getting
screwed again.
The United States just lost itslast perfect credit rating.
Thank you, trump.
Moody's ratings downgraded theUnited States' debt on Friday,
(10:11):
stripping the country of itslast perfect credit rating.
The move could rattle financialmarkets, push up interest rates
, potentially creating anadditional financial burden for
Americans already strugglingwith tariffs and inflation.
Of the three major creditrating agencies, moody's was the
lone holdout, maintaining itsoutstanding rating of AAA for US
(10:32):
debt.
Moody's held a perfect creditrating for the United States
since 1917.
It now ranks US credit worthyworthiness one notch below that
at triple a double a one it'scalled.
Joining FITS ratings and S&P,which lowered their credit
ratings for US debt in 2023 and2011, respectively, was
(10:59):
influenced by the increase overmore than a decade in government
debt and interest paymentratios to levels that are
significantly higher thansimilarly rated sovereigns,
moody said in a statement.
Now, moving forward, moody saidit expects borrowing needs to
continue to grow and for it toweigh on the US economy as a
(11:20):
whole.
Spokespeople for the White Houseand Treasury Department did not
immediately respond.
In a statement on X, whiteHouse Communications Director
Stephen Chung suggested Moody'sanalysis may be politically
motivated, even though previousdowngrades from S&P and Fitch
came during Democraticadministrations.
(11:41):
Mark Zandi, the economist forMoody's, is an Obama advisor and
Clinton donor who has been anever-Trumper since 2016,.
Chong said Nobody takes hisanalysis seriously.
He has been proven wrong timeand time again.
You know I'm going to interjectsomething.
You notice how everyone in theTrump administration are like
(12:02):
stupid little 12-year-oldchildren and I don't mean
12-year-old children and I don'tmean 12-year-old children are
stupid, but these are grownadult business people and
experts and political people,and they're acting like kids.
Moody's initially put the UnitedStates on notice for a
potential downgrade in November,at the time citing recent
(12:25):
events that exemplifiedAmerica's extraordinary
political divide.
That included America's neardefault last summer and the
resulting ouster of HouseSpeaker Kevin McCarthy the first
time in history a speaker wasgiven the boot during a
legislative session andCongress's inability to cement a
replacement for weeks.
Stable outlook for now at least.
Moody said the US is in noimmediate danger of being
(12:47):
downgraded again.
The credit rating agencyconsiders the US outlook stable,
in part because of its longhistory of very effective
monetary policy, led by anindependent Federal Reserve.
President Donald Trump, however, has recently raised questions
of whether he'd continue torespect the central bank's
independence and, remember haspreviously threatened to fire
(13:08):
Chair Jerome Powell.
Aa1 is still quite strong,despite its notch below perfect.
The ratings agency noted thatAmerica's system of governance,
albeit a challenge, givesMoody's confidence that the
United States still deserves anear-perfect, if not triple-A,
credit rating.
The stable outlook also takesinto account institutional
(13:31):
features, including theconstitutional separation of
powers among the three branchesof government that contributes
to policy effectiveness overtime and is relatively
insensitive to events over ashort period.
While these institutionalarrangements can be tested at
times, we expect them to remainstrong and resilient, moody said
(13:52):
.
The credit rating agency saidthat increasing government
revenue or reducing spendingcould restore America's AAA
rating.
Trump has taken aim at thelatter through the Elon Musk-led
Department of GovernmentEfficiency doggy, I call it that
resulting in thousands offederal government workers being
(14:13):
laid off and the ousting, orrather gutting, of the US Agency
for International Departments,usaid.
However, it's unclear that suchmoves are changing the
government borrowing need.
Already, the country isapproaching a summer deadline
for when the US could default onits debt unless the borrowing
(14:33):
limit is raised, according tothe Treasury Department's
estimates.
At the same time, trump ispushing Congress to pass his one
big beautiful bill act.
Don't we love these names fromDonald Trump?
The package would cut taxesdeeply, essentially making
permanent the sweepingindividual income tax provisions
(14:55):
of Trump's 2017 tax cuts andJobs Act, as well as adding
several temporary tax breaks tofulfill the president's campaign
promises.
It also calls for historic cutsto the nation's safety net,
particularly Medicaid here we goagain and food stamps, in an
effort to cut spending, but thetax revenue loss would still
(15:18):
swamp the spending reductions.
