"Wasting away" on the shores of Lac d'Annecy

But no margaritas while my country's on fire

May 20, 2025

I could sit forever looking out over Lac d’Annecy—the French Alps to the left of me, forested hills behind and across from me. The lake is continuously changing. Sometimes it’s dotted with colorful sailboats under a clear blue sky, sometimes whipped to a froth by towering storm clouds, sometimes flat as a mirror, taking on the gray-green color of the surrounding trees.

I’m grateful for this respite, far away from what’s happening in my own county. And also feel guilty not to be home in the thick of the resistance. To paraphrase one of my favorite E.B. White quotes:

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to savor the world and a desire to save it. This makes it hard to plan the day.

If you aren’t paying attention…

I just read a troubling piece about the president’s approval ratings. According to recent New York Times/Siena College poll, voters were more likely to approve of President Trump’s job performance if they had not been following some of the major news stories of his first 100 days in office. His approval ratings continue to slide, but less so among low information voters, who have managed to avoid learning about his truly dangerous actions, which affect us all, however you voted.

Even the diehard news junkie has trouble keeping up with it all, and he’s breaking things so fast and furiously that yesterday’s disastrous move is already forgotten the next morning. Just in case you were sleeping, here are a few things that have recently come to my attention:

The United States lost its perfect credit rating. On Friday, Moody’s, for the first time in its history, downgraded U.S. government bonds. They do not like Trump’s “big beautiful bill” [I’ll call it the bbb for short], stating “If the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is extended… it will add around $4 trillion to the federal deficit” (already more than $36 trillion).
Disastrous cuts to Medicaid. Trump had promised none. Hahahaha. To continue his policy of cutting taxes for the richest, his bbb will mean more than 13 million people will lose their health care. Surprise! even if you’ve got great coverage, this will increase YOUR health care bills to cover the lost revenue, and lead to closing many hospitals in rural areas.
That imminent cure for your child’s cancer, or prevention of your Alzheimers? Forget about it. Cuts to the NIH budget also cripple essential research grants to universities. Josh Marshall, one of my go-to reads for years, has a great analysis of why Trump has it in for universities (people who are well-educated tend not to vote GOP; their so-called anti-semitism is a total head fake) and is attacking research as a back door way to cripple them.
Most blatant act of racism yet? Welcoming with open arms 59 white South African farmers as “refugees from persecution” while refusing asylum to brown, black or Muslim people whose lives are actually at risk in their home countries. Including refusing entry to the 40,000 Afghans, many of whom who helped the US military vs the Taliban and were already approved for asylum.
Trump says his tariffs won’t raise prices because the countries on which they’re imposed will foot the bill, a lie only he believes. “Not so,” says Walmart. “We’ll have to raise prices.” “Nope, eat the costs” says Trump, “you make too much money.” Many businesses are already feeling the pinch, and inflation is likely to rise.
Women as incubation machines. Adriana Smith of Atlanta was nine weeks pregnant when she was declared brain-dead in February. Because Georgia outlaws abortion after cardiac activity can be detected in a fetus (around six weeks of pregnancy) and the state’s law defines a fetus as a person with legal rights, doctors are maintaining her on life support as the only legal option. Over the family’s objections.
Selling off 500,000 acres of public land, buried deep in the bbb. It’s theft dressed up as cutting costs. Our wild places—mountains, prairies, forests, canyons—are held in trust for the American people. Timber and fossil fuel companies are drooling in the wings.
I made myself so mad writing this I had to go outside and pull weeds:
This pile is about 4’ across and 1’ high. I was upset.
The list of shitty actions and shitty people could go on for pages, but I’ll leave you with just a few more:
Habeas corpus is for suckers. So what if a person can’t be detained without a hearing before a judge or court? Constitution schmonstitution! Get ‘em outta here!
Supreme Court judgments are also for suckers. Despite a 9-0 order from the Supreme Court, Trump refuses to bring unlawfully detained migrants back from El Salvador. Meanwhile his ICE brownshirts continue to drag brown people off the streets without warrants.
Can we talk about masks? How come it was totally suffocating to wear a mask during COVID, but ICE goons don’t seem to have any problem with them. Often no ID and no warrants either. Even the conservative Cato Institute objects.
Transparency #1. GOP Rules Committee: let’s work on the bbb markup Wednesday in the middle of the night when we hope the hell no one’s watching. Heather Cox Richardson:
Illustrating their confidence that the American people support this 1,116-page measure enacting much of MAGA’s wish list, the Rules committee has set its meeting for Wednesday, May 21, 2025…at 1:00 in the morning (not a typo). The Republicans are trying to advance Trump’s entire agenda—from massive logging on public lands to slashing Medicaid—in one giant bill under a process known as “budget reconciliation,” which means it cannot be filibustered in the Senate. That means it needs only Republican votes to pass.
Transparency #2: If he grifts and bribes and colludes and corrupts out in the open, and gets away with it, how bad can it be? Latest: hosting a White House dinner for 220 of the top investors in his personal $TRUMP meme coin… and a special tour of the joint for the top 20 investors. He raked in almost $148 million for that little party.
Continuous trauma for government workers. This has fallen below the horizon as a news story, but the pain is ongoing. The cruel and senseless cuts to the federal workforce is still inflicting trauma on longtime loyal employees caught in the crossfire. Some 6% of these people have lost their jobs—many first having to suffer thru on-again off-again on-again firings. Three of my friends are still going through it. Unconscionable.

I apologize for being a Debbie Downer… Please don’t turn your back on what’s happening. CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES!!! 5Calls.org has 60 separate topics you can call about…

PUT YOURSELF IN THE WAY OF BEAUTY

It keeps me sane to look for beauty in the natural world. How can anyone not be cheered by a poppy?

And here’s a dead bush masquerading as a heron on the edge of Lac d’Annecy:

Tune in for my next post: in which I take you with me on an apolitical jump off a tall cliff to soar over the lake… paragliding is a Thing around here.

A few newsletters I try not to miss:

Heather Cox Richardson, professor of American political history who helps us understand what’s happening today in the context of where we’ve been.

Robert Reich, a brilliant economist and all-around mensch

Jonathan V. Last at the Bulwark (everyone at the Bulwark, actually). Former GOP Never-Trumpers.

Jessica Yellin, News not Noise. Excellent detailed explanations of the day’s news. I especially love her weekly conversations with Amanda Doyle on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast.