Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats
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Yeah, there's an Internet Law whose name I keep forgetting about how the Dems are always expected to be everything for everyone - the adult in the room, the left, the moderate, the taking-the-high-road, the moral group, etc etc while Republicans just aren't held responsible for anything, including their own mistakes and failings.
GasBandit
Staff member
Democrats have the inherent contradiction of being the party that isn’t in favor of the rich having everything but also needing to be supported by rich people. The Republicans don’t really have factions that have contradictory goals. Businessmen don’t care if abortion is banned and evangelicals don’t care if the ultra wealthy don’t have to pay taxes.
In response to the Trump regime's anti-woke agenda, Google has decided to take a stand.
...by removing Black History Month, Women's History Month, and Pride Month, from their calendar of events to be celebrated/put in the spotlight.
Y'know,Don't Be Bow Down To Evil is their motto, after all.
...by removing Black History Month, Women's History Month, and Pride Month, from their calendar of events to be celebrated/put in the spotlight.
Y'know,
GasBandit
Staff member
1/ Elon Musk, standing behind the Resolute Desk with Trump in the Oval Office, justified his aggressive push to downsize the federal government, saying: “The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what the people are going to get.” Musk, however, dismissed concerns about his unchecked power, insisting his so-called Department of Government Efficiency was “maximally transparent” despite operating in secrecy. Musk, who is an unelected official, described the federal workforce as “an unelected, fourth, unconstitutional branch of government” that he claimed had more power than elected representatives. He framed his efforts as a fight for democracy, saying: “If the bureaucracy’s in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk, who contributed more than $250 million to help get Trump elected, added: “That’s what democracy is all about.” Trump agreed with Musk’s criticisms, arguing that federal workers had too much influence over policy and called Musk’s cuts a fulfillment of his campaign promises. “It seems hard to believe that judges want to try and stop us from looking for corruption,” Trump said, after courts temporarily blocked parts of DOGE’s work, including access to Treasury Department data. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, meanwhile, claimed that court rulings against the Trump administration are coming from “judicial activists” who are creating a “constitutional crisis.” (New York Times / Associated Press / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / NPR / CBS News / CNBC / Politico / Associated Press / The Hill)
2/ Treasury Department admitted that the Department of Government Efficiency was “mistakenly” and “briefly” granted “read/write” access to a key federal payments database, contradicting prior claims that Elon Musk’s team had only “read-only” privileges. Marko Elez, a former SpaceX and X engineer, was granted “read/write” access on Feb. 5, but Treasury officials said he never exercised his editing permissions before they were revoked. Elez resigned on Feb. 6 after racist social media posts surfaced. The disclosure came in court filings amid lawsuits over the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict foreign aid. Democrats accused the administration of misleading Congress about DOGE’s access to Treasury systems. (Politico / ABC News / New York Times / Washington Post)
3/ Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to coordinate with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reduce staffing and limit hiring. “We are going to be signing a very important deal today,” Trump said. “It’s DOGE,” claiming his administration had found “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.” The order requires agencies to replace only one of every four departing employees, except for law enforcement, immigration, and public safety roles. It also installs a DOGE-appointed official at each agency to oversee hiring and mandates large-scale workforce reductions. Federal employee unions pushed back, with National Treasury Employees Union President Doreen Greenwald warning, “The arbitrary firing of thousands of employees […] would decimate government services.” (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / Semafor )
4/ The Trump administration fired USAID Inspector General Paul Martin one day after his office released a report warning that the agency’s funding freeze and staffing cuts had severely limited oversight of billions in humanitarian aid. Martin, who had served since 2023, received an email from the White House notifying him that his position was “terminated, effective immediately.” The Trump administration provided no explanation for the firing, despite legal requirements to notify Congress in advance. His report highlighted risks such as aid diversion to U.S.-designated terrorist organizations and $489 million in food assistance at risk of spoilage or misuse. (Politico / NBC News / Associated Press / CNN / Washington Post / The Guardian)
