Weekend Report: How the media has normalized Trump’s new tariffs

Plus: Trump insults press at cringy press dinner highlighting him. And: Will Mitch McConnell, still not heard from, be replaced by Kentucky’s Democratic governor?

This week the White House announced a whole new set of tariffs that Trump has put in place, but the explanations for the continued radical action have been almost completely accepted in the press, as if tariffs are just the new normal when we’re still breaking from decades of trade policies. But the new tariffs rely on punishing countries for having bad labor practices. It’s something I’ve been discussing this week on my SiriusXM program. Since when did this administration care about labor practices, and why isn’t the media explaining what a sham this is—and explaining that many of the countries don’t have bad labor practices—instead of telling us these tariffs are on firmer legal ground and somehow “legitimate”? …

That gets to the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, which happened again last night, rescheduled after a shooter disrupted the dinner back in May. And it was as cringy as you might imagine, because too much of the press wants access; the press bows to Trump. It was also instructive regarding the state of Donald Trump’s health. He fell asleep several times on the dais while awards were given out to journalists who exposed his corruption and lies, while millions watched. When he finally spoke, he rambled, got names and places wrong, viciously attacked the media, and made racist comments. Even when he was trying to be funny, he bombed. The room was mostly silent. Why would journalists even go through this masochistic ritual?

Since the proof of life photos of Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell that immediately became immersed in conspiracies, particularly within MAGA, there’s been not a peep. His staff has refused to give out further information, claims he’s working from the rehabilitation center he was moved to, and hasn’t responded to both Democratic and Republican politicians who’ve not only asked for details but also asked that he call into a radio station or speak publicly. If he’s incapacitated, the governor could appoint a replacement, and there are now some reporting that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is thinking about appointing a replacement before August 3rd, after which the seat would remain vacant until the election under state law. Will that really happen? …