The package would add $3.3trillion to the nation's debt
over the next decade.
According to a preliminaryestimate from the Committee for
a Responsible Federal Budget,annual deficits would jump from
$1.8 trillion in 2024 to $2.9trillion by 2034, as the federal
(15:39):
government would continue tospend more than it would raise
in revenue.
The committee projected Now whyAmerica lost its AAA rating.
Ballooning deficits, the uniqueUS debt ceiling mechanism and
political intransigence havebeen at the center of its
downgrades from all three majorcredit ratings agencies ratings
(16:08):
agencies.
In 2011, s&p cited politicalbrinksmanship in America's
governance and policymakingbecoming less stable, less
effective, less predictable.
In 2023, fitch warned of theUnited States' fiscal
deterioration, its high andgrowing general government debt
burden and the erosion ofgovernance.
America was running a $1.3trillion annual budget deficit
(16:32):
in 2011, a number that has sincerisen to a $1.8 trillion last
year.
Still, the Obama and Bidenadministrations lambasted both
of those decisions.
In 2023, janet Yellen said thedecision was arbitrary and based
on outdated data.
Now, what another downgradecould mean for Americans?
Us debt has long beenconsidered by investors as the
(16:55):
safest of safe havens, butMoody's downgrade, along with
Fitch's and S&P's, suggest ithas lost some of its luster.
A downgrade would likely causeUS Treasury yields to rise as
investors see more risk inlending money to the government.
Us Treasuries, particularly the10-year US Treasury, and
(17:19):
influence all kinds of debt.
That can happen, from themortgage rate for the houses
Americans buy to contractswritten around the world,
damaging if our rating getsdropped again.
The irresponsible actions fromthe Republicans lately, and now
Trump being in office again, arecausing this volatility from
(17:41):
the credit unions with theirratings.
We always maintained our creditrating and we did whatever
needed to be done Until now, andfinally, taking a break from
the maddening news this is withpermission of the Good News
Network Let me share thisinteresting, upbeat story with
(18:02):
you, the listener.
Let me share this interesting,upbeat story with you, the
listener.
Well-designed gardens helppeople relax immediately by
provoking a wandering gaze.
Let me explain thatWell-designed gardens help
people relax straight away, asthey cause viewers to look at
them differently, suggests newresearch.
Our gaze shifts quicker andmore often in such green spaces,
(18:25):
say scientists, who believetheir findings could ultimately
help people affected by neurodegenerative diseases.
The international research teamthinks that they may have found
the key to understanding therelaxing effects gardens can
have on viewers, explaining thatsuch gardens are specifically
designed to let the viewer'sgaze wander To investigate what
(18:50):
is about those gardens thatmakes people feel more relaxed
when viewing them.
They went to theMarin-on-Garden in Kyoto, japan,
where they assessed the impacton the observer compared to a
less maintained garden.
Well-designed Japanese gardenshave evocative and abstract
(19:12):
sceneries designed in greatdetail, said study author
Professor Saiko Goto in a mediarelease.
These sceneries encourage theviewer to observe longer to
understand the composition andmeaning of the scenery while the
gaze wanders more and faster.
Study senior author ProfessorKari Harup, a neurobiologist at
(19:35):
the University of Pittsburgh inthe US, said they found a
correlation of rapid gaze shiftsand a reduction in heart rate
and improved mood, which mayalso serve as an aid for
meditation.
The reduction in stressexperienced by viewers of a
well-crafted Japanese garden islargely due to the design
(19:55):
features that lead the viewer toengage in frequent, rapid
horizontal shifts in gaze.
During a day of maintenance in2023, the research team was able
to get undisturbed access tothe Morinan Garden in Kyoto,
japan.
Similarly, the second gardenlocated at Kyoto University was
(20:16):
unpopulated during the time theyconducted the experiment there.
A total of 16 students observedboth gardens for seven minutes.
The researchers recorded eyemovements, heart rates before
and during the observation andmood before and after viewing
the gardens.
Unlike the University Gardenand the Marin on Garden, viewers
(20:37):
fixation points were spreadmore widely, covering the
entirety of the field of view.
Professor Goto, a researcher atNagasaki University in Japan
who specializes in landscapearchitecture, said to induce
such close attention of theviewer, not only quality of
design but also quality of themaintenance is important.
(20:59):
Viewers gaze keeps moving toseek more fascination on the
well pruned trees and specklessground.
Now all the participantsindicated that they felt more
relaxed, wanted to revisit thegarden in Kyoto, which they
favored much more than theuniversity garden.
The researchers said theirfindings, published in the
(21:20):
journal Frontiers inNeuroscience, could have some
similarities to other therapiesthat utilize eye movements to
reduce stress.
The positioning of designelements is crucial.
While both gardens incorporatewater features, stones, trees
and a bridge, in the Marin AnneGarden the viewer's gaze is
guided through horizontallyarranged elements, but in the
(21:43):
University Garden the objects ofgreatest interest are in the
center of the visual field.
The Marin Anne Garden wasdesigned as a viewing garden
that should be appreciated froma specific vantage point
relative to the design elements,said Professor Herup.
It is this attention to detailthat coaxes the eyes into the
patterns that relieve stress.
(22:04):
Professor Godo believes theirwork might help people affected
by neurodegenerative diseases,saying it could be used as a
form of therapy outside ofhospitals or senior homes or
women's shelters.
I think it would be good ifJapanese gardens are built not
just as a luxury but as a meansof mental care in our aging
(22:28):
society.
She concluded.
You know, very fascinating thisstudy, and I can only speak for
ourselves, as I know our gardenin our backyard.
Yes, I know it's not equivalentto the Kyoto Garden in Japan,
but our garden relaxes Natashaand myself and our Saturday
visits each week to the farm.
The local farm nearby does thesame.
(22:51):
Again, if you have any commentson this story or anything in
this episode or in the podcastin general, you can always reach
me at resistdonaldnow atgmailcom and, guys, let me know
what you think about the newlogo for the podcast.
Always look forward to hearingfrom you.
I'll be back again Wednesdaywith another episode of A World
(23:14):
Gone Mad.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolf.
I always look forward to yourcomments and remember, without
them, I'm sitting in a room.
Guys talking to myself, stayhopeful.
There is chaos in the world,can't you see?
And we need to stand up andpreserve.
(23:34):
There's chaos in the world,can't you see?
And we need to stand up andpreserve our democracy.
This is a world on men.
This is a world on men.
This is a World Gone Mad.
This is a World Gone Mad, mad,mad, mad, mad.
With everything that happenedthis week.
This is a World Gone Mad.
I'm Jeff Fallon Wolfe and I'mhere again to give my commentary
on the news.
Thank you for joining me, andsome of you may have noticed
(00:22):
maybe none of you have but therewas an episode that was not
done Friday, and normally I postan episode late at night and
then ready for Saturday.
There were some technicalproblems, so I haven't posted a
new episode since Wednesdaynight, thursday morning.
With that being said, let'sjump right in.
Here we go.
(00:43):
Supreme Court blocks Trump fromrestarting the Alien Enemies Act
deportations.
The Supreme Court on Fridayblocked President Trump from
moving forward with deportationsunder the 1798 Alien Enemies
Act for a group of immigrants innorthern Texas, siding with
Venezuelans, who feared theywere poised for imminent removal
(01:04):
under the sweeping wartimeauthority.
Now the decision was I say thatfor a reason was a significant
loss for Trump, who wants to usethe law to speed deportations
and avoid the kind of reviewnormally required before
removing people from the country.
But the decision is alsotemporary, or was temporary, and
(01:26):
the underlying legal fight overthe president's invocation will
continue in multiple federalcourts across the country.
Now the justice has sent thecase at issue back to an appeals
court to decide the underlyingquestions in the case, including
whether the president's move islegal and, if it is, is how
much notice the migrantstargeted under the action
(01:48):
receive.
Two conservative justices, ofcourse Clarence Thomas, samuel
Alito publicly noted theirdissent.
The court's unsigned opinionwas notably pointed about how
the government was attempting tohandle the removals and also
how US District Judge JamesHendricks had dealt with the
case at an earlier stage.
(02:10):
Now the court referencedanother case that had reached it
previously, that of theMaryland man, kilmar Abrego
Garcia, who was mistakenlyremoved to El Salvador.
The court noted that the Trumpadministration has represented
that it is unable to provide forthe return of an individual
(02:32):
deported in error to a prison inEl Salvador.
Amazing, well, another rulingfrom the Supreme Court.
And I start to get excited thatI realize it's temporary
Supreme Court.
And I start to get excited then.
I realize it's temporarybecause apparently the Supreme
Court ruled today that Trump cango ahead.
Our Supreme Court is so screwedup right now, our justice
(02:55):
system is so screwed up andTrump is just getting away with
a lot of garbage.
So that's the case nowadayswith Donald Trump.
Nothing definitive, always grayareas.
I realize the law has nuances,but you just wish that for once
there would be a definitive slapdown on Donald and his illegal
(03:17):
actions.
Gop hardliners defy partyleaders and Trump as they vote
to block the agenda.
Now, president, donald Trump'sagenda has been thrown into
chaos after a group of GOPhardliners blocked the bill in a
key committee vote this pastFriday, dealing a major
embarrassment to HouseRepublican leaders and Trump
(03:40):
himself.
Now Speaker Mike Johnson andhis leadership team will now
spend the weekend or rather hadalready spent the weekend trying
to win over those Republicansbefore attempting to take that
vote again.
But it'll be a tough task toflip the right-wing Republicans
who are demanding more spendingcuts from Medicaid and from
federal clean energy programs,especially as Johnson must, you
(04:04):
know, also be careful not toalienate moderates, whose votes
he also needs, with any changesto the bill.
Now, core right-wingRepublicans had warned Johnson
and his leadership team, bothprivately and publicly, that
they planned to oppose the votein the House budget panel
meeting, but GOP leaders tookthe gamble and went ahead with
(04:25):
the vote anyway.
Five Republicans opposed thebill Friday in the budget
committee's meeting.
To stitch together the variouspieces of Trump's sweeping tax
and spending cuts bill.
The panel is not empowered tomake substantial policy changes
during its meeting, but the billneeds to be advanced out of the
committee to make it to a fullfloor vote.
(04:47):
The no votes were Ralph Normanof South Carolina, chip Roy of
Texas, josh Brechin of Oklahoma,andrew Clyde of Georgia and
Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania.
Now there are just a fewoutstanding issues.
I think everyone will get to.
Yes, smucker told reportersFriday afternoon, adding that
(05:07):
the panel wants to hold a vote,ideally today, and that was
already passed.
Smucker voted with the GOPhardliners, but only for
procedural reasons, so he couldcall it up again.
Their opposition enraged manyof their fellow Republicans and
many of whom have spent monthshelping to draft the bill, which
(05:28):
includes trillions of dollarsin tax cuts and a big boost to
the US military and to nationalsecurity and, of course, largely
paid for by overhauls tofederal health and nutrition
programs and cuts to energyprograms.
These are people who promisedtheir constituents not to raise
(05:49):
their taxes and those five novotes just voted for the biggest
tax increase in Americanhistory.
Gop Representative TomMcClintock of California, who
voted in support of Trump toadvance the bill.
Negotiations with leadership arestill ongoing.
The GOP hardliners havedemanded stricter overhauls from
(06:11):
Medicaid, specifically puttingwork requirements into effect
immediately rather than waitinguntil 2029, and deeper cuts to a
clean energy tax program.
But any changes to the billcould upset Mike Johnson's
fragile coalition in the House,where he can't afford any big
changes.
That would upset the GOP's moremoderate members.
(06:34):
And Trump himself, who isclosely watching any changes to
Medicaid, also needs to sign offon changes.
Johnson and House MajorityLeader Steve Scalise will
continue to work furiously totry to assuage the
Conservatives' efforts thatincluded late-night negotiations
.
Now Roy and other GOPhardliners repeatedly urged
(06:56):
Johnson to delay that vote.
They warned party leaders, bothprivately and publicly, that
they plan to oppose the vote inthe House budget panel that came
up on Friday, and they did.
But GOP leaders refused to lendto hardliners' demands to delay
the vote.
Eager to quickly advance thebill, rushing it through.
(07:16):
Johnson has said he wants topass the bill next week on the
floor, though that prospect isnow uncertain.
We're working on answers Some ofthem.
We need to get answers from theTrump administration but we got
a pretty clear idea of what thefinal pieces are and we're
working through those right now,scalise said.