5/ Eight inspectors general fired by the Trump administration last month sued the White House, arguing that their dismissals violated federal law. The lawsuit claims Trump failed to provide Congress with the required 30-day notice and a substantive explanation for their removal. The plaintiffs are eight of the 17 Senate-confirmed inspectors general are seeking reinstatement. The firings occured four days into Trump’s term were communicated via brief emails citing “changing priorities.” (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / USA Today / CBS News / Axios / Associated Press / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)
7/ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Ukraine joining NATO is not a “realistic outcome” and that European nations – not the U.S. – must take the lead in securing the country. “To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine,” Hegseth said at a NATO meeting in Brussels, adding that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an “illusionary goal.” Hegseth also reinforced Trump’s demand for European allies to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, arguing that “the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency.” (CNN / New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / Politico / Bloomberg)
8/ The Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence in a 52-48 vote, with Mitch McConnell joining Democrats in opposition. Some Republicans expressed concerns over Gabbard’s 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her skepticism toward U.S. support for Ukraine, and her previous calls to pardon Edward Snowden. Despite these reservations, Republicans backed her nomination. McConnell, however, criticized her “history of alarming lapses in judgment,” while Chuck Schumer warned, “We simply cannot in good conscience trust our most classified secrets to someone who echoes Russian propaganda.” (NBC News / CNN / New York Times / Axios / Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)
10/ Trump, who promised to lower prices on “Day 1,” is now acknowledging that inflation relief will take longer than expected. Inflation, meanwhile, increased in January, with consumer prices up 3% annually and core inflation reaching 3.3% – both higher than forecasted. Monthly inflation increased 0.5% from December, the largest gain since August 2023. (Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Washington Post / New York Times / CNBC / Associated Press / Axios / NPR)
The midterm elections are in 629 days.
Notables.
2/ Treasury Department admitted that the Department of Government Efficiency was “mistakenly” and “briefly” granted “read/write” access to a key federal payments database, contradicting prior claims that Elon Musk’s team had only “read-only” privileges. Marko Elez, a former SpaceX and X engineer, was granted “read/write” access on Feb. 5, but Treasury officials said he never exercised his editing permissions before they were revoked. Elez resigned on Feb. 6 after racist social media posts surfaced. The disclosure came in court filings amid lawsuits over the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict foreign aid. Democrats accused the administration of misleading Congress about DOGE’s access to Treasury systems. (Politico / ABC News / New York Times / Washington Post)
3/ Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to coordinate with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reduce staffing and limit hiring. “We are going to be signing a very important deal today,” Trump said. “It’s DOGE,” claiming his administration had found “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.” The order requires agencies to replace only one of every four departing employees, except for law enforcement, immigration, and public safety roles. It also installs a DOGE-appointed official at each agency to oversee hiring and mandates large-scale workforce reductions. Federal employee unions pushed back, with National Treasury Employees Union President Doreen Greenwald warning, “The arbitrary firing of thousands of employees […] would decimate government services.” (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / Semafor )
4/ The Trump administration fired USAID Inspector General Paul Martin one day after his office released a report warning that the agency’s funding freeze and staffing cuts had severely limited oversight of billions in humanitarian aid. Martin, who had served since 2023, received an email from the White House notifying him that his position was “terminated, effective immediately.” The Trump administration provided no explanation for the firing, despite legal requirements to notify Congress in advance. His report highlighted risks such as aid diversion to U.S.-designated terrorist organizations and $489 million in food assistance at risk of spoilage or misuse. (Politico / NBC News / Associated Press / CNN / Washington Post / The Guardian)
5/ Eight inspectors general fired by the Trump administration last month sued the White House, arguing that their dismissals violated federal law. The lawsuit claims Trump failed to provide Congress with the required 30-day notice and a substantive explanation for their removal. The plaintiffs are eight of the 17 Senate-confirmed inspectors general are seeking reinstatement. The firings occured four days into Trump’s term were communicated via brief emails citing “changing priorities.” (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / USA Today / CBS News / Axios / Associated Press / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)
- Several federal employee unions sued Elon Musk and the Office of Personnel Management, claiming the agency violated privacy law by sharing workers’ personal data with Musk’s team. (New York Times)
