Beltway Insider: Trump/100 Day Review, WH Shake-up, Pritzker, Harris, Buffet Retires, Kentucky Derby
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- Category: Beltway Insider
- Published on Sunday, 11 May 2025 05:39
- Written by Janet Walker
President Trump's first 100 days have been a shock to the world, as he entered office with an agenda, and began immediately reshaping government, furloughing 15,000 government workers in one month, and enacting policies that stunned allies and enemies.
The President's job approval rating, according to The New York Times for the period ending May 4, 2025, shows remained consistent with 44% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as president remained consistent at 52%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.
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Trump First 100 Days Review
President Trump has been moved non-stop throughout his first 100 days to enact his policies, signing 141 Executive Orders, and removing an alleged $150 billion of wasteful government spending, slashing departments, furloughing workers, adding shockingly high tariffs on foreign trading partners, which result in trickle down price adjustment forcing the consumer to absorb the costs, and through threats, and intimidation, have demanded universities, companies, and other institutions to enact his prescribed demands for changes in policies or face penalties.
White House Shake-up
Trump has begun the White House shuffle, reminiscent of his first term, although initiated faster due to a series of missteps and glaring mistakes by his cabinet. As this is Trump 2.0, the president did not need the traditional adjustment period and moved immediately to initialize the style of government he promised. His resolve and determination to establish a hardline, polarizing, government began immediately.
As his cabinet, many of whom were regarded as underqualified for their positions, has appeared to be in lockstep with him, their actions have left him vulnerable to intense media scrutiny especially over the high level exposure through unauthorized group use of the messaging platform signal chat of top-secret defense plans leaving the nation vulnerable.
Waltz Moves
Former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has been removed from his position and nominated as the U.S. Ambassador to the United States, a position which will face a senate vote, and more importantly allow Waltz to be questioned by senior members of Senate Foreign Relations Committee over his role during the President's first 100 days, including the exposure of military operations to civilians.
The process, [. . .] will give lawmakers, especially Democrats, the first chance to grill Waltz on his decision to share information about an imminent U.S. airstrike on Signal. Sen. Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, signaled that Waltz will face difficult questions. "I look forward to a thorough confirmation hearing," Coons said on social media," reported The Federal News Network.
The removal of Waltz is not the product of a single debacle, as the president's cabinet settle into the day to day, Waltz, a former Green Beret, appeared to be more welcoming of escalating military action, especially in Iran, and during a private meeting encouraged and supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu belief that a war strategy with Iran must be considered. The president was opposed to this escalation both in thought and action.
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Is the National Security Council Needed
The President's shake-up has many questioning whether the National Security Council (NEC) is even necessary in its present state. The designated duties of the security council are to "advise and assist the president on all matters of national security, military and foreign policy matters." As President Trump has made it abundantly clear to not only the nation, but more critically to his cabinet, he is his best advisor, even if others have a differing opinion or viewpoint, at the end of the day, Trump will ultimately follow his own agenda.
The NEC, created after World War II, highlights potential domestic and international threats, in whatever form they take, and in the world of evolving bad state actors includes pandemics, energy warfare, high level computer and power grid hacking, and as Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) has been promoted to Acting National Security Advisor while maintaining his current responsibilities as Secretary of State, and even as this double-duty is rare, it does not set a precedent as Henry Kissinger held the same duel role for three years during the Nixon Administration.
Hegseth on Shaking Ground
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was also on the Signal Chat group discussion, is said to be on shaky ground. And while the president has not mentioned him specifically, Trump is known for
The upcoming Senate hearings, which National Security Secretary Mike Waltz will face as he readies himself for his next Trump Administration post, may also be a fact finding mission for the president who will allow the democrats, who are determined to expose the president's cabinet as incompetents, to find out the extent of the social media bromance between the cabinet members.
A Trump has, to date, continue to support Hegseth publicly, his antics, and social media outbursts, and failures to guard Defense Department secrets have put him on the chopping block.
