Paul Krugman Brutally Wrecks Trump’s Europe Deal: “Scam on His Voters”
You’ve probably heard that President Trump and the European Union have reached a big trade deal. This is being widely portrayed as a “win” for Trump and a big humiliation for the EU. But it’s not at all clear what we gain as a country from this deal. Surely the phrase “Trump won” has to mean more than “Trump gets to claim a personal victory and the media is required to play along,” right? We talked to economist Paul Krugman, who has a great new piece on his Substack casting a lot of much-needed skepticism on the deal. Krugman explains in extensive detail what a sham it is: He argues that Europe’s concessions are fake; that the deal won’t spur a lot more manufacturing in the United States; and that its burden will fall heavily on MAGA, making it a “scam on his voters.” Krugman also discusses why the media seems incapable of reporting clearly and accurately on the magnitude of Trump’s incompetence and delusions. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
Trump’s Ugly New Attack on Colbert Reveals a Darker Side to Firing
As you’ve heard, CBS has ended The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Troublingly, this comes just after Paramount, which owns CBS, settled President Trump’s frivolous lawsuit against it by paying out $16 million. Only days before the firing, Colbert called the deal a “big fat bribe.” Now Trump has just praised the firing in a vile new attack on Colbert. Trump laughably insisted that Colbert has no talent and can’t measure up to Fox News hosts (who praise Trump relentlessly). We think Trump wants us to think CBS fired Colbert precisely because CBS hoped it would curry favor with Trump, in order to enhance impressions of his authoritarian power. We talked about all this with Michael Sozan of the Center for American Progress, author of a good piece excoriating Paramount’s settlement with Trump. We discussed why Trump makes his corrupt bullying of the media explicit, how he’s modeling this on autocratic regimes abroad, and what we should all do in response. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
Trump Arrest of Immigrant Triggers Shock and Regret in Small MAGA Town
Ming Li Hui, who goes by the name of “Carol,” has lived for 20 years in the town of Kennett, Missouri, after coming here from Hong Kong. She has been raising a family there and works as a waitress—and as The New York Times reports in a piece featuring quotes from Carol and many locals, she’s well-liked in the community. But Carol was recently arrested and now faces potential deportation. This has shocked and dismayed many of the town’s residents, even though the area went overwhelmingly for Trump. Carol talked to us on the podcast straight from jail, where she is awaiting her fate. At times the conversation was difficult: She broke down in tears about her ordeal, was emotionally overwhelmed at the support she’s received from the Trump-backing town, and offers wrenching thoughts about Trump’s effort to deport countless others just like her. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.