Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats

Thread Necromancer

Thread Necromancer

Sara_2814 said:
Bernie's Town Hall in Omaha on Friday.
Spoiler: Unlike the recent Republican Town Halls, nobody was booing him.
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I mean I'm with him on all points, except the union point. Don't get me wrong. I voted Bernie when I could. I don't like unions, but I love this man and I don't think there's anyone who better supports America. This man might be the only person I could point to and say yes, this man. This is why.
 
MindDetective

MindDetective

Vrii said:
It's genuinely baffling to see even the people who generally understand Trump's vitriol shrug and pass his comments about Canada off as a joke. Motherfucker has been serious about every single hateful, harmful idea he's spewed forth, whether he decided to say them straight or pretend they're jokes for a bit first. He legitimately has designs on taking over Canada, the same way he really does intend to stay in power past the 'legal' limits, and deport everyone he can, and punish his enemies, and everything else he's said he'll do, and it's exhausting listening to even the people who don't approve of it also go out of their way to dismiss or minimize how serious it is.

Maybe it isn't realistic, maybe he'll be talked out of committing resources to it somehow, but can we at least not pretend that it's an overreaction to take his threats seriously?
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He doesn't *have* a sense of humor.
 
chris

chris

So, the CDU got most votes with at the moment 28.5% that means that Friedrich Merz will be chancellor. But with 20.5% for the AFD, a win of 10.4%, the result of the election is nothing to be happy about. Forming a working government with the other parties that will get seats in the Bundestag will be hard.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member


1 - https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-trump-federal-workers-f44257ce4cf8c04c96c8ce0ce262842f

2 - https://www.business-standard.com/w...-s-demand-for-job-details-125022300068_1.html

3 - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/ju...irector-kash-patel-named-atf-chief-rcna193332

4 - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/us/politics/usaid-urgent-aid-firings.html

5 - https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...k-subscription-its-deputy-pm-says-2025-02-22/

6 - https://thehill.com/homenews/campai...-final-day-of-cpac-amid-storm-of-controversy/

7 - https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-administration-news-02-22-25/index.html

8 - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-us-still-ironing-parts-191805611.html

9 - https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/doge-claims-it-has-saved-billions-see-where/ar-AA1zA4kM
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Thing is, writing the law was supposed to be self-limiting since nobody would ever be rich enough to buy ALL the seats. But then they started teaming up.

--Patrick
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

figmentPez said:
" The identities of the men who dragged a woman out of a legislative town hall in the Coeur d’Alene High School auditorium on Saturday remain a mystery, with event organizers claiming no knowledge of who arranged the security detail or which company was used. "
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Security company is allegedly run on the DL by Sheriff Robert Norris, who interestingly has been collecting full disability pay since 2015 for an injury incurred as an LA County Sheriff'....while also collecting pay as a Sheriff in Idaho.

--Patrick
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

I don't really know what thread to put this in - is it Trump? Political? Enshittification? Whatever. Maybe we need a Techno-Oligarchy/Project 2025 thread?

Anyway, Apple has announced they're bringing AI datacenters back to the US, and plans to build a new center with 20K jobs, in a big tech win for the Trump admin as "proof" that the tariffs "work"
(as if anything they might produce there will be $0.01 cheaper than anything they import, hah).
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Bubble181 said:
Apple has announced they're bringing AI datacenters back to the US, and plans to build a new center with 20K jobs, in a big tech win for the Trump admin as "proof" that the tariffs "work"
(as if anything they might produce there will be $0.01 cheaper than anything they import, hah).
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Apple ... already has a datacenter in NC? It's not some kind of secret, people have been talking about Apple setting up there since 2018, but it looks like now they're getting more serious about it. I know they've been some working on opening some kind of "coding/STEM academy for the economically disadvantaged" in downtown Detroit for ... a few years now? [checked: apparently since Oct2021]
No, I'm thinking this is more a reaction to the UK's insistence that Apple introduce a back door into their Advanced Data Protection (Apple's name for "end-to-end encrypting your data in the cloud so even Apple can't access it if compelled") system. In response, Apple decided to just entirely cease offering ADP for UK users. I wondered aloud in the political thread what Apple's response would be, and now I guess we know.

