[continued from previous message]   
      
   > don’t either, and that’s exactly what Elon Musk has been tasked by   
   > President Trump to do, get the fraud, waste, and abuse out of our federal   
   > government.”   
   >   
   > The media was refusing to report on what USAID was actually funding, so   
   > Leavitt did their job for them.   
   >   
   > Trump’s Hilarious “I Thought They Died” Barb   
   > During an impromptu press conference on Air Force One in February, a   
   > reporter attempted to entrap Trump in an obscure question about a Supreme   
   > Court ruling.   
   >   
   > “I don’t even know what you’re talking about, and neither do you”   
   Trump   
   > responded, wisely not taking the bait. “Who are you with?”   
   >   
   > “Huff Post, sir,” the reporter responded.   
   >   
   > “Oh no wonder,” the president retorted. “I thought they died. Are they   
   > still around? I haven’t read them in years.”   
   >   
   > The exchange was another gem from one of the funniest politicians in   
   > American history.   
   >   
   > Karoline Leavitt Fires Back on “Gulf of America” Controversy   
   > Perhaps the pettiest media opposition to Trump so far in his second term   
   > has been the refusal of the Associated Press to acknowledge Trump’s   
   > legitimate name change from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.   
   >   
   > In response to the AP’s insistence on continuing to call it the Gulf of   
   > Mexico, the White House barred the outlet from the select group of   
   > reporters with permanent access to the Oval Office and Air Force One,   
   > prompting outrage from other media outlets. When CNN’s Kaitlan Collins   
   > asked Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about the decision during a White   
   > House press briefing, Leavitt didn’t hold back.   
   >   
   > “It is a privilege to cover this White House,” Leavitt said. “Nobody   
   has   
   > the right to go into the Oval Office and ask the President of the United   
   > States questions.”   
   >   
   > When Collins accused the White House of being “retaliatory” and violating   
   > Trump’s commitment to the First Amendment, Leavitt cooly responded that   
   > she was “very up front in my briefing on day one that if we feel there are   
   > lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies   
   > accountable.”   
   >   
   > “It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called   
   > the Gulf of America, and I am not sure why news outlets don’t want to call   
   > it that, but that is what it is,” Leavitt continued “Apple has recognized   
   > that, Google has recognized that, pretty much every other outlet in this   
   > room has recognized [that].”   
   >   
   > JD Vance Digitally Pile-Drives Progressive Commentator   
   > Much like his boss, JD Vance has cultivated a reputation as a prolific   
   > social media user, albeit with his own personal flair.   
   >   
   > In an exchange on X, progressive commentator and former MSNBC host Medhi   
   > Hasan responded to a post about the decision to bar AP reporters from the   
   > Oval Office, “Hey @JDVance, I know you are busy lecturing the Europeans on   
   > free speech, but have you seen this.”   
   >   
   > “Yes dummy,” Vance responded. “I think there’s a difference between   
   not   
   > giving a reporter a seat in the WH press briefing room and jailing people   
   > for dissenting views. The latter is a threat to free speech, the former is   
   > not. Hope that helps!”   
   >   
   > Stephen Miller Torches Reporters on the Real “Threat to Democracy”   
   > White House Deputy Press Secretary Stephen Miller doesn’t spend a ton of   
   > time in front of cameras, but when he does engage with reporters it almost   
   > always produces a jaw-dropping smackdown.   
   >   
   > His recent lecture from the White House Press Briefing Room is worth   
   > quoting in full:   
   >   
   > “It is true that many of the people in this room for four years failed to   
   > cover the fact that Joe Biden was mentally incompetent and was not running   
   > the country. It is also true that many people in this room who have used   
   > this talking point that Elon is not elected fail to understand how   
   > government works, so I’m glad for the opportunity for a brief civics   
   > lesson.”   
   >   
   > “The president is elected by the whole American people. He’s the only   
   > official in the entire government that is elected by the entire nation,   
   > right? Judges are appointed, members of Congress are elected.”   
   >   
   > “The Constitution Article 2 has the clause known as the vesting clause,   
   > and it says ‘the executive power shall be vested in a president’ – the   
   > whole will of democracy is imbued into the elected president. That   
   > president then appoints staff to then impose that democratic will onto the   
   > government.”   
   >   
   > “The threat to democracy, indeed the existential threat to democracy, is   
   > the unelected bureaucracy, career civil servants who believe they answer   
   > to no one, who believe they can do whatever they want without consequence,   
   > who believe they can set their own agenda no matter what Americans vote   
   > for. So Americans vote for radical FBI reform, and FBI agents say they   
   > don’t want to change, or Americans vote for radical reform of our energy   
   > policies, and EPA bureaucrats say they don’t want to change, or Americans   
   > vote to end racist DEI policies, and lawyers at the Department of Justice   
   > say they don’t want to change.”   
   >   
   > “What President Trump is doing is he is removing federal bureaucrats who   
   > are defying democracy by failing to implement his lawful orders which are   
   > the will of the whole American people.”   
   >   
   > If the first three months of President Trump’s second term are any   
   > indication, there are sure to be plenty more media “owns” over the next   
   > four years. We’ll continue to keep you up to date.   
   >   
   > https://amac.us/newsline/society/newsline/society/ten-times-team-trump-   
   > has-owned-the-media-so-far/   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)