Scalise said that they're inagreement about changes that
(07:37):
they want to make, but saidthey're working through timing
implementation.
The work requirements forable-bodied adults enrolled in
Medicaid, for instance, wouldnot go into effect until 2029,
after Trump has left office, andsome of the clean energy
subsidies which were enactedunder Biden wouldn't be phased
(07:58):
out for years after that.
Scalise said that Trump, who isreturning from an overseas trip
, has been keeping track of thebill's progress.
Norman, however, said he is nothurt from the president directly
Now.
Trump posted to True Socialthis past week we don't need
grandstanders in the RepublicanParty.
Stop talking and get it done.
(08:20):
Republicans must unite behindthis one big, beautiful bill,
trump said.
Another one of the holdouts,clyde, had another issue with
the bill its failure to removegun suppressors, also known as
silencers, from regulation underthe National Fire Arms Act.
Now it's not clear if thispolicy change would make it into
(08:41):
the final bill.
However, gop leaders must followstrict budgetary rules as they
draft the package, because theyplan to pass it without using
Democratic votes, forcing theparty to comply with Senate
rules that allow a bill tobypass a filibuster.
House Budget ChiefRepresentative Jody Arrington
(09:02):
could only afford to lose twoGOP votes in the committee vote.
Now, in a sign of the gravityof the vote, gop leaders pushed
to have Representative BrandonGill, whose wife just had their
second child, to return toWashington this past Friday
morning for that vote.
Two GOP sources previously toldCNN on Thursday that Gill would
(09:25):
not be in attendance, whichwould have meant House leaders
could only lose a single vote,and they lost five.
Look, all this long battle froma faction of the Republican
Party opposed to Trump's big,beautiful bill.
We all know what's going tohappen, right.
We all know what's going tohappen right.
All the Republicans are goingto come together in the end and
(09:47):
stay the course and vote yes forTrump, and the outcome of the
bill passing will be us, thecitizens of America, getting
screwed again.
The United States just lost itslast perfect credit rating.
Thank you, trump.
Moody's ratings downgraded theUnited States' debt on Friday,
(10:11):
stripping the country of itslast perfect credit rating.
The move could rattle financialmarkets, push up interest rates
, potentially creating anadditional financial burden for
Americans already strugglingwith tariffs and inflation.
Of the three major creditrating agencies, moody's was the
lone holdout, maintaining itsoutstanding rating of AAA for US
(10:32):
debt.
Moody's held a perfect creditrating for the United States
since 1917.
It now ranks US credit worthyworthiness one notch below that
at triple a double a one it'scalled.
Joining FITS ratings and S&P,which lowered their credit
ratings for US debt in 2023 and2011, respectively, was
(10:59):
influenced by the increase overmore than a decade in government
debt and interest paymentratios to levels that are
significantly higher thansimilarly rated sovereigns,
moody said in a statement.
Now, moving forward, moody saidit expects borrowing needs to
continue to grow and for it toweigh on the US economy as a
(11:20):
whole.
Spokespeople for the White Houseand Treasury Department did not
immediately respond.
In a statement on X, whiteHouse Communications Director
Stephen Chung suggested Moody'sanalysis may be politically
motivated, even though previousdowngrades from S&P and Fitch
came during Democraticadministrations.
(11:41):
Mark Zandi, the economist forMoody's, is an Obama advisor and
Clinton donor who has been anever-Trumper since 2016,.
Chong said Nobody takes hisanalysis seriously.
He has been proven wrong timeand time again.
You know I'm going to interjectsomething.
You notice how everyone in theTrump administration are like
(12:02):
stupid little 12-year-oldchildren and I don't mean
12-year-old children and I don'tmean 12-year-old children are
stupid, but these are grownadult business people and
experts and political people,and they're acting like kids.
Moody's initially put the UnitedStates on notice for a
potential downgrade in November,at the time citing recent
(12:25):
events that exemplifiedAmerica's extraordinary
political divide.
That included America's neardefault last summer and the
resulting ouster of HouseSpeaker Kevin McCarthy the first
time in history a speaker wasgiven the boot during a
legislative session andCongress's inability to cement a
replacement for weeks.
Stable outlook for now at least.
Moody said the US is in noimmediate danger of being
(12:47):
downgraded again.