7/ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Ukraine joining NATO is not a “realistic outcome” and that European nations – not the U.S. – must take the lead in securing the country. “To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine,” Hegseth said at a NATO meeting in Brussels, adding that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an “illusionary goal.” Hegseth also reinforced Trump’s demand for European allies to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, arguing that “the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency.” (CNN / New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / Politico / Bloomberg)
8/ The Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence in a 52-48 vote, with Mitch McConnell joining Democrats in opposition. Some Republicans expressed concerns over Gabbard’s 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her skepticism toward U.S. support for Ukraine, and her previous calls to pardon Edward Snowden. Despite these reservations, Republicans backed her nomination. McConnell, however, criticized her “history of alarming lapses in judgment,” while Chuck Schumer warned, “We simply cannot in good conscience trust our most classified secrets to someone who echoes Russian propaganda.” (NBC News / CNN / New York Times / Axios / Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)
- The Senate voted 53-47 along party lines to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for health secretary, setting up a final confirmation vote likely on Thursday. Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor and vocal vaccine advocate, voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination, but has not confirmed his final vote. If confirmed, Kennedy will oversee a nearly $2 trillion health department responsible for drug safety, health insurance programs, and infectious disease response. (Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News)
10/ Trump, who promised to lower prices on “Day 1,” is now acknowledging that inflation relief will take longer than expected. Inflation, meanwhile, increased in January, with consumer prices up 3% annually and core inflation reaching 3.3% – both higher than forecasted. Monthly inflation increased 0.5% from December, the largest gain since August 2023. (Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Washington Post / New York Times / CNBC / Associated Press / Axios / NPR)
The midterm elections are in 629 days.
Notables.- A coalition of media organizations said video evidence from a Jan. 6 rioter’s case had “disappeared” from a government platform, prompting a judge to order the Justice Department to stop further removals and explain the missing files. The Justice Department has not clarified whether the files were intentionally removed. (NPR)
- The FBI compiled a list of 3,600 probationary employees, including 1,000 agents, as part of Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce. (New York Times)
- The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an Oval Office event after the news agency refused to adopt “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico.” Although Trump’s executive order renamed the body of water, the AP said it would continue using the historical name while acknowledging the change. AP Executive Editor Julie Pace called the decision a violation of press freedom, while the White House Correspondents’ Association condemned the move as “unacceptable.” (CNN / NPR / New York Times / Axios / The Guardian / Bloomberg / Politico)
- A House Republican introduced a bill to let Trump buy Greenland and rename it “Red, White, and Blueland.” Rep. Buddy Carter also praised Trump as the “Negotiator-in-Chief.” (HuffPost)
- Two transgender high school students in New Hampshire sued to challenge Trump’s executive order banning transgender girls from girls’ sports. The executive order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” threatens to cut federal funding from schools that allow transgender girls to participate. Their lawyers called it part of a broader effort to restrict transgender rights. (CNN)
We've been having a lot of issues with Neo Nazis/White Supremacists doing shit in Ohio over the last few months and the reaction to it has genuinely been heartwarming. They tried this shit in Columbus in November and they got the shit kicked out them. We don't want them here and they don't know how to handle it when the locals are so very... robust in their opposition.
Indeed. If his would have been the tie breaker vote he'd have been singing his hands and sitting and making a big theater the whole time, but he'd still have voted for him "after a long discussion" and with "important personal promises" and whatever.
Having one or two dissenting votes is nice for the public if they don't matter... Compare and contrast Sinema and whatshisface who were supposedly Democrats but managed to torpedo any plans the center or left might have had to actually change anything meaningful.
The Republican party unites behind their candidates, whether it's fascists, neoliberal corpo's, Russian plants, or theocratic zealots. The Democratic party can't manage it because every subdivision thinks every other part is too X or not Y enough.
In other news, in Eastern Congo M-23 and Rwanda have now captured Bukavu after taking Goma earlier this month. The Congolese army and Burundi support troops are in full retreat, having left the city in an attempt to avoid the bloody city-scape fighting as in Goma earlier.
Around 700K people are currently displaced, rape-as-a-weapon is in full swing, thousands are being executed or forced out of their homes, and a famine seems imminent.
In, you know, the bloodiest conflict currently going on in the world which nobody seems to care about.
Around 700K people are currently displaced, rape-as-a-weapon is in full swing, thousands are being executed or forced out of their homes, and a famine seems imminent.
In, you know, the bloodiest conflict currently going on in the world which nobody seems to care about.
GasBandit
Staff member
1/ Senate Republicans confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, putting the prominent anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist in control of nearly $2 trillion in health spending and 13 federal agencies, including the CDC, FDA, and National Institutes of Health, as well as Medicare and Medicaid, which provide health insurance to more than 150 million Americans. The 52-48 vote was largely along party lines, though Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor, was the lone Republican to oppose Kennedy. “I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles,” McConnell said, criticizing Kennedy’s “record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories.” (New York Times / Washington Post / NPR / Associated Press / Bloomberg / NBC News / Politico / CNN)
2/ The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Kash Patel’s nomination for FBI director. Patel, a longtime Trump loyalist, previously vowed to overhaul the FBI, turn its headquarters into a museum, and punish members of the so-called “deep state.” At his confirmation hearing, Patel pledged to protect agents from political retribution despite the Justice Department compiling lists of agents involved in past Trump-related investigations as part of an effort to fire personnel who worked on the Jan. 6 and classified documents cases as “retribution.” A final Senate vote is expected in the coming weeks. (Politico / Axios / New York Times / Associated Press)
3/ A federal judge allowed Trump’s “deferred resignation” buyout program to proceed, ruling that the labor unions lacked legal standing to block the program. The decision lifts a temporary freeze on the program, which offered financial incentives for millions of federal employees to resign while continuing to receive pay through September. About 75,000 workers accepted the buyout before the offer expired – roughly 3.3% of the 2.3 million federal workforce, falling short of the White House’s goal of 5% to 10%. (Associated Press / Bloomberg / New York Times / Semafor / NBC News / Washington Post / NBC News / USA Today)
4/ Elon Musk called on Trump “to delete entire agencies,” comparing the effort to removing weeds and saying, “If we don’t remove the roots, it’s easy for the weed to grow back.” Musk singled out the U.S. Agency for International Development, questioning its effectiveness and overseeing its planned closure. “How much democracy have they achieved lately?” Musk said. “I don’t know, not much.” (Politico / Associated Press)
5/ Federal agencies began mass firings, issuing termination notices to employees at the Education Department, Small Business Administration, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, General Services Administration, the Energy Department, and more. The terminations were primarily sent to newer probationary employees hired within the last year. A form letter sent to Education Department employees said, “The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.” At the SBA, at least 45 probationary employees received letters saying their “ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the current needs.” About 160 new hires at the Education Department were similarly told their employment “would not be in the public interest.” At the GSA, which oversees federal real estate, about 100 probationary employees were fired, and dozens of Energy Department employees were also dismissed. The CFPB, meanwhile, sent termination emails to probationary employees, but some messages contained errors, addressing workers as “[EmployeeFirstName] [EmployeeLastName].” (CNN / Washington Post / USA Today / Reuters / NPR / Bloomberg / New York Times / CBS News)
The midterm elections are in 628 days.
WTF is Elon Musk doing?
Trump and Musk claim they are rooting out widespread fraud in the federal government, but they have struggled to provide concrete evidence. In an Oval Office appearance, Trump said that “We have massive amounts of fraud that we’ve caught,” while Musk claimed that federal bureaucrats had secretly amassed tens of millions of dollars in unexplained wealth. When pressed for specifics, however, they pointed to government spending they disagreed with rather than proving any illegal or fraudulent activity. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended their claims by citing various expenditures and arguing without evidence that “all of these things are fraudulent, they are wasteful, and they are an abuse of the American taxpayers’ dollar.”