--Patrick
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
PatrThom said:
Security company is allegedly run on the DL by Sheriff Robert Norris, who interestingly has been collecting full disability pay since 2015 for an injury incurred as an LA County Sheriff'....while also collecting pay as a Sheriff in Idaho.

--Patrick
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That's interesting, considering that "Norris denied knowledge of the event’s security arrangements and said he didn’t know the security personnel." source

Golly, do you think a law enforcement officer would lie like that? /S
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member



1 - https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5160128-federal-agencies-elon-musk-email/

2 - https://www.yahoo.com/news/cried-elon-more-trump-mocks-215019568.html

3 - https://www.axios.com/2025/02/23/trump-musk-usaid-firings-foreign-aid

4 - https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-bongino-patel-cad5f4ea22ada9768ea90a08168568d1

5 - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/po...ve-russia-plans-invade-nato-allies-rcna193353

6 - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/...-it-brought-ukraine-peace-and-nato-membership

7 - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tru...naccompanied-minors-source/story?id=119107322
 
Piotyr

Piotyr

GasBandit said:
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The way I explained it to a relative over the weekend was to have them imagine they spent $200 on groceries. If you don't use the groceries in any way, let them rot and throw them in the garbage, have you saved $200? No, you just wasted $200 for nothing and threw away the benefits. That's what Musk is doing on a federal level.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
1/ The U.S. voted against a U.N. resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, aligning itself with Russia and not its European allies. The resolution, backed by Ukraine and major European nations, demanded Russia’s withdrawal, with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa calling it a “moment of truth” for the democratic world. The U.S. instead pushed its own resolution that omitted blame on Moscow, but then abstained from voting on it after amendments added strong language against Russia. Trump defended the U.S. position, saying Ukraine must “move fast” to negotiate peace or risk “not having a nation to lead.” (NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Politico / CNN / Axios)
  • The U.S. threatened to cut off Ukraine’s access to Starlink if Kyiv refused to sign a minerals deal granting the U.S. a 50% stake in Ukraine’s natural resources. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the initial offer, which lacked security guarantees, leading to renewed pressure from U.S. officials. A source described Starlink as Ukraine’s “North Star,” warning that losing access would be a “massive blow.” Trump, who has tied mineral access to continued U.S. aid, claimed Kyiv was “very happy” with a revised deal and that Washington would “get our money back.” (Kyiv Independent / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Associated Press)
2/ Trump fired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr., Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and several other top military leaders as part of a politically motivated purge of the Pentagon. Trump framed the dismissals as a move to refocus the military on warfighting, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously attacked Brown and Franchetti for their involvement in diversity initiatives, calling military DEI efforts “the single dumbest phrase in military history.” The firings elevate Trump loyalist Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, a retired three-star general with no experience leading large military formations. Sen. Jack Reed warned that “firing uniformed leaders as a type of political loyalty test” undermines military professionalism. Despite the lack of a stated performance-based rationale for Brown’s removal, Trump offered a diplomatic farewell, calling him “a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader.” (New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / NBC News / ABC News)
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Pentagon to prepare for budget cuts, demanding an 8% reduction annually over five years, despite Trump’s past insistence on military expansion. The cuts, which Hegseth claims will “revive the warrior ethos,” would shift tens of billions away from existing programs to fund Trump’s priorities, including an “Iron Dome for America.” (CNN / Washington Post)
3/ The Trump administration fired 1,600 workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development and placed most remaining employees on administrative leave. USAID employees received notices Sunday stating they were barred from conducting agency business or accessing official files, with only a small group designated for “mission-critical functions.” A federal judge allowed the cuts to proceed, ruling that the U.S. had “identified plausible harms that could ensue if its actions with respect to USAID are not permitted to resume.” Critics argue the move effectively dismantles U.S. foreign aid, with one USAID official calling it “illegal and unconstitutional, period,” and another expressing shock that their food programs “will have to stop.” (Washington Post / Associated Press / New York Times)
  • The Supreme Court temporarily blocked Trump from firing Hampton Dellinger, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. Justices Gorsuch and Alito dissented, arguing that a lower court judge had “effectively commanded the president and other executive branch officials to recognize and work with someone whom the president sought to remove from office.” The Trump administration called the ruling an “unprecedented assault” on presidential power. (NBC News / Washington Post)
4/ The IRS cut over 6,000 employees in the middle of tax season as part of the Trump administration’s push to downsize the federal workforce. Most of the affected workers are probationary employees hired under the Inflation Reduction Act to improve tax enforcement and customer service. The layoffs are expected to slow tax processing, delay refunds, and reduce audits of wealthy individuals and corporations, prompting criticism from unions and tax experts. The National Treasury Employees Union is challenging the cuts in court, calling them “a recipe for economic disaster.” The White House defended the move, with National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett arguing that the IRS has more staff than needed and that not all employees are “fully occupied.” (NPR / Wall Street Journal / Axios / New York Times / Reuters / Washington Post)

