Friday Insights-June 13, 2025
It is Friday the 13th, but Saturday the 14th will be worse
I won’t say “Happy Friday” this morning because I worry about tomorrow’s military parade and the nationwide protests that will accompany it. I fear violence against the protestors, especially after Trump warned that any protests in Washington, the site of the $45 million parade, will be dealt with harshly. Trump may not be able to control the weather (rain is a possibility tomorrow), but he could utilize any spare soldiers standing around to disperse the protests.
We are entering a troubled period in American history. Not only has the President demonstrated an increasing willingness to use the military against what he calls “domestic threats,” such as protests that include U.S. citizens, but he also doesn’t seem well. When I read the morning news yesterday, I saw stories speculating that Trump may be seriously ill as well as other stories on his “brain farts” and how he slipped while boarding Air Force One.
Senator Padilla Handcuffed.
The potential for trouble this weekend increased on Thursday when DHS security forcibly removed California Senator Alex Padilla to the ground after he shouted out a question to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in the middle of a press conference she was holding in a federal office building. The incident, which left Padilla visibly shaken, sparked outrage among Democrats and shock.
After the incident, DHS claimed that Padilla had “lunged” at Noem and that guards removed him from the room because they did not realize he was a U.S. Senator. Noem also met with Padilla after the press conference and indicated that she would work with him on the questions he has about DHS's aggressive immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles.
It appears, at least to me, that DHS, not realizing Padilla was a Senator, played a role in the incident.
If a misunderstanding, rather than authoritarian or strongman tactics, were involved, would it make a difference to the thousands (and hundreds of thousands nationally) of protesters on Saturday? We’ll see. I sense a lot of anger and fear, given the sheer number of protests, that violence will break out somewhere.
Israel attacks Iran, and Iran retaliates
The biggest news of the weekend is Israel’s “preemptive” attacks on Iranian military facilities. Is the world inching towards a world war?
The White House announced that the U.S. was not involved in the attacks. Appropriately, Trump is not claiming that the attacks would not have occurred if he were president, which, of course, he is. . .
Iran has retaliated, but what is, for now, a mini war, is not over. Israel is expected to continue attacks as it attempts to weaken Iran’s ability to threaten Israel.
Tariffs
Not all the “Trump News” involved military operations, immigration enforcement, protests, or Trump himself. Tariffs are back in the news.
U.S. tariff income was $22.2 billion in May, according to the Treasury Department. That surprised me. President Trump also reported that a “deal” has been reached with China that will, at least temporarily, maintain U.S. access to rare earth minerals needed for many high-tech electronics. That is good news. But where are the other tariff deals? Will a negative impact on the economy show up when June and July CPI numbers are produced? We’ll see.
CPI
Consumer prices rose 2.4% in May, a 0.1% increase from April. President Trump, of course, celebrated the news on Truth Social. It is too early to celebrate.
Big Beautiful Bill
The prospects for Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill are not as bright as the President might hope. The Senate version of the bill includes enough differences from the House-passed version that reconciling those differences in the upcoming conference committee will be a challenge. Translation—it is possible, but not probable, that Trump will not get his Big Beautiful Bill. Instead, he is likely to get a litter of Smaller, Equally-Destructive Bills.
One way or another, the Republicans will get their tax bill. And Americans will get more income inequality and a larger national debt.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading today’s Friday Insights. I appreciate it.
I have been doing Dean’s Issues & Insights since August 2024. It's a lot of work, but I’ve been willing to do it in the hope that, even if just a tiny bit, my comments on the news will help America reject Trumpism. I’m not sure that is happening.
I&I, as I call the publication, is already scheduled for a two-week break in July, during which I will take some time off for travel and photography. During that trip, I will review the purpose and success of I&I and decide whether to continue it. I will welcome any comments readers may have.
Among the options I am considering:
1. Closing the publication.
2. Continuing to publish as I do now.
3. Start charging for subscriptions in the hope of both generating revenues to support additional resources, such as other writers, and securing some compensation for the time I put into the publication.
4. Other options, such as continuing to write but affiliating with someone else’s publication, if I find someone who is interested.
Later this week, I plan to send out a survey soliciting input on I&I. I hope you will look for it and give me some feedback.
Enjoy the parade