Two separate federal judges have rejected the Trump administration’s justification for freezing grants and placing thousands of USAID employees on leave. U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. wrote that “The Defendants now plea that they are just trying to root out fraud. But the freezes in effect now were a result of the broad categorical order, not a specific finding of possible fraud.” Another judge, Trump appointee Carl Nichols, blocked the administration’s attempts to overhaul USAID, noting that when asked what harm would come from delaying the move, “the administration had no response – beyond asserting without any record support that USAID writ large was possibly engaging in ‘corruption and fraud.’”
Musk insisted his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” team had “found fraud and abuse, I would use those two words,” and suggested that “people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars […] somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth.” However, he offered no documentation or names to support the claim. The White House attempted to justify the fraud allegations by citing a Government Accountability Office estimate that between $233 billion and $521 billion is lost annually to fraud across federal agencies. This estimate, however, largely reflects previously documented fraud in programs like Medicare and unemployment assistance rather than Musk’s unverified claims about government employees and agencies.
Despite growing legal and media scrutiny, Trump has doubled down, insisting that entire agencies – particularly USAID – are fraudulent. “Here’s something where you look at that, and they’re all fraudulent,” he said, claiming that any spending he disagrees with should be treated as fraud. Meanwhile, Musk continues to oversee multiple companies that receive billions in government contracts, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
Sources: Washington Post / New York Times / NPR / Paul Krugman
Notables.
2/ The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Kash Patel’s nomination for FBI director. Patel, a longtime Trump loyalist, previously vowed to overhaul the FBI, turn its headquarters into a museum, and punish members of the so-called “deep state.” At his confirmation hearing, Patel pledged to protect agents from political retribution despite the Justice Department compiling lists of agents involved in past Trump-related investigations as part of an effort to fire personnel who worked on the Jan. 6 and classified documents cases as “retribution.” A final Senate vote is expected in the coming weeks. (Politico / Axios / New York Times / Associated Press)
3/ A federal judge allowed Trump’s “deferred resignation” buyout program to proceed, ruling that the labor unions lacked legal standing to block the program. The decision lifts a temporary freeze on the program, which offered financial incentives for millions of federal employees to resign while continuing to receive pay through September. About 75,000 workers accepted the buyout before the offer expired – roughly 3.3% of the 2.3 million federal workforce, falling short of the White House’s goal of 5% to 10%. (Associated Press / Bloomberg / New York Times / Semafor / NBC News / Washington Post / NBC News / USA Today)
4/ Elon Musk called on Trump “to delete entire agencies,” comparing the effort to removing weeds and saying, “If we don’t remove the roots, it’s easy for the weed to grow back.” Musk singled out the U.S. Agency for International Development, questioning its effectiveness and overseeing its planned closure. “How much democracy have they achieved lately?” Musk said. “I don’t know, not much.” (Politico / Associated Press)
5/ Federal agencies began mass firings, issuing termination notices to employees at the Education Department, Small Business Administration, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, General Services Administration, the Energy Department, and more. The terminations were primarily sent to newer probationary employees hired within the last year. A form letter sent to Education Department employees said, “The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.” At the SBA, at least 45 probationary employees received letters saying their “ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the current needs.” About 160 new hires at the Education Department were similarly told their employment “would not be in the public interest.” At the GSA, which oversees federal real estate, about 100 probationary employees were fired, and dozens of Energy Department employees were also dismissed. The CFPB, meanwhile, sent termination emails to probationary employees, but some messages contained errors, addressing workers as “[EmployeeFirstName] [EmployeeLastName].” (CNN / Washington Post / USA Today / Reuters / NPR / Bloomberg / New York Times / CBS News)
- A judge extended a pause on Trump’s plan to place 2,100 USAID employees on leave. The administration says it’s reviewing the agency’s mission, while unions argue the move disrupts aid programs. (Washington Post / NPR)
- Trump called for lower interest rates, saying they should align with his planned tariffs. In a Truth Social post, he wrote, “Interest Rates should be lowered, something which would go hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!!” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, however, reiterated that the central bank makes decisions based on economic data, not political pressure. After January’s inflation report showed prices rising more than anticipated, Trump blamed the inflation data on Biden, posting “BIDEN INFLATION UP!” (CNBC / HuffPost)
The midterm elections are in 628 days.
WTF is Elon Musk doing?