5/ Federal agencies, including the FBI, State Department, and Pentagon, instructed employees not to comply with Elon Musk’s mandate requiring workers to list five accomplishments from the past week or risk termination. Unions called the Trump-backed directive “plainly unlawful,” while some lawmakers questioned its enforceability. Several agency heads, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, ordered staff to pause responses, citing security risks and chain-of-command protocols. Trump defended the initiative, calling it “genius” and suggesting that nonresponses indicated employees were not actually working. The administration later softened its stance, allowing agencies discretion in implementing the request, but confusion and resistance persist across the federal workforce. (Associated Press / Politico / Bloomberg / CNN / Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Politico)

poll/ 52% of Americans say Trump has overstepped his presidential power, while 55% believe he hasn’t addressed the country’s top problems. His approval rating stands at 47%, with 62% saying he hasn’t done enough to lower prices and 69% believing his tariffs will raise costs. Despite these concerns, Trump’s approval is higher than at any point in his first term. Meanwhile, 73% of Democrats say their party isn’t doing enough to oppose him. (CNN)

poll/ 57% of Americans believe Trump has exceeded his authority, while his approval stands at 45% and disapproval at 53%. His Jan. 6 pardons are very unpopular, with 83% opposed. (Washington Post)
  • Republican lawmakers faced voter backlash at town halls over Trump and Elon Musk’s budget cuts and mass federal layoffs. Some Republicans acknowledged concerns, with one lawmaker warning that the cuts were happening “too much too fast.” Meanwhile, the White House dismissed the protests, calling them the reaction of “a few critics,” while polling showed a majority of Americans opposed the job losses. (NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times)
The midterm elections are in 617 days.

✏ Notables.
  1. Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection. When his term ends, he will have served 42 years in the Senate. He is also the longest-serving Senate Republican leader, holding the role for 18 years. (Associated Press / Politico / New York Times)
  2. The Senate confirmed Kash Patel as FBI director in a 51-49 vote, with all Democrats and two Republicans opposing him. Patel has criticized the FBI’s handling of Jan. 6 investigations and vowed to restructure the agency. (NBC News / Washington Post / NPR / Politico / New York Times / ABC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)
  3. FBI Director Kash Patel was sworn in as acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently fired the ATF’s top lawyer. (Associated Press)
  4. Trump appointed conservative podcaster Dan Bongino as deputy director of the FBI. Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and NYPD officer, has no FBI experience and has promoted conspiracy theories about the bureau. (New York Times / NBC News / Axios / Wall Street Journal / BBC / Washington Post)
  5. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from terminating federal grants and contracts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The ruling prevents enforcement of an executive order that required federal contractors and grant recipients to certify they do not engage in “equity-related” programs, which the court found too vague. (Washington Post / NBC News / New York Times)
  6. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from conducting immigration enforcement operations in Quaker meeting houses, Baptist churches, and a Sikh temple while a lawsuit against the policy moves forward. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chang ruled that the policy, which removes restrictions on arrests in religious spaces, could violate religious freedom protections. (Associated Press)
  7. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Education Department and the Office of Personnel Management from sharing personal data with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Judge Deborah Boardman ruled that the agencies likely violated the Privacy Act by granting DOGE access to sensitive records, including Social Security numbers, income, and home addresses. (NBC News / CNBC)
  8. The Trump administration rescinded a Biden-era policy that required U.S. allies to certify they would not use American-made weapons in violation of international humanitarian law. The repeal removes restrictions that had been used in an effort to pressure Israel over humanitarian aid in Gaza. (Washington Post)
  9. Organic farmers and environmental groups sued the Agriculture Department over the removal of climate data from government websites. The lawsuit claims the removal of key resources, including weather data and grant info, violates federal law. (New York Times)
  10. The Associated Press sued the Trump administration after its reporters were barred from covering White House events, including access to the Oval Office and Air Force One. The lawsuit argues the restrictions violate First and Fifth Amendment protections and were imposed in retaliation for the AP’s refusal to adopt the administration’s use of “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico.” The White House defended the decision, saying that press access is at the president’s discretion and doesn’t constitute a constitutional right. Other news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Fox News, have signed a letter urging the administration to reverse course. (Wall Street Journal / Politico / Associated Press / Axios / Politico)
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

GasBandit said:
1/ The U.S. voted against a U.N. resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, aligning itself with Russia and not its European allies. The resolution, backed by Ukraine and major European nations, demanded Russia’s withdrawal, with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa calling it a “moment of truth” for the democratic world. The U.S. instead pushed its own resolution that omitted blame on Moscow, but then abstained from voting on it after amendments added strong language against Russia. Trump defended the U.S. position, saying Ukraine must “move fast” to negotiate peace or risk “not having a nation to lead.” (NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Politico / CNN / Axios)
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Note that the estimated value of the minerals Trump demanded from Ukraine in his first proposal was literally five times as much as the reparations exacted from Germany after WWII.
For that kind of money he ought to have dropped a couple of nukes on Moscow and steamrolled all of Russia, not have been giving less than the EU.


poll/ 52% of Americans say Trump has overstepped his presidential power, while 55% believe he hasn’t addressed the country’s top problems. His approval rating stands at 47%, with 62% saying he hasn’t done enough to lower prices and 69% believing his tariffs will raise costs. Despite these concerns, Trump’s approval is higher than at any point in his first term. Meanwhile, 73% of Democrats say their party isn’t doing enough to oppose him. (CNN)

poll/ 57% of Americans believe Trump has exceeded his authority, while his approval stands at 45% and disapproval at 53%. His Jan. 6 pardons are very unpopular, with 83% opposed. (Washington Post)
Click to expand...
27% of Democrats are.....happy with how the Democratic Party is doing nothing but shaking their fist impotently? The Nuremburg Trials clearly defined that standing by and allowing Evil to happen is still evil.
Approval of 45-47% while 83% oppose some of his actions and 57% think he's exceeding his powers, and 69% unhappy with his economic policies. These numbers only make sense when you account for "He's Ours so He's Good No Matter What" cultism.

The Trump administration rescinded a Biden-era policy that required U.S. allies to certify they would not use American-made weapons in violation of international humanitarian law. The repeal removes restrictions that had been used in an effort to pressure Israel over humanitarian aid in Gaza. (Washington Post)
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Not like those were doing anything anyway. Though I guess it clears the way further for other US allies to go ahead with their plans.
 
Vrii

Vrii

Bubble181 said:
These numbers only make sense when you account for "He's Ours so He's Good No Matter What" cultism.
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So I don't know how much coverage it got internationally/outside of Canada and some parts of the US, but the NHL just had a little mid-season tournament that involved the US team playing some games in Canada. Unsurprisingly, given the state of things, the US anthem got booed enthusiastically in those games in Montreal, and while I did see a decent amount of nuanced "well yeah, of course Canada isn't happy with us" takes, there was also a heavy contingent of "why are they booing the troops!?" and/or "why are they booing me, personally?".

Which is to say that there are a lot of people in America who are absolutely incapable of considering anything past "he America, me America, we both good!", particularly among the Trump-voting population. They might dislike every single thing he does, but when you ask them if they approve of him in general it will always and unequivocally be a yes.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member


Links here: https://govbrief.today/what-happened-today-feb-24/


https://thehill.com/homenews/5161380-ukraine-un-resolution/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-doge-email-federal-employees-opm-directive-accomplishments/

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/24/irs-commissioner-retire-agency-disruptions-00205897

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/24/nx-s1-5307243/ap-trump-lawsuit-gulf-of-america-mexico

https://cdapress.com/news/2025/feb/...mns-security-name-of-security-firm-confirmed/

https://apnews.com/article/trump-ta...coreciprocal-49caafc1240db7e17cfb45e71520dc98

https://www.inquirer.com/news/phila...-quakers-houses-worship-lawsuit-20250224.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/bo...ears-screens-us-government-office-2025-02-24/
 
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