A Republican senator who requested anonymity said, "Hegseth is next in line not because he's a jerk, but because I think they're concerned about his management and that his team is a mess." Three senior officials from Hegseth's inner circle were ousted last month: Dan Caldwell, a senior aide; Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg; and Darin Selnick, Hegseth's deputy chief of staff," The Hill reported.
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Illinois Governor Hits GOP Hard with Stump Speech
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) is sounding a lot like someone who is campaigning, although the next presidential election doesn't officially begin until January of 2028, when democrats will toss their hats into the primary ring, his firebrand messaging brough the crowd of New Hampshire democrats to their feet.
"Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now," Pritzker said to a standing ovation accompanied by whistles and cheers from the audience. "These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They must understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soap box and then punish them at the ballot box," The Washington Post reported.
Pritzker, who along with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I), and Republican Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D, NY), have been traveling the country rousing shell-shocked democrats who are just now recovering from the devastating loss from the 2024 election, and the subsequent battering attacks by the Trump Administration.
Former Vice-President Kamala Harris also took the 100 day commemoration to wade back into the national conversation. While Harris has yet to make any decisions and publicly has not committed or commented on her next political decisions.
Speaking from San Francisco, she kept her speech to just over 15 minutes, and explained, as she discussed the harshness of the Trump White House, "It's an agenda, a narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power, and leave everyone else to fend for themselves," Ms. Harris said. "All while abandoning allies and retreating from the world," The New York Times reported.
Coronavirus Total
At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually. The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from the newer variants.
For the seven days ending May 4, 2025, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 15,880 to 777,720,205. The total worldwide death toll increased by 661 to 7,094,447 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated April 13, 2025, from the World Health Organization).
Warren Buffet Steps Down from Berkshire Hathaway
Warren Buffet, 94, the guru of investors and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is planning to retire from the company he founded in 1960, at the end of year.
Buffet, who is the fifth richest person in the world, has taken his small suit-lining company, located in Omaha, Nebraska, to a diversified holding company with a $1 trillion dollar market cap, the first non-tech company to reach that milestone.
Even as he is well able to afford the extravagance wealth offers, he "has famously lived in the same five-bedroom home in Omaha that he bought in 1958 for $31,500. With the country's wealth engines centered on the coasts — Silicon Valley to the West, Wall Street in the East — Buffett has stayed in the heartland of Nebraska. He has said he eats a simple breakfast from McDonald's most mornings before work. He has said he drinks several cans of Coke a day," reported The Washington Post.
Buffet, who is considered one of the shrewdest investors in modern history, has made his fortune by passing on quick fixes, and evangelizes a patient investment strategy, that for some can test one's nerve, but believes that holding steady in the long run wins the investment race. He advocates investing in American companies, many well know and not considered flashy such as Domino's Pizza, consumer products, Coca-Cola, and Kraft Heinz.
Buffet has said that while he is retiring, he is hoping he can still be of use and expects to "still hang around and conceivably be useful in a few cases."
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Kentucky Derby
The 151st running of the Kentucky Derby, held on a very muddy track as the rain fell nearly all day on the annual spring tradition, and even causing a momentary delay, to the start of the storied Run for the Rose, the first crown in the storied Triple Crown.
After the two minutes had ended, Bill Mont's Sovereignty, ridden by jockey Junior Alvarado, with 5-to-1 odds, and a tricky gate position, managed to overcome the handicap and win the $3million dollar purse, taking the crown and becoming the odds on favorite to win the Preakness, the second jewel in the Triple Crown of horse racing which culminates in Belmont, Long Island with the Belmont Stakes.
Favorite Journalism, owned by "Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5 LLC, LaPenta, Robert V., Magnier-Lessee, Mrs. John, Smith-Lessee, Derrick and Tabor-Lessee, Michael B.," according to the Derby, with 3-to-1 odds, ridden by jockey Umberto Rispoli, finished second.
Baeza, added late to fill the field, due to scratches, with 12-to-1 odds finished third. Until three days ago, Baeza, owned by Lee and Susan Searing, and ridden by jockey Hector Berrios, was not scheduled to compete in the Run for the Roses.
The Preakness is scheduled for May 17, 2025.
For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.
Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.