The credit rating agencyconsiders the US outlook stable,
in part because of its longhistory of very effective
monetary policy, led by anindependent Federal Reserve.
President Donald Trump, however, has recently raised questions
of whether he'd continue torespect the central bank's
independence and, remember haspreviously threatened to fire
(13:08):
Chair Jerome Powell.
Aa1 is still quite strong,despite its notch below perfect.
The ratings agency noted thatAmerica's system of governance,
albeit a challenge, givesMoody's confidence that the
United States still deserves anear-perfect, if not triple-A,
credit rating.
The stable outlook also takesinto account institutional
(13:31):
features, including theconstitutional separation of
powers among the three branchesof government that contributes
to policy effectiveness overtime and is relatively
insensitive to events over ashort period.
While these institutionalarrangements can be tested at
times, we expect them to remainstrong and resilient, moody said
(13:52):
.
The credit rating agency saidthat increasing government
revenue or reducing spendingcould restore America's AAA
rating.
Trump has taken aim at thelatter through the Elon Musk-led
Department of GovernmentEfficiency doggy, I call it that
resulting in thousands offederal government workers being
(14:13):
laid off and the ousting, orrather gutting, of the US Agency
for International Departments,usaid.
However, it's unclear that suchmoves are changing the
government borrowing need.
Already, the country isapproaching a summer deadline
for when the US could default onits debt unless the borrowing
(14:33):
limit is raised, according tothe Treasury Department's
estimates.
At the same time, trump ispushing Congress to pass his one
big beautiful bill act.
Don't we love these names fromDonald Trump?
The package would cut taxesdeeply, essentially making
permanent the sweepingindividual income tax provisions
(14:55):
of Trump's 2017 tax cuts andJobs Act, as well as adding
several temporary tax breaks tofulfill the president's campaign
promises.
It also calls for historic cutsto the nation's safety net,
particularly Medicaid here we goagain and food stamps, in an
effort to cut spending, but thetax revenue loss would still
(15:18):
swamp the spending reductions.
The package would add $3.3trillion to the nation's debt
over the next decade.
According to a preliminaryestimate from the Committee for
a Responsible Federal Budget,annual deficits would jump from
$1.8 trillion in 2024 to $2.9trillion by 2034, as the federal
(15:39):
government would continue tospend more than it would raise
in revenue.
The committee projected Now whyAmerica lost its AAA rating.
Ballooning deficits, the uniqueUS debt ceiling mechanism and
political intransigence havebeen at the center of its
downgrades from all three majorcredit ratings agencies ratings
(16:08):
agencies.
In 2011, s&p cited politicalbrinksmanship in America's
governance and policymakingbecoming less stable, less
effective, less predictable.
In 2023, fitch warned of theUnited States' fiscal
deterioration, its high andgrowing general government debt
burden and the erosion ofgovernance.
America was running a $1.3trillion annual budget deficit
(16:32):
in 2011, a number that has sincerisen to a $1.8 trillion last
year.
Still, the Obama and Bidenadministrations lambasted both
of those decisions.
In 2023, janet Yellen said thedecision was arbitrary and based
on outdated data.
Now, what another downgradecould mean for Americans?
Us debt has long beenconsidered by investors as the
(16:55):
safest of safe havens, butMoody's downgrade, along with
Fitch's and S&P's, suggest ithas lost some of its luster.
A downgrade would likely causeUS Treasury yields to rise as
investors see more risk inlending money to the government.
Us Treasuries, particularly the10-year US Treasury, and
(17:19):
influence all kinds of debt.
That can happen, from themortgage rate for the houses
Americans buy to contractswritten around the world,
damaging if our rating getsdropped again.
The irresponsible actions fromthe Republicans lately, and now
Trump being in office again, arecausing this volatility from
(17:41):
the credit unions with theirratings.
We always maintained our creditrating and we did whatever
needed to be done Until now, andfinally, taking a break from
the maddening news this is withpermission of the Good News
Network Let me share thisinteresting, upbeat story with
(18:02):
you, the listener.
Let me share this interesting,upbeat story with you, the
listener.
Well-designed gardens helppeople relax immediately by
provoking a wandering gaze.
Let me explain thatWell-designed gardens help
people relax straight away, asthey cause viewers to look at
them differently, suggests newresearch.
Our gaze shifts quicker andmore often in such green spaces,
(18:25):
say scientists, who believetheir findings could ultimately
help people affected by neurodegenerative diseases.
The international research teamthinks that they may have found
the key to understanding therelaxing effects gardens can
have on viewers, explaining thatsuch gardens are specifically
designed to let the viewer'sgaze wander To investigate what
(18:50):
is about those gardens thatmakes people feel more relaxed
when viewing them.
They went to theMarin-on-Garden in Kyoto, japan,
where they assessed the impacton the observer compared to a
less maintained garden.
Well-designed Japanese gardenshave evocative and abstract
(19:12):
sceneries designed in greatdetail, said study author
Professor Saiko Goto in a mediarelease.
These sceneries encourage theviewer to observe longer to
understand the composition andmeaning of the scenery while the
gaze wanders more and faster.
Study senior author ProfessorKari Harup, a neurobiologist at
(19:35):
the University of Pittsburgh inthe US, said they found a
correlation of rapid gaze shiftsand a reduction in heart rate
and improved mood, which mayalso serve as an aid for
meditation.
The reduction in stressexperienced by viewers of a
well-crafted Japanese garden islargely due to the design
(19:55):
features that lead the viewer toengage in frequent, rapid
horizontal shifts in gaze.
During a day of maintenance in2023, the research team was able
to get undisturbed access tothe Morinan Garden in Kyoto,
japan.
Similarly, the second gardenlocated at Kyoto University was
(20:16):
unpopulated during the time theyconducted the experiment there.
A total of 16 students observedboth gardens for seven minutes.
The researchers recorded eyemovements, heart rates before
and during the observation andmood before and after viewing
the gardens.
Unlike the University Gardenand the Marin on Garden, viewers
(20:37):
fixation points were spreadmore widely, covering the
entirety of the field of view.
Professor Goto, a researcher atNagasaki University in Japan
who specializes in landscapearchitecture, said to induce
such close attention of theviewer, not only quality of
design but also quality of themaintenance is important.
(20:59):
Viewers gaze keeps moving toseek more fascination on the
well pruned trees and specklessground.
Now all the participantsindicated that they felt more
relaxed, wanted to revisit thegarden in Kyoto, which they
favored much more than theuniversity garden.
The researchers said theirfindings, published in the
(21:20):
journal Frontiers inNeuroscience, could have some
similarities to other therapiesthat utilize eye movements to
reduce stress.
The positioning of designelements is crucial.
While both gardens incorporatewater features, stones, trees
and a bridge, in the Marin AnneGarden the viewer's gaze is
guided through horizontallyarranged elements, but in the
(21:43):
University Garden the objects ofgreatest interest are in the
center of the visual field.
The Marin Anne Garden wasdesigned as a viewing garden
that should be appreciated froma specific vantage point
relative to the design elements,said Professor Herup.
It is this attention to detailthat coaxes the eyes into the
patterns that relieve stress.
(22:04):
Professor Godo believes theirwork might help people affected
by neurodegenerative diseases,saying it could be used as a
form of therapy outside ofhospitals or senior homes or
women's shelters.
I think it would be good ifJapanese gardens are built not
just as a luxury but as a meansof mental care in our aging
(22:28):
society.
She concluded.
You know, very fascinating thisstudy, and I can only speak for
ourselves, as I know our gardenin our backyard.
Yes, I know it's not equivalentto the Kyoto Garden in Japan,
but our garden relaxes Natashaand myself and our Saturday
visits each week to the farm.
The local farm nearby does thesame.
(22:51):
Again, if you have any commentson this story or anything in
this episode or in the podcastin general, you can always reach
me at resistdonaldnow atgmailcom and, guys, let me know
what you think about the newlogo for the podcast.
Always look forward to hearingfrom you.
I'll be back again Wednesdaywith another episode of A World
(23:14):
Gone Mad.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolf.
I always look forward to yourcomments and remember, without
them, I'm sitting in a room.
Guys talking to myself, stayhopeful.
There is chaos in the world,can't you see?
And we need to stand up andpreserve.
(23:34):
There's chaos in the world,can't you see?
And we need to stand up andpreserve our democracy.
This is a world on men.
This is a world on men.
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