Trump and Musk claim they are rooting out widespread fraud in the federal government, but they have struggled to provide concrete evidence. In an Oval Office appearance, Trump said that “We have massive amounts of fraud that we’ve caught,” while Musk claimed that federal bureaucrats had secretly amassed tens of millions of dollars in unexplained wealth. When pressed for specifics, however, they pointed to government spending they disagreed with rather than proving any illegal or fraudulent activity. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended their claims by citing various expenditures and arguing without evidence that “all of these things are fraudulent, they are wasteful, and they are an abuse of the American taxpayers’ dollar.”
Two separate federal judges have rejected the Trump administration’s justification for freezing grants and placing thousands of USAID employees on leave. U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. wrote that “The Defendants now plea that they are just trying to root out fraud. But the freezes in effect now were a result of the broad categorical order, not a specific finding of possible fraud.” Another judge, Trump appointee Carl Nichols, blocked the administration’s attempts to overhaul USAID, noting that when asked what harm would come from delaying the move, “the administration had no response – beyond asserting without any record support that USAID writ large was possibly engaging in ‘corruption and fraud.’”
Musk insisted his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” team had “found fraud and abuse, I would use those two words,” and suggested that “people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars […] somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth.” However, he offered no documentation or names to support the claim. The White House attempted to justify the fraud allegations by citing a Government Accountability Office estimate that between $233 billion and $521 billion is lost annually to fraud across federal agencies. This estimate, however, largely reflects previously documented fraud in programs like Medicare and unemployment assistance rather than Musk’s unverified claims about government employees and agencies.
Despite growing legal and media scrutiny, Trump has doubled down, insisting that entire agencies – particularly USAID – are fraudulent. “Here’s something where you look at that, and they’re all fraudulent,” he said, claiming that any spending he disagrees with should be treated as fraud. Meanwhile, Musk continues to oversee multiple companies that receive billions in government contracts, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
Sources: Washington Post / New York Times / NPR / Paul Krugman
Notables.- A top federal prosecutor in New York and two senior Justice Department officials resigned after refusing an order to drop the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon rejected the directive from Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, who argued the case impeded Adams’ ability to assist the Trump administration’s priorities. After Sassoon’s resignation, the case was reassigned to the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section, where both acting chief John Keller and acting criminal division chief Kevin Driscoll also resigned. Sassoon accused Adams’ attorneys of proposing a quid pro quo, suggesting Adams could assist the DOJ only if his charges were dismissed. (NBC News / Associated Press / CNBC / New York Times / Bloomberg / CBS News)
- The State Department suspended plans to purchase $400 million worth of armored electric vehicles after reports suggested the order would go to Elon Musk’s Tesla. The department removed Tesla’s name from its procurement forecast, updating the listing to “armored electric vehicles” instead. The agency clarified that the contract originated under the Biden administration and was never finalized. (New York Times / Axios / Bloomberg / NPR / The Guardian / The Hill)
- Elon Musk’s Twitter X will pay about $10 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over his 2021 Twitter ban. Trump sued after Twitter, now X, cited risks of inciting violence post-Jan. 6. The settlement follows Meta’s $25 million payout over Trump’s Facebook suspension. (Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / CNBC)
What has that to do with security?
It's not about security, It is an example of a false equivalence, where Vance is saying, "We had to suffer X, so you shouldn't complain about suffering Y," implying that there is an "even" 1:1 ratio of suffering, but in reality one far outweighs the other.
--Patrick
figmentPez
Staff member
U.S. deporting African and Asian migrants to Panama in diplomatic breakthrough
" They included adults and families with children from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran and Uzbekistan, according to the documents. "
We're just shipping people off to Central American prisons, regardless of where they came from.
How long until we start to see US citizens locked away in those same prisons?
" They included adults and families with children from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran and Uzbekistan, according to the documents. "
We're just shipping people off to Central American prisons, regardless of where they came from.
How long until we start to see US citizens locked away in those same prisons?
Do you mean real American citizens or filthy brown people the woke deep state left gave fake papers to in order to create criminal majorities who all deserve to die as vermin?
... /s if this wasn't enormously obvious