Comments

  1. Reginald Selkirk says

    Trump wants Ukraine to supply rare earth minerals to U.S. in exchange for future aid

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he wants Ukraine to supply the United States with rare earth minerals as a form of payment for financially supporting the country’s war efforts against Russia.

    Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said Ukraine was willing, adding that he wants “equalization” from Ukraine for Washington’s support.

    “We’re telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths,” Trump said. “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things.” …

  2. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: Lynna quoting Steve Benen @469:

    I’m trying to think of a parallel for this kind of power grab in American history. Nothing comes to mind.

    Wikipedia – Wilmington coup of 1898

    In 1868, North Carolina ratified the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, resulting in the recognition of Reconstruction policies. The state legislature and governorship were dominated by Republican officials […] Freedmen were eager to vote and overwhelmingly supported the Republican Party that had emancipated them and given them citizenship and suffrage. However, conservative white Democrats, who had previously dominated politics in the state, greatly resented this “radical” change
    […]
    In late 1897, nine prominent Wilmington men were unhappy with what they called “Negro Rule” in the city hall. […] White supremacists were aggrieved about Fusion government reforms that affected their ability to manage and “game” (i.e., fix to their advantage) the city’s affairs. […] These men, the “Secret Nine” […] banded together and began conspiring to re-take control of the city government.
    […]
    [The Secret Nine offered coordination, connections, and funding to Democrats. The campaign hired as a mouthpiece a financially-challenged upper-class orator aiming to pose as a patriot and regain prominence.] Alfred Waddell delivered a speech, declaring that white supremacy was the only issue of importance for white men. […] Portions of Waddell’s speech were printed, sent around the state, and “quoted by speakers on every stump”
    […]
    [Another] speech so inspired the crowd that the Red Shirts left the convention and engaged in terror attacks […] to the point where Republican sympathizers would be too afraid to vote, or even register to do so. […] The Wilmington white elite looked down on the Red Shirts […] as “ruffians” and “low class”. However, they deployed the Red Shirts around the city.
    […]
    Most blacks and many Republicans did not vote in the November 8 election, due to the atmosphere of violence. […] The election results have been alleged to be fraudulent. […] The night following the election, Democrats ordered white men to patrol the streets, expecting blacks to retaliate. However, no retaliation occurred […] The biracial Fusionist government still remained in power in Wilmington city hall, because the mayor and board of aldermen had not been up for election in 1898. […] A city-level coup d’état and accompanying massacre of perhaps 50 blacks was to be the result
    […]
    Waddell led a group to disband and drive out the elected government of the city […] The mob installed a new city council that elected Waddell to take over as mayor […] the “Secret Nine” gave Waddell a list of prominent Republicans whom he was to banish from the city.
    […]
    While the loss of blacks and the refusal to hire black workers benefited the white labor movement in terms of job availability, white men were disappointed with the types of jobs that were available

    * I snipped the violent acts for the comparison (a massacre), though many, many deaths will result from Trump and Musk’s agency sabotage.

  4. Reginald Selkirk says

    Democratic senator to block Trump nominees over US aid agency shutdown

    U.S. Senator Brian Schatz said on Monday he would block Senate votes on President Donald Trump’s nominees for diplomatic positions in protest over moves to close the U.S. Agency for International Development and fold it into the State Department.

    Under the chamber’s rules, one senator can hold up nominations even if the other 99 all want them to move quickly, forcing the Senate to consume many hours of floor time to move nominations or promotions ahead…

  7. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    EPA tells 1,000 employees they could be fired ‘immediately’

    “As a probationary/trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you,” the email says.

    Nicole Cantello, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local Local 704 […] said she fears that this is a “prelude” for firing newer workers who have less than a year of federal service. […] The EPA’s website says that it employs more than 15,000 people.

  8. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Trump makes DOGE head Elon Musk a ‘special government employee’ amid accusations of a takeover

    He also received a government email and an office. The [unnamed White House official] said Musk would not receive a paycheck. [Press Secretary] Leavitt said she didn’t know the status of Musk’s security clearance or whether he had completed a background check.
    […]
    It is not clear when Musk received the special government employee designation, which allows him to work for the federal government for 130 days over a year without having to publicly disclose his finances.

  9. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    mcc:

    “I’m transgender and a US citizen. Do I need to worry about my passport?”

    * If you already have a passport, and it doesn’t need renewal soon: Do nothing. Currently you are fine.
    * If you don’t have a passport, and have no immediate plans to leave the US: Consider doing nothing.

    * If you’ve NEVER applied for a passport:
    * If you have a passport and need to renew:
    * If you mailed in a renewal/application in the last month and haven’t heard back yet:

    Now things get complicated/upsetting.

    If the State dept has any record of you ever having changed gender markers—*even if you were previously issued a correct-gender passport*—all reports say Rubio’s State dept simply takes your application, your old passport, *and supporting documents like birth certificates*, and *won’t give them back*. These have been “on hold” for weeks; there’s no sign what they intend to do or when. The ACLU (who *is* suing) recommends trans ppl NOT renew passports right now.

    There are some *limited* options you still have. [Enhanced DriversLicense/ID (in certain states) or Enhanced Tribal ID can travel nearby internationally by land/sea, but not RealID. Upside of state cards is no fed meddling. Beware: Canada can be capricious about denying entry.]

  11. Bekenstein Bound says

    There also seems to be a significant amount of downloading government data onto private servers, etc,

    But her emails …

  12. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    EmptyWheel:

    See if you can see problem w/this. Elon got permission to start subjecting US data to his AI (w/no transparency on what happens next) w/promises he would balance budget.

    He started w/agency w/$40B budget, not the one w/$800B budget that has never passed audit.

  13. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Followups to Lynna’s buyout letter story.
     
    What happens when a federal worker accepts Trump’s deferred resignation offer?

    After receiving the offer, the employee […] followed the instructions in the OPM email and replied with the word “resign” in the body and their name in the subject […] A few hours later, they received a response from OPM: “We received your email response. We will reply shortly,”
    […]
    Nearly a week later—and days before the resignation deadline on Thursday—that message is the last direct correspondence this employee has had with OPM about accepting the offer. […] when they followed up with management, they were told they should have waited for more guidance before accepting

     
    Marisa Kabas (The Handbasket):

    Federal employees have received a copy of the deferred resignation agreement.

    Contains a lot of brow-raising lines such as, “Employee waives any claim that could be brought on Employee’s behalf by another entity, including Employee’s labor union.” [Screenshots of full text]

    Replies:

    “the agreement may not be rescinded, except in the sole discretion of” the agency head. So if you accept the deal, Trump’s appointee can just terminate the agreement at any time, and you’d be required to show up to work the next day even if you have a new job.
    –
    literally says it can be rescinded […] not reviewable by anyone. Not a contracts lawyer, but isn’t that a textbook illusory promise (lacking consideration)?
    –

    “[AGENCY] shall not take steps to terminate Employee’s employment […] except where Employee is convicted of a felony crime that would render Employee ineligible for Federal employment.”

    wild that this document acknowledges that we might not want people convicted of felonies running the government
    –
    My favorite thing is that they didn’t send this with the original notice. Who would resign without reading the terms?!

  14. says

    CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @ comment 496: Thanks for that additional information! Interesting history: creating so much fear that people are afraid to vote, stoking mistrust at all levels, threatening and engaging in violence … sounds all too familiar.

    Reginald @ comment 495: Thanks for posting that. Trump is looking for a quid pro quo before he agrees to help Ukraine. Transactional.

  15. says

    Satire:

    MEXICO CITY (The Borowitz Report)—After persuading him to delay his trade war with her nation, on Monday Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she was “confident” Donald J. Trump would not remember to impose a tariff on Mexico a month from now.

    “After I got off the phone with him, I was like, ‘He’ll never retain any of this,’” she said. “It’s all good.”

    Asked why she was convinced that Trump would not remember the tariff, she said, “Please. He can’t remember his wife’s name.”

    In Washington, Trump said that he was looking forward to having a phone conversation with the president of Mexico someday.

    Link

  16. says

    Steve Benen’s summaries of the latest tariff news:

    * The latest on tariffs: “The U.S. and Mexico reached an agreement Monday to delay a 25% tariff on all Mexican imports for one month, after Mexico agreed to ramp up security at its border — averting, at least for now, a move that could have driven up prices for U.S. consumers and stalled both countries’ economies.”

    * On a related note, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau published an item to social media that said he had “a good call” with Donald Trump. He concluded, “Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together.”

    Trump is going to claim this as a win, as if he successfully bullied two other countries into doing what he wanted them to do. I see it as both Canada’s and Mexico’s leaders playing Trump. The two countries offered mostly performative actions and they stopped the implementation of the Trump tariffs.

  17. says

    Texas Tribune:

    At least four cases of measles, including two involving school-aged children, have been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, putting state health agencies on alert. For some communities, this is the first case of measles in more than 20 years.

  18. says

    Washington Post link

    […] Trump is preparing an executive order aimed at eventually closing the Education Department and, in the short term, dismantling it from within, according to three people briefed on its contents.

    The draft order acknowledges that only Congress can shut down the department and instead directs the agency to begin to diminish itself, these people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal issues.

    That work is underway already. The new administration has been trying to reduce the workforce by putting scores of employees on administrative leave and pressuring staff to voluntarily quit.

    And roughly 20 people with Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” known as DOGE, have begun working inside the Education Department, looking to cut spending and staff, according to three people familiar with the situation and records obtained by The Washington Post.

    At least some DOGE staffers have gained access to multiple sensitive internal systems, the people said, including a financial aid dataset that contains the personal information for millions of students enrolled in the federal student aid program.

    The DOGE probe, which began last week, is a prelude to a more dramatic effort to make good on one of Trump’s campaign promises: eliminating the Education Department altogether.

    A White House official confirmed that it is preparing for executive action later this month that will fulfill Trump’s campaign pledge to defund the department.

    Some Republicans have argued that it would be better to wait until after Trump’s choice for education secretary, Linda McMahon, appears before the Senate for her confirmation hearing. Scheduling has been held up as the government ethics office reviews her paperwork, a Senate aide said.

    […] “I would not hold my breath that [closing the department] would ultimately become law,” Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Michigan), chairman of the House Education Committee, said in an interview last month. He said he supports closing the agency but that such a plan does not have sufficient support in the Senate, so such legislation would not be his “highest priority” absent a plan from Trump to move a bill forward.

    “So in the meantime,” Walberg said, “my efforts would be to find any means by which we may de-power the Department of Education.”

    […] “Trump has done a lot already to weaken the department,” Sherman [Donald K. Sherman, executive director and chief counsel for legal advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington] said. “People are demoralized. They are being driven out with the end goal of destroying a critical arm of the government.”

    More at the link.

  20. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/democrats-showed-up-to-elons-nazi

    “Democrats Showed Up To Elon’s Nazi USAID Siege Today”

    We have spent the last day or two puzzling over President Elon Musk’s apparent antipathy towards the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an antipathy so all-encompassing that it reached the point where he claims he was the one who got his co-president Donald Trump to agree to shut the entire place down. Which they have been doing quite handily! And also illegally, since the agency was created by a duly passed law — the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 — that Congress has not repealed.

    At first we assumed Musk’s hatred of USAID — which he called “a viper’s nest of radical left Marxists,” thus proving that he has no idea what any of those words actually mean — was the usual wingnut anti-government attitude about foreign aid. Conservatives always think the nation is giving too much money to foreign countries. Well, nonmilitary money to foreign countries, because we can never give enough bombs and missiles and surplus F-16s to the likes of Israel and Egypt. (Ukraine we’re okay with, they need every Bradley Fighting Vehicle they can get.)

    But humanitarian aid? Wingnuts always think it’s some gargantuan line item in the national budget. Then someone tells them for the gazillionth time that no, the United States spends about $60 billion a year, less than one percent of the nation’s budget, on non-military humanitarian and development aid. Then they shut up for about five minutes. Then they start up again. The crud under your fingernails has a longer memory.

    This amount of aid is a drop of a drop in the bucket that is our national budget, and it buys the United States a lot of goodwill in the developing world. That makes it a pretty good investment! It’s the sort of soft power that has been a part of our foreign policy for decades, and has probably been a better vehicle for promoting American values than, say, spending a couple of trillion dollars to unnecessarily occupy Iraq and slaughter hundreds of thousands of its people.

    For heaven’s sake, USAID’s work helped bring about the end of apartheid in South Africa! Why would Elon Musk, who is from South Africa, be mad about … oh, we see:

    U.S. policy was to help bring an end to apartheid and establish a nonracial, democratic government. In response to this policy and the Act, USAID/South Africa was responsible for financing projects that apartheid victims viewed as critical in promoting social, political, and economic change through peaceful means.

    Apartheid ended in 1990, which […] is around the time Musk came to America, overstayed his visa, and never fucking left, much to the nation’s current detriment and chagrin.

    Now trying to stay on top of all the news coming fast and furious about Musk and the […] twentysomething-year-old energy drink-guzzling [dudes] he has empowered to rip the guts out of the government has been like trying to grab onto a downed, writhing electrical line. But it has been wild reading and listening to some of the justifications for shutting down the agency that have been coming from these weirdos: [Screengrabs of social media posts are available at the link.]

    Jason Calcanis is one of Elon’s billionaire oligarch buddies who helped him buy Twitter. He is apparently unaware that one can already look this information up in public databases, and that there was already an inspector general at USAID, as there is at every federal agency, to look for fraud, and also that yes the United States can become insolvent, but not for anything having to do with how much money it is spending. Our dollar is literally the world’s reserve currency!

    Also, there are people who depend on funding from USAID to do lifesaving work every single day, which means people will die if you freeze its payments for 100 days, but none of those dead people will be Jason Calcanis, so he doesn’t give a fuck.

    […] Meanwhile, Donald Trump has at least twice publicly referred to USAID employees as “lunatics” and accused them of sending $100 million worth of condoms — last week it was only $50 million, apparently inflation hasn’t come down since Trump was inaugurated — to Hamas. He is also justifying shutting down the agency by referring to one of his usual bogeymen, fraud. As in, There is so much fraud at USAID. Trust me. We’ve already seen proof. No, I won’t show it to you: [video at the link]

    On Monday, while there do not yet appear to have officially been mass layoffs, the agency appears to be getting folded into the State Department, or these freaks claim it is. (Again, Congress has not authorized this!) Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that he is now USAID’s acting director. (He says!)

    Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii announced he will block all of Trump’s diplomatic nominees until Musk is gone and USAID is back up and running. So we hope Rubio wasn’t planning on having any ambassadors or political foreign service appointees working on anything anytime soon, because that could take a while.

    Also, a bunch of Democratic House reps and senators staged a rally outside of USAID’s headquarters on Monday afternoon. They took turns blasting Musk’s takeover as “illegal” and “unconstitutional.” Jamie Raskin reiterated that it is Congress that has the power to decide whether the United States government spends money on agencies like USAID, not some ketamine-addled Nazi loser who has to pay people to win video games for him.

    Then the elected officials tried to walk into USAID headquarters, only to have security turn them away, allegedly on Musk’s orders. This is the moment where we remind everyone that ELON MUSK IS NOT AN ELECTED OFFICIAL OR A (REAL) GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE. DONALD TRUMP SAYS HE HAS A “JOB” NOW, BUT FUCK YOU. AS SUCH HE HAS ABOUT AS MUCH LEGAL AUTHORITY TO DO WHAT HE’S DOING AS WE DO.

    Christ.

    Still, the Democrats are making hay here, finally. Or as Chris Hayes noted on BlueSky, people finally seem to be getting up off the mat.

    Watch the full Democratic press conference below: [video at the link]

  21. says

    Venezuelans in U.S. call Trump’s move to end deportation protections a ‘betrayal’

    “Trump’s order revoking TPS status for almost 350,000 Venezuelans in 60 days would be ‘suicidal’ for some if they’re sent back; others would be jailed, an activist said.”

    The Trump administration’s latest immigration shakeup has sent tremors through the Venezuelan community, as some face a possible return to a country whose regime has been dubbed illegal by the U.S.

    The Trump administration revoked Temporary Protected Status for almost 350,000 Venezuelans who are in the U.S. Also, the protection will end in 60 days instead of October. Those affected will no longer have temporary protection from deportation or work permits that TPS allows.

    Venezuelan activist Beatriz Olavarria said that, for some, “returning would be almost suicidal.” Many Venezuelans have fled amid brutal crackdowns on protests against the government and struggles for basic goods such as food and medicine.

    […] The latest TPS revocation is part of […] Trump’s ongoing effort to conduct mass deportations in the country, purging it of immigrants without permanent legal status. Trump pledged to target violent criminals in his campaign, but people with TPS have permission to be here and must pass criminal background checks to be eligible.

    TPS is granted to immigrants in the U.S. who can’t return to their countries because of natural disasters or political upheaval. TPS does not provide a path to citizenship and administrations can issue or end a country’s TPS designation.

    […] “Betrayed. We feel betrayed. More than betrayed. Beyond betrayed,” said Adeyls Ferro, executive director of the Venezuelan American Caucus in Doral, Florida, a south Florida suburb dubbed “Doralzuela” for its large Venezuelan population.

    TPS holders are “living a legal life in the United States,” she said in a news conference on Monday. “We are not here because we came as tourists. We are here because we got kicked out from our country because … there is a cruel dictatorship in Venezuela.”

    […] The U.S. State Department reissued a “do not travel” advisory last September warning U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela “due to the high risk of wrongful detentions, terrorism, kidnapping, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure.” Among other things, the warning said shortages of gasoline, electricity, water, medicine and medical supplies continue.

    […] Trump said on TruthSocial on Friday that Venezuela had agreed to take back people who are deported.The Venezuelan government has not confirmed this. […]

  22. JM says

    @14 Lynna, OM:

    For heaven’s sake, USAID’s work helped bring about the end of apartheid in South Africa! Why would Elon Musk, who is from South Africa, be mad about … oh, we see:

    It’s also suspected that Musk is playing up to the Chinese government. Tesla is dependent on the Chinese government and the Chinese government dislikes USAid. China would like to replace USAid across southeast Asia at least. They have not had much success so far because their help is less effective and comes with much bigger and blatant strings.

  23. StevoR says

    The Trump administration has placed two top security chiefs at the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Elon Musk’s government-inspection teams, a current and a former U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday.

    Members of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, eventually did gain access Saturday to the aid agency’s classified information, which includes intelligence reports, the former official said.

    Musk’s DOGE crew lacked high-enough security clearance to access that information, so the two USAID security officials — John Vorhees and deputy Brian McGill — were legally obligated to deny access.The current and former U.S. officials had knowledge of the incident and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information.

    Musk on Sunday responded to a post about the news on X by saying, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Source : https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/usaid-security-chiefs-put-on-leave-after-trying-to-stop-musks-team-from-accessing-classified-info-officials-say

    I don’t suppose officials or USAID could sue for defamation and win could they? Sounds pretty defamatory to me.

  26. StevoR says

    Given what Musk is done is blatantly lllegal is it too simple to ask why he can’t just be arrested for it?

    I spose Trump would instantly pardon him but still..

  28. StevoR says

    Headline on The New Arab website :

    Convicted Felon Dnald Trump hosts fugitive Benjamin Netanyahu

    Click that link on the main home page and you get :

    U.S. President, convicted felon Donald Trump hosts wanted war crimes suspect Benjamin Netanyahu

    Protesters are getting ready for a mass demonstration in front of the White House Tuesday, when the Israeli prime minister is scheduled to meet with Trump.

    Source : https://www.newarab.com/news/convicted-felon-donald-trump-hosts-fugitive-benjamin-netanyahu

    Headlines bolded.

  31. says

    ‘The telltale signs of a coup’: Musk’s power grab draws outraged backlash.

    That’s Rachel Maddow’s A block segment from last night.

    https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

    The video is 8:29 minutes.

    As is usual with Maddow, it is great coverage and includes the pushback against Musk.

    That segment is followed by: “Trump’s dismantling of independent news media is happening”

    The video is 11:31 minutes. Maddow presented a lot of details that were new to me. There’s even a new paramilitary force on Long Island, and that force has yanked all public notices from Newsday, the largest newspaper there.

  32. says

    This part of PZ’s “Proud to support DEI” post was so good that I wanted to repeat it here:

    […] There are none of these mythical “DEI hires” employed on our campus — just the term “DEI hire” is a dog-whistle for racists, like “welfare queen” and a dozen other slurs. Every employee was hired for their job because they demonstrated an ability to do the work, whether they’re groundskeepers or electricians or professors. There have not and never have been “quotas”. DEI is part of a process to make sure we don’t overlook good people because of thoughtless bias, and to make sure that any employment opportunity is announced to every community, and to assure that we don’t create obstacles to participation. […]

  33. says

    The Hill:

    […] Trump indicated Monday he wants a deal for rare earth elements and other items from Ukraine in exchange for continued military aid in the nation’s war against Russia. “We’re handing them money hand over fist. We’re giving them equipment,” Trump said Monday.

    Commentary:

    [I snipped history of Trump trying to extort Ukraine in the past.] [Trump] suggested that he’s “looking to do a deal,” in which the United States continues to assist Ukraine. As for what Trump wants in return, he specifically referenced Ukraine’s “rare earth,” adding, “They have great rare earth.” [Video at the link]

    This led to some speculation as to what, specifically, Trump was referring to. As The Hill’s report added, Trump might’ve meant rare earth elements, or he could’ve been talking about Ukraine’s significant supply of lithium and titanium.

    Either way, of course, the Republican appeared to endorse a transactional approach to U.S. security aid — again.

    The comments came just 10 days after Trump suggested during a Fox News interview that Ukraine should not have fought back in response to Russia’s invasion. A few weeks before Election Day, Trump also blamed the Ukrainian president for the war, saying that Zelenskyy “should never have let that war start.”

    Link

  34. says

    Rubio taps Pete Marocco to run USAID, despite his Jan. 6 past

    “In case the Jan. 6 pardons weren’t enough, one of the men who entered the Capitol now has a powerful position in the State Department.”

    The Trump administration’s dramatic offensive against the U.S. Agency for International Development has put the agency’s future in doubt, but USAID’s present is precarious, too.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio tapped Pete Marocco, the director of foreign assistance at the State Department, to run USAID and launch some kind of internal review of its work. That might not seem especially notable, but Marocco has a rather unusual background.

    In 2020, for example, Politico reported that Marocco, who held a variety of positions in the first Trump administration, left “a bitter trail” at the Pentagon and at the State Department, “dogged by criticism that he created a toxic work environment by undermining and mistreating career staffers.”

    Months later, when Marocco worked at USAID, Politico further reported that his colleagues were “so fed up” with him that they “crafted a lengthy memo chronicling their frustrations” in the hopes Trump administration officials would intervene.

    But to appreciate what makes him an especially poor choice to lead USAID, consider this NBC News report:

    In early 2023, online sleuths who aided the FBI in cases against hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters identified Marocco and his now-wife as being among the rioters who stormed the Capitol in 2021, pointing to multiple images of them on the Capitol grounds that day and CCTV video that shows the man they identified as Marocco entering the Capitol through a broken window. Photos of the person who entered the building were a strong facial recognition match for publicly available images of Marocco, online sleuths said.

    Marocco, who was not charged with any crimes, has never explicitly denied entering the Capitol on Jan. 6, though he has complained on the record about undefined “smear tactics and desperate personal attacks.”

    What’s left is an unsettling dynamic: It apparently wasn’t enough for Donald Trump to issue blanket pardons to those who entered the Capitol. Rubio is now giving one of the men who stormed our seat of government a powerful position in the State Department.

  35. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Correcting minor misinfo in my 489 from the last 500 comments.

    USA Today – ‘Fork off’ Protesters gather outside OPM to condemn Elon

    Keya Chatterjee, a former federal employee who is now the executive director of Free D.C., a local social justice nonprofit […] joined other activists outside to stand up against what she called “illegal decisions” by Musk, an “unelected foreign national”

    FEC defines “foreign national” as a noncitizen not admitted for permanent residence.

    USA Today – Elon Musk became a US citizen in 2002, contrary to viral post

  36. says

    Trump makes a provocative choice for the National Counterterrorism Center

    “Joe Kent has alleged associations with white nationalists and has embraced a variety of conspiracy theories.”
    The Seattle Times reported:

    President Donald Trump said Monday he is nominating former Washington state congressional candidate Joe Kent to be the director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, his social media platform. ‘As a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer, Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life,’ Trump wrote.

    Commentary:

    […] As the Times’ report added, the counterterrorism center “coordinates the nation’s strategy against terrorism and maintains a national repository of known and suspected terrorists. It operates as a partnership of organizations including the CIA, FBI and Defense Department.”

    Kent’s name might be familiar to those who keep a close eye on campaigns and elections: The Republican twice ran for Congress in a district that tends to like GOP candidates, but he also lost twice to Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

    As for why Kent lost those contests, it no doubt had something to do with the congresswoman running good campaigns with a compelling message. But there were also parts of the Republican’s record that might’ve turned off some local voters. The Associated Press published this memorable report during his 2022 campaign, highlighting Kent’s “connections to right-wing extremists, including a campaign consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys.”

    Kent … has also courted prominent white nationalists and posed recently for a photograph with a media personality who has previously described Adolf Hitler as a ‘complicated historical figure’ who ‘many people misunderstand.’

    Similarly, this week’s Seattle Times report noted Kent’s “reported associations with white nationalists and other far-right groups, and embrace of conspiracy theories on an array of subjects.”

    Among the Republican’s conspiracy theories is the belief that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged and stolen” and that the FBI — an agency he’d presumably be working with — is “corrupt” and needs to be brought “to heel.”

    Or put another way, Trump made a curious choice to serve as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

    This is a Senate-confirmed position. If you’re thinking the confirmation hearings are likely to be interesting, you’re not alone.

    Link

    Oh, good, another Nazi.

  37. says

    A couple of news items summarized by Steve Benen:

    * The House Majority PAC, the leading super PAC affiliated with the House Democratic leadership, has launched a new $50 million fund intended to appeal to working-class voters. The initiative is being called the “Win Them Back Fund.” [summarized from New York Times]

    * Speaking of the House Majority PAC, the Democratic entity intended to launch a new ad campaign this week, taking aim at the White House’s controversial spending freeze. Fox News reportedly rejected the ad. Last fall, Donald Trump argued that that Fox News “shouldn’t be allowed“ to air attack ads that he disagrees with. [summarized from Semfor and MSNBC]

  38. says

    Trump folds under pressure, pauses tariffs on Mexico and Canada

    “The president probably didn’t want to spark a new round of international headlines about him being a ‘paper tiger,’ but that’s precisely what has happened.”

    As recently as Friday, as the White House moved forward with plans to impose tariffs against the United States’ three largest trading partners, a reporter asked Donald Trump if there was any chance his foreign targets could convince him to delay the policy.

    “No, no,” the president replied. “Not right now, no.”

    A day later, the president announced that he was, in fact, imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico — despite a 2018 trade deal that he helped negotiate, which seemed to prohibit such a move — as well as 10% tariffs on China.

    On Sunday, Trump conceded that American consumers might feel “some pain“ as a result of his agenda, and on Monday morning, the major Wall Street indexes showed sharp and immediate declines. Hours later, as NBC News reported, the president paused much of his policy on tariffs.

    The impacts of Donald Trump’s long-promised pledge to use tariffs as a political cudgel started to come into focus Monday, even as the president cut last-minute deals with some of the country’s closest allies allowing him to back down from his initial threats.

    The first breakthrough of sorts was announced in the morning, when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that she’d reached a temporary agreement with the Trump administration, in which she’d deploy 10,000 members of the Mexican national guard to the border.

    Republicans tripped over each other to suggest Trump had scored a triumph for the ages. “Democrats and members of the media, take note,” House Speaker Mike Johnson boasted online. “President Trump knows how to get results.” Elon Musk added, “At this rate of achievement, not only should President Donald Trump be on Mount Rushmore, I want to personally work the chisel!” [OMFG. So predictable … and so delusional.]

    Whether GOP leaders and their megadonors understand this or not, Mexico really just offered Trump more of the same. Indeed, as The New Republic noted, Mexico sent 15,000 troops to the border in 2019, and sent 10,000 again in 2021. Or put another way, Sheinbaum agreed to do what her country has already done in recent years. (Note, when our southern neighbors agreed to do this during Joe Biden’s presidency, it was the result of effective diplomacy, not threats.)

    Hours later, the Republican president announced that he was also delaying his plan related to Canada, following a phone meeting in which Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as Trump put it, agreed to “implement their $1.3 Billion Border plan.”

    The wording was of interest. Trump didn’t say Canada announced a plan, and he didn’t say Canada has come up with a new plan. Rather, he said Canada will implement their plan.

    If the phrasing made it sound as if there was already a plan in place before Trump started threatening our neighbor and ally, that’s because the plan that Canada is implementing was announced during the Biden administration.

    All of which leaves us with a fairly obvious conclusion: Trump picked a fight, faced pressure, saw stock market declines, and caved in exchange for effectively nothing, sparking a new round of international headlines about the American president being a “paper tiger.”

    Of course, if Trump is pausing his punitive measures related to Canada and Mexico, what about China? NBC News reported that officials in Beijing “retaliated immediately” to the White House’s move, “announcing a series of measures including its own levies of 10% to 15% on some U.S. products.” The report added, “The failure to forestall tit-for-tat tariffs with China raises the risk of a spiraling trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.”

    It’s hard to say with confidence when or whether Trump will fold again. Watch this space.

  39. says

    Josh Marshall:

    Overnight, Wired reported that, contrary to published reports that DOGE operatives at the Treasury Department are limited to “read only” access to department payment systems, this is not true. A 25-year-old DOGE operative named Marko Elez in fact has admin privileges on these critical systems, which directly control and pay out roughly 95% of payments made by the U.S. government, including Social Security checks, tax refunds and virtually all contract payments. I can independently confirm these details based on conversations going back to the weekend. I can further report that Elez not only has full access to these systems, he has already made extensive changes to the code base for these critical payment system.

    […] Here are the additional details.

    I’m told that Elez and possibly other DOGE operatives received full admin-level access on Friday, January 31st. The claim of “read only” access was either false from the start or later fell through. The DOGE team, which appears to be mainly or only Elez for the purposes of this project, has already made extensive changes to the code base for the payment system. They have not locked out the existing programmer/engineering staff but have rather leaned on them for assistance, which the staff appear to have provided hoping to prevent as much damage as possible — “damage” in the sense not of preventing the intended changes but avoiding crashes or a system-wide breakdown caused by rapidly pushing new code into production with a limited knowledge of the system and its dependencies across the federal government.

    Phrases like “freaking out” are, not surprisingly, used to describe the reaction of the engineers who were responsible for maintaining the code base until a week ago. The changes that have been made all seem to relate to creating new paths to block payments and possibly leave less visibility into what has been blocked.

    I want to emphasize that the described changes are not being tested in a dev environment (i.e., a not-live environment) but have already been pushed into production. This is code that appears to be mainly the work of Elez, who was first introduced to the system probably roughly a week ago and certainly not before the second Trump inauguration. The most recent information I have is that no payments have as yet been blocked and that the incumbent engineering team was able to convince Elez to push the code live to impact only a subset of the universe of payments the system controls. I have also heard no specific information about this access being used to drill down into the private financial or proprietary information of payment recipients, though it appears that the incumbent staff has only limited visibility into what Elez is doing with the access. They have, however, looked extensively into the categories and identity of payees to see how certain payments can be blocked.

    Adding further anxiety about the stability of the system there is, I’m told, a long-scheduled migration scheduled to take place this weekend which could interact in unpredictable ways with the code changes already described. [Yikes]

    To give some further sense of the atmosphere, you seem to have multiple government engineers/programmers who are being pressed into assisting Elez and doing code reviews, terrified that the whole system will end up going down — meanwhile “Marko” (now identified by Wired as Marko Elez) refuses to identify himself to most or likely all of these new colleagues by anything but his first name. I suspect that the publication of Wired’s article last night was the first time most or perhaps all of them learned his last name or even got assurance that “Marko” wasn’t some kind of alias.

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/musk-cronies-dive-into-treasury-dept-payments-code-base

  40. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Qasim Rashid – How Do We Stop the South African Billionaire?

    demand the Treasury Department comply with the Privacy Act of 1974, and spread the word […] fellow attorney Elizabeth Booker Houston writes:

    […] It was passed as a direct result of the Watergate Scandal which uncovered the federal government’s scheme of illegally investigating and maintaining records about individuals. So in an effort to provide transparency to the public and an assurance that the government would not misuse records about us all, the Privacy Act of 1974 was born.

    […]
    Email to [email protected] […] Sign your name and contact information at the bottom […] Simply copy/paste the below into an email and hit send. […] the Privacy Act of 1974 allows for the assessment of criminal penalties against individuals who illegally access our privacy data and knowingly disseminate that data. […] collective action is critical to mounting a meaningful response.

  41. says

    Will The Judiciary Hold?
    […] A key marker for how bad things might get is whether the executive branch defies the judicial branch. Things are touch and go right now, and it’s too early to draw any concrete conclusions. But here’s what to watch:

    Late yesterday, a DC federal judge put a firmer block on the Trump White House’s spending freeze ordered by the OMB. The extension came only after the judge expressed concern that funds were still being held up in violation of an earlier pause of the freeze that she’d ordered.

    It’s not clear whether the continuing cut off of funding was intentionally in violation of the court order or could be more benignly explained by a lag or a disorganized response in a chaotic period. There are other indications, such as distributing a required notice, that the Trump administration did comply at least in part with the DC court order and a similar one issued by a federal judge in Rhode Island late last week.

    Elon Musk’s DOGE Rampage
    Elon Musk’s role in the opening days of the Trump II administration is going to be studied for years. It is so hard to get one’s head around this actually happening in these utterly bizarre ways:
    – Wired: A 25-Year-Old With Elon Musk Ties Has Direct Access to the Federal Payment System
    – Politico: DOGE’s access to federal data is ‘an absolute nightmare,’ legal experts warn
    – NYT: Inside Musk’s Aggressive Incursion Into the Federal Government
    – CNN: Elon Musk is serving as a ‘special government employee,’ White House says
    – HuffPost: Unions Sue Treasury Department Over ‘DOGE’ Access To Sensitive Data

    USAID Under Siege
    USAID’s DC headquarters is closed for a second day as President Trump continues to threaten to unlawfully eliminate it as an independent agency by folding it into the State Department:
    – Bloomberg: Behind DOGE’s Standoff at USAID: Desk Searches and Elon Musk Calling
    – Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) vowed to put a “blanket hold” on President Trump’s State Department nominees until USAID is restored.
    – Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he is now dual-hatting as acting administrator of USAID and notified lawmakers that he intends to work with Congress to reorganize USAID.

    The Pandering To Elon Musk Knows No Limits
    I’ve never seen anything like this letter from DC acting U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, a Missouri political hack, to Elon Mush, on DOJ letterhead no less: [X post is available at the link]

    The implication of Martin’s letter seems to be that the USAID security officials who tried to block Musk’s team from physically accessing classified information over the weekend may be criminally investigated. It also serves as a warning to anyone else who might try to enforce the law against Musk’s rampage through the federal government.

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/the-most-dangerous-line-trump-could-still-cross

  42. lumipuna says

    shermanj at 396 on previous page:

    I think my idea, ‘smarm-a-lardo’ would be an accurate (and fun) renaming of the florida magat swamp .

    I’ve been thinking Myanmar-a-Lago.

  43. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Gift link to Josh Marshall’s coverage @33 of the Treasury code alterations, for anyone sharing elsewhere. And Wired’s coverage.
     
    MSNBC

    The Trump administration has blocked access to secure communications for hundreds of USAID employees abroad, including many who work in war zones
    […]
    American embassies typically extend security protection to USAID employees. […] USAID employees are concerned that they can no longer assume they will
    […]
    USAID mission directors, spread out across more than 60 countries and regional offices, are awaiting orders to be recalled to Washington. […] expected to come as soon as today

  44. says

    CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @37, thank you.

    In related news: As Democrats grow more assertive in combatting Donald Trump’s abuses, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent Republicans an important message.

    It’s not a secret that Democratic leaders have been under intensifying pressure from their base to stand up more aggressively and more assertively to the Trump administration’s many abuses. There’s reason to believe that message is getting through.

    Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, for example, announced that he’s putting procedural holds on all State Department nominees. Around the same time, a wide variety of congressional Democrats didn’t just issue tweets or press releases about the White House’s campaign against the U.S. Agency for International Development, they showed up in person at USAID headquarters and delivered forceful remarks on camera soon after.

    But I was especially interested in the shot across the bow from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Politico reported:

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a key demand Monday as a March 14 government funding deadline approaches, saying President Donald Trump’s recent federal spending freeze ‘must be choked off’ as part of any bipartisan deal to keep the government open, ‘if not sooner.’

    Stepping back, it’s worth appreciating that being in the House minority isn’t a lot of fun. While senators in the minority can sometimes still flex some muscle — on filibuster votes, for example — their brethren in the lower chamber have far fewer options.

    They can’t filibuster. They can’t schedule hearings. They can’t issue subpoenas. They have effectively no control over what bills reach the floor or when.

    So when Jeffries sent a letter to his colleagues, sketching out the party leadership’s 10-point plan to combat the White House’s agenda, the New York Democrat included some ideas that probably won’t amount to much. All of the ideas are well intentioned, but again, members of the House minority have very limited leverage.

    That is, with one notable exception.

    “I have made clear to House Republican leadership that any effort to steal taxpayer money from the American people, end Medicaid as we know it or defund programs important to everyday Americans, as contemplated by the illegal White House Office of Management and Budget order, must be choked off in the upcoming government funding bill, if not sooner,” Jeffries wrote.

    The ultimatum, of course, was in reference to the White House’s recent budget memo, freezing federal grants and loans, which was rescinded in the face of widespread controversy and confusion.

    The reason this stood out is simple: In the last Congress, GOP leaders repeatedly turned to House Democrats to approve must-pass legislation after too many of their far-right members balked at governing. In fact, in literally every instance in which members had to vote on major fiscal legislation, it was the Democratic minority that saved the day.

    This happened again shortly before Christmas when it came time to approve a stop-gap measure to prevent a shutdown. Republican leaders again turned to Democrats, who provided most of the votes, despite the fact that the GOP was in the majority.

    That temporary spending bill reset the clock on the next funding deadline, which comes next month.

    It’s against this backdrop that Jeffries sent a reminder to House Speaker Mike Johnson. We both know you’re going to need Democratic votes, the minority leader effectively said, so you should probably take our concerns seriously.

    Jeffries specifically pointed to the administration’s funding freeze, but there’s no reason the House Democratic leader couldn’t use that same leverage in pursuit of related goals.

  45. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/opposition-leader-aoc-you-can-take

    “Opposition Leader AOC: ‘You Can Take The Boy Out Of Apartheid, But You Can’t Take The Apartheid Out Of The Boy’

    “And that’s why we call her Opposition Leader AOC.”

    We don’t even know where to start, and neither do you, so we all have that in common. The Senate Finance Committee advanced Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination this morning, which is fine, because everything is fine. Ed Martin, Donald Trump’s huffy puffy thug US attorney for DC, is threatening to prosecute anybody who says the names of Elon bin Laden’s troupe of unfuckable 19-year-old nation-destroyers out loud, because everybody knows you’re not allowed to bother the hijackers […]

    You’ll want to click that link under “says the names” to learn all about these guys, who are … my God, just read it after you’re done here. Bless their hearts. [Embedded links are available at the main link.]

    One of their nicknames is “Big Balls,” if you didn’t already know. The first rule of Big Balls is nobody talks about Big Balls.

    One of Elon’s unfuckables is in the Treasury payments system, rewriting code. […]

    Meanwhile, also on this week’s episode of “The Real World: MAGA,” does Kash Patel have a girlfriend? Is she a country “star”? Does Kash share his sexuality with her, and she with him, on purpose? (We hope they can find a condom, what with us mailing $100 million worth of condoms to Hamas!) Does Kash also have a curious “roommate”? What is his “roommate” so curious about? Does his “roommate” know about his country “star”? Does she know about his “roommate”? And is it in any way funny that both of these news items dropped at almost the same exact time?

    Whew. Let us take a breath.

    Let’s have a check-in with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Instagram Live she did last night. When we did this last week, AOC was one of only a handful of Democrats in Congress who were acting like they actually give a shit about saving the country. That seems like it might be changing. We sure hope so. We want more people to join her as leaders of the opposition. But she’s still the leader of the opposition.

    In this week’s episode of “AOC Talks America Off The Ledge,” she’d like to remind us that Elon Musk is actually kind of fucking stupid.

    Here is a video to start you off, we’ll give you the full thing and tell you some highlights after that: [video at the link]

    “One of the most unintelligent billionaires I have ever met.”

    “This dude is not smart.”

    She was making fun of Elon coming up with this idea, like he’s the first one who ever had the idea, that he’s going to identify all kinds of fraud and waste. And hey, if that’s actually his very innocent and galaxy-brained goal, then you betcha! Of course, it’s a 100 percent certainty the goal is a lot less innocent and a lot more galaxy-brained than that. (Read this for an interesting hypothesis on what this could really be headed toward. [embedded link available at the main link])

    Ocasio-Cortez captioned the full video like this:

    YES a lot is happening YES there are things we can do about it YES you can understand it in a way that makes sense and YES we can win.

    Lock in and make the choice. This will be a long battle but we will win.

    She says if you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, remember you aren’t alone, we all are, but also “that is exactly what this administration is trying to get you to feel.” In other words, choosing not to be overwhelmed is an active act of fuck you.

    “Self-regulate,” she says. “What authoritarian regimes try to do is that they often try to, what is known as ‘flood the zone,’ do so much at once, or try to do so much at once” that people essentially end up feeling paralyzed.

    “The paralysis and shock you feel right now is the point.”

    So “take a breath,” she says, but quickly adds, “that does not mean tune out” or anything like that.

    “Because we are about to lock in and focus.”

    And she says we’re going to have to “divide and conquer.” In other words, it’s actually not each of our responsibility to expend our energy on every single atrocity. Because that’s not humanly possible. […]

    “Pick some of the things,” she says, “and trust that when we have mass mobilization, we are going to be addressing [all of] these things.”

    “Do what you can,” and “what you can do is enough.”

    And that’s how she kind of kicked off the video, and then started talking about specific things that are happening. It was interesting when she noted that in the same way she’s telling us to divide and conquer, all the tech billionaire goons who sat behind Trump at his inauguration are kind of doing the same thing.

    They’re killing things. We have to create things. (The fact that they’re killers who think they’re creators is a whole other can of bullshit for a different post.)

    At this point in the video Ocasio-Cortez looked at the camera, seemingly responding to some of the comments she was getting from followers, and emphasized again that this is a “LOCK IN” conversation, and that she was sorry, but there would be no five-point Buzzfeed listicles to make defeating fascism fun and easy. (Slight paraphrase.)

    And she talked about Elon […], seizing government agencies and likely stealing data, and she talked about how telling it is that one of the first things Elon decided to do was delete the new IRS free-file tool that allows people to file their taxes easily and accurately without paying TurboTax or somebody like that.

    She talked a whole lot about President Elon. She talked about what a white supremacist he is. (Hence the headline.) And yup, she called Elon stupid. Because he is.

    And she reminded people regularly that the paralysis and fear you are feeling as we talk about these things is real but we have to go in with eyes wide open and move through it.

    Oh, and she of course talked about what we do now and how to respond, noting at the outset of that section that authoritarians are a heck of a lot like the wizard in The Wizard of Oz.

    Oh and you are definitely gonna want to hear the part where she talks about Trump immigration shithole Tom Homan “whining his ass off” that too many immigrants know their rights. LMAO.

    All of these things are why we’re calling her the leader of the opposition. Also just the time she takes to explain concepts like “What is Office of Personnel Management and why is it important that you understand this?”

    We’re not even done watching the video yet, it’s long and it’s detailed and it’s good for sittin’ a spell. Put it on when you’re chopping vegetables or something!

    OK now you have your marching orders, the most important of which (remember!) is not to make fun of Big Balls on the internet because you wouldn’t want Big Balls to cry, would you? […]

    This has been a post about saving America.

    Here’s the full video: [available at the link]

  46. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/justin-trudeau-est-le-premier-ministre

    Justin Trudeau Est Le Premier Ministre De « L’Art De Négocier »

    “Il a arraché les tarifs douaniers des mains oranges de Trump.”

    Oh look, another day, another foreign leader picking up a tantruming baby Trump, burping him, changing his fesses couches and putting him back in his baby swing while soothingly humming “Frère Jacques”! Monsieur Artiste de Deal pitched an unholy fit demanding 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and a 10 percent tariff on their oil, but he put the plans “on hold” for 30 days after being promised everything that he already had. Just like when you tuck a toddler’s squeaky giraffe in the diaper bag and then bring it back out to distract them when they’re having a meltdown. Squeaka squeak! [Screengrab of Justin Trudeau’s social media post is available at the link.]

    Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced a $1.3 billion plan to bolster border security and detect fentanyl at the border, and added two Blackhawk helicopters and 60 US-made drones to its border surveillance program … last December, while Joe Biden was president. There’s already 9,000 Canadian “frontline workers” at the border (there were 8,500, and this year they trained 500 more). The only new thing is that Trudeau promised to add a “fentanyl czar,” which means he yelled eh, Dominic, tu es maintenant le tsar du fentanyl! and Dominic shrugged and was like, eh, hokay. And Canada says they will call cartels terrorist organizations. Feel better now?

    But, it’s not so easy to wash off the taint to American brands and to America’s image as a reliable trading partner. What bestie treats their friends like this, and what Canadian company would want to partner with an American company now? Probably Trump’s goldfish brain has already forgotten all about his “30-day hold” and will act as if nothing ever happened, but that’s not very reassuring to any investors planning to spend actual money.

    And c’est dur for Elon Musk! Ontario Premier Doug Ford — the right-wing one! — said it would tear up Elmo’s $100 million Canadian-dollar contract for Starlink for satellite internet service. And now that the tariffs are on hold, Elmo’s contract is too. Ontario and Nova Scotia had also planned to remove all American liquor products from its shelves today, especially the ones from Old Pappy Mitch McConnell’s Kentucky-corn-bourbon district. The hooch can stay in place, for now, but are patriotic Canadians going to buy it?

    Canadians are also now pondering whether they should ban or sanction Tesla and X, and build Canadian oil pipelines to benefit Canada instead of its spoiled southern neighbor, for a change. The US has a trade deficit with Canada (and an even bigger one with Mexico), which means we buy more of their stuff than we sell them. Which means that though we all rely each other, we need them more than they need us.

    And, of course, this whole “fentanyl crisis” was entirely made up to begin with. Overdoses have been going down since Biden made an actual deal with China in 2023 to crack down on the flow of fentanyl ingredients and money laundering by Chinese cartels. But not many people know about that, because Biden spent his time as president doing actual work instead of hammering out all-caps screeds on Twitter at 2 a.m.

    And if there’s too much fentanyl, it’s not coming from Canada. In all of 2024, only 43 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the Northern border, compared with 21,148 on the southern one, and 90 percent of the fentanyl in the US is smuggled in by Americans. Also, you can go online right now and legally order the precursor ingredients to make your own! For $3,607, a couple of Reuters reporters were able to order everything they needed to make 3 million pills. “It’s like making chicken soup,” a cook from Sinaloa told them. “It’s mega-easy making that drug.” [embedded links are available at the main link]

    But oh hey, fine print, no deal on that 10 percent tariff on goods from China! That just went into effect, so hope you’ve stocked up on … just about everything. Cell phones, computers and electronics, clothes, games, car parts, shoes, cookware, Barbies …

    And China’s got its retaliatory tariffs all ready to go: a 15 percent tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products, a 10 percent tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine car imports. Call them Juan Deere now and say adios, because it only makes sense for agricultural-machinery factories to move even more manufacturing to Mexico now if they want to sell China some tractors. [Good point.] AND China is launching an antitrust investigation of Google. The search engine is blocked there, so this is probably about Google’s Android operating system for smartphones. Regretting giving him a million bucks for his party and standing in the fart zone at his inauguration yet, Sundar Pichai?

    That Trump, just the best, smartest dealmakingest guy ever!

  47. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/rfk-jr-supporters-bolster-his-nomination

    “RFK Jr. Supporters Bolster His Nomination With Letter Signed By Crackpots And Quacks”

    “Who’s ready to make measles great again?”

    Oh boy, Senator Mike Crapo (yes, that’s his real name) says the Senate Finance Committee is going to vote today on if they want to advance the guy who ran over Gentle Ben and put baby birds in a blender to be head of the Department of Health and Human Services. If you were planning to call your senator and tell them VOTE HELL FUCKING NO ON OLD WHALE JUICE, now would be a good time to remind them not to vote for that fucko if he makes it!

    You know, whatsis name, the one who is not a doctor or administrator and whose experience with medicine includes crediting heroin for helping him with his school work? The guy who only had to act normal for his confirmation for like two hours but still couldn’t do it? The one who seemed deeply confused at his hearing about what his job would actually be? [video at the link]

    Anyway, you will be SHOCKETY SHOCKED to learn that a letter sent via “MAHA Action” from a group calling itself “Doctors for Robert F. Kennedy” was actually signed by a whole lot of people who are not doctors, even though the letter starts with “We, the undersigned physicians.” And of the undersigned who were doctors, there’s a bunch who have had their licenses revoked or suspended or faced other discipline for bad doctoring of the quack-medicine kind.

    There’s about 20 chiropractors, who are not medical doctors, and who’d donated to Kennedy’s anti-vaccine nonprofit “Children’s Health Defense.” There’s random people who don’t work in medicine at all — a firefighter, an accountant, and somebody with a bachelor’s degree “with an emphasis on Jungian Psychology.”

    Of the doctors, it sure says a lot about RFK Jr. that these are the ones endorsing him. There’s Paul Thomas of Oregon, who surrendered his license in 2022 after being emergency suspended in 2020 for “gross negligence,” for pushing a “Dr. Paul approved” vaccine schedule that he claimed would prevent autism, and discouraging parents from vaccinating their children. From the complaint:

    Patient A’s mother requested polio and rotavirus vaccinations for Patient A according to CDC Recommendations, but Licensee did not have those vaccines in the clinic, and Patient A would therefore not be able to get them. Patient A’s mother reported that the Licensee questioned why she wanted Patient A to get the polio vaccine and asked whether they were traveling to Africa. During the appointment, Licensee continually connected vaccines (not specific) with autism. Licensee asked her how awful she would feel if Patient A got autism and she could have prevented it.

    Thomas was also involved with Kennedy’s “natural experiment” of shit-talking vaccines to Samoan officials and convincing them not to vaccinate babies against measles, leading to an outbreak that killed 83 babies and children.

    There’s anti-vaxxer Dr. Simone Gold, founder of America’s Frontline Doctors, who was reprimanded by the California Medical Board after she got a 60-day sentence and $9,500 fine for storming the Capitol on January 6. Remember America’s Frontline Doctors? They were leading pushers/grifters of horse paste and hydroxychloroquine over Zoom during the pandemic. Remember when they made a bizarre, cringe-inducing music video featuring the song “We Are The World”?

    There’s more! Meryl Nass, another anti-vaxxer whose license was suspended in Maine for prescribing horse paste; RFK Jr.’s Children’s Health Defense group paid her legal fees. Also Kenneth Stoller, whose license was revoked after he pushed autism theories and recommended hyperbaric oxygen to “cure” autism. (How do they come up with this shit?) There’s Steven Arthur LaTulippe, who got his license revoked “for refusing to follow COVID-19 guidelines in his office, spreading misinformation about masks and over-prescribing opioids.”

    And Robert Sears, whose license was put on probation after he wrote a doctor’s note for a 2-year-old boy exempting him from childhood vaccinations. [His book] is still for sale! His parents William (“Dr. Bill”) and Martha built a credible book-series franchise endorsing attachment parenting, co-sleeping and baby-wearing. But, turns out that Bill and Martha’s son Robert (“Dr. Bob”) is a nut, even though his books are in the same series and look just like his parents’ books. His idea to “slow down the vaccination schedule” seemed like a reasonable opinion at the time. Fortunately I had a pediatrician that I trusted who was not a nut, and was like, “well, y’know, the CDC recommends this schedule for a reason. And, who is that guy? I think I’d trust the CDC over some guy who just happened to write a book.” And my Dr. Ralph was right, because one of Dr. Bob’s intentionally under-vaccinated patients later went on to cause a measles outbreak in San Diego.

    And now the guy in charge of the CDC could be not just some guy, but a dog-eating whale-chopping complete dingbat. [….]

    And that seems to be the point, for MAGAs who want to turn the country into rubble over a plague-death graveyard because they think they will win some game of survival-of-the-fittest and profit from building on top of the ashes.

    Oh, and Kennedy Jr. also lied in his hearing that he got no compensation for licensing his “MAHA” trademark, he actually put in his public disclosure that he got $100,000 in licensing fees […]

    Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is a doctor, is reportedly considering voting no, so maybe there’s some hope we don’t get this crackpot […] Even Mitch McConnell, polio survivor, was like, HMM, DUNNO. Maybe it will occur to senators that they do not want to get the measles or the bird flu either.

    One can hope. Still, call your senator, call them all! Vaccinate on schedule, while you still can! And if you think you might want some CDC data to do research with, better download it now, because wherever the Department of HHS is headed is nowhere good. Stock up on masks, too, why not?

  48. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    White House opens funding spigot for DOGE expenses

    “Despite fabricating the United States DOGE Service out of thin air, President Musk has already grown his unelected bureaucracy to lay claim to nearly $7 million of American taxpayer funding,” House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said in a statement. She said that amount is “nearly twice the annual salaries and expenses budget of the White House.”
    […]
    The total $6.75 million apportionments came […] for “unanticipated needs” within the Executive Office of the President, according to data made public by the OMB. […] the money is being provided to DOGE to perform work on the agencies’ behalf and using their money to pay for it […] Trump’s executive order spells out that DOGE “shall commence a Software Modernization Initiative to improve the quality and efficiency of government-wide software, network infrastructure, and information technology (IT) systems.”
    […]
    It wasn’t immediately clear what specifically DOGE was being reimbursed for with the $6.75 million. Musk’s team includes includes “six young men—all apparently between the ages of 19 and 24,” according to Wired, which said at least one was working for no pay.
    […]
    One new element in the DOGE apportionment is that the group now has its own Treasury account, separate from [the Information Technology Oversight and Reform account where the money came from]. […] this appears to be an attempt to stand up DOGE separately within the Executive Office of the President outside of the OMB’s purview. That would be in line with Trump’s executive order, which stipulates that the DOGE administrator report directly to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

  49. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/hey-anybody-going-to-stop-elon-musk

    “Hey, Anybody Going To Stop Elon Musk Before He And His Nerd Squad Break Everything?”

    Well, we were wrong about Trump only using Elon Musk’s money to get himself elected and then sitting that Space Karen down in a corner with some crayons. Seems the plan is to have Musk infiltrate the government, delete whatever the fuck he feels like, and have some sad virgins replace government systems’ code with some kind of AI, HOLY SHIT.

    Reportedly a 25-year-old named Marko Elez now has full administrative access to The Payment Automation Manager and Secure Payment System at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, and Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall reports that the changes are not being tested before going live, which as anybody who’s ever written code knows, is a very easy way to catastrophically break stuff. And not just any code, but the code that controls Social Security payments, tax returns, and a fifth of the entire US economy [… ]Elez’s resume is still up on RocketReach. [embedded links to sources are available at the main link]

    Also the NYT reports that Thomas Shedd, a former Tesla engineer who’s been appointed to head technology efforts at the General Services Administration, told some staffers that AI would be a key part of their cost-reduction work. AI?! Elon’s AI company only just launched in March of 2023 and its model Grok came out five months later. And like all AI it is is error-prone, scoring 50.6 percent on the AI MATH benchmark and and a 90 percent score on the GSM8K benchmark in March of last year, which is NOT GOOD ENOUGH if you want to be sure to pay the government’s bills on time. And where’s the accountability, what happens if “the AI” puts money in the wrong account? You can’t put the AI in prison! Who is paying for this AI, upon whose servers is this data processing happening? It all sounds like potentially another Elon extortion scheme a la the one he pulled with Starlink in Ukraine: Give technology away for free because he’s “helping,” then threaten to take it away unless the government pays for it. And did anybody back up the existing government data in case these kids wreck everything to oblivion? Again, who knows!

    Six engineers linked to Musk companies — Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran, who are all between the ages of 19 and 24 — have also taken control of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and General Services Administration (GSA) and have accessed classified material. The Daily Beast has bios on all of them.

    Elon is pissed that everybody knows who they are now! [social media post at the link: “You have committed a crime.”]

    FearNoneInc’s Twitter account has been suspended.

    The mainstream media has been weirdly quiet about this, though the Wall Street Journal blandly notes that there are “Many Legal Questions Surrounding Musk’s DOGE Efforts.” YA DON’T SAY.

    Musk has no security clearance and likely couldn’t get one, seeing as how he’s a ketamine-taking probable illegal alien, and neither do his minions. He has no legal authority to be mucking around in systems, much less ones with classified information and people’s Social Security numbers, tax information, student loan details and so on.

    Trump spokesblonde Karoline Leavitt clarified that Musk is “special government employee,” which is not reassuring; it means that he doesn’t have to file a public financial disclosure report, and is exempt from the criminal conflict-of interest-statute [Trump declared it so.] And what about Elon’s minions, who is paying them? Again, who knows? One thing is for sure, this tech-junta-autocoup is sounding worse every day.

    Sooo … anybody going to stop them? A lawsuit was filed Monday in DC by the Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Federation of Government Employees, and the Service Employees International Union against Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent for letting Musk and his dodgy DOGE associates get access to the personal information of millions of people “without making any public announcement, providing any legal justification or explanation for his decision, or undertaking the process required by law for altering the agency’s disclosure policies.”

    A pair of federal employees also sued the Office of Personnel Management in a class-action last week for failing to do a privacy impact assessment before setting up an on-premise server, and Democracy Forward, Public Citizen, and the public-interest firm National Security Counselors have all filed lawsuits against DOGE for violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA) and employees’ privacy.

    Let’s hope a court steps in before irreversible damage is done.

    And again, holy shit!

  50. says

    CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @42, now we know who is paying DOGE. I am. American taxpayers are paying DOGE to wreck everything.

    In other new of wreckage: If You Like Workplace Fatalities, You’ll Love This GOP Plan To Kill OSHA!

    In 1911, 146 garment workers died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, because their boss had the brilliant money-saving idea of locking the doors to the stairwells and exits in order to prevent them from taking unauthorized breaks. The streets were littered with the bodies of people who threw themselves out of the windows, hoping that would be a safer escape.

    One of the witnesses to that horrific moment in American history was Frances Perkins. Already a suffragist, consumer and labor rights activist, and sociology professor, Perkins was so horrified by the fire that she committed herself to improving labor standards in New York and elsewhere. In 1934, after FDR appointed her Secretary of Labor, she became the first woman in a presidential Cabinet (and to this day, the longest serving Secretary of Labor in US history).

    As Secretary of Labor, Perkins created the Bureau of Labor Standards in order to improve working conditions for the American labor force. In 1971, the Bureau of Labor Standards became the more comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Administration, better known as OSHA.

    Over the years, OSHA has instituted regulations that have protected American workers from getting hurt or killed on the job

    So, naturally, a Republican wants it gone.

    For the third time in as many years, Rep. Andy Biggs has introduced the NOSHA Act, an act that would abolish OSHA in favor of letting states set their own safety standards.

    Of course, many states will not have the funding necessary to do that job, but that’s kind of whole the point, isn’t it?

    The states with the highest rates of worker deaths in 2021 were
    – Wyoming (10.4 per 100,000 workers)
    – North Dakota (9.0 per 100,000 workers)
    – Montana (8.0 per 100,000 workers)
    – Louisiana (7.7 per 100,000 workers)
    – Alaska (6.2 per 100,000 workers)
    – New Mexico (6.2 per 100,000 workers)

    How many of those states do we actually think would prevent more deaths by managing workplace safety themselves?

    “OSHA’s existence is yet another example of the federal government creating agencies to address issues that are more appropriately handled by state governments and private employers,” Biggs said the last time he introduced his ridiculous bill. “Arizona, and every other state, has the constitutional right to establish and implement their own health and safety measures, and is more than capable of doing so. It’s time that we fight back against the bloated federal government and eliminate agencies that never should have been established in the first place. I will not let OSHA push Arizona around with their bureaucratic regulations and urge my colleagues to support my effort to eliminate this unconstitutional federal agency.”

    So far it’s never gone anywhere, but given the fact that Presidents Trump and Musk have been going around obliterating every government agency they can think of, it’s a whole lot more on the table than it was before.

    During his first term, Trump gutted OSHA, and he’s promised to do worse in his next. Which will be very hard, because in his first term, his administration killed a yearslong project that was specifically dedicated to preparing hospitals, nursing homes and other medical facilities … for a pandemic.

    Because when will one of those happen, right?

    Also, on Monday, Trump demanded that every regulatory agency kill 10 regulations for every new one they implement, which should work out just great. Surely no one will die or be left bankrupt or get food poisoning or anything like that. Surely businesses will do what’s necessary to protect their employees and customers, even if it would cost more than the lawsuits would if they didn’t bother.

    Just like some people who run the country don’t care if people are killed on the job if they think they can get away with blaming it on “DEI” or whatever buzz term they’re on by then.

    Every safety regulation is written in blood. Each of those regulations exists because someone died or was severely hurt or made severely sick by something that regulation would have prevented. The first job safety regulation, the Massachusetts Factory Act of 1877, was passed after The Pemberton Mill Collapse — caused because the greedy new owners of the mill made it “profitable” by shoving more machinery into it than it could handle, and it collapsed, killing 145 workers (mostly women but some children) and injuring 300 more. (Lawrence would later be the site of the 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike, better known as the Bread and Roses Strike, a year after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory burned.)

    No one is coming up with random unfair regulations just to hurt the feelings of “job creators” or because they want to destroy American businesses. But OSHA exists because companies locked people in buildings to ensure they weren’t taking unauthorized breaks, because they overloaded buildings with more machinery than they could handle. It has provided a recourse for employees who believe their safety isn’t being considered by their employers, and, according to a report published by the AFL-CIO, it has saved almost 700,000 lives and likely prevented millions of injuries since it was implemented.

    In 1970, about 38 workers died a day from workplace safety issues. In 2023, that number reduced to 15. Injuries and illnesses went from “10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.4 per 100 in 2023.” […]

  52. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Elon Musk creates confusion about IRS’ Direct File—but the free tax program is still available

    While Musk’s tweet may have intimated that the group of workers had been eliminated, an individual with knowledge of the IRS workforce said the Direct File program was still accepting tax returns. […] As of Monday evening, [the agency’s] website was still operational, as was the Direct File website. But the digital services agency’s X account was deleted.

    The IRS announced last year that it will make the free electronic tax return filing system permanent and asked all 50 states and the District of Columbia to help taxpayers file their returns through the program in 2025.

    * IRS Direct File (only for 25 states named at the link; fed taxes; via IRS itself)
    * IRS Free File (all states; fed and some states’ taxes’ via partner vendors)

  54. Reginald Selkirk says

    Aga Khan dead at 88

    Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims around the world, has died at 88.

    His death was confirmed in a statement Tuesday.

    “Leaders and staff of the Aga Khan Development Network offer our condolences to the family of His Highness and to the Ismaili community worldwide,” it read.

  55. Reginald Selkirk says

    100K eggs stolen from central Pa. supplier

    A hundred thousand eggs were stolen Saturday from an organic supplier in Franklin County amid skyrocketing prices stemming from an avian flu outbreak, Pennsylvania State Police said.

    The eggs were swiped from the back of a distribution trailer around 8:40 p.m. at the Pete & Gerry’s Organics warehouse on Commerce Avenue in Antrim Township, state police said.

    The eggs are worth about $40,000. State police are asking anyone with information to call the Chambersburg barracks at 717-264-5161.

  57. Reginald Selkirk says

    ‘Devil’s money’ discovered at medieval cult site

    An early medieval archeological site in the eastern Netherlands likely hosted cult rituals involving the “devil’s money.” But while the ruins indicate a local belief system based on pre-Christian deities, the age of the find suggests a seismic cultural shift. The cultists may have been some of the region’s first people to convert to the new faith…

    Back in 2019, for example, a group of metal detector enthusiasts discovered multiple ancient coins in a field in the eastern Netherlands. These artifacts quickly drew interest from researchers, who soon traveled to the area to begin work. Over the next two years, a team including Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency archeologist Jan-Willem de Kort excavated portions of a complex they later named after the nearby hamlet, Hezengin. Their results, published in the journal Medieval Archeology, reveal a pre-Christian society on the verge of a potentially seismic cultural shift…

    Their excavations eventually uncovered a large ring of 17 wooden postholes encircling both an “unusually shaped building” and a potential Herrenof—the home of a local wealthy magnate. Archeologists identified three specific sites inside Hezingen based on where they found various artifacts likely left as offerings to deities. These included gold and silver jewelry, as well as small gold coins known as tremisses. Further investigation of the posthole locations also indicated they were carefully aligned to the spring and autumn equinoxes—meaning that Hezingen likely served as a location for seasonal agricultural rituals and religious rites.

    “The four rows of poles are [aligned] exactly east-west. Because of the high elevation, the sun rises here at the spring equinox exactly in the east,” said de Kort.

    While the exact identities of the local gods and goddesses remain unknown, medieval missionary texts hint at who they could have been. In any case, it’s that the Christian newcomers did not approve of them.

    “The gods that may have been worshipped in Hezingen can be learned from a Saxon baptismal promise, handed down in a 9th-century codex,” de Kort and co-authors explain in their paper.” This vow mentions the gods UUôden (Wodan), Thunær (Donar) and Saxnōte (Saxnot), who the reader of the promise must renounce.”

    Missionaries were particularly offended by the gold and silver offerings, which they referred to as diobolgeldæ, or “the devil’s money.” Such extravagant gifts to the gods weren’t common for most medieval people in the Netherlands.

    “I think that this cult site was mainly used by local elites to emphasize their own status, and of course, you do that pre-eminently with valuables,” said de Kort.

    Archeologists estimate these elites eventually abandoned the Hezingen site by the late 7th or early 8th century—an interesting timing, given the wider historical context. The team notes some of the first Christian missionaries, Plechelmus and Lebuinus, traveled through the region around 760 CE, while the very first Christian churches were also consecrated around the same time. But Christianity did not become common across the Netherlands for at least another century, implying that Hezingen visitors were some of the first to abandon their devil’s money in favor of the new religion. Other theories may also help explain Hezingen’s end…

  59. Reginald Selkirk says

    Donald Trump Jr. accused of illegal duck hunting near Venice

    Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, broke Italian and European Union environmental protection laws when he hunted ducks near Venice in December, according to two Italian Green party lawmakers.

    Andrea Zanoni, a member of the Veneto regional assembly, and Luana Zanella, a national parliamentarian, filed two separate parliamentary questions urging regional and national authorities to take action against the alleged offence.

    In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Zanoni said he had seen footage of Trump Jr. hunting in a “Natura 2000” EU conservation zone in the Venice lagoon, standing near a dead ruddy shelduck, a protected species.

    “The video shows Trump Jr. with a ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) in the foreground, a duck that is very rare in all of Europe and protected by the EU Birds Directive and by the Italian law on the protection of wild fauna … The killing or holding of this animal is punishable by law,” Zanoni said.

    Hunting in Italy is legal, but strictly regulated…

  60. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Censorship at the NSF, like previously reported at the CDC.

    Darby Saxbe (Psych Prof):

    From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. [Long list, including: disability, ethnicity, excluded, gender, historically, inclusive, institutional, lgbt, status, systemic, trauma, women. And a flow chart that amounts to: when flagged for a word, explain WHY it’s not DEI-related, or it stays flagged.]

    These keywords could show up in the text of ANY grant involving human participants. If you say you’re going to study men and women, you get flagged. If you say you’re going to control for socioeconomic status—totally standard practice—you get flagged. Disability? Flagged. The word “systemic” is on the banned list, so if I study systemic inflammation & health, flagged. […] the largest mental health provider in the country is the Veteran’s Administration, but we can’t study trauma now?

    WaPo – Here are the words putting science in the crosshairs of Trump’s orders

    NSF staff must analyze the keywords within grants and determine whether they are in violation of an executive order, providing a justification if they determine they are not. For example, the word “accessibility” would be flagged if it is used in the context of DEI, but is not if it is about data accessibility

  61. says

    CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @54. I wonder how they are going to enforce compliance?

    In other news, from MSNBC:

    The Trump administration’s apparent attempts to purge or retaliate against federal agents are moving closer to a court reckoning, with the filing of civil lawsuits by current and former FBI employees who’ve taken legal action against the president’s alleged retribution.

    Related news, from NBC:

    FBI executives contemplated resisting Justice Department demands that they turn over the names of FBI personnel involved in Capitol riot cases but ultimately decided they must comply with what lawyers deemed a lawful order, current and former FBI officials told NBC News.

  63. says

    […] Trump declared on Tuesday [today] that Palestinians had no choice but to leave Gaza because of the devastation wrought by Israel’s war with Hamas after the terrorist attack of Oct. 7, 2023, suggesting that they be given a new homeland.

    Mr. Trump made the comments to reporters shortly before hosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the White House to talk about the next stage of a cease-fire in the Gaza war. Speaking in the Oval Office while signing executive orders, Mr. Trump said he wanted Jordan and Egypt to take in the Palestinians. [Trump said this before, now he is repeating it … doubling down.]

    […] Mr. Trump said of Gazans. “I mean, they’re there because they have no alternative. What do they have? It is a big pile of rubble right now.” He added: “I don’t know how they could want to stay. It’s a demolition site. It’s a pure demolition site.”

    Mr. Trump seemed to indicate that he wanted to find a permanent new homeland for the Palestinians rather than reconstruct Gaza. “If we could find the right piece of land, or numerous pieces of land, and build them some really nice places with plenty of money in the area, that’s for sure,” he said. “I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza.”

    While the president framed the matter as a humanitarian imperative, the notion of clearing Palestinians out of Gaza is an explosive one in a region that has endured generations of warfare over questions of homelands and forced migration. Neither Egypt nor Jordan want to take in large numbers of Palestinians, given the burden and fears of instability, nor is it clear that Gazans would willingly abandon the enclave they have spent years defending, even with the destruction.

    Hamas, which has run Gaza for most of the past two decades and is now trying to reestablish its control there, quickly rejected Mr. Trump’s idea as well. Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, said that the president’s statement about no alternative but leaving was “a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.”

    “Our people in Gaza will not allow for these plans to come to pass,” he said in a statement distributed by Hamas. “What is needed is the end of the occupation and the aggression against our people, not expelling them from their land.”

    […] The meeting [between Trump and Netanyahu], which is part of a multiday visit to Washington by Mr. Netanyahu, is meant to demonstrate the close ties between the two leaders. […]

    Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu had forged a close partnership during the president’s first term but fell out toward its end over a number of issues, including the Israeli leader’s willingness to congratulate Mr. Biden on his victory in the 2020 election, which Mr. Trump to this day insists he won. Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu have sought to smooth over their rift […]

    […] Netanyahu went into his meeting at odds with Mr. Trump on several important issues, according to analysts, likely including how to confront Iran’s nuclear ambitions and how quickly to end the war in Gaza.

    The Trump administration has made clear that it wants to see all of the hostages held by Hamas returned and then move on to a grand bargain involving Saudi Arabia that formalizes relations with Israel. All of that hinges on an end to fighting in the Palestinian enclave.

    With Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing government in jeopardy if the war ends with Hamas still in control in Gaza, and with no other plan for the area in place, analysts expect the Israeli prime minister to try to delay moving to the next stage of the deal, which calls for a permanent cease-fire.

    New York Times link

    I am fed up with seeing Netanyahu use delaying tactics to prolong hostilities.

  64. says

    Trump moves to put nearly all USAID Washington staff on leave

    The Trump administration is making moves to place nearly all of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Washington-based staff on paid administrative leave, according to a USAID official and a person familiar with the situation.

    The move affects thousands of people and is the latest blow the administration is striking against the agency, which is America’s primary vehicle for providing humanitarian aid. Tech mogul Elon Musk, a Trump ally running an initiative aimed at downsizing the government, has made USAID a particular target.

    A person familiar with the situation said some 1,400 people will be notified Tuesday, on top of about 600 who were placed on leave starting Sunday night. That amounts to the majority of Washington-based staff — many of them civil and Foreign Service officers, the person said. The action was approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s team, the individual added. The person was granted anonymity because of the sensitivity of the personnel moves.

    A senior USAID official, who was granted anonymity because they feared reprisal, said the agency’s human resources department said in a meeting Tuesday morning that it had already revoked system access for more than 1,400 staffers — an indication that many more are being put on leave than those previously announced.

    That’s in addition to hundreds of USAID contractors who have been laid off or furloughed in recent weeks. The contractors lost their jobs in part due to an ongoing freeze on foreign aid imposed by President Donald Trump and his aides, who are making moves to fold USAID into the State Department.

    […] The moves spurred severe consternation among USAID staffers, many of whom were left with more questions than answers.

    They were unclear how they would be formally notified that they were on leave given that many were being locked out of their USAID email and other systems. Staff who cannot access the systems may not be able to submit timesheets so that they can get paid, and their supervisors may not be able to access the system to approve those timesheets, the senior USAID official said.

    Also unclear was the fate of thousands of USAID staffers around the world, many of whom work in conflict zones and routinely turn to colleagues in Washington for guidance.

    The senior USAID official said that agency mission directors in other countries had been told to tally the number of American employees in their offices, a potential precursor to recalling those staffers. That order was earlier reported by Devex.

  66. says

    Rep. Jamie Raskin demands details on U.S. citizens caught up in ICE enforcement

    “[…] the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee said in a letter that ICE can’t use its enforcement powers to arrest or detain U.S. citizens.”

    […] Following up on a report by NBC News, Rep. Jamie Raskin, House Judiciary Committee ranking member, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a subcommittee ranking member, asked for an accounting of immigration enforcement actions since Jan. 20 involving U.S. citizens.

    The request […] was sent Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Caleb Vitello, Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director. A copy of the letter was first provided to NBC News.

    “If you’re not out looking for criminals based on crimes committed, but undocumented immigrants based on their looks, you’re going to sweep up a lot of innocent people, including innocent citizens,” Raskin said in a statement to NBC News. “We’ve already seen cases of racial and ethnic profiling leading to the unlawful detention of U.S. citizens. That’s why I’m demanding answers about some of these profoundly troubling stories we’ve heard about citizens being targeted, detained and questioned.”

    The lawmakers noted that per a 2015 ICE policy regarding investigation of U.S. citizens, “ICE cannot assert its civil immigration enforcement authority to arrest and/or detain a U.S. citizen.” And ICE officers and agents and attorneys have to handle the interactions with the “utmost care and highest priority,” the letter stated.

    […] recent cases have led to complaints that some people are being racially profiled, targeted by ICE because of their race or skin color.

    Late last month, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said Navajo citizens who live off-reservation had complained of being questioned about their identity by ICE officers[…]

    The letter asks ICE and DHS to provide by 5 p.m. on Feb. 18 the total number of U.S. citizens detained; the name and age of detained U.S. citizens; where and for how long they were detained; whether any had a criminal record and what the crimes were, if any; and the name of each agency involved in the enforcement action.

    The lawmakers also ask whether ICE’s policy regarding encounters with U.S. citizens is still in effect, and if not, what policies or procedures it has in place. They also ask if there have been any updates to policies and procedures since last month’s incidents. […]

  67. says

    USAID upheaval is paralyzing global delivery of food and medicine

    “Though humanitarian aid was supposed to be exempt from the Trump-ordered disruption, shipments of lifesaving food and drugs are held up in ports and warehouses.”

    Shipping containers packed with lifesaving antibiotics and antimalarial drugs are being held at the Port of Sudan, where they sit in limbo. Essential medicines are expiring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a cash-strapped government contractor was forced to shut off the air conditioning. Millions of pounds of American-grown soybeans that were bound for refugee camps overseas are being diverted to warehouses instead.

    […]Trump’s mission to upend the U.S. Agency for International Development, a government organization tasked with alleviating global poverty and providing humanitarian relief, has paralyzed efforts to distribute essential food, medicine and other lifesaving supplies around the world, according to nonprofit organizations, farm industry groups and federal lawmakers.

    […] There are layers of problems. The process to apply for a humanitarian waiver is new and mired in confusion and delays. According to nonprofit groups, it’s not clear how the administration is defining “lifesaving” aid that can continue despite the freeze, or whether the holdups in releasing funds are intentional.

    “For more than a week now, essential lifesaving programs and commodities like food and medicine have been stopped,” said Tom Hart, president and CEO of InterAction, an alliance of U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations, many of which rely on federal aid to fund their work. “That’s a massive waste of taxpayer money and goodwill, as well as devastating humanitarian impacts on people in need.”

    Even aid groups that have received the waivers to distribute lifesaving HIV medication have been unable to draw down funding from the federal government’s payment system, hampering their ability to distribute the medicine, he said.

    […] A senior leader of one humanitarian organization said their group was owed nearly $50 million from USAID for work completed in December and January.

    “We have essential medicines rotting in warehouses in the DRC because we can’t operate the air conditioning,” said the staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity over fears of retribution.

    […] The group also said it had $500,000 worth of antibiotics, antimalarial drugs and other essential medicines currently stuck at the Port of Sudan because of the Trump administration’s stop-work order.

    […] Karl Brownlow, a former senior USAID adviser, said there could be serious health implications from suddenly stopping medication like HIV antiretrovirals, including higher viral loads and the development of drug resistance.

    “There’s more viral particles circulating your body, which causes an impact to your own self, but also means that you can spread the disease and increase the likelihood of transmission,” said Brownlow, who was among the hundreds of USAID workers who were laid off last week.

    Brownlow described his final days of work as a “complete scramble” as colleagues tried to redirect HIV, malaria and tuberculosis medication to warehouses around the globe.

    “There was no attempt to actually phase this out — this was just a complete abandonment,” said Brownlow.

  71. StevoR says

    Israeli far right MK Ben-Gvir introduces Gaza ‘voluntary’ ethnic cleansing bill echoing Trump’s clean-out plan

    The proposal comes amid a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, who is pushing Gaza ethnic cleansing. A controversial bill proposing the “voluntary migration” of residents from the Gaza Strip has been introduced by the Israeli far right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, led by former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

    The proposal comes amid a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, who is also pushing a plan for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza by other names. Despite Ben-Gvir’s recent resignation from the governing coalition in protest against a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, the bill is expected to pass its preliminary reading, according to Israeli media.

    Source : https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-fascist-ben-gvir-introduces-gaza-ethnic-cleansing-bill

    (Headline bolded.)

  73. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Censorship: Workers at NASA told to ‘Drop everything’ to scrub mentions of Indigenous people, women from Its websites

    CIA sends ‘buyout’ offers to entire workforce
     
    Trump and Musk demand termination of federal office leases through General Services Administration

    The order seems to contradict Trump’s own return-to-office mandate for federal employees, adding confusion to what was already a scramble by the GSA to find workspace, internet connections and office building security credentials for employees who had been working remotely for years.
    […]
    the GSA in essence acts like the federal government’s real estate broker […] An email sent last week […] instructed regional managers to begin terminating leases on roughly 7,500 federal offices nationwide. […] the initiative is being led by Nicole Hollander, who has been embedded in the GSA’s headquarters in recent days. […] Hollander describes herself as an X employee with a background in real estate

     
    Doge staffers enter Noaa headquarters and incite reports of cuts and threats

    “They apparently just sort of walked past security and said: ‘Get out of my way,’ and they’re looking for access for the IT systems, as they have in other agencies […] They will have access to the entire computer system, a lot of which is confidential information. […] I think the strategy here is: ‘Well, we’re just going to do it and dare somebody to stop us, and by the time they stop us, we’ll have destroyed it.'”

     
    Kim Kelly:

    DOGE is setting its sights on the Department of Labor next. [Meeting on Feb 5th.] DOL workers have been ordered to give DOGE access to whatever they ask for—or risk termination. “We’re supposed to stop everything we’re doing and do whatever the DOGE kids ask… It feels dirty and illegal.”

  74. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    How a Musk ally plans to push AI on the government

    Thomas Shedd, a Musk-associate and now head of the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS), told government tech workers in a meeting this week that the administration plans to widely deploy AI throughout the government. Shedd also said the administration would need help altering login.gov, a government login system, to further integrate with sensitive systems like social security “to further identify individuals and detect and prevent fraud,” which employees identified on the meeting as “an illegal task.”

    Shedd, who is a former Tesla engineer, said the government should “try to get consent [of users],” regarding login.gov changes but that “we should still push forward and see what we can do.”
    […]
    He said, for example, that he would need help creating “AI coding agents” that would write software across the entire federal government. He proposed creating a centralized database of contracts that could be “analyzed.”
    […]
    “the reaction of the team […] is pretty unanimously negative.” 18F is a group within TTS that helps build software across the government. […] They said that the idea of using AI coding agents in the federal government would be a major security risk, and that training them on existing federal contracts raises red flags considering that Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, has billions of dollars worth of federal contracts.
    […]
    “Which means things are going to get intense. […] the demand on all of us is going to go up,” he added. One employee asked if it is “currently illegal to work more than 40 hours a week. Is that going to change?” “Unclear at this point,” Shedd said.

  76. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Federal health workers terrified after ‘DEI’ website publishes list of ‘targets’

    a website called “DEI Watch List” published the photos, names and public information of a number of workers across health agencies […] mostly Black employees who work in agencies primarily within the Department of Health and Human Services […] The site lists workers’ salaries along with what it describes as “DEI offenses,” including political donations, screenshots of social media posts, snippets from websites describing their work, or being a part of a DEI initiative

  77. Bekenstein Bound says

    There’s even a new paramilitary force on Long Island, and that force has yanked all public notices from Newsday, the largest newspaper there.

    More information on this, please? (Was accompanied only by a video link, no mention of a text article.)

  78. StevoR says

    Donald Trump was a fierce critic of America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — “the endless wars” as he called them — and the blood and treasure they cost the United States.

    Yet today, there he was, promising a new American excursion into the Middle East — which would be illegal under international law — with the potential to spark disaster on a similar scale.

    It’s hard to overstate just how staggering Donald Trump’s proposal is.

    He doesn’t just want to permanently relocate more than 2 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. He wants America to take it over — using its military, if necessary — level it, and then redevelop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
    “As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary,” he said.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-05/trump-netanyahu-gaza-plan/104900896

  82. Reginald Selkirk says

    Physicists Confirm The Existence of a Third Form of Magnetism

    An experiment in Sweden has demonstrated control over a novel kind of magnetism, giving scientists a new way to explore a phenomenon with huge potential to improve electronics – from memory storage to energy efficiency.

    Using a device that accelerates electrons to blinding speeds, a team led by researchers from the University of Nottingham showered an ultra-thin wafer of manganese telluride with X-rays of different polarizations, to reveal changes on a nanometer scale reflecting magnetic activity unlike anything seen before…

    More recently, a third configuration of particles in ferromagnetic materials was theorized.

    In what’s referred to as altermagnetism, particles are arranged in a canceling fashion like antiferromagnetism, yet rotated just enough to allow for confined forces on a nanoscale – not enough to pin a grocery list to your freezer, but with discrete properties that engineers are keen to manipulate into storing data or channeling energy.

    “Altermagnets consist of magnetic moments that point antiparallel to their neighbors,” explains University of Nottingham physicist Peter Wadley.

    “However, each part of the crystal hosting these tiny moments is rotated with respect to its neighbours. This is like antiferromagnetism with a twist! But this subtle difference has huge ramifications.”

    Experiments have since confirmed the existence of this in-between ‘alter’ magnetism. However, none had directly demonstrated it was possible to manipulate its tiny magnetic vortices in ways that might prove useful.

    Wadley and his colleagues demonstrated that a sheet of manganese telluride just a few nanometers thick could be distorted in ways that intentionally created distinct magnetic whirlpools on the wafer’s surface…

  83. birgerjohansson says

    Not when Tr*mp or Dubya speaketh it. See every film about stone age people ever.

  84. Reginald Selkirk says

    USPS says it will resume accepting inbound packages from China, Hong Kong

    The U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday it will resume accepting inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong, just hours after it suspended service from those regions.

    “The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery,” the agency wrote in a notice posted to its website.

    The USPS announced late Tuesday it would stop accepting parcels from China and Hong Kong Posts “until further notice.”

    The move came after President Donald Trump on Saturday imposed an additional 10% tax on Chinese goods, as part of sweeping new tariffs on the country’s top three trading partners. Trump on Monday agreed to hold off on imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days.

    As part of the tariffs, Trump also closed a nearly century-old trade loophole, called “de minimis,” which allows exporters to ship packages worth less than $800 in to the U.S. duty-free. The suspension of de minimis is widely expected to impact upstart Chinese e-commerce companies Temu and Shein, which have relied on de minimis and grew in popularity in the U.S. due to their cheap clothing, furniture and electronics shipped directly from China…

  86. Reginald Selkirk says

    ‘Self-healing’ roads aim to solve pothole crisis

    Self-healing asphalt roads could soon offer a solution to the UK’s pothole crisis, according to new research.

    Designed with artificial intelligence from Google Cloud, a new type of asphalt made from biomass waste can mend its own cracks without the need for maintenance or human intervention.

    Scientists at Swansea University, King’s College London and from Chile have found methods to “stitch” asphalt back together, hoping to create more durable and sustainable roads.

    Also known as bitumen, asphalt is a sticky black substance derived from crude oil, widely used to construct roads, highways and airport runways.

    As it hardens through oxidisation it becomes prone to cracks, but researchers have developed methods to “stitch” asphalt back together, creating more durable roads.

    Lead researcher and expert in self-healing asphalt at Swansea University, Dr Joe Norambuena-Contreras, said the approach would help the develop net-zero roads as road carbon emissions can largely be linked to asphalt production…

  87. birgerjohansson says

    StevoR @ 72
    Old time crass colonialism emerging from the brain of Tr*mp. Even the Saudi strangler prince will find this too embarrassing to cooperate.

  88. Reginald Selkirk says

    @80, Ibid

    Some communities in Wrexham county recently resorted to making their crater-filled village a tourist attraction, branding it “Pothole land”.

  89. birgerjohansson says

    Birthdays the last couple of days: Alice Cooper 78, Mel Brooks 98. We all are getting older and occasionally wiser.
    .
    Tom Selleck turned 80, but not turned off from Tr*mp. Goddammit, don’t you see if he mishandles mutant bird flu the way he did Covid, old people die first!

  91. Reginald Selkirk says

    Elon Musk’s Enemy, USAID, Was Investigating Starlink Over Its Contracts in Ukraine

    Since coming into power, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has barraged USAID, the international aid agency that dispenses food and supplies to nations all over the world. It is likely that the agency will soon be shuttered and could be subsumed into the U.S. State Department. Now, new reporting shows USAID was actually investigating one of Musk’s companies at the time that he attacked the agency.

    The Lever reported Tuesday that USAID’s inspector general was in the process of investigating its own public-private partnership between Musk’s Starlink and the Ukrainian government at the time that the billionaire’s DOGE crippled the agency. Publicly available information about that probe is still online. An announcement from last May reads: “The USAID Office of Inspector General, Inspections and Evaluations Division, is initiating an inspection of USAID’s oversight of Starlink satellite terminals provided to the Government of Ukraine. Our objectives are to determine how (1) the Government of Ukraine used the USAID-provided Starlink terminals, and (2) USAID monitored the Government of Ukraine’s use of USAID-provided Starlink terminals.”

    Musk has called the agency “evil” and a “criminal organization,” though the fact that USAID was investigating his company may suggest ulterior motivations for the billionaire’s vitriol. It’s unclear what the Starlink probe’s status is right now…

  92. JM says

    Newsweek: FBI Agents Sue DOJ Over ‘Unlawful And Retaliatory’ January 6 List

    A group of FBI agents brought a class-action lawsuit against the Justice Department on Tuesday, accusing it of carrying out an “unlawful and retaliatory” directive from President Donald Trump to purge the bureau of agents who worked on the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot probe and the classified-documents investigation into Trump.

    On Tuesday afternoon, the FBI turned over the names of 5,000 employees who worked on January 6 cases to the Justice Department, CNN reported. That’s about 13 percent of the bureau’s workforce.

    After originally refusing the FBI turned over a base list of 5000 employees but it isn’t comprehensive. The immediate action is taking the list out of the White House hands and prevent them from expanding it.
    The case will be complex but the principle is simple. Lower level non-political appointees are not to be subject to retaliation for doing their job or other unfair acts. The White House/DOJ can order them to stop doing something but they can’t be punished for previous actions. If the White House/DOJ thinks they have committed a crime then they should charge them with something.

  93. says

    https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
    Videos at the link.

    FBI agents file lawsuits; turn ‘weaponization’ accusation back on Trump

    Also available now:
    Trump’s dictatorial dreams tripped up by the democratic problem of public opinion

    and: Trump’s ‘stupidity problem’ frustrates his efforts and emboldens his opponents

    That last one has not just horror at the incompetence on display, but also a lot of humor. The mistakes and unintended results do make for a lot of laughs.

  95. StevoR says

    According to the UN’s latest figures, at least 900 bodies have been recovered from the streets of Goma, and around 2,880 injuries have been recorded since the end of January. A report by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said many healthcare facilities are overcrowded and in urgent need of medicine and equipment.

    Source : https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/04/africa/rebels-ceasefire-dr-congo-intl/index.html

    Every one a human individual like me and you and everyone / anyone. There go we but for luck of birth and circumstance.

  97. says

    BB @71, here is some coverage from The New York Times:

    News outlets around the United States are facing a political onslaught from allies of President Trump. A newspaper synonymous with Long Island is fighting back.

    A legal filing this week by the publication, Newsday, signals that it will sue Nassau County for repeatedly violating its First Amendment rights. It accused the county and its powerful executive, Bruce Blakeman, of retaliating for its coverage of Mr. Blakeman’s administration, which has taken high-profile steps to demonstrate support for Mr. Trump’s most divisive policies.

    The complaint to be filed in the Eastern District of New York accuses officials of ignoring Newsday’s reporters and illegally revoking its status as the official newspaper of Nassau County, thus removing an important revenue stream from paid public notices. That distinction was awarded to the conservative New York Post in December.

    “The residents of Nassau County have the right to transparency from their government officials, and taxpayer dollars should never be used to intimidate the press and limit information the public needs,” Debby Krenek, Newsday’s publisher, said in a statement.

    […] The fight on Long Island is one example of the growing tension between media outlets and public officials as the second Trump administration takes shape. Mr. Trump and his allies have long denigrated news outlets that they view as hostile to their agenda, and have sued and threatened them.

    Mr. Blakeman, a Republican who has joined Mr. Trump at rallies and appeared frequently on Fox News, has drawn the ire of Democrats for antagonizing a roller derby team with transgender members and creating a force of armed volunteers to deploy in the case of civil unrest. The decision to drop Newsday in favor of The Post embodies a recent political shift in Nassau County, which has drifted to the right under Mr. Blakeman’s stewardship.

    Founded in 1940 and based in Melville, N.Y., Newsday has long been a dominant news organ in Nassau County and beyond, once boasting bureaus in places such as Lebanon and Pakistan. It has won 19 Pulitzer Prizes for journalism that challenged political institutions, including investigations into illegal drugs originating in Turkey and political corruption involving local land deals.

    […] Newsday claims that Mr. Blakeman retaliated against the paper for its coverage of his efforts to bar transgender athletes from participating in sports at county facilities. Starting in March 2024, the paper said, Mr. Blakeman’s administration ignored about 50 information requests and began removing its reporters from press mailing lists, leaving just a single journalist who was a registered Republican.

    On Dec. 16, Mr. Blakeman announced at a news conference that The Post would be Nassau’s official newspaper after the Republican-controlled County Legislature voted for the move. The Post — which like Fox News is part of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire and based in Manhattan — has about half the Nassau County readership of Newsday, according to the complaint.

    Most states require municipalities to pay one print publication to run notices on matters of public interest, including zoning changes, foreclosures and public hearings. As part of its suit, Newsday is seeking revenue it said it lost as a result of the change. It claimed in the complaint that Nassau County spent more than $200,000 on such notices in 2023 and 2024.

    Mr. Blakeman has made no secret of his disdain for Newsday. In a December interview on a conservative New York radio show, Mr. Blakeman said The Post had been chosen not just because it offered more national and international coverage, but also because of Newsday’s news coverage and liberal editorials.

    […] Since Mr. Trump rose to power, he and his allies have routinely picked fights with traditional media outlets over their news coverage. He has repeatedly called outlets like MSNBC and CNN “the enemy of the people,” and he has sued ABC News, CBS and even the Des Moines Register […]

    Mr. Blakeman’s tactic of going after Newsday’s ability to post public notices replicates Mr. Trump’s approach on a local level. Local officials from New York to California have punished newspapers for critical coverage by removing their contracts to post public notices.

    As print subscriptions have dried up, public notices have become an increasingly crucial source of revenue for small papers, according to Richard Karpel, executive director of the Public Notice Resource Center. That has given some local governments more leverage.

    “The more important the revenue is, the choice of which paper they choose to publish it in becomes more potent,” Mr. Karpel said.

    In the first post about this issue (referencing a video segment that aired on The Rachel Maddow Show) I wrote: “There’s even a new paramilitary force on Long Island, and that force has yanked all public notices from Newsday, the largest newspaper there.” That is misleading, and I apologize. The “force” is actually Bruce Blakeman. He is the guy behind the creation of a new paramilitary unit on Long Island.

  98. KG says

    Even the Saudi strangler prince – birgerjohansson@81

    Please! Let’s at least refer to people by their correct names: he’s Crown Prince Bone-Saw.

  99. Reginald Selkirk says

    Nissan may have slammed the brakes on Honda merger.

    The merger deal that was set to create the third-largest global automaker is now in jeopardy, with dealings between the two companies complicated by their “growing differences” according to Reuters.

    While Nikkei Asia reports that Nissan has suspended the merger talks, an unidentified Honda spokesperson told Reuters that it hadn’t heard anything from Nissan about withdrawing from the agreement and that a final decision is expected to be reached by mid-February.

  100. says

    The Doormat Congress: Republicans react to Trump’s overreach with shrugs

    It’s a problem when Republicans claim Trump’s abuses are legal. It’s vastly worse when they don’t care whether the abuses are legal or not.

    Charlie Savage’s latest analysis in The New York Times comes with the kind of headline one does not expect to see in a healthy and stable democracy: “Trump Brazenly Defies Laws in Escalating Executive Power Grab.” The piece notes that the American president has, among other things, “effectively nullified laws” that the White House doesn’t like.

    The Times published a related report summarizing a variety of examples of the Republican administration’s “defiance of statutes.”

    It’s not a short list. […] David Super, an administrative law professor at Georgetown Law School, told The Washington Post, in reference to the White House’s assault on the rule of law, “So many of these things are so wildly illegal that I think they’re playing a quantity game and assuming the system can’t react to all this illegality at once.”

    It was against that backdrop that Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina was asked on Capitol Hill about the White House unilaterally taking steps to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, despite federal laws about the USAID’s structure. Political Wire flagged the GOP senator’s amazing response:

    Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told NOTUS that even though what Elon Musk is doing is unconstitutional — ‘nobody should bellyache about that.’ He added: ‘That runs afoul of the Constitution in the strictest sense. But it’s not uncommon for presidents to flex a little bit on where they can spend and where they can stop spending.’

    [JFC]

    As a rule, anytime a sitting federal lawmaker begins a sentence, “That runs afoul of the Constitution in the strictest sense, but…” it’s an unsettling situation.

    […] Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” and conceded that the president “technically” violated federal law when he fired a group of inspectors general without cause. The South Carolinian promptly endorsed the move anyway.

    It’s a problem when congressional Republicans claim that Trump’s legally dubious abuses are permissible. But it’s a qualitatively different kind of problem when congressional Republicans agree that Trump’s abuses are illegal — and they simply don’t care.

    […] I spoke to a Capitol Hill source last week who said that the White House has started to see Congress as “a doormat.” It’s not that Trump dislikes lawmakers, per se — at least those in his own political party — it’s just that he sees them as an irrelevant afterthought.

    […] Trump and his team aren’t just indifferent to congressional approval of their agenda, they also don’t bother to even notify their own allies on Capital Hill about the administration’s actions.

    As a historical matter, members of Congress have taken at least some institutional pride in response to such affronts. Congress is, after all, a coequal branch of government. It has enormous powers in the federal system, including oversight authority over the White House, among other things.

    Common sense might suggest that Republicans would at least take a passing interest in executive actions they know to be illegal, if for no other reason than to bolster their own relevance in our constitutional system.

    But they prefer to shrug their shoulders. […]

    This has hardly gone unnoticed. “Republicans take a back seat as Trump steamrolls Congress with flurry of unilateral moves,” read an NBC News headline. “The GOP’s meek acquiescence to Trump’s power grabs,” read a Washington Post headline. “Trump Kicks Aside Congress With Sweeping Claims of Presidential Power,” read a Wall Street Journal headline. “Trump Kicks Congress to the Curb, With Little Protest From Republicans,” a New York Times headline read.

    GOP leaders […] continue to take a cowardly and passive approach to their responsibilities anyway.

    If you haven’t read the book, “How Democracies Die,” by Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, the basic idea is that modern democracies haven’t generally collapsed at the hands of a military coup or an armed revolution. Rather, democracies break down gradually when public institutions and political norms are weakened from within, and people in positions of power make a choice to allow authoritarian figures to concentrate power.

    It’s gutting to watch congressional Republicans follow that playbook to the letter.

  101. says

    GOP proposal to add Trump to Mount Rushmore is part of a ridiculous pattern

    “The legislation to add the president to Mount Rushmore will almost certainly fail — but that doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant.”

    Just six months into his first term, Donald Trump had an Oval Office meeting with then-Republican Rep. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, eight years before she became his Homeland Security director. According to the then-congresswoman’s account, she encouraged the president to visit her home state, reminding him that Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota.

    Trump replied, “Do you know it’s my dream to have my face on Mount Rushmore?” Noem added, “He wasn’t laughing, so he was totally serious.”

    In 2019, with Noem serving in the governor’s office, an aide working in the Trump White House reportedly reached out to her, asking about the process of adding additional presidents to the monument. In 2020, Trump wrote via social media that adding his likeness to Mount Rushmore sounded like “a good idea” to him.

    Now that Trump has returned to the White House, the topic has apparently made a comeback. Last week, some Fox News personalities talked about “a growing number of conservatives” who want to see Trump on Mount Rushmore. Around the same time, as HuffPost noted, one of the president’s congressional allies unveiled a legislative proposal in pursuit of the idea.

    A Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill that would add President Donald Trump’s face to Mount Rushmore. “Let’s get carving!” Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted on X Tuesday after introducing legislation she said would recognize what she called Trump’s “remarkable accomplishments” and “the success he will continue to deliver.”

    It’s important to emphasize a couple of highly relevant details. For one thing, as the public information office at Mount Rushmore has repeatedly made clear, there is no room for additional faces on the monument.

    For another, the Florida congresswoman’s bill will almost certainly fail: To date, it’s picked up a grand total of zero co-sponsors, and to see this as a serious attempt at legislating would be a mistake.

    But if that’s the case, why bother even mentioning it? Because of the degree to which it’s part of a larger phenomenon. As The New York Times put it, “A competition of sorts has broken out for whom the Republican base will see as the most pro-Trump member.”

    The Times continued:

    The rush of flattering legislation, some of which even the lawmakers concede is unlikely to pass, stands apart from merely carrying out Mr. Trump’s agenda. … “It shows the power that Donald Trump has within the Republican Party these days, and that Republican members want to stay on his good side,” said Sean M. Theriault, government professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “A lot of these people are in really safe districts, but they’re also thinking about what their next step is. And so if they have designs on being in the Senate or running for governor or even a position in the administration, then there’s no better way to get on his good side than to do these over-the-top moves toward him.”

    Unfortunately, the number of over-the-top moves is considerable. Among the most absurd — aside from the Mount Rushmore bill — was a proposal from Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who unveiled a measure to allow Trump to seek a third term. The fact that the proposal would not allow former President Barack Obama to do the same thing made the absurdity that much more obvious.

    But there’s also a bill to rename Dulles Airport after Trump, bills to “expunge” Trump’s first two impeachments, and even a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico to bring it in line with the president’s preferred moniker.

    I’m reminded anew of the response to the Ogles bill from Filipe Campante, a professor at Johns Hopkins University: “The reason why this is bad is the very fact that it’s transparently ridiculous: It shows how this is becoming a Kim Jong-Un-style cult of personality, where the sycophants try to outdo one another in their groveling to get the attention of Dear Leader.”

    That competition, alas, is just getting started.

  103. says

    The White House’s plan to Trumpify the CIA gets underway

    “The ‘buyout’ message to the CIA’s entire workforce is tough to defend, but it’s not the only evidence of Team Trump politicizing the intelligence agency.”

    Related video at the link.

    Much of the public might be unfamiliar with Michael Ellis, but as regular readers might recall, he was a rather important figure during Donald Trump’s first term. In 2017, for example, Ellis’ name first started appearing in national reports when he was accused of using his position in the White House counsel’s office to feed sensitive information to one of the president’s congressional allies.

    Two years later, then-Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified under oath that Ellis was one of the officials responsible for transferring the summary of the infamous 2019 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the National Security Council’s top-secret computer server.

    It was against this backdrop that Trump announced this week that he’s appointing Ellis to a new position: The Republican operative [Michael Ellis] is now the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

    Let’s also not forget about John Ratcliffe, a former Republican congressman from Texas who served as the director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term. He developed quite a reputation, too.

    In early October 2020, for example, The New York Times summarized Ratcliffe’s work this way: “He has approved selective declassifications of intelligence that aim to score political points, left Democratic lawmakers out of briefings, accused congressional opponents of leaks, offered Republican operatives top spots in his headquarters and made public assertions that contradicted professional intelligence assessments.” He also dismayed officials inside the CIA, the report added, by releasing unverified intelligence as part of an apparent electoral scheme.

    Around the same time, in an op-ed for The New York Times, John Sipher, a former CIA station chief, wrote, “It’s quite an accomplishment, but in only five months, [Ratcliffe] has already put himself in the running to be considered among the most destructive intelligence officials in U.S. history.”

    After leaving office, Ratcliffe took a job with the Heritage Foundation and contributed to the Project 2025 project.

    Ratcliffe is now the director of the CIA.

    It’s against this backdrop that The Wall Street Journal reported that the agency has also begun offering so-called buyout plans to the CIA’s entire workforce, as part of a broader effort to “bring the agency in line” with Trump’s agenda.

    The CIA appeared to be the first intelligence agency to tell its employees that they can quit their jobs and receive about eight months of pay and benefits as part of Trump’s push to downsize the federal government. … The agency is also freezing the hiring of job seekers already given a conditional offer, an aide to CIA Director John Ratcliffe said. Some are likely to be rescinded if the applicants don’t have the right background for the agency’s new goals.

    NBC News confirmed the reporting, adding, “During his confirmation hearing, Ratcliffe promised to keep politics out of decisions involving intelligence and said he would not use loyalty tests as a basis for hiring or firing CIA personnel.”

    Senators, generously willing to overlook his record from Trump’s first term, apparently believed Ratcliffe’s assurances. As the CIA becomes increasingly Trumpified, it now appears that was unwise.

    Don’t believe the lying liars.

  104. says

    Was Kash Patel aware of FBI firings in advance? Not that he recalls

    In the wake of FBI director nominee Kash Patel’s confirmation hearing last week, senators of both parties posed written questions to him to further explore his past comments, particularly with respect to the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, and, perhaps more significantly, assess his response to a slew of recent firings within the FBI.

    MSNBC has obtained those questions — known as “questions for the record” or “QFRs” — and Patel’s answers, which comprise 174 pages and reflect inquiries from a dozen members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. According to a source familiar with Patel’s nomination process, his responses were provided to the committee on Monday.

    In his responses, Patel repeatedly denied any involvement in or direction of any of the FBI firings that have taken place since […] Trump’s inauguration, including those that have occurred since Patel’s Jan. 30 confirmation hearing.

    Asked more broadly whether, for example, he discussed with anyone on the Trump transition team or in the current administration the demotion or removal of officials who were still with the FBI as of Trump’s inauguration, Patel responded, “Not that I recall.” Similarly, when asked whether he knew before his Jan. 30 testimony that “scores of senior FBI officials and rank-and-file agents assigned to the federal cases against President Trump and the Jan. 6 defendants have been told to resign or be fired,” Patel replied, “Not that I recall.”

    Patel’s responses remained the same — “Not that I recall” — when asked whether, at the time of his Jan. 30 testimony, he was aware of personnel decisions impacting specific, named individuals or “any other plans to dismiss any FBI personnel” or conduct evaluations or reviews of those FBI personnel who worked on Jan. 6 cases or those related to Trump.

    […] a spokesperson for Sen. Dick Durbin, the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, referred MSNBC to a Feb. 3 letter from Durbin and other committee Democrats to Patel. That letter […] requests that Patel provide records of his communications since Election Day with the transition team, the White House, and/or both acting and nominated DOJ and FBI leaders regarding the “removal, resignation, or reassignment” of career civil servants in DOJ, including the FBI.

    The letter also calls on Patel to provide the requesting senators with any communications he has had with that group over the same time frame regarding investigations or prosecutions relating to Jan. 6 case or the Mar-a-Lago documents case.

    The QFRs contain a handful of other questions to which Patel also responded, “Not that I recall.” Those questions include:
    – Whether Trump or any other White House official has ever “asked, suggested, or implied” that Patel, the FBI, or DOJ “should open or undertake a review or an investigation of anyone,” including any person on Patel’s list of “Members of the Executive Branch Deep State,” as published in his 2023 book “Government Gangsters.” Patel added, “President Trump would not do that.”
    – Whether Patel recommended to Trump that he revoke any individuals’ security clearances.
    – Whether he discussed “using the FBI to investigate” former president Joe Biden, his administration, members of Congress, or journalists.

    Patel also gave that same answer in response to some, but not all, questions about Tom Ferguson, a retired FBI agent and former aide to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan who, according to NBC News, recently joined the FBI director’s office as an adviser. […]asked whether he had seen Ferguson or communicated with Ferguson through any intermediary since the date of his nomination. In both cases, Patel replied, “Not that I recall,” […]

    It very well may be that Patel cannot concretely recall his knowledge on those topics. But it’s notable that Patel’s language stands in contrast to many others of his responses that are less ambiguous. For example:
    – When asked whether he was “aware of any plans to remove FBI agents involved in investigations of President Trump,” Patel said no.
    – Asked whether, either prior to or after his testimony, he discussed the Jan. 30 firing of at least six senior FBI officials “with anyone in the administration, transition team, or outside advisors,” Patel admitted discussing “these matters with the transition team for the purposes of providing answers” to the QFRs.
    – Patel stated several times that he has “never accepted compensation” for serving as a board member of Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, and accordingly, does not have “any ownership or stake in this company” from which he could divest himself. Patel further explained that without his participation, the TMTG board awarded him and other board members “a monetary award and shares” last month as “compensation for past services provided,” but that “out of an abundance of caution and to avoid any appearance of any conflict, I did not and will not accept that compensation.”
    – Asked what remedy is available if Trump violates his constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws, Patel opined that “[i]t is outside the purview of the FBI director to opine on the legal remedies applicable if a President were to violate particular duties.”

    During Patel’s confirmation hearing, senators also expressed concern about Patel’s knowledge of, and potential involvement in, Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Under a court order compelling him to do so, Patel testified to a grand jury investigating that case in November 2022, but he generally was unwilling to discuss the substance of that testimony during his confirmation hearing.

    In his written responses to senators, Patel acknowledged that witnesses are free to discuss or disclose their grand jury testimony publicly, but maintained that because the testimony remains under a court’s sealing order and given ongoing litigation about the Mar-a-Lago volume of Smith’s final report, he does “not believe I have unilateral authority to authorize release of or share any underlying testimony.”

    Durbin and the other Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee have requested that acting Attorney General James McHenry give them access, by Feb. 10, to any sections of former special counsel Jack Smith’s report concerning the Mar-a-Lago investigation insofar as it discusses or reveals Patel’s grand jury testimony. To date, they have not received any response.

    Under Senate rules, the Senate Judiciary Committee cannot vote on Patel’s nomination until Feb. 13. However, discussion of his nomination appears on the public agenda for an “executive business meeting” of the committee scheduled for Feb. 6.

  105. Reginald Selkirk says

    FBI’s secret UFO hunters fear Trump’s January 6 purge will send them into orbit

    A previously undisclosed group of FBI agents who investigate UFOs, or “unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs),” as the government calls them, are worried they may not survive an impending Trump-led political purge.

    This according to Politico, which spoke to various sources…

    No special reason to worry, Trump likes kooks, so long as they are loyal to him.

    It turns out some of these FBI agents may have also played a role in investigating those involved in the January 6 insurrection…

    Ah, there’s the rub.

  106. says

    Trump and Musk unleash their chaotic storm on government weather agency

    After illegally axing USAID and drafting plans to do the same with the Department of Education, […] Trump and his unelected co-president, Elon Musk, have now set their sights on decimating the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal scientific agency that helps forecast the weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditions, and manages the protection of marine life.

    “Hearing reports that Musk’s cronies are targeting NOAA—infiltrating key systems & locking out career employees,” Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland wrote on X. “NOAA is vital for weather forecasting, scientific research & more. Their critical work saves lives. My team and I are looking into this & we will not stand for it.”

    As of Wednesday morning, parts of the NOAA website appear to be down, including the Global Monitoring Lab, which conducts research on greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gasses lead to global warming and climate change, which Trump and the GOP deny are real, despite the scientific consensus otherwise.

    What’s more, Trump on Wednesday nominated Neil Jacobs to lead the NOAA, the same guy who was reprimanded in June 2020 for “Sharpiegate”—when Trump used a sharpie to alter the path of Hurricane Dorian on an official map to say it would impact Alabama and Florida when it was not projected to.

    In fact, the report finding that Jacobs violated scientific ethics with his involvement with Sharpiegate is now offline, replaced with text saying, “These are not the sites you are looking for” (a reference to the film “Star Wars”). However, the report can still be accessed through the Wayback Machine, an internet archive that helps preserve websites even if they are removed. [Embedded links are available at the main link.]

    The report found that Jacobs—who at the time served as acting director of the NOAA—issued statements about the hurricane that were “driven by external political pressure” and “inappropriately criticized … underlying scientific activity,” which “compromised NOAA’s integrity and reputation as an independent scientific agency.”

    […] Senate Republicans have confirmed all of Trump’s unqualified and dangerous Cabinet nominees so far, so hoping that Republicans would do the right thing and vote down Jacobs is a fool’s errand.

    Ultimately, getting rid of NOAA is a goal of Project 2025, the far-right Heritage Foundation’s roadmap for a second Trump term. On last year’s campaign trail, Trump claimed he had nothing to do with that agenda, but it is now clearly driving the actions of him and his administration.

    Project 2025 also calls for privatizing the National Weather Service, which helps forecast major events like hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, and flooding. That would make it harder for Americans to get accurate (and free) information about impending storms.

    Experts say that privatizing the NWS would make hurricane preparation and clean up even harder.

    “Attacking this agency, attacking the science that it’s doing is really damaging to the public,” Rachel Cleetus, policy director for the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists, told PBS News in September. “They would like the private sector to run rampant and not be fettered by any kind of guardrails. And we all know that the climate crisis is accelerating, getting worse, having an impact on our economy as well as the environment.”

  107. says

    Trump’s birthright citizenship order put on hold by second federal judge, by Associated Press

    A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a second nationwide pause on […] Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. to someone in the country illegally, calling citizenship a “most precious right.”

    U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman said no court in the country has endorsed the Trump administration’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment.

    “This court will not be the first,” she said.

    She added: “Citizenship is a most precious right, expressly granted by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.”

    […] After reading her ruling from the bench, the judge asked a government attorney if they would be appealing her decision. The attorney said he didn’t have the authority to immediately take a position on that question.

    Trump’s inauguration week order had already been on temporary hold nationally because of a separate suit brought by four states in Washington state, where a judge called the order “blatantly unconstitutional.” In total, 22 states, as well as other organizations, have sued to try to stop the executive action.

    […] At the heart of the lawsuits is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868 after the Civil War and the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision that determined Scott, a slave, wasn’t a citizen.

    “The principle of birthright citizenship is a foundation of our national democracy, is woven throughout the laws of our nation, and has shaped a shared sense of national belonging for generation after generation of citizens,” the plaintiffs argued in the suit.

    The Trump administration asserts that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and therefore not entitled to citizenship.

    […] The 14th Amendment was added in the aftermath of the Civil War to ensure citizenship for former slaves and free African Americans. It states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

    In addition to the 22 states with Democratic attorneys general seeking to stop the order, 18 Republican attorneys general announced this week that they’re seeking to defend the president’s order by joining one of the federal suits brought in New Hampshire.

    The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship — the principle of jus soli or “right of the soil” — is applied. Most are in the Americas, and Canada and Mexico are among them. […]

  108. Kreator P says

    Argentina’s president Javier Milei, a Trump and Musk bootlicking lap dog, has announced that he plans to pull the country out of the World Health Organization, in line with his handler’s recent decision.

    The COVID pandemic really did a number on Argentina’s collective psyche, whith the libertarians taking full advantage of it. Their loud opposition to the quarantine in both traditional and social media boosted their profile and helped them to become elected in the first place. Antivaxxers now reign supreme, and this is the predictable result. My country is going to hell before my eyes and there’s so little I can do…

  109. says

    World leaders blast Trump’s absurd plan to displace Palestinians

    Leaders across the world immediately rejected […] Trump’s nonsensical idea to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip within hours of him floating the proposal.

    In an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime ideological ally, Trump said the United States would somehow take ownership of Gaza and “permanently” resettle the more than 2.1 million Palestinians who currently live there. Trump said Gaza could become the “Riviera of the Middle East” and that he plans to visit Gaza soon.

    Netanyahu is possibly the only one who didn’t rule out Trump’s plan, according to CNN:

    While Israel’s government has previously rejected claims that it plans to force Palestinians out of Gaza, Netanyahu expressed support for Trump’s vision. [That figures. Netanyahu is the one who needs to be forced out.]

    Pointing to Israel’s war objective of making sure Gaza does not pose a threat to it, Netanyahu said, “President Trump is taking it to a much higher level. He sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism.

    The Israeli leader said Trump’s idea could “change history” and that it is “worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.”

    Trump’s comments were a departure from longtime U.S. policy of pushing for a two-state solution in the region between Israel and Palestine.

    A series of statements from other governments made clear that Trump’s proposal is not being taken as a serious solution to ease regional tensions.

    Palestinians “must be allowed home, they must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

    German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Trump’s plan would “lead to new suffering and new hatred,” while the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry said it would reject “any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land.”

    The French foreign ministry said displacing Palestinians would “constitute a serious violation of international law.” Other nations who said Trump’s idea is unworkable include Russia, China, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Australia, and Spain.

    […] Since taking the presidency, Trump has triggered a series of international arguments that have in some cases led to a backlash that will negatively affect American families.

    China has increased tariffs on several U.S. goods after Trump ignored warnings from economists and levied tariffs against that nation. The trade war is likely to lead to price increases for multiple consumer goods as the costs are passed along.

    The government of Denmark was compelled to reject Trump’s ranting about wanting to annex Greenland. Meanwhile Trump floated the possibility of military action to retake the Panama Canal, has antagonized Canada by arguing they should be absorbed as a state, and led Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to mock him as he suggested changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”

    At the same time, America’s adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran have been given a leg up in international diplomacy after Trump allowed his donor and co-president Elon Musk to take a wrecking ball to the USAID agency. USAID manages civilian foreign aid and assistance for developing nations, detects global viruses, and plays a crucial role in promoting democracy worldwide.

    During his first presidency, Trump attracted global criticism and condemnation for policies like family separation and undermining NATO. In his second go-round Trump has accelerated global scorn of his home country.

  111. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    From Mastodon, citing Daily Nation in Kenya:

    Thousands of Kenyan healthcare workers face layoffs after President Trump froze US aid, affecting 35,000 jobs under PEPFAR.

    These are the affected staff: 1,952 doctors 1,234 nurses 578 lab staff 340 pharmacists 24,577 community health workers.

    /Paywalled article. The outlet circulated an image of the front page on social media, which this text describes.

  112. says

    Republicans scrambled on Wednesday to thwart a Democratic effort to subpoena Elon Musk, literally rushing into a hearing to prevent the world’s richest man from providing answers about his dismantling of the federal bureaucracy. [Elected Republican officials think that they must protect Elon Musk. Sheesh.]

    After House Oversight Committee chair Rep. James Comer lauded the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its frontman, calling Musk “one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever,” Democrats tried to subpoena Musk to explain his government overhaul for himself. Due to Republican committee member absences, the Democrats nearly pulled it off.

    “Who is this unelected billionaire that he can attempt to dismantle federal agencies, fire people, transfer them, offer them early retirement, and have sweeping changes to agencies without any congressional review, oversight or concurrence?” ranking member Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Mass.) asked. “Therefore Mr. Chairman, given his prominence and his importance, I move that the committee subpoena Elon Musk as a witness at the earliest possible moment.”

    Republicans control the House chamber and, therefore, its committees. House Oversight Committee chair Comer sought to use this power to table the motion.

    Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) responded passionately: “Yes, let’s have order in this country… Elon Musk is out of order.”

    Democrats requested a recorded vote on the motion to table the Musk subpoena. At the time, there were several more Democratic committee members present than there were Republicans.

    The vote began several minutes after it was requested. The video feed of the hearing shows Republican committee members rushing to enter the hearing room. At least 7 Republicans voted after the initial round of voting had ended. Oversight committee Republicans were ultimately successful in tabling the motion for Musk to be subpoenaed, 20-19. Had the motion to table failed, Democrats would have been able to debate the subpoena and then call for a vote on it. […]

    Link

  113. Reginald Selkirk says

    Robocallers posing as FCC staff blocked after robocalling real FCC staff

    Robocallers posing as employees of the Federal Communications Commission made the mistake of trying to scam real employees of the FCC, the FCC announced yesterday. “On the night of February 6, 2024, and continuing into the morning of February 7, 2024, over a dozen FCC staff and some of their family members reported receiving calls on their personal and work telephone numbers,” the FCC said.

    The calls used an artificial voice that said, “Hello [first name of recipient] you are receiving an automated call from the Federal Communications Commission notifying you the Fraud Prevention Team would like to speak with you. If you are available to speak now please press one. If you prefer to schedule a call back please press two.”

    You may not be surprised to learn that the FCC does not have any “Fraud Prevention Team” like the one mentioned in the robocalls, and especially not one that demands Google gift cards in lieu of jail time…

  114. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/did-elon-just-shut-down-head-start

    “Did Elon Just Shut Down Head Start? SEEMS LIKE.”

    “And we’re gonna put all Treasury payments ‘on the blockchain’? Cool cool cool.”

    While America’s felonious figurehead was making plans for some ethnic cleansing in Gaza and pulling out Bibi Netanyahu’s chair like some kind of butler, Elon Musk and his sad virgin squad continued breaking shit and poking around inside classified government computer systems, and OMG he wants to put the whole US Treasury on a blockchain?? He Xitted: [Social media post available at the link.]

    Sure, Elon, let’s look at that code:

    (a) A disbursing official in the executive branch of the United States Government shall—

    (1) disburse money only as provided by a voucher certified by—

    (A) the head of the executive agency concerned; or

    (B) an officer or employee of the executive agency having written authorization from the head of the agency to certify vouchers

    […] Meanwhile, DOGE is not a government agency. Elon and his squad are not heads of an executive agency, or officers. According to Karoline Leavitt, Musk is a “special” temporary employee, so, no authority to disburse money. The executive branch legally must spend the money Congress has allotted. […]”

    “Should the Treasury be put on the blockchain so this doesn’t happen?” queried Mario Nawfal, crypto consultant and Twitter Spaces host, and Musk squealed back, “Yes!” [OMFG]

    At what point does the stock market start shitting its pants about the full faith and credit of the US government being compromised by some randoms? And, WHAT blockchain is he talking about? Bitcoin? Dogecoin? Some new blockchain he cobbled together himself? And then what, the government will pay out Social Security checks, T-bills and soldiers in Dogecoin? He could just funnel all the Treasury’s money to himself, who would stop him? Who the hell knows where all of this is headed, but at least one of his minions has administrative privileges at the Treasury Department’s payment system, so whatever it is, it is already happening, and there is a catalog of “contract terminations” and “lease terminations” on the DOGE Twitter feed.

    Musk is now claiming: “We just renamed US Digital Services, created by Obama, to US DOGE Services, with a mandate to modernize all computer systems in the US government.” Oh.

    And he and felon Michael Flynn are coming after the Lutherans: [Social media post available at the link.] [I snipped the details regarding Lutheran organizations partnering with the government and using federal grants to resettle legally admitted refugees, [as they have] for more than 85 years. This issue was discussed previously on The Infinite Thread.]

    […] World Relief says that they are not even being reimbursed for work done before Trump assumed office. [Embedded links to sources are available at the main link.]

    ANNND whoever has been twiddling around in the payment system froze funds to Head Start programs across the country starting on January 28, and the system is still giving out “proxy error” and “system maintenance” messages, in spite of Karoline Leavitt saying “we expect the portal will be back online shortly.” […]

    Like so much of the fuckery that’s going on, eliminating Head Start is right off the pages (starting at 482) of Project 2025, which confidently and falsely asserts that it has “little or no long-term academic value for children” and that it is dangerous because between 2015 and 2020 there were 1,029 “incidents” of kids unsupervised, released to the wrong adult, or of abuse. Of course the acceptable number of any of those things is zero, but the program served about 850,000 children a year, or more than four million children over five years. Children are literally more likely to be murdered at home than to be accidentally left on the playground in a Head Start program.

    Head Start’s effectiveness has been studied exhaustively; kids who attended programs have been found to have better social-emotional, language, and cognitive development and better physical health, and are even more likely to graduate high school and go to college. The high return on investment there is why it’s had bipartisan support over six decades and 11 administrations, until recently, anyway. Ronald Reagan declared October “Head Start Awareness Month,” and Bushes H.W. and Dubya made shows of support too. It was a cornerstone of that “compassionate conservatism” that was going to help children pull themselves up by their little bootstraps […]

    Virginia community health centers are now closing too. God only knows what else has been shut off in the meantime.

    Senator Tim Kaine and the Democrats have written a “what the hell is going on?” letter, so, there’s that.

    OH, and the WSJ is now reporting that Musk’s rando “representatives” have been “working at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where they have gotten access to key payment and contracting systems,” […] Which states get the most federal dollars for Medicare and Medicaid? Why, the red ones! Just an observation.

    Where this stops, nobody knows, but we will keep you posted.

  115. Reginald Selkirk says

    The Long Quest for Artificial Blood

    Scientists are making significant advances in developing artificial blood substitutes, with two promising approaches emerging in 2025, the New Yorker reports. At the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis, researchers are testing ErythroMer, a synthetic nanoparticle that mimics red blood cells’ oxygen-carrying capabilities. Simultaneously, the UK’s National Health Service is conducting the first human trials of lab-grown blood cells.

    These developments address critical blood shortages – of the 38% of Americans eligible to donate, less than 3% do so regularly. Traditional donated blood also has significant limitations: platelets last only 5 days, red blood cells 42 days, and all require careful refrigeration and blood-type matching. DARPA awarded $46 million in early 2023 to develop ErythroMer, seeing potential for battlefield medicine where traditional blood storage isn’t feasible.

    The synthetic blood can be stored as a powder and reconstituted when needed. There are still a lot of challenges, the report adds. The lab-grown blood currently costs about $75,000 per syringe compared to around $200 for a pint of donated blood, and production is limited to small quantities.

  116. birgerjohansson says

    The perpetrator of the killing spree in Örebro, Sweden, seems to have been an unremarkable ‘ethnic mainstream’ Swede with no known ideology who had no social contacts and had seemingly withdrawn from society. I mention this just to help avoid rumors.

  117. Reginald Selkirk says

    Archaeologists Just Found the Oldest Rune Stone Ever Discovered

    In an Iron Age burial ground surrounded by towering pines, rock fragments from the past have surfaced, and the faintly visible runes inscribed on them are whispering more to us about the practices and rituals of a civilization long since vanished.

    It is rare to find a rune stone with early forms of runic writing. Now, pieces of sandstone from the Svingerud burial field in Hole, Norway, are thought to be the oldest rune stones in the world. Archaeologist Steinar Solheim, of the University of Oslo, and his team of researchers found that the approximately 2,000-year-old pieces had been broken off a single stone and possibly engraved by multiple individuals. There is some uncertainty on what the runes actually say—and if all the markings are meant to be letters.

    “The Hole rune-stone is distinctive due to its multiple runic sequences and other visual elements,” the team said in a study recently published in Antiquity. “Some ambiguous markings illustrate the challenging distinctions drawn between early writing and non-writing.” …

  118. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/treat-all-republicans-as-nazi-collaborators

    “Treat All Republicans As Nazi Collaborators Until Further Notice, By Which We Mean Forever”

    “Not one righteous man or woman among them”

    Last night, while Democrats were [protesting] in front of the Treasury Department over the attack Donald Trump and Elon Musk are currently waging against America, Pam Bondi was confirmed as the next attorney general by a vote of 54 to 46. We notice that margin because as recently as about five minutes ago, Donald Trump’s “less controversial” nominees — though they’re all Nazis and/or morons and/or sexual abusers and/or For News hosts — were often picking up a number of Democratic votes.

    It’s that dumbass Senate “comity” and “bipartisanship” and “collegiality” thing that nobody cares about except for senators and Senate staffers […]

    Of course, when there’s a totalitarian coup going, one might think it’s a good time to put a pause (indefinitely, and also permanently and forever) on “comity” and “bipartisanship” and “collegiality.” One might think.

    And on that Bondi vote, the Democrats all jumped together, with a remainder of John Fetterman, who we guess won’t be participating in saving the Republic.

    Democratic Senator Brian Schatz is putting a hold on all Trump’s State Department nominees, to make it as difficult as possible to get them through, as long as Trump’s and Musk’s 9/11 on USAID continues.

    Senators are planning to make confirming Project 2025 Trump Nazi Russ Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as painful as possible, throwing up every procedural hurdle to screech business in the Senate to a halt for as long as they have the legal means to do so.

    Senator Chris Murphy, who has been on the correct page on the crisis we face since the beginning, said last week that “I’m not voting for a single nominee while this crisis over federal spending persists, and I don’t think we should proceed to any legislation until Republicans stand up and start helping us protect democracy.” He also said, “I do not think that we will be able to convince people that this is a serious, grave moment if we are helping them populate a deeply corrupt government and helping them pass legislation here.”

    These are all the correct responses, and should be only the very beginning of a new policy of treating every Republican […] as a Nazi collaborator, until further notice, by which we mean forever. […]

    Here are some things Republicans are saying about Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s violent coup against the United States, lest anybody get their #Resistance hopes up that there might be one good Republican left.

    On Sunday night, as Elon Musk’s hijacked planes were all hitting their intended targets [/metaphor] […] he had time to hop on a Twitter space with Republican Senators Joni Ernst and Mike Lee, plus Vivek Ramaswamy, who has fucked off back to Ohio to fantasize about becoming governor. During that event, Elon said, “If it’s not possible now, it’ll never be possible” to do what he’s doing. “This is our shot. This is the best hand of cards we’re ever going to have.”

    Ernst’s response? “Now or never.” Senator Nazi McBreadbags — who recently canceled out all the work she’s ever done to fight sexual assault in the military, and also canceled out any claim she ever had to caring about the military, by shepherding the confirmation of Pete Hegseth, who’s been credibly accused of rape and otherwise abusing women and so much more! — also went on Fox News to say that “The Democrats need to get used to this” and “Get used to disruption” [oh how I detest that use of the word “disruption.”] and also some weird babbling about how the American people don’t care how fast shrimp can run on treadmills. (It’s that thing Republicans do where they find something in a scientific study that sounds funny by itself, especially to […] the MAGA base, to demonstrate “fraud and abuse.”)

    […] Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana […] had similar thoughts. “To my friends who are upset, I will say with respect, call somebody who cares,” he said on Fox News. “You better get used to this. It’s USAID today, it’s going to be the Department of Education tomorrow.”

    He also said:

    “Some of the tofu-eating ‘wokerati’ at the USAID are screaming like they’re part of a prison riot, because they don’t want us reviewing their spending, but that’s all Mr. Musk is doing, and he’s finding some pretty interesting stuff.”

    [That is NOT all Musk is doing.]

    […] On TV as we wrote this, we heard Senator Josh Hawley say, “He’s basically doing an audit!” and say he expects Elon will bring him a full report when it’s all over.

    We also saw coward Senator Thom Tillis say that Elon is “throwin’ out big ideas!” […] Elsewhere, Tillis admitted that what Elon is doing “runs afoul of the Constitution in the strictest sense” — the strictest sense! — but “no one should bellyache about that.” […]

    Senator Rick Scott: “He’s [Musk’s] doing exactly what he should be doing.”

    Senator Bill Hagerty: “The actions that have been taken with USAID are long overdue.”

    Senator Roger Wicker isn’t totally in love with how Elon Musk crashed one of his exploding shitrockets into USAID, and definitely thinks we need to have an organization like that to counter the Chinese, but aw shucks, “Things are moving very fast.”

    Susan Collins is concerned but when has that ever stopped her from defending fascism or, say, confirming Russia’s girlfriend Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence?

    […] Just this morning, Democrats in the House Oversight Committee tried to subpoena Elon Musk. (You know, because that’s sort of the definition of oversight.) Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost describes what happened: [Social media post available at the link. Also, see comment 106.]

    […] Voters who are represented by the Nazis might wonder if they should still bother calling their reps and senators and yelling at them. Of course you should. Not doing so is the definition of obeying in advance, allowing these human urinals to believe they can just get away with cosigning anything Baffled King Trump and President Elon HEREBY ORDER, without any pushback from the people who live in their districts and states.

    No, people should be bothering them more. […] None of them know it, but they literally fucking work for you. […]

  119. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/trumpist-dies-simultaneously-shooting

    “Trumpist Dies Simultaneously Shooting At Police And Tweeting About Gays, Trans People, Abortion”

    On Tuesday, a shootout in Portage Lake, Maine (pop. 400), ended with one injured police officer and the deaths of both a police dog named Preacher and 29-year-old suspect Steven Righini.

    Police had been called to his home following reports of a domestic dispute and were told by his 18-year-old wife who had just given birth four weeks prior that they had gotten into a fight and he pushed her up against a wall.

    Via WMTW:

    When officers arrived at the scene, they said they found the woman outside the home, while Righini was still inside with their 4-week-old infant.

    Authorities were initially able to convince Righini to come outside and continue speaking with them. But when officers tried to arrest Righini, a struggle ensued and he pulled a gun from his waistband and shot at officers as he retreated into his home.

    As officers tried to back out of the driveway, officials said Righini grabbed a second gun and fired at a retreating cruiser. Aroostook County Sheriff’s Deputy Shane Campbell was struck in the shoulder by the gunfire. Sheriff’s Deputy Reid Clark then shot at Righini, who was able to get back into the house.

    Instead of surrendering to the police […], Righini took his very large gun and sat at the window while recording a video and going on an 11-post rant, mostly about abortion, on Xitter. Like you do.

    “My name is Steven Righini. I am a resident of Maine, and I had the cops called on me. A SWAT team showed up, and I’m now engaged in a shootout,” Righini said in the video, adding, “My state has been the number one abortion and gay rights state in the entire country and I’ve been segregated against for my beliefs. Now they’re trying to arrest me simply because I do not believe in gay rights and abortion.”

    Again, the police were called because of a domestic dispute, not because they gave a damn about his personal opinions.

    The video, I warn you, is fairly disturbing. [video at the link]

    On Xitter, he was posting even more relevant things, like this [Social media posts available at the link.]

    Again, there are about 400 people in this town. The odds of him ever having even met a transgender person are slim to none. Again, no one was mad about his religion or his views on abortion. The cops weren’t mad at him about any of that!

    Previous posts reveal that Righini had been unemployed and unable to find a job for a long time and that he had been attempting to start his own Trump-themed cannabis seed line. [photo at the link]

    He also frequently complained about the “illegal immigrant” from the UK that he claimed was “squatting” on property left to him by a neighbor, who he believes was killed by said immigrant, who was her boyfriend at the time. Said “illegal immigrant” had also filed an order of protection against him.

    He was also very concerned about “pedos” ([He is] a 29-year-old guy who had likely knocked up a 17-year-old girl.]

    Other than that, his preferred topics were weed, complaining about abortion, complaining about pornography, complaining about another woman he got pregnant, and complaining about his inability to get a job that pays him over $17.50 an hour. [Social media post at the link.]

    I’m not sharing these tweets just for reasons of prurient interest, but rather because I think it’s important to see what all of this hatred and hysteria and nonsense can do to a person, and where it often leads.

    Everything else aside, it’s obvious that this guy had some psychological issues. It’s also obvious that these issues were heavily exacerbated by the ongoing “anti-woke” hysteria. If you take a guy in that kind of situation, who has been out of work for years, who is maybe not the brightest crayon in the box, who maybe has some underlying issues, and you tell him, “It’s not your fault, this is who to blame!” and constantly ratchet up the hysteria surrounding transgender people, gay people, abortion — then one day, it just might push him over the edge.

  120. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Deadly version of H5N1 bird flu spills over into Nevada dairy cattle

    The strain, known as D1.1, had so far only been associated with migrating birds and poultry. D1.1 is the strain that killed a person in Louisiana and severely sickened a teenager in Canada.
    […]
    said John Korslund, a former USDA scientist […] “This is truly a ‘s— show’ unfolding into a nightmare scenario. We have no idea how widespread this version of the virus already is in cattle herds. Every time poultry flocks break [with virus] we’ll need to investigate cattle contacts [which are many] as well as wild bird and other poultry contacts.” […] “We may have to hope that Canada does the research because our federal researchers appear to be temporarily paralyzed by the political process.” Nevertheless, he urged health officials to begin testing livestock (not just dairy cows)
    […]
    But of all his worries, it’s the farmworkers at the viral battle front for whom he’s most concerned. “No caring public health personnel can currently in good conscience recommend that sick, undocumented farm animal caretakers or flock depopulation employees get tested, knowing that ICE could show up at testing sites […] Better to push the Tamiflu and recommend staying home a day or two… any worker testing initiatives are dead in the water and viral isolates will not be monitored for genomic changes by public health officials.”

  121. says

    Followup to comment 113.

    In the video, Steven Righini even asked why people support the Covid vaccine. He also stated that he wants the nation to return to being a Christian nation. He called the state of Maine “an abortion mill,” and repeated the lie that babies are being killed after a woman gives birth. Disturbing indeed.

  123. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    From Mastodon:

    [Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Twitter]: Big news—Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system.

    Now I really feel unsafe to fly. Seriously. I was debating a flight to a conference next month. This made my decision for me. I am canceling. […]

     
    Elon Musk says DOGE will make ‘rapid safety upgrades’ to the air traffic control system following deadly plane crash
    /Terrifying title. No further substance at the link. It’s Musk talking.

  125. Reginald Selkirk says

    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blocks Jan. 6 rioters from state jobs after Trump pardons

    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is blocking those who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol from working in state jobs, ignoring President Donald Trump’s attempt to offer them a clean slate last week in a sweeping set of pardons and commutations.

    Late Thursday, Pritzker directed the state’s Department of Central Management Services, the state’s primary hiring authority, to restrict hiring of those who took part in the attack on the Capitol by declaring they had taken part in “infamous and disgraceful conduct that is antithetical to the mission of the State.” …

    Pritzker’s directive is likely to draw legal challenges, but sources familiar with it said that working through the personnel code was thought to serve as the best legal footing should it face court pushback…

  126. says

    […] As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explained on Intsagram Live the other night, it’s no coincidence that Donald Trump’s and Elon Musks’s Nazi torching of the United States commenced the day after Congress adjourned and members went back to their districts. But as of yesterday, they were back, and hundreds showed up at the United States Treasury for a fiery rally against what Musk and his team of technovirgins were up to inside.

    Here are some Democratic senators and reps to make you feel better and to help you access your fighting spirit.

    Here’s Senator Chris Murphy — who has been AOC levels of awesome about what we’re facing, so put him on your list — loudly yelling that senators don’t pledge allegiance to billionaires, they certainly don’t pledge allegiance to motherfucker Elon Musk and they CERTAINLY certainly “don’t pledge allegiance to the creepy 22-year-olds working for Elon Musk.” […] [video at the link]

    Murphy continued, saying that we have to reach out to everyone we know to make sure they know that we have “not months, we have not weeks, we have DAYS to stop the destruction of our democracy, we have work to do!” [video at the link]

    Wanna watch Ayanna Pressley call Elon a “Nazi nepo baby”? Want to also hear her clarify that America is not “your trashy Cybertruck” that you can dismantle and sell for parts? You got it. [video at the link]

    She added: “I want to say to our Republican colleagues — pay attention. We’re here today in the hopes that you will see the light. But if you do not see the light, we will bring the fire. Resist!” [video at the link]

    Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey shouted, “WE WILL NOT TAKE THIS! WE WILL FIGHT BACK!” She added, “GODDAMMIT, SHUT DOWN THE CITY! WE ARE AT WAR!” [video at the link]

    And then there was Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California, who had this message for all patriots who might also appreciate an “In Living Color” reference:

    “It is total corruption for an unhinged, unqualified, unvetted billionaire like Elon Musk and his sycophants to come in to our Treasury, to try to take control of our government, to have access to our Social Security numbers, our Social Security payments, our medical benefits, all of the information that we use when we’re trying to get a motherfuckin’ tax return. And you’re gonna take our money? HOMEY DON’T PLAY THAT.”

    It is a correct scientific assessment of the situation that Homey do not, in fact, play that. [video at the link]

    And then there was Jamie Raskin, hoo boy there was Jamie Raskin.

    “Elon Musk, you didn’t create USAID — the United States Congress did, for the American people. And just like Elon Musk did not create USAID, he doesn’t have the power to destroy it. And who’s going to stop him? We are. We’re going to stop him.

    “Elon Musk, you may have illegally seized power over the financial payment systems of the United States Department of Treasury, but you don’t control the money of the American people. The United States Congress does that — under Article I of the Constitution.

    “And just like the president, who was elected to something, cannot impound the money of the people, we don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk. And that’s going to become real clear.”

    [video at the link]

    In response to Raskin, Elon Musk started whining and accusing him of taking “kickbacks and bribes.” And Raskin responded: [Social media post at the link: “This a defamatory lie easily debunked by public financial reports […] As a government contractor who rakes in billions from taxpayers, do you have a conflict of interest waiver? Let’s see it.”]

    And when Elon started whining and crying that the rally yesterday was an “insurrection” and claiming that “the radical left put a lot of innocent people in prison for exactly this behavior,” Raskin continued to respond: [social media post at the link]

    So that all happened.

    Lord, even Chuck Schumer was out there at the rally getting cheers of “We will win!” going. And the crowd of rowdy patriots chanted “Lock him up!” about Elon. […]

    As this rally was still going, it was interesting that right then was the moment at the White House that Donald Trump chose to stand next to Benjamin Netanyahu — two criminal wannabe dictators — and announce that the United States was going to “take over” Gaza, that he wants to “level it” and “develop it” and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” With whose troops? With our troops, maybe!

    That’s right, Stupid Hitler has an ethnic cleansing real estate deal in mind and a new endless war. [Accurate description.] […] He sees a “long-term ownership position” for the United States, in Gaza. He imagines that afterward, it will be inhabited by “world people.” He’s probably imaging Dubai, but for whites only. You know, “world people”!

    Was that thing supposed to distract from this thing Elon Musk is doing, as Democratic Senator Tina Smith sort of suggested? Chris Murphy seems to agree: [social media post at the link]

    Maybe Trump and his Nazi wizards in the White House thought they could push the “make Democrats fight about Gaza” button again and it would work. Dunno if that one’s operable anymore, bud.

    Regardless of what Trump’s motivations were, though, the fact remains that all of these people are literally Satan’s own personal fucking Nazis and defeating them will go down in world history as one of the most badass things that ever happened.

    It’s a new day, through it we must go.

    Here’s your whole Democratic rally. You’ve got an hour and a half, don’t you? [video at the link]

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/democrats-officially-activated-against

  127. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    DOGE employees ordered to stop using Slack while agency transitions to a records system not subject to FOIA

    DOGE is asserting that rather than reporting up through the Office of Management and Budget as the United States Digital Service did for years, it is reporting through the Executive Office of the President and to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Under OMB, it was generally subject to FOIA.
    […]
    This would make DOGE a Presidential Records Act entity, meaning records it creates are not FOIAble until years after a president leaves office rather than a Federal Records Act entity, which would make its records FOIAble now.
    […]
    Trump’s executive order renaming the United States Digital Service […] to the United States DOGE Service […] specifically states that the renamed entity “shall be established in the Executive Office of the President,” […] this assertion can be, will be, and is being legally challenged.
    […]
    distinction over DOGE’s status matters only to records they themselves are creating […] many of DOGE’s actions will remain FOIAble via other agencies. For example when DOGE employees email people at the Treasury Department

  128. says

    NBC News:

    A movement to protest the early actions of President Donald Trump’s administration took off Wednesday, as thousands of demonstrators gathered outside a federal courthouse in Philadelphia and at state capitols in Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin and Indiana.

    Protesters waved signs decrying Trump; billionaire Elon Musk, the leader of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency; and Project 2025, a hard-right playbook for American government and society.

    […] The protests were a result of a movement that has organized online under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Websites and accounts across social media issued calls for action, with messages such as “reject fascism” and “defend our democracy.”

    Outside the state Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, a crowd of about 500 people gathered in freezing temperatures. They denounced everything from Trump’s plans for Gaza to the rollback of rights for transgender neighbors and recent efforts to deport people who are in the U.S. illegally.

    Catie Miglietti, from the Ann Arbor area, said Musk’s access to the Treasury Department data was especially concerning to her. She painted a sign depicting Musk puppeteering Trump from his outraised arm — evoking Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a January speech that some have interpreted as a Nazi salute.

    “If we don’t stop it and get Congress to do something, it’s an attack on democracy,” she said.

    Kelsey Brianne, a key organizer of the Michigan rally, learned about the protest movement Sunday night and has been coordinating speakers and safety protocols.

    “I want to look back at this time and say that I did something and I didn’t just sit back,” Brianne said on the eve of the protests. […]

    Link

    Video and photos are available at the link.

  129. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    The 50501 (50 states, 50 protests, 1 day) events opposing Project 2025 seem to have gone smoothly. What little reporting I’d seen before was wary of unknown naive Redditors organizing it on a weekday. In some cities, more responsible orgs may have participated, and reporting after indicated thousands attended despite freezing temperatures.

    Other organizers will almost certainly have protests this weekend at capitols—as usually occurs after bad happenings when the more people are able to attend. ICE raids have been a recurring object of protests lately. Still wise to research who’s organizing, and about what, before you show up.

  130. says

    News summarized by Steve Benen:

    If at first you don’t succeed, fail and fail again: “Trump, while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, said he is reinstating ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran, reprising a policy from his first term in office. The president signed an order that an aide said is aimed at sanctioning Iranian programs on terrorism.”

  131. says

    NBC News:

    Greenland’s parliament passed a bill Tuesday that bans political parties from receiving contributions ‘from foreign or anonymous contributors’ after President Donald Trump expressed his wish that the United States take over the vast and mineral-rich Arctic island that belongs to Denmark.

  132. says

    With each passing week, the differences between the old John Fetterman and the new John Fetterman become more obvious

    Some Senate Democrats have been willing to vote for Donald Trump’s less outlandish Cabinet nominees, but Pam Bondi’s nomination for U.S. attorney general was a qualitatively different kind of case. The Florida Republican is a scandal-plagued election denier and former lobbyist for foreign governments, who, even during her confirmation hearing, refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.

    Members of the Senate’s GOP majority were eager to confirm Bondi anyway, but there was no way that Democrats were going to go along with such a scheme. When the dust settled, the final tally was 54-46, with every member of the Democratic minority opposed to her nomination — with one exception.

    Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted with Republicans.

    Around the same time, reporters started asking lawmakers for their reactions to Donald Trump’s apparent plan to “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, echoing the thoughts of many in his party, described the president’s proposal as “deranged” and “nuts.” The New York Times reported, however, that Fetterman had a different perspective.

    Outside the Senate chamber in the Capitol, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who is known as one of the most staunchly pro-Israel Democrats in the Senate, called President Trump’s remarks “provocative,” but said that he would support a potential American occupation of the Gaza Strip, adding that Palestinians for years have “refused or have been unwilling to deliver a government that provided security and economic development for themselves.”

    This came on the heels of the White House’s scandalous spending freeze, which the vast majority of Democrats were eager to denounce. Fetterman told reporters, however, that he wasn’t inclined “to freak out” about it.

    About a week earlier, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called for possible U.S. military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Fetterman quickly endorsed the idea.

    [,,,] all of this appears to be part of a striking pattern. In the aftermath of the 2024 elections — a cycle in which his home state’s voters elected a new GOP senator while backing the Trump-Vance ticket — the Democrat has:
    – offered positive comments about Trump’s goal of acquiring Greenland;
    – met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago;
    – joined Trump’s social media platform;
    – endorsed a presidential pardon for Trump, calling the New York case against the Republican “bulls—”;
    – described Trump as “a singular political talent”;
    – met with Kash Patel and seemed reassured when the GOP operative said he wouldn’t pursue the names on his enemies list if confirmed as the next FBI director;
    – and cosponsored the Republicans’ Laken Riley Act, ignoring the bill’s many serious flaws.

    Before the election, the Pennsylvanian also endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to make it a literal crime to sell “cultivated” lab-based meats.

    In case this isn’t obvious, in the not-too-distant past, Fetterman described himself as a “progressive” and backed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. More recently, however, the senator told NBC News, “I’m not a progressive.”

    It’s difficult to say with confidence what’s behind the Pennsylvanian’s shifts, but those hoping to see Senate Democrats maintain a united front against the new administration should keep this in mind: There are real differences between the old Fetterman and the new Fetterman.

  133. says

    […] Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) — one of the three who voted against Hegseth’s nomination last month and one of two Senate Republicans who sometimes has a backbone — said as much in remarks to reporters on Wednesday.

    “There’s no doubt that the president appears to have empowered Elon Musk far beyond what I think is appropriate,” she said. “I think a lot of it is going to end up in court.” […]

    Link

  134. says

    Fox’s new nepo hire exposes Trump’s tight grip on the network

    Fox News announced the hiring of […] Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who recently served as co-chair of the Republican Party. The move continues to erode the nearly invisible line separating Trump, the GOP, and the television network.

    She will host the show, called “My View with Lara Trump,” on Saturdays, which is one of the least-watched days in cable news. Scheduling her at this time indicates that Fox News is more interested in having the Trump family on its payroll than any serious news coverage.

    “She is very talented and is a strong, effective communicator with great potential as a host,” Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott gushed in an email to The New York Times.

    Lara generated some headlines during the 2024 election cycle when she described Trump’s abortion bans as a “niche” issue, despite the millions of Americans who are still struggling with the fallout.

    […] The announcement coincided with a Monday meeting at the White House between Fox News founder and owner Rupert Murdoch and President Trump, who told reporters he had “great respect” for the media mogul despite the multiple scandals that have plagued his media empire for years, including hacking the telephone of a murdered teenager for tabloid scoops.

    […] Lara’s hiring further erodes the network’s claims of legitimacy as a news organization.

    Lara’s hiring was also something of a revolving-door move by the network, since she was previously employed by Fox News as a paid contributor beginning in 2021. She also hosted a podcast in recent years, which is a preview of the sort of incendiary commentary that’s likely coming soon to Fox.

    On the podcast, Lara claimed that public health measures during the height of the coronavirus pandemic were evidence of “totalitarian rule,” called gender transition surgery “mutilating your body,” promoted fake stories about children using litter boxes in schools, and pushed the racist “great replacement” conspiracy that alleges that Latinx immigrants will replace white people.

    Perhaps most worrisome for her new employer is that Trump was a diehard believer in 2020 election conspiracy theories. Echoing his lies, Lara said that there was “widespread fraud” after Joe Biden won and accused Democrats of working to “rig” the election. Fox News had to pay out nearly $800 million after being sued for promoting these election conspiracies.

    The network must expect its latest nepotism hire to pay out handsomely if it’s willing to put her on camera every week despite espousing such long-debunked views.

  135. says

    Trump administration evicts former Coast Guard leader from her house with 3 hours notice

    “Trump fired Linda Fagan, the first female Coast Guard commandant, on his second day in office. A Trump official told her she had three hours to leave her house on Tuesday.”

    Relevant video at the link.

    […] Trump’s administration evicted former Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan from her home with three hours of notice on Tuesday — not even enough time to gather her personal effects — according to two people familiar with the incident.

    Fagan, a four-star admiral and the first woman to lead a branch of the military, was removed from her post as the Coast Guard’s top officer on Trump’s second day in office. Officials at the Homeland Security Department — which oversees the Coast Guard — cited border security issues and an “excessive focus” on diversity, equity and inclusion among the reasons for her dismissal.

    Fagan, who was named commandant in 2022, made a convenient target for a new president who wanted to flex his muscle. The process for firing her was less complex than for dismissing chiefs of the four main branches of the military. More than that, the move allowed him to send signals about his anti-DEI agenda and desire to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and goods into the United States.

    Throwing her out of her house on short notice went a step further.

    “It’s petty and it’s personal,” one Fagan ally said.

    But a DHS official countered that it made sense for her to be moved out of the home at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling.

    “She was terminated with cause two weeks ago today and she was still living in those admiral quarters,” the official said, confirming that Fagan had been told to leave. The official said they could not confirm or deny the three-hour timeline. […]

    Coast Guard leaders had given Fagan a 60-day waiver to find new housing, according to one of the sources. But on Tuesday, Homeland Security officials told the acting commandant, Kevin Lunday, that he had to kick her out because “the president wants her out of quarters,” according to one of the people familiar with the incident.

    The DHS official was not able to immediately ascertain whether the directive had in fact come from Trump or whether his name had been invoked without his knowledge. [WTF? Trump is still to blame.]

    Lunday then informed Fagan, at 2 p.m. Tuesday, that she had three hours to get out. Shortly after that, her team received a call from aides to Sean Plankey, a DHS senior adviser and retired Coast Guard officer, instructing her to leave the house unlocked so that the interior could be photographed, according to one of the sources.

    “It’s a really strange power play,” the Fagan ally said.

    Fagan pushed back on DHS officials taking pictures of the inside of the home.

    “I do not authorize them to come into my house, whether I’m there or not,” she told another Coast Guard official. Lunday relayed that back to Plankey’s team, noting that an attempt to access the house would amount to trespassing, according to one of the sources. But Fagan did depart.

    She left the house “with many — maybe all — of her personal items and household goods still there,” said a former U.S. military official. She spent the night with friends.

    United States Transportation Command is now responsible for moving her personal effects out of the house.

    “She was given a different place to stay,” the DHS official said. “We’re still providing her housing.”

    The official was not able to say what form of housing, and the Fagan ally said that an alternative was not offered to her as part of the discussion of her vacating the premises.

  136. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: Lynna: Ah, 2 weeks into a 60-day waiver/notice, her remaining time was unexpectedly cut to 3 hours (assuming sources were accurate). Took me a minute.

  137. Pierce R. Butler says

    Bekenstein Bound @ # 71: More information on this, please?

    Democrats sue GOP county executive over armed volunteer unit they say amounts to an illegal militia

    Nassau County Democratic lawmakers argue in their complaint filed Wednesday that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman lacked the legal authority to form a cadre of special sheriff’s deputies with “authority to use deadly force and make arrests under color of law.”
    …
    Blakeman … dismissed the suit as “frivolous” and suggested Democrats were defaming the 26 volunteers sworn in to date, many of whom are retired military and law enforcement officers.

    He has said the armed deputies are required to be licensed gun owners, must complete 12 hours of classroom instruction and practice on the firing range.

  138. whheydt says

    Re: Pierce R. Butler @ #131…
    Sounds like Blakeman is drawing on the shallow end of the pool you get typical rental security types from.

  139. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    WaPo – Trump’s new ban on trans athletes

    The order will direct the Education Department to withhold federal funds from schools that do not comply […] It also seeks to use the bully pulpit to persuade sports associations governing nonscholastic sports to adopt similar rules. And it will direct the State Department to review visas of foreign athletes coming to the U.S. for competitions

    Jesse Dougherty (WaPo):

    Statement from NCAA president Charlie Baker on Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. Says the NCAA will move quickly to align with the EO.

  140. whheydt says

    Re: CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @ #133…
    Kind of pointless order, considering Musk and Project 2025 want to abolish the Education Department. No department, no leverage. In the mean time, boycott NCAA for caving so easily. (But, then, I don’t own a TV nor do I pay attention to sports.)

  141. StevoR says

    Its above freezing at the North pole. In winter!

    ‘Extreme’ warming in the Arctic as North Pole temperatures swell 36 F above average

    By Patrick Pester published 10 hours ago

    Temperatures in the North Pole soared above freezing over the weekend — with the high Arctic reaching 36 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) above average. Scientists are concerned that these temperatures will melt more sea ice and accelerate Arctic warming. Temperatures at the North Pole breached 32 F (0 C), the melting point of ice, on Sunday (Feb. 2) after climbing 36 F above the region’s daily average temperature recorded between 1991 to 2020, the Guardian reported on Tuesday (Feb. 4). The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service registered warming near the North Pole, while an Arctic snow buoy — a device that measures snow depth and temperature — logged an absolute temperature of 32.9 F (0.5 C).

    Source : https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/extreme-warming-in-the-arctic-as-north-pole-temperatures-swell-36-f-above-average

    (Headline bolded.)

  142. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Dan Hon (had xp contracting with US fed health and defense agences):

    Here’s my take on what’s happening with DOGE. […] *The most important thing* to realize here is that technology is just a tool and it’s used at the direction of people to accomplish their goals.

    The second most important thing is that *things change when they are deemed important enough*. […] the lesson of COVID-19 is that modernizing, upgrading, and making government services simpler, clearer, faster *could have happened at any time* if it was deemed important enough.
    […]
    Musk [et al.] have made what they want to achieve *very, very, very important*. What’s happening is the combination of:
    i) People at the highest level of leadership with clear priorities
    ii) People who _don’t care about the consequences_
    iii) A bureaucratic model of deference
    […]
    In normal times, it is very very very hard to make a change to government technology. This is mainly because there are rules to stop you […] many of the rules are unreasonable. They are absolutely too conservative in favor of reducing risk. (Sometimes this is described as “doing nothing is the least riskiest option.” It’s wrong, because the current position is frequently risky itself.) Across government, most of the people who enforce & make these rules are unqualified and inexperienced.
    […]
    Here’s a reason why there are rules that make it hard to make changes to government technology: A system in California deals with submitting federal Medicaid reimbursement. When I worked with that system, it dealt with so much that if it broke for one day, *California would be insolvent* But the only effective, practical thing stopping changes is because there is a rule and you would get in trouble for breaking the rule.

    The person running DOGE and this administration don’t care about getting in trouble for breaking those rules. *There is nothing to stop them*
    […]
    You are not supposed to, uh, operate a software system without obtaining an [Authorty to Operate]. Normally this is really hard! (In many cases it shouldn’t be) The DOGE team are absolutely behaving in a way that suggests they don’t give a shit about ATOs. What’s terrifying is that there is nobody stopping them. Which is why I said this comes down to *people making decisions* and *whether those people care about consequences*.
    […]
    In computer security, there’s a class of problem called The Evil Housekeeper Problem. Basically: once someone has physical access to a system, you are effectively screwed. […] And it’s easier to coerce people when you are standing next to them, threatening them. […] All the rules and measures I talk about above are put in place because you don’t want something to break. Musk, Trump and the rest of the administration *want* to break things.

    * xkcd – 538 Security

  143. Bekenstein Bound says

    As print subscriptions have dried up, public notices have become an increasingly crucial source of revenue for small papers, according to Richard Karpel, executive director of the Public Notice Resource Center. That has given some local governments more leverage.

    “The more important the revenue is, the choice of which paper they choose to publish it in becomes more potent,” Mr. Karpel said.

    I’d suggest adopting a rule that forces even-handedness and takes such decisions out of the hands of local officials who might make them with political motives. How about “notices must be published in every local paper with a circulation of 10% (say) or more of the jurisdiction’s population”, or something like that. Or “the one with the largest circulation, plus second-largest, third-largest, and so on until these cumulatively reach at least 90% of the jurisdiction’s population”. Something of the sort.

    Of course, that would have to be enacted at a higher level of government, and right now the federal and every red state government would be a non-starter for this. In saner times, maybe, if such ever return.

    As of Wednesday morning, parts of the NOAA website appear to be down, including the Global Monitoring Lab, which conducts research on greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gasses lead to global warming and climate change, which Trump and the GOP deny are real, despite the scientific consensus otherwise.

    Hear no carbon, see no carbon, speak no carbon.

    Citizenship is a most precious right, expressly granted by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

    And yet, when you think about it, the whole citizen/noncitizen distinction is nothing more or less than a tool for maintaining planetary-scale apartheid. And, quite often, internal apartheid as well, with “temporary foreign workers”, “H1-Bs”, and such producing an underclass susceptible to exploitation based on their having to keep their jobs or lose their homes, neighborhoods, and social relationships.

    In a healthy world, residency for more than a threshold amount of time would automatically grant citizenship, or something like that, and would itself be easily obtained.

  146. StevoR says

    Nina Simone power. The raw emotion, the lyrics, the sheer strength of this song. Just listen to her. Think about the context of the times and the courage she showed in singing this – Mississippi Goddam – back then.

    The Jazz players of that time called themselves “Man” because they’d always been called “Boy” by others so I’ve heard..

    Now the USA ain’t even goin’ slow, its going backwards fast.

    Wish this song weren’t more relevant than ever right now but it is, I reckon.

  148. KG says

    Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a January speech that some have interpreted as a Nazi salute. – NBC News quoted by Lynna, OM@122

    Jesus wept. Why can’t these cowards drop the “some have interpreted as” crap, now that Musk has actually launched an outright fascist coup?

  149. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Norm Eisen (Litigant):

    we just blocked Musk & Trump out of the Treasury systems!
    Court order just secured

     
    Nathan Tankus (Journalist):

    Unconscionably in my view, […] the Union’s lawyers have agreed to “read only” access for Thomas Krause and Marko Elez. I hope the judge blocks the injunction and pushes for something more stringent.

    A source familiar with the situation who I asked about the current circumstances and the latest state of play of “read only” versus “read and write” had this to say:

    Again, it’s a distinction that doesn’t matter too much to me. He shouldn’t have access to this almost 5 trillion dollar payment flow, even if it’s “read-only”. He shouldn’t even be at Fiscal Service. None of this should be happening and it’s only going to get worse the longer “DOGE” is here and the more they learn about what they can do and get away with.

    In other words, while it’s good news that they are reacting to our reporting, the situation still remains catastrophic at best
    […]
    Still, the question remains, is Marko Elez actually “read only”? I can exclusively report here that the answer is “kind of”. Specifically, a source familiar with the situation knows for a fact that Marko Elez’s access was set to “insert” for the Secure Payment System (SPS), which is distinct from “alter”. According to a source unfamiliar with the situation this type of permission lets you “add a row to a table” […] it lets you “create data but not change its structure or delete it, create tables etc.”
    […]
    as of this writing the only change to “insert only” access that can be confirmed is the Secure Payment System (SPS). […] there is reason to believe, but not confirmation, that this was true across systems. […] The capacity for “insert” to wreak havoc is not currently known by any source I have

  150. whheydt says

    Re: CompulsoryAccount7746 @ #143…
    The whole insert vs. alter would be references to capabilities GRANTED in an SQL database. ALTER allows the grantee to alter tables, that is add, delete, or change columns. INSERT allows the grantee to insert row(s) of data. Other critical grants are SELECT (allows reading table data), UPDATE (allows changing table data), and DELETE (allows deleting table data). At the database level, watch out for CREATE (either CREATE TABLE or CREATE DATABASE).

    I really doubt that any judge involved in this stuff has a working knowledge of databases, what with being a Database Administrator (DBA) is specialty profession in its own right.

  151. says

    https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

    New segments have been posted. The segments are all from February 5.

    ‘Be angry but don’t give up’: Trump opposition begins to find its footing 7:57 minutes.

    Trump gravely miscalculates how much Americans care about USAID as backlash strengthens. 9:50 minutes. Maddow covered a video conference call that one of Musk’s minions held with employees to whom Musk had sent the “fork in the road” notifications.

  152. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    DOGE Teen Owns ‘Tesla.Sexy LLC’ and worked at startup that has hired convicted hackers

    “Big Balls,” […] Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old high school graduate, established at least five different companies in the last four years, with entities registered in Connecticut, Delaware, and the United Kingdom […] Coristine also briefly worked in 2022 at Path Network, a network monitoring firm known for hiring reformed blackhat hackers [members of UGNazis and LulzSec]. Someone using a Telegram handle tied to Coristine also solicited a cyberattack-for-hire service later that year.
    […]
    One of the companies Coristine founded, Tesla.Sexy LLC, was set up in 2021, when he would have been around 16 years old. […] Tesla.Sexy LLC controls dozens of web domains, including at least two Russian-registered domains. One of those domains, which is still active, offers a service called Helfie, which is an AI bot for Discord servers targeting the Russian market. […] Another domain under Coristine’s control […] shows content in Chinese that stated the service helped provide “multiple encrypted cross-border networks.”
    […]
    Prior to joining DOGE, Coristine worked for several months of 2024 at Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain implant startup
    […]
    Archived Telegram messages [from his handle in Nov 2022] “looking for a capable, powerful and reliable [DDOS-for-hire]” that accepts bitcoin payments.

  155. says

    Rubio’s tenure as secretary of state is off to a dreadful start

    “The secretary of state was supposed to be one of the ‘normal’ picks for Trump’s Cabinet, but Marco Rubio is already failing badly on the job.”

    Many of Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees have sparked outrage and controversy, but the president’s choice for secretary of state proved to be rather anodyne. Then-Sen. Marco Rubio wasn’t just the first Cabinet nominee to be confirmed this year, the Florida Republican is also the only Trump choice thus far to receive unanimous support, clearing the chamber on a 99-0 vote.

    Ahead of the vote, my MSNBC colleague Zeeshan Aleem made the case that the then-senator was seen as one of the “normal” Trump picks, but these perceptions gave Rubio far too much credit. “In a reasonable world,” Zeeshan argued, his record “would make his nomination for secretary of state controversial.”

    Senators disagreed, but weeks later, Zeeshan’s assessment is holding up nicely. Indeed, Rubio’s tenure as the United States’ chief diplomat is already off to a dreadful start.

    As a senator, for example, Rubio was one of Congress’ most enthusiastic champions of the U.S. Agency for International Development. As a member of Trump’s White House Cabinet, however, Rubio has been content to say and do effectively nothing to protect USAID as the president and let Elon Musk kneecap the agency.

    This was one of the secretary’s most glaring recent failures, but it was not the only one. After a couple of weeks on the job, Rubio has also:
    – Welcomed Darren Beattie to serve as an acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, despite Beattie’s history of racism.
    – Tapped Pete Marocco to help run USAID, despite Marocco’s Jan. 6 past.
    – Silently went along as Trump stripped deportation protections from Venezuelans in the United States, despite Rubio previously agreeing that deporting Venezuelans would be a “death sentence.”

    It doesn’t help matters that Rubio also appears to have contradicted the administration on Trump’s radical new plan to acquire the Gaza Strip.

    […] The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell has begun describing Rubio as a “spineless coward” who is “complicit in the ongoing dismantling of the federal government and shredding of the Constitution.”

  156. says

    News summarized by Steve Benen:

    * After Donald Trump presented his radical plan to acquire the Gaza Strip, the group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump changed its name to Arab Americans for Peace. [source: Associated Press]

    * Despite the ongoing controversies surrounding Elon Musk and his “DOGE” initiative, the National Republican Congressional Committee has launched a new fundraising campaign touting the billionaire megadonor the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. [source: Washington Post]

  157. says

    The ‘60 Minutes’ transcript doesn’t show what Trump thinks it shows

    “[Trump] thinks he’s seen evidence of the CBS news magazine deceiving the public. Reality tells a very different story.”

    Throughout 2024, Donald Trump’s principal opponent was the Democratic Party’s national ticket, but [he] often seemed equally focused on running against the free press. Voters routinely heard him refer to journalists, for example, as “the enemy of the people,” media outlets as “evil” and news professionals as “scum.”

    But the offensive wasn’t merely rhetorical. As regular readers might recall, Trump also made it clear that he hoped to use governmental power to crack down on journalism he dislikes. It’s why he has invested so much time and energy talking about the FCC stripping TV networks of their broadcast licenses for airing coverage he disapproves of.

    After his election victory, Trump continued down the same path, even filing an unprecedented lawsuit against a prominent newspaper for publishing the results of a poll he didn’t like. [embedded links to additional sources are available at the main link]

    […] Team Trump, for example, has removed major independent media outlets, including NBC News, from their Pentagon office spaces. He’s said MSNBC (my employer) “shouldn’t even have a right to broadcast.” After NBC’s Seth Myers told jokes about him that the president didn’t like, Trump wrote online, “Comcast should pay a BIG price for this!”

    Some of the most unsettling elements of the broader campaign have unfolded at the Federal Communications Commission, where its Trump-aligned chairman, Brendan Carr — a Project 2025 co-author — has launched investigations into NPR and PBS, while reviving a trio of complaints aimed at NBC, ABC and CBS content.

    And then, of course, there’s CBS News and “60 Minutes.” The New York Times reported:

    The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday released the transcript of a ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that has been at the center of a lawsuit between CBS and President Trump. The transcript of the interview shows that Ms. Harris gave a lengthy answer to a question about Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister. About 21 seconds of that answer was aired in a preview of the interview on ‘Face the Nation.’ A different seven-second part of the answer aired the next day in an episode of ‘60 Minutes.’

    In recent months, few issues have animated Trump more than Harris’ pre-election interview with the longtime news magazine. The then-vice president spoke to “60 Minutes” in early October; some of her answers were edited for time — a standard practice in broadcast journalism — and [Trump] has been hysterical about it ever since.

    Indeed, Trump, among other things, called for CBS to lose its broadcasting license, asked for “60 Minutes” to be pulled from the air, labeled the show and the network a “threat to democracy,” described the imaginary controversy as “the single biggest scandal in broadcast history” and even characterized the non-story as “totally illegal.”

    [Trump] has already filed suit over his deeply strange allegations, and more importantly, the week after his second inaugural, the FCC requested internal materials about the Harris interview. Though CBS initially resisted, the network said in a statement last week that it was “legally compelled” to provide the material, which has since been made available to the public.

    The developments appear to have inspired a new round of apoplexy from the president, who published yet another ridiculous rant on his social media platform, repeating the same absurdities he’s pushed before. [Typical. Trump is stuck in a swamp of delusion that he created.]

    The problem is that the evidence points in the opposite direction. There just doesn’t appear to be any controversy here. As CBS said in a statement, the transcript shows that the “60 Minutes” broadcast “was not doctored or deceitful.”

    Anna Gomez, a Democratic commissioner on the FCC, added in a statement that the transcript and raw footage “provide no evidence” of wrongdoing. “Having now seen these materials, I see no reason to continue pursuing this investigation,” Gomez concluded. “The F.C.C. should now move to dismiss this fishing expedition to avoid further politicizing our enforcement actions.”

    If recent history is any guide, [Trump] will claim that the evidence vindicates his conspiracy theories. Reality clearly tells a very different story.

  158. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Followup to #152.
    BrianKrebs (Cybercrime journalist):

    Here’s the real story behind why Coristine only worked at Path for a few months. He was fired after [Path founder Marshal Webb] accused him of making it known that one of Path’s employees was Curtis Gervais, a serial swatter from Canada who was convicted of perpetrating dozens of swattings and bomb threats—including at least two attempts on our home in 2014. […] In the screenshot here, we can see Webb replying to a message from Gervais stating that “Edward has been terminated for leaking internal information to the competitors.”
    […]
    Wired cited experts saying it’s unlikely Coristine could have passed a security clearance

  159. says

    Is A Federal Judge Getting The Whole Story On Musk?
    A lot of new reporting this morning on what Elon Musk’s team has been up to at Treasury. The substance of it matters for what are obvious reasons, and I’ll get to that in a moment.

    But there’s important new context in which this is happening: The Justice Department is making representations in court to a federal judge in DC about what has and had not occurred at Treasury, and the judge is relying on those representations to issue a temporary restraining order to try to lock in the previous status quo.

    It is not at all clear that what DOJ is telling the judge is accurate or complete. Whether that’s because the judge hasn’t asked the right questions or the Justice Department lawyers haven’t been given complete information from Treasury or everyone is operating from a deficiency of technical knowledge [as noted by whheydt in comment 150: I really doubt that any judge involved in this stuff has a working knowledge of databases, [or how] being a Database Administrator (DBA) is specialty profession in its own right.]

    […] Much of the confusion comes down to Treasury’s repeated claim that Musk team members designated as “special employees” have only had “read-only” access to sensitive payment systems. Without getting into technical details that are over my head, it seems increasingly likely that to whatever extent that is true, it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story.

    As Wired and TPM have reported, the Muskovites have been working on changing the underlying code that the payments systems run on. The most important new overnight reporting comes from the NYT, which says that the reason Musk’s team wanted to get access to the Treasury payment system in the first place was to cut off USAID payments at the source:

    But emails reviewed by The New York Times show that the Treasury’s chief of staff originally pushed for Tom Krause, a software executive affiliated with Mr. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, to receive access to the closely held payment system so that the Treasury could freeze U.S. Agency for International Development payments. …

    The emails viewed by The Times undercut the Treasury’s explanation for why Mr. Krause and his team were given access to the payment system last week.

    A reasonable read of the judge’s TRO is that it’s mostly targeted at limiting access to the database that contains records of the payments and sensitive payee information. It’s not clear that it would keep Musk’s flunkies from blocking payments, rewriting code, or meddling with the payment system while still being limited to “read-only access.” [True]

    What’s Musk Up To At OPM?
    New from the WaPo:

    Agents of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have gained access to highly restricted government records on millions of federal employees — including Treasury and State Department officials in sensitive security positions — as part of a broader effort to wrest control over the government’s main personnel agency, according to four U.S. officials with knowledge of the developments.

    Other New Developments On The Musk Takeover
    – The Guardian goes inside the USAID standoff on the night the DOGE team tried to infiltrate secure spaces holding sensitive and classified data.
    – The DOGE team has gotten access to key payment and contracting systems at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the WSJ reports.
    – The DOGE team has arrived at the Labor Department and CDC.
    – Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is trying to establish whether DOGE is planning to load the sensitive Treasury payment data onto outside servers to employ artificial intelligence on it, Greg Sargent reports.
    – Musk et al. have zeroed in on the obscure Technology Transformation Services section of the General Services Administration, the WaPo reports.

    Link

  160. Reginald Selkirk says

    Elon Musk Thinks He’s The Man To Fix America’s Air Traffic Control Woes

    American aviation has had an awful week after a passenger jet collided with a helicopter, a medical plane fell from the sky and two planes crashed on the tarmac in Seattle. Investigations into all three incidents are still ongoing, but America’s new lord and savior, Elon Musk, thinks he’s already gotten to the root of the problem and is planning to overhaul air traffic control in the U.S…

    Pretty soon he’ll have American air traffic running as smoothly as Twitter.
    Be afraid. Be very afraid.

  161. Reginald Selkirk says

    Trump Tried To Make Panama Canal Toll-Free For U.S. Ships By Just Saying It

    There are plenty of ways to dodge a toll, such as defacing your license plate or forcing someone else to pay the charges. However, very few people are bold enough to simply say they have a deal that doesn’t really exist. The U.S. State Department published a statement on Wednesday that the federal government’s ships no longer had to pay a fee for transiting the Panama Canal after reaching a deal with the Panamanian government. However, the Panama Canal Authority is now denying this ever happened…

  162. says

    Gutting USAID threatens billions of dollars for U.S. farms, businesses (That’s a Washington Post link.)

    “U.S. businesses that sold goods and services to USAID are in limbo, including American farms dealing in rice, wheat and soybeans purchased as food aid.”

    The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development […] has left American workers in limbo and threatens billions of dollars the agency spends on American businesses and organizations […]

    USAID oversees projects such as food aid, disaster relief and health programs in over 100 countries with a staff of more than 10,000 and a budget of around $40 billion. Billions of those dollars flowed back into the American economy until President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on foreign-aid spending last month.

    Now U.S. businesses that sold goods and services to USAID are in limbo. That includes American farms, which supply about 41 percent of the food aid that the agency, working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sends around the world each year, according to a 2021 report by the Congressional Research Service. In 2020, the U.S. government bought $2.1 billion in food aid from American farmers.

    Purchases and shipments of U.S. food aid worth over $340 million — including rice, wheat and soybeans — have been paused during Trump’s foreign-aid freeze, according to officials and an email obtained by The Post. That has left hundreds of tons of American-grown wheat stranded in Houston alone […]

    […] Asked for comment, the White House said it was cutting programs that do not benefit Americans. [How does pausing work to curb an outbreak of Ebola, or pausing work to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis benefit Americans?]

    […] Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the acting director of USAID, said Monday that “a lot of functions of USAID” will continue. Rubio issued a waiver permitting lifesaving humanitarian aid to continue, though organizations reported confusion on which programs were eligible, and pauses in food shipments have been reported since the waiver was issued. [There is no evidence whatsoever that Rubio (or any Trump lackeys) will be able to efficiently manage “a lot of functions of USAID.” Meanwhile, people will die, diseases will spread and any goodwill towards the USA will disappear.]

    On Tuesday, USAID said that all “direct hire” staff will be put on paid leave by Friday night and that all staff overseas will be repatriated within 30 days. The bulk of USAID staff have been fired, furloughed or put on leave, The Post has reported.

    Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency is leading the effort to shrink the federal government, has called USAID a “criminal organization” and criticized its spending on foreign aid.

    […] An email from the United Nations’ World Food Program confirming a USAID stop-work order said the funding pause disrupted more than 507,000 metric tons of American food aid. An additional 180,126 metric tons of planned food purchases had been halted entirely, and a “substantial quantity” of food aid in transit in the United States was still being tallied.

    Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union, said the funding freeze created further stress for the state’s farmers as they grapple with rising costs, low commodity prices and the potential impacts of tariffs.

    […] Representatives of major farm industry groups said they hoped American food aid programs would continue.

    “USAID plays a critical role in reducing hunger around the world while sourcing markets for the surplus foods America’s farmers and ranchers grow,” Dave Salmonsen, senior director of government affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation, said in a statement.

    Steven Mercer, vice president of communications for U.S. Wheat Associates, said USDA grants to purchase 235,000 metric tons of U.S. wheat as food aid have been temporarily paused. […]

    Michael Klein, a spokesman for USA Rice, said that the group is still assessing the impacts of the funding freeze but that it would almost certainly affect rice farmers. The United States exported 161,000 metric tons of rice as food aid in the 2024 financial year, worth over $126 million, he said.

    […] The representatives said the intended recipients of American food aid would be most immediately harmed by the disruption. Levendofsky, of the Kansas Farmers Union, said he was also concerned by news that USAID staff have been put on leave, which could affect the organization’s ability to coordinate the purchases and shipping of American food aid in the future.

    “You start dismantling these programs, and it’s a ripple effect,” he said. “The farmers are affected; the farm economy is affected.”

    Trump is screwing American farmers … again.

  163. says

    ABC News:

    In addition to being the Secretary of State and the acting director of USAID, Marco Rubio is also the acting archivist of the United States, according to a high-level official.

    Per the official, Rubio has been the acting archivist since shortly after President Trump’s inauguration.

    Last month, Trump said he wanted to replace former archivist Colleen Shogan, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden. The president believes the National Archives provided information to the Department of Justice on the classified documents case against him.

  164. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    EU hails ‘major’ progress on plan to set up special tribunal to judge Vladimir Putin

    A coalition of 38 countries, including all [27] members of the European Union […] drafting the legal statute that will underpin the tribunal and determine its jurisdiction. […] could be endorsed before the end of the year. Details of the text have not been made public. […] “At this stage, we do not envisage any insurmountable obstacles.”
    […]
    Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, which are applied to the individuals who commit the atrocities, such as military officers and mercenaries, the crime of aggression is a leadership crime that targets the person ultimately in charge of controlling the aggressor state. […] an invasion, an occupation, an annexation, a blockade of ports or any other assault that involves the use of weapons by a state against another.
    […]
    This makes Putin the likeliest defendant in a future trial. That possibility, however, remains an abstract aspiration at best: heads of state enjoy immunity from prosecution under international law and a trial in absentia risks being seen as illegitimate.
    […]
    the ICC established jurisdiction over […] countries that are party to the Rome Statute. Russia, like the US and China, is not a signatory. This is why Kyiv and Brussels have explored the option of creating an ad-hoc tribunal […] The last time this kind of crime was brought to justice was during the Nuremberg trials

  165. says

    The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is being accused of manipulating Google search results to give the impression that the Trump administration’s immigration raids are more effective than they truly are.

    The Guardian reports that old ICE press releases—some dating as far back as 2008—are populating in the top results for immigration-related Google searches. Old headlines like “New Orleans focuses targeted operations on 123 criminal noncitizens” and “ICE arrests 83 criminal aliens” give the illusion that they’re referring to current operations.

    But an investigation determined that the old pages have recently been updated with a timestamp reading, “Updated: 01/24/2025,” to make it appear as if something new has happened, leading to those pages showing up first in Google searches.

    A recent search for “ice arrests Idaho” surfaced a press release from 2010, but because of the updates—made after President Donald Trump was sworn in—the Google results make it seem like it was published this year.

    “If the objective is to scare people who look up raids in Idaho, that would be a good way to accomplish it,” Idaho immigration lawyer Maria Andrade told The Guardian.

    This comes as the Trump administration is engaged in a full public relations blitz on immigration. Attempting to portray the fulfilment of Trump’s campaign promises on mass deportation, the Trump team is blasting out releases, social media posts, and statements from the White House and other departments touting high numbers of arrests and detainments. [Always looking for a new way to disseminate disinformation.]

    Similarly, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has been dressing up in full ICE gear while she tags along and records immigration enforcement operations. Trump ally and fake television doctor, Phil McGraw, was also allowed to film ICE raids.

    But what’s really been occurring on most of the ICE raids since Trump took office falls far short of his campaign promises. Raids have led to harassment of military veterans, arrests of immigrants without criminal records, and a focus on grabbing as many people as possible—even pregnant women and children in schools, churches, and health care facilities.

    Trump campaigned on the lie that an immigrant crime wave was making life unsafe for U.S. citizens, even though crime declined under President Joe Biden. Just a few weeks into office, and Trump is already back to doing what he did before becoming a politician: Putting on a show for the cameras.

    Link

  166. says

    Democratic congresswoman rips GOP for embracing Musk’s hostile takeover

    Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds testified Wednesday in front of a House oversight hearing on government efficiency, during which Republicans attempted to run cover for billionaire DOGE bro Elon Musk’s brazen takeover of the federal government.

    Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Democrat of Texas, debunked the myth that government efficiency is solely the purview of the GOP, while also slamming Republicans’ fealty to a private emperor.

    “Here’s the deal. I want the American people to understand that Democrats are not against efficiency. In fact, the last time that this country actually ran to the extent that there was a balanced budget and actually there was a surplus, it was a Democrat in the White House. His name was President Clinton,” she said.

    Crockett then reminded everyone that it was President Donald Trump and the GOP who manufactured an enormous U.S. deficit—before mismanaging the coronavirus pandemic.

    “It feels as if y’all have just decided that y’all are going to castrate your constitutional duty and hand it over to someone who is unelected,” she continued. “Maybe some of y’all just don’t take you seriously, but I take it seriously when I take an oath to do a job, and my job is to look out and make sure that we don’t have any kings or queens in this country.”

    Crockett then took a shot at Musk and Trump, “But it seems like y’all have decided there is going to be Mr. King and his Queen, and y’all can pick which one is which.” [video at the link]

    Crockett ended by asking the Reynolds questions that illustrated the GOP’s control over both chambers of Congress and the White House. [video at the link]
    […]

  167. says

    CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @164, glad to see them moving forward with this, no matter the difficulties. It’s the right thing to do.

    Reginald @160, my bet is that Musk will use AI to try to improve Air Traffic Control. Another disaster is on the near horizon.

    CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @158, Coristine is obviously one of “the best people,” and he is closely associated with other “best people” (“serial swatter” … sheesh)

    Sky Captain @154, quoting CNN: “[…] Foreign Influence Task Force shall be disbanded,” Bondi wrote”

    Yeah, that figures. Trump actually wants foreign influences to effectively interfere with USA elections. This reads as an invitation to Putin.

  168. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: Lynna @165:
    I spot checked an ICE press release. (Internet Archive can highlight differences between snapshots.) The only changes were adding the “Archived Content” banner and adjusting the “Updated” timestamp. Possibly incompetence: It WAS a change, just not to the body text. Given the elaborate lengths to which sites have historically gone in gaming SEO, the purported responsiveness to just a date and the plan to exploit it seem off to me.

  169. says

    Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema! Yep, she’s still around, and she is still making bad decisions.

    Tulsi Gabbard squeaked through on a party-line vote Tuesday, advancing her nomination to be the next director of national intelligence. The two GOP senators who were iffy on her nomination—Susan Collins of Maine and Todd Young of Indiana—voted alongside their party mates, thanks to former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, independent of Arizona.

    According to Semafor, Sinema approached Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, and offered to vouch for Gabbard, a close friend from her time in the House. Their professional relationship apparently went beyond Capitol Hill, with Sinema hiring Gabbard’s sister as a security detail, according to Boston Globe’s Sam Brodey.

    Sinema reportedly spoke with both Collins and Young about their respective concerns with Gabbard’s background. And it paid off: Both senators enthusiastically backed Gabbard’s bid, meaning the full Senate will now vote on whether she’ll lead U.S. intelligence.

    Sinema’s lobbying on Gabbard’s behalf is surprising for two reasons. One is that it shows how far President Donald Trump’s allies and disgruntled former Congress members will go to get his Cabinet appointees confirmed, even if they’re highly controversial—or, in Gabbard’s case, have unconventional views on Russia and Syria. And it also suggests that MAGA fanboys won’t have to put external pressure on senators to back Trump’s nominees. In cases like this one, former Democrats will do the work for them. […]

    Link

  170. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Elon Musk’s DOGE is feeding sensitive federal data into AI to target cuts

    The DOGE team is using AI software accessed through Microsoft’s cloud computing service Azure to pore through every dollar of money the department disburses, from contracts to grants to work trip expenses […] The DOGE team plans to replicate this process across many departments […] Microsoft Azure can be used to access AI tools made by many different companies, and it is unclear which the DOGE workers used.
    […]
    Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Education Department, wrote in a statement Thursday that the DOGE representatives are federal employees who possess the requisite security clearances and background checks. […] “There is nothing inappropriate or nefarious going on.”

    Riiight.

  171. says

    Sky Captain @168, thanks for that analysis. Skepticism is warranted.

    In other news, Labor giant trolls Musk with excellent mockery of DOGE

    […] In response to “Nazi nepo baby” Elon Musk, AFL-CIO launched a campaign on Wednesday called the “Department of People Who Work for a Living,” or DPWL. The organization plans to hold Musk accountable for his illegal takeover of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency and to “make sure the federal government is responsive to working people and not just to the whims of an unelected CEO like Musk.”

    According to the press release, the DPWL will report on proposed DOGE cuts and their impact on working people, have American workers explain what’s happening, and write recommendations for how the government can work more efficiently.

    “The government can work for billionaires, or it can work for working people—but not both,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler in a press release. “Elon is just getting started. He has already tried to force workers doing essential services—including at the FAA and air traffic controllers even after the tragedy at Washington National Airport—to retire, gained access to the Treasury Department’s payment system with everyone’s private data, and is declaring entire government agencies like USAID shut down and blocking workers from accessing the building and their email.”

    Shuler stressed that her goal was to help Americans access lifesaving necessities like clean food and safe medication. She emphasized that she represents 63 labor unions that include 15 million American workers who had trust her to lead AFL-CIO, and she is willing to fight to get what workers deserve.

    “We will hold DOGE and Elon Musk accountable […]

    In a YouTube video address, Shuler said the DPWL started from an “unprecedented” and “overwhelming” moment of “being bombarded with news every hour” of DOGE trying to “gut the government agencies and the services that all of us rely upon, things like Medicare, Medicaid, [and] VA benefits.” [video at the link]

    […] Trump fired National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black member of the NLRB, effectively shutting down the organization. The NLRB is a federal agency that enforces labor laws and protects the rights of employees.

    But Wilcox isn’t going down without a fight. On Wednesday, she announced that she is suing Trump over the firing. Wilcox’s lawsuit said her firing was a “blatant violation” of the National Labor Relations Act and part of a “string of openly illegal firings.”

    The DPWL is one of the most reactive, innovative—and, well, hilariously titled—moves since DOGE let its wrecking ball loose on the federal government. However, the real test will come in the months ahead as labor leaders and Trump’s billionaire buddies clash over the rights of the American workforce.

  173. says

    Another defenestration in Russia?: A Russian singer who had criticized the war falls from a window while the police are raiding his home.

    Link

    Bluesky link, and additional comments:
    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:kpkqu7odzhelr2idxytethe7/post/3lhix4nzphj2t

    Vadim Stroykin, a Russian singer-songwriter who has spoken out against the war in Ukraine, reportedly “fell” out of a window while security officials were raiding his apartment on Thursday. Reports on Telegram suggested he died by suicide.

  175. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    A national museum literally papered over history

    the National Cryptologic Museum taped sheets of paper over plaques that celebrate women and people of color who had served the National Security Agency
    […]
    Many former NSA workers were furious. The museum uncovered the plaques and said Sunday on X that it had made a mistake. […] In a phone interview, NSA Executive Director Sheila Thomas—the No. 3 person in the agency—told NPR that […] NSA leadership had not provided enough guidance as staff tried to implement President Trump’s order
    […]
    [An academic at George Mason University] suspects that someone told museum staff to cover up the plaques for fear of what would happen if they didn’t. Indeed, one of the plaques contains the words diversity, equality and inclusion. […] “We have appointees to this administration who have said that they intend to traumatize the federal employee workforce,”

  177. says

    Sky Captain @175, so fucking ridiculous. That makes both the Trump administration and the NSA look stupid.

    Sky Captain @176, lots of in-court fights. I can barely keep up now, and I’m sure there will be more to come.

    In other news in which Trump and his minions look remarkably petty: Republicans are losing their minds over … Politico subscriptions?

    […] right-wing nuts, including Trump, are peddling the bogus claim that the agency [U.S. Agency for International Development] gave considerable funds to Politico, LLC, which oversees the news outlet Politico and other publications.

    “LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN STOLLEN [stolen] AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AS A ‘PAYOFF’ FOR CREATING GOOD STORIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS,” the president wrote to Truth Social on Thursday morning. “THE LEFT WING ‘RAG,’ KNOWN AS ‘POLITICO,’ SEEMS TO HAVE RECEIVED $8,000,000. Did the New York Times receive money??? Who else did??? THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL, PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IN HISTORY! THE DEMOCRATS CAN’T HIDE FROM THIS ONE. TOO BIG, TOO DIRTY!”

    Of course, none of what Trump said is true. The payments he and other Republicans are referring to largely represent the money the entire federal government spent on Politico Pro subscriptions, totaling $8.2 million between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025, according to USAspending.gov, a government-run source for federal expenditure data.

    Furthermore, only a tiny fraction of that spending on subscriptions came from USAID: $44,000 during the fiscal years 2023 and 2024. That’s negligible compared with what other agencies spent. The biggest spenders were the Department of Health and Human Services ($1.37 million), the Department of the Interior ($1.35 million), and the Department of Energy ($1.29 million).

    But it’s not just federal agencies that pay for Politico—Republican lawmakers also do.

    The Washington Post discovered that 38 House Republicans spent more than $300,000 on Politico subscriptions in the first three quarters of 2024, while GOP-led committees dedicated about $500,000 to Politico subscriptions during the same timeframe.

    Even the office of Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who recently criticized Politico on social media, subscribes, according to a reporter for Reason magazine, who cited a disbursements report from the House.

    Still, that hasn’t stopped right-wing conspiracy theorists from falsely claiming that Politico is funded solely by USAID and is “state-sponsored media.” Just on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced during a press conference that the federal government would cancel their subscriptions to Politico Pro.

    “I can confirm that the more than eight million taxpayer dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayer’s dime will no longer be happening,” Leavitt said. “The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now.”

    […] Politico isn’t the only media organization the federal government has spent money on, either. Records show the government has also made payments to the Associated Press, Reuters, Axios, and The New York Times, among others. But because Politico offers certain paywalled products that are more expensive than its peers’ products, it’s catching fire.

    The attacks against Politico began on Tuesday after it was announced that the outlet had missed payroll. Though the issue was quickly resolved, this led some conservative news outlets to speculate that the missed payments were related to the Trump administration’s pledge to destroy USAID.

    From there, it didn’t take long before far-right media personalities, including Charlie Kirk and Dana Loesch, began to amplify the false allegation that Politico was secretly being bankrolled by USAID. Loesch went as far as to call for “protests outside of Politico’s offices” and investigations into “[e]very news agency.”

    In a memo to staff, Politico’s leaders, Goli Sheikholeslami and John Harris, denied that the outlet was ever “a beneficiary of government programs or subsidies” in the 18 years of its existence.

    “[N]ot one cent, ever,” they said.

  179. says

    House Dems unveil bill to shield taxpayer records from Musk

    House Democrats on Thursday introduced legislation designed to protect taxpayers’ sensitive financial information from Elon Musk and his government efficiency team.

    Sponsored by Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), the legislation comes in direct response to the Trump administration’s recent decision to grant Musk’s team access to the Treasury Department’s extensive payment system.

    Democrats and other critics have bashed the move, accusing President Trump of opening troves of sensitive financial records to an unelected billionaire whose various business interests have raised questions about conflicts in his new role as head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

    The critics say they don’t quite know how Musk and his team intend to use their access to the information, but they’re sounding alarms that it’s already compromised privacy protections that Americans have previously taken for granted.

    “Why do Elon Musk and his minions need access to the names, Social Security numbers, addresses, birthdates and bank account information of millions of Americans?” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said to reporters in the Capitol.

    “Why does he need that information? What are they doing with it? And why aren’t House Republicans stopping them?”

    Musk has made the government’s vast payment system a central target amid his cost-cutting campaign, suggesting it doesn’t screen sufficiently for mistaken or fraudulent outlays. He demanded access to review the system’s processes, which the Treasury Department granted last weekend.

    The Democrats’ new bill would limit access to people with specific experiences, security clearances and other qualifications, which the critics say Musk and his team lack.

    “The actions that Musk and his IT goons have taken … very clearly illegal but so far unprosecuted actions — have already compromised millions of Americans’ privacy and data security,” Casten said. “And if you want to understand how nervous we should all be, think about how hard Donald Trump worked to protect his tax returns from becoming public — even under a legitimate subpoena from the House of Representatives.”

    […] “We know that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are just as outraged as we are, but they have to keep quiet out of fear of retribution from the MAGA extremists,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters. “We only need three Republicans with the courage of their convictions to join our efforts to protect the American people from this extreme and illegal overreach.”

  180. KG says

    Well, you could knock me down with a steel-tipped sledgehammer!
    Doge staffer installed at Treasury resigns after Wall Street Journal uncovers racist posts:

    Marko Elez, a 25-year-old engineer who obtained access to a Treasury department payments system as part of his work for Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” initiative, resigned on Thursday after The Wall Street Journal asked the White House about a deleted social-media account that advocated for racism and eugenics.

    According to the Journal, recent posts on an account that once used the handle @marko_elez called for the repeal of the Civil Rights Act and supported a “eugenic immigration policy” just before President Trump returned to office and empowered Musk to take a sledgehammer to federal agencies.

    “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity,” the account wrote on X in September, according to a Wall Street Journal review of archived posts. “Normalize Indian hate,” the account wrote the same month, in reference to a post noting the prevalence of people from India in Silicon Valley.

    “Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool”, the account-holder posted in July.

    A lawyer for the government confirmed in federal court on Wednesday that Elez, who had previously worked for Musk at SpaceX, Starlink, and X, had access to US Treasury payment systems that contain the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans.

    Sources told Wired earlier this week, that Elez had been granted the ability “not just to read but to write code on two of the most sensitive systems in the US government: the Payment Automation Manager and Secure Payment System at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS). Housed on a secure mainframe, these systems control, on a granular level, government payments that in their totality amount to more than a fifth of the US economy”.

  181. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Followup to #149.

    whheydt @150:

    The whole insert vs. alter would be references to capabilities GRANTED in an SQL database.

    Nathan Tankus (Journalist):

    Having spoken to a number of sources unfamiliar with the situation […] it is now clear that my sources do not yet have information on whether or not Marko Elez can change code in these highly sensitive systems.
    […]
    The wording of the court order for Marko Elez to have “read only” access [“to payment records”] is ambiguous.
    […]
    Records are data which means that a cynical government lawyer may approve “read and write” access for code on the grounds that Marko Elez is only barred from modifying or adding new data to payment records directly rather than indirectly through editing source code. The plaintiffs position would of course, correctly, claim that “read and write code access” is a violation of this order as written. […] So what’s the latest state of play on the ground? A source familiar with the situation tells me that

    I have heard he [Marko Elez] is still on many development-related projects he shouldn’t be if he is just being a passive ‘read only’ observer (which is still catastrophic).

    […] it seems like “read only” is just a total sham and Marko Elez still has read and write code access even if he “only” has “read only” access to data.

  182. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re KG @180:

    Doge staffer [Marko Elez] installed at Treasury resigns

    Okay, I’ll take it. But… really, racist tweets are what brought him down!?

    /Thomas Krause still has “read-only” access to the Treasury.

  183. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/schools-once-more-step-up-to-protect

    “Schools Once More Step Up To Protect Students From Trump’s Gestapo”

    “We all need to be doing that too.”

    Just as they did during Donald Trump’s first term, US schools are having to protect their students from both the hateful policies of the government and the casual bigotry and cruelty of Trump supporters (and their kids) who want to put anyone not white and Christian nationalist in their place.

    Now that Trump is dusting off the New Cruelty for another run, and pumping it full of steroids, we’re all going to have to support our schools and our democracy all over again.

    In Chicago, teachers, parents, community members, and even a few electeds took part in “walk-in” rallies aimed at showing support for the young people Trump and his administration have targeted with federal policy, including undocumented kids and LGBTQ+ young people, and also to support accurate teaching about American history and race. But well beyond that, schools and teachers in Chicago are preparing to actively protect their students from what Trump has planned, as this heartbreaking / inspiring article by educator and podcaster Kelly Hayes explains.

    […] teachers in the district have been getting ready for the possible return of Trump since well before the election. They remember how kids from some neighborhoods stopped coming to school back then, and how they teamed up with community groups to make schools safe.

    That work has continued now that Trump’s “mass deportation” scheme is rolling out, with the union joining community activists in holding “Know Your Rights” trainings to prepare families for that knock on the door and how to respond — if at all. Chicago is very much still a sanctuary city, and that’s integral to the teachers union and its work to help make classrooms safe places for kids from undocumented families, especially now that Trump has rolled back policies that once limited ICE raids at schools, hospitals, and churches.

    […] Trump “border czar” Tom Homan has taken to complaining that people in the city are too “well educated” on their rights, making rolling them up in raids more difficult. The sick fuck recently griped on Fox News, “They call it ‘Know Your Rights.’ I call it ‘how to escape arrest,’” and all decent people laughed and jeered at the frustrated Deportation Gestapo man.

    Hayes also spoke with Chicago teacher and artist Silvia Gonzalez, who said that schools and community groups need to collaborate on letting students know that “At the end of the day, we protect our students, period.” That includes teachers attending those “Know Your Rights” workshops too, and school staff being ready to deal with federal agents if they show up and want to come on school grounds.

    Gonzalez urges educators around the country to draft scripts and rehearse for tense moments. “Be prepared to tell government agents, ‘We do not consent to the entry of immigration and customs enforcement. We do not consent to entry and we are not authorized to review court orders. As a school, we have the right to deny entry until legal counsel arrives. Please wait outside while the school administration contacts legal counsel.’”

    [Sounds like a good plan.]

    The Chicago Teachers Union has also developed a “Sanctuary Toolkit” to help schools create sanctuary teams. Such teams establish procedures for handling various scenarios, with clear tasks for members, so teachers and administrators can practice for what they’ll do if ICE shows up and demands access to the school, or if ICE is already on school grounds. It’s a goddamn shame that such a thing is necessary in our Affrighted States Of Trumpmerica, but thank Crom it exists and can be adapted for educators anywhere.

    In Pennsylvania’s Juniata County, a school bus driver got it in his head that he oughta let little children know that Donald Trump is the boss now, so there’ll be no more of this “diversity” aboard the bus under the New Regime.

    An alert kiddo snapped a photo, and the kiddo’s alert parent then alerted the media to the handmade sign the racist fuck-knuckle taped above the windshield: “OUT OF RESPECT TO ENGLISH ONLY STUDENTS, THERE WILL BE NO SPEAKING SPANISH ON THIS BUS!” Just to make it sound all formal and shit, the racist bus driver attributed the order to “OWNER/MANAGEMENT,” a detail that didn’t go over well with Rohrer Bus, the company whose name is displayed on the sides of Juniata County’s school buses.

    The company issued a statement […] “As a precautionary measure, we have suspended the transportation provider involved pending the outcome of the investigation.”

    […] The Washington Post notes that Juniata County has a population of 23,049, of whom 93 percent identify themselves as white and four percent as Hispanic or Latino, per the National Center for Education Statistics. As to the delicate sensibilities of ENGLISH ONLY STUDENTS, the stats indicate that 91 percent of school-age kids speak only English at home, so those awful other children speaking not-English to each other were surely an enormous burden for the others. As of yet, the bus driver hasn’t yet appeared on Fox News or been appointed to Trump’s Cabinet.

    The Alice Independent School District (Motto: “A School District Called Alice”) in south Texas posted a letter to parents warning that US Border Patrol Agents might be stopping school buses to check kids’ immigration status. The letter advised that travel for extracurricular activities might be interrupted for such spot checks […] so please make sure your kiddo has their papers with them if they have papers showing they’re in the US legally, either by legal residency or accident of birth. Per the Texas Tribune, Crom bless nonprofit journalism:

    “We want to bring to your attention an important matter regarding student travel for extracurricular activities, including sports, band, and other co-curricular events,” Superintendent Anysia Trevino wrote in the letter. “We have received information that U.S. Border Patrol agents may be boarding school buses at highway checkpoints in and out of the Valley to question students about their citizenship status.”

    Trevino added that if a student does not have identification or other documents that show a pupil is in the country legally, “they may be removed from the bus, detained, and possibly deported.” It also warns that if students lie about their immigration status, they may not get U.S. citizenship in the future.

    The letter was posted to the district’s website and Facebook page, but was later taken down, although the district hasn’t told the Texas Tribune what prompted either. The letter added that the district is considering having all buses on extracurricular trips be chaperoned by an administrator driving a separate vehicle, so that if a student is detained, that chaperone “would be able to stay with the student while the rest of the group continues their journey.” […]

    […] on “Fox & Friends” this morning, US Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks reassured everyone that his agents aren’t going to “target school buses and children … It’s absurd.” And if you can’t trust the head of the Border Patrol under Donald Trump […]

    The school district’s roughly 4,500 students are 92 percent Hispanic, so we can see why administrators might be a little concerned. Not that there’s anything to worry about if you are carrying your papers and doing nothing wrong and really really lucky about the mood any given Border Patrol agent might be in on any given day.

    Happy school days, kids! Make lots of memories! Know your rights and don’t say anything until you have a lawyer!

  184. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/pam-bondi-suddenly-finds-enemies

    “Pam Bondi Suddenly Finds Enemies List, Maybe Clarence Thomas Slipped It To Her In The Oval”

    Yesterday, Clarence Thomas sprinkled more pubes all over his integrity and all over America, as he ventured to the Oval Office — a place full of people with business in front of the Supreme Court, or that will be in front of the Court — to swear in Pam Bondi as the new attorney general. How tacky and inappropriate it was didn’t matter, though, because nothing matters anymore. […]

    Having lied her way through her oath, it was time for Bondi to get to work, and for her to start revealing that the things she said in her confirmation hearing were fucking lies too. Specifically the parts where she swore she wouldn’t politicize the Justice Department, how there would be no enemies lists […] and how there would be no “politics-based prosecutions.”

    […] ABC News reports that as soon as Bondi skipped out of the Oval Office, she fired out a bunch of memos, one of which was to start a “Weaponization Working Group” to examine all the prosecutions of Trump’s many crimes. You know, because you need a working group to figure out why the man who is probably in truth the world’s most prolific and unrepentant criminal might eventually find himself prosecuted for something.

    No, this is like the weaponization subcommittee Rep. Jim Jordan established in the last Congress, for the purpose of going after Joe Biden’s family and other Republican political enemies. Only this time, it has the imprimatur of the Justice Department.

    […] She’s going to investigate the Jack Smith prosecutions — the one for Trump mounting a coup to steal the 2020 election, which included inciting a terrorist attack against the US Capitol on January 6, 2021; and the one where Trump for reasons we still don’t understand and were never allowed to understand stole classified documents from the White House on his way out the door and proceeded to obstruct every federal effort to retrieve them.

    She’s going to investigate Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of Trump in New York, for illegally falsifying business records, related to his illegal porn peener payoffs to Stormy Daniels, in order to affect the outcome of the 2016 election by keeping that little story under wraps. That, of course, was a state investigation, not federal, so Bondi really should pound sand, but she won’t, because MAGA is lawless and hates America. They even hate federalism, now that it isn’t convenient for them.

    In that investigation, a jury of Trump’s peers unanimously convicted him of 34 felonies. It was the only time a jury was allowed to weigh in on Trump’s guilt. How many more unanimous guilty verdicts would there have been? Jack Smith is certain there would have been many more.

    They’re going to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James’s civil fraud investigation, where Trump was found liable for hundreds of millions of dollars of fines to the state.

    […] Pam Bondi’s working group will give Trump quarterly updates, because we guess Bondi was kidding again when she suggested there would be an appropriate wall of separation between her and the White House.

    Plus:

    The order further directs the working group to review any instances of “prosecutorial abuse” regarding the DOJ’s investigation into the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, as well as reports regarding whether the FBI politically targeted Catholics, and the DOJ’s prosecutions of anti-abortion protesters accused of impeding access to reproductive health clinics.

    Neat, it’s got Josh Hawley’s hallucinations about the FBI targeting Catholics in there, because of course it does. And investigations into the DOJ for enforcing the fucking law against violent invaders at abortion clinics. Gotcha. Everything up is down, and everything evil is now being called good.

    Yesterday in the Oval Office, Donald Trump wouldn’t commit to Bondi being impartial. Instead he laid down this word salad about how she would be kind of sort of probably impartial:

    “She will lead the Democrats, uhhh, you know where they’re gonna, she’s gonna lead ‘em right down! But I think she’s gonna be as impartial as you can possibly be, I know I’m supposed to say she’s gonna be totally impartial with respect to Democrats, and I think she will be as impartial as a person can be. I’m not sure if there’s a possibility of ‘totally,’ but she’s gonna be as total as you can get.”

    Those are the words Bondi heard, after ethics desert Clarence Thomas gave her a meaningless oath on a Bible that’s full of stories about how people like them are God’s enemies. Then she set to working on her enemies list. […]

    Trump thinks the attorney general is supposed to be his own personal Roy Cohn, after all.

    […] Trump lawyers often end up with disbarment hanging over their heads, maybe Bondi will too — and she will suddenly become a Deep State Devil Woman to him, and she will be then be placed on the enemies list, and there’s not a person in heaven or on earth who will have the slightest thimble full of sympathy for her. […]

  185. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/even-russian-media-cant-tell-trumps

    “Even Russian Media Can’t Tell Trump’s ‘$50 Million For Bomb Condoms For Hamas!’ Lie Without Laughing”

    One of our favorite (current) Trump/MAGA lies is the one that Elon Musk’s DOGE has discovered that “We’re sending $50 MILLION! Worth of CONDOMS! To HAMAS! To MAKE BOMBS!” You almost don’t care the exact derivation of the lie, what line item Fox News and the rest of the the MAGA media are purposefully lying about, […] which is then downloaded into Donald Trump’s mangled dementia brain for him to hallucinate about all by his lonesome.

    The other day he turned it into $100 million. Why? Because he’s a liar, and because he gets confused easily.

    By the way, he’s getting confused more and more easily these days, and it’s getting more and more embarrassing. That whole thing about the tariffs, when he humiliated himself by immediately backing down and letting Mexico and Canada regift presents they gave Joe Biden and calling it “victory”? The whole thing where he started babbling about developing Gaza like it was one of his roach motels in Atlantic City, only to have even his [Republican lackeys] in Congress be (mostly) like “Oh noooooo […]

    […] They’re sending $50 MILLION! In CONDOMS! To HAMAS! They’re using them to MAKE BOMBS!

    It’s that last part that kills us. It’s not just one of those “$70,000 for transgender comic in Peru!” lies about USAID […] the part that hates trans people, the part that hates people who speak Spanish, the part that doesn’t know where “Peru” is but is definitely sure it’s past Walmart, the direction good Christian MAGA people don’t dare to go.

    […] One entity that’s usually prepared to babble out any stupid lie Trump comes up with can’t keep a straight face with this one, and no, we’re not talking about White House Barbie Karoline Leavitt. She’s dutifully repeating it, because she’s that kind of a shameless MAGA trash liar.

    We are talking about Russian state-owned media, specifically RT.

    Alina Habba, a different White House Barbie from Leavitt — there are many of them! — had just dutifully ralphed up the lie to Jesse Watters on Fox News. “We’ve seen $50 million to Gaza for condoms that they’re using for bombs.” OK, Alina, but next time with passion!

    She said it in the course of trying to defend Trump’s dementia idea about stealing Gaza and turning it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” She said Democrats should support it, “IF THEY CARE ABOUT WORLD PEACE!” and if they care about stopping “DEI plays and operas in Colombia!” and also the successful Condoms-For-Bombs program.

    And Russian media was like … ehhhhhhhhh, excellent Russian journalists cannot even with this one!

    RT News wrote that Habba’s comment “leans on debunked claim USAID was sending $50m to embattled enclave for ‘bomb-making condoms.’” It added, “It was to Gaza in Africa.”

    And Julia Davis, Daily Beast reporter and prolific watchdog of the Russian state media, tweeted, “I’ve lived long enough to see RT fact check Alina Habba.” [Julia Davis’s social media post is available at the link.]

    Even then RT doesn’t quite have it right, or at least elides its usual commitment to thorough factchecking. But saying “it was Gaza in Africa” is a piece of the truth about the origin story of this particular bullshit, if you are curious. There is a province in Mozambique called “Gaza” — kind of like how there is a Paris in Tennessee and a Rome in Georgia! — and it was the recipient of foreign aid, though “condoms” don’t actually appear in there, so the DOGE incels are either lying or they’re just ignorant.

    Forsooth, as the president of Refugees International explained on Twitter: [social media post at the link: “[…] $50m would be ONE BILLION condoms […]]

    But yes, if there is any sort of kernel of an origin for this, it is about the Gaza province of Mozambique:

    According to the HHS grants database, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in Mozambique received more than $83m in funding since 2021 for reproductive health projects in two provinces: Inhambane and Gaza.

    They’re putting the condoms on the DOGS! They’re putting the condoms on the CATS! They’re putting the condoms on the people who LIVE THERE!

    And they’re making BOMBS OUT OF THEM!

    See? We can still laugh about and mock these dumbass motherfuckers in the regular way that doesn’t feel totally like the Apocalypse.

  186. says

    Sky Captain @182: “Racist tweets” is just the cover story. That in itself tells you something.

    In other news:

    […] I’ve been very impressed with the AP saying things clearly, without a bunch of NYT nonsense: “Trump and Musk’s dismantling of government is shaking the foundations of US democracy.” Yes! That’s CORRECT! And it even quoted Democrats who aren’t James Carville. (AP)

    Of course it’s a fucking coup, Jesus Christ, IDIOTS. (Timothy Snyder)

    “Multiple intelligence agencies confirmed that the militant Islamist organization and its numerous affiliates intend to carry out a massive, coordinated plan to stand aside and watch America’s increasingly rapid decline, with terrorist operatives across the globe reportedly mobilizing to take it easy, relax, and savor the spectacle as it unfolds.” Melty face emoji. (The Onion)

    “NASA personnel were told to ‘drop everything’ to scrub public sites of mentions of DEI, indigenous people, environmental justice, and women in leadership, according to a directive obtained by 404 Media.” (404 Media) And also this crazy bullshit! (404 Media) […]

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/men-with-guns-tabs-thurs-feb-6-2025

    Embedded links to sources are available at the main link.

  188. JM says

    Newsweek: Ukraine Launches Renewed Kursk Offensive: Reports

    Ukraine’s military reportedly launched a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, according to multiple Russian military bloggers on Thursday.
    Kyiv officials have not yet confirmed a new major operation in the region as of press time. However, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian soldiers mounted a counterattack in the Kursk Oblast but were thwarted by Moscow’s military.

    Information is essentially non-existent at this point but it’s got enough reports to indicate that something is happening. The best information is that the Russian Defense Ministry is claiming they thwarted a ground attack while the Ukrainian military isn’t saying anything. If it was really an attack on Ukraine the Ukrainian military wouldn’t be so closed mouth, and the Russian Ministry claim can only be taken as something big enough to be noticed in Moscow is happening.

  189. says

    Some legal news, summarized by Steve Benen:

    * The White House’s latest legal setback, Part I: “A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s offer of buyouts to federal workers. Today was the deadline for employees to accept the controversial packages, which Democratic lawmakers have warned are legally dubious and have not received congressional authorization.” [Subject is also discussed in Sky Captain’s comments 13, 73 and 176; in my comment 103; and birger’s 178. News is summarized from NBC.]

    * The White House’s latest legal setback, Part II: “For the second time this week, a federal judge has issued a nationwide preliminary injunction to block President Trump’s effort to end automatic citizenship for babies born on U.S. soil to undocumented immigrants. The decision, handed down on Thursday morning in Seattle, came a day after a judge in Maryland issued a nationwide injunction against President Trump’s executive order seeking to ban birthright citizenship.” [Subject is also discussed in comments 107 and 178. Summarized from New York Times report.]

    * This is the first such lawsuit, but it’s unlikely to be the last: “The Trump administration sued the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago on Thursday, alleging that their sanctuary city policies are blocking federal authorities from enforcing immigration laws. The federal lawsuit is the first by President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice against states or municipalities that have sanctuary city policies in effect.” [Summarized from NBC News report.]

  190. says

    NBC News:

    Panama President José Raúl Mulino said on Thursday the U.S. was spreading ‘lies and falsehoods’ after the State Department claimed U.S. government vessels would be able to pass through the Panama Canal without paying.

    See also Reginald’s comment 161.

  191. says

    NBC News:

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has detected a bird flu strain in dairy cattle that previously had not been seen in cows, the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said on Wednesday. Before this detection, all of the 957 bird flu infections among dairy cow herds reported since the outbreak began last year had been caused by the same strain of the virus, according to the USDA.

    See also Sky Captain’s comment 120.

  192. JM says

    CNN: Rubio walks back State Department’s claim of free Panama Canal transit for US government vessels

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has walked back the State Department’s assertion that Panama “has agreed to no longer charge fees” to US government vessels transiting the Panama Canal after an outcry from the Panamanian government.
    On Thursday, Rubio said that the US “expects” Panama to remove the fees, but acknowledged that “Panama has a process of laws and procedures that they need to follow as it relates to the Panamanian port.”

    It looks like Rubio got ahead of himself and simply assumed Panama would accept the American position immediately. There may be a deal that will go through once approved by the Panamanian government, or Panama may walk back a deal after Rubio’s mistake or Rubio may be entirely off base. From what I have read Panama is willing to wave fee’s on US military ships because it isn’t much money but it expects something in return more then US promises.
    This is a serious botch for international negotiations. In most administrations somebody at Rubio’s level would be preparing their resignation no matter why it happened. In Trump’s it probably won’t be an issue as long as Rubio was holding to what Trump wants.

  194. says

    Satire:

    WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Elon Musk revealed on Thursday that the team he assembled to run the federal government are receiving high school credit for their efforts.

    Treyson Parlow, 16, said he was “pumped” to learn that he would accrue class credits for serving as Secretary of the Treasury under Musk.

    “Messing around with trillions of dollars has been sick AF,” the sophomore said. “Pretty soon, though, I’m gonna have to quit and take driver’s ed.”

    Musk extolled the energy and enthusiasm of his young proteges, telling reporters, “There haven’t been this many high school kids involved with the government since Matt Gaetz was in Congress.”

    Link

  195. says

    Satire:

    GAZA (The Borowitz Report)—A spokesman for the Palestinian people said on Wednesday that, though they had no intention of leaving the Gaza Strip, they would be “very interested” in taking control of the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

    “Right now, Mar-a-Lago is a mess,” the spokesman said. “The only reason anyone is living there is because they have no other alternative.”

    The spokesman said the Palestinians would begin rehabilitating the derelict property by “clearing out all of the stolen documents and returning them to their rightful owners.”

    Additionally, the spokesman indicated, Mar-a-Lago would require “extensive fumigation,” adding, “If it’s like any other Trump property, it has a bedbug issue.”

    Link

  196. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Trump energy secretary allowed 23-year-old DOGE rep to access IT systems over objections from general counsel

    DOGE representative Luke Farritor—a 23-year-old former SpaceX intern […] Members of the general counsel and chief information offices “said this is a bad idea” because Farritor hadn’t had a standard background investigation needed to access the department’s system
    […]
    Farritor was granted access to basic IT including email and Microsoft 365, one of the people said. The chief information office only does a small amount of IT and cybersecurity work for the National Nuclear Security Administration […] running basic internet services for NNSA’s headquarters. It does not run IT systems for the nuclear agency’s labs controlling the nation’s nuclear stockpile. There are also plans to install a different SpaceX network security engineer as DOE’s new chief information officer
    […]
    Energy Department employees—including [NNSA]—have received the so-called buyout emails […] NNSA being included in the “buyout” wave is significant because it manufactures and maintains the nation’s nuclear stockpile and does other critical national security work. […] employees working at the department under a year have received emails they’ve been deemed to be on probationary status and warned they could be fired immediately. [DoE has 1000+ employees, 60 put on leave for DEI.]

  197. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Marisa Kabas (The Handbasket):

    The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) was told this week by DOJ that they’d lose their funding if the org didn’t remove any mentions of LGBTQIA+ issues from their public materials, I’ve learned. Staff were told they need to deadname trans kids in their reports to comply.

    There’s been a whole lot of evil shit this week, but this is close to the top of the list. sending love to all my LGBTQIA+ friends. you shouldn’t have to deal with this shit and i won’t let these evil fucks get away with it.

  198. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Kyle Griffin (MSNBC):

    Some U.S. Agency for International Development and State Dept. career employees are concerned information in their personal devices may be being monitored.

    The employees received pop-ups in the last few days warning them that info on their personal phones or laptops could be tracked.

    Commetary:

    Rando: Sounds illegal as fuck to me.
    –
    Laffy: Because it is

  199. Bekenstein Bound says

    The capacity for “insert” to wreak havoc is not currently known by any source I have

    Well, at least it takes some of the more catastrophic scenarios off the table, such as Musk(‘s goons) doing a DROP TABLE SocialSecurityRecipients.

    On the other hand, the ability to add fraudulent records could definitely still cause serious problems, up to and including zone-flooding, especially if he can forge the timestamps (so simply purging everything added since February 1, 2025 won’t suffice to fix it and limit the damage to “only” the loss of the non-fraudulent records for the past week).

    But given that they have already had full admin rights for a week, I sincerely hope there are solid off-site backups that predate the Muskpocalypse and that these felons never had access to, and that the fuckers are arrested and hauled away in irons and then those backups are restored.

    The DOGE team is using AI software accessed through Microsoft’s cloud computing service Azure to pore through every dollar of money the department disburses, from contracts to grants to work trip expenses

    Which means Microsoft is now also privy to a lot of data that they shouldn’t be. And is now complicit in frankly illegal activities.

    Microsoft’s lawyers might want to carefully consider whether it is in the best interests of Microsoft to permit Musk and his goon squad to continue to use Azure services, in case it exposes Microsoft to future liability in the event that this latest putsch ultimately fails and the judiciary starts reckoning seriously with its perpetrators and their accomplices.

  201. StevoR says

    Aussie ABC news with a long string of all the evil shit Trump has been doing today / yesterday here :

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-07/donald-trump-live-blog-icc-sanction/104908034

    What has Trump done to remake the US government so far?

    7 hours ago

    Trump administration sued by government workers over slashing of USAID

    US Senate confirms Project 2025 co-author as budget director

    9 hours ago

    NCAA bans transgender women from sports

    10h ago

    Election commissioner says Trump removed her from office

    Trump administration to keep less than 300 USAID staff out of thousands, sources say

    Rubio says Palestinians in Gaza must relocate in ‘interim’

    11 hours ago

    Breaking: Trump signs ICC sanctions order

    12h ago

    Trump doubles down on Gaza proposal

    Trump has ICC in his sights

    Ad nauseam Those are the headlines you can click on for (slightly) more details of each.

  203. KG says

    StevoR@201,

    I wonder which of those everyone in the “Don’t panic, it’s just show/a neogtiating position/a distraction from…” crew will agree about. My own view is that they are all things Trump will do if he can get away with them; and for those he can’t right now, they’ll appear to be dropped, then raised again when he thinks the time is right.

  204. birgerjohansson says

    The UAV Kona by the company Natilus will be able to carry 3.8 tons of cargo on short-range feeder routes. It has a blended wing/body design for improved fuel economy and will be able to take off and land on short primitive airfields. First prototype flew 2023 and it is expected to enter service 2028.

  206. JM says

    CNN: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants to bypass the Fed to lower interest rates

    Still, despite Trump’s barrage of criticism against the Fed, Bessent is assuring Wall Street that the administration isn’t trying to twist the Fed’s arm, but rather carve out its own approach.
    “He is not calling for the Fed to lower rates,” Bessent told Fox Business on Wednesday. Instead, he said, the Trump administration is focused on lowering the 10-year Treasury yield. “If we deregulate the economy, if we get this tax bill done, if we get energy down, then rates will take care of themselves and the dollar will take care of itself,” he said.

    Reminder of who is running thing. It goes without saying that Bessets claim that Trump isn’t trying to twist the Fed’s arm is bogus. Trump tried to get Powell to resign and leaned on them to cut rates. Unlike other departments though when push came to shove Trump backed off. The Trump administration is willing to blindly run over the law on other issues but won’t interfere with the Federal Reserve. A core bit of the Trump administration is government by the rich for the rich.

    The Trump administration has said it is focused on boosting economic growth through “expansionary” policies. Its plan to gut government agencies and reduce spending could enable that growth to not be inflationary, positively impacting Treasuries.

    Over the short term this may be true. The ten year Treasury bonds are free floating, if they gut spending it will mean less bonds. This means people paying more per bond to buy them and that means lower rates. Trump may also get a short term drop once his policy is clear, the rates are running a bit high right now because of uncertainty and fear that a trade war will trigger inflation.
    This depends on Trump actually reducing spending. There is a good chance that even if Trump cuts some governmental departments his administration ends up spending more. Huge tax cuts for the rich, tax rebates for industrial policy and a very expensive border policy is likely to require more borrowing, not less.

  207. Reginald Selkirk says

    Report: Plane with 10 onboard missing near Nome (Alaska, USA)

    A plane was reported missing near Nome late Thursday afternoon, according to officials.

    Jim West, volunteer fire and ambulance chief in Nome, said a plane went down with 10 people onboard.

    The plane — a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft owned by Bering Air — was reported to have been flying from Unalakleet to Nome, according to the Nome Volunteer Fire Department…

  209. birgerjohansson says

    I only post this to put some light, not Tr*mp-related /fatal crash-related links in here.

    ‘Nice recovery’.#tvshow #tseries #fallout4 #fallout
    .https://youtube.com/shorts/a0ORyLwWROM
    Normally, people raise their hands over their heads while the assailant still has bullets!

  210. Reginald Selkirk says

    Chocolate Fans Urged to Stock Up After Nestlé Reveals Popular Candy Bar to Be Discontinued This Summer

    …
    While there are loads of chocolate varieties to choose from, Nestlé is one of the few retail giants that actually offers vegan versions of some of their most popular chocolate brands. But in an unexpected turn of events, fans of Kit Kat Vegan are being urged to stock up on the fan-favorite chocolate bar in preparation of its impending discontinuation this summer.

    The cause for the discontinuation is being labeled as “a drop in global demand,” and it officially puts an end to a 4-year run on the market for Kit Kat Vegan. Kit Kat was actually one of the first major chocolate providers to launch a plant-based alternative for chocolate lovers everywhere, and it received widespread enthusiasm in the process…

    Sounds like Cancel Culture.

  211. says

    https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

    Rep. Crockett calls out budget busting price tag of Trump’s anti-immigrant crusade

    Rachel Maddow’s segment from last night is posted at the link above. The video is 7:53 minutes long.

    Also posted: Judge drops hammer on the Trump-Musk Treasury takeover gambit. The video is 4:24 minutes.

    Also posted New reporting on Musk’s minions makes his government takeover team look even worse. The video is 6:33 minutes.

    All of Rachel’s presentations are excellent. She brings new depth and new details to the discussions.

  212. says

    Followup to Sky Captain @196.

    Musk’s DOGE operation keeps gaining new access to sensitive information</>

    “There’s good reason Democrats are proposing legislation that would block the so-called Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive data.”
    Related video from Rachel Maddow is available at the link.

    The first national freakout over Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its access to sensitive information unfolded at the Department of the Treasury. The billionaire megadonor and his surrogates had their eyes on an obscure office called the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which oversees a system that effectively serves as the nation’s checkbook, overseeing trillions of dollars in federal expenditures.

    At issue is a system that covers everything from Social Security and Medicare benefits to payments to government contractors to IRS refunds. Access has long been limited to a small number of career officials — until Donald Trump was elected and DOGE folks demanded and received access to the highly sensitive Treasury system for […]

    The ensuing controversy is the subject of multiple lawsuits, but while the matter is adjudicated, what might not be immediately obvious is the scope of the broader problem.

    For example, Musk and his surrogates have also reportedly gained access to multiple sensitive internal systems at the Department of Education, giving them access to financial information on those who’ve received student loans. They’ve also reportedly sought access to sensitive data at the Department of Labor.

    The same thing has reportedly happened at the Office of Personnel Management (often known as OPM), which houses sensitive information about millions of federal employees. The Washington Post spoke to a leading cybersecurity expert who said, “It’s highly likely they’re improperly accessing, transferring and storing highly sensitive data outside of the environments it was intended to be contained within. If I were a nation like China, Russia or Iran, I’d be having a field day with a bunch of college kids running around with sensitive federal government data on unencrypted hard drives.”

    But if these weren’t quite unsettling enough, consider a CNN report on yet another Cabinet agency facing similar scrutiny.

    A representative from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was granted access to the Energy Department’s IT system on Wednesday by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, two people with knowledge of the situation told CNN. Wright granted access to DOGE representative Luke Farritor — a 23-year-old former SpaceX intern — even over objections from members of the department’s general counsel and chief information offices, the people told CNN.

    […] “He’s not cleared to be in DOE, on our systems,” one of the sources explained.

    […] Politico’s E&E News, which focuses on developments related to the energy sector, published a related report, noting that Farritor, the 23-year-old member of Musk’s DOGE operation, is now listed in the Department of Energy’s staff directory.

    It’s not uncommon for people, even on Capitol Hill, to be confused about what the Department of Energy does, so let’s clarify matters: The agency, among other thing, oversees the United States’ nuclear weapons program and nuclear security policies.

    It’s against this backdrop that several congressional Democrats are proposing new legislation that would block the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive data. There’s no reason that such a bill should be seen as a partisan or ideological endeavor, though I have a hunch Republicans won’t be overly eager to support the proposal. Watch this space.

  213. says

    The Hill:

    A new cover of Time magazine features billionaire Elon Musk behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office at the White House. The photo illustration teased a cover story titled “Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington,” which chronicles his efforts to implement massive government reforms during President Trump’s first weeks in office. […]

    Link

    Commentary:

    Exactly eight years ago this week, Time magazine published a memorable cover story on Steve Bannon. The headline used for the piece inside the magazine asked, “Is Steve Bannon the Second Most Powerful Man in the World?”

    It’s easy to forget, but as Donald Trump’s first term got underway, Bannon was seen as the driving force in the White House. “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert joked in April 2017, “Steve Bannon was removed from the National Security Council. No word on when he’ll step down from his role as president.”

    Around the same time, The New York Times reported that Trump “quietly expressed annoyance” at the attention Bannon was receiving. The president was especially unhappy, the report added, about “the ‘President Bannon’ puppet-master theme promoted by magazines, late-night talk shows and Twitter.”

    But it was the Time cover that, according to multiple reports, especially bothered Trump, who has long invested great importance in the magazine’s cover images. (At one point, he even took a fake Time magazine cover, featuring his image, and hung it up in at least five of his properties around the world.)

    […] A BBC report on his departure noted, “The cover of Time magazine showed Bannon at the height of his powers, but it may also have set in motion his eventual downfall.”

    Eight years to the week after Bannon graced the magazine’s cover, getting Trump’s attention, Time published a similarly striking report.

    The cover image, showing Musk behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as if he were the real president, is not at all subtle. [Image of Time cover is available at the MSNBC link.]
    […]

    Why the new cover of Time magazine is likely to get Trump’s attention

  214. says

    Here’s What Treasury and DOJ Mean By ‘Read-Only’ Access, by Josh Marshall

    One of the continuing mysteries about the DOGE intrusion into the super sensitive payments computer system housed at the Treasury Department is just what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as well as other administration officials and lawyers mean by “read-only” access. For starters, it’s not clear that “read-only” is actually a privilege level on the systems in question. But that’s kind of a technical detail. More importantly, both Wired and TPM have independently reported that now-defenestrated DOGE operative Marko Elez in fact had administrator-level privileges on the same system. In other words, not “read only,” but full access to do pretty much anything if they chose to. And that’s not what people are thinking when they hear “read-only.” So what is it? Are the Treasury Secretary or the DOJ lawyers who went into court lying? Is there some technicality we’re not thinking of?

    Earlier today I speculated that the issue might be a distinction between the data and the code. As I noted then, I know of no evidence that they’ve altered any data and it’s not even clear why they’d want to. So maybe that’s the answer: a perhaps deceptive but still narrowly accurate claim.

    Having now done some additional reporting, I can now say pretty confidently that this is in fact the issue. When they say they only have “read-only” access, they’re talking about the data, not the code, even though administrator privileges and the ability to alter the code base has been central to all the public conversation about this.

    Once we focus on this distinction, everything falls into place. It’s misleading but not false.

    To make sense of this you have to look at the legal case that got this into court. The claim is pretty narrow and it has to do with government employees saying that their personal data is being exposed to non-government employees or people who are technically government employees but not really. Since that is the basis of the lawsuit, the way the plaintiffs got into court, it’s the only relevant question for the purposes of the litigation. Whether the DOGErs have write-privileges to the code or whether they’ve altered the code — that’s totally irrelevant for the purposes of this case. It may be a huge deal for a million other reasons but not for this case.

    If you look closely at the letter a Treasury official sent in response to questions from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), this distinction is actually made clear … if you read closely. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Blum assures Wyden that “Treasury staff members working with Tom Krause, a Treasury employee, will have read-only access to the coded data of the Fiscal Service’s payment systems…”

    He simply doesn’t address whether they have any control over or ability to alter the code. In the court case it’s irrelevant. […] The fact that people reading it are thinking this is in some way a denial of reports that the DOGErs got write-privileges for the code … well, I think they figure if people are confused about precisely what they’re referring to by “read-only,” welp, not their problem.

    So yeah, this is the answer. In practice these amount to non-denial denials of the whole question of why Marko Elez — seemingly the first administration staffer to actually take advantage of the resignation program — was given this mind-boggling level of control over this critical system, and what he did with those privileges.

  215. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    The Trump administration is in talks with a private shipping-container company to provide temporary space to house and process thousands of migrants slated for deportation

    From Mastodon:

    These aren’t to be used to ship people, but provide space to hold people being “processed.” Given that they’re likely to go for the cheapest option, this will be excruciating for people sent to those facilities.

    It’s inhumane, undignified, and cruel, but it’s not quite as cruel as loading people into a container and shipping them off.

  216. says

    Congressman’s plan to fund Trump’s tax cuts? Make Americans ‘sacrifice’

    […] Trump on Thursday met with House Republican leaders and laid out his demands to cut taxes for the rich, as well as his proposal to end taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security.

    Trump’s tax proposal could cost as much as $11 trillion—yes, trillion with a T—over the next 10 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonprofit that seeks to reduce the federal budget deficit. It’s an astronomical number that, without corresponding cuts, would make the debt at least 132% of the gross domestic product of the United States, according to the CRFB.

    Because the procedural mechanism Republicans want to use to pass Trump’s policy agenda requires that legislation generally not add to the federal debt, that means Republicans would have to offset the tax cuts with massive amounts of cuts elsewhere in the budget.

    And even GOP lawmakers are admitting the cuts they’ll need to make will be painful for the American people.

    “It will be littered with a collection of ideas, some of which Americans are going to really not be for, but hey, if we don’t sacrifice, if we don’t understand that this is going to be a painful process, nothing’s going to change,” Republican Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska said in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday, referring to the forthcoming GOP budget that will be used to pass Trump’s tax-cut agenda.

    “My message to the American people is: We as a nation, as Americans, have to recognize that this is such a big problem—our debt—that we’re going to have to say no to some programs that we like but we simply can’t afford,” he added.

    Republicans have been circulating proposed cuts, including deeply slashing Medicaid—which insures more than 72 million low-income Americans, or more than 20% of the U.S. population.

    Also on the list? Axing tax breaks to make child care and higher education more affordable. Major cuts to food stamps. Taxing scholarship money. And curtailing employer transportation benefits that make commuting more affordable.

    […] After meeting behind closed doors for five hours on Thursday, House Republicans still don’t have an agreed-upon framework for how to move forward, Politico reported.

    That comes after House Republicans couldn’t agree to a framework during a recent three-day retreat.

    And even if they do figure out a framework, getting it passed will be a separate story since the draconian cuts necessary to cut taxes for the rich would politically damage GOP lawmakers in swing seats.

    Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York is expected to soon be confirmed as United Nations ambassador, meaning that Republicans will then have just 217 seats in the House. In other words, for months, their leadership won’t be able to lose a single House vote if they want this tax bill to pass.

  219. says

    Satire:

    WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In a disastrous setback for Elon Musk, on Friday a coding error by a teenaged member of DOGE resulted in the tech titan’s entire fortune being donated to Save the Children.

    Treyson Parlow, 16, said that he had apologized to Musk, whose net worth now stands at zero dollars.

    “In fairness, he never should have hired me,” the sophomore said. “I got a C in computer science last semester.”

    According to sources, frantic attempts by the newly impoverished Musk to reach Donald J. Trump have gone straight to voicemail.

    Link

  220. says

    Sky Captain @218:

    Joshua Holland (Journalist): “Local NPR station is referring to Musk’s administrative coup as a ‘government overhaul.’ We’re so fucked.”

    One of my local TV news stations referred to Musk’s administrative coup as “plans to reduce government spending” and as “efficiency” and as “saving taxpayer dollars.” Sound like Sinclair news copy fed to local stations all over the USA. Yes, we are so fucked.

    Really, NPR? There’s no excuse for NPR to drink the koolaid. I know the Trump administration is threatening them, but they should stand up to the bullying.

  222. says

    A Project 2025 Mastermind Now Holds the Reins of the Federal Bureaucracy

    “He will be the quarterback of White House policy.”

    On Thursday evening, the US Senate voted to confirm Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a key arm of the executive branch in charge of the federal budget and agency regulations. Vought will officially return to his old job, which—as I wrote in a profile of him published last year—he sees as being the “keeper of ‘commander’s intent’” in a war to upend the federal bureaucracy.

    The 53-47 vote to confirm Vought came after Democrats held the Senate floor in an overnight marathon to protest the nomination. One after another, they excoriated Trump’s pick to be head of OMB, perhaps more than any other controversial appointee.

    “Of all the harmful nominees, of all the extremists that Donald Trump has elevated, of all the hard-right ideologies who have come before the Senate,” Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said, “none of them hold a candle to Russell Vought. He is far and away the most dangerous to the American people.”

    He added: “Most people have never heard of Russell Vought before, but make no mistake about it, my fellow Americans: he is the most important piece of the puzzle in Donald Trump’s second term. He will be the quarterback of White House policy.”

    Describing Vought as the “godfather of the ultra-right,” Schumer called him “Project 2025 incarnate.” [Video at the link: “[…] funnel all that money to billionaires […]”]

    A self-avowed Christian Nationalist, Vought is a wonky bureaucrat and Washington insider committed to Trump’s obsession with “draining the swamp.” During Trump’s first term, he tested the boundaries of the law to advance the president’s radical goals. Founder of the conservative think-tank Center for Renewing America, he is also one of the architects behind the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 mandate for Trump’s comeback, advocating for expanding presidential powers and subjugating the federal government.

    As I wrote in a profile of Vought, if confirmed, he would be the man best positioned to realize Trump’s visions—and push the religious right’s agenda:

    For Vought, politics is downstream from religion. He sees a strong presidency as a way to bring forth a Christian nation. Vought opposes abortion and has referred to transgender identity as a “contagion.” He has suggested migration policy should be rooted in Judeo-Christian principles, with immigrants tested on their readiness to “assimilate.” If Trump wins, Vought wants to infuse the next conservative administration with the values of Christian nationalism—the conviction that the United States is bound to the teachings of Christ, from which all else follows.

    During a January confirmation hearing, Vought was pressed on his anti-abortion stance and support of cuts to federal programs like Medicaid. He also reaffirmed his belief that the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), which limits the president’s authority to withhold funds appropriated by Congress, is unconstitutional. “My view of the [OMB director] position is that you come into an administration and you do what the president ran on, what the president’s viewpoints are,” Vought testified. “You take the viewpoint and you dispense it throughout the agency.”

    […] Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren called Vought the “puppet master” behind the Trump administration’s brief but chaotic funding freeze of all federal grants and loans. “We don’t know how far Russ Vought’s extremism will go,” she said. “But we can’t afford to wait and find out.”

    While in charge of OMB, Vought spearheaded the effort to implement Schedule F, an executive order meant to strip thousands of career civil servants from job protections and replace them with handpicked MAGA loyalists. Vought has talked about putting federal workers ‘in trauma” and make them “not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains.” […]

  223. says

    Multiple members of Congress were denied entry to the Department of Education on Friday, according to videos and social media posts from lawmakers.

    “They are blocking members of Congress from entering the Department of Education! Elon is allowed in and not the people? ILLEGAL,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) said in a post on the social platform X […]

    Trump has said he would like to close the department via executive order, though fully doing so would require congressional action. Trump is reportedly weighing executive actions to shutter parts of the agency, or move its primary functions elsewhere.

    A source familiar with the situation said the lawmakers went to the department after sending a letter Wednesday night requesting an emergency meeting with the acting Education secretary over those reports.

    The Democratic lawmakers wanted a meeting within 24 hours and decided to show up to the building Friday morning when they had not heard back from the agency by Thursday night.

    […] The lawmakers were not given a reason as to why they were not allowed to enter the building and left after a while.[…]

    Link

  224. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/musks-doggie-hackerboys-update

    “Musk’s Doggie Hackerboys Update!”

    “Big Balls in, Erez out, lawsuits all over.”

    Now the latest on Elon’s troop of lost boys who have reportedly been lawlessly feeding the government agencies’ data into AI chatbots to figure out how they can best gut them, and raising their tiny fists to threaten anyone in government who dares to try and stand in their way! All with the full-throated man-support of the interim US Attorney for DC, Ed Martin.

    Wired has been all over this story like ticks on a coonhound, bless ‘em.

    Newsweek is reporting that Luke Farritor, 23, is now listed in the Department of Energy’s staff directory as an “information engineer.” Just some kid who can barely shave in the systems of the department overseeing nuclear weapons, nothing to see here!

    Oh, and now DOGE kids are in the systems at the Consumer Fraud Protection Bureau and NOAA too.

    Meanwhile at the Treasury Department, Jonathan Blum, principal deputy assistant secretary for legislative affairs, had been claiming that any access the kids had was read-only, meaning they couldn’t break anything, they could just look at all your everything.

    You’re not going to believe this, but they were lying. Reuters, you’re cleared for takeoff:

    The Post cited records it had obtained showing several members of the DOGE team run by the South African-born billionaire were granted “administrative” access to OPM computer systems days after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.

    “That gives them sweeping authority to install and modify software on government-supplied equipment and, according to two OPM officials, to alter internal documentation of their own activities,” the Post wrote.

    At the very same time Musk / DOGE have been over on Xitter nonstop bragging about all the shit they were deleting, plus feeding USAID to the “woodchipper.” [social media posts available at the link]

    Well, all of that sure doesn’t sound very read-only. Musk is also reportedly building his own custom generative AI chatbot for the US General Services Administration, “GSAi.” Sure hope this new thing does better than Grok, that “anti-woke” chatbot of his that 33 percent of users say has given them inaccurate or misleading information.

    The mad dash to have a bunch of kids AI everything is all under the alleged auspices of saving tax dollars. […]

    Today’s billionaires, all noblesse and no oblige.

    Anyway, on Thursday, in a lawsuit from the Alliance for Retired Americans, federal Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that DOGE and its lackeys must GTFO out of the Treasury’s system, with the exception of:
    – Mr. Tom Krause, a Special Government Employee in the Department of the Treasury, as needed for the performance of his duties, provided that such access to payment records will be “read only”;
    – Mr. Marko Elez, a Special Government Employee in the Department of the Treasury, as needed for the performance of his duties, provided that such access to payment records will be “read only”;
    – Any person who is an employee (but not a Special Government Employee) of the Department of the Treasury and who has a need for the record or system of records in the performance of their duties;
    – Any person who is entitled to access the record or system of records under 5 U.S.C. § 552a(b)(2)-(13); and
    – Any person who is entitled to access the relevant record or system of records under the Internal Revenue Code.

    That sure seems to pointedly apply to Elon, FWIW. And now it seems only private-equity hatchet man Krause will be doing the read-onlying, because 25-year-old Elez reportedly resigned the very same day, after the Wall Street Journal found posts of his within the past year where he bragged about how racist he is, and for a “tech genius” he sure did a piss-poor job of covering his tracks. Some quotes: “Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool.” “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity.” “Normalize Indian hate.” “99% of Indian H1Bs will be replaced by slightly smarter LLMs [AI large language models], they’re going back don’t worry guys.” And NPR found from just two months ago: “I just want a eugenic immigration policy, is that too much to ask.”

    Does anyone really think that his Sieg-Heiling boss gives one shit? It was just some Roman racism, you guys! Musk is defending him, of course. [social media posts available at the link]

    Way to confirm that it was him [Yep!], smarty. And he’s real mad at the WSJ about it too. [social media post available at the link]

    And he Tweeted that the reporter was a “disgusting and cruel person.” SO MEAN TO HIS LITTLE BOYS.

    JD Vance on Xitter: “I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life. We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back.” Ah, the young white Republican paradox, both beyond-his-years genius enough to have access to every government dollar, yet too young and dumb to be accountable for his own words from just two months ago. [LOL. So true.]

    Still employed: 19-year-old Edward Coristine, the popcorn heir who goes by “Big Balls” and founded a company called Tesla.Sexy LLC when he was 16 that controls dozens of web domains, some of them in Russia and China.

    How “not able to pass a background check” is Big Balls? Before getting a gig with Musk’s brain-messing startup, Coristine worked as a systems engineer job Path Network, alongside Eric Taylor, also known as Cosmo the God, a former cybercriminal and member of the hacker group UGNazis, and Matthew Flannery, an Australian convicted hacker whom police allege was a member of the hacker group LulzSec. And an individual using a Telegram alias linked to Coristine reportedly sought out a cyberattack-for-hire service.

    Other lawsuits against the pubescent hackery are pending! Democracy Forward and labor organizations have also filed suit against the Department of Labor and gotten a temporary restraining order, and 13 state Attorneys General say they’re on their way to the courthouse too.

    Can the courts get those coyotes out of the chickenhouse before too much damage is done? We shall see. […]

  225. says

    Say what now?

    “U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts.”
    Link

    “[…] requires blanket access to protected cloud backups around the world, which if implemented would undermine Apple’s privacy pledge to its users.”

    Security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

    The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies. Its application would mark a significant defeat for tech companies in their decades-long battle to avoid being wielded as government tools against their users […]

    Rather than break the security promises it made to its users everywhere, Apple is likely to stop offering encrypted storage in the U.K. […] Yet that concession would not fulfill the U.K. demand for backdoor access to the service in other countries, including the United States.

    The office of the Home Secretary has served Apple with a document called a technical capability notice, ordering it to provide access under the sweeping U.K. Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which authorizes law enforcement to compel assistance from companies when needed to collect evidence […]

    The law, known by critics as the Snoopers’ Charter, makes it a criminal offense to reveal that the government has even made such a demand. […]

    Apple can appeal the U.K. capability notice to a secret technical panel, which would consider arguments about the expense of the requirement, and to a judge who would weigh whether the request was in proportion to the government’s needs. But the law does not permit Apple to delay complying during an appeal.

    In March, when the company was on notice that such a requirement might be coming, it told Parliament: “There is no reason why the U.K. [government] should have the authority to decide for citizens of the world whether they can avail themselves of the proven security benefits that flow from end-to-end encryption.”

    […] Senior national security officials in the Biden administration had been tracking the matter since the United Kingdom first told the company it might demand access and Apple said it would refuse. […]

    One of the people briefed on the situation, a consultant advising the United States on encryption matters, said Apple would be barred from warning its users that its most advanced encryption no longer provided full security. The person deemed it shocking that the U.K. government was demanding Apple’s help to spy on non-British users without their governments’ knowledge. A former White House security adviser confirmed the existence of the British order.

    At issue is cloud storage that only the user, not Apple, can unlock. Apple started rolling out the option, which it calls Advanced Data Protection, in 2022. It had sought to offer it several years earlier but backed off after objections from the FBI during the first term of President Donald Trump, who pilloried the company for not aiding in the arrest of “killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements.” The service is an available security option for Apple users in the United States and elsewhere.

    While most iPhone and Mac computer users do not go through the steps to enable it, the service offers enhanced protection from hacking and shuts down a routine method law enforcement uses to access photos, messages and other material.
    iCloud storage and backups are favored targets for U.S. search warrants, which can be served on Apple without the user knowing.

    […] Tech companies have pushed back, stressing a right to privacy in personal communication and arguing that back doors for law enforcement are often exploited by criminals and can be abused by authoritarian regimes.

    Most electronic communication is encrypted to some degree as it passes through privately owned systems before reaching its destination. Usually such intermediaries as email providers and internet access companies can obtain the plain text if police ask.

    But an increasing number of tech offerings are encrypted end to end, meaning that no intermediary has access to the digital keys that would unlock the content. That includes Signal messages, Meta’s WhatsApp and Messenger texts, and Apple’s iMessages and FaceTime calls. Often such content loses its end-to-end protection when it is backed up for storage in the cloud. That does not happen with Apple’s Advanced Data Protection option.

    […] Google would be a bigger target for U.K. officials, because it has made the backups for Android phones encrypted by default since 2018. Google spokesman Ed Fernandez declined to say whether any government had sought a back door, but implied none have been implemented. “Google can’t access Android end-to-end encrypted backup data, even with a legal order,” he said.

    Meta also offers encrypted backups for WhatsApp. A spokesperson declined to comment on government requests but pointed to a transparency statement on its website saying that no back doors or weakened architecture would be implemented.

    […] During a debate in Parliament over amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act, Apple warned in March that the law allowed the government to demand back doors that could apply around the world. “These provisions could be used to force a company like Apple, that would never build a back door into its products, to publicly withdraw critical security features from the UK market, depriving UK users of these protections,” it said in a written submission.

    Apple argued then that wielding the act against strong encryption would conflict with a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that any law requiring companies to produce end-to-end encrypted communications “risks amounting to a requirement that providers of such services weaken the encryption mechanism for all users” and violates the European right to privacy.

    In the United States, decades of complaints from law enforcement about encryption have recently been sidelined by massive hacks by suspected Chinese government agents, who breached the biggest communications companies and listened in on calls at will. In a joint December press briefing on the case with FBI leaders, a Department of Homeland Security official urged Americans not to rely on standard phone service for privacy and to use encrypted services when possible.

    Also that month, the FBI, National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency joined in recommending dozens of steps to counter the Chinese hacking spree, including “Ensure that traffic is end-to-end encrypted to the maximum extent possible.”

    Officials in Canada, New Zealand and Australia endorsed the recommendations. Those in the United Kingdom did not.

  226. Reginald Selkirk says

    Government agency removes spoon emoji from work platform amid protests

    According to a New York Times report, on Thursday, the U.S. government’s General Services Administration (GSA) removed the spoon emoji as an option that users of its videoconferencing platform can select to express themselves. The move comes a day after workers embraced the digital cutlery to protest the Trump administration’s “Fork in the Road” resignation offer.

    The emailed offer, titled exactly how Elon Musk titled an email to Twitter employees soon after he purchased the platform, is a bid for government workers to resign their roles while receiving payment through September.

    The proposal has raised the ire of federal workers and labor unions alike. On Wednesday, employees at the Technology Transformation Services division of the GSA reportedly unleashed a torrent of spoon emojis in the chat that accompanied an organization-wide, 600-person video conference with new leader Thomas Shedd, a former Tesla engineer. Some have also taken to adding a spoon to their Slack status as a form of silent protest.

    If the spoon emoji is not available on your platform, embrace the interrobang‽

  227. Reginald Selkirk says

    Arizona Lawmaker Insists He’s Immune From Receiving Speeding Tickets Because He’s A State Senator

    Speeding isn’t just against the law. It’s also dangerous. And if it’s someone’s job to make those laws, you’d think they would show some respect for them. If we’re talking about Mark Finchem, an Arizona Republican state senator who was recently ticketed for speeding, though, you couldn’t possibly be more wrong. Finchem wants his ticket thrown out and not because he claims he wasn’t speeding. No, he insists he’s immunity from receiving speeding tickets while the legislature is in session, Arizona’s Family reports.

    A cop pulled Finchem over on January 25 and ticketed him for driving 48 mph in a 30 mph zone. Had he been ticketed driving 50 mph, that would have been enough to make it a misdemeanor speeding charge, but whether he was conveniently going just under that cutoff, or the cop cut him some slack, the ticket he received was a civil citation.

    Two days after being cited, Finchem’s office sent Prescott Police Chief Amy Bonney asking “that the citation be voided and stricken from the record” because he believes he is immune under an Arizona law that prohibits arresting and prosecuting lawmakers while the legislature is in session. The law was originally passed to prevent dirty politicians from using the police to try to prevent lawmakers from doing their jobs and was not originally intended to give all state representatives and senators immunity to do whatever they want.

    If you notice, no one arrested Finchem, and he isn’t being prosecuted. He’s simply been cited by local law enforcement and told to pay a fine. As Valley attorney Tom Ryan told AZ Family, “He’s not arrested, and that is very important to understand. The issuance of a citation is not an arrest.” He may be allowed to wait until after the legislative session ends to pay his fine, but he should still have to pay it…

  228. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    From the CFPB Union:

    On the evening of February 6, three minions of professional Twitter poster and Jeffrey Epstein confidant Elon Musk appeared in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) internal staff directory. […] Chris Young, a lobbyist for Big Pharma and past field organizer for former Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Elon fanboys Nikhil Rajpal and Gavin Kliger.

    Rajpal led a libertarian students group at public land-grant university UC Berkeley, and worked at auto-lender Tesla and wannabe-payment-processor Twitter.

    Kliger interned at Twitter, claims he owns a Tesla, and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020. When he’s not stealing Americans’ private information with DOGE, Kliger enjoys writing lengthy essays defending rapists and retweeting white supremacists. Kliger’s lawyer daddy works at Experian which is the same company CFPB sued in January for covering up errors on credit reports with sham investigations. While alleged coder Kliger made between zero to three git commits in the last year, workers at the CFPB returned $1.3 billion to scammed Americans in that time.

    The unelected Musk recently announced plans for a new payments platform […] he’s moved his power grab to the CFPB, in a clear attempt to attack union workers and defang the only agency that checks the greed of payment providers, as well as auto lenders like Tesla.

    CFPB Union members welcome our newest colleagues and look forward to the smell of Axe Body Spray in our elevators. While Acting Director Bessent allows Musk’s operatives to bypass cybersecurity policies and wreak havoc with their amateur code skills inside CFPB’s once-secure systems, CFPB Union members fight to protect our jobs so we can continue protecting Americans from scammers with conflicts of interest like Musk.

  229. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Flu season in the US is the most intense it’s been in at least 15 years

    Of course, other viral infections can be mistaken for flu. But COVID-19 appears to be on the decline, according to hospital data and to CDC modeling projections. Available data also suggests another respiratory illness, RSV, has been fading nationally.

    The flu has forced schools to shut down in some states. […] a 3,200-student system near Fort Worth, Texas, last week closed for three days after 650 students and 60 staff were out Tuesday.
    […]
    Traditionally, flu season peaks around February.

  230. says

    Everyone in my organization is in shock, grief, anger and disbelief that so much murderous damage could be caused by the MUMP cult in such a short time.
      The Martha and the Vandellas song is now constantly playing as background music in my mind: ‘Nowhere to run to, baby. Nowhere to hide’
      This is pertinent to this site:
    https://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2025/02/07
      Also, knowledgeable tech reports state that the evil little muskrat minions have ‘administrative privileges’ to the fed sites data. The main slime news is SOOO ignorant about tech issues they don’t report it accurately.
     ** MUMP = MUsk+truMP – professor Snyder’s new term. I like it.

  231. says

    @229 CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain wrote: But COVID-19 appears to be on the decline, according to hospital data and to CDC modeling projections.
    I reply: I believe the Flu severity info. But, confirmed by responsible sources I read, I MUST believe PZ on this issue. He wrote: By the way, notice the mention that this was on the CDC website until it was abruptly removed. We can’t trust any of our major health institutions any more, I guess.

  232. says

    @227 Reginald Selkirk posted an article: Arizona Lawmaker Insists He’s Immune From Receiving Speeding Tickets Because He’s A State Senator
    I reply: We live in scarizona, we’re aware of mark finchem’s antics. He has the integrity and intellect of a tongue depressor. But, this is just another ‘coat tails’ incident of all the rtwingnut xtian terrorists claiming they are above the law. WTF.

  234. says

    https://digbysblog.net/2025/02/07/pam-bondis-rolling-thunder-revue/
    Pam Bondi’s Rolling Thunder Revue

    WOW! Those words Rolling Thunder have a scatological meaning. The TV show WKRP had a sponsor: ‘Rolling Thunder European Regularity Tonic’. Yes, she is just another MUMP** cult brown nose is ‘excreting’ on everything the orange magat wants her to.
    ** MUMP = MUsk+truMP – professor Snyder’s new term. I like it.
      Of course, as all of the comments here point out, this is just one tip of the huge ‘excrement’ iceberg.

  235. says

    Another addition to the “all the best people” category: Trump taps retired general with an ugly record for a key Pentagon post (again)

    “Retired Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, among other things, condemned Barack Obama as a ‘terrorist leader.’ Trump has nominated to him a senior Pentagon post.”

    Former White House speechwriter Darren Beattie was fired during Donald Trump’s first term, and now he’s back. Andrew Puzder’s Cabinet nomination collapsed during the president’s first term, and now he’s back, too.

    Anthony Tata’s nomination for a key Defense Department position also failed during Trump’s first term, and wouldn’t you know it, he’s also back. The New York Times reported:

    President Trump has nominated Anthony J. Tata, a retired brigadier general with a history of Islamophobic and other inflammatory comments, to a senior Pentagon post in charge of jobs and deployments.

    It’s been a while since we last talked about Tata, so let’s revisit our earlier coverage and review how we arrived at this point.

    In February 2020, as part of a post-impeachment loyalty purge, Trump ousted John Rood as the undersecretary of defense for policy. The president soon after settled on Tata, whom he’d seen on Fox News, as Rood’s successor. It wasn’t long, however, before Tata’s ugly record came into focus.

    Two years earlier, for example, the retired brigadier general condemned Barack Obama as a “terrorist leader,” with “Islamic roots,” who helped negotiate an internal nuclear agreement to help “the greater Islamic state crush Israel.” Around the same time, Tata described Islam as the “most oppressive violent religion I know of.”

    He also published a 2018 tweet pointing to “clues” that Obama “supported Russian meddling” in the 2016 race, adding that Islamic militants “really did have Manchurian Candidate in White House.” Tata also suggested that former CIA Director John Brennan sent a coded tweet ordering Trump’s assassination.

    With this record in mind, a variety of former U.S. military leaders publicly opposed Tata’s nomination. Though the retired brigadier general retracted his earlier rhetoric — “I did misspeak in 2018 on Twitter in hyperbolic conversations,” he said in a letter to senators — it quickly became clear that there was significant Senate skepticism about his nomination. Before his confirmation hearing could even begin, Tata quietly withdrew from consideration.

    It was, however, a temporary departure: In August 2020, Trump appointed Tata to a senior Pentagon position that did not require Senate approval. In November 2020, just a week after he lost his re-election bid, Trump did it again, making Tata the acting undersecretary for policy.

    Four years ago this week, the Biden administration showed the retired brigadier general the door, but Trump nevertheless wants him for a Pentagon leadership role — again.

    Tata’s confirmation hearings have not yet been scheduled, and Republican senators have not yet commented on his nomination or his prospects.

  237. Reginald Selkirk says

    LA Times Flips Anti-RFK Jr. Op-Ed Into Pro-Kennedy Propaganda

    Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the LA Times, has been promising to restore trust in media over the last few months. Instead, he has launched an escalating campaign of editorial interference that accomplishes exactly the opposite. First, he blocked the paper from publishing an endorsement of Kamala Harris. Then, he demanded to personally approve all op-ed headlines to avoid offending Elon Musk. He even proposed using AI to artificially balance opinion pieces with “the other side.”

    But his latest intervention goes far beyond mere meddling.

    The LA Times was set to publish Eric Reinhart’s scathing critique of both US healthcare and RFK Jr’s nomination to head Health & Human Services, noting how much damage he would do to a system that was already broken. Instead, just before publication, the piece was substantially altered and given a new headline that completely inverted its message to appear supportive of Kennedy.

    Immediately after it was published, Soon-Shiong took to ExTwitter to promote the op-ed and call for Kennedy’s nomination to be approved by the Senate, saying “Trump’s healthcare disruption could pay off — if he pushes real reform. @LATimes, @RobertKennedyJr. He is our best chance of doing so.” …

  238. says

    Election official who called out Trump’s lies refuses to step down

    […] Trump is attempting to remove Ellen Weintraub, the chair of the Federal Election Commission, but the official who has been in office for over twenty-two years says she will not leave. Over the years Weintraub has called out Trump for promoting lies about election integrity and safety.

    On Thursday, Weintraub posted a letter that she had received from Trump informing her “you are hereby removed as a Member of the Federal Election Commission, effective immediately.”

    In response, Weintraub wrote, “There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn’t it. I’ve been so fortunate to serve the American people and stir up some good trouble along the way. That’s not changing anytime soon.”

    As The New York Times explained the removal process, “A commissioner is removed only after a replacement is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and Ms. Weintraub said that the president did not have the power to force her off the commission before that. Mr. Trump did not name a successor to Ms. Weintraub in his letter, and it would take weeks at least for his choice for commissioner to be approved by the Senate.”

    The commission is an independent agency of the U.S. government with oversight of campaign law and policy. Weintraub has been with the commission since 2002 and has been the chair since January.

    Weintraub noted to The New York Times that there have been “dozens of complaints” about allegations of election law violations against Trump, but because the commission is at a 3-3 partisan deadlock, many of those claims have not been investigated.

    “I have pointed that out. I’ve written about this. So I’m not really surprised that I am on their radar,” she said.

    In 2019, Trump claimed at a rally that there was voter fraud in New Hampshire during the 2016 election and that was the reason he lost there to Sec. Hillary Clinton.

    “SAD: Last night, @realDonaldTrump again made unfounded claims about massive voter fraud in NH in 2016,” Weintraub wrote at the time. “In this letter, I ask him to back up his claims in terms a former casino operator should understand: ‘There comes a time when you need to lay your cards on the table or fold.’”

    As has frequently been the case, Trump never offered any proof of his claim.

    That year Weintraub also took Trump to task after he said that any debate about election security was “meaningless” without adding voter ID.

    Weintraub responded, “Not this again. Russians were impersonating Americans on #Facebook, not in person at polls. It’s well past time to get serious about defending democracy from *real* threats identified by national security experts. Support the bipartisan bills that will protect our 2020 elections.”

    Conservatives have often championed voter ID laws, largely because when such laws are put in place it suppresses votes by minority communities and youth voters—both constituencies that have historically supported Democrats in overwhelming numbers.

    Republicans have complained about Weintraub’s advocacy for truth on election issues for years, even as Trump has been convicted for crimes relating to his campaign expenditures. Now he is using the power of the presidency to get rid of another critic, but she is not going quietly—if at all.

    Weintraub makes me laugh. She really calls it like it is. She is well-versed in the facts, and she has a way of cutting through the nonsense when she call Trump out. Good news.

  239. Reginald Selkirk says

    @ 39, 49, 149, 180, 181, 182, 214, 224 Marko Elez

    Musk to rehire Doge aide who resigned over racist posts

    Elon Musk has said he will rehire an employee of his newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) who resigned after being linked to a racist social media account.

    “He will be brought back,” Musk posted on X, the social media platform he owns. “To err is human, to forgive divine.”

    Media reports tied Marko Elez, 25, who previously worked for Musk’s SpaceX company, to a now-deleted social media account that posted the incendiary comments.

    Vice-President JD Vance had said earlier in the day that the young employee should be given a second chance.

  240. Reginald Selkirk says

    What is ‘ordo amoris?’ Vice President JD Vance invokes this medieval Catholic concept

    Vice President JD Vance recently cited medieval Catholic theology in justifying the immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump.

    “Just google ‘ordo amoris,’” he posted Jan. 30 on the social media platform X.

    He posted this in reply to criticism over statements he made in a Fox News interview: “You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country. And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.” He claimed that the “far left” has inverted that.

    Vance posted that the concept is “basic common sense” because one’s moral duties to one’s children outweigh those “to a stranger who lives thousands of miles away.”

    What is ‘ordo amoris’?

    It’s been translated as “order of love” or “order of charity.” It’s a concept discussed by St. Augustine, an ancient theologian, who said everyone and everything should be loved in its own proper way.

    “Now he is a man of just and holy life who … neither loves what he ought not to love, nor fails to love what he ought to love, nor loves that more which ought to be loved less, nor loves that equally which ought to be loved either less or more, nor loves that less or more which ought to be loved equally,” Augustine wrote.

    “Further, all men are to be loved equally,” Augustine wrote. “But since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special regard to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstance, are brought into closer connection with you.”

    St. Thomas Aquinas, in the 13th century, expounded on this theme while also noting it depends on circumstances.

    “We ought to be most beneficent towards those who are most closely connected with us,” he wrote. “And yet this may vary according to the various requirements of time, place, or matter in hand: because in certain cases one ought, for instance, to succor a stranger, in extreme necessity, rather than one’s own father, if he is not in such urgent need.”

    The modern catechism of the Catholic Church briefly refers to the “order of charity” where it cites obligations to honor one’s parents and be good citizens.

    ___

    Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

    Who looks at the history of the medieval Catholic Church as a model to emulate?

  241. Reginald Selkirk says

    A Russian spy ship caught fire off Syria’s coast, officials say

    The man is insistent: Our ship is in difficulty, so keep your distance, he instructs another vessel over the radio.

    “Warship on your course,” he says. “I am drifting. I’m not under command.”

    The broadcast, according to military officials, came from a Russian spy ship, the Kildin, as the vessel packed with intelligence-gathering equipment drifted temporarily out of control off the Syrian coast on Jan. 23, with flames and black fumes rising from its smokestack.

    The Associated Press obtained audio of the broadcast, as well as video and photos showing the blaze, that three military officials said were gathered by a ship from a NATO nation operating nearby. The officials, also from a NATO country, spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the fire and radio transmission that Russian authorities haven’t publicly reported…

  242. Reginald Selkirk says

    Trump’s Justice Department ends Biden-era task force aimed at seizing assets of Russian oligarchs

    The Trump administration’s Justice Department has disbanded a Biden-era program aimed at seizing the assets of Russian oligarchs as a means to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

    The move to disband Task Force KleptoCapture is one of several moves undertaken by the Justice Department under the new leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi that presage a different approach toward Russia and national security issues.

    The department also ended the Foreign Influence Task Force, which was established in the first Trump administration to police influence campaigns staged by Russia and other nations aimed at sowing discord, undermining democracy and spreading disinformation. The U.S. government in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election aggressively moved to disrupt propaganda campaigns by Russia, which officials have assessed had a preference for Trump…

  243. says

    After yesterday’s quick advance of the AFU in Kursk region, Russia’s 11th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade commander, Pavel Filatyev, was ‘dismissed’.

    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4aqzua5vsewimmusg66fyajl/post/3lhl4dpypqc2w

    ⚡️More Russian soldiers died near Pokrovsk in January than in entire Second Chechen War, military says.

    Spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said that 1,000 more Russian troops died near Pokrovsk last month than in the 10-year war on Chechnya.

    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:yazbevg3wkzp5llnzb44tqgh/post/3lhjyzoctbs2y

    Russian soldier is dragged onto a bus to be sent back to the front despite his open leg wound. A Russian soldier complains that he and others are being forcibly taken to serve straight from the hospital the day after their surgeries. He mentions that they are transported to units without proper conditions and have been ‘promised’ that they won’t be sent into combat immediately.

    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3ilzhrzkar3icae4mfyupmqp/post/3lhlbckhi622p

    ⚡️The U.S. Justice Department is shutting down a program that sanctioned Kremlin-linked oligarchs, launched in 2022, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Feb. 5.

    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:yazbevg3wkzp5llnzb44tqgh/post/3lhkm47uq7s2b

  244. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    DOGE [buyout] emails went out to federal judges by mistake

    One of the people who received an email […] was a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit aimed at blocking these messages. “I, like probably every other judge in the country […]”
    […]
    federal employees filed the lawsuit against OPM on January 27, alleging [DOGE] used an unsecured server to blast out emails to more than two million federal employees, violating federal law and potentially compromising workers’ privacy. […] The OPM filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and submitted a privacy assessment detailing how the system it uses collects and disseminates information to government employees. [Judge] Moss on Thursday denied the plaintiffs’ motion for a restraining order against OPM in light of the agency’s submission of a privacy assessment. “As soon as you got the [assessment], you had a different case, a different motion,” Moss told a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “You should have filed something with the court.”

    Federal workers’ bid to bar resignation emails fails for now

    After the government submitted to the court a Privacy Impact Assessment on Wednesday, the case before Moss changed […] moot. […] A new hearing was scheduled for Feb 14.

  245. says

    Judge to issue ‘very limited’ order temporarily pausing USAID purge

    A federal judge said Friday he intends to temporarily block the Trump administration’s plan to place thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees on leave at midnight.

    Unions representing government employees sued to stop the shutdown of agency operations and restart the flow of foreign aid frozen by President Trump, who has accused the agency of fraud and corruption to justify its imminent shuttering.

    Judge Carl Nichols, appointed by Trump during his first term, said he would issue a formal order later Friday but that a “limited, very limited” order temporarily pausing the plan would be handed down.

    “They should not put those 2,200 people on administrative leave tonight,” Nichols said.

    The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) called the Trump administration’s effort an “ongoing, illegal scheme to gut” the agency in court filings, contending that USAID employees would face imminent injury if the court did not immediately move to halt the plan.

    “This is not something the president can unilaterally do,” Karla Gilbride, an attorney representing the unions, told the judge during a hearing Friday.

    Trump and his allies, namely Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), launched an all out assault against the agency over the weekend, shutting employees out of internal systems and email, gutting their office buildings and recalling thousands of employees to the U.S. in recent days.

    […] The government said some 2,200 employees were set to be put on paid administrative leave at midnight and roughly 500 individuals were already put on leave. Some 600 “essential personnel” remain.

    […] Several anonymous USAID employees submitted declarations to the court detailing their precarious situations. […]

  246. Reginald Selkirk says

    Red tide raging in Gulf as cell counts hit 20 million cells per liter off Sanibel

    Red tide cell counts are well into the “death zone” in Lee County waters as toxins in the Gulf have turned normally turquoise waters copper.

    The Florida Department of Health in Lee County issued an advisory Wednesday afternoon for places like Bonita Beach and Sanibel. DOH in Collier issued advisories for Barefoot Beach State Preserve and the Vanderbilt beach area.

    “Do not wade or swim in or around red tide,” the Lee advisory says. “Red tide can cause skin irritation, rashes, and burning/sore eyes. Wash your skin and clothing with soap and fresh water if you have had recent contact with red tide, especially if your skin is easily irritated.”

    DOH has sent out several advisories in recent weeks as bloom counts have range from natural, background levels to 1 million cells per liter and more…

  247. says

    Looks like a major play for on-camera time:

    THE SUPER BOWL SHOWDOWN between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles won’t be the only action at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday.

    President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will attend the game together, as House Republicans squabble over spending and the Senate GOP tries to grab the steering wheel away from Johnson.

    It’s a high-stakes, intra-party battle for control, with Trump’s legislative agenda hanging in the balance.

    It begins tonight. Senate Republicans are headed to Mar-a-Lago to huddle with Trump. House Republicans will work through the weekend — including on Super Bowl Sunday — as they seek to maintain control of the process.

    Additional details could be revealed in Trump’s interview with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier, which will air during the game. […]

    Link

    “will air during the game”?? What? Do they mean at the same time? Or will it air as video snippets similar to a Super Bowl commercial?

    I don’t understand what is going on here, but it does look almost like Trump is trying to piggyback on the Super Bowl for media coverage … and/or Trump is delusional enough that he thinks he can upstage the Super Bowl.

    Anyway, [sigh] … we will be seeing all Trump all the time over the weekend.

  248. says

    Sotomayor hits presidential immunity decision in first public comments since new Trump admin

    Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday doubled down on her opposition to last summer’s presidential immunity decision and expressed concern about public confidence in the high court.

    In her first public remarks since President Trump took office about two weeks ago, Sotomayor said she worried the Supreme Court has departed too far from public sentiment, when asked about dwindling public confidence in the court.

    “If we as a court go so much further ahead of people, our legitimacy is going to be questioned,” Sotomayor told an audience in Kentucky on Wednesday evening.

    “I think the immunity case is one of those situations,” she continued. “I don’t think that Americans have accepted that anyone should be above the law in America. Our equality as people was the foundation of our society and of our Constitution.”

    [Well that’s putting it all too politely in my opinion. But as a Supreme Court Justice I can see that Sotomayor may have to tread lightly when she criticizes a decision a colleagues have made.]

    “I think my court would probably gather more public support if it went a little more slowly in undoing precedent,” she said.

    In a 6-3 vote last summer, the Supreme Court ruled former presidents enjoy absolute criminal immunity for certain core functions. Other official acts are entitled to a presumption of immunity, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.

    Sotomayor issued the stinging 30-page dissent, joined by fellow liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, in which she wrote, “Today’s decision to grant former Presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the Presidency.”

    “It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of Government, that no man is above the law,” she continued in the dissent.

    She reiterated her position at the event Wednesday night.

    “Our Constitution itself has provisions not exempting the president from criminal activity after an impeachment,” Sotomayor said. “So, I had a hard time with the immunity case. And if we continue going in directions that the public is going to find hard to understand, we’re placing the court at risk.”

    Sotomayor said Wednesday she worried that frequent court reversals of long-established legal precedent “creates instability” and contributes to the public questioning “of whether we’re doing things because of legal analysis or because of partisan views.”

    [Understatement. Is this much understatement really helpful?]

  252. anat says

    For another activism idea: See generalstrikeus.com

    The plan is to announce a general strike when they hit about 11 million subscribers, based on data supporting the idea that when at least 3.5% of the population participates in a strike it wins.

  253. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Security implications of Trump’s efforts to trim the CIA workforce

    The White House reportedly ordered the CIA to send it a list of new hires over an unclassified email system. […] a list of all employees hired within the last two years. The list included the first names and first initial of the last name […] it is almost certain a determined adversary could uncover the identities of these employees.
    […]
    If these individuals are indeed compromised but were to do undercover work anyway, they would be taking an enormous risk with their lives, as well as those of their assets and their colleagues, who could also be exposed.
    […]
    It is worth noting here that Harold Nicholson, himself a CIA officer, was sent to prison for 24 years for, among other things, selling the names of CIA trainees to the Russians.
    […]
    An entire cadre of new employees might have to be let go […] a waste […] time and money have already been invested […] It seems almost quaint to mention any of this, given that Trump has repeatedly shown disdain for protecting anything classified. […] why should our partners share their secrets with us?

  254. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    DOGE Builds ‘Firewall’ Between Musk’s Team and Legacy USDS Workers

    Since Musk’s USDS takeover […] the original [200 United States Digital Service] staff has had very little contact with Musk’s team. A DOGE representative was expected to join several USDS meetings last week, but they did not show up. The only time legacy staff have met with recently installed personnel was a Friday meeting with DOGE’s HR chief, Stephanie Holmes […] In that meeting, Holmes was unable to provide many answers to a slew of questions related to the deferred resignations program […]

    she was asked if there would be a more formal way to accept the buyout than replying to an email with the word “resign” […] outside actors could send resignation emails on staffers’ behalf by spoofing their email addresses. “I assume that […] there’s some kind of actual agreement that we sign,” one employee said. “Can we get a copy of that ahead of time to preview[?]”

    “I don’t know,” Holmes replied. “But will circle back on that.”
    […]
    Holmes was asked if she could commit to a specific time to provide the […] details […] “No,” Holmes said. “[…] you’re just gonna have to make a personal decision based on the information that’s available to you right now. […] focus on the generous aspects of the offer.”

    […]
    Without new directives […] they’ve been operating as if things are “business as usual,” continuing work on long-term projects that have carried over from President Joe Biden’s administration. “They don’t talk to us,” one USDS employee tells WIRED. “As far as I can tell, they’re hiding,” says another.
    […]
    deputy administrator Ted Carstensen, the highest-ranking USDS official outside of Musk’s orbit, resigned on Thursday. He repeatedly invited members of Musk’s team, including DOGE senior adviser Steve Davis, to join staff meetings […] but they never showed. […] Carstensen was repeatedly left out of leadership meetings and felt kept out of the loop on decisionmaking. Carstensen was supposed to meet with Holmes on Wednesday, a source said, but the meeting was canceled last minute. […] he would not be taking the deferred resignation offer
    […]
    “There’s a strong feeling within USDS that people don’t want to take the fork because they don’t want to send the message that they’re somehow accepting or approving of the larger plan,” a USDS source said.
    […]
    In an internal meeting following Carstensen’s departure, staff were told that he would not be replaced and that his responsibilities would be spread across the rest of the organization […] staff members lamented […] “It’s almost indisputable that USDS is in the endgame,” one person in the meeting said. “Time to start loading into the life boats,” said another.

  255. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/trump-and-dont-say-gay-come-for-the

    “Trump And ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Come For The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children”

    Every 10 minutes, America finds a new depth of depravity that the Trump administration will not just sink to, but will plow towards at high speed […]

    The latest salvo in Trump’s battle against humanity and common decency is against the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, of all damn things. On Thursday night, reports broke that the Department of Justice told NCMEC that it would lose its federal funding if it didn’t scrub all mention of LGBTQIA+ children from all of its public materials. Further, NCMEC was ordered to deadname any transgender kids it might report on, just to give themselves that extra frisson of cruelty towards this tiny marginalized group: [social media post at the link]

    We can see a few problems doing this will cause, the big one being that if you are searching for a missing transgender child using her deadname while she is out there using her chosen name, you have just made it a fuck of a lot harder on yourself to find that kid! Which of course is the point. Too bad for any parents who want to use the kid’s chosen name who are working with NCMEC to find their missing child […]

    Kabas later posted a letter that supposedly had gone out to NCMEC employees stating that the organization’s “primary grantor” had given them a Friday deadline to make sure that all public-facing materials and reports are “in compliance with the President’s Executive Orders.” Which, according to The Verge, the group appears to be doing.

    Are any of these important in helping missing and/or sex-trafficked children?

    [A]t least three documents on its “NCMEC Data” page — including a report on missing children with suicidal tendencies, a report on male victims of child sex trafficking, and an overall data analysis of children missing from care — have been removed since the page’s last archived date of January 24th.

    What about this?

    Within the same date range, NCMEC removed three guides to recognizing and preventing child sex trafficking. That includes an overview that mentions homeless youth who have been “kicked out due to lack of acceptance of their sexual orientation or gender identity” and a guide for parents that mentions victims of child sex trafficking include “boys, girls, and transgender youth.”

    So hey, do you want to stop child sex trafficking, or not?

    Implicit in the threat from the “primary grantor” is that NCMEC would lose the money from said grantor, which happens to be the federal government. According to its 2023 tax returns, NCMEC received approximately $49 million of its $61 million in revenues thanks to a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, which is a division of the Department of Justice.

    Or at least, it is a division within DOJ right now. Who knows if it even still exists, or if Attorney General Pam “Evil Barbie” Bondi has already disbanded it. Either way, NCMEC collapses without that money, which means any other good work it is doing to help missing and exploited children also goes away, just so wingnut dipshits can have their way […]

    You might wonder if holding back that grant is legal. The answer is, probably not! NCMEC’s money is allocated by a funding grant from Congress. But like everything else spending-related right now, the executive branch is saying it may not disburse whatever money NCMEC is by law supposed to receive, unless the organization throws gay and transgender children under the bus.

    What would go away if for some reason the NCMEC did not want to comply? Well, for one thing, the organization runs the government’s CyberTipline, a sort of clearinghouse for reports of child sexual abuse material. NCMEC is the only organization by law that can process CSAM, giving it, according to McGowan, a sort of “quasi-governmental status.” So that would be a huge loss for anti-CSAM efforts. Which, again, the lunatics on the Right claim is a big issue for them. Probably because it is wingnuts who keep getting arrested for violating laws against possession of it.

    For a bunch of people who have made saving children from the depredations of child molesters and sex traffickers a rallying cry, wingnuts sure are HIGHLY selective about which children specifically they care about. But then, as NCMEC whistleblower Don McGowan noted in a Techdirt podcast last fall, QAnon types don’t care about children. What they want is to be seen as if they care about children.

    McGowan also claims that NCMEC’s board has fallen under the sway of MAGA, which makes the current situation even more absurd:

    I do my best when I go off about NCMEC to try and draw a bifurcation between the organization and its staff and the board. My off-going is against its board, which I think has been entirely captured by MAGA positions […]

    So you’ve got an organization heavily funded by the federal government whose work is in direct conflict with the grotesque goals of the current administration. And at least some of its board members are politically aligned with that administration. With exploited and at-risk LGBTQIA+ kids caught in the middle.

    And within that group, you have transgender children. They are already the group most at risk, and now what is probably the largest group trying to look out for some of them is being told to not do it anymore if it wants to continue to exist.

    This is where usually we’d write something pithy as a kicker, so here it is: Fuck these fuckers straight to fucking hell, the fucks.

  256. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/who-do-we-love-this-week-and-who

    “Who Do We Love This Week? (And Who Could Perhaps Use Some More Encouragement?)”

    Welcome back to our weekly rundown of who is helping us in the fight against Trump and who, well, isn’t.

    This is not about being “purists,” it’s about the fact that we need to let these people know that when they do good, we’ll give them credit, and when they do bad, we’ll say that, too. It’s about accountability, which we, as voters, deserve. It’s also about letting our elected officials know that when they do step up, we will give them credit and be there to back them up.

    […] earlier today we saw Reps. Maxine Waters, Maxwell Frost (British cozy mystery series forthcoming, one assumes), Jan Schakowsky, and multiple other members of Congress unfortunately being blocked from getting into the Department of Education building. [video at the link]

    AOC has been holding the line, Brian Schatz of Hawaii has been on his filibuster shit, a whole bunch of them stayed up all night to oppose Russ Vought’s nomination, Chris Murphy has been everywhere, Jasmine Crockett has been an absolute star speaking out, among other things, about all the blatant racism and white male insecurity behind the anti-DEI nonsense, and Elizabeth Warren has been out here calling out the unelected billionaires. [video at the link]

    And, of course, on Wednesday, many of our faves went to the Department of the Treasury and held a rally there opposing the Musk coup. [video at the link]

    […] Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer […] finally came around to the idea of telling Democrats to vote against Trump’s nominees as a bloc after initially refusing to do so.

    Voting on Monday to confirm climate denier Christopher Wright as Secretary of Energy were Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Ben Lujan (D-NM) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

    Also on Monday, an unfortunately ridiculous number voted to confirm Douglas Collins of Georgia, who notably was one of the Republican congressmen who signed an amicus brief challenging the results of the 2020 election, to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs. They were Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Hassan (D-NH), Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Lujan (D-NM), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Peter Welch (D-VT).

    I do not know what the hell that was about. The Sanders vote was especially confounding because he’s only voted for one person so far and because, frankly, I expect more from him. Not good, Bernie!

    Things started to turn around by Tuesday. Only Fetterman voted to confirm Pam Bondi as Attorney General, thank goodness; only Fetterman and Peter Welch of Vermont voted to confirm Eric Turner, of Texas, to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; no one voted to proceed to consider the nominations of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, or Kelly Loeffler.

    […] Medium credit goes to Sheldon Whitehouse for finally agreeing to not vote for RFK Jr. As Kennedy was his college roomie and longtime friend. It’s not the highest bar in the world, but he cleared it.

    Not doing so great? Amy Klobuchar, who gave a deeply cringe interview to The New York Times this week in which she missed the moment entirely and went on and on about how “it is very clear that, if there is a middle of all of this hot mess of division, Americans want us to work together when we can and find common ground” […]

    […] She also weirdly claimed that farmers don’t want aid, which is strange considering that they got $30 billion in federal aid last year […]

    Klobs also had a lot to say about how fabulously cordial Trump was when it was just them and the Bidens talking about football, and how she wishes he could be like that all of the time:

    Via The New York Times:

    You spent more time with Trump during the inauguration than most Dems in your role running the day.

    That would be putting it mildly. Yes.

    Did he say anything memorable to you?

    I would say that, during the time with President Biden in the car and at the White House with the president and the vice president, I wish that that cordial discussion on all sides, I wish that that was reflected in Trump’s speech. Because we discussed — I’m not going to disclose everything we discussed — we discussed a number of issues. We talked a little bit about football. But we talked about the L.A. fires and the need to, with the Olympics coming, how important it is to help them rise from the ashes. And then I spoke with him for a lengthy period of time at lunch and through the day.

    So up close you see a more likable side?

    I see someone that was willing to listen to my ideas. And I just wish that was reflected in what he said and does as president.

    Well, this was just entirely unnecessary, no?

    Way to go almost everybody else!

  257. says

    The New York Times is unhelpful. Not that this should come as news to anyone, but it needs to be said.

    For some reason, the paper of record decided that in the middle of all of this chaos, it would be a good idea to run an article titled “As Trump Attacks D.E.I., Some on the Left Approve.”

    Now, first of all, I think anyone even nominally on the Left, even if they have concerns about how effective DEI programs actually are — reminder, that’s “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” — does not have the same issues as Trump does with it, and understands that his rhetoric around it is horrifying. Trump’s issues with “DEI” are literally that someone, somewhere is working a job or in a graduate program who is not a white man. As Karen Attiah of the Washington Post keeps pointing out, “ban DEI” is now a very out-loud, hardly coded at all, term for resegregation.

    But this New York Times article’s purpose, I assume, is to get the Left to shut up about Trump for a minute and return to bickering amongst ourselves about the most absurd debate of all time — economic justice vs. social justice!

    Before we jump into this ourselves, allow me to note that the reason this is an absurd argument is because the two concepts are so deeply entwined that they are more or less the same thing. One cannot exist in any meaningful way without the other. This is why “socially liberal, fiscally conservative” was never a real thing — because it’s not “socially liberal” to be cool with people starving to death and it never will be.

    The article starts out by discussing how the Rev. Al Sharpton led a “buy-cott” to Costco after they announced that they would be keeping their DEI program (good!), but also a few days before Costco union members were set to strike (bad!).

    But the gesture by the civil rights activist did not win universal acclaim on the political left. In interviews, self-identified socialists and other leftists worried that Mr. Sharpton’s action helped bolster the company at a moment when it faced pressure from unionized workers, who had threatened to strike beginning Feb. 1.

    “Al Sharpton making Costco into a titan of progress that needs mass support days before a potential strike,” Bhaskar Sunkara, the president of the progressive magazine The Nation, grumbled on the platform X.

    Now, I am also a socialist, but I don’t see why we can’t praise Costco for keeping their DEI program at a time when every other company is cowering before Trump, while also demanding that they treat their workers right in other ways as well. I actually see no conflict here.

    But The New York Times really, really wants us all to get back to bickering amongst ourselves (probably so no one notices how unhelpful they are being at this critical time).

    The episode at Costco […] illustrates an underappreciated tension on the left at a time when Mr. Trump has targeted diversity initiatives: Some on the left have expressed skepticism of such programs, portraying them as a diversion from attacking economic inequality — and even an obstacle to doing so.

    “I am definitely happy this stuff is buried for now,” Mr. Sunkara said in an interview. “I hope it doesn’t come back.”

    Well, that’s certainly a bad take from one guy.

    It’s one thing if DEI is being replaced by more effective initiatives — perhaps even ones in which white women are not the primary beneficiaries — if it’s used as a stepping stone to get to those things. It’s another, entirely, for a sitting president to pretend as though we live in some alternate dimension in which white men are the downtrodden victims of oppression. Especially when every study on earth still shows that, all things being equal, white names get more interviews than Black names and male names get more than female names. Or when there is literally a guy working in the State Department who tweets things like this:

    [social media post at the link: “Competent white men must be in charge if you want thinks to work. Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities, and demoralizing competent white men.”—Darren J. Beattie]

    That is extremely racist and sexist! That man is saying out loud that only white men should be in charge! He said it right there! That man is now the (acting) Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy!

    The article includes quotes from two guys — Sunkara and Faiz Shakir — who somewhat align with its inflammatory headline.

    The debate over diversity initiatives even surfaced during the recent race to lead the Democratic Party. At a candidate forum before the party selected a new chairman last weekend, candidates were asked if they would commit to appointing more transgender people to at-large Democratic National Committee seats, and to making sure the holders of the seats were ethnically diverse.

    One of the candidates, Faiz Shakir, refused, saying he disagreed with constituting the committee based on people’s identities.

    In an interview, Mr. Shakir, a former manager of Senator Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign, said D.E.I. programs often served to divide the working class and “soften the actual confrontation with corporate power we need in society.” Workplace D.E.I. policies essentially buy off workers on the cheap, he said, adding: “You get a penny for your efforts. A little trinket here or there, that should mollify you.”

    I mean, aside from the “divide the working class” nonsense, he’s not entirely wrong. But just to be clear, DEI is not pushing white people who would, under normal circumstances, be allies, to be frothing racists; we are not really talking anymore about “annoying corporate presentation you sit through once a year.” Because DEI now means, because Trump and all his Chris Rufos have made it mean, “white men in charge or else.” I’m not sure you can fix that with a union, particularly when the NLRB has just been decapitated, and also attorneys general are going after companies (like Costco) that say they will continue to hire diverse staff.

    The other “critic” they cite is Stanford Professor Jennifer C. Pan, who wrote a fairly reasonable sounding book addressing the way corporations have used these programs to undermine unions.

    While some on the left nonetheless support D.E.I., leftist critics argue that these programs tend to advance the interests of companies rather than workers. “D.E.I. is fundamentally a tool of management,” said Jennifer C. Pan, author of “Selling Social Justice: Why the Rich Love Antiracism,” a book to be released in May by the publishing house Verso, which characterizes itself as radical.

    In her book, Ms. Pan cites examples of how employers and anti-union consultants deploy D.E.I. programs as a way to undermine union campaigns by defusing pressure from workers.

    Yes. Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right, and it’s best to be aware of these things. I think it’s clear that this sort of critique has absolutely nothing to do with “approving” of Trump’s attacks on DEI. […]

    The other people interviewed were pretty much all on Team DEI Is A Step In The Right Direction Culturally, But Also We Need Unions. Which is the team I think most of us are on, as we are rational people who understand the limits of things.

    I don’t know a single person who thinks DEI is going to solve discrimination writ large, or who is under the impression that corporations were ever doing it out of the goodness of their hearts and not because they wanted to avoid lawsuits, retain staff, broaden their customer bases, and get good PR. Pretty much every study out there shows that it is very good for business.

    I do, however, think we all should understand that a society that decides that bigotry is bad and treating people fairly is good is headed in a better direction than one that is doing the opposite of that. I think we should all understand what is behind the Right’s war against DEI: It’s not actually about the specifics of these programs but rather is an insane narrative of white men as an oppressed underclass, so that they can go back to oppressing everyone else. So what we’re going to do right now is defend it on principle and, whatever kinks, we’ll work them out later. Because they are not the point right now.

    We should always be debating and reevaluating what’s effective and how things can be improved — and we do need to stop seeing disagreement on our side as some kind of existential threat. […]

    We don’t all need to be doing the same thing or worrying about the same thing or mad about the same thing, all the time, in unison. If we try that, at this moment, we will lose our damn minds […]

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/there-is-no-context-in-which-trumps

  258. says

    Petty tyrant being petty and tyrannical. “Trump Says He Will Dismiss Kennedy Center Board Members and Install Himself as Chair”

    New York Times link

    President Trump announced his intention on Friday to bring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington more firmly under his control, saying he would dismiss several board members and install himself as chairman.

    “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.

    Mr. Trump said he would “immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”

    He added: “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP.”

    Mr. Trump’s plan to purge the board and appoint himself was first reported Friday by The Atlantic. He posted his announcement shortly thereafter.

    The news stunned the world of arts and culture but was not a surprise to people who speak with Mr. Trump. In the weeks after his election win, Mr. Trump has been saying to people that he wants to be the chairman of the storied Kennedy Center.

    The current chairman is David M. Rubenstein, the financier and philanthropist who has held the position for more than a decade. Mr. Rubenstein’s retirement in January 2025 had been announced, but after Mr. Trump’s election, the Kennedy Center said that he would stay in the role until September 2026.

    Mr. Rubenstein, who was initially appointed by former President George W. Bush and later reappointed, has hosted former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at one of his homes. But he has also maintained a cordial enough relationship with Mr. Trump that Mr. Trump spoke with him for an interview for a book about presidents that was published in 2024.

    Reached Friday evening just before and after the president posted his announcement, several board members said they were caught unawares by the news and had yet to be told by anyone whether they would be terminated or not.

    At least one board member who was appointed by Mr. Biden received an email informing them of their termination from Sergio Gor, who runs Mr. Trump’s presidential personnel office.

    During his first term, Mr. Trump broke with tradition by declining to attend the Kennedy Center Honors, the group’s hallmark program, after some honorees criticized him.

    Mr. Trump’s plan to remake the board would break with years of precedent at the Kennedy Center, which has long prided itself on a tradition of bipartisanship. […]

    The Kennedy Center’s board, which has 36 members, has recently been evenly divided between Republican and Democratic appointees. Members of the board are appointed to six-year terms, suggesting they aren’t supposed to simply be dismissed. […] The board is roughly split between Biden and Trump appointees.

    […] Last month, the Trump administration quietly dissolved the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities […]

    The leaders of the Kennedy Center had recently expressed optimism about Mr. Trump, saying that Melania Trump, the first lady, who serves as an honorary chair, had personally expressed interest in reconnecting with the center.

  259. says

    Trump is ‘angry’ that deportation numbers are not higher

    “Arrests and deportations of undocumented people are lower than what President Donald Trump has promised, and that is “driving him nuts,” one source told NBC News.”

    Agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement are under increasing pressure to boost the number of arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants, as President Donald Trump has expressed anger that the amount of people deported in the first weeks of his administration is not higher, according to three sources familiar with the discussions at ICE and the White House.

    A source familiar with Trump’s thinking said the president is getting “angry” that more people are not being deported and that the message is being passed along to “border czar” Tom Homan, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello.

    “It’s driving him nuts they’re not deporting more people,” said the person familiar with Trump’s thinking.

    “After four years of the Biden administration’s outright incompetence and negligence, the Trump administration has re-established a no-nonsense enforcement of and respect for the immigration laws of the United States,” Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement. “Hundreds of violent, predatory, and gang-affiliated criminal illegal aliens have already been rounded up […] [I snipped the rest of that braggadocio.]

    […] According to numbers ICE has posted on X, the highest single day total since Trump was inaugurated was just 1,100, and the number has fallen since that day. On Tuesday of this week, arrests of immigrants were over 800, according to a source familiar with the numbers. But last weekend, there were only about 300 arrests, another source told NBC News.

    In order to fulfill Trump’s Inauguration Day promise of “millions and millions” of deportations, the Trump administration would have to be deporting over 2,700 immigrants every day to reach 1 million in a year. [Falling short is semi good news.]

    And, as NBC News has reported, arrests do not always equal immediate detentions, much less deportations. Of the more than 8,000 immigrants arrested in the first two weeks of the Trump administration, 461 were released, according to the White House.

    Aww. Trump (and even some of his lackeys) are sad and angry … and incompetent … and delusional … and reality is defeating them. Mild schadenfreude moment.

    Still, it is bad enough what they are managing to get done.

  260. says

    Update to this story includes harassment of the journalist who covered the Marko Elez racist comments as well as other aspects related to the Treasury Department’s payments system:

    On Thursday, 25-year-old Marko Elez resigned from his unearned position in Elon Musk’s DOGE in the wake of a Wall Street Journal report exposing his very racist history on social media.

    But not for long.

    Elez, who was given access to the Treasury Department’s highly sensitive central payments system, “will be brought back,” Musk announced on X Friday. […]

    Meanwhile, Vice President Vance took to X to express his support for Elez.

    “Here’s my view: I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life. We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that,” he wrote.

    According to Vance, the solution to “ruining a kid’s life” is apparently letting them work jobs where they have access to hundreds of millions of citizens’ personal financial records.

    While no one disputed the facts laid out in the WSJ report, Musk and other extremist right-wingers launched a campaign to bully Katherine Long, the journalist who wrote the story.

    Misinformation machine Ian Miles Cheong called the story a “hit piece” and posted Long’s biography, highlighting her previous work “managing USAID projects in Central Asia.”

    Musk quickly retweeted the post, writing, “What the hell? Certainly improper, possibly criminal.”

    The irony, of course, is that there might not be a single thing Musk himself does that isn’t “certainly improper, possibly criminal.”

    Very quickly, major right-wing X accounts joined in on the attacks against Long, painting her as some “woke” vigilante. One account with a couple hundred thousand followers disseminated the conspiracy theory that Long is a “deep-state operative.”

    “She’s a disgusting and cruel person,” wrote Musk in reply to a post that damned Long for a 2021 article she wrote about the lack of diversity in video games.

    […] Elez made the racist and offensive social media posts just a few months ago, so while “racist trolls on the internet” might not be considered much of a threat, perhaps we should hold them to a higher standard when they have full access to our country’s payment system.

    Link

    More at the link, including social media posts and additional details.

    As far as I can tell, Katherine Long is in danger.

  261. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: Lynna @259: Trump’s aids could lie to him, and he’d never know the difference. All legit statistics are fake news after all. They’re already participants in his fantasies to some degree.

    Consensus reality among communities of liars is something that’s always vexed me. Why do they so often waste effort on finding/contriving/spinning kernels of truth when it’s destined to be 99% BS in the end, and no one’s fact checking?

  263. says

    Elon Musk claims he works 120 hours per week and has called for his employees at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to do the same as they fan out across the federal government. His team, which appears to rely heavily on enthusiastic young men, may share his conviction that long hours are always better. Musk has gone even further than late nights: He recently claimed he was sleeping at DOGE headquarters in Washington, D.C. […]

    There’s just one problem: Musk and his team are wrong. The idea that working extremely long hours leads to increased productivity and positive results is not only outdated, but unfounded. Instead, research clearly shows that working long hours doesn’t make you a better employee. In fact, it can lead employees to struggle or even make catastrophic mistakes. This is concerning no matter what job you’re doing, but it may be of special concern for the Musk team handling sensitive data systems that touch the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans. […]

    Yes. That worries me.

    Link

    More at the link.

  264. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    DOGE workers ‘shacking up’ in federal buildings with sleep pods—some with family

    a federal worker who spoke at a town hall […] “One of Musk’s top lieutenants and wife and young child have shacked up on the sixth floor of our agency and are living there,” […] their hallway has supposedly “been blocked off with a special access list.”
    […]
    Daily Beast could not immediately confirm where the man works or if his claims are true.

    “In the last week, we had Elon Musk in our building, and after he visited the building, called for a 50% cut of the entire agency […] My colleagues are getting 15 minute one-on-one check-ins with 19, 20, and 21-year old-college graduates asking to justify their existence.” The man claimed agency supervisors have been handed a “justification form” and were ordered to “not to tell their staff anything” about what is going on behind the scenes.
    […]
    Musk, 53, has been reportedly catching ZZZs in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building […] He and his team even received a shipment of “sleep pods” to the DOGE HQ this week.
    […]
    DOGE has taken over the OPM and moved sofas onto its fifth floor. That is where the “director’s office” is located […] and historically is only accessible to those “with a security badge or a security escort.”

  265. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    A US Treasury threat intelligence analysis designates DOGE staff as ‘Insider Threat’

    members of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s IT division and others received an email […] “If DOGE members have any access to payment systems, we recommend suspending that access immediately and conducting a comprehensive review of all actions they may have taken on these systems.”
    […]
    “We further recommend that DOGE members be placed under insider threat monitoring and alerting after their access to payment systems is revoked. Continued access to any payment systems by DOGE members, even ‘read only,’ likely poses the single greatest insider threat risk the Bureau of the Fiscal Service has ever faced.”

    The recommendations were part of a weekly report sent out by the BFS threat intelligence team to hundreds of staffers. “Insider threat risks are something [the threat intelligence team] usually covers,” a source told WIRED. “But they have never identified something inside the bureau as an insider threat risk that I know of.”

     
    Nathan Tankus (Journalist):

    one of my sources confirmed this […] “BFS is treating Marko’s resignation as a cybersecurity breach. The cyber teams are working overtime to analyze the forensic artifacts Marko left behind and determine what he saw/did.”

  266. says

    Sky Captain @251, Putin’s aides and generals lie to him all the time. It is part of their survival strategy. Eventually Putin kills some of them anyway.

    For autocrats and wannabe dictators, feeling comfortable inside their bubble of delusion seems to be a very important priority. That’s a Trump characteristic for sure. He needs to be cosseted, affirmed, stroked, fed ego-reinforcing lies … and so forth. He has to be comforted.

    Part of what makes that hard to get one’s head around is that, inevitably, some reality does break through, even in Trump world … like when ICE’s arrest-and-deport numbers don’t match Trump’s delusion. What Trump does then is double down. He thinks other people are failing him. He thinks that if he just threatens them some more, or shouts at them, they’ll get the job done. Trump is not completely impervious to reality, just mostly so. He will to go to almost any lengths to find kernels of truth around which he can rebuild his comfort zone.

    I’m not sure Putin is impervious to reality, but he does have his obsessions.

    I wonder just how much Trump’s aides could get away with lying to him. Fox News lies to Trump and he believes them. Fox News and Trump share lies and feed off each others lies. The rest of the world (well most of it), including Trump’s aides, have to contend with the fact that there are still independent journalists and investigating journalists working in the USA. There are still some judges, state attorneys general, governors and voters who base their decisions on more reality-based world views. Trump can’t throw them all out of a window. Does he think he can shut them all up? He seems to be trying to.

    In sort of related news: “‘Don’t worry America’: Elon Musk says he will police himself from potential conflicts of interest” is one of the segments Nicole Wallace hosted today. https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house
    Do they all think they can police themselves?

  267. Bekenstein Bound says

    libertarian students group at public land-grant university

    Oh, the irony!

    Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska wants Americans to sacrifice so that the rich may pay lower taxes. I think a suitable response by Americans would be to hoist a few million middle fingers in his general direction, followed by not voting for him ever again, not even for dogcatcher.

  268. JM says

    @261 CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain and @266 Lynna, OM: Putin is, or at least was, a much more realistic person then Trump. Putin is a manipulative bastard who fought his way to the top. He knows he got where he is by killing everybody who got in his way.
    Dictatorships decay quickly though. Even if the dictator and the circle of people he trusts are realistic, the organization under them quickly becomes filled with people skilled in telling them what they want to hear. Every level ends up lying to the levels above and below them to make themselves look good. The longer it exists the more disconnected it becomes from reality and the more corrupt it becomes.

  269. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Elia Ayoub:

    I am very hopeful about the future not because I expect it to be better than the present but because it is a fact that it can. The future is not written. Despite the confident projections of our world’s oppressors and bullies, it is not written.

    Anyone who thinks the world’s oppressors are capable of predicting the future should have a chat with Assad and Putin. All those resources spent and Assad collapsed in 10 days. All those resources spent and Ukraine continues to fight back.

  270. KG says

    The plan is to announce a general strike when they hit about 11 million subscribers, based on data supporting the idea that when at least 3.5% of the population participates in a strike it wins. – anat@252

    I’d be very much in favour of a general strike, but the “3.5%” stuff is extremely dubious. As I suspected, it’s based on the work of Erica Chenoweth, which is (a) limited to situations where a movement of non-violent resistance attempts to bring about regime change (which is not among the extensive list of demands floated), and (b) involved a good deal of cherry-picking. For example, Chenoweth cites non-violent resistance to apartheid at the link above, without noting that it was accompanied by a sustained campaign of armed struggle extending over decades, as well as mounting economic pressure from abroad. I note that the 1926 general strike in the UK was a complete failure, despite involving an estimated 1.7 million workers out of a total population of around 47 million (I haven’t been able to find a year-by-year table, this is estimated from a wikipedia graph) – which is just over 3.5%.

    My own view is that the demands would need to be focused squarely on the illegal and unconstitutional actions of the Mump regime, which are many, but which clearly justify resistance, for which no claim of a “mandate” can possibly be valid, and which at this stage could mostly be reversed by orders from Trump, as opposed to legislation which would inevitably take considerable time.

  271. KG says

    Further to my #270, critiques of Chenweth’s work are available here and here. Note that these are both written from an anarchist perspective.

  272. KG says

    Further again – of course the 1.7 million workers taking part in the failed 1926 UK general strike were extensively supported by their families, friends, and allies, taking the total participation well over 3.5%.

  273. Reginald Selkirk says

    Trump says he is revoking Biden’s security clearance
    US President Donald Trump has said he is revoking Joe Biden’s security clearance and access to daily intelligence briefings, after his predecessor did the same to him four years ago.

    “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.

    “JOE, YOU’RE FIRED,” the Republican added in a reference to his catchphrase on the reality TV show, The Apprentice…

  274. Reginald Selkirk says

    Baltic states begin historic switch away from Russian power grid

    More than three decades after leaving the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have begun to unplug from Russia’s electricity grid and join the EU’s network.

    The two-day process began on Saturday morning, with residents told to charge their devices, stock up on food and water, and prepare as if severe weather is forecast.

    Many have been told not to use lifts – while in some areas traffic lights will be turned off.

    A giant, specially-made clock, will count down the final seconds before the transition at a landmark ceremony in Lithuania’s capital on Sunday, attended by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

    The three nations will then officially transition away from the grid that has connected them to Russia since the years after World War Two…

  277. Reginald Selkirk says

    2,000-Year-Old Chariot Parts Discovered Beneath Welsh Airfield

    An archaeological excavation in Wales has unearthed magnificent Iron Age artifacts. But it wasn’t archaeologists who found them.

    Military personnel and veterans have uncovered 2,000-year-old Celtic artifacts beneath the airfield at Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley station in Wales. The findings, officially declared as treasure, may have been part of a famous archaeological hoard previously excavated in the 1940s. They include horse gear and rare parts of a chariot, as detailed in a statement by the U.K. government from late last month…

    The findings include a horse bit dating to around 60 CE and a terret ring, used to guide the reins of a horse-drawn Celtic chariot, which is one of only three ever found in Wales featuring a distinctive red inlay…

    Archaeologists believe that the horse bit and terret ring are part of the important Llyn Cerrig Bach hoard, which came to light in 1943 during wartime construction work on the airfield. Celtic people likely deposited the artifacts in the Llyn Cerrig-bach lake as offerings to their gods. Thousands of years later, workers extracted peat from several lakes in the area to stabilize the foundations of the new runway—along with over 150 bronze and iron artifacts dating to between 300 BCE and 100 CE…

  278. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Marc Elias (Democracy Docket):

    Federal Judge BLOCKS Musk’s DOGE from accessing Treasury Department database systems with personally identifiable information or sensitive data. Must destroy any that was downloaded.

     
    Adam Schwarz, 11 sec video clip:

    “Social security numbers, home addresses, bank accounts. Why does DOGE need all of that?”

    Trump: “Well it doesn’t, but they get it very easily.”

    Trump just inadvertently admitted that Elon Musk is directing DOGE employees to access private US citizen data outside of government interests. In other words, Musk is abusing US governmental power to serve his own private needs.

     
    The elite lawyers working for Elon Musk’s DOGE include former Supreme Court clerks

    one clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts, another for Justice Neil Gorsuch—and the third has been selected to be a Gorsuch clerk for the 2025-2026 term. […] Keenan Kmiec, James Burnham and Jacob Altik

     
    Joyce Vance (MSNBC):

    In the Dept of Labor case challenging DOGE, Judge Bates has denied the Plaintiffs request for a TRO, finding they lack standing. […] but they can to come back with different plaintiffs altho the clock is ticking.

  279. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Trump’s FBI pick Kash Patel took up to $5M in stock from Chinese ecommerce giant Shein

    Patel began consulting for Shein one month before the company also retained the services of a lobbying firm where Pam Bondi, Trump’s newly confirmed US attorney general, worked at the time.
    […]
    Legally, an official like the head of the FBI would not need to divest or recuse until a clear conflict of interest emerges […] “However, the optics of the situation are not great,” […] Shein […] was under intense scrutiny in Washington over its alleged unethical business practices when Patel began consulting

     
    Kash Patel took $25,000 from Russia-Linked firm to appear on an Anti-FBI TV Series

    a documentary in which he assailed the FBI and called for closing its headquarters. […] Tucker Carlson’s online network released a six-part series called All the Presiden’s Men: The Conspiracy Against Trump
    […]
    according to Patel’s own financial disclosure statement, he pocketed $25,000 from a production company operated by a filmmaker associated with a Kremlin-subsidized propaganda project, a pro-Putin oligarch, and a pro-Kremlin disinformation agent.

  280. says

    https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

    ‘Illegal on its face’: Trump wildly oversteps with federal firing spree. The video is 9:16 minutes long. Rachel Maddow injects some humor into this difficult situation. She is joined by Ellen Weintraub, see comment 238.

    Also: ‘Kremlin Christmas’: Early days of Trump term delivers wish list for Russia, enemies of America. The video is 8:01 minutes.

    Also: Trump pick for FBI, Kash Patel, took $25k for role in Russia-linked anti-FBI film. Rachel Maddow discusses the same issue that Sky Captain featured in comment 279.

  281. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: Reginald Selkirk @273, quoting BBC:

    Trump has said he is revoking Joe Biden’s security clearance and access to daily intelligence briefings, after his predecessor did the same to him four years ago.

    /That author went on to make the latter claim themself, not merely echoing Trump.
     
    Biden says Trump should no longer receive classified intelligence briefings (2021)

    When asked in an interview […] if he thought Trump should receive an intelligence briefing if he requested one, Biden said, “I think not.” […] “I just think that there is no need for him to have [the] intelligence briefings. […] What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?” The President’s remarks did not appear to trigger an immediate change in White House policy.
    […]
    press secretary Jen Psaki said, “The President was expressing his concern […] but he also has deep trust in his own intelligence team to make a determination […] if at any point the former President Trump requests a briefing.” […] Former presidents traditionally have been allowed to request and receive intelligence briefings. […] Trump has not submitted any requests at this point.

     
    Brad Moss (National security attorney):

    Presidents do not have security clearances. There is nothing revoke. The next media person who says Trump “revoked Biden’s clearances” is going to get shoved through a window.

  282. JM says

    CNN: As Trump pushes for ceasefire talks, Ukraine sees Kursk as a potential bargaining chip

    Ukraine has launched new attacks in Russia’s southern Kursk region as US President Donald Trump pushes for ceasefire talks.
    The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor, said that Ukrainian forces launched a new series of assaults in the Kursk region on Thursday, advancing up to five kilometres (three miles) behind Russian lines southeast of Sudzha.
    While it is not clear whether the attacks are aimed at seizing more territory or reinforcing Ukraine’s defensive positions, ISW analyst Angelica Evans said advances of such scale were impressive.

    The Ukrainians are being more evasive about this offense then previous offenses. I suspect they are aware that the Russian military command is using information from the west and doesn’t want to give any details on where the fighting is happening.

    Russia claimed on Friday that it has now taken over Toretsk, an industrial town in eastern Ukraine that has been one of the epicenters of the fight for the past six months. Ukraine has not commented on the claim, but if confirmed, the fall of Toretsk would be another strategic win for Moscow as it would bring Russian troops closer to important Ukrainian defensive positions.

    It isn’t clear if they really taken Toretsk but there is fighting in the town. The Russians will win any short ranged fight through raw manpower so they should eventually control Toretsk. It’s taken them months to get into a single town though. When Ukraine does move on the offense they find weak points in the Russian lines and quickly take miles of land. The Russians are losing men for every few feet they take.
    The Russians have also put the North Koreans back on the front to stabilize the situation in Kursk. That they have to do this after taking them off the front line shows just how bad the Russian situation is.
    MSN: Putin’s troops are getting so desperate they’re using donkeys to supply ammo

    The Soviet army had to start using donkeys and horses to carry ammunition in Ukraine – something that hasn’t been done for over a century.
    Military blogger Kirill Fedorov wrote on his Telegram channel that Putin and his soldiers have started to send the animals to the front line.

    What a weird desperation move. At this point likely a local move simply grabbing them from rural farms. These things have a habit of spreading if they work and Russia does have a lot of local farm land that never industrialized.

  283. says

    NBC News:

    […] Trump’s calls for the United States to ‘take over’ and ‘develop’ the Gaza Strip have handed jihadist terrorist groups a rallying cry to recruit and inspire attacks against Americans at home and abroad, security experts and former intelligence officials say. […]

    “[…] there’s a potential for a generational counterterrorism nightmare here,” Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA officer who worked in the region, said Wednesday […]

    Polymeropoulos highlighted the language Trump has used in recent days — that the United States would “take over” and “own” Gaza.

    “These are triggering mechanisms for Islamic extremist groups,” he said, adding, “This kind of language only is going to galvanize groups that want to kill Americans.” […]

    The Islamic State and other jihadist extremists have seized on the Gaza conflict and the suffering of Palestinian civilians as material for propaganda and to encourage attacks on governments painted as enemies of Muslims, said Lucas Webber, senior threat analyst at Tech Against Terrorists, a nonprofit organization.

    “This most recent development will hypercharge these existing trends and provide fodder for the Islamic State to tap into it and leverage it to build support, empower its rhetoric, recruit and even incite violence,” Webber said.

    Pro-ISIS propagandists have already started to highlight Trump’s comments on social media, portraying his language as a vindication of their labeling the United States as an enemy of Muslims, according to Webber.

    Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called Trump’s remarks “literally bulletin board recruiting material today for our terrorist enemies, whether or not we ever go into Gaza.”

    “The idea that we’re going to clear Gaza out of Palestinians, that drives young men to extremist groups, to violence, to groups that are based around violence,” Murphy, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Wednesday […]

    “It’s really been quite some time since they’ve had this shot of energy,” he [Robert Pape, a professor of international relations at the University of Chicago] said. “A group like Al Qaeda has been desperate for something like this.” […]

  284. says

    NBC News:

    Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday rejected the idea of holding talks with the Trump administration, saying that experience had shown it was ‘not rational, intelligent, or honorable’ to do so.

  285. says

    NBC News:

    Letter by letter, crews removed the signage displaying ‘U.S. Agency for International Development’ from the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington where the agency’s headquarters once was. The seal was also covered.

  286. says

    New York Times:

    At least three people in three states have been arrested recently on charges that they had impersonated immigration agents or police officers to threaten others amid mounting efforts by the Trump administration to increase deportations.

    […] In another case, Sean Michael-Emmrich Johnson, 33, of Huger, S.C., was arrested Monday on Sullivan’s Island in connection with a traffic encounter on Jan. 29.

    Video captured Mr. Johnson telling the driver of a parked vehicle, who appeared to be Hispanic, that he would help deport him. He took the driver’s keys out of the ignition and claimed, without evidence, that the driver did not have a license. When the driver made a phone call and began to speak Spanish, Mr. Johnson interjected, saying, “Don’t be speaking that pig Latin in my country,” using an expletive.

    Mr. Johnson called the police to report a driver operating a vehicle without a license. Officers with the Sullivan’s Island Police Department arrived, but determined that it was actually Mr. Johnson who had broken the law, the police said.

    Warrants for Mr. Johnson’s arrest were prepared and Mr. Johnson turned himself in. He was charged with kidnapping, a felony, and impersonating a law enforcement officer, along with other misdemeanor crimes, the Sullivan’s Island Police Department said in an email. […]

    Link

  287. says

    White House Declares War on Academic Medical Centers, by Josh Marshall

    Major news out of NIH tonight [February 7, 2025], which I’m told will have a dramatic impact on all academic medical centers and research universities generally. Anyone familiar with the sciences knows that scientists bring in grant money for various research projects and the grant money is split between the grantee, who might be a researcher or a lab, etc., and the host institution. So the hospital or the university, etc.

    The new directive limits what goes to the institution for “indirect costs” to 15%. I don’t know this area well enough to get into the precise rationales for which rates make the most sense in the abstract. But that’s not really the point. From what I can tell this directive slashes the kind of government research funding available to these institution by as much as 60% or 70%. (I want to keep those percentages vague because this isn’t my area but I think that captures at least the general scale.) So these sound like huge budget shortfalls for academic research institutions, academic medical centers and so forth. And this is above and beyond the “freezes” that are still mostly in effect, albeit in many cases unofficially.

    There are parallel efforts to push through dramatic cuts in support for scientific research beyond the medical and life sciences. But this one seems like the most concrete and explicit to date. The big picture is that this is a very intentional attack on academic institutions and medical research, part of what is best seen as a culture war that the new administration is waging against half of the country.

    American primacy in the sciences globally seems really in doubt going forward. There’s a reason scientists from all over the world come to the U.S. Germany owned that before World War II. The combination of the Nazi seizure of power in the 1930s and then World War II brought that primacy to the U.S.

    This and other measures follow a very clear strategy of dismantling that.

  288. says

    From Corey Robin:

    […] every time that I’ve doubted that Trump 2.0 is so much more ready for prime time than Trump 1.0, every time I’ve insisted that overstating Trump’s power is doing the work of fear that Trump wants and needs done, I’ve been accused of being an apologist, a minimizer, an enabler, or worse. I’ve gotten these accusations—and some have been far nastier—from liberals, leftists, centrists, ex-conservative Never Trumpers, and more.

    I wonder how people are going to make sense of what seems to be a new line coming together from the discourse, as evidenced by three different kinds of voices of opposition to Trump in the last several weeks, voices that are fairly influential and will shape, I’m sure, how the rest of us talk and think about the next four years.

    Here’s JAMELLE BOUIE, whom I’d describe as a strong left liberal, with the sharpest historical analysis of the intersections between racism and capitalism, and a deep awareness of how institutions affect politics:

    “It is very telling of these guys’ [Trump and his followers] conception of how power works that they see issuing a flurry of executive orders as evidence of presidential strength and vigor and not a sign that the president is too weak to pursue a serious legislative agenda.”

    “We have a president with a tenuous grip on small legislative majorities who is out of the gate with a flurry of dramatically unpopular orders and who has just demonstrated his weakness on the international stage. […]

    “i think this should be factored into how states, counties, localities and hospitals respond to these executive orders. ‘we will investigate you if you teach DEl.’ okay, with what agents, specifically? with what state capacity?” [Good point]

    “not to downplay the seriousness of any of this but i think a lot of you are imagining the united states as a country of 30 million people and not a country of 330 million people. ‘He’ll enforce this with proud boys!’ okay, there are > 13,000 public school districts in the US. there are roughly 100,000 primary and secondary schools. trump pardoned 1500 people.”

    Here’s EZRA KLEIN, whom I’d describe as a mainstream liberal, bordering on the centrist […]:

    “Donald Trump’s first two weeks in the White House have followed Bannon’s strategy like a script. The flood is the point. The overwhelm is the point. The message wasn’t in any one executive order or announcement. It was in the cumulative effect of all of them. The sense that this is Trump’s country now. This is his government now. It follows his will. It does what he wants. If Trump tells the state to stop spending money, the money stops. If he says that birthright citizenship is over, it’s over.

    “Or so he wants you to think. In Trump’s first term, we were told: Don’t normalize him. In his second, the task is different: Don’t believe him.” […]

    “There is a reason Trump is doing all of this through executive orders rather than submitting these same directives as legislation to pass through Congress. A more powerful executive could persuade Congress to eliminate the spending he opposes or reform the civil service to give himself the powers of hiring and firing that he seeks. To write these changes into legislation would make them more durable and allow him to argue their merits in a more strategic way….But Republicans have a three-seat edge in the House and a 53-seat majority in the Senate. Trump has done nothing to reach out to Democrats. If Trump tried to pass this agenda as legislation, it would most likely fail in the House, and it would certainly die before the filibuster in the Senate. And that would make Trump look weak. […]

    “[…] Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president. He is trying to substitute perception for reality. He is hoping that perception then becomes reality. […] [Good points]

    “The flurry of activity is meant to suggest the existence of a plan. […] The closer you look, the less true that seems. They are scrambling and flailing already. They are leaking against one another already. We’ve learned, already, that the O.M.B. directive was drafted, reportedly, without the input or oversight of key Trump officials — ‘it didn’t go through the proper approval process,’ an administration official told The Washington Post. For this to be the process and product of a signature initiative in the second week of a president’s second term is embarrassing.” […]

    “What Trump wants you to see in all this activity is command. What is really in all this activity is chaos. They do not have some secret reservoir of focus and attention the rest of us do not. They have convinced themselves that speed and force is a strategy unto itself — that it is, in a sense, a replacement for a real strategy. Don’t believe them.”

    And here’s REBECCA SOLNIT, one of the preeminent voices of The Resistance, whose politics I can’t always figure out but whom no one would accuse of downplaying threat of Trump:

    “I found this really insightful and encouraging analysis,” she writes, referring to the following statements from Timothy Noah, a solid liberal journalist who keeps a close eye on things related to workers and unions, and Greg Sargent, another solid liberal journalist, statements that she posts on her page.

    1. Noah: “Trump is, I have argued, not a strong president. He is a weak president. He has authoritarian tendencies, but he’s weak. He’s mentally weak. He is vulnerable to all sorts of manipulation by his aides. He tries to do all sorts of contradictory things. He is not competent. And on the evidence of this particular example, neither are his enablers….These are all signs of a weak presidency.”

    2. Sargent: “I want to get at your point about weakness and failure here. An interesting thing is how this contrasts with Trump/MAGA propaganda right now. That propaganda is relentlessly pushing the idea that Trump and his allies are ruthlessly forging ahead with his agenda. You see it all over Twitter. All of MAGA’s tweeting immense congratulations to Trump, he’s crushing the libs, he’s doing this, he’s doing that. … The real story here is that they’re actually screwing up already….I don’t want to be too optimistic here. They’re going to do a lot of damage—already are doing a lot of damage. But clearly what we’re seeing now is that they’re not going to be able to roll over the bureaucracy and our institutions, as easily as they thought, as easily as John Harris thinks, as easily as that credulous New York Times piece portrayed, right?”

    Back to me: […] During Trump 1.0, people found it useful, for reasons I remain unclear about, to say that we were living under a fascist regime, even though the very fact that they could say that publicly suggested otherwise, and to warn of fascism as a way, I guess, of mobilizing people to vote or act.

    Now that it’s become clear that yelling fascism won’t make it— whatever “it” is—go away, now that people realize that a constant state of alarm imposes genuine political costs, people are looking for different kinds of analysis that show all the ways in which the familiar tools of politics are the tools we have to fight with, that a lot of the Trump power performance is just that, performance, that a lot of what we consider democracy still exists, and that we’re all going to have to look harder at institutions and actions [….] and less to the courts or revelations about Russia […] or to the passing street demonstration.

  289. says

    Lynna @284: Yeah, call Khameini theocratic, Islamofascist, tyrannical, evil, and utterly opposed to his own people’s progress and prosperity…but DO NOT call him stupid. He knows Trump a hell of a lot better than so many Americans want to admit we do.

  291. KG says

    every time that I’ve doubted that Trump 2.0 is so much more ready for prime time than Trump 1.0, every time I’ve insisted that overstating Trump’s power is doing the work of fear that Trump wants and needs done, I’ve been accused of being an apologist, a minimizer, an enabler, or worse. – Corey robin quoted by Lynna, OM@288

    And those accusations are spot-on. Notice that Robin says nothing at all – at least in this extract – about Musk’s seizure of the Treasury spending department, the shutdown of USAID, the supine way in which the Senate Republicans are endorsing kooks and extremists – most notably Vought, who believes the president has the right to refuse to carry out spending Congress has legislated. As for “Trump pardoned 1500”, Robin completely ignores the – undoubtedly intended – effect of pardoning thugs who committed violence in Trump’s interest: anyone who puts their head above the parapet has to reckon with the possibility of Trump’s goons coming for them.

  292. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Clarifying #278:
    EmptyWheel:

    Note that Elon may have pushed to reinstate Marko Elez, the self-described eugencist, at Treasury bc under Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s order, he’s the only coder who can access the payment system (Tom Krause is not a coder). But w/Judge Engelmeyer’s order, neither can access it.

     
    Federal judge blocks Musk’s DOGE from access to Treasury Department material

    Under the order, the Trump administration is prohibited from giving access to political appointees, special government employees or government employees that are not assigned to the Treasury Department.

    The lawsuit, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) […] In addition to New York, the states involved in the lawsuit are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. […] Efforts to get clarity on DOGE’s plans for the agency have not been successful, the attorneys general said.

  294. says

    Raging Bee @289, I agree. It is not “honorable” to waste one’s time speaking to Trump. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is correct.

    In other news: [Leftwing] Media traffic shows signs of another bump

    Some news organizations and news media outlets are starting to see a bump in traffic, subscriptions, and viewership in the wake of the inauguration, a sign that opponents of Trump are starting to tune back into the news en masse.

    This week, MSNBC appeared to slightly pull itself back out of its ratings doldrums, noting slight gains among key viewers and in the key advertising demographic, and host Rachel Maddow’s show posted its largest viewership bump since the election. (Still, no cable network is performing stronger than Fox News, which continues to hold strong against cord-cutting trends with its dominant audience numbers.)

    A spokesperson for the Guardian told Semafor it saw a 250% increase in fundraising last week garnering $4 million in pledges compared to $1.6 million in the same period last year. The Guardian’s largest fundraising day was Jan 21st, the day after Trump’s inauguration, as stories about Trump’s executive orders and Elon Musk drove a major uptick in traffic. Substack told Semafor that its mobile app had repeatedly set daily active user records over the past several days, and the week of Jan. 13 was its biggest week ever in new paid subscriptions.

    Former Washington Post opinion writer Jen Rubin’s new Substack, The Contrarian, garnered 10,000 paid sign-ups in its first 12 hours, according to figures shared with Semafor. Sam Stein, managing editor at the Bulwark, did not disclose the publication’s growth numbers but told Semafor that it had experienced “robust growth since the election in paid subscribers and YouTube subscribers,” both of which accelerated rapidly last week. A spokesperson for The Atlantic similarly did not offer specifics, but said the recent “dramatic growth” in subscribers had continued since the election, particularly tied to democracy-related and accountability journalism. […]

  295. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Trump’s freeze stalls federal firefighter hiring

    stopped the onboarding of thousands of seasonal federal firefighters, including those who work for agencies called on to help battle the devastating Los Angeles-area fires, creating a potential shortfall of firefighters ahead of the next fire season.

    Even though […] Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order says the freeze does not apply to positions related to “public safety,” federal firefighters are not exempt, according to a person who works in hiring at the Bureau of Land Management. […] Another BLM official involved in hiring said, “The level of stupidity and negligence here is enraging.”
    […]
    Hiring federal firefighters is a lengthy process because of federal background checks […] there is already a shortage of federal firefighters. […] a buyout offer letter sent to the federal workforce also went to current federal firefighters.

  297. KG says

    Federal Judge BLOCKS Musk’s DOGE from accessing Treasury Department database systems with personally identifiable information or sensitive data. Must destroy any that was downloaded. – CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain quoting Marc Elias@278

    And who’s going to make him? As far as I can see, no-one whose data might have been on any of the systems Musk’s teenage Nazis got access to can now or at any future time have any confidence it remains confidential.

  298. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: KG #297:

    And who’s going to make [Musk et al. comply with destroying stolen data]?

    Per #265, Treasury teams are treating it as a breach and gathering forensics. (Actively monitoring DOGE staff was also recommended.) That’s a start: identifying what info was taken and to where, if anything—rather than leaving DOGE to the honor system. And outside authorities voicing dissent will help embolden workers to speak out and act.
     
    Wikipedia – Pluralistic ignorance

    In this phenomenon, most people in a group may go along with a view they do not hold because they think, incorrectly, that most other people in the group hold it.

  299. Pierce R. Butler says

    JD Vance quoted by Associated Press quoted by news.yahoo.com quoted by Reginald Selkirk @ # 240: Ordo Amoris … “You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country. And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.”

    Funny, when roaming around the Middle East, I heard the exact same sequence of priorities expounded by many Muslims.

  300. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Followup to #265, #298.

    WaPo – Treasury was warned DOGE access to payments marked an ‘insider threat’

    A Treasury employee told The Post that the threat center is run by Booz Allen Hamilton, a large federal contractor. The company confirmed it runs the threat center, which it said is embedded within Treasury.

    Late Friday, after this article appeared, Booz Allen said it had “removed” a subcontractor who wrote the warning and would seek to retract or amend it. “The draft report was prepared by a subcontractor to Booz Allen and contained unauthorized personal opinions that are not factual or consistent with our standards,” company spokesperson Jessica Klenk said. Booz Allen won more than $1 billion in multiyear U.S. government contracts last year. […] The warning memo was sent to dozens of senior Treasury officials, including senior leadership of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.

    *headdesk*

  301. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Longform blog expanding a little on #158:

    BrianKrebs – Teen on Musk’s DOGE team graduated from ‘The Com’

    [Edward Coristine] is a former denizen of ‘The Com,’ an archipelago of Discord and Telegram chat channels that function as a kind of distributed cybercriminal social network
    […]
    even if someone sincerely intends to exit The Com after years of consorting with cybercriminals, they are often still subject to personal attacks, harassment and hacking long after they have left the scene. That’s because a huge part of Com culture involves harassing, swatting and hacking other members of the community. These internecine attacks are often for financial gain, but just as frequently they are perpetrated by cybercrime groups to exact retribution from or assert dominance over rival gangs.
    […]
    When Coristine’s name surfaced in Wired’s report this week, members of The Com immediately took notice. In the following segment from a February 5, 2025 chat […] members criticized Rivage’s skills, and discussed harassing his family and notifying authorities about incriminating accusations that may or may not be true.
    […]
    it strains credulity that Coristine could have been properly cleared beforehand. After all, he’d recently been dismissed from a job for allegedly leaking internal company information to outsiders.
    […]
    A White House official told Reuters on Wednesday that Musk and his engineers have appropriate security clearances and are operating in “full compliance with federal law, appropriate security clearances, and as employees of the relevant agencies, not as outside advisors or entities.”

    BrianKrebs on Mastodon:

    I’ve started posting on LinkedIn all the unconstitutional shit Trump and Musk are doing to undermine the security and integrity of our government. Mainly because that crowd needs to hear it most. It’s incredible how many people in the infosec space are still defending the actions of DOGE and its dear leader(s). And they’re not all crypto bros and AI peddlers; we’re talking about people in some pretty important roles, tech-wise.

  302. says

    Sky Captain @295, a Bureau of Land Management official interviewed by NBC News: ““The level of stupidity and negligence here is enraging.”

    Yep. That’s accurate and succinct. Could be be applied to most of the actions Trump and Musk have undertaken.

    Followup to comment 287. In related news, as reported by Josh Marshall:

    Last night I noted news which has spread like wildfire through the American scientific and medical research communities. The NIH released a seemingly down-in-the-weeds new directive which has the effect of drastically reducing the federal funds that go to institutions doing basic medical research.

    […] I want to address two issues – why and how likely is this to succeed.

    On the why, I think it’s a combination of two things. One is anti-COVID research payback, combined with a general hostility to scientific expertise culture and a general and not-incorrect belief that the kinds of people who work in these institutions are mainly not friendly to Trumpism. Basically, it’s seen as a body blow to Blue culture. Combined with this is a more structural belief that universities and colleges are institutional loci of opposition to MAGA and Trumpism. So you can knock them out of commission in a broader political and culture war by simply defunding them.

    On a secondary level, once you’ve established that these grants are at the political pleasure of the chief executive they’re a powerful tool for disciplining these institutions. Criticize President Trump and watch half your budget disappear. This latter model is very much the one pursued by people like Viktor Orban in Hungary: discipline the universities and bring them under political and patronage control. Putting it all together it’s very much a move in a broader culture war […]. So you either destroy them or put them on a tight leash.

    Having reviewed various particulars I think there are at least some reasons to think that the drasticness of the action may make it hard to pull off. There are academic medical centers outside of Boston, New York and LA. They exist across the South and in Red States as well. Indeed, these and the Universities they’re associated with are often bigger drivers of job support and growth, in percentage terms, than they are in blue states. They’re also where people get treated for diseases. They’re where a lot of people’s kids go to school. So I think you will have major, major stakeholders from Republican parts of the country who will be pushing back on this. […] I’m pretty certain that when the administration nixed its across the board grant freeze it was because they were starting to hear from key Republicans […]

    So the point is this. We all get that in our age the Democrats are essentially the party of the universities and higher education. Not simply people who work in that sector but people who have college educations and advanced degrees and are acculturated to its values. So on its face, from a degenerate, authoritarian point of view it seems like a no-brainer – knock out the universities. But it doesn’t break down that clearly when you see where these places are located and the role they play in communities around the country.

    Then there’s the pharmaceutical industry. Liberals and left-wingers have complained for ages that a big part of Big Pharma’s business model is scooping up the research funded by American taxpayers and then selling it back to the same taxpayers at exorbitant costs. That’s true. But that reality has a nice benefit in this situation, which is that Big Phrma is hugely dependent on that funding too. Big PhRMA now does a decent amount of its own funding in this space. But blowing a hole in these institutions’ budgets and possibly crippling them hits them very hard too.

    […] through various means Trump’s big push since getting into office is to shut down as much research into finding cures for cancer as he can find. […] I think the White House may have a hard time sustaining this because there are too many corporate and/or Republican constituencies that are hard hit by it.

  303. says

    Cartoon: Vouchers, Texas style

    Background information:

    The Texas Senate opened debate on Senate Bill 2 on Wednesday. The bill represents Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priority: establishing a school choice program in Texas.

    SB 2 proposes using taxpayer funds to provide private school vouchers — or “education savings accounts” as they like to call them since “vouchers” don’t poll well — for private school tuition. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a staunch supporter, has pledged to propel the bill swiftly to the House, where similar efforts have previously failed.

    The bill would create a $1 billion ESA fund, offering $10,000 per student for private school tuition. Special education students would receive $11,500, while homeschoolers would get $2,000 per student. If demand exceeds funding, $800 million would be prioritized for “low-income” families and special education students who previously attended public schools. The remaining $200 million would be open to students from all income levels, including those already in private schools.

    SB 2 defines a “low-income household” as earning up to 500% of the federal poverty level. Under the 2025 guidelines, this means a single parent with one child earning less than $105,750 per year would qualify. For a family of four, the limit would be $160,750 per year. By comparison, Texas’s median household income is $76,292, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

  304. says

    Zelenskyy is also offering US businesses priority in rebuilding Ukraine. He clearly knows what buttons to push with Trump.

    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:miwyf5eoyo33nj2y4gzilfc5/post/3lhmidczje222

    🤝 Zelenskyy outlines his vision for “deal” with Trump on mineral resources, Reuters reports

    […] Zelenskyy noted that Russia has detailed knowledge of Ukraine’s critical resources due to Soviet-era geological surveys.

    Currently, less than 20% of Ukraine’s mineral resources, including about half of its rare earth deposits, remain under Russian occupation.

    Ukraine possesses the largest titanium reserves in Europe, essential for the aerospace and defence industries, as well as uranium, used in nuclear energy and weaponry. […\]

  305. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    I work in the office carrying out the government purge

    As an OPM employee, I want my fellow federal workers and the American people to know that these emails may be coming from inside the house—but they are not coming from us. We at OPM are just as frustrated, confused, and traumatized as the rest of America.

    When I started my job at OPM, I swore an oath to the Constitution, and to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic, making it especially awful that the threat to our government is coming from inside my own office building. […] unlike HR at a private company—where HR really works for your boss and not for you—our agency actually does work for the American people and the public servants who serve them. And it really is nonpartisan. […] If a Customs and Border Patrol agent retires, we make sure they keep getting the benefits
    […]
    The administration has asked for 70 percent of our own workforce to be terminated […] I’m skeptical at the axe-wielders’ enthusiasm to pay us not to work […] but also demanding we give up all our rights if we sign it. If we don’t resign, remote workers have been told they need to move to work in one of nine cities by March 3, and we haven’t been told if we get to pick from among the nine or if we will randomly be assigned to a city in which we don’t live or have any connections. My bosses, and my bosses’ bosses, don’t have answers to any of our questions. Nobody knows who is in charge, though the leadership level of our parking garage is suddenly filled with Teslas.

    Ironically, this has been the greatest teambuilding exercise of my career […] I suddenly have the personal cellphone numbers of all of my colleagues, and have been reached out to by colleagues I’ve never met to make sure I am downloading my earnings statements in the event I’m fired or our (now compromised) computer systems go down. Colleagues have been sharing tips about how to maximize our benefits that we might be losing only two months into the year. We’re making plans to care for one another’s families if we lose access to medical care and need life-saving prescriptions. Every increasingly desperate memo and email is driving us to form community, join our unions, and get to better know our co-workers.
    […]
    Russ Vought, the nominee to run the Office […] wants to drive civil servants into trauma and make us feel like villains for doing our jobs. He’s been very effective at the first half of his goal, but the villains here aren’t the civil servants

  306. Reginald Selkirk says

    @240 299 “ordo amoris”

    There was Some Guy who instead said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” but perhaps Vance and other Christians are unfamiliar with him.

  307. Reginald Selkirk says

    @207

    Missing Alaska plane found with three confirmed dead – US Coast Guard

    The US Coast Guard has said the wreckage of a small plane that went missing in Alaska on Thursday has been found, with three people confirmed dead.

    The coastguard said seven other bodies are believed to be inside the aircraft, but are currently inaccessible because of the condition of the plane.

    Ten people were on board the Cessna Caravan craft, operated by the airline Bering Air, when its position was lost about 12 miles (19km) offshore on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

    The coastguard said the aircraft wreckage was located 34 miles south-east of the city of Nome, where it had been headed from Unalakleet…

    We are averaging one air disaster per week under Trump II.

  308. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Background from December on the milieu of cyber gangs brought up in Edward Coristine stories above.
     
    Feds are probing The Com’s use of cybercriminal tactics to carry out violent crimes

    intelligence reports […] offer insight into the underbelly of the global network […] The Com is leveraging the cybercrime knowledge within its subgroups to go beyond ransomware attacks or data breaches and into areas the FBI classifies as terrorism.

    CW: Mentions of exploitation and extortion to compel violence right out of Black Mirror at the link.

  311. Reginald Selkirk says

    Demonstrators with Nazi flags leave Cincinnati-area highway overpass after residents confront them

    A group of demonstrators wearing black clothing, some holding Nazi flags with swastikas, quickly left a Cincinnati-area overpass when they were confronted by residents Friday, video shows.

    Coverage from NBC affiliate WLWT of Cincinnati includes video of people walking up to the demonstrators, with police officers between them. The group of more than a dozen demonstrators quickly got into a U-Haul box truck and left.

    The demonstration included a sign posted over the freeway as well as individuals pacing with Nazi flags, according to video that aired on the station.

    No arrests or injuries were reported in the afternoon incident in the village of Evendale, about 12 miles north of downtown Cincinnati…

  312. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Senator Ed Markey (Feb 6):

    Here’s what happened when Congressman Tonko, Congresswoman Ansari, and I showed up at EPA today to ask to meet with DOGE. First, we were denied entry. Then we were promised a representative was coming to speak with us—twice. No one ever came. We are demanding answers. [short video]

    * The guard refusing entry to members of congress is wearing a hat that prominently features the star logo of Triple Canopy, a private security company. Private military too, lovely. No authority to do so.

  313. Reginald Selkirk says

    A 7.6 magnitude earthquake shakes the Caribbean southwest of Cayman Islands, USGS says

    An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 shook the Caribbean Sea southwest of Cayman Islands on Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

    The quake struck at 6:23 p.m. local time and had a depth of 10 kilometers, the USGS said. Its epicenter was located 130 miles (209 kilometers) south-southwest of George Town in the Cayman Islands.

    The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami was not expected.

  314. Reginald Selkirk says

    Physicists measure a key aspect of superconductivity in “magic-angle” graphene

    Superconducting materials are similar to the carpool lane in a congested interstate. Like commuters who ride together, electrons that pair up can bypass the regular traffic, moving through the material with zero friction.

    But just as with carpools, how easily electron pairs can flow depends on a number of conditions, including the density of pairs that are moving through the material. This “superfluid stiffness,” or the ease with which a current of electron pairs can flow, is a key measure of a material’s superconductivity.

    Physicists at MIT and Harvard University have now directly measured superfluid stiffness for the first time in “magic-angle” graphene — materials that are made from two or more atomically thin sheets of graphene twisted with respect to each other at just the right angle to enable a host of exceptional properties, including unconventional superconductivity…

    The team’s measurements suggest that magic-angle graphene’s superconductivity is primarily governed by quantum geometry, which refers to the conceptual “shape” of quantum states that can exist in a given material…

  315. Reginald Selkirk says

    Volkswagen Announces a Cheap Electric Car to Compete With China

    An anonymous reader shared this report from the Telegraph:

    Volkswagen has teased plans for a “China-killer” electric vehicle that will cost just €20,000 ($20,664 USD or £16,700) as the German carmaker gears up to take on a flood of Beijing-backed low-cost rivals. The company on Thursday shared its first images of a new vehicle expected to be called the ID.1, which will go into production from 2027…

  316. Reginald Selkirk says

    Singer-Activist Buffy Sainte-Marie Stripped of Order of Canada, the Country’s Most Prestigious Civilian Honor

    Oscar-winning songwriter and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Buffy Sainte-Marie, known for the anti-war song “Universal Soldier” and stolen-land lament “Now That the Buffalo’s Gone,” has had her prestigious Order of Canada appointment terminated. The award is the country’s highest honor presented to a civilian.

    “Notice is hereby given that the appointment of Buffy Sainte-Marie to the Order of Canada was terminated by Ordinance signed by the Governor General [Mary Simon] on January 3, 2025.” The notice was given by Ken MacKillop, Secretary General of the Order of Canada.

    The news was first reported in the Toronto Star late Friday and was included in Saturday’s edition of Canada Gazette, the Canadian government’s official publication.

    No specific reason for the termination was stated, but an investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Fifth Estate” show, published on Oct. 27, 2023 and now viewed on YouTube 1.5 million times, alleges that Sainte-Marie fabricated her Indigeneity, and presented a birth certificate shown on camera listing Boston, Mass. as her place of birth, “color of race” as “white,” and birth name as Beverly Jean Santamaria…

  317. StevoR says

    … the Democrats, mostly, look less like an opposition party and more like stunned bystanders. As my Guardian colleague Moira Donegan put it, they are “out of touch, opportunistic and cowardly”. But not all. Some Democrats in a new generation are punching back hard, and in so doing, showing their colleagues how to overcome their reputation for spineless dithering.

    Take Jasmine Crockett, for example, a 43-year-old congresswoman from Texas, who is defiantly feisty. You’ll find her everywhere – on social media, on cable TV and leading citizen protests in front of government office buildings.

    “We have a thug in charge of the White House,” she thundered in a TV appearance this week. And she didn’t spare her fellow citizens who elected Trump or who stayed home instead of voting in November. “Americans thought that it was OK to take a full-fledged criminal and make him the president of the United States, and then they want to act aghast when he does criminal things.”

    … (snip)…“Democrats need to throw every possible wrench into the plans of Trump, Musk and their Republican cultists in Congress,” argued scholar Norm Ornstein in the Contrarian newsletter. “Doing so will also underscore how serious the threat is to our system, thereby forcing media to cover it.” As the Virginia congressman Don Beyer suggested on Greg Sargent’s Daily Blast podcast from the New Republic: “Put those things that used to be routine and make them not routine until Trump stops breaking the law.”

    … (snip).. They.(Crockett, Murphy,Raskin -ed.) know how to put up their dukes.That’s important because one thing is certain: if the public believes there is no determination to fight back, Trump’s destruction will continue unabated.

    Source : https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/07/heres-how-democrats-should-fight-back-against-trump

    First seen posted on fb.FWIW.

  318. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/heritage-foundation-wants-trump-to

    “Heritage Foundation Wants Trump To Deport Prince Harry”

    “They want you to know they’ll come after disloyal rich white men too!”

    The tentacles of our new Christofascist overlords the Heritage Foundation were back in court last Wednesday, this time continuing a two-year fight they’ve been having with the Department of Homeland Security to make public the visa application of one HRH Prince Henry Charles Albert David George of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton, […] AKA Prince Harry, AKA the ginger married to the lady from “Suits.”

    Heritage has been slobbering over the possibility that his visa application will reveal that when he immigrated during the first Trump administration he lied about “numerous drug offenses” he mentioned in his memoir, like some kind of British Hunter Biden. Harry was never arrested or convicted of anything, but he wrote that he and his wife-to-be smoked pot while watching Inside Out[…] Also he tooted some lines at a party once, and did some shroomin’, so they think he should be DEPORTED. Harry is married to a US citizen and has two American children, but if he lied on the application, he could still be deported anyway. And what a fine example he would make of the Heritage Foundation’s newly boundless power to harass people and upend their lives!

    Nile Gardiner, the director of the foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom and Fox News blatherer, told Vanity Fair, “I think that US immigration law has to be applied equally and fairly to anyone who applies. It doesn’t matter whether you are a prince. If Harry has nothing to hide, he should support the release of the records […] I think it’s very clear that if Prince Harry lied on his immigration application, which is a criminal offense, he will be deported.” And Heritage is also reportedly appealing to Trump to ORDER Harry’s confidential records released, too.

    And if they can do it to Harry, well, they can do it to anyone, they’re hoping. […]

    Hm, one could say the same “nothing to hide” thing about immigrant Elon Musk, who came to the US from Canada on a student visa and openly admitted to the Washington Post and in a legal deposition that he violated the terms by stealing American jobs instead of going to school. And his brother Kimbal humblebrag-hyuked on a podcast that the two of them committed fraud on entry by lying to border agents that they were going to a David Letterman taping, instead of to break the law by working at a web company. Which if true should make him inadmissible to the US for the rest of his life, and made him ineligible for citizenship! [There’s also video of Elon Musk smoking pot.]

    Nile Gardiner, the director of the foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom (and Fox News blatherer), told Vanity Fair, “I think that US immigration law has to be applied equally and fairly to anyone who applies. It doesn’t matter whether you are a prince. If Harry has nothing to hide, he should support the release of the records […] I think it’s very clear that if Prince Harry lied on his immigration application, which is a criminal offense, he will be deported.” And Heritage is also reportedly appealing to Trump to ORDER Harry’s confidential records released, too.

    And if they can do it to Harry, well, they can do it to anyone, they’re hoping. […]

    Or how about the immigration records of one Melania Knauss Trump, who came here on an extremely rare EB-1 “Einstein” visa for people of extraordinary ability, who are supposed to show evidence that they will be continuing to work in the area of their expertise, and:

    provide evidence of a major award or meet three of 10 criteria proving excellence in their field. The criteria include coverage of the applicant in major publications, original and significant contributions to a field, and work displayed at artistic exhibitions.

    Doesn’t the public have the right to know what the First Lady wrote down for that? […]

    Anyway, back to Harry. The Heritage Foundation first started trying to get Harry’s confidential records in 2023, with FOIA requests to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services as well as US Customs and Border Protection, which turned them down because these records are confidential. Then Heritage sued the Department of Homeland Security, demanding an injunction to force DHS to expedite the request because Heritage would suffer irreparable harm if they didn’t get Harry’s private documents immediately.

    Last October Trump appointee Judge Carl Nichols — the same judge blocking the Trump administration from putting all the USAID employees on leave right now — told Heritage to fuck on off, because “the public does not have a strong interest in disclosure of the Duke’s immigration records.”

    And the Heritage Foundation has appealed, hoping that Trump, longtime voracious tabloid reader that he is, will make an example out of Harry. Trump told the trashy London Express last year: “I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me,” and “I think they [the Biden administration] have been too gracious to him after what he has done.”

    The Queen, of course, loved her grandson, and did not like Donald Trump, much less ask his fucking opinion about anything. And Trump has written books bragging about how the real Art of The Deal is fucking over any contractor with bad enough sense to work for you. Also, you know who is entitled to write a book about their life? EVERYBODY!

    Especially Harry, who has been dogged and lied about by shitty publications since before he was born, and shamed into not defending himself by his glamorously inbred family. Until now! He got out of their clutches and off his dreary little island, and just settled a lawsuit with Rupert Murdoch’s British NewsUK operation that included a full and unequivocal apology and admission to all the illegal hacking and intrusions that they plagued him with his entire life. He’s been working to tell his own story, live his truth, and better his lot, and there ain’t a damn thing wrong with that.

    But to conservatives, it was unforgivable to break the omertà of the royal family and write a book called Spare, titled for the way it was openly discussed in the royal family that Harry existed to be spare parts for his brother. He also talked about his grief over the death of his mother, and the fact that his family was made up of humans who did human things. Why does Heritage care so much? Perhaps because in a cult, the only unforgivable sin is leaving. If their minions discovered that by being reasonably nice people they could find a nice person to marry and go live a happy life outside of the cult instead of snorting powdered haterade all day long, the whole scheme falls apart. Just a theory.

    Also Harry is what a Klansman or probably Princess Michael of Kent would call a race traitor for marrying a half-Black lady, instead of one of his cousins, or at the least a blandly pretty white girl whose parents sold party supplies. And they are “woke,” of course. Recently the Sussexes called out Meta for their disgusting new Hateful Content Policies […]

    Judge Nichols said that he’d make public what he could and asked the government to submit redactions, so maybe something will be released, hopefully as redacted as a Michael Flynn court document.

    Meanwhile, Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are near Vancouver for the Invictus Games, the 11-year-old international sporting event for wounded veterans that he founded. Invictus has also just broken ground on a new rehabilitation center in Nigeria! The couple also let people who’d lost their homes in the LA fires stay in their house, had been working alongside chef Jose Andres’s World Central Kitchen handing out food, and played with displaced kids at the San Diego Zoo. Meghan even helped track down a replacement Billie Elish T-shirt that a 15-year-old lost in the fire. So of course the Twitter trolliverse is shitting all over her for being the worst person ever born, and gossip websites are reporting that she and Harry are on the brink of divorce, based on nothing. They want her to be miserable so bad.

    Oh well! And best of luck to them. We need more Americans like these!

    Even the celebrity gossip news is now tainted with Trump’s batshit crazy immigration policies.

  319. says

    Wahington Post link

    “Why lawyers worry migrants sent to Gitmo are entering a ‘legal black hole’”

    “The Trump administration has released scant information on the migrants sent to Guantanamo Bay. Lawyers are demanding they be allowed access to legal counsel.”

    Their names have not been released. Their exact crimes are unknown. The more than three dozen immigrants being held at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba have entered what lawyers are calling a “legal black hole.”

    Four days ago the Trump administration flew the first migrants from Fort Bliss, Texas, to Guantánamo Bay. The officials said the detainees were “dangerous criminals,” […]

    The American Civil Liberties Union, along with more than a dozen immigrant advocacy groups, sent a letter Friday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio requesting immediate access to the migrants, as well as information on their immigration status, which agency has custody of them, their anticipated length of stay there and what authority the government has to transfer them from the U.S. to Guantánamo.

    […] Most of those migrants are expected to live in tents pitched on a different part of the base. But the early arrivals are more than three dozen “high-threat criminal illegal aliens” who are in ICE custody and are being housed in a vacant military facility, a Defense Department spokesperson said on Saturday.

    […] For the migrants who recently arrived at Guantánamo, four lawyers who are familiar with the military prison say the Trump administration is breaking the law by denying them access to legal counsel — something the suspected terrorists detained in Guantánamo have obtained. Even if the migrants are confirmed as members of the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua gang, as the Trump administration contends, the lawyers say the migrants do not qualify to be held in the high-security area of the base that some prisoners have described as a “tomb above ground.”

    […] The Defense Department says the migrants are considered to be in ICE custody despite being detained in a military facility.

    That’s a distinction that’s impossible to make, said J. Wells Dixon, a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights who has represented 9/11 defendants and has one remaining client there, who was never charged and has been approved for transfer.

    “Camp 6 is inextricably intertwined with military detention,” Dixon said. “I don’t think you can unwrap Camp 6 from military detention.”

    Dixon said the prison was made for suspected terrorists: “It was designed to break detainees psychologically.”

    Other lawyers representing 9/11 defendants there also said the military-run building is operated like a high-security prison, with difficult living conditions.

    “Conditions there are not sanitary — my understanding is they’re disgusting,” said Alka Pradhan, a human rights attorney who represents one of the remaining 9/11 defendants in Guantánamo. “They’re dirty. It’s in a tropical island that builds up bugs and sand and heat and the air conditioning goes out all the time.”

    […] The military site where terror suspects are kept can hold more than 100 people, and the migrant center can house about 120, lawyers said. None come close to the space needed for the 30,000 people Trump wants to detain there.

    Satellite imagery on Saturday revealed more than 185 tents and temporary structures had been erected at the base near the migrant center in anticipation of an influx of deportees. A manual laying out rules on Guantánamo that was published by the International Refugee Assistance Project states that any migrants who were intercepted at sea and detained there can’t be moved to the U.S., meaning that migrants apprehended in the Caribbean are either returned to their country of origin or, if they are determined to have a credible fear of persecution, eventually to another country. But lawyers say that the newly arriving migrants, who come from U.S. custody, carry their rights with them and could return. [Satellite image at the link]

    The International Refugee Assistance Project issued a scathing report on the migrant center in September. It described a “dilapidated building with mold and sewage issues,” where migrants are denied confidential phone calls, even with their attorneys, and punished if they share accounts of mistreatment. […]

  320. says

    NBC News:

    Members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team have obtained “administrator” email accounts at the Department of Education, just as […] Trump announced that the billionaire will soon be examining the agency closely.

    The rapid deployment of Musk’s aides across multiple agencies has raised concern from federal officials, lawmakers and watchdog groups that his team has gained access to sensitive information and is leading a purge of government workers.

    When NBC News asked Trump at a White House press conference Friday about allegations that Musk and DOGE’s widespread staff cuts might be unlawful, Trump defended the approach, noting that the Education Department was high on Musk’s list of targets. “He will be looking at education pretty quickly,” Trump said.

    NBC News verified that Akash Bobba and Ethan Shaotran, both 22 years old and identified as members of DOGE, have administrator-level status in the department’s email system, allowing them to potentially access sensitive information. Two sources currently employed at the department also said that Shaotran had accessed the back end of the ed.gov website on Friday.

    Three employees of the department emphasized it is highly unusual for anyone from another government agency to get ed.gov emails. The Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.

    Tension is high at the Education Department, where leadership announced earlier this week that staff who take the deferred resignation package offered to much of the federal workforce would waive their right to sue if the government fails to uphold the offer. The employee union urged them not to take the deal, worried that it’s “eerily similar to the situation at Twitter” during Musk’s takeover, in which employees did not get the severance they expected.

    One longtime employee at the Department of Education who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal sentiments said there is an urgent and deep worry sweeping across the agency’s career staff as DOGE sets its sights on them. […]

    The New York Times reported that as many as 16 DOGE team members are now listed in the Education Department directory, and according to The Washington Post, they have fed sensitive personal and financial data from the department into artificial intelligence software. […]

    Also on Friday, the watchdog group Public Citizen sued the department on behalf of the University of California Student Association, a group of student government representatives, seeking an injunction to block DOGE staff from accessing “sensitive personal and financial information.” The suit cites reporting that DOGE-affiliated individuals accessed the department’s internal systems containing federal student aid information.

    “The scale of the intrusion into individuals’ privacy is enormous and unprecedented,” the suit states. “The personal data of over 42 million people lives in these systems.”

    […] The rapid clip of changes has outpaced the confirmation process for department leadership.

    Linda McMahon, Trump’s nominee for education secretary, is scheduled to appear in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee on Feb. 13. McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, is currently chairperson of the America First Policy Institute, a 4-year-old Trump-aligned think tank. Four of the top officials already appointed at the Education Department worked for the think tank.

    […] The department said that it would revert to enforcing the Title IX regulation imposed during the first Trump administration, rather than the Biden-era rules. And it canceled 11 investigations into school districts over book bans — opened due to complaints that the schools targeted titles by LGBTQ authors and people of color — and called the complaints a “hoax.” [embedded links to sources are available at the main link]
    […]

  322. Bekenstein Bound says

    First off, everyone must see this gif: https://proxy.freethought.online/gas/2025/02/08/sieg-fvck-all-yall/

    I don’t mean everyone here. I mean everyone. To clear up the doubts disingenuously manufactured by those bloated corporate-owned manufacturers-of-consent.

    Dictatorships decay quickly though. Even if the dictator and the circle of people he trusts are realistic, the organization under them quickly becomes filled with people skilled in telling them what they want to hear. Every level ends up lying to the levels above and below them to make themselves look good. The longer it exists the more disconnected it becomes from reality and the more corrupt it becomes.

    Commonly called the “SNAFU principle”; despite which, some autocracies have endured as such for centuries or even longer. Germany, for example, was ruled by a succession of kings from the collapse of Rome through until it lost World War I, a span of roughly 1500 years.

    The Soviet army had to start using donkeys and horses to carry ammunition in Ukraine – something that hasn’t been done for over a century.

    When the hell was this? Over a century means before World War II, but “Soviet” strongly implies after World War I. They were in a war in between those two? Indeed, in the narrow window 1919-1924?

    Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA officer who worked in the region

    “Polymeropoulos” …

    So, “rubber chicken” then.

    Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday rejected the idea of holding talks with the Trump administration, saying that experience had shown it was ‘not rational, intelligent, or honorable’ to do so.

    Iran’s leader is smart. Smarter than, unfortunately, even Canada’s, despite being a despot. Bah.

    The combination of the Nazi seizure of power in the 1930s and then World War II brought that primacy to the U.S.

    This naturally suggests two questions:

    a) Where will the combination of the Nazi seizure of power in the 2020s and then World War III bring it?

    b) How many eyes, limbs, tentacles, and suchlike will the local inhabitants there possess?

    Ordo Amoris … “You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country. And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.”

    Christ: “Love your neighbor as yourself”

    Church: <proposes elaborate hierarchy of diminishing compassion the less similar or related someone is to you>

    Lesson: Christians who wish to be any good at Christianing ought to utterly ignore any advice from a church or priest.

    Also, so should everybody else.

    (That no matter what they do some church somewhere will say that they’re Christianing wrong is also a reason. And of course no matter what anyone does one or another religion will say that they’re humaning wrong, so…)

    Criticize President Trump and watch half your budget disappear. This latter model is very much the one pursued by people like Viktor Orban in Hungary: discipline the universities and bring them under political and patronage control. … Having reviewed various particulars I think there are at least some reasons to think that the drasticness of the action may make it hard to pull off. There are academic medical centers outside of Boston, New York and LA. They exist across the South and in Red States as well. Indeed, these and the Universities they’re associated with are often bigger drivers of job support and growth, in percentage terms, than they are in blue states. They’re also where people get treated for diseases. They’re where a lot of people’s kids go to school. So I think you will have major, major stakeholders from Republican parts of the country who will be pushing back on this.

    Orban was smart enough to dial all of this up gradually, over years. Trump has yanked the dial all the way from “tepid” to “boiling” in 2 weeks. It’s like he’s more interested in seeing how high and fast the frog will jump than he is in actually obtaining frog soup. :)

    Ironically, this has been the greatest teambuilding exercise of my career […] I suddenly have the personal cellphone numbers of all of my colleagues, and have been reached out to by colleagues I’ve never met to make sure I am downloading my earnings statements in the event I’m fired or our (now compromised) computer systems go down. Colleagues have been sharing tips about how to maximize our benefits that we might be losing only two months into the year. We’re making plans to care for one another’s families if we lose access to medical care and need life-saving prescriptions. Every increasingly desperate memo and email is driving us to form community, join our unions, and get to better know our co-workers.

    So that’s how high. If we somehow survive this without an inconvenient planetary rash of mushroom clouds, the pendulum may be about to swing very hard the other way, to strong unions and strong grassroots democracy again. That’s encouraging.

    … the Democrats, mostly, look less like an opposition party and more like stunned bystanders. As my Guardian colleague Moira Donegan put it, they are “out of touch, opportunistic and cowardly”.

    And they are being routed around; see above. This could be as seismic a shift in US politics as when the Federalist party imploded and the Whigs ended with a whimper, paving the way for the current Dem/Repub duopoly. (And the (First) Civil War.)

    Coverage from NBC affiliate WLWT of Cincinnati includes video of people walking up to the demonstrators, with police officers between them.

    The police sided against the Nazis?!

    Two sources currently employed at the department also said that Shaotran had accessed the back end of the ed.gov website on Friday.

    Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Back in my youth we’d have just said that DOGE had buttfucked ed.gov. We weren’t the sort to mince words. :P

  323. John Morales says

    Sez my AI bubbly useless toy:

    “The term “buttfucked” is considered homophobic because it derogatorily references a form of sexual activity commonly associated with gay men, reducing it to a negative, degrading, or violent act. This reinforces harmful stereotypes and prejudices against LGBTQ+ individuals, perpetuating the idea that their sexual practices are inherently wrong, shameful, or abnormal. Such language marginalizes and stigmatizes the LGBTQ+ community, contributing to a culture of discrimination and intolerance. By using this term pejoratively, it invalidates and disrespects the identities and experiences of those within the community.”

  324. Bekenstein Bound says

    YU: Do not accept gifts from Ba’al.
    DANIEL: They have a habit of exploding, especially when he feels he has been slighted. He wiped out the inhabitants of two star systems, sixty million lives, rather than lose them to Sokar in a territorial dispute.

    Guess who just ignored that advice? (And from an expert, no less, Daniel has survived more deaths than most people who are not hardcore into roguelikes.)

    If you said “Donald braindead Trump”, you win a cookie.

    https://truthout.org/articles/netanyahu-gifts-trump-a-golden-pager-seemingly-celebrating-lebanon-attack/

    I’m suddenly quite interested to know if he’ll be making any televised public appearances soon. Especially any that will have Musk, Vance, and Mike Johnson all also in attendance.

  325. whheydt says

    Re: Berkenstein Bound @ #322…
    In data processing shops, the “back end” is where all the real work takes place. It’s where you’ll find the mainframes running databases, transaction processing monitor system (e.g. CICS), where the batch reports get run (whether they get printed or distributed electronically). This is as opposed to the “front end” where you’ll find user interfaces, usually web or GUI these days.
    It’s kind of the equivalent of a Hollywood film showing you a bunch tape drives madly moving tape back and forth instead of the rather boring system console with lights that are changing so fast that most of them appear to be about half on–but that’s the front panel of the actual computer.

  326. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    A reaction to reporting of the DOGE Treasury breach.

    “Typical Wired hyperbole, IMO.”
    —Rich Beamer
    Director of Cyber Risk at Capital One

    Beware, anyone who banks with them on his watch.

  327. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    The Crypto Grifters Of DOGE:

    Gautier “Cole” Killian apparently conducted “blockchain research” and worked at Jump Trading. […] Jump Trading has a subsidiary that specializes in trading cryptocurrency, cleverly named “Jump Crypto.” Now Jump Crypto is not a firm that has exactly covered itself in glory.
    […]
    Jump Crypto was intimately involved in the spectacular collapse of Terra/Luna, the largest and most obvious ponzi scheme in human history whose incineration of several aircraft carriers worth of people’s money (~$20-40 billion) in May 2022, destroyed tens of thousands of people’s lives, and nearly put the whole crypto industry to the sword.
    […]
    I would consider a resumé entry displaying the words “Jump Crypto” during the time period in question roughly equivalent to one showing the word “Enron” or “Theranos”.
    […]
    Killian’s purported profile also lists “founding engineer at Glow Savings”. […] it’s not incorrect to think of it as a ponzi scheme built on top of another ponzi scheme. […] it was launched on the Terra/Luna blockchain
    […]
    Before or possibly concomitant with his time at Glow Savings our friend Cole also worked on NFT technologies… Also on the Terra/Luna ponzichain.

    There are two possible explanations for all this: our friend Cole Killian is either A) not a smart person or B) an amoral monster with an eye for how to separate suckers from their money. Given the fancy degrees in mathematics and computer science I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he fits into category B (I could be wrong!).

    In my (informed) opinion, anyone who has worked on or with a litany of financial cringe that includes tooling for NFT scams, building “DeFi” yield farms, failing to see the Terra/Luna ponzi for what it was, and a tenure working with the creeps at Jump Crypto should be banished for life from the financial services industry tout suite. What they should not be doing is tinkering with the plumbing that drives the entire global economy and/or beaming Americans’ confidential data up into the great Elon in the sky. But that’s where we are.

  328. KG says

    some autocracies have endured as such for centuries or even longer. Germany, for example, was ruled by a succession of kings from the collapse of Rome through until it lost World War I, a span of roughly 1500 years. – Bekenstein Bound@322

    No, it wasn’t. FFS, read some history. For much of that time, the area which people of the time would have undestood by “Germany” (which is different from German today, and from Germany immediately before WW1) consisted of more than 200 effectively independent states and statelets, including monarchies, oligarchic city states, and mini-theocracies, loosely grouped as parts of the “Holy Roman Empire” (famously “Neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire” – Voltaire), whose Emperor was chosen by a small group of “Electors”, rulers of some of the most important of those states – which states varied somewhat over time. The Holy Roman Empire was abolished by Napoleon, after which there was a complicated and at times violent process of reshuffling which ended up, after the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, in two monarchies, the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Each ruled part of what had traditionally been referred to as “Germany” along with additional territory, and neither was a straightforward autocracy: both had parliamentary assemblies with real though restricted powers; both had real though restricted freedoms of speech, press, and assembly; in both, the real work of governing was done by ministers who had to take into account elite and to some extent wider public opinion as well as the demands of the monarch; the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as the name suggests, consisted of two parts which were rather tenuously connected by the monarchy; and in both, as Christopher Clark shows in his The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914, it was dangerously unclear who was in charge of foreign policy.

    Summary: History is complicated. If you don’t know squit about the complications, don’t try to use it to make points about current politics.

    OTOH – that is an excellent gif you link to – congratulations to Bébé Mélange.

  331. Reginald Selkirk says

    Russian drone operators reportedly received explosive headsets — plans dashed by packaging

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen the widespread use of drones on both sides and now it seems that the supply chain for these units is being targeted as well. According to The War Zone, FPV goggles destined for Russian drone operators on the front line were found to have explosives buried inside them. These were set to detonate once the unit had been turned on, injuring and potentially incapacitating, or killing, the drone pilot.

    These goggles reportedly contained a small amount of plastic explosive — about 10 to 15 grams — but its placement near the temple of the operator makes it quite deadly. Since they were set to detonate once the goggles had been activated, it almost certainly guarantees that a drone pilot might have been wearing them when the explosive charge detonated.

    The booby-trapped items in question are FPV Skyzone Cobra goggles acquired from China by reportedly unwitting volunteers, and they were transported into the country via the Russian parcel service SDEK. The operation was thwarted because the Russian military noticed the packages were seemingly tampered with, showing signs of being opened. Upon closer inspection, it was noticed that the FPV goggles looked like they had been previously opened, which led to the discovery of the hidden explosives. Perhaps the cunning saboteurs should have invested in a shrinkwrap machine…

  333. Reginald Selkirk says

    Meta develops ‘hat’ for typing text by thinking — uses AI to read brain signals for keypresses

    Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously said that the company is working on a system that will allow you to type directly via your brain. According to MIT Technology Review, the tech giant was actually able to successfully create this technology, with the system capable of accurately determining what key the user was ‘pressing’ about 80% of the time. This probably isn’t an impressive number to skilled typists, but we must remember that this machine reads your brain signals externally — no implantation or invasive procedure required — which is a feat in and of itself.

    However, don’t think this is a comfortable hat that one could just wear anywhere, day to day. Instead, it’s a massive and expensive machine that needs to be used in isolation to work effectively. Forest Neurotech founder Sumner Norman likens it to “an MRI machine tipped on its side and suspended above the user’s head,” with one device estimated to cost $2,000,000…

    So you have to think of typing hte letter? That’s no good. We need something where you just think of something, say a kitten playing with a ball of string, and the corresponding words get typed for you.

  334. says

    Trump sues sanctuary state in desperate bid to ramp up deportations

    Three weeks into Donald Trump’s turbulent second term as president, deportations remain steady compared to past years. It looks like Trump’s many threats of “mass deportations” have fizzled out so far. And the reason, as I’ve noted before, is that immigration officials are already stretched to capacity. In order to ramp up the pace, Trump either needs more money to staff immigration agencies, or the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency needs significant assistance from local and state law enforcement.

    He’s been promised plenty of help on that front from red states—particularly Florida and Texas […] But Trump is a petty ass, and he’s not happy to start his mass purges in friendly territory. He wants to punish blue states, so his Justice Department has filed suit against Illinois for being a sanctuary state.

    “Citing a national emergency regarding illegal immigration that Trump declared on his first day back in office on January 20, the department in the lawsuit sought to block several Illinois and Chicago laws that ‘interfere with and discriminate against’ his immigration policies,” according to a report from Reuters. The lawsuit further claims that Illinois’ TRUST Act, which bars state and local authorities from assisting federal agents in targeting and arresting undocumented immigrants, somehow violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which allows federal law to preempt local laws.

    Sanctuary cities and states are objectively a net positive because the approach lowers crime, improves the economy, and is morally justified. This lawsuit? Not so much.

    Illinois isn’t barring federal authorities from operating on its soil, or otherwise impeding their activities on immigration matters. It simply refuses to help the feds and prohibits them from commandeering local resources to do their work.

    Constitutionally, Illinois is on solid ground. In the 2017 case Printz v. United States, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, “The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States’ officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program. Such commands are fundamentally incompatible with our constitutional system of dual sovereignty.”

    Scalia could not be clearer in spelling out that the federal government cannot compel local law enforcement to do its bidding.

    That principle was further underscored by archconservative Justice Samuel Alito in the Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association ruling.

    “Conspicuously absent from the list of powers given to Congress is the power to issue direct orders to the governments of the States,” Alito wrote. “The anticommandeering doctrine simply represents the recognition of this limit on congressional authority.”

    Remember that as Trump demands that states do his bidding. Alito clearly stated that the feds can’t issue direct orders to state governments.

    Individual sanctuary cities have already been subject to Trump challenges during his first term. In 2019, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that California’s sanctuary laws were constitutional, and there’s “no doubt that SB 54 makes the jobs of federal immigration authorities more difficult [but] California has the right […] to refrain from assisting with federal efforts.”

    The Supreme Court then let that ruling stand, with only two justices (Clarence Thomas and Alito) interested in hearing the case. Given the Murphy and Printz rulings, it’s easy to see why the majority of the Supreme Court didn’t feel the need to revisit its anticommandeering doctrine. What is curious is why Alito would want to, given he was one of the architects of the doctrine, or why Thomas would, given he voted for it both times.

    Ironically, if the Supreme Court did Trump’s bidding and allowed federal authorities to commandeer local police resources, that would mean that the next Democratic administration could force local police departments to more aggressively enforce gun laws—the very reason conservatives created the anticommandeering doctrine.

    […] “Some migrants arrested in Trump’s immigration crackdown have been released back into the U.S.,” NBC News reported. “Space constraints and court orders have led ICE to release migrants on monitoring programs after they’re arrested.”

    It’s literally business as usual. So suing Illinois seems as performative as the faked claims of mass deportations coming from ICE.

  335. says

    Tech billionaire and the anchor of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk is calling for the impeachment of the federal judge who made a decision early Saturday morning that the Treasury Department should block access to anyone “other than civil servants with a need for access to perform their job duties” from its payment systems.

    The decision came after Musk saw his staffers attempt or succeed in accessing databases in various departments, supercharge a federal worker buyout program and shrink the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) workforce this week. […]

    Link

  336. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Vought Stops CFPB From Functioning with Illegal Order

    Russell Vought, the Project 2025 architect […] acting CFPB director […] expanded a shutdown of the bureau’s activity […] He then attempted to defund the CFPB, only to find that it was already funded for the rest of the fiscal year. […] Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent […] had already shut down most of the CFPB’s day-to-day functions last Monday.
    […]
    small community banks are now regulated more than big banks. As part of a political compromise during the creation of the CFPB, it supervises only banks with more than $10 billion in assets. The other banking regulators handle banks under $10 billion.
    […]
    He sent a letter to the Federal Reserve refusing a quarterly drawdown in funds for agency operations […] (The CFPB is funded through drawdowns from the Federal Reserve, not annual appropriations from Congress.) But […] the previous leadership of the CFPB was quite smart in preparing for Trump […] they drew down enough in advance to operate through the end of the fiscal year. “It’s the only thing that has brought me joy,” said one former CFPB official.
    […]
    The CFPB homepage has had a “404: Page Not Found” message since Friday night, though all other links at the site work. […] Litigation is likely to get some aspects of the CFPB working again.

  337. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/hey-denmark-voulez-vous-couchez-avec

    “Hey Denmark, Voulez-Vous Couchez Avec Canada?”

    Have you ever been in a long-term friends-with-benefits deal when the person suddenly got all weird and clingy? Or worse they started acting like a potentially violent stalker and you know they have access to a gun? Many, many guns, actually.

    That’s basically the situationship between Canada and the USA now, and it seems unlikely we’re ever getting back together due to unfortunate recent developments. To paraphrase a guy who’d significantly damaged the vibe between us earlier: “Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us … you can’t get fooled again.” […]

    Canada needs to start looking for somebody new to date, and we’ve already tried the “close your eyes and think of England” thing. Been there, done that. And there’s a much sexier and kinder alternative to our abusive ex right next door […] Or, as Danes might say, Netflix og chill. 🍆 🍑 🇩🇰 🇨🇦

    It’s not as if the country we share the world’s longest undefended border with is the only option, as there’s another one nearby separating the Dominion of Canada from the Kingdom of Denmark. […] there’s no better way to stay warm in the Arctic than sharing a bed.

    Denmark, if you’re listening, I hope you might be open to our countries hooking up. We’ve got so much in common we’d absolutely be a match if the United Nations had an in-house dating app! Here’s a handy top 10 list of some potential green flags to entice swiping right on the Great White North, eh:
    – We’ve known each other forever! It’s been more than a millennium since Canada hosted Leif the Lucky at the northern tip of Newfoundland, although there’s no reason to think he actually got lucky during his visit. But he and his crew “accidentally” left evidence of their Viking settlement behind at L’Anse aux Meadows, a clear attempt to someday be invited back for another sleepover. […]

    – We speak the same language! Or at least the Inuit do after sharing igloos for centuries. But 86 percent of Danes speak English, as do 200,000 or so Canucks of Denmarkonian descent, […] Although you’d probably have to buy Quebec a few drinks first. […]

    – Our flags are the same colors! Yours is red and white, ours is red and white, and we could be a new world power couple […]

    – We’re sick of jokes about baked goods too! Timbits or Nanaimo bars aren’t actually a daily staple of most Canadians’ diets, and we know danishes aren’t for you health-conscious Scandinavians either. Some of us even know Danes call danishes wienerbrod, meaning “Viennese bread,” because we’ve already googled you in advance. ;)

    – Neither of us abolished the monarchy! It’s admittedly kinda strange we both still spend gazillions of taxpayer money on a bunch of useless, in-bred aristocrats but at least we won’t have to explain it to each other. […]

    – We have proven success stories! Our citizens have already done the deed many times, and there’s some impressive offspring to show for it such as the late comedy genius Leslie Neilson, paraplegic Man in Motion Rick Hansen, Hayden Christensen and his off-the-charts midi-chlorian count, and pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen. […]

    – We’ve already survived our first fight! Sure, we’re both founding members of NATO and have gone on difficult UN peacekeeping missions together to places like Sudan and the Middle East, but the true test of any relationship is the first serious argument. The so-called Whisky War over the sovereignty of remote Hans Island was finally settled after the exchange of booze bottles rather than rockets following the adult decision in 2022 to draw an imaginary line down the middle of the uninhabited speck of frozen rock between Greenland and Ellesmere Island. Nobody even had to sleep on the couch or get genocided!

    – You play decent hockey now! Look, we both know things wouldn’t work out in the long run if you can’t keep up at least a little bit on the ice. Shared interests are important, and don’t think we haven’t noticed the effort you’ve put in. You’ve come a long way from the time Team Canada beat you 47-0 at the 1949 World Championship, when every player except the goalie scored at least a hat trick, and you finally managed to beat us for the first time three years ago! […]

    – We’ve fought Nazis together! This is actually kind of a big one as we’re new to living next door to a Nazi regime and it would be good to talk with someone with first-hand experience. Word is appeasement isn’t the way to go, but we’re kinda desperate for suggestions after our stupid ex chose to put the lunatics in charge of the asylum.

    So what do you say, Denmark? Vil kneppe? Hope you’ll say yeeaaah!

  338. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Roger Parloff (Lawfare):

    The challenge that all the DOGE-related lawsuits face is that DOGE has a formalistic structure that’s designed to look benign, but which appears to be a charade.

    [DOGE purpose per EO was ‘upgrading tech’ vs per public Twitter and hype in Nov ‘downsizing’. Mimicks legit gov IT but under WH (really Musk): staff lent to agencies as if to report to those heads (to get ‘doing my agency job’ privacy exemption).]

    The problem for a court is that one could imagine the old US Digital Service *really* trying to improve agency IT systems & detailing experts to agencies for that purpose; nobody would bat an eye. Furthermore, courts have held that there’s a “presumption of regularity [that] attaches to the actions of govt agencies.” If there were time, the lawyers challenging DOGE could conduct discovery (depositions, etc.) to try to debunk DOGE’s claims. But there isn’t.

    This leaves judges in a tough spot. Can they just look at Musk’s ravings online and infer that something’s amiss? Is that sufficient to enter preliminary injunctions—and then get the discovery afterward? […] But will these [TROs] be converted to longer-lasting preliminary injunctions? And what happens on appeal—maybe to SCOTUS?

    * EmptyWheel (Lawfare): “[This thread] primarily deals with Privacy challenges of employees. One reason the AGs suit was differently situated is bc Trump was withholding THEIR $$. Different kind of injury. Also, they added a cybersecurity injury.”

  339. says

    Followup to Sky Captain @336.

    This Press Release From the CFPB Union Is Just … Chef’s Kiss

    It’s been a rough ass three weeks, and we could all use some levity. To that point, I bring you an absolutely hilarious and delightful press release from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s union, all about a visit they received from the incels of DOGE.

    The entire thing straight up disappeared from the site not long after it was published — coincidentally right around the same time that the wee DOGE employees came back a second time and started screwing with everything again.

    So let’s just read it all in full, shall we?

    On the evening of February 6, three minions of professional Twitter poster and Jeffrey Epstein confidant Elon Musk appeared in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) internal staff directory.

    The three underlings are Chris Young, a lobbyist for Big Pharma and past field organizer for former Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Elon fanboys Nikhil Rajpal and Gavin Kliger. Rajpal led a libertarian students group at public land-grant university UC Berkeley, and worked at auto-lender Tesla and wannabe-payment-processor Twitter. Kliger interned at Twitter, claims he owns a Tesla, and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020. When he’s not stealing Americans’ private information with DOGE, Kliger enjoys writing lengthy essays defending rapists and retweeting white supremacists. Kliger’s lawyer daddy works at Experian which is the same company CFPB sued in January for covering up errors on credit reports with sham investigations. While alleged coder Kliger made between zero to three git commits in the last year, workers at the CFPB returned $1.3 billion to scammed Americans in that time.

    The unelected Musk recently announced plans for a new payments platform run jointly by Visa and “X” (formerly Twitter). Now, he’s moved his power grab to the CFPB, in a clear attempt to attack union workers and defang the only agency that checks the greed of payment providers, as well as auto lenders like Tesla.

    CFPB Union members welcome our newest colleagues and look forward to the smell of Axe Body Spray in our elevators. While Acting Director Bessent allows Musk’s operatives to bypass cybersecurity policies and wreak havoc with their amateur code skills inside CFPB’s once-secure systems, CFPB Union members fight to protect our jobs so we can continue protecting Americans from scammers with conflicts of interest like Musk.

    ###

    The National Treasury Employees Union organizes federal employees to work together to ensure that every federal employee is treated with dignity and respect. CFPB Union NTEU Chapter 335 was chartered to represent employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). CFPB workers have returned over $20 billion to millions of American consumers who’ve been preyed upon by greedy hucksters like Musk.

    CFPB Union NTEU 335

    10/10 no notes.

    But, worse still, the entire website for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — which has so far saved Americans $20 billion, and not by cutting off services anyone actually needs — is now offline. Surely there is nothing sketchy about that! Surely there is no reason to think that Musk and Trump want the CFPB gone so that they or their friends can have an easier time defrauding Americans. And they’re being cheered on by all kinds of idiots on Xitter who trust them pretty much exclusively […]

    Of course Elon Musk and his fellow doofuses do not want to protect consumers.

  340. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    I goofed in #338: EmptyWheel wasn’t part of Lawfare.

    Anna Bower (Lawfare):

    After a NY judge blocked DOGE access to Treasury data, Elon Musk just reposted a user who implied that the judge’s order should be defied

    Insurrection Barbie: I don’t like the precedent it sets when you defy a judicial ruling, but I’m just wondering what other options are these judges leaving us

    * JD Vance tweeted: “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”
    * Rando: “I would also highlight that the person Elon Musk is retweeting literally has ‘Insurrection’ in their name.”
    * Steve Vladeck (Professor of Federal Courts): “Just to say the quiet part out loud, the point of having unelected judges in a democracy is so that whether acts of state are ‘legitimate’ can be decided by someone other than the people who are undertaking them.”

  341. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    WaPo – U.S. intelligence, law enforcement candidates face Trump loyalty test

    two individuals […] being considered for positions within the intelligence community, were asked to give “yes” or “no” responses to the questions: Was Jan. 6 “an inside job?” And was the 2020 presidential election “stolen?”
    These individuals, who did not give the desired straight “yes” answers, were not selected.
    […]
    at least two individuals in FBI field offices outside Washington, who were being interviewed for senior positions, were asked […] Who were the “real patriots” on Jan. 6? Who won the 2020 election? Who is your “real boss?” These agents have yet to hear the outcome

    EmptyWheel:

    2 great WaPo journos. But nowhere do they say the obvious: Trump’s DOJ is trying to force FBI Agents to say a violent attack on Congress was not a crime.

    Again, REASON THIS MATTERS is bc DOJ is threatening to fire up to 5,000 FBI agents bc they treated an attack on Congress as a crime.

  342. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/trump-cancels-health-environment

    “Trump Cancels Health, Environment, Puppies, Springtime, And Smiling”

    What havoc is being planned next by Presidents Elon Musk and Donald Trump? […] Courts have been ordering the Trump administration and Elon’s Musketeens to stop illegally dismantling government agencies and snooping around in Americans’ data in lord knows how many federal databases, although who knows whether Trump and the teens are actually complying with those orders. [True. We do not know if the minions or Musk are complying with court orders.] After all, Trump is King, and therefore any judge ruling against him is obviously not legitimate.

    We sure hope the court injunctions stand, because if Trump ignores them, then we’re truly in “constitutional crisis” territory […] But since we haven’t quite reached the “openly ignoring court orders” stage yet, we will instead run down some of the latest moves, and expected moves, that are likely to generate even more lawsuits against the administration. Please wear safety goggles and any other personal protective equipment you have on hand, because this is gonna be messy.

    Why Should Government Do ‘Health’ At All?

    Trump’s Whites-Only House is working up an executive order that would shitcan thousands of federal workers from Health and Human Services, the Wall Street Journal reports (reprint at MSN.com). Big surprise, a Whites-Only House spokesperson denied any such order is in the works when the Journal asked, but’s that’s just to avoid spoiling the surprise.

    The order would demand the firing of a set percentage of staff at all HHS agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and others, because it’s open season on anyone in government who knows what they’re doing. The exact target percentage wasn’t reported. […]

    The story adds that the order hasn’t been finalized yet, and who knows, Trump could decide against it, which doesn’t mean he wouldn’t just send Elon and Schlemiel Team Six in to do the firings instead.

    To make the layoffs easier, the Journal says,

    Agency officials have been told to prepare lists of probationary workers who have essential roles and must be retained, and of employees who don’t, according to people familiar with the instructions. Generally, probationary employees have served less than one year, or two years for “excepted service” and can be let go more easily than other workers.

    There’s also a similar but disturbingly specific report at “BioCentury” that the cuts would reduce FDA staff by half and that the CDC would be eliminated altogether, but it’s paywalled and darned if we’re plunking down 55 Ameros to see what’s in it. If such drastic cuts really are ordered, it will make the news all over, right? In which case, Jesus H Christ. [WSJ (at MSN) / BioCentury]

    Trump (Illegally) Pulls Plug On EV Charging

    The US Department of Transportation told states that they must stop using funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build fast EV charging stations, even though Congress allocated the funds already and it’s, like, the law, man. In a letter to state transportation departments, the Federal Highway Administration said that the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program was suspended immediately, as were all funding approvals under the program.

    The only exception will be for stations that have already begun construction. DOT will honor state reimbursement requests for those, but not for any that are at any stage of planning or approval short of breaking ground.

    The charging station program was meant to build fast (Level 3) DC charging stations along interstate highways and highways in rural areas, with an emphasis on getting high-speed chargers in areas not already served by commercial networks. Another $2.5 billion was allocated for chargers in cities and towns, to make owning an EV more viable for more people.

    Now, if you thought Freakenfuhrer Musk might object to this, keep in mind that if it survives court challenges, it takes a competitor to Tesla’s Supercharger network off the table. So it’s not Trump stabbing his boss in the back, it’s more like collusion.

    […] The program is designed to make sure stations are built to high standards in locations where they’ll actually be used, but the reliance on states to do much of the heavy lifting, with mostly federal funding, meant that so far, only 55 NEVI-funded charging stations are in service. Cue the snarky “$5 billion for 55 stations?” from the same people who probably complained Eisenhower didn’t finish the Interstate Highway System two years after signing the legislation. (Can you imagine if we’d had Twitter then? Yikes.)

    Despite that, the program was pretty much on schedule, since it was designed to run 10 years, with the bulk of stations supposed to come online between this year and 2027. […] legally eliminating NEVI should require Congress to repeal that section of the Infrastructure Law. Let the lawsuits from contractors and blue state AGs bloom! [Inside EVs / WaPo]

    Paw Patrol In Ur FEMA Data Killin’ Ur Disaster Relief

    Donald Trump said a couple weeks back that he wanted to wish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) into a cornfield, and now the Washington Post reports that Elon Musk’s Dogboys are indeed “reviewing the grant programs it uses to help communities prepare for and respond to disasters,” according to insiders who know what’s being fucked over this time.

    As at other agencies, the creepy manchilden of the Paw Patrol — who don’t have security clearances — are digging around in secure FEMA databases that hold

    the private and sensitive information of tens of thousands of disaster victims. For example, FEMA officials said that on Feb. 5, Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old former college student who goes by the moniker “Big Balls” online and now works for Musk, was given a FEMA badge. The officials, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fears of professional retaliation.

    Naturally, the big fear is that Trump and the Muskdoggies will do to FEMA what they’ve tried to do to USAID, but with the added fun of putting Americans’ private data at risk, too.

    Oh, also Musk plans to rehire the racist kid who resigned over his anonymous online racist posts, because he’s just a nice young racist man who has his whole racist life ahead of him. [WaPo / NBC News]

    Labor Rights? We Don’t Need No Stinking Labor Rights!

    After Donald Trump illegally fired Gwynne A. Wilcox, a Biden appointee, from the National Labor Relations Board, the remaining members of the Board filed a letter in a court case this week stating they would no longer defend against the insane claims by lawyers for SpaceX that the NLRB’s very existence is unconstitutional. It’s not quite the NLRB erasing itself, but it certainly indicates that the board will just roll over and not try to enforce labor laws, especially if that upsets the prancing dipshit.</b? [Labor Relations Update] [Compliance in advance.]

    How About Medicaid And SNAP? Those Are Expendable Too, Right?

    The GOP Senate’s resolution for the Big Fucking Reconciliation Bill To Fuck America bill, which will extend Trump’s 2017 Big Fat Tax Cuts For Rich Fuckwads and pay for it by slashing everything but defense spending, includes a call for the Agriculture Committee and Finance Committee to each find a trillion dollars to cut from the programs they have authority over. As Bobby Kogan of the Center for American Progress explains, that translates to deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (aka food stamps), at the very least. [Senate Resolution / Bluesky]

    Be Of Good Cheer: States Are Suing Again, More

    We’ll just close with a bit of good news to remind you that none of this shit is inevitable […] In yet another lawsuit, 19 Democratic state attorneys general sued Friday to demand that Musk and his [minions] be prevented from accessing Americans’ private data, because that’s what privacy laws are supposed to prevent, […]

    And in the wee hours of Saturday morning, a federal judge said fuck no, they can’t fucking do that. The injunction from US District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer blocked the Teen Termites from accessing Treasury Department data, including millions of Americans’ Social Security numbers and bank account information. It also ordered that any copies of data made by the fucking fuckboys must be destroyed.

    The judge set a fucking hearing to consider extending the fucking injunction on Februfuckingary 14, happy fucking Valentine’s Day […]. [AP / AP]

    There’s probably some shit we missed too. That’s the plan, innit?

    Embedded links to additional sources are available at the main link.

  343. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Aaron Rupar:

    BASH: I remember a time when Republicans were very careful about the government having access to personal data

    NOEM: Well, we can’t trust the government anymore

    BASH: You are the government

    [Video of Dana Bash (CNN) and Kristi Noem (Homeland Security Secretary)]

    Aaron Rupar:

    [On Fox] Kristi Noem dismisses concerns about legal rights of Gitmo detainees: “That’s just bull. I just wish they would grow up and really recognize what we’re doing here. Of course we’re giving due process to migrants… I watched a planeload of people unload at Gitmo that were pedophiles.” [Video]

  344. says

    Welcome to the second installment of Daily Kos’ new series that tracks the ridiculous excuses Republicans make to defend Dear Leader Donald Trump and his lawless and cruel actions.

    This week, Trump imposed tariffs on the United States’ biggest trading partners, unilaterally shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development. He also said he wants to expel Palestinians from the Gaza strip so he can turn it into a resort.

    Additionally, Trump let co-President Elon Musk and his crew of racist and unqualified DOGE minions have access to the Treasury Department’s payment system that disburses trillions of dollars and contains Americans’ sensitive personal data.

    If you thought that any of those insane actions would draw criticism from Republicans, well, you’d be wrong.

    Republicans twisted themselves in knots to defend Trump and Musk.Here’s how Republicans reacted to Trump this week.

    ON ELON MUSK’S HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

    Republicans are notorious for railing against “unelected bureaucrats” in the federal government. But now that Trump made Musk into the most powerful unelected bureaucrat in government, allowing him to unilaterally shutter federal agencies, halt federal spending already approved by Congress, and have access to the Treasury Department payment system that doles out trillions in federal spending annually, Republicans are fine with it.

    “I think the administration has every right to demand accountability and transparency in all these programs,” Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, told NPR about Musk’s role in shuttering USAID.

    Speaker Mike Johnson was asked specifically at a Feb. 5 news conference about the sudden change of heart Republicans have had with unelected bureaucrats.

    “Is there an inconsistency with Republicans railing against ‘unelected bureaucrats’ in charge and yet ceding Article 1 powers to the executive branch under Elon Musk?” Fox News’ Chad Pergram asked Johnson.

    “I think there’s a gross overreaction in the media to what’s happening,” Johnson said. “The executive branch of government in our system has the right to evaluate how executive branch agencies are operating to ensure that not only the intent of Congress in funding mechanisms, but also the stewardship of precious American tax dollars, is being handled well. That’s what they’re doing.” [video at the link]

    Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, also defended Musk, even as his actions to shutter USAID could have devastating impacts for farmers in her own state, as the agency purchased millions worth of corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, vegetable oil, and peas from Midwest farms.

    “It is going to be a very aggressive movement on the part of Republicans, President Trump, and Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, so the Democrats need to get used to this,” Ernst said. “We are going to find ways to focus our American taxpayer dollars on the things that they should be spent on, which is the American people and our interests.” [Garbage word salad] [video at the link]

    Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, made a similarly taunting statement.

    “To my friends who are upset, I would say with respect, ‘Call somebody who cares,’” Kennedy said. “You better get used to this. It’s USAID today, it’s going to be the Department of Education tomorrow.” [video at the link] [proudly stupid, obnoxious and bullying]

    House Republicans also blocked an effort by Democrats to subpoena Musk and force him to testify about DOGE’s actions.

    “I support what Elon Musk is doing. He’s being very transparent with the American people. He’s tweeting out multiple tweets per hour saying what his goals are,” Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in an interview with Fox news. [JFC!] [video at the link]

    […]

    Link

    That’s a followup of sorts to Sky Captain @343

  345. whheydt says

    Re: Lynna, OM @ #342…
    I’m beginning to wonder how long it will be before the Feds run out of lawyers to show up in court in all the cases. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if the Feds lost cases by default?

  346. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: whheydt @345: Already, the DOJ walked into court over USAID with no evidence of “corruption and fraud” to offer Judge Carl Nichols.

  347. whheydt says

    Re: CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain @ #346…
    It’s one thing to walk into court with no evidence, but quite another to fail to walk into court because every lawyer you’ve got is busy somewhere else.

  348. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Someone noted various government systems recently appeared on Shodan. They mention WaPo reported AIs on Microsoft Azure cloud were used at the Dept of Ed @170. This time, they’ve identified a specific AI on a different cloud.

    Shodan is a search engine for fingerprinting services on open ports among devices exposed to the internet—potentially vulnerable services. Apparently, someone’s running an “Inventry.ai” REST API service on 8 of Amazon’s GovCloud IPs.

    BrianKrebs confirmed that the IPs are GovCloud AWS domains running a service that encrypts communication with an SSL certificate belonging to Inventry.ai. I’m guessing, an insider installs that service which would field requests on that port, then tells the outside company to connect to it and slurp up data for ‘analysis’.
     
    Inventry – How it Works

    Our systems ingest data from your current supply chain infrastructure and create a digital twin that allows us to detect risk early and orchestrate resolution. […] Inventry uses AI to identify high-risk [Purchase Order] line disruptions
    […]
    We access this data via APIs, scheduled data exports, or direct SQL queries to create a digital representation of your supply chain. We do whatever it takes to gather the necessary data.

    This sounds ominous.

    Q: Do all suppliers and internal collaborators need a login and password to use Inventry?
    A: No. We aim to remove communication barriers […] Users can add collaborators ad hoc […] without requiring a user ID or password.

    Another page summarizes the process as: “Create an Account, Point us to your data, Add your collaborators, Start resolving issues”.

  352. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    The recruitment effort that helped build Elon Musk’s DOGE Army

    In online chat groups linked to Palantir alumni and SpaceX interns […] as well as in a Discord server associated with [the Space Force Generative AI Challenge], the engineers said they were looking for people willing to spend six months in Washington, DC, cutting federal spending—which accounts for around a quarter of the US gross domestic product—by a third.

    Every aspect of the coup is so lazy.

  353. Bekenstein Bound says

    200 effectively independent states and statelets, including monarchies, oligarchic city states, and mini-theocracies

    AKA various flavors of autocracy.

  354. whheydt says

    Re: Bekenstein Bound @ #353…
    Collectively known as “the Germanies”. Randall Garrett in his Lord d’Arcy stories, and especially the novel set in that universe–Too Many Magicians–plays with the idea of the Germanies never coalescing into a single country. All the different bits maintain independence by playing off the Angevin Empire and the Polish Hegemony against each other.

  358. StevoR says

    Yet Fossil Fuel CEO’s get what for destroying the world we all depend upon for life itself?

    Three climate activists have been fined for attempting to spray political messages on Woodside boss Meg O’Neill’s home, after a Perth magistrate told the trio they had crossed a line by targeting her personally. Emil Davey, 24, and Matilda Lane-Rose, 20, were given $2,000 fines, while their co-accused Jesse Noakes, 36, was fined $2,500 at their sentencing hearing at the Perth Magistrates Court on Monday. They had plead guilty to attempted trespass and criminal damage.Chief Magistrate Stephen Heath told the court the targeting of Ms O’Neill’s home required him to show the activists less leniency than if they had protested outside the company’s corporate offices. “[But] the amount of damage and the extent of the trespass planned by the accused was not that great,” he said.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-10/climate-activists-fined-for-targetting-woodside-boss-meg-oneill/104918790

  359. StevoR says

    Australia’s e-Safety commissioner has unleashed on billionaire and social media platform owner Elon Musk at a tech industry event at Parliament House.

    Julie Inman-Grant jokingly introduced herself to the crowd as the “censorship commissar”, a label derisively given to her by Mr Musk, saying she was also known online as “e-Karen and e-S**t”.

    The commissioner has previously revealed her attempts to have footage of a violent terror incident removed from Mr Musk’s platform, X, has led to death threats levelled at her and her family. She told the Tech Policy Institute event it had been challenging, “particularly when the largest megaphone in history is shooting unrelenting waves of vitriol at you”. But Ms Inman-Grant made her own jab at the newly installed head of US President Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency”, riffing off Mr Musk’s taunt that she was an “unelected bureaucrat”.

    “Look who is the unelected American bureaucrat now”, she said to a laughing crowd.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-10/esafety-inman-grant-unleashes-elon-musk-bureaucrat/104920662

  360. Reginald Selkirk says

    ‘Cybersecurity event’ disrupts operations at Tulsa World, other Lee Enterprises sites

    A “cybersecurity event” disrupted systems and networks this week at Lee Enterprises, the parent company of the Tulsa World and other newspapers across the country, the company’s CEO confirmed Friday.

    “We are now focused on determining what information — if any — may have been affected by the situation,” CEO Kevin Mowbray said in an email to company employees. “We are working to complete this investigation as quickly and thoroughly as possible. We have notified law enforcement of the situation.” …

  362. Reginald Selkirk says

    No more minting ‘wasteful’ pennies, Trump tells Treasury

    The US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been told to stop minting one-cent coins, or pennies as they are widely called, by US President Donald Trump in an announcement on his Truth Social media account.

    “Let’s rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if it’s a penny at a time,” Trump’s post said, describing the move as a cost-cutting measure.

    It comes after Elon Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) drew attention to the cost of minting pennies in a post on X last month.

    The debate over the cost and usefulness of pennies has been a long-running one in the US.

    “This is so wasteful,” Trump’s Truth Social post said.

    “I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.”

    According the US Mint’s 2024 annual report, making and distributing a one cent coin costs 3.69 cents.

    US government officials and members of Congress have in the past proposed discontinuing the penny without success…

  363. birgerjohansson says

    Grace Slick, the vocalist from Jefferson Airplane, and actor Robert Wagner just turned 85.

  364. birgerjohansson says

    My mistake. Robert Wagner is 95.
    I mention these factoids just to dilute the stream of *@€×●☆ in the news.

  365. birgerjohansson says

    The confirmed planet orbiting 20794 -20 light years away- may be in the habitable zone, but as it has a mass 5 times that of the Earth it probably has a massive atmosphere, favoring a runaway greenhouse effect like Venus. Also, this (and all inner planets of this system) suffers from a quite excentric orbit.
    And if it has water, a planet this massive may have oceans too deep for plate tectonics to raise island arcs above the surface (as surface increases slower than volume).

  366. birgerjohansson says

    Yet another mistake, I meant HD 20794, or something something Eridani. There are plenty of G stars around, but not the right planetary systems.

  367. whheydt says

    Re: birgerjohansson @ #363-264…
    Last Saturday (2/8) composer John Williams, 93. Today (2/10), Leontyne Price, 97.

  371. JM says

    NBC: Russia says U.S. relations are on brink of collapse, refuses to confirm Trump call claim

    Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told a media conference Monday that relations with Washington “are balancing on the brink of a breakup” and reiterated that the war in Ukraine would last until Kyiv drops its ambitions to join NATO and withdraws from the four regions occupied by Russian forces.

    Taken literally this is just a repetition of the “Ukraine must surrender” position. At best it means Russia isn’t willing to talk about the negotiations.
    My guess would be that Russia is over stating their position to see what they can get out of Trump. Russia is likely thinking they can get Ukraine to accept whatever Trump agrees to. The wild cards being how much the EU is willing to step up and how much the Ukrainians will actually agree to. There is a chance that Putin and Trump agree to something very favorable to Russia and Ukraine just says no.

  372. says

    Trump’s comments about Treasury notes were, for all intents and purposes, gibberish. But more importantly, they were also potentially dangerous.

    At last count, the United States’ national debt is more than $36 trillion, more than a fourth of which was racked up during Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. Trumpt has vowed to lower the debt — though he’s never said how or when he intends to do so.

    It was against this backdrop that Trump broke new ground over the weekend, telling reporters that the nation’s $36 trillion debt might actually be inflated by possibly fraudulent debt payments. Reuters reported:

    Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said administration officials who have been combing through payment records in an effort to identify wasteful spending have turned their attention to the debt payments that play a central role in the global financial system.

    [So Trump doesn’t way to pay debts? Yep, that seems to be his modus operandi.]

    “We’re even looking at Treasuries,” the Republican said. “There could be a problem — you’ve been reading about that, with Treasuries and that could be an interesting problem.”

    For some reason, the president went on to add, “It could be that a lot of those things don’t count. In other words, that some of that stuff that we’re finding is very fraudulent, therefore maybe we have less debt than we thought.”

    His comments were, for all intents and purposes, gibberish. But more importantly, they were also potentially dangerous.

    “For those not familiar with how financial markets work, US Treasuries are the ultimate safe asset, used as collateral for everything,” economist Paul Krugman explained. “Even a hint that some Treasuries might not be honored could bring everything to a screeching halt.”

    The Nobel laureate added that the president and Elon Musk both have a habit of stiffing people they owe money to, and “if markets even suspect that this habit will extend to Treasuries, God help us.”

    It didn’t take long for an administration official to start walking back Trump’s comments, telling a Politico reporter that he wasn’t talking about U.S. Treasury notes, but rather, federal payments made by the U.S. Treasury.

    Given the actual words the president spoke — out loud and on the record — the walkback seemed exceedingly difficult to believe, but the White House likely realized that it had to clean up the comments before international markets started freaking out.

    […] let’s not brush past the story too quickly. An incident like this one reinforced some key fears about Trump’s understanding of details he really ought to know.

    After all, if there’s one thing he should have some basic understanding of, it’s U.S. debt and treasuries — not just because he’s already served a full term as the nation’s chief executive, and not just because he was responsible for adding nearly $8 trillion to the debt (most of it before Covid), but also because Trump, whose businesses have repeatedly filed for bankruptcy, has repeatedly claimed to have some expertise in this area.

    The incumbent president is the self-described “King of Debt,” relying on banks and borrowing to finance his business operation for many years.

    If Trump thinks he can pretend the nation’s debt load is smaller by pointing to “fraudulent” treasury notes that don’t exist, the political world needs to appreciate the fact that he’s playing with fire that will burn everyone.

  373. says

    Lynna, I’m glad that you and PZ don’t have to resort to this (yet):
    https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/02/we-are-disabling-comments.html
    It is all in response to the tRUMPhole ‘taking’ office.
      This is terrifying because it is likely true.
    http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/robert-reich/112935/the-end-of-law
    The End of Law? by Robert Reich | February 10, 2025
    Friends, He is the most lawless president in American history.
      Another example: the Felon Muskhole little minions are apparently ignoring court orders and laying waste to the Treasury Dept, social security, etc. Wired is reporting this.

  374. says

    “Trump’s tornado has changed the world in just a couple of weeks. Yesterday we were the heretics. Now we are the mainstream.”–Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, at a Madrid gathering of far-right leaders whose slogan was “Make Europe Great Again.”

  375. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Atul Gawande (Former USAID Assistant Administrator):

    From independent @USAID sources, >800 contracts and awards are being terminated en masse—with the procurement team subject to hourly checks on speed of executing terminations. The pace has exceeded the ability to confirm whether lifesaving assistance or any Congressional mandate is affected.

    Inside, it’s DOGE trying to wipe out foreign aid entirely vs Trump people trying to wipe out USAID and migrate activities to the State Dept. Neither doing it in ways that would avert massive loss of life and waste of taxpayer dollars. And all of it is unlawful.

    * EmptyWheel: “DOJ told [Judge] Carl Nichols they weren’t cutting contracts already awarded.”
     
    WaPo – Farmers on the hook for millions after Trump freezes USDA funds

    Farmers who signed contracts with the Agriculture Department under those programs paid up front to build fencing, plant new crops and install renewable energy systems with guarantees that the federal government would issue grants and loan guarantees to cover at least part of their costs. Now, with that money frozen, they’re on the hook.
    […]
    The White House repeatedly said the freeze of agriculture funding and other federal financial assistance would not impact benefits that go directly to individual people, such as farmers. The administration rescinded the pause after a federal judge temporarily halted its implementation.

    But over the weekend, farmers reported that their funding remained frozen—another blow to farmers who are also facing threats of tariffs and freezes to foreign aid spending that involved food purchased from American producers. […] Hundreds of participating farmers are owed $11 million

  377. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    DOGE team’s initial ‘read-only’ access expanded quickly

    actions began last Thursday, when four [DOGE staffers] showed up at CFPB […] At first, they had what was described as read-only access to a limited array of documents, including the agency’s internal personnel files, procurement records and budgeting and financial data, according to an email shared among CFPB officials.

    Then, late Friday night, the DOGE staffers were granted access to all the CFPB’s data systems, including sensitive bank examination and enforcement records […] By Sunday, the agency was a skeleton, with its funding limited and activities suspended. [Vought did that. See: #336.]
    […]
    [Russell Vought] sent the email [ordering wider access for DOGE] Friday evening, about 90 minutes before news broke that he’d also been named acting director of the financial-enforcement agency.

  378. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    To be clear, #337 was about CFPB, not the Treasury, which is where most of the read-only talk is happening.
     

    EmptyWheel:

    Treasury told [Judge] Colleen Kollar-Kotelly Tom Krause and DOGE boy Marko Elez had read-only access to Treasury’s systems. Now they confess that Elez had a copy of source code he had sandboxed.

    DOJ cites that to Tom Krause’s declaration. Only, that confession is not in Krause’s declaration. Krause simply says he has no reason to believe that Elez has retained a copy (he also implies he hasn’t been rehired to DOGE, which conflicts with what Elon says).

    Commentary:

    Rando 1: From a purely software development standpoint, they’re going to play that “read only” meant he only had read access on prod code but essentially did a pull request and could play in a development environment. He couldn’t “write” to production. That is a very typical devops model, even though they were obviously playing fast and loose with what they meant by “read-only” in court last week.
    –
    Rando 2: But this means little. They can make massive changes to the source code and throw the switch once they get write permissions to production. There’s also a big question of how secure is the sandbox? It could be located on a different network […] which means the Chinese already have it.
    –
    Rando 1: Oh, sure. But they’re going to say they weren’t outright lying (which I believe they were) […] Lying to the court makes this a lot more interesting […] That’s their out on this.

  380. Reginald Selkirk says

    Sri Lanka goes bananas after monkey unplugs nation

    Sri Lanka’s electricity grid was brought down nationwide on Sunday after monkey business struck a power station south of the capital of Colombo.

    “A monkey came into contact with our grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the power system,” energy minister Kumara Jayakody told media.

    The simian saboteur left the population of 22,000,000 sweltering in temperatures above 30°C (86°F) while engineers attempted to restore power to critical facilities like hospitals and water purification plants.

    Social media users were swift to poke fun at the South Asian island nation’s fragile grid. “One monkey = total chaos. Time to rethink infrastructure?” one said, while Jamila Husain, editor-in-chief of local newspaper the Daily Mirror, wrote: “Sri Lanka’s national grid is so outdated that even a monkey can cause an island-wide blackout.” …

  381. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    WaPo – Senate Democrats start whistleblower platform for workers

    Democrats emphasized the role of the Whistleblower Protection Act in prohibiting retaliation against federal employees who disclose evidence of possible wrongdoing. They also vowed to investigate the Trump administration’s actions through oversight requests, hearings and inquiries.
    […]
    The online form is similar to one available on Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) website

    * Democrats’ Form (on senate.gov)
    * Grassley’s Form
    Copying Republican implementations doesn’t inspire confidence. Maybe they both had a common competent nonpartisan IT team do it for them.

  382. says

    shermanj @373, I expected Musk and his minions to ignore court orders. That’s scary. Alarm bells everywhere. They should be arrested.

    In other news: “Trump says Palestinians displaced by U.S. proposal would not return; Hamas delays hostage release.”
    Washington Post link

    Palestinians displaced from Gaza to neighboring countries under a U.S. proposal would not have the right to return to the enclave, […] Trump said in an interview with Fox News about his proposal to “own” the Gaza Strip and develop real estate there.

    Fox released a portion of the interview, conducted by Bret Baier, early Monday. “Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land,” Trump said of the proposal, which he first floated last week during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.

    Asked by Baier if Palestinians would be allowed to return to Gaza, Trump replied: “No, they wouldn’t because they’re going to have much better housing. In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.” Trump mentioned Jordan and Egypt as countries that Gaza’s Palestinians would be sent to, and he expressed optimism about making a “deal” with the two governments.

    “You know, we give them billions and billions of dollars a year,” he said.

    Hamas on Monday said it would delay “until further notice” the release of three Israeli hostages set for Saturday, in what would be the first major setback for the ceasefire and hostage release deal. Hamas cited recent Israeli shelling and gunfire in Gaza, along with insufficient flow of aid, in a statement announcing the move, which came as Trump’s remarks about Gaza’s future injected uncertainty into negotiations.

    Hamas said it remained committed to the ceasefire agreement’s terms. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that a delay in releases would represent a “complete violation” of the agreement, and that the Israel’s military would assume its “highest level of readiness.”

    Trump’s initial proposal last week for the United States to “take over” Gaza and displace all its residents prompted a swift rejection from Saudi Arabia and sparked anger in nearby countries, including Jordan, that are already home to millions of Palestinian refugees. Jordan’s leader, King Abdullah II, is set to meet the president in Washington on Tuesday.

    Trump’s plan for the Strip was also met with immediate alarm from the United Nations and others who said it would violate international law, The Washington Post reported. “Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing,” U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said when asked about the U.S. president’s proposals.

    […] “It’s strange at the moment to be in a period when statecraft seems to have been replaced by real estate craft,” Tom Fletcher, the U.N. humanitarian chief, said of Trump’s plan, speaking in an interview Sunday after he toured the occupied Palestinian territory.

    He added that Palestinians must be part of any conversation around the enclave’s future. “I was asking a lot of people what they thought, and every single one of them said: ‘We’re not going anywhere. We’ll rebuild our homes again and again and again as we always have done.’” […]

  383. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    EmptyWheel:

    [Judge] John McConnell, in RI, just issued a “no really, you have to follow my order” order to get [US government] to pay what it is supposed to pay.

    Here’s an exhibit WA [state] used to prove that USG was still withholding funds McConnell had [enjoined] USG from withholding. Basically, USG was trying to say, You can do life-saving PEPFAR work, but not prevention.
    [Image of USG’s waiver doc allowing limited funds]

  384. says

    “Five Former Treasury Secretaries: Our Democracy Is Under Siege”

    New York Times link

    When we had the honor of being sworn in as the 70th, 71st, 75th, 76th and 78th secretaries of the Treasury, we took an oath to support and defend the United States Constitution.

    Our roles were multifaceted. We sought to develop sound policy to advance the president’s agenda and represent the economic interests of the United States on the world stage. But in doing that, we recognized that our most fundamental responsibility was the faithful execution of the laws and Constitution of the United States.

    We were fortunate that during our tenures in office no effort was made to unlawfully undermine the nation’s financial commitments. Regrettably, recent reporting gives substantial cause for concern that such efforts are underway today.

    The nation’s payment system has historically been operated by a very small group of nonpartisan career civil servants. In recent days, that norm has been upended, and the roles of these nonpartisan officials have been compromised by political actors from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. […]

    These political actors have not been subject to the same rigorous ethics rules as civil servants […] They lack training and experience to handle private, personal data — like Social Security numbers and bank account information. Their power subjects America’s payments system and the highly sensitive data within it to the risk of exposure, potentially to our adversaries. And our critical infrastructure is at risk of failure if the code that underwrites it is not handled with due care. […]

    While significant data privacy, cybersecurity and national security threats are gravely concerning, the constitutional issues are perhaps even more alarming. We take the extraordinary step of writing this piece because we are alarmed about the risks of arbitrary and capricious political control of federal payments, which would be unlawful and corrosive to our democracy.

    A key component of the rule of law is the executive branch’s commitment to respect Congress’s power of the purse: The legislative branch has the sole authority to pass laws that determine where and how federal dollars should be spent.

    The role of the Treasury Department — and of the executive branch more broadly — is not to make determinations about which promises of federal funding made by Congress it will keep, and which it will not. As Justice Brett Kavanaugh of the Supreme Court previously wrote, “Even the president does not have unilateral authority to refuse to spend the funds.” Chief Justice John Roberts agrees: He wrote that “no area seems more clearly the province of Congress than the power of the purse.”

    During our collective 18 years at the helm of the Treasury, we never were asked to stop congressionally appropriated funds from being paid out in full. […] it is not for the Treasury Department or the administration to decide which of our congressionally approved commitments to fulfill and which to cast aside.

    No Treasury secretary in his or her first weeks in office should be put in the position where it is necessary to reassure the nation and the world of the integrity of our payments system or our commitment to make good on our financial obligations.

    Secretary Scott Bessent has had to do just that, and we were comforted to see the agency commit to Congress that any recent access to Treasury’s payment systems “is not resulting in the suspension or rejection of any payment instructions submitted” to the federal government. When he has been asked — repeatedly — if Treasury has tried to block any federal payments, he has stated unequivocally that “we have not.”

    […] Many people and entities depend on Treasury’s faithful disbursement of federal funds: Social Security checks arrive each month. Veterans receive their benefits. Medicare providers are reimbursed. Federal workers, members of the military and businesses that provide goods and services to the government are all paid on time and in full. Holders of outstanding federal debt receive interest payments.

    People often rely on these funds for survival [I am in that category], making any risk of their cutoff or delay existential. […]

    We have during our service in the Treasury Department faced moments of crisis, when the specter of an American default loomed. Any hint of the selective suspension of congressionally authorized payments will be a breach of trust and ultimately, a form of default. And our credibility, once lost, will prove difficult to regain.

    Robert Rubin, Lawrence Summers, Timothy Geithner, Jacob Lew and Janet Yellen are former Treasury secretaries.

  385. says

    CUTTING SOCIAL SECURITY:

    Republican lawmakers are explicitly saying they are looking into cutting Social Security to pay for[…] Trump’s tax cuts—touching the third rail of politics as they seek to pass Dear Leader’s agenda.

    Republican Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia, told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Monday that Republicans have been “discussing” cutting mandatory spending—that is Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans benefits—in order to pass Trump’s tax cut agenda, which will require trillions in reciprocal cuts if Republicans want to make it a reality.

    “That’s what we’ve been discussing,” Moore said. “This is our once in a lifetime opportunity.” [video at the link]

    Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, also went even further in a post on X, saying that, “Social Security [is] a ripoff for most Americans compared to essentially any legitimate retirement investment.” [Reminds me of Bush administration failed initiatives.]

    The comment was in response to a post from co-President Elon Musk, who pushed incorrect information about how Social Security works to claim the program is rife with fraud. […]

    “Just learned that the social security database is not de-duplicated, meaning you can have the same SSN many times over, which further enables MASSIVE FRAUD!! Your tax dollars are being stolen,” Musk wrote.

    In fact, the news outlet Semafor reported that Social Security benefits are indeed next on DOGE’s list for cuts. According to Semafor:

    The Social Security Administration is an upcoming focus of the Department of Government Efficiency, a source with knowledge of its work told Semafor, and one person involved in DOGE is currently preparing to work with the agency that provides benefits to the elderly and disabled.

    Musk’s unqualified DOGE bros have already accessed the Treasury Department’s systems that make payments for Social Security, raising alarm bells from Democratic lawmakers.

    “[…] Musk has no clue what SSA employees do, nor does he care—it doesn’t matter to him if you miss a Social Security Check. He belongs NOWHERE NEAR your Social Security,” Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, wrote in a post on X.

    […] Social Security isn’t the only social safety net program that Republicans want to slash in order to pay for Trump’s tax cuts for the rich.

    Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, also went on Bartiromo’s show Monday morning to say that Republicans are also looking to implement work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps.

    “We think there should be work requirements for able-bodied people who choose not to work,” Harris said. “We don’t think they should be on Medicaid. We don’t think they should be receiving food stamps.” [video at the link]

    The only state to ever have implemented work requirements for Medicaid was Arkansas. And the experiment failed.

    From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

    The Arkansas policy was a failure in many respects:

    The work-reporting requirement harmed thousands of people by taking away their health coverage, leaving many uninsured. It harmed thousands of others by requiring them to live under the ongoing stress of potential coverage loss.

    People who were supposed to be exempted from submitting monthly proof of their work hours were not always shielded from losing coverage.

    The requirement imposed extreme levels of red tape on targeted Medicaid enrollees, resulting in coverage losses and no increases in employment.

    Of course, for any of these cuts to become reality, the GOP-controlled Congress would have to actually pass them. […]

    But never underestimate Republicans’ ability to fall in line when Trump asks them to. […]

    It’s why Democrats are imploring supporters to make their voices heard in the hopes that a massive public backlash could finally break Republicans’ subservience to Trump.

    “[…] Political leaders—yes, even Republicans—pay attention to public, in person action more than anything else.”

    Link

  386. says

    [..] Trump described his decision to pardon Jan. 6 rioters as a “great thing for humanity,” even as these same people are being charged with new crimes while others have recently revealed past histories of egregious criminal acts.

    During an interview on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump was asked how he could reconcile honoring first responders with his pardons for rioters who attacked Capitol Police officers. [video at the link]

    “No, I pardoned people who were assaulted themselves, they were assaulted by our government,” Trump said. “I didn’t assault. They didn’t assault. They were assaulted. What I did was a great thing for humanity.” [Full blown delusion. Receptive lying. Rewriting history.]

    This is a lie. Capitol officers were beaten up by the rioters and have documented their injuries at length in the years following the attack—that was instigated by Trump after he lost the 2020 election.

    After being pardoned by Trump, the criminality has continued for some.

    Texas resident Andrew Taake was arrested by police on an outstanding charge of soliciting a minor. Police have accused the Trump supporter of sending explicit messages to an undercover officer posing as a teen in 2016. Taake pleaded guilty to a felony count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon on Jan. 6—which runs directly counter to Trump’s false claim.

    In Indiana, Matthew Huttle was shot and killed by a police officer while purportedly resisting arrest. Police were investigating him for reportedly possessing a firearm.

    Other Jan. 6 rioters had criminal offenses predating the attack on the Capitol building.

    Theodore Middendorf, another beneficiary of Trump’s actions, was accused in Illinois of committing sexual assault against a 7-year-old girl and pleaded guilty to the charge. His fellow Jan. 6 rioter, Peter Schwartz had a string of convictions going back to 1994 and was accused of assaulting his wife “including by biting her on the forehead and punching her multiple times.”

    Another Trump backer who received Trump’s blessing was David Daniel of North Carolina, who has been charged with production and possession of child pornography—the alleged victims were under 12.

    A magistrate judge said the evidence in the case “suggests Defendant engaged in sexual acts with two young girls in his own family” and it is “alleged he took and kept photos of the genitalia of the victims.”

    In addition to these criminal cases, Trump’s pardon also freed Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy against the United States. In Tarrio’s case the judge found that Tarrio had committed an act of terrorism by breaching the Capitol.

    In the days leading up to the pardons, Vice President JD Vance had claimed that the action would only apply to people who had not committed violence. But Trump instead gave over 1,500 people a pass with no restrictions on many who tried to overthrow the government with weaponry and brutality.

    Even his closest allies have admitted that Trump made the wrong move.

    “Pardoning the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently, I think was a mistake, because it seems to suggest that’s an okay thing to do,” Sen. Lindsey Graham told NBC News in January. [video at the link]

    Trump and other Republicans have long claimed they represent “law and order,” which Trump’s own history of criminal convictions disproved. But his decision to release violent offenders who are back on the street and committing more crimes further undermines the Republican claim. [Duh.]

    Link

  388. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    More censorship chaos.

    Judd Legum – The NSA’s “Big Delete”

    Today, the National Security Agency (NSA) is planning a “Big Delete” of websites and internal network content that contain any of 27 banned words, including “privilege,” “bias,” and “inclusion.” […] the dragnet is taking down “mission-related” work […] “very chaotic,” but is plowing ahead anyway. The memo acknowledges that the list includes many terms that are used by the NSA in contexts that have nothing to do with DEI. For example, the term “privilege” is used by the NSA in the context of “privilege escalation.” […] The purge extends beyond public-facing websites to pages on the NSA’s internal network, including project management software
    […]
    The NSA is trying to identify mission-related sites before the “Big Delete” is executed but appears to lack the personnel to do so. The NSA’s internal network has existed since the 1990s, and a manual review of the content is impractical. Instead, the NSA is working with “Data Science Development Program interns” to “understand the false-positive use cases” and “help generate query options that can better minimize false-positives.” Nevertheless, the NSA is anticipating “unintended downtime” of “mission-related” websites.
    […]
    “confirmation bias” […] has nothing to do with race or gender.

  389. says

    Trump sued after firing top whistleblower protector

    […] Trump late Friday fired the leader of an office designed to protect government whistleblowers, a detail revealed in a Monday lawsuit from the head of the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC).

    Hampton Dellinger, appointed by former President Biden, said he was fired from his post “in a one-sentence email,” a move that violates his appointment to a five-year term in the office.

    […] Dellinger’s attorneys argue his firing violates laws stating he may only be removed for cause, while undercutting the very agency designed to review a growing list of other recent firings.

    “The recent spate of terminations of protected civil service employees under the new presidential administration has created controversies, both about the lawfulness of these actions and about potential retaliation against whistleblowers. The OSC is statutorily tasked with receiving such reports, investigating them, and taking appropriate action,” the suit says. […]

  390. says

    […] To anyone who’s observed Elon’s narcissism and pettiness, it’s clear what he’s doing. It’s why people have begun looking for the real reasons Musk might be attacking certain agencies. Here are some possibilities:

    – Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): He’s been under SEC investigation for resulting from his Twitter purchase since 2022.

    – USAID: They had a probe into Musk’s Starlink use in Ukraine conflict, specifically Russian operatives claiming to have access to it.

    – Federal Aviation administration (FAA): Musk’s SpaceX was fined for launching missions with unapproved changes and skipping required steps for launch.

    – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): Multiple investigations of Tesla’s “autopilot/self-driving” vehicles and crashes involving them.

    – Department Of Justice (DOJ): In 2023, the department sued SpaceX for discriminating against asylees and refugees in hiring.

    Combine all that with how all just about everything Elon and Trump are doing right now is damaging the United States’s ability to compete (and protect itself from) China. Most of Musk’s Tesla vehicles are produced in his $200 million Shanghai “megafactory” and account for a quarter of Tesla’s total revenue.

    The only people who can’t/pretend to be unable to see this are Republicans, who will learn all too late how useless they are when oligarchs decide they no longer need them as middle men.

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/republicans-assure-americans-elon

  391. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Followup to #377.
    Musk associates granted access to confidential info about X’s competitors

    Russell Vought had assumed the role of acting director of the CFPB and instructed bureau staff to give DOGE access to all “non-classified” systems. The information that the CFPB collects on digital payment apps is not classified
    […]
    “If I were a potential competitor to Elon’s planned payments app, I would be concerned about DOGE looking at my [confidential supervisory information],” the official said. “Some of the information he now has access to: Violations of law that aren’t public, information about the systems and processes they use, the investigative tactics that the bureau used to uncover information about violations of law, how many customers they have.”

    Caleb Ecarma (Journalist):

    DOGE members Luke Farritor and Gavin Kilger are […] now listed as domain administrators in the [CFPB] system, meaning they can provide or revoke access as they see fit

  392. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    The Onion [2018] – Trump claims he can overrule constitution with executive order because of little-known ‘no one will stop me‘ loophole

    “My critics say a constitutional amendment or at least an act of Congress is necessary to end birthright citizenship, but what they don’t realize is that a seldom-evoked administrative guideline ensures I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, because zero people will stand in my way,”

    [2024] Elon Musk rushed to hospital after attempting to impregnate toaster

    a delirious, post-surgery Musk triumphantly announced that he had finally bridged the gap between man and machine

  393. says

    Sky Captain @391, worse and worse!

    In somewhat related news, Steve Benen discusses the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an issue that is also discussed in comments 228, 336, 377 and 339 : Project 2025 co-author shuts down operations at consumer protection agency

    “If you have a bank account, or a credit card, or a mortgage, or a student loan, this is a code red,” Elizabeth Warren said. “I am ringing the alarm bell.”

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau probably isn’t the most well-known federal agency, but it’s one of the best examples of progressive governance in the 21st century. From taking on banks to the student loan industry, payday lenders to mortgage companies, the bureau — an idea first championed by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — has championed Americans’ interests since its inception.

    […] Helaine Olen recently explained, “Over its almost 13 years, the agency has stopped numerous financial ripoffs and returned billions of dollars to the public. Its mere existence provides an ongoing demonstration of how the government can effectively stand up to big money interests and protect the American people.”

    A report in The New York Times added this one agency “has clawed back $21 billion for consumers. It slashed overdraft fees, reformed the student loan servicing market, transformed mortgage lending rules and forced banks and money transmitters to compensate fraud victims.”

    Donald Trump and his team apparently want that work to come to an immediate end. NBC News reported:

    Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought issued a series of directives to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees Saturday night in his new capacity as the bureau’s acting head, effectively slowing a large part of the bureau’s activity to a standstill. In the email to CFPB employees, which was obtained by NBC News, Vought confirmed that he has taken on the role of acting head of the bureau and announced a dozen directives that would go into effect immediately.

    [That was fast. And done on a Saturday night right before Super Bowl Sunday. It may take awhile for media outlets to catch up with latest outrage from Vought/Trump.]

    In theory, it would take congressional action to close the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. After all, Congress created the CFPB, and it would fall to Congress to kill the CFPB.

    In practice, however, Vought, one of the key authors of the right-wing Project 2025 blueprint, has a different approach in mind: The White House’s budget director appears eager to effectively eliminate the watchdog agency by gutting it from within.

    Indeed, there’s nothing subtle about Vought’s latest directives: The CFPB’s functions have been halted. The bureau’s workforce has been told to stop its efforts and suspend any and all investigations on behalf of consumers. Employees have been told that the agency’s headquarters in the nation’s capital will be closed this week.

    In case that was too subtle, Vought also announced that the CFPB will not be spending the money that’s already been allocated to the agency. It came the day after Elon Musk published a message to his social media platform on Friday that read, “CFPB RIP.”

    It was, to be sure, unsettling to see a powerful billionaire celebrating the demise of an anti-corruption, pro-consumer agency. It was even more painful, however, to realize that he might be right about the health of the bureau.

    On the heels of Musk’s tweet, the White House issued a written statement complaining about the bureau’s Biden-era reforms on overdraft fees and blocking medical debt from being listed on credit reports.

    In other words, Team Trump wants the public to know that the Republican president and his administration are on the side of overdraft fees and including medical debt on credit reports.

    […] Two lawsuits have already been filed by the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents employees in the CFPB. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Elizabeth Warren released a new video that begins, “If you have a bank account, or a credit card, or a mortgage, or a student loan — this is a code red. I am ringing the alarm bell.”

    The Massachusetts Democrat added that if Republicans succeed in gutting the agency, “CEOs on Wall Street will once again be free to trick, trap, and cheat you.”

  394. birgerjohansson says

    A Scotsman and a Canadian: 
    ‘Reaction To A 13 Things That Shocked Me Living in Sweden’


    (They eat kaviar wrong. You are supposed to place a thin string along the bread)

  395. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Kyle Cheney (Politico):

    A federal judge has determined that the Trump administration is violating his order lifting the blanket spending freeze on federal grant programs.

    He is ordering the administration to immediately unfreeze funds, including for NIH and the IRA.

    Quinta Jurecic (Journalist):

    reading the docs, this strikes me as less of a “daring the court to enforce its order” situation and more of a situation where a) the admin tried to read the TRO narrowly and the court is here rejecting that, and b) the admin is genuinely having difficulty turning things back on quickly enough.

    Not part of an evil genius scheme to undercut the courts, in other words. How it plays out in practice is a different question. To be super clear, it’s still very bad. I just think it’s important to be precise about what particular flavor of bad.

  396. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Make America Wealthy Again

    America’s biggest businesses are quietly lobbying to curb […] Trump’s plan to deport millions of immigrants—workers who represent a large share of their labor force. […] “There’s no way Trump is going all the way on immigration,” says a lobbyist whose firm represents a dozen industries in a wide range of sectors. “He’s loud, but he’s not dumb.”

    *sigh*

  397. Reginald Selkirk says

    @382 Lynn, om

    shermanj @373, I expected Musk and his minions to ignore court orders. That’s scary. Alarm bells everywhere. They should be arrested.

    Yes, they should be. But who is running the Department of Justice, and who has power to appoint federal judges?

  398. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Marisa Kabas (The Handbasket):

    CFPB employees received an ominous email from Russell Vought [on the morning of Feb 10]. “Employees should stand down from performing any work task.” [Screenshot]

    Mark Paoletta is referred to as CFPB’s Chief Legal Officer but employees hadn’t heard of him until today. Appears he’s general counsel at OMB, and worked in the first Trump admin. Seems like a totally chill and normal guy.
    [Tweet of him fawning over Justice Clarance Thomas and Russ Vought]

    Yesterday CFPB employees learned the office would be shut down this week, and a number scrambled to the office Sunday afternoon to gather their belongings, I’m told. After a few minutes, they were told by facilities staff that they had to vacate immediately.

    Per Vought’s email, it appears CFPB employees are, for intents and purposes, on administrative leave. But Vought won’t call it that because of the lawsuit on behalf of USAID employees put on leave.

    David Dayen (The American Prospect):

    The CFPB union has just sued Russell Vought over shuttering the agency. It’s a separation of powers case.

     
    Regarding Mark Paoletta, CFPB’s new Chief Legal Officer.
    David Dayen:

    He’s the guy sitting next to Thomas in this oil painting hanging in Harlan Crow’s estate. [Photo]

    Sam Bagenstos (Former General Counsel of HHS and OMB):

    Also the brains behind that ham-handed funding freeze memo.

  400. Reginald Selkirk says

    Elon Musk just offered to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion

    In a dramatic escalation of Silicon Valley’s most heated AI rivalry, Elon Musk just announced that he’s leading a $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI’s nonprofit arm, according to The Wall Street Journal. The bid was reportedly delivered to the board Monday morning.

    The offer brings together a powerful coalition of backers, including Musk’s own AI company xAI and venture heavyweights like Valor Equity Partners, Hollywood mogul Ari Emanuel, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale’s venture firm 8VC.

    This bid comes at a pivotal moment for OpenAI. CEO Sam Altman is already juggling multiple massive deals: converting the company to a for-profit structure, raising $40 billion at a $340 billion valuation, and launching a $500 billion AI infrastructure project. For Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 before departing in 2019, this bid represents his boldest move yet to challenge what he sees as the company’s betrayal of its original mission to develop AI safely and openly (an allegation he’s presently suing OpenAI for).

    “It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” Musk said in a statement provided by his lawyer Marc Toberoff to The Wall Street Journal. “We will make sure that happens.” …

    Musk doesn’t have that much money sitting around in actual cash. He would have to offer stock in one of his companies, or bring in his partners (which it appears he has).

    But “force for good”? That is inconsistent with ownership by Musk.

  402. says

    Why Elon Musk is a preposterous choice to lead a Pentagon audit

    “Donald Trump says he wants an audit of the Department of Defense’s finances — and he’s sending a billionaire defense contractor?”

    Ordinarily, when there’s talk in Washington about a thorough audit of Defense Department spending, the push is coming from independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. With this in mind, it was all the more notable to see Donald Trump embracing the same line. Reuters reported:

    U.S. President Donald Trump said he expects Elon Musk to find hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse at the Pentagon during an audit that the billionaire will lead. “I’m going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours, to go check the Department of Education. … Then I’m going to go, go to the military. Let’s check the military,” Trump said in a Super Bowl interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, an excerpt of which was aired on Sunday morning.

    [Trump] added that he expects Musk to find “hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse.” [video at the link]

    Why does he assume that the Pentagon is wasting “hundreds of billions of dollars”? He didn’t say. What makes the president think Musk, who has no background in auditing, will uncover systemic “fraud and abuse”? He didn’t say that, either.

    Nevertheless, Trump is apparently serious about this, telling reporters at a White House event on Friday that he fully intends to deploy Musk to the Department of Defense to examine the books. “Sadly, you’ll find some things that are pretty bad,” the president said.

    To be sure, Trump is not a reliable narrator about his own presidency. Sure, he has now twice said that he’ll have Musk audit the Pentagon, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll actually have Musk audit the Pentagon.

    But let’s say the president is telling the truth. Let’s say that Musk and his band of young surrogates really are making plans to thoroughly scrutinize military spending. If so, that leaves us with a different kind of question: The White House wants a defense contractor to do an audit of the Defense Department? The New York Times summarized the obvious conflict of interest:

    The Defense Department has billions of dollars in contracts with Mr. Musk through SpaceX and other companies he owns. The Defense Department relies on Mr. Musk to get most of its satellites into orbit and works closely with his companies on a variety of other initiatives. His companies were promised $3 billion across nearly 100 different contracts last year with 17 federal agencies.

    […] On NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” host Kristen Welker asked White House national security adviser Mike Waltz about this, and after initially dodging the question, Waltz eventually said, “Well, look, all of the appropriate firewalls will be in place.”

    That might’ve sounded reassuring, were it not for the fact that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last week that the administration’s plan to address Musk’s conflicts of interest involves asking Musk to police his own potential conflicts of interest.

    Or as we discussed soon after, Team Trump’s plan is to simply trust the highly controversial billionaire megadonor to be responsible — in private and unsupervised, away from scrutiny, while examining highly sensitive government information that he really shouldn’t have access to — and self-determine when there are conflicts involving him and his endeavor.

    If the White House is seriously interested in a Pentagon audit, fine. But the president’s plan to ask a billionaire defense contractor to lead the effort, while self-policing his conflicts, is obviously preposterous.

    Is this another example of Trump’s infamous “common sense?”

  403. says

    In the three weeks since Donald Trump took office, Elon Musk has posted on X at the pace of an iPad-addicted child. During a roughly two-hour stretch on Friday morning, Musk tweeted more than 40 times—about once every three minutes—on X […]

    Some of the people the billionaire is responding to—Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Vice President JD Vance, and Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán—are more or less household names for those who pay attention to politics in the United States.

    Others are far-right trolls and anonymous posters that only the most nauseatingly online of Americans would ever know. They are the source of some of the most extreme information Musk is taking in and sharing with his more than 216 million followers.

    This is a look at a few of the posters who Musk is sharing information from, and interacting with, on X and what they have written in the past.

    A Racist and Anti-Semite “Impressed” by the Holocaust

    On Monday morning, the anonymous account iamyesyouareno, which has more than 430,000 followers on X, called the Anti-Defamation League a “disgusting anti-white organization” for cataloging “The Racist Obsession with South African ‘White Genocide.’” Ten minutes later, Musk, who has been fixated on false claims about the plight of white South Africans, replied to iamyesyouareno. He wanted to know if the ADL still held this position on white South Africans.

    […] In August, the account responded to a post asking if “jews [will] ever be satisfied with not fully enslaving the world” by declaring, “They will not.” Another post from the account reads, “The Holocaust happened. I’m very impressed by the numbers though.”

    It is hard to convey the racism of many posts from iamyesyouareno. On dozens of occasions, the account has captioned videos or images of Black people doing something bad, such as defecating in public, with some version of the conclusion: “There’s no fixing this” or “There’s no fixing this mentality.” Another regular bit is to describe something done by a Black person as evidence of them having a “Room temp IQ.” The poster has also written: “Black men did not abolish slavery, White people did. Be thankful.”

    Musk recently shared a post from the account iamyesyouareno featuring a news article from December 2023 about how a Black man had reportedly been awarded rights to a vacant home that belonged to a white pensioner in the United Kingdom after squatting in it.

    An Irish Anti-Immigrant Troll

    Musk recently replied to two videos posted by Michael O’Keeffe, an anti-immigrant troll whose bio on X site states, “Banned by Twitter regime. Restored by Elon and X.” In one of the videos, which Musk shared with the caption “Wow,” an Irish woman complained about being surrounded by immigrants and said that she rarely leaves home due to fears of being attacked by foreigners.

    Musk responded with exclamation points to a post by O’Keeffe calling on “all European men to stand together and remember what our ancestors fought for.” (The video in O’Keeffe’s post was about the Crusades.)

    Some of the posts from O’Keefe last week that Musk did not share claimed: “Ireland fought the British for 800 years just to give the country away to Islam”; “Mass immigration from the 3rd world is making Ireland unrecognisable”; and “Dublin is about to get 10 new migrant plantations!”

    An Anonymous Poster Obsessed With Race and IQ

    Musk has replied to at least two posts this month from an X user who goes by Crémieux. The account has more than 200,000 followers and is known for writing about purported genetic differences between racial groups. A typical post from the account claims that Black NFL players have lower IQs than white NFL players; other posts strongly imply that Black people are genetically inferior to whites. As my former colleague Ali Breland noted in The Atlantic, Crémieux has been praised on the far-right for tracing “the genetic pathways of crime” and “explaining why poverty is not a good causal explanation.” Referring to Medicare payments, Musk wrote in response to Crémieux on Wednesday that “this is where the big money fraud is happening.”

    The Man Who Helped Lies About Haitians in Springfield Go Viral

    On Wednesday, Musk replied “Yes” when the anonymous account named Captive Dreamer asked: “So USAID has been propping up the global left via US taxpayer dollars? Even in Poland?” Captive Dreamer, who has said his past accounts were banned numerous times for violating Twitter’s terms of use, is perhaps best known for digging up anything he could find to support the lie that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pets. […]

    Far-Right Danish, Dutch, German, and Swedish Posters

    Musk wrote earlier in February that the AfD, a hard-right German political party whose leaders have a history of using Nazi slogans and downplaying the Holocaust, is the country’s “only hope.” Musk was responding to Naomi Seibt, an X user with roughly 400,000 followers who frequently promotes AfD politicians.

    On Thursday, Seibt shared a chart that showed people from Arab nations commit crimes at far higher rates than people of European descent. “Wow,” Musk replied. The billionaire has also been sharing content from far-right white posters from the Netherlands and Sweden.

    As I previously reported, Musk has also been attacking land reform efforts in South Africa. He endorsed a post calling for “more immigration of White South Africans” on the grounds that they are “one of the few population groups that are fiscally positive when immigrating to Europe.” (The Danish man Musk was responding to in the middle of the night has written that “Non-Western immigration to Northern European countries is morally indefensible.”) [Social media post is available at the link.]

    A Western Chauvinist Troll

    Musk has frequently shared posts from an account called Inevitable West with an X bio that calls on people to “Follow [it] to uphold the legacy of the West!” Aside from its obvious biases, the account’s posts are notably dumb, even by the standards of right-wing engagement. One of the posts Musk shared this week claimed that the “legacy media” had been “silent” about the mass shooting in Sweden that left at least 10 people dead. The shooting was covered by essentially every major news outlet.

    The BBC has reported that the Inevitable West account, which now has more than 200,000 followers, did not exist until late last year. The only thing the account owner would tell the BBC about their identity was that they were “Gen Z” and “not Russian.” [So, prossibly Russian then.]

    A DOGE staffer

    On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Marko Elez, a 25-year-old DOGE staffer, had resigned after the paper linked him to racist posts from an anonymous account. “Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool,” the account posted in July. “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity,” it added in September. “Normalize Indian hate.”

    On Friday morning, Musk launched a survey on X asking whether the DOGE staffer who made “inappropriate statements via a now-deleted pseudonym” should be reinstated. Vice President JD Vance responded on X that he didn’t think “stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life.” In reality, Elez was well into his twenties when he made those statements.

    Nevertheless, Vance, who is married to the daughter of Indian immigrants, added, “I say bring him back.” Later on Friday, Musk responded to Vance by declaring Elez would indeed be “brought back.”

    When he is not dismantling federal government agencies in the USA, that’s how Musk spends his time. Or rather, Musk is simultaneously working to destroy democracy in the USA while also promoting the worst of the worst on X.

  404. JM says

    Politico: Baltic Sea nations eye new powers to seize Russia’s shadow fleet

    Baltic Sea countries are exploring new measures to detain ships they suspect of cutting cables and illegally carrying Russian oil, using everything from piracy laws to insurance rules, according to two EU diplomats and two government officials.
    Countries including Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are considering leveraging international law to grab vessels on environmental or piracy grounds, said the officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. Failing that, the countries could jointly draft new national laws to seize more ships farther out at sea.

    The countries are talking about working together to tighten up sanctions and seize vessels involved in sabotage. The sanctions will be more important in the long run. Russia is running out of cash and the more they have to pull money out of the air the more the economy will falter. The shadow fleet operating out of the Baltic ports is estimated to pull in about 1/3 of Russia’s military budget.
    There isn’t much the west can do to cut off China, India and south east Asia directly but tightening down the sanctions as hard as possible in the west hurts Russia. By some estimates the shadow fleet is already reaching being only marginally profitable. It’s value for Russia now is that they can run the oil industry in Russia in rubles and then sell through the shadow fleet for other currencies. Russia needs the dollars and other currencies to buy on the black market.

  405. Reginald Selkirk says

    White nationalist books planted in little free libraries across Ottawa

    Copies of a book promoting white nationalist ideology have been placed in community-run library boxes in neighbourhoods in parts of Ottawa, prompting a police investigation.

    Christine Young found several copies earlier this month when she decided to check out a few little free libraries near her home in Barrhaven.

    Little free libraries are put at the curbside by homeowners and are an invitation for anyone to leave and take a book.

    Young, a federal government consultant, never expected to repeatedly come across the same book — one that denounces immigration, multiculturalism, advocates for a white ethnostate in which racialized communities would be classified as second class citizens…

  406. Reginald Selkirk says

    Literary prankster-philosopher Tom Robbins dead at 92

    Tom Robbins, the novelist and prankster-philosopher who charmed and addled millions of readers with such screwball adventures as Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and Jitterbug Perfume, has died. He was 92.

    Robbins’s death was confirmed by his friend, the publishing executive Craig Popelars, who said the author died Sunday morning.

    Pronouncing himself blessed with “crazy wisdom,” Robbins published eight novels and the memoir Tibetan Peach Pie and looked fondly upon his world of deadpan absurdity, authorial commentary and zig-zag story lines. No one had a wilder imagination, whether giving us a wayward heroine with elongated thumbs in Cowgirls or landing the corpse of Jesus in a makeshift zoo in Another Roadside Attraction. And no one told odder jokes on himself: Robbins once described his light, scratchy drawl as sounding “as if it’s been strained through Davy Crockett’s underwear.” …

  407. Reginald Selkirk says

    Trump to loosen enforcement of US law banning bribery of foreign officials

    President Donald Trump on Monday planned to sign an executive order that directs the Justice Department to pause prosecutions of Americans accused of bribing foreign government officials while trying to gain business in their countries.

    According to a copy of a fact sheet seen by Reuters, the order is aimed at restoring American economic competitiveness by ordering “revised, reasonable enforcement guidelines for the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977.”

    “American national security depends on America and its companies gaining strategic commercial advantages around the world, and President Trump is stopping excessive, unpredictable FCPA enforcement that makes American companies less competitive,” the fact sheet said.

    The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to pause enforcement of the FCPA until she issues revised enforcement guidance that promotes American competitiveness, the fact sheet said…

    Who shall be the judge of what constitutes “excessive” enforcement?

  408. says

    Judge extends freeze on Trump’s unprecedented plan to get millions of federal workers to resign

    “U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. said the pause would continue until he rules on a preliminary injunction in the case.”

    A federal judge in Boston on Monday continued his pause of the Trump administration’s unprecedented plan to get millions of federal workers to resign until he responds “to the issues presented.”

    […] Elena Goldstein, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said, “We ask for more weeks … while this court considers the merits.”

    Goldstein added, “The pressure that comes from that deadline where people have to make their choice about their livelihood. Irreparable harm will continue. They will be asking what they actually accepted. OPM is making it up as they go along.”

    […] The unions, according to court filings, railed against the Office of Personnel Management’s “Fork Directive,” calling it an “unlawful ultimatum” and “sweeping and stunningly arbitrary action to solicit blanket resignations of federal workers.”

    […] A senior administration official said last week that 60,000 people had accepted the deal.

    The initial deadline to accept the offer had been last Thursday night, but was extended by O’Toole after he scheduled the Monday hearing on the union’s request for a restraining order.

    The union’s suit to stop the program alleged that the Trump administration does not have the legal authority to offer such buyouts.

    The White House characterized the pause as a win last week.

    “We are grateful to the Judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday. [Spin! And then spin some more!]

  409. says

    Fifteen cases of measles reported in small West Texas county with high rate of vaccine exemptions

    “Local health officials set up a drive-through vaccination clinic last week and are offering screening services to residents.”

    Fifteen measles cases — mostly in school-aged children — have been confirmed in a small county in West Texas with one of the highest rates of vaccine exemptions in the state.

    South Plains Public Health District Director Zach Holbrooks said Monday that his department was first notified in late January about the first two cases in Gaines County, which he said were “two children who had seen a physician in Lubbock.”

    Some of the cases appear to be connected to private religious schools in the district, said Holbrooks, who cautioned that the investigation is ongoing.

    “I wouldn’t say they’re all connected, but our teams are looking into exposure sites and the background of those cases,” he said.

    Local health officials set up a drive-through vaccination clinic last week and are offering screening services to residents.

    […] Texas law allows children to get an exemption from school vaccines for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs. The percentage of kids with exemptions has risen over the last decade from .76% in 2014 to 2.32% last year, according to Texas Department of State Health Services data.

    Gaines County has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine: Nearly 14% of children from kindergarten through grade 12 had an exemption in the 2023-24 school year, which is more than five times the state average of 2.32% and beyond the national rate of 3.3%.

    But the number of unvaccinated kids in the county is likely significantly higher, DSHS spokeswoman Lara Anton said, because Gaines County has many children who are homeschooled and whose data would not be reported.

    The measles, mumps and rubella vaccines is a two-shot series: The first is recommended at 12 to 15 months old and second between 4 to 6 years old. The vaccine is required to attend most public schools in the U.S.[…]

    Measles is a highly contagious virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the U.S. saw some 3 million to 4 million cases per year. Now, it’s usually fewer than 200 in a normal year.

    There’s some of that data that Robert F. Kennedy Junior said he wanted.

  410. says

    The Hill:

    Users who search for abortion information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website are now directed to try searching for the word ‘adoption.’ The change comes less than a week after more than a dozen federal agency websites — including the CDC’s — went offline.

  411. says

    NBC News:

    Customs and Border Protection has taken over the lease of the space previously housing USAID in the Reagan Building in downtown Washington, according to a White House official.

  412. Reginald Selkirk says

    Several Psychiatric Disorders Share The Same Root Cause, Study Reveals

    Researchers recently discovered that eight different psychiatric conditions share a common genetic basis.

    A new study has now honed in on some of those shared genetic variants to understand their properties. They found many are active for longer during brain development and potentially impact multiple stages, suggesting they could be new targets to treat multiple conditions.

    “The proteins produced by these genes are also highly connected to other proteins,” explains University of North Carolina geneticist Hyejung Won. “Changes to these proteins in particular could ripple through the network, potentially causing widespread effects on the brain.”

    In 2019 an international team of researchers identified 109 genes that were associated in different combinations with eight different psychiatric disorders, including autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia.

    This may explain why so many of these conditions present with similar symptoms or turn up together, like the link between autism and ADHD. Up to 70 percent of people who have one have the other too, and they often both show up in the same families…

  413. says

    Trump Names Himself Principal Ballerina of Kennedy Center Ballet

    WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Donald J. Trump tightened his grip on the American arts scene on Monday by naming himself principal ballerina of the Kennedy Center Ballet.

    Announcing a purge of the company’s ballerinas, Trump declared on Truth Social, “I will soon be announcing a new roster of ballerinas, with an amazing principal ballerina, DONALD J. TRUMP.”

    He said he was “disgusted” to discover that all of the company’s current ballerinas were women, a state of affairs that he blamed on DEI.

    Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center has surprised millions of Americans, who previously thought that the worst thing that could happen to the Kennedy brand was JFK’s nephew strapping a dismembered whale’s head to his minivan.

    Satire.

  414. says

    Trump expands steel and aluminum tariffs to all countries

    “The tariffs build off ones previously imposed.”

    […] Trump on Monday expanded his steel and aluminum tariffs to cover all imports, effectively canceling deals with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan and others.

    The new executive order builds off the 25 percent tariff on steel and the 10 percent tariff the first Trump administration imposed in 2018 by raising duties, closing loopholes and eliminating exemptions, according to a White House official.

    “This is a big deal — making America rich again,” Trump said, according to the White House pool report.

    Consequences will be quite the opposite of what Trump claims.

  416. whheydt says

    Someone should hand That Felon in the White House some aluminum powder mixed with iron oxide…and something to ignite the combination. He might “see the light” (not to mention, “feel the heat”).

  417. StevoR says

    Researchers have spotted a rare humpback anglerfish, a species known to live in the darkness of the deep sea, off the coast of Tenerife in what might potentially be the first-ever sighting of this fish in broad daylight.Researchers working on a shark research campaign for the NGO Condrik were surprised by an unexpected visitor off the coast of Tenerife last week, sparking excitement from marine biologists around the world.

    Usually found at depths of between 200 and 2,000 metres, an adult abyssal humpback anglerfish or Melanocetus johnsonii was seen near the surface in what might be the first-ever sighting of the species in broad daylight.

    Previous sightings have been limited to submarine images, dead individuals or larvae.

    … (snip).. Marine biologist Laia Valor who was also part of the shark expedition, told the EFE news agency: “We were returning to port when I saw something black in the water that didn’t look like plastic or debris. It seemed unusual. We spent a couple of hours with it. It was in poor condition and only survived for a few hours.”

    She added: “There could be thousands of reasons why it was there.

    “We simply don’t know. It’s an extremely rare and isolated sighting. While we can’t say it never happens, if it were more common, we would see it more frequently. This could very well be the first time it has ever been filmed in these conditions.”

    After the fish passed away, the researchers brought it to the Museum of Nature and Archaeology (MUNA) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife where the body will be studied further to advance knowledge about this elusive species.

    Source : https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/rare-deep-sea-anglerfish-seen-for-first-time-in-broad-daylight/

  418. StevoR says

    US President Donald Trump set a Saturday deadline for all Israeli captives to be released from Gaza, saying that otherwise “all hell” would break out and he would call for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire to be cancelled. Trump’s latest extraordinary intervention in the Middle East came after Hamas threatened to postpone any further captive exchanges, citing Israeli violations. The six-week truce that took effect on January 19 is looking increasingly fragile.

    Describing Hamas’s move as “terrible”, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he would “let that be Israel’s decision” on what should ultimately happen to the ceasefire.”But as far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday 12 o’clock — I think it’s an appropriate time – I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,” Trump said.

    Source : https://www.newarab.com/news/trump-warns-all-hell-if-gaza-captives-not-freed-saturday

  419. StevoR says

    Janet Petro became the first woman to lead NASA on Jan. 20, after U.S. President Donald Trump appointed her to be acting administrator on his first day back in office. Here’s what we know about the new head of the space agency.

    This appointment came as something of a surprise to many. Often, as a new administration takes office, the incumbent NASA administrator stands down to make way. Ordinarily, the job goes to the top civil servant in the agency, namely the associate administrator, who is currently Jim Free, as Space Policy Online observed. However, Trump’s appointment of Petro means she takes the role instead of Free.

    … (snip)..

    One of her first acts as NASA’s acting administrator was to email staff to inform them that the agency was taking steps to close all Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) offices and end all DEIA-related contracts in compliance with an executive order by President Donald Trump, Ars Technica reported.

    … (snip)… As acting NASA administrator, Petro is expected to be succeeded by Jared Isaacman, a billionaire, philanthropist and private astronaut who has flown on SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Isaacman, nominated by Trump late last year to head up NASA, will need to go through the confirmation process in the U.S. Senate.

    Source : https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/who-is-janet-petro-trumps-pick-for-acting-nasa-administrator

  420. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: whheydt @416: See Lynna’s reminder to birger last month.

    You should not fantasize about violence when posting in The Infinite Thread, nor should you propose that others do violence. The rule holds even if you are speaking metaphorically or jokingly. The rule holds even if you include “redacted” in place of specifics.

  421. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Sen Adam Schiff:

    This morning, I sent a letter to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) regarding Elon Musk’s potential conflicts of interest. Within minutes, the White House confirmed receipt. By noon, President Trump fired the Director of OGE. I want to know: Was this to prevent his answer?

    This is the letter I sent. [Screenshots]

    If Elon Musk is now a government employee, he is subject to conflicts of interest law. Requirements he seems to be completely ignoring.

     
    Separately…
    Did Trump quietly kill a sensitive Pentagon probe into Elon Musk?

    Elon Musk and his SpaceX company had repeatedly failed to meet federal reporting requirements [since at least 2021 to maintain his top-secret security clearance].
    […]
    the Defense Department’s inspector general had opened a probe of the matter sometime during 2024. The Air Force and the Pentagon Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security also launched reviews in November.
    […]
    Now Democrats fear that Trump’s firing of the Defense Department inspector general has had the effect of closing down the I.G.’s investigation into Musk. And they’re demanding that the Pentagon clarify its status. […] And what about the probes into Musk by the Air Force and the Pentagon[?] Under Trump, are those being permitted to continue? […] The answer to all these questions is: Who knows? As long as Trump and his GOP are in power, the American people probably never will.

  422. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    WaPo – Ed Dept DOGE team cancels $900 million in research contracts

    The Education Department on Monday shut down a large swath of work at the Institute of Educational Sciences […] by unilaterally cancelling at least 90 contracts worth $900 million. The agency is responsible for education research, evaluation of programs and collection of a vast amount of data about American schools.

    The vast majority of the work of this agency is done by contractors […] The list includes some functions required by statutes. […] they were canceled “for convenience,” a provision that allows for a contract to be terminated without finding fault.

    Madi Biedermann, spokeswoman for the department, said […] the canceled contracts would be rebid in hopes of getting the same or better work done at a lower cost. She said she did [sic] know how or why DOGE concluded that these particular contractors are overpaid or underdelivering.

    Asked how DOGE workers have the requisite expertise to make these determinations, she said, “The entire goal of DOGE is to cut waste, and they have been trained to identify that.”

    Biedermann said 90 contracts worth $900 million were canceled. The [anonymous source] said the list included 167 contracts.

    * The Institute of Educational Sciences was established under W Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.

  423. Bekenstein Bound says

    Today, the National Security Agency (NSA) is planning a “Big Delete” of websites and internal network content that contain any of 27 banned words, including “privilege,” “bias,” and “inclusion.”

    Excellent. Hey everyone, if you don’t want the NSA to retain any information about your online activities, just add this to your sigblock!

    NSA Auto-Delete Bait: privilege bias inclusion diversity equity gay bi lesbian sexuality gender pronouns trans transgender nonbinary climate change critical race theory black history month lgbtq lgbtqia lgbt abortion reproductive rights inclusive diverse pluralistic multicultural hispanic latino latinx latina native american indigenous vaccine covid measles hostile work environment sexual harassment women feminism toxic masculinity mifepristone mifoprostol contraception birth control

    Finally, a solution to the spying problem Snowden revealed a decade ago! :)

  424. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Kyle Cheney (Politico):

    DOJ acknowledges making two significant errors during a court hearing last week on efforts to dismantle USAID
    1) It said only 500 employees had been placed on leave. Actual number was 2,140.
    2) Said only future contracts were stopped. Existing contracts were also stopped.

  427. John Morales says

    @425, easy as: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/what-to-do-about-a-lawless-president

    (begins thus:)

    Friends,

    He is the most lawless president in American history.

    He’s allowed Musk’s rats unfettered access to the Treasury’s payments system. Banned birthright citizenship. Refused to spend money appropriated by Congress. Closed U.S. AID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, independent agencies, without Congress’s approval. Substituted political loyalists for civil servants. Unleashed the military on civilians. And on it goes.

  428. StevoR says

    Former ABC chair Ita Buttrose has been asked about emails she sent following complaints about Antoinette Lattouf, in an unlawful termination case launched by the journalist. Ms Lattouf was taken off air part way through a fill-in presenting stint on ABC Radio Sydney in December 2023. She alleged the ABC told her she breached the organisation’s social media policy, after sharing a post from Human Rights Watch about the war in Gaza, with the caption “HRW reporting starvation as a tool of war”. The ABC has denied her employment was unlawfully terminated and the parties failed to resolve the matter at mediation in the Fair Work Commission last year.

    Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-11/antoinette-lattouf-court-abc-ita-buttrose-cross-examination/104921534

  431. JM says

    AP: Hegseth renames North Carolina military base Fort Roland L. Bragg

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed an order restoring the name of a storied special operations forces base back to Fort Bragg. The North Carolina base was renamed Fort Liberty in 2023 as part of a national effort under the Biden administration to remove names that honored Confederate leaders.
    The base’s original namesake, Gen. Braxton Bragg, was a Confederate general from Warrenton, North Carolina, who was known for owning slaves and losing key Civil War battles, contributing to the Confederacy’s downfall.
    But a Pentagon spokesman said Monday that Hegseth was renaming the base to honor Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, who he said was a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.

    Naming games. The people that wanted to keep Confederate names wanted to get this back to Fort Bragg but going back to naming it after a Confederate general was a bit too obvious. So they found somebody else named Bragg that they could claim they are using. Since it’s just called Fort Bragg everybody will know what they mean but they can slip out of being pinned on this.
    It should also be noted that there is a group in the army that was concerned with keeping the “brag” ego word more then the racist issue. And in the Trump administration there are probably some that just want to reverse anything done by a Democrat.
    This is annoying but too insignificant to really get upset about. For the most part I’m fine with them spending their time renaming things, better then most of what they are doing.

  433. says

    https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

    Rachel Maddow segments from last night, February 10.

    ‘Autocratic breakthrough’: Trump showdown with courts puts U.S. on the brink of abandoning democracy. The video is 8:05 minutes long.

    For ‘co-President’ Musk, early days of Trump are already paying off. The video is 3:40 minutes long.

    Trump fills administration with ‘big team of losers’ that voters have already rejected. The video is 8:12 minutes long.

  434. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Trump says he could withhold aid from Jordan and Egypt if they reject his Gaza development plan

    On Tuesday, Jordan’s King Abdullah is scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House […] Trump’s plan for rebuilding Gaza calls for the country, as well as Egypt, to take in close to 2 million more Palestinians he says can be removed from Gaza so that the war-torn land can be transformed into what he calls “the Riviera of the Middle East” […] “If they don’t agree, I would conceivably withhold aid,” he told reporters Monday night.
    […]
    “If Trump’s eye-popping intervention was a bargaining tactic, as some searching for logic in the proposal claim, it has already failed. Enormous damage has been done to the fragile peace process and US prestige,” Aboudouh said.

    Rando: “So he’s withholding aid unless people are a party to his evil ethnic cleansing? That’s just horrible!”

  435. says

    A followup to Sky Captain @424.

    Clean Up On Aisle 47

    Before we get into the latest legal developments in the wide-ranging effort to defend the rule of law and the constitutional order against President Trump’s attacks, a quick word on the how sloppy the Trump White House has been.

    Overnight, the Justice Department had to file two separate corrections in pending court cases to clean up misstatements of fact they made to federal judges in open court. It’s an excruciating thing for any lawyer to have to do, but especially for the Justice Department which has prided itself on being a reliable narrator and has earned, for better or worse, the benefit of the doubt in federal court.

    The impact and significance of the admitted errors isn’t entirely clear yet, but they undermine the Justice Department’s credibility and make it clear to the judges involved that these are not careful, considered, prudent government actions that deserve to be treated as regular or normal.

    In the Treasury-DOGE case, the Justice Department now says it was mistaken when it told the court that since-resigned DOGE associate Marko Elez was a special government employee. He was in fact a Treasury Department employee.

    In the USAID case, the Justice Department admitted it was wildly wrong when it told the court that 500 employees were placed on leave. The actual number was 2,140. It also mistakenly told the court that only future USAID contracts had been frozen when in fact existing contracts had been frozen as well.

    The pace of the destruction unleashed by the White House combined with its disorganization, its ham-handedness, and the lack of involvement from lawyers at the front end has created an enormous mess for the Justice Department to try to clean up in real time in court. It’s not been pretty.

    Trump being sloppy and non-strategic is neither new nor a surprise, but it might provide an opening to fend off some of his worst actions in his first three weeks in office.

    Link

  438. says

    The Courts Blocked Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze. Agencies Are Withholding Money Anyway.

    When the federal courts first blocked the Trump administration’s funding freeze, Jessyca Leach was cautiously optimistic.

    For days, the pause had prevented her from accessing the money she needs for her Phoenix health clinic to serve thousands of at-risk people […] Things had gotten so bad that she had to lay off three employees and cut the salaries of her leadership team, including her own.

    So when the funding started to flow again last week, days after the court orders, Leach hoped her ordeal would be over. It wasn’t.

    Her federal dollars were accompanied by an ominous note from the payment processing arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citing “Executive Orders regarding potentially unallowable grant payments,” the agency said that it would continue “taking additional measures to process payments” and that its reviews “will result in delays and/or rejections of payments.”

    […] the Trump administration is not backing down in its fight to slash spending and dramatically reshape the federal government […] In some cases, to get around the judges’ rulings, the administration has cited a memo that it says is not subject to the existing orders. In others, it denied funding to organizations because their granting agencies are not defendants in one of the ongoing legal challenges. [snipped other bogus excuses]

    […] The administration denied that claim [brought by a coalition of 23 state attorneys general, who assert that the government continues to effectively pause spending in defiance of the court’s rulings] in a filing on Sunday, arguing that it is making “good-faith, diligent efforts to comply with the injunction” and that to the extent the court doesn’t agree with the government’s interpretation of the order, it should clarify “the intended scope of its temporary restraining order.”

    On Monday, the judge overseeing that case, John J. McConnell Jr., did just that, ruling that the Trump administration had violated his restraining order by keeping funds frozen. He wrote that the government’s “broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds” was “likely unconstitutional” and that it must immediately restore funding across the board, unless it could show the court “a specific instance where they are acting in compliance with this order but otherwise withholding funds due to specific authority.”

    […] David Cole, a former legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union who also teaches at Georgetown Law, [said] the president already has the means to pursue changes to federal spending, including majorities in both houses of Congress. “If he disagrees with the law that Congress has enacted, including an appropriation, he can urge Congress to amend the law,” Cole said. “Ideological disagreement with a law is not a justification for refusing to execute that law.”

    Still, the Trump administration seems to be girding for potentially thousands of contract disputes. Super, however, said contract law is clear there too: both parties to the contract are bound to its terms.

    […] on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance telegraphed on social media the administration’s view on the series of court rulings blocking executive actions in the first three weeks of Trump’s presidency. “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” he wrote on X.

    […] Judges in [ongoing] cases have temporarily blocked the administration from withholding spending based on the executive orders and the since-rescinded OMB memo.

    In its notice to agencies about the rulings, though, government lawyers told leaders that they were still free to pause federal grants. […]

    It’s unclear how the administration will respond to Monday’s court order to unfreeze federal funding. But the resulting confusion caused by the various executive actions and court rulings may be the goal of the administration’s rapid-fire directives and its evolving justifications for withholding funds even after the judicial intervention, experts said. In the absence of clarity, groups that rely on federal funding could be forced to scale back or suspend operations. [True]

    [snipped specific examples]

    The confusion is influencing big spending decisions that need to be made soon, such as hiring a seasonal workforce. “There will be an inflection point where the chaos and lack of clarity itself begin to drive those decisions,” he said.

    Injecting even more uncertainty into the mix, Trump can issue executive orders “faster than opponents can file suits to stop them or courts can decide the cases,” Kettl said.

    On Thursday, Trump did just that, issuing another order that directs agency heads to review grants to nongovernmental organizations, many of which, the order said, “are engaged in actions that actively undermine the security, prosperity, and safety of the American people.”

    […] Four years ago, on the last day of Trump’s first presidency, Russell Vought and Mark Paoletta, who then, as now, served as top budget officials, wrote in a 14-page letter to a congressional committee that a 1974 law asserting Congress’ powers over the purse was “an albatross around a President’s neck.” In another part of the letter, they said that the president “must be permitted to take time to consider how to best execute” spending federal dollars and that “if that requires a temporary pause in spending, it must be permitted.” [!!!!]

    […] In New York, a top accounting official wrote that, as of Wednesday, the state could not access money that low-income people use to buy groceries, a block grant for maternal and child health services and nearly $6 million in education funding. In New Mexico, the official who heads services for the elderly and disabled adults said further spending pauses could force them to stop delivering hot meals.

    Individual grantees who received far smaller sums were no less concerned as they struggled to get clear answers from the government.

    [snipped details of other specific examples]

    […] the Trump administration had broken a binding contract. “It is illegal to pause legally obligated funds for policy reasons without congressional approval, which is what is happening,” she said.

    […] a Department of Justice lawyer denied the administration was not abiding by the court’s rulings in one of the two cases challenging the government’s spending freezes, this one brought by a coalition of state attorneys general. He told an attorney representing Oregon that the Environmental Protection Agency was “working through the process of unsuspending grants, which is taking some time given the nature of the process.” [LOL. The Trump administration can break it in a day, but they can’t ever fix what they broke?]

    […] In a filing, the lawyer explained the cause of the “operational delay,” writing that in the four days after OMB issued the spending freeze memo that kicked off the litigation, so many grantees tried to draw down funds — in many cases for their full grant balance — that the payment system automatically flagged 7,000 of them as unusual, prompting further review. As of Sunday, the lawyer wrote, the backlog was fewer than 600 requests.

    More at the ProPublica link.

  439. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Bekenstein Bound @425:
    https://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/robert-reich/112935/the-end-of-law
    shermanj @373:
    http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/robert-reich/112935/the-end-of-law
    shermanj had it right originally. Somehow Bekenstein had “https” instead of “http”. Possibly a browser https-only setting? Although mine doesn’t reject http altogether, merely prefers if https is available.

  440. says

    “19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS”

    “The move illustrates that Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service aides are being asked to fulfill multiple posts at once.”
    Washington Post link

    A 19-year-old acolyte of Elon Musk known online as “Big Balls” has taken on new roles as a senior adviser at the State Department and at the Department of Homeland Security, raising concerns among some diplomats and others about his potential access to sensitive information and the growing reach of his tech billionaire boss into America’s diplomatic apparatus, said U.S. officials familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.

    Edward Coristine, who briefly worked for Musk’s brain chip start-up Neuralink, was recently posted to the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, a critical hub for data both sensitive and nonsensitive, officials said. Coristine, who also holds positions at the U.S. DOGE Service and the Office of Personnel Management, has attracted significant attention across Washington for his edgy [“edgy?”] online persona and the relative lack of experience he brings to his new federal roles.

    But his new position — and similar roles at DHS and other agencies — could give him visibility into far more than just tech.

    Some U.S. officials expressed alarm about Coristine’s new perch at the bureau, which serves as the IT department for Washington’s diplomatic apparatus. All of the department’s IT and data management functions were centralized at the bureau during an overhaul before President Donald Trump returned to office, making it a treasure trove of information.

    “This is dangerous,” said one of the U.S. officials, noting Coristine’s age and a report by Bloomberg News that he was fired for leaking a data security firm’s information to a competitor.

    A State Department official said Coristine’s position probably would not be confined to the Bureau of Diplomatic Technology.

    […] Musk’s DOGE has deployed some of its personnel to multiple agencies at once, giving young and relatively inexperienced — and largely unvetted — individuals unprecedented visibility into the workings of government. Musk prioritized the hiring of software engineers for the initiative, which aims to cut $1 trillion in federal spending as it works out of the office of the former U.S. Digital Service, which has been renamed the U.S. DOGE Service (the initials stand for Department of Government Efficiency).

    Nowhere have the group’s tactics played out more visibly than at the Treasury Department, where 25-year-old DOGE staffer Marko Elez was posted [snipped details]

    Elsewhere, DOGE staff members have been assigned to the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration, both of which are carrying out work related to key focuses of Musk’s: reducing the federal workforce, shrinking the government’s real estate footprint and modernizing its outdated technology.

    [That description from WaPo is way too flattering, and it is inaccurate. DOGE staff are infiltrating and killing government agencies. They are ignoring court orders.]

    In federal directories, DOGE staffers are sometimes listed at multiple different agencies, making the full nature of their roles within the government unclear. [Purposeful obfuscation?]

    A directory also lists Coristine as having a position at the U.S. Agency for International Development, the world’s largest provider of food assistance, which Musk has boasted of destroying and which the Trump administration plans to drastically downsize from 10,000 employees to roughly 600. […]

    […] Coristine is also a senior adviser at both the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, which is part of DHS, according to screenshots of an online DHS directory obtained by The Washington Post. He has email addresses associated with both entities, the screenshots show.

    […] In addition to Coristine, a 23-year-old colleague of his, former SpaceX intern Luke Farritor, is also listed in the State Department’s directory as working at the Bureau of Diplomatic Technology.

    Coristine and Farritor are among a group of six engineers 25 or younger whom The Post has identified as working on behalf of DOGE.

    […] Another person who knows one of the DOGE engineers personally, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect that relationship, said that while the engineers’ technical ability is not in question, the amount of power the DOGE team has amassed in a short span is a concern. […]

  441. says

    New [corrupt] developments at the justice department:

    Eric Adams: In a historically corrupt move, the Justice Department has ordered federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop the public corruption case against NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

    Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove’s atrocious memo ordered the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan to drop the Adams case, while admitting the decision was made “without assessing the strength of the evidence orthe legal theories on which the case is based.”

    FBI Purge: “The Trump administration has asked the FBI for a list of probationary employees and individual justifications for keeping anyone who has been at the bureau for less than two years, sparking a new round of fears within a bureau that has been rocked by the first three weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency.”–NBC News

    In related news, President Trump pardoned disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D).

    Link

  442. says

    Summarized from a Politico report:

    Trump claims he has demanded $500 billion in “rare earth” from Ukraine as compensation for U.S. aid to fend off the Russian invasion. “Otherwise, we’re stupid. I said to them we have to — ‘we have to get something. We can’t continue to pay this money,’” Trump said.

  443. says

    Civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill, on setting realistic expectations and saving enough of the foundational bricks of democracy to be able to rebuild in the future:

    […] The truth is that we will NOT be able to stop every terrible thing that this administration seeks to do. Elections really do have consequences – as many of us tried with tremendous urgency to make clear last year. But we can slow things down, win some battles, throw sand in the gears of others.

    If we save some lives, some jobs, some critical government agencies, some measure of press freedom, some medical and subsistence benefits, academic freedom for some schools and universities, and protect the dignity, safety and constitutional rights of some of our most vulnerable fellow Americans, it will be worth it.

    And it will be from whatever remainder of democratic structure, values, and policies we are able to protect that we will have the space and platform on which to do the work of building an urgently needed new democracy in our country. So our fight today is worth it. […]

    https://sherrilyn.substack.com/p/democracy-is-crumbling-is-anybody

    Much more at the link, and all of it worth reading.

  445. says

    Google has knuckled under to Mad King Donald again. Not much of a surprise; like several other Big Tech suckups, the company (“Don’t call us Google, we’re Alphabet, OK? Google is just the only thing people know us for! We’re Alphabet!”) donated a million bucks to Trump’s inauguration. Google followed that by joining the wave of companies formally reinstituting a preference for discrimination in its business practices by eliminating “DEI” programs.

    At the end of January, Google earned itself special mockery when it announced it would change the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” in its Maps app, a change that went into effect yesterday, but the company explained that’s only for users located in the US of A. In Mexico only, English language settings will call it “Gulf of Mexico,” but the rest of the whole damn world will see the embarrassing “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).” [Illustration at the link]

    But that’s not all! Partway into Black History Month, Google’s Calendar App no longer mentions that this is anything but February, and has also removed most of the holidays and observances that Trump recently ordered federal agencies to remove from their own lists of observances, unless they’re actually designated federal holidays when your mail isn’t delivered. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and Juneteenth were passed by Congress, so they remain for Google, but Holocaust Remembrance Day is gone. No more Indigenous Peoples Month, Jewish Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, or Pride Month either. […]

    A Google spokesperson explained that there was a perfectly good not-bowing-to-fascism reason for dropping almost all of the non-white-cisgender-straight male holidays. It was simply that all those crazy observances were too much for its workers to keep track of. […]

    For over a decade we’ve worked with timeanddate.com to show public holidays and national observances in Google Calendar. Some years ago, the Calendar team started manually adding a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world.

    Well that was very good of them to go to all that effort, which we’re sure involved several keystrokes.

    […] in mid-2024 we returned to showing only public holidays and national observances from timeanddate.com globally, while allowing users to manually add other important moments.

    Hello, class, today our lesson will be about the term “pretext” and why it is not really the same as “a good reason.”

    We can appreciate that maybe Google, the company that has mapped 10 million miles of streets all over the globe (with regular updates!) using its fleet of camera cars, couldn’t possibly keep track of every last cultural observance in every last country. […] we’d also say that eliminating less than a dozen non-obscure American observances like Pride, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and the others is gross and fascist, so please don’t compound the injury by insulting our intelligence and claiming it was simply easier than failing to mark December 23 as La Noche de Rabanos (“The Night of the Radishes”), a delightfully goofy pre-Christmas festival in Mexico, or Spain’s barbaric Goose-Pulling Day (July 25), which used to celebrate Spain’s liberation from the Arabs in 1141 with men on horses trying to pull the head off a greased live goose hanging from a pole over the road. (Franco banned it, because your fascists can be weirdly friendlier to animals than people. The practice resumed, but now uses pre-killed geese.)

    Sorry, weird holidays were more fun to write about than Google acquiescing to Trump’s racism and pretending it was only a matter of efficiency. Besides, Google Calendar includes plenty of not-days-off observances like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and even Cinco de Mayo, which is dangerously ethnic. […] Halloween made the cut, but not Dia de los Muertos. And Talk Like a Pirate Day is criminally absent […]

    Google is a major competitor for computing services contracts with the US government, so why not just come clean and say “Hell yes, the bottom line is what matters to us! We didn’t want to piss off Donald Trump, so we’re proudly throwing the people he hates under the Googlebus!”

    OK, we can see how honesty about Google’s craven motives might be bad for the bottom line, too. […]

    But the Alphabet suits have to know that even if they appease Trump on matters like this, he’ll still find things to rant at them about, because he already has: In 2018, he griped that Google search results were always “RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal?”

    A month and some before the 2024 election (if you can remember those long-ago times), Trump said that Google should be criminally prosecuted for “election interference” because search results kept bringing up bad things about the horrifying things he promised to do, but not as many horrifying things about what Kamala Harris would do if she were elected. Trump was apparently all het up about a “study” by rightwing loony Brent Bozell III’s “Media Research Center” that “revealed” Google searches for “Donald Trump presidential race 2024” made him look like a fascist asshole, which he has in fact turned out to be. […]

    Trump vowed that if the Justice Department didn’t immediately prosecute Google, then he would order it to do so “when I win the election and become President of the United States!”

    Gosh, ya think that Google is trying to suck up to prevent that from happening? More to the point, do you think anyone in the corporate suite really believes that pandering to Trump’s call for disappearing those scary LGBTQ+, Women, Black, Latino, and Jewish observances will buy them any cover at all six months from now, when Trump explodes because searching “Trump tariffs effect on inflation” brings up accurate results?

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/for-trump-google-replaces-pride-month

  447. says

    In 2021, a Pew Research poll found that only 63 percent of Americans identify as Christians, down from 75 percent a decade ago. This coincides with the well-documented increase in “nones” […] who now make up about a third of the US population.

    Awkwardly, this has coincided with an increase in the number of Republicans who identify as Christian Nationalists or as sympathetic to those views […]

    Thus, we’ve had a whole bunch of proposed bills lately from Republicans trying to force Christianity on other people’s children and reinforce it in those who already believe, while those children are attending public schools. Like this new one from Idaho that will require passages from the Bible to be read, “without comment,” every morning in every “occupied” classroom in the state.

    […] I’ve come up with a few Bible verses that I think might be a great idea to read out loud in Idaho classrooms.

    Like this one about how, if you are hostile to God, you will cannibalize your own children […]:

    If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I myself will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. (Leviticus 26:14-33)

    He seems like a very secure individual!

    I’m also partial to this one about smashing infants on rocks:

    Happy are those who seize your children and smash them against a rock. (Psalms 137:9)

    It’s nice to have hobbies.

    The Lord also likes to punish men by letting other men rape their wives and kill their children:

    Thus says the Lord: “I will bring evil upon you out of your own house. I will take your wives (plural) while you live to see it, and will give them to your neighbor. He shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. You have done this deed in secret, but I will bring it about in the presence of all Israel, and with the sun looking down.”

    Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan answered David: “The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die. But since you have utterly spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born to you must surely die.” (2 Samuel 12:11-14)

    [Kill the baby.]

    There is also some very good advice in here about how people should only beat their slaves half to death.

    “When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property.” (Exodus 21:20-21)

    As well as some rules about rape.

    “If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.” (Deuteronomy 22:28-29)

    […] God also has some very normal rules for traveling abroad.

    As you approach a town to attack it, first offer its people terms for peace. If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor. But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town. When the LORD your God hands it over to you, kill every man in the town. But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the spoils of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you. But these instructions apply only to distant towns, not to the towns of nations nearby. (Deuteronomy 20:10-18)

    As well as some rules about coprophagy that could make even Pasolini gag:

    “Each day prepare your bread as you would barley cakes. While all the people are watching, bake it over a fire using dried human dung as fuel and then eat the bread. For this is what the LORD says: Israel will eat defiled bread in the Gentile lands, where I will banish them!” Then I said, “O Sovereign LORD, must I be defiled by using human dung? For I have never been defiled before. From the time I was a child until now I have never eaten any animal that died of sickness or that I found dead. And I have never eaten any of the animals that our laws forbid.” “All right,” the LORD said. “You may bake your bread with cow dung instead of human dung.” (Ezekiel 4:12-15)

    Have a disobedient son? Ask your neighbors to stone him to death!

    Suppose a man has a stubborn, rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him. In such cases, the father and mother must take the son before the leaders of the town. They must declare: “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a worthless drunkard.” Then all the men of the town must stone him to death. In this way, you will cleanse this evil from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)

    Yep, nothing like Bible verses to instill morality in children.

    After all, we would not want children to go around cooking with excrement the wrong way or to think they could get away with raping someone without paying that person’s dad some money and then marrying them. That would just be foolish. What are teachers supposed to do? Just tell kids not to lie or steal or physically harm other people because it’s “the right thing to do” and not because the alternative is being stoned to death in the town square?

    I’d like to have hope that this won’t pass or, if it does, will be struck down by the courts, but there’s really not much reason to believe it will.

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/now-with-more-rape-and-dung-eating

  448. says

    FEMA official [Trump lackey] ignores judge’s latest order, demands freeze on grant funding

    “Federal workers are being swept into the fight between Donald Trump and federal courts, with four FEMA aides fired Tuesday for being ‘deep state activists.'”

    A senior official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency instructed subordinates to freeze funding for a wide array of grant programs Monday, just hours after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration — for the second time — to stop such pauses. [Defying court orders, just like Rachel Maddow noted. See comment 433.]

    In an email with the subject line “URGENT: Holds on awards,” Stacey Street, the director of the agency’s Office of Grant Administration, told her team to freeze funding for grant programs going back several years, including those focused on emergency preparedness, homeland security, firefighting, protecting churches from terrorism and tribal security.

    […] NBC News obtained screenshots of the email from a recipient, who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisal.

    “There’s a lot of people who are running scared and trying to appease [the new administration],” the recipient said. “This is a violation of the court order.”

    […] Earlier Monday, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell had said the Trump administration continued to implement a White House memo — which has since been rescinded — blocking federal grant programs despite his directive restraining the implementation of that order.

    […] a burgeoning constitutional crisis in which Trump is claiming expansive powers that test traditional limits on the president’s authority and could circumscribe the roles of Congress and the courts.

    […] FEMA is the latest target of Elon Musk […]

    By Monday, Musk posted on X his view that FEMA had broken the law by continuing to fund a temporary housing program for noncitizen migrants awaiting adjudication of their cases — claiming that $59 million had been illegally spent in recent weeks on luxury digs for migrants.

    “Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” Musk wrote. “That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals!” [Bullshit]

    The Shelter and Services Program is a joint venture between FEMA and Customs and Border Protection, which does not have its own infrastructure for administering grant programs. The $59 million sum is part of a larger pot of funds awarded to New York last year for the program. The average cost of a night’s stay at a hotel was $156 for migrant families sheltered by the program, compared with the roughly $400-a-night cost of a hotel stay in New York.

    In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump said the entire emergency-management agency should be shuttered.

    “FEMA spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas, disobeying orders, but left the people of North Carolina high and dry,” he wrote. “It is now under review and investigation. THE BIDEN RUN FEMA HAS BEEN A DISASTER. FEMA SHOULD BE TERMINATED! IT HAS BEEN SLOW AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE. INDIVIDUAL STATES SHOULD HANDLE STORMS, ETC., AS THEY COME. BIG SAVINGS, FAR MORE EFFICIENT!!!”

    […] Addressing the broader question of the Trump administration’s stance toward judges who have temporarily blocked his executive orders, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the president will ultimately prevail.

    “These unlawful injunctions are a continuation of the weaponization of justice against President Trump,” Leavitt said. “The White House will continue to fight these battles in court, and we expect to be vindicated. The President has every right to exercise his executive authority on behalf of the American people, who gave him a historic mandate to govern on November 5th.”

    I wonder if Karoline Leavitt feels a little bit sick every time she repeats that lie about Trump’s “historic mandate.” Even if he had a “historic mandate,” [Trump does not have a mandate. He barely won the election … less than 50% of the vote] it would not be a good excuse for ignoring court orders.

  449. says

    […] Trump’s tariffs, both implemented and just threatened, are causing “chaos” for the U.S. automotive industry, according to Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley.

    […] “[…] Trump has talked a lot about making our U.S. auto industry stronger, bringing more production here, more innovation in the U.S., and if his administration can achieve that, it would be one of … the most signature accomplishments,” Farley said Tuesday during a Wolfe Research conference. “So far what we’re seeing is a lot of cost, and a lot of chaos.”

    Farley and incoming Ford CFO Sherry House said a majority of the company’s steel and aluminum are domestically sourced; however, there are suppliers to the automaker that source such materials from outside of the country, which could have an impact on costs.

    House said the biggest concern for the company is all of these actions that appear relatively minimal, including on suppliers, combining to negatively impact the automaker’s business.

    […] Farley seemed most concerned about potential duties on goods from Mexico and the U.S., saying a long-term 25% tariff that could go into effect as soon as March 1 would be “devastating” and “blow a hole in the U.S. industry that we’ve never seen.”

    Farley said he is traveling Wednesday to Washington, D.C., for the second time in three weeks to meet with government officials, including members of Congress, to stress how the policy uncertainty is impacting the industry.

    […] Farley singled out Toyota Motor and Hyundai Motor for importing hundreds of thousands of vehicles annually from Japan and South Korea, respectively, that have little to no duties compared with the 25% tariff Trump plans to impose on Canada and Mexico.

    Ford regularly touts its American business, including in ad campaigns. The company is the No. 1 auto producer in the U.S., with the most vehicles domestically assembled as well as exported to other countries.

    Link

  450. says

    The list of Trump’s legally dubious firings keeps getting longer

    “When taking stock of [Trump’s] overt hostility toward the rule of law, don’t forget his list of legally dubious firings.”

    On the fifth day of his second term, Donald Trump fired a sizable group of inspectors general without cause. These government watchdogs are responsible for investigating internal wrongdoing, possible ethical lapses, mismanagement, alleged corruption and fraud, and for reasons the president has not yet explained, he showed them the door on the fifth day of his second term.

    The so-called midnight massacre was controversial for a variety of reasons, not least of which was that Trump’s move appeared to be at odds with federal law. As The New York Times reported, “The firings defied a law that requires presidents to give Congress 30 days’ advance notice before removing any inspector general, along with reasons for the firing. Just two years ago, Congress strengthened that provision by requiring the notice to include a ‘substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for the removal.’”

    In other words, there were legal constraints in place. [Trump] preferred to simply ignore them.

    It was the first recent example of Trump trying to sidestep the law in order to oust officials he wanted to fire, but it wasn’t the last. Take late last week, for example, when the White House sent an email to Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, telling him his services are no longer needed.

    Under existing law, presidents can’t fire these officials — who are responsible for, among other things, protecting government whistleblowers — without cause. Trump did it anyway.

    This week, Dellinger brought the matter to court and was quickly reinstated. NBC News reported:

    Late Monday, a judge issued an order that did not rule on the merits of the lawsuit but said Dellinger should stay in his role through at least midnight Thursday while the judge gets more detailed legal arguments about the case. In a written statement, Dellinger said: “I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue leading the Office of Special Counsel and I am resuming my work tonight.” The Justice Department appealed the judge’s order.

    If the broader circumstances — Trump fires officials, despite laws that clearly suggest he can’t — sound familiar, it’s not your imagination. Consider the growing list of legally dubious presidential dismissals:
    – Inspectors general
    – Lawyers, including career Justice Department officials, who worked on former special counsel Jack Smith’s team
    – Senior officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development
    – Members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
    – Officials at the National Labor Relations Board
    – A member of the Federal Election Commission

    […] many of those targeted as part of this purge have gone to court, and some, such as Dellinger, have had some preliminary success. […] when taking stock of Trump’s overt hostility toward the rule of law and legal limits, it’s important to add this list to the broader indictment.

  452. says

    How does [Trump] deal with the fact that his 2024 Democratic rival [Kamala Harris] received 75 million votes? By pretending the accurate vote totals aren’t real.

    FFS.

    For months, Donald Trump has continued to whine incessantly about his 2020 election defeat, so it wasn’t too surprising to see him push the same line in his latest interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. After once again lying about the race being “rigged,” Trump added, “Let’s see whether or not Fox lets you put that in. OK? Do you hear me? Rigged.”

    There is no reason for [Trump] to continue promoting this absurdity. He was, after all, recently elected to a second term and returned to the White House. He gains nothing from [repeating], once again, the discredited conspiracy theory popularly known as Trump’s “big lie.”

    But [Trump], who’s never been altogether comfortable with the idea that Americans settle their differences at the ballot box, apparently can’t help himself.

    In the same interview, the Fox anchor reminded his guest that his 2024 rival, former Vice President Kamala Harris, received 75 million votes. Trump disapproved — not about Baier bringing this up, but about the validity of the electoral total. [video at the link]

    “Well, if you believe the whole thing,” [Trump] said, apparently referring to the outcome of last year’s election. “The whole thing is ridiculous,” he added.

    It was a telling moment for Trump. In reality, according to the latest tallies, Harris received over 75 million votes, finishing with more than 48% of the popular vote. By both metrics, the California Democrat fared better in 2024 than Trump did in either of his first two elections.

    How does [Trump] deal with this? By pretending the accurate vote totals aren’t real. The president appears more than happy to believe his own vote totals from last fall, but asked about his former rival, her election performance, in his mind, must be dismissed as “ridiculous.”

    Why? Because he says so. Trump is one of those rare election conspiracy theorists who not only tries to undermine public confidence in the results when he loses, but who does the same thing when he wins.

    […] watching [Trump’s] scorched-earth approach to post-inaugural governing, it’s only natural to wonder whether [he] believes he owes anything to the 50.2% of American voters who didn’t support his 2024 candidacy. The answer, by all appearances, is no — because as far as he’s concerned, he doesn’t want to believe those vote totals, no matter how accurate they are.

  453. says

    Steve Bannon plots revenge after pleading guilty to felony fraud

    Steve Bannon, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump and ally of white nationalists, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a fraud charge related to duping donors who gave to his “We Build the Wall” fundraising effort.

    In exchange for the guilty plea in New York state criminal court, Bannon agreed to a three-year conditional discharge and waived his right to appeal. This means he will not receive any prison time, assuming he does not re-offend.

    But he didn’t get off completely scot-free: Bannon will not be allowed to serve as an officer or director of a charity or any charitable organization in New York, or any fundraising or nonprofit organization in New York. He will also not be allowed to receive or hold assets for any charitable organizations, NBC News reports.

    If he violates any terms of the deal, he could face between 1 ⅓ to 4 years behind bars, according to his plea deal. [snipped details of fraud that Bannon did indeed commit]

    [Bannon] wasn’t exactly repentant for his actions. In fact, after the hearing, he said he planned to call on Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James and to investigate Bragg […]

    So far, Bannon, who served as Trump’s chief strategist for just seven months during his first term, hasn’t been brought into the second administration. He currently spends a lot of time raging about Elon Musk.

  454. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/the-american-bar-association-pulls

    “The American Bar Association Pulls The Fire Alarm”

    Yesterday, the American Bar Association did something it pretty much never does: It spoke out on politics.[…] you might think the organization is being partisan in so doing, but that word doesn’t apply when the president and his party are in the midst of committing a Nazi terrorist attack to destroy the United States once and for all, and with it, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the rest of our 249-year experiment.

    […] that’s what’s happening, which means groups like the ABA must speak out. It’s not the kind of thing that’s going to make a ripple at the next […] Trump Nazi Jamboree […], but it might be instructive for some of the real lawyers currently trading their integrity and legal ethics to work for Donald Trump, or real lawyers quietly hanging on in government agencies facing a choice over whether or not to do that.

    Y’all know how lawyers who work for Trump tend to get disbarred, right?

    The Trump regime, unsurprisingly, is being very clear that if the choice for lawyers is between following the law and breaking it for Trump, they’ll pick the latter every time. Pam Bondi’s Justice Department has already let it be known in no uncertain terms that their alliance is to [Trump].

    Letters have been drafted begging the ABA to stand up against the two-bit dictator. The ABA has already had to come out in opposition to Trump’s executive order threatening targeted investigations into DEI in bar associations of all kinds, at all levels. The clear implication being that if you speak out against [Trump] in any way, [Trump] will target you. NBC News has much more on what the conversations surrounding bar associations are looking like right now.

    Now we have this very long statement from Bill Bay, the president of the ABA. Again, if you’re a MAGA Nazi supporter, it might seem “partisan.” To normal people who don’t hate America and everything it stands for, it’s just patriotic.

    The full statement, which is titled “The ABA Supports The Rule Of Law,” with a few things bolded for emphasis:

    It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law and in an orderly manner that respects the lives of affected individuals and the work they have been asked to perform.

    Instead, we see wide-scale affronts to the rule of law itself, such as attacks on constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, the dismantling of USAID and the attempts to criminalize those who support lawful programs to eliminate bias and enhance diversity.

    We have seen attempts at wholesale dismantling of departments and entities created by Congress without seeking the required congressional approval to change the law. There are efforts to dismiss employees with little regard for the law and protections they merit, and social media announcements that disparage and appear to be motivated by a desire to inflame without any stated factual basis. This is chaotic. It may appeal to a few. But it is wrong. And most Americans recognize it is wrong. It is also contrary to the rule of law.

    The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law. We stand for a legal process that is orderly and fair. We have consistently urged the administrations of both parties to adhere to the rule of law. We stand in that familiar place again today. And we do not stand alone. Our courts stand for the rule of law as well.

    Just last week, in rejecting citizenship challenges, the U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said that the rule of law is, according to this administration, something to navigate around or simply ignore. “Nevertheless,” he said, “in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow.” He is correct. The rule of law is a bright beacon for our country.

    In the last 21 days, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed alleging that the administration’s actions violate the rule of law and are contrary to the Constitution or laws of the United States. The list grows longer every day.

    These actions have forced affected parties to seek relief in the courts, which stand as a bulwark against these violations. We support our courts who are treating these cases with the urgency they require. Americans know there is a right way and a wrong way to proceed. What is being done is not the right way to pursue the change that is sought in our system of government.

    These actions do not make America stronger. They make us weaker. Many Americans are rightly concerned about how leaders who are elected, confirmed or appointed are proceeding to make changes. The goals of eliminating departments and entire functions do not justify the means when the means are not in accordance with the law. Americans expect better. Even among those who want change, no one wants their neighbor or their family to be treated this way. Yet that is exactly what is happening.

    These actions have real-world consequences. Recently hired employees fear they will lose their jobs because of some matter they were assigned to in the Justice Department or some training they attended in their agency. USAID employees assigned to build programs that benefit foreign countries are being doxed, harassed with name-calling and receiving conflicting information about their employment status. These stories should concern all Americans because they are our family members, neighbors and friends. No American can be proud of a government that carries out change in this way. Neither can these actions be rationalized by discussion of past grievances or appeals to efficiency. Everything can be more efficient, but adherence to the rule of law is paramount. We must be cognizant of the harm being done by these methods.

    Moreover, refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress under the euphemism of a pause is a violation of the rule of law and suggests that the executive branch can overrule the other two co-equal branches of government. This is contrary to the constitutional framework and not the way our democracy works. The money appropriated by Congress must be spent in accordance with what Congress has said. It cannot be changed or paused because a newly elected administration desires it. Our elected representatives know this. The lawyers of this country know this. It must stop.

    There is much that Americans disagree on, but all of us expect our government to follow the rule of law, protect due process and treat individuals in a way that we would treat others in our homes and workplaces. The ABA does not oppose any administration. Instead, we remain steadfast in our support for the rule of law.

    We call upon our elected representatives to stand with us and to insist upon adherence to the rule of law and the legal processes and procedures that ensure orderly change. The administration cannot choose which law it will follow or ignore. These are not partisan or political issues. These are rule of law and process issues. We cannot afford to remain silent. We must stand up for the values we hold dear. The ABA will do its part and act to protect the rule of law.

    We urge every attorney to join us and insist that our government, a government of the people, follow the law. It is part of the oath we took when we became lawyers. Whatever your political party or your views, change must be made in the right way. Americans expect no less.

    – William R. Bay, president of the American Bar Association

    […] This is a plea to lawyers to remember that they’re lawyers and act accordingly, unlike the freaks Trump has installed atop the Justice Department and in OMB and everywhere else, many of whom have represented Trump so many times that the concept of legal ethics is probably a foreign language at this point. […]

    Note that the full statement, while referring to specific things, doesn’t invoke the dictator by name. That seems intentional.

    Bay said last week at a speech in Phoenix that the ABA “will not shrink from the things we believe in.” More:

    “We will stand tomorrow for what we stand for today and what we stood for yesterday: the rule of law, the importance of our judicial system, the essential role of lawyers, an inclusive profession,” he said. “These are our north stars. We will hold fast to our core principles in the face of shifting winds.”

    Bay closed out his speech to a standing ovation, saying, “I believe this will be our finest hour.”

    We certainly hope so. The times we live in require it.

    EJ Dionne quotes Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Berkeley Law, who emphasizes that “We are in the midst of a constitutional crisis right now. There have been so many unconstitutional and illegal actions in the first 18 days of the Trump presidency. We never have seen anything like this.” It’s not coming. We’re in the thick of it. The speaker of the House — an avowed Christian extremist insurrectionist — will not say out loud that Trump and Elon Musk should obey court orders. JD Vance and Elon Musk are pretty sure the answer to that is “no,” and that courts should have to physically make them obey orders.

    Because guess what? The speaker of the House is one of those domestic enemies people swear to protect America from, and so is the president, and so is the vice president, and so is their unelected South African apartheid terrorist buddy.

    Yes. It’s that bad. The place we are is that bad. “The republic is under siege,” as Dionne writes. The terrorists are here. Just under 50 percent of your fellow American voters let them in the front fucking door.

    It’s time for everyone who gives a shit about the country to act like it.

    (And for regular people feeling helpless about what to do, start with this thread from Senator Chris Murphy and this newsletter from Sherrilyn Ifill and follow Rebecca Solnit wherever on the internet you may find her. They have assignments to give you.)

  457. whheydt says

    Followup to # 456… That’s ROCK, specific gravity of about 3, being tossed 300+ feet into the air.

  458. says

    NBC News:

    A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore webpages from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration that were suddenly taken down to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order decrying “gender ideology.”

    NBC News:

    A strain of bird flu spreading among dairy cows in Nevada has infected a dairy worker in the state, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. The patient, who’d been working with sick cows, was found to have a strain of bird flu called D1.1, which has long been circulating in wild birds. It’s different from the strain of the virus that’s caused the majority of human infections in the U.S., called B3.13. D1.1 has a mutation that could make the virus spread more easily in mammals.

  459. says

    NBC News:

    An American school teacher held by Russia for three and a half years over a minor medical cannabis infraction will be released and allowed to come home, the White House said Tuesday. Marc Fogel, a 63-year-old Pennsylvania native, had been sentenced to 14 years in prison by Russia and was considered “wrongfully detained” by the United States.

  460. says

    New York Times:

    A federal judge ordered the F.B.I. on Monday to disclose some of the records it has continued to keep secret in its case file on the now-defunct investigation into President Trump’s mishandling of classified materials. That includes any that might touch on the question of whether Mr. Trump destroyed certain documents by flushing them down the toilet during his first term in the White House.

    NBC News:

    The Trump administration has asked the FBI for a list of probationary employees and individual justifications for keeping anyone who has been at the bureau for less than two years, sparking a new round of fears within a bureau that has been rocked by the first three weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency.

  461. says

    Was Kash Patel aware of FBI firings in advance? Not that he recalls

    “Trump’s pick for FBI director gave clear answers to some senators’ written questions but appears to have hedged about his knowledge of the recent firings.”

    UPDATE (Feb. 11, 2025, 3:48 p.m. ET): Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate whether FBI director nominee Kash Patel perjured himself during his confirmation hearing last month when he said he was not aware of plans to fire FBI officials. Durbin said Tuesday that “multiple whistleblowers” indicated Patel “has been personally directing” the firings. A spokesperson for Patel dismissed the allegation as a “false narrative.”

    […] I want to add that in addition to his live testimony at his 1/30 hearing, Patel submitted written answers to questions posed by more than a dozen senators on the Judiciary Committee after that hearing. Those questions includes multiple variations of inquiries about his knowledge/awareness of and participation in the FBI firings—and Patel’s answers were not received by the Committee until Feb. 3.

    […] MSNBC has obtained those questions — known as “questions for the record” or “QFRs” — and Patel’s answers, which comprise 174 pages and reflect inquiries from a dozen members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. According to a source familiar with Patel’s nomination process, his responses were provided to the committee on Monday.

    In his responses, Patel repeatedly denied any involvement in or direction of any of the FBI firings that have taken place since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, including those that have occurred since Patel’s Jan. 30 confirmation hearing.

    Asked more broadly whether, for example, he discussed with anyone on the Trump transition team or in the current administration the demotion or removal of officials who were still with the FBI as of Trump’s inauguration, Patel responded, “Not that I recall.” Similarly, when asked whether he knew before his Jan. 30 testimony that “scores of senior FBI officials and rank-and-file agents assigned to the federal cases against President Trump and the Jan. 6 defendants have been told to resign or be fired,” Patel replied, “Not that I recall.”

    Patel’s responses remained the same — “Not that I recall” — when asked whether, at the time of his Jan. 30 testimony, he was aware of personnel decisions impacting specific, named individuals or “any other plans to dismiss any FBI personnel” or conduct evaluations or reviews of those FBI personnel who worked on Jan. 6 cases or those related to Trump.

    […] The QFRs contain a handful of other questions to which Patel also responded, “Not that I recall.” Those questions include:
    – Whether Trump or any other White House official has ever “asked, suggested, or implied” that Patel, the FBI, or DOJ “should open or undertake a review or an investigation of anyone,” including any person on Patel’s list of “Members of the Executive Branch Deep State,” as published in his 2023 book “Government Gangsters.” Patel added, “President Trump would not do that.”
    – Whether Patel recommended to Trump that he revoke any individuals’ security clearances.
    – Whether he discussed “using the FBI to investigate” former president Joe Biden, his administration, members of Congress, or journalists.

    […] During Patel’s confirmation hearing, senators also expressed concern about Patel’s knowledge of, and potential involvement in, Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. […]

    […] Under Senate rules, the Senate Judiciary Committee cannot vote on Patel’s nomination until Feb. 13. However, discussion of his nomination appears on the public agenda for an “executive business meeting” of the committee scheduled for Feb. 6.

  462. says

    […] Under our constitutional system of government, the president and officials in his administration have some standard options. They can retreat, abandon their plans that are at odds with the law, and pursue other goals. They can file appeals. They can pursue their priorities in different ways. They can whine a whole lot.

    What they cannot do is defy court orders — at least if the integrity of constitutional order in the United States is going to remain intact.

    The trouble, of course, is that JD Vance, who has long claimed that presidential administrations need not honor “illegitimate” court rulings, argued over the weekend, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” The vice president wasn’t alone: Trump told reporters that judges shouldn’t be “allowed” to rule the way a jurist did on Saturday morning in a case restricting Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment systems. Musk argued along similar lines.

    What does House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has a background as a constitutional lawyer, have to say about all of this? Alas, nothing good. HuffPost reported:

    Federal courts should back off and let President Donald Trump do what he wants, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday. Courts have stymied a range of early executive actions by Trump, from his bid to cancel birthright citizenship to his freeze on federal grants and the wholesale elimination of a federal agency.

    “The courts should take a step back and allow these processes to play out,” the Louisiana Republican told reporters. As part of the same comments, the House speaker explicitly endorsed Vance’s line on the limits of judicial authority. [video at the link]

    […] his unscripted Capitol Hill comments weren’t exactly helpful, not just because of his support for the vice president’s radicalism, but also because of the inherent ambiguity at the heart of his assertions.

    I’m not being coy when I say I don’t know what “The courts should take a step back and allow these processes to play out” even means. The White House, by any fair measure, is pushing the legal envelope and expressing general indifference to legal guardrails. Many affected parties are doing exactly what they should be doing: They’re taking their concerns to the judiciary.

    What, exactly, does the House speaker expect judges to do? Tell plaintiffs, “The courts might seem like the appropriate venue, but we’ve decided to take a step back and allow these processes to play out”? [Good point]

    Not to put too fine a point on this, but court cases are a routine and appropriate part of “these processes.” Letting the process “play out” necessarily means adjudicating foundational legal questions. If Johnson doesn’t understand that, it’s worth exploring why not.

    Link

  463. says

    The military is being criticized for the decision, spearheaded by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to stop longstanding recruiting efforts at the annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards. According to Millitary.com, the service abandoned recruitment over “concerns that participation in the predominantly Black event could run afoul of Trump’s orders and the Pentagon’s intensifying push to erase diversity efforts in the military.”

    Under previous administrations, representatives from the Army and other branches of the military sent representatives to the event as part of efforts to recruit at the event that features students, academics, and professionals in STEM.

    “It’s fucking racist,” an active duty Army general told Military.com. “For the Army now, it’s ‘Blacks need not apply’ and it breaks my heart.”

    An Army recruiter also told the outlet that the annual conference is “one of the most talent-dense events we do,” and that the armed services needs to recruit people there.

    The BEYA attendance ban is intended to comply with executive orders and other directives from Trump meant to reverse policies designed to further diversity across the United States. The same unit of the Army that usually goes to BEYA was recently sent to recruit at an event in Pennsylvania sponsored by the pro-Trump NRA attended by mostly white attendees. Recruiters admitted to Military.com that the NRA-affiliated event is less likely to yield the high-caliber applicants the military needs.

    Under the Biden administration, military representatives attended BEYA for outreach and recruitment, including then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin who gave the keynote speech to the conference in 2023. Austin was the first Black person to be appointed to the position.

    In that speech, Austin paid tribute to NASA astronaut and aerospace engineer Guion “Guy” Bluford, the first African American to travel in space and a former colonel in the U.S. Air Force who flew combat missions in the Vietnam War. Bluford flew into space multiple times.

    […] The military recruitment change and the base renaming [Bragg] are just the latest in Trump’s actions within the military meant to roll back advances in diversity. The administration recently barred clubs for women and ethnic minorities at West Point and a training video featuring the Tuskegee Airmen was briefly pulled as the military struggled to comply with Trump’s anti-diversity initiatives.

    Link

  464. says

    Surprise! Yet another Trump pick has a vile and racist online history

    Racist social media posts from Darren Beattie, President Donald Trump’s acting under secretary of state for public diplomacy, are resurfacing—underlining the U.S. government’s infiltration of white nationalist online trolls.

    “Higher quality humans are subsidizing the fertility of lower quality humans. Foundational reality of social and political life in the post war west,” Beattie wrote on X in May 2024.

    The former Trump speechwriter subsequently responded to his own wretched thought, writing, “Population control? If only!” [social media post available at the link]

    This is just one of many hideous posts of Beattie’s promoting the racist science of eugenics, dug up and first reported on by NOTUS.org.

    “The horrific practice of 2nd trimester abortion is legal in some places and well within Overton window of public discourse,” he wrote on X in January 2023. “But idea of offering feral populations financial incentives for voluntary sterilization is completely taboo.” [social media post available at the link]

    That same year, Beattie responded to a right-wing shitpost about Black communities not wanting white cops in their neighborhoods.

    “When a population gets feral, a little snip snip keeps things in control Could offer incentives (Air Jordans, etc.),” he wrote. [social media post available at the link]

    Beattie is no stranger to swimming in the sump of white supremacist ideology. In 2018, Beattie was let go by the first Trump administration for attending an H.L. Mencken Club conference in 2016.

    Beattie’s ascension during Trump’s second term is symptomatic of the racist pseudosciences that are front and center in the tech broligarchical capture of the U.S. government. His racism mirrors that of Vice President JD Vance and (seemingly actual president) Elon Musk.

    Whereas Trump at least attempted to obfuscate some of the glaring racism in his first term, this time he’s emboldened by Musk’s white supremacist powergrab using young simps with histories of espousing the same archaic bigotries who now have access to U.S. financial infrastructure.

    “Low birthrate is under-appreciated as causal in the fall of civilizations. Rome was having birth rate issues even during the reign of Caesar,” Musk tweeted in April 2023.

    “Birth quality matters too, arguably more than rare,” Beattie responded. [social media post at the link]

    With those sort of “ideas,” Beattie is sure to fit in among the Musk/Trump administration.

  465. says

    […] Trump and DOGE bro Elon Musk’s drastic cuts to National Institutes of Health grants will lead to more children dying of cancer, the director of the nation’s leading childhood cancer hospital said Monday.

    Charles Roberts, director of the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center, which treats thousands of children with cancer at no cost to their families, said that the Trump administration’s announcement that the NIH will slash funding for labs, equipment, and staff will force cancer centers to cut back on research for new treatments.

    “This will likely mean fewer new treatments will get to children and therefore that fewer children will be saved,” Roberts said.

    The NIH cuts were part of Musk’s effort to slash the federal budget as part of his likely illegal Department of Government Efficiency.

    “Can you believe that universities with tens of billions in endowments were siphoning off 60 percent of research award money for ‘overhead’?” Musk wrote on X. “What a rip-off!”

    But experts say that Musk’s assertion is flat out wrong, proving that he simply does not understand how biomedical research is funded.

    According to The New York Times:

    By law, all applicants for N.I.H. grants divide their budgets between “direct costs” — the research itself — and “indirects,” which are more general costs like lab equipment, utility bills, payroll services and so on. Indirects also help cover N.I.H.’s very expensive requirements for tracking dangerous chemicals, hazardous waste disposal, radiation safety, fire security and so on.

    It’s hard to calculate that precisely (how much did it cost to have the lights on for 10 hours last Tuesday?) so decades ago, the government decided to do it as a percentage — written into the terms of the grant — of the whole. Which is the actually efficient way to do it.

    Research institutions like St. Jude and other major universities and health centers will be forced to either shut down facilities or cut back on research.

    Roberts told Bloomberg News that the cuts will cause his institution alone to lose $40 million annually, which will lead to difficult decisions about which research they will pursue.

    Because of the devastating impact the NIH cuts will have on biomedical research—as well as thousands of jobs across the country—the new policy has received bipartisan criticism.

    […] Already, the new NIH policy has been hit by multiple lawsuits.

    On Monday, 22 Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit alleging that the NIH violated the law in capping the amount of funds allocated toward research institutions’ overhead costs. And a federal judge quickly granted those states a temporary restraining order that blocks the NIH from enforcing the cuts.

    That means that—for now—only states with Democratic attorneys general will maintain their research budgets, while states with Republican attorneys general who refuse to go against Musk and Trump will suffer.

    “Too many Americans have lost loved ones to cancer, Alzheimer’s, and infectious disease. Researchers at @SUNY and @CUNY rely on funding from @NIH to find a cure, but Trump’s cuts could put those efforts at risk. We just won a court order ensuring this research can continue,” New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote on X.

    A group of universities also filed a lawsuit Monday, alleging that the “flagrantly unlawful action by the National Institutes of Health … will devastate medical research at America’s universities.”

    “Cutting-edge work to cure disease and lengthen lifespans will suffer, and our country will lose its status as the destination for solving the world’s biggest health problems,” the lawsuit said. “At stake is not only Americans’ quality of life, but also our Nation’s enviable status as a global leader in scientific research and innovation.”

    Link

  466. StevoR says

    Climatologist Dr Gilbz Surprise! It’s raining in West Antarctica (6.17 mins) specifically raining over the key Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers.

    Meanwhile here in Adelaide, South Oz it is already 35 degrees (98.60 Fahrenheit) and forecast to reach 43 degrees (109.40 F) today with the state likely to break extreme heat records.

  467. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    A statement from AP News:

    Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with […] Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office. […] Limiting our access […] based on the content of AP’s speech […] plainly violates the First Amendment.

    * Katie Phang (MSNBC): “Here is the AP News’ style guide on the Gulf of Mexico and Mount McKinley.”

  468. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    404media – Wikipedia prepares for ‘increase in threats’ to US editors

    The Wikimedia Foundation is building new tools that it hopes will help Wikipedia editors stay anonymous […] as Elon Musk and the Heritage Foundation ramp up their attacks […] Some of the tactics have been pioneered by Wikimedia in countries with authoritarian governments
    […]
    Wikimedia has also created a legal defense program that will in some cases fund the defense of Wikipedia editors […] Wikimedia has recently fought cases in both India and Germany.

    Features and mitigations described at the link.
    Threats were previously covered by Lynna last month.

  469. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    MuskWatch – “Big Balls” Edward Coristine DOGE teen ran image-sharing site linked to URLs referencing pedophilia and the KKK

    In early 2021, Corisitine, then 16, activated the tesla.sexy website. He described it as an image-sharing site that would prioritize the confidentiality of its users. “Why are we the sexiest? Privacy… When you use tesla.sexy, all your images are encrypted. We do not log IP addresses, device agents or anything else, […] lots of cool domains and effects to put on your images for ultimate shitposting.”
    […]
    numerous noxious URLs redirected to Coristine’s site [*snip*] It is unclear whether Coristine […] used or created any of the URLs. But they reflect the kinds of sordid online communities Coristine trafficked in

     
    BrianKrebs:

    The NYT has published a useful graphic showing all the agencies with investigations into or regulatory battles with Musk’s companies that have seen staffing cuts, including the firing of top officials. [Image]

    NYT

    None of the investigations or lawsuits involving Mr. Musk and his companies, at least so far, have formally been dropped since the start of the new administration, according to more than a dozen current and former federal officials

    Long compilation of brief summaries of each investigation. Being NYT, the coup is framed as ‘benefits’ Musk is reaping. It is a nice chart.

  470. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    WaPo – Trump executive order vows substantial cuts to federal workforce

    The order installs a “DOGE Team Lead” at each agency and gives that person oversight over hiring decisions. […] The directive instructs agency heads, after the hiring freeze expires, to recruit no more than one employee for every four who depart from the federal government, with exemptions for personnel and functions “related to public safety, immigration enforcement, or law enforcement.” And it orders agency heads to “promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force, consistent with applicable law.”

  471. Bekenstein Bound says

    Still waiting for a real fightback. Massive street protests, strikes, some actual enforcement of the court orders, heck, I don’t even see so much as a warrant issued for contempt yet!

  472. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Followup to #470 regarding “reduction in force”.

    Adam Levitin (Georgetown Law prof)
    No, The CFPB’s Not Dead. It’s Not Even Close to Dead.

    A lot of coverage of the Trump-Musk takeover of the CFPB has been treated the matter as if the Trump-Musk blitz has destroyed the agency. It hasn’t. […] The CFPB has been stood down for now, but it is fundamentally intact.
    […]
    It is possible for a smart, determined, and patient administration to seriously unwind large parts of the regulatory state while playing be constitutional rules. DOGE, however, lacks the knowledge, personnel, and time to actually accomplish this.

    That’s why DOGE has adopted the shock-and-awe approach to government that makes lots of headlines and can foul things up for a while and generally make life unpleasant, but it isn’t actually capable of making any lasting structural changes.
    […]
    The CFPB’s Legal Authorities Remain Unaffected. […] Those authorities will ride through the administration intact and will be able to spring back into action on the first day of the next administration.
    […]
    The CFPB’s Personnel Are Still in Place. […] Critically, the “fork in the road” resignation offer that was made to federal employees underscores the inability of the Trump-Musk administration to engage in wholesale firings without cause: you don’t make a severance offer when you can simply can the employee at no cost.
    […]
    they’re going to be on shaky legal grounds for what is called a “Reduction in Force” (basically they will have to claim that there is a “lack of work” and they will also have to go through a laborious process for each affected employee), and they also know that they don’t have the gas for a long fight. They need to be able to declare victory fast or they’re going to get mired down and will lose focus.
    […]
    a strategy for responding to DOGE: slow ’em down with litigation and wait ’em out. Force DOGE to dismantle the CFPB the proper way, bit by bit through legal processes, rather than through shock-and-awe shortcuts. DOGE knows it lacks the capacity […] so they’ll eventually just give up.
    […]
    until and unless Trump-Musk change the CFPB’s legal authorities and dismiss its personnel, it will be a hiatus, nothing more, and there will be a CFPB capable of rebooting in the next administration.

     
    David Dayen (The American Prospect):

    Probationary employees with less than 1 year of service at CFPB have received termination notices, but they are so hastily done that they don’t have people’s names, job titles, or other information.

    They literally say “I am removing you from your position of [JobTitle]… effective [EffectiveDate]”

    Many of the employees on probation were in their positions up to two years

     
    Vought restores CFPB procedure that sustains mortgage markets

    Russ Vought is an own-the-libs kind of guy, an ideological warrior who delights in watching the world burn. […] Then he heard about the APOR tables.

    APOR stands for the “average prime offer rate,” and it’s a little tool that keeps the mortgage market running. It involves public servants, every week, going in and calculating it. Those staffers work at the CFPB, and if they’re locked out, you have no APOR tables. And over time, if you have no APOR tables, you have no mortgage market, or at least an uncertain and economically damaging mess.

    In the face of this, tough guy Vought blinked […] Adam Levitin explained the stakes […] the APOR tables episode reveals that even the most hardened enemy of the administrative state eventually realizes that they need it […] and so should we. That’s what will sustain the fight for its survival.

  473. CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain says

    Re: Lynna @458:

    judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore webpages

    Docket page 17 footnote:

    Defendants contend that the removal of the webpages does not constitute irreparable harm because [Doctors for America] members can still access some of the removed webpages through the Wayback Machine. The Court is not persuaded.

  476. says

    https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

    Segments listed below are from last night, February 11.

    ‘Not the way the world works’: Trump takes wrongheaded approach to Ukraine again Munich! Appease Putin?
    Video is 6:54 minutes long.

    Trump opposition finds its footing, from streets to courts to Congress.
    Video is 4:25 minutes long.

    New reporting exposes shocking extent of Musk’s conflicts as he dismantles U.S. government
    Video is 8:47 minutes long.

  477. JM says

    NBC News: Pete Hegseth tells NATO that a return to Ukraine’s 2014 borders is ‘unrealistic’

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that it is “unrealistic” to aim for a return to Ukraine’s borders as they were before 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and supported separatists who took over swaths of the country’s east.

    Dangerously close to the Trump administration announcing they are selling out Ukraine.
    Practically speaking it isn’t entirely unrealistic. Ukraine getting back Crimea and the rest of the pre-2014 border would be a total defeat for Russia and likely only happens if Putin is killed. It isn’t something that Hegseth should be making public though, it’s something to talk about in tight diplomatic circles. You don’t go into negotiations by conceding major points to the enemy.
    Hegseth is spelling out a bit of the US position publicly. The Trump administration wants out of the war quickly more then they want Russia to lose. They want the US to be powerful and respected but not if that puts any US troops at risk or costs the US money. They expect that the US will set the terms that the other western countries will abide by in ending the war.

  478. JM says

    AP: Government watchdogs fired by Trump sue his administration and ask a judge to reinstate them

    Eight government watchdogs have sued over their mass firing that removed oversight of President Donald Trump’s new administration.
    The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington asks a judge to declare the firings unlawful and restore the inspectors general to their positions at the agencies.

    These are the inspector generals, who Trump can fire but has to go through a specific procedure. Likely they win the case but still end up fired in the end. Trump isn’t the sort to back down on something like this, if forced he will grudgingly go through the process.

  479. JM says

    Ars Technica: New hack uses prompt injection to corrupt Gemini’s long-term memory

    On Monday, researcher Johann Rehberger demonstrated a new way to override prompt injection defenses Google developers have built into Gemini—specifically, defenses that restrict the invocation of Google Workspace or other sensitive tools when processing untrusted data, such as incoming emails or shared documents. The result of Rehberger’s attack is the permanent planting of long-term memories that will be present in all future sessions, opening the potential for the chatbot to act on false information or instructions in perpetuity.

    By asking Gemini a carefully crafted message the hacker can plant false information that will be returned by later questions from anybody. As AI researches plug the holes the methods of planting fake information get more and more complex but like any security issue there is no 100% solution. As it exists now no AI is resistant enough to be trustworthy though.

  480. says

    https://www.msnbc.com/all

    Chris Hayes reported on the following last night, February 11.

    Trump, Musk lose again: Appeals court rejects bid to reinstate funding
    Video is 9:51 minutes long.
    Includes some alarming video of Musk in the oval office, answering questions from the press.

    Kash Patel ‘may have committed perjury,’ says top Senate Dem
    Video is 4:05 minutes long
    Lots of details regarding Patel’s possibly unethical financial connections, including some in China and some in Russia.

  481. says

    ‘We’re going to take it’: Trump’s Gaza plan goes in an indefensible direction

    Lynna comments: It was always indefensible, but now Trump’s comments/plans are even more offensive and indefensible.

    It’s been about a week since Donald Trump surprised much of the world by announcing that he wants the United States to take a “long-term ownership position” over Gaza. As the president described it, Americans would both “take over” and “own” the area, and when asked about the possibility of deploying U.S. military forces to Gaza, Trump added, “We’ll do what is necessary.”

    There was reporting soon after that the White House had not done “even the most basic planning to examine the feasibility of the idea.” Instead, Trump just blurted out his radical thought, failing to even alert the State Department or the Pentagon in advance.

    As confusion reigned at the White House, Trump apparently thought he could help clear things up with a 107-word missive published to his social media platform. In it, Trump said Gaza “would be turned over to the United States” — he didn’t say how, when or why — and Palestinians would be “resettled” in some other countries that he didn’t identify.

    [Trump] continues to lean into this. In a Fox News interview that aired Monday, Trump said Palestinians would not have the right to return to Gaza as part of his plan. In the same interview, Trump said, in reference to the territory, “I would own this.”

    A day later, after threatening to cut off U.S. aid to Jordan and Egypt, Trump met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House, and went even further.

    “We’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it,” the president told reporters, in reference to Gaza, failing to explain how, exactly, this is supposed to happen.

    As for the cost, Trump apparently wasn’t concerned, declaring, “There’s nothing to buy.” [video at the link]

    For good measure, the Republican added that “nobody is going to question” U.S. ownership of Gaza because … well, he never quite got around to explaining why.

    Just as importantly, as experts in international law continue to explain that his plan is illegal, Trump was asked how the United States could legally claim Palestinian territory as its own. Trumpt cited “U.S. authority.” [video at the link]

    It’s a colonizing perspective rooted in the idea that if the United States wants foreign territory, it should take the foreign territory because the United States wants it.

    To reiterate a point from last week, if you voted for Trump because you expected foreign policy restraint, I have some awful news for you.

  482. says

    Josh Marshall:

    […] I had not had a chance to look at the new DOGE executive order [Trump] signed this afternoon with Elon Musk standing beside him. I don’t think it’s too much to say that it puts Musk functionally in control of the U.S. government. I know that sounds pretty wild. And that may not apply to high-profile policy — two budget bills or one on Capitol Hill, plans for Gaza. But let me explain what it does.

    A DOGE operative, called a “DOGE Team Lead,” will be assigned to every agency, department, etc., of the federal government. That team lead, who will presumably report to Elon Musk since Musk is the head of DOGE, will be in charge of all hiring and firing decisions at their particular department. The EO lays out a government downsizing plan in which only one new government employee can be hired for every four who leave service. [Arbitrary!] […] And note here the relationship between the “DOGE Team Leads” and the heads of the various departments …

    (b) Hiring Approval. Each Agency Head shall develop a data-driven plan, in consultation with its DOGE Team Lead, to ensure new career appointment hires are in highest-need areas.
    (i) This hiring plan shall include that new career appointment hiring decisions shall be made in consultation with the agency’s DOGE Team Lead, consistent with applicable law.
    (ii) The agency shall not fill any vacancies for career appointments that the DOGE Team Lead assesses should not be filled, unless the Agency Head determines the positions should be filled.
    (iii) Each DOGE Team Lead shall provide the United States DOGE Service (USDS) Administrator with a monthly hiring report for the agency.

    I tell ya, I’m tryin’, dear friends. I’m struggling here not to engage in hyperbole. But I don’t know what else to call these people besides political commissars. And again, they report to Elon Musk. He’s already very clearly operating here as an independent actor whose actions the President blesses after he’s found out what’s happened. This is a parallel overlaying of authority over the entire structure of the U.S. government.

    We’re in dystopian quasi-science fiction territory here.

    Link

  483. JM says

    Nature: Why is mathematics education failing some of the world’s most talented children?

    Growing up in India, economist Abhijit Banerjee was always intrigued by the impressive mental arithmetic skills of young people working in the stalls at the local fruit and vegetable markets. “I used to tag along with my grandfather” to these markets and “I could see kids … who could do the mathematics involved”, he told the Nature podcast. “You could buy five things and then give them some money and they would give you the correct change back, you know, quite complicated calculations.” Through his work in India, Banerjee, who is based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, revealed that these same young people are doing poorly in tests of mathematical proficiency similar to those that determine their success at school and beyond. The results indicate that maths education must broaden its scope and approaches to serve all — especially the talented and hard-working children from lower-income families. The question is: how?

    This is one of those known problems that people forget about and it pops up every so often. People that learn to do moderately complex math on concrete objects can’t automatically transfer that to abstract math. They can do the math in their heads on 3 apples + 5 oranges – a discount – what was paid = how much change. They can’t answer the question in ((3a+5o) – 10%) – 35 = x when a is something and o is something form. Figuring out how to teach people this is an important question for helping people move up in education and get higher paying jobs.
    It’s also one of the things that creates the illusion that people from poor countries are stupid. Because they have trouble with the abstract math and abstract concepts in general they do poorly on IQ tests.

  484. says

    We are drowning in lies and destruction by the MUMP cult. I can’t help but think in these dark humor modes. We are desperately trying to find ways to halt this evil coup but haven’t the power or money to do so with any effectiveness.
    The crime of Felon Muskrat and Orange Excrement tRUMP is a chicken and egg problem.
    However, under those two criminals, chickens and eggs will soon no longer exist. Or if they do, they will not be affordable or safe because those two felons have destroyed all the inspection and regulatory agencies.
    FELON MUSKRAT and ORANGE EXCREMENT TRUMP are pushing society down this DEATH SPIRAL, WTF!!!!

  485. says

    Commissar-in-Chief
    In a bizarre and surreal Oval Office circus, Elon Musk and Donald Trump ratcheted up DOGE’s infiltration of the federal government.

    The occasion was Trump signing of a new executive order furthering seeding DOGE across government (except the military) and laying the groundwork for a new round of purges of the federal workforce.

    The executive order lays out draconian and absurdist methods for extending the hiring freeze Trump previously ordered by, for example, limiting hiring to one employee for every four who depart.

    But the true significance of the executive order was empowering DOGE, overseen by the world’s richest man, to have a key role in every department and agency. The result is a arrangement where Musk and his team operates as layer superimposed between the White House and the rest of the federal government, positioning them as political enforcers in the style of the old Soviet commissars […]

    Elon Musk Watch
    NYT: Elon Musk’s Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up
    ProPublica: One Agency Tried to Regulate SpaceX. Now Its Fate Could Be in Elon Musk’s Hands.
    NYT: Elon Musk’s Financial Disclosure Will Not Be Made Public

    Link

  486. says

    New York Times link

    “Sotomayor Says Presidents Are Not Monarchs and Must Obey Rulings”

    “Speaking in general terms at a Florida college and not naming President Trump, the Supreme Court justice’s remarks took on potency in the current climate.”

    Justice Sonia Sotomayor, speaking at a Florida college on Tuesday, made pointed remarks about the limits of presidential power and her fear that government officials might flout court decisions.

    “Our founders were hellbent on ensuring that we didn’t have a monarchy,” she said, “and the first way they thought of that was to give Congress the power of the purse.”

    The justice made clear that she was speaking in general terms, but against the backdrop of President Trump’s blitz of executive orders to halt federal programs and the scores of legal challenges that followed, her comments took on a more telling cast.

    In the first weeks of his new administration, Mr. Trump has argued that he is free to root out what he says is fraud and waste in the federal government even in the face of congressional commands to spend allocations. A federal judge ruled on Monday that the administration had defied his order to release billions in grant money.

    […] Sotomayor did not seem confident, however, that court rulings would always be obeyed in the short term. “Court decisions stand whether one particular person chooses to abide by them or not,” she said. “It doesn’t change the foundation that it’s still a court order that someone will respect at some point.” […]

    Not exactly reassuring.

  488. says

    OMFG.

    Senate confirms Gabbard to serve as nation’s top intelligence chief

    The Senate voted largely along party lines Wednesday to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to serve as the director of national intelligence, the nation’s top intelligence official, despite strong objections from Democrats and initial misgivings from Republicans who questioned her experience and judgment.

    The 52-48 vote caps two months of deliberations in the Senate over whether Gabbard, a former House Democrat from Hawaii, is qualified to lead the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies and prepare President Trump’s daily intelligence brief.

    Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was the only GOP “no” vote.

    Republican senators had raised concerns about […] her past statements about deposed Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Democratic and Republican senators, including Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), grilled Gabbard about whether she viewed former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden as a traitor. She refused to call him that, despite his theft of 1.5 million classified documents, which left Republican senators frustrated.

    Republican senators also said Gabbard struggled to answer their questions in their private meetings […]

    Yet, Republicans rallied behind Gabbard in recent weeks thanks to the intervention of Vice President Vance […]

    Gabbard is seen as a “disruptor” in the mold of other Trump nominees, such as Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed last month to lead the Pentagon. Trump allies say she will shake up the nation’s intelligence community, which they claim has become “weaponized” against Trump. [JFC, yet another instance of “disruptor” being used disingenuously. Gabbard has repeated Russian propaganda too many times. She is not a “disruptor.” She is yet another cog in the machine set to destroy democracy.]

    […] Democrats argued that Gabbard is not qualified to serve as the nation’s top intelligence boss and has shown tremendous lapses in judgment by disputing a finding by the U.S. intelligence community that Assad, the former Syrian president, had used chemical weapons against his own people and by echoing Putin’s rationale for invading Ukraine.

    “By any objective measure and by every objective measure as well, she is not qualified. From the moment she was nominated, both Democrats and Republicans were puzzled by the choice,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said on the floor before her vote.

    “Of all people Donald Trump could have picked to oversee national intelligence, he picked someone known for repeating Russian propaganda and getting duped by conspiracy theories,” he said.

    Schumer said Gabbard would likely only get 10 votes in the Senate if her confirmation vote was held by secret ballot.

    Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, said Gabbard had “demonstrated she’s not up to the task” of representing tens of thousands of intelligence officials around the world, pointing to her support of Assad’s claim that he didn’t use chemical weapons despite U.S. intelligence findings to the contrary.

    He argued that she “knowingly met with the Syrian cleric who threatened to conduct serial bomb attacks against the United States” and “sought to blame the United States and NATO” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, by asserting the Biden administration failed to take seriously Putin’s concern about Ukraine joining NATO.

    […] Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on Tuesday called Gabbard’s nomination “part of a pattern of unilateral disarmament by the Trump administration against Russia.” [Yep. That rings true.]

    He cited a Washington Post article from November that reported Gabbard’s appointment as head of national intelligence had “elicited the most excitement in Russia because she has long been regarded as a darling of the propagandist Russian R.T. network.”

    “Russian TV has called Ms. Gabbard ‘our friend Tulsi.’ [A] Russian newspaper published an op-ed, and it was titled the CIA and FBI are trembling [that] Trump protégé Tulsi Gabbard will support Russia,” he said on the floor. […]

    I snipped the descriptions of past and current discussions regarding Gabbard’s flip-flops on FISA’s section 702. I also snipped some quotes from Republicans supporting Gabbard as a “patriot.”

  489. says

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/live-the-honorable-marjorie-taylor

    “The Honorable Marjorie Taylor Greene Hosts Excellent DOGE Sub-Committee Hearing For Intelligent, Not Crazy Humans!”

    Today the DOGE subcommittee in the House — yes, it’s a subcommittee, in the House! — will hold its first hearing. After Elon Musk’s performance in the White House yesterday where he babbled and lied and babbled and lied and claimed he had found fraud and waste that he hadn’t found (because he was lying) we are sure this will be a productive time for America.

    Lawrence O’Donnell’s report on yesterday’s Oval Office meeting, where Elon, who like Trump is physically incapable of looking normal in a hat, brought his child in as a prop while he utterly dominated the nominal president. [video at the link]

    So that happened. And this is happening.

    Hey, did you know Marjorie Taylor Greene is the chair of this committee? Yes, because it’s very serious! That’s why we must cover this live, for America!

    Anyway, Jasmine Crockett is on the committee too, and that’s the real reason we’re covering this live […]

    Here is your video, below the jump is our liveblog! [video at the link]

    […] 10:06: “Taxes are collected by law at gunpoint!” We feel like maybe MTG does her taxes wrong?

    Anyway, this is an extended whine setting up how the American people are forced to pay for all the fake “fraud and abuse” that Elon and Trump are lying and saying they’re finding. As Lawrence pointed out above, if they had found some, it would be SOSOSOSOSOFUCKINGSOFUCKINGEASY to prove it. Instead they are just like “Well I FOUND a FRAUD AND ABUSE […]

    Anyway, the ranking Democrat Melanie Stansbury is here to talk, she is like “Yes, let’s find some waste and fraud and abuse! OK!”

    LOL.

    10:11: Stansbury notes that it’s kind of weird be having this hearing while Donald Trump and Elon Musk are currently terrorizing and destroying the United States government and rifling through Americans’ personal information. Yeah that is kind of weird.

    10:12: Also notes that it’s weird that we’re doing this “fraud and abuse” thing after Donald Trump Saturday Night Massacred all the inspectors general who investigate, you know, that.

    Says it’s weird that the vice president is currently trying to rewrite the Constitution by tweet.

    And that Elon Musk was blocked from appearing in front of this committee.

    […] 10:19: Hahahaha, Greene is horrible at this. Connolly notes yet again that it’s kind of silly to be doing this after Trump just fired all the IGs. Greene is still being calm but she can’t hold herself back after he finishes from being like “The president has the authority to do whatever he wants! He is my lord and savior and king!” (Paraphrase.)

    Anyway, Greene is introducing the witnesses she found in the phone book.

    10:27: The first witness said a bunch of things about preventing fraud or whatever, it was boring, but I liked at the end when he said that the cartels and fraudsters were watching this hearing. […]

    Now the next witness is about “welfare fraud,” you know, because that’s where Republicans have always thought all the fraud and abuse is […]

    10:33: The next witness is an FBI guy who hasn’t been fired by Trump, he is a Trump asslicker. He cannot believe people are against Elon Musk finding that we’re spending all our money on transgender comic books in Peru and Lunchables for Al Qaeda! These are the same made-up examples every asslicker cites when they are asked to show Elon’s work.

    10:36: This loser jackoff wants to make all executive branch jobs at-will. […]

    10:39: The final witness, from POGO (a real organization), seems to be the Democrats’ witness. He is noting non-insane things like, hey, sometimes improper payments are not because a Bad Improper Payments Man starts cackling before he starts his day of Bad Improper Payments.

    Says inspectors general and whistleblowers are amazing resources for the American taxpayer.

    Says if you want to root out waste, fraud and abuse, you probably shouldn’t fire IGs in midnight purges.

    This witness is the one who is there to help Democrats say “You want to fix things? Sure, let’s fix things! Oh wait, you don’t want to fix things and just want to give President Musk reacharounds? Got it.”

    10:44: MTG recognizes herself to ask questions, because grownup committee chairs get to do this! They hold this gavel and they are in charge!

    10:46: Marjorie Taylor Greene ‘bout ta discover that welfare is usually given to people WHO DON’T EXIST! This is an important discovery, by Marjorie Taylor Greene.

    10:50: Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch says if we are going after waste, fraud and abuse maybe we should go after abuse of POWER, by the two billionaire freaks currently looting and destroying the government.

    11:00: Marjorie Taylor Greene is very good at saying “The gentleman’s time is expired.” […]

    […] 11:07: It’s unforgivable! Unforgivable! That Democrats are filing all these lawsuits to stop these two white supremacist terrorists from leveling the United States government and looting it for parts. Unforgivable!

    […] Democratic Rep. Greg Casar is […] doing a great job explaining how ridiculous it is to go after your Nana’s Social Security and your kids’ education and cancer research […]

    11:17: Jasmine Crockett is coming up soon, BRB getting coffee.

    11:19: Crockett notes that in the PREVIOUS Congress, in the committee that already existed to deal with this kind of waste, fraud and abuse, Marjorie Taylor Greene missed every hearing about that!

    Crockett says it was weird to see President Musk in the Oval Office talking more than Donald Trump yesterday, and he isn’t even here this morning for this. (It was weird, Musk really put Trump in his subservient beta male place.)

    11:26: […] from Missouri Eric Burlison is demonstrating how a person licks Elon’s boots the way he likes it. “It’s ridiculous that we would demonize someone who loves this country so much!” […]

    11:38: This Republican obsession with moving agencies out of DC is so weird. The FBI bootlicker witness is talking about how it would be a better quality of life for employees if, say, the FBI were moved to Huntsville, Alabama, which is one of the things the Nazis are all babbling about these days.

    […] committee ranking Democrat Melanie Stansbury is going off about all the incels Trump’s boss, Elon Musk controls, and what they are doing to rewrite code and put the American people in danger.

    11:46: The kick-me sign from Missouri just entered the Constitution into the record, because we guess he didn’t realize it was already there.

    Now we have this piece of shit Brendan Gill from Texas. […] He recently said Ilhan Omar should be deported back to Somalia. This is what she said in reply:

    “How stupid do you have to be to be a member of Congress and think your colleague who is a member of Congress can be deported,” she said. “What a dumbass. I’m not a nepo baby. I had to crawl my way into Congress, and I think these idiots who buy their seats have no idea what a privilege it is to be a member of Congress and what it takes.”

    And that is all you need to know about Brendan Gill, an otherwise irrelevant waste of good space.[…]

    11:51: Stansbury gonna finish this up.

    Says 1, Trump did not win on a mandate to let Elon Musk skullfuck the government. 2, the New York Times says inflation is up unexpectedly right now, did Trump forget to fix that? 3, Elon Musk is breaking the fucking law, 4, Elon come testify, you coward loser.

    Greene finishing up, because she is the real chairman of a real subcommittee. Hey, everybody in MTG’s life who thought she was going to amount to nothing, which was probably most of you! Look at her now! She said “The gentleman’s time has expired” like five times! She is going to do gavels in a minute, like a real person!

    Please address Marjorie Taylor Greene in the future as Serious Congressperson Greene, it is illegal to do otherwise. […]

  491. says

    We regret to inform you that many of the white conservative people are still upset about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance.

    […] they don’t understand what they saw on the TV that night, it scared them […]

    Also Serena Williams did a funny dance and ain’t none of them never done a dance like that, must be the DEI dance.

    Rob Schmitt, a white man pointless and interchangeable enough to be hired as a host on Newsmax, had a funny little rant last night, let us poke him and laugh at him and berate him […]

    ROB SCHMITT (HOST): Last night’s blowout Super Bowl was more of a cultural spectacle than it was an athletic one. The game ended up being a clash between America’s fading woke culture and a return to normalcy that Americans have been begging for since the plague of wokeness arrived.

    […] But woke, of course, is a hard stain to remove. Last night, the NFL gave us unquestionably the worst halftime show we have ever seen. A tiny rapper in bell bottoms,

    Marco jeans, Celine by Hedi Slimane, $1,200, they were cute as shit on Kendrick.

    who 98% of the country has never heard of,

    Pulitzer-winning, 57 Grammy nominations, 22 wins, Oscar-nominated, widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time …

    But sure, bud, you did a poll of the [people] standing around the country-style wooden table covered with Crock Pots full of Ro-Tel dip at your Super Bowl party in Mississippi, and 98 percent of the people there hadn’t heard of him. Sounds like science.

    was allowed to play most of his largely unknown catalogue

    Kendrick Lamar’s catalogue.

    for twenty grueling minutes

    Thirteen minutes. [That’s a YouTube link to the Super Bowl Halftime Show.]

    in front of the entire world. The whole world just sat and wondered why they were watching this. Who is this? Everybody asked. No matter where you were, nobody had a clue what this was, except maybe a half a percent of the people in this country alone.

    A bunch of dumpy, aging […] Americans sitting on recliners with whining, “I just can’t understand what these people are saying” are, according to Newsmax, “the entire world” and “the whole world” and “98 percent of the country” and “no matter where you were.”

    OK.

    Weird how “the whole world” and “98 percent of the country” all screamed “A MINORRRRRRR” (along with everybody in the stadium) when that part came around. […] [Matt Gaetz’s stupid social media post at the link]

    Back to the whining:

    And for a league so obsessed with diversity as the NFL is, maybe you noticed last night’s halftime show was the first ever that we can recall that was fully monochromatic as far as race.

    […] we’re on the merit system, and there isn’t a white person alive who dances like that.

    In true woke fashion, this was done with no apologies whatsoever.

    White supremacists like Rob Schmitt prefer their Black people to apologize first before doing anything.

    American culture used to not allow such gratuitous racism.

    LOL.

    Now it applauds it.

    Clap clap!

    Or at least it did. This is thankfully ending.

    It is not ending. Get fucked, Newsmax guy.

    For the last several years, this has been applauded by the dumbest people in our society. Moments like this. This was all put together before the election, by the way. Here’s a glimpse of last night’s halftime show. This is what the NFL put in front of hundreds of millions of people all over the globe.

    Yep, it was great!

    Let’s watch it again! (You’ll have to click through because “NFL.”)

    https://www.wonkette.com/p/newsmax-idiot-still-not-over-seeing

  492. says

    Trump says he spoke to Putin about ending the war in Ukraine

    “[Trump] said he would immediately inform Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about a plan to restart negotiations.

    […] Trump said that he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone Wednesday [today] about ending the war in Ukraine and that Putin indicated he would be willing to negotiate directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    “As we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social about their first known call of his second term.

    “We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” he added. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.”

    Trump said he tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff with leading negotiations with Russia.

    Putin’s adviser Dmitry Peskov said the phone conversation lasted about 90 minutes.

    “The topic of the Middle East settlement, the Iranian nuclear program, and bilateral Russian-American relations in the economic area were talked about during the conversation,” he said in a statement.

    Putin invited Trump to visit Moscow, Peskov said, “and expressed readiness to receive American officials in Russia regarding areas of mutual interest, including, of course, the topic of Ukrainian settlement. Putin and Trump also agreed to continue personal contacts, including setting up a personal meeting.”

    Trump later confirmed that he had spoken to Zelenskyy, saying in another post on Truth Social that it “went very well” and that the Ukrainian leader also wants peace. Trump said that a meeting related to the war, led by Vice President JD Vance and Rubio, would take place Friday in Munich.

    [snipped some of Trump’s blather]

    Zelenskyy said in a post on X that he had a “meaningful conversation” with Trump. “No one wants peace more than Ukraine,” he wrote. “Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let’s get it done.”

    Earlier Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to NATO’s headquarters in Brussels that it’s “unrealistic” for Ukraine to return to its borders before Russia invaded Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014. He also signaled that the U.S. wouldn’t support Ukraine joining NATO as part of a negotiated deal to end the war.

    […] Last month, Zelenskyy said in a post on X, “Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders, and does everything possible to prolong the war.” The comment came in response to Putin telling a Russian state broadcaster that Zelenskyy “has no right to sign anything” because of his “illegitimacy.”

    […] It’s unclear if the Republican-led Congress will continue supporting legislative aid packages to Ukraine, as many GOP lawmakers have opposed continuing to fund the U.S. effort to defend the close ally. Even in the last Congress, divisions among GOP lawmakers caused significant delays in the delivery of weapons to Ukraine.

    [snipped a summary of Trump’s past boasts about ending the war, etc.]

    Embedded links to additional sources are available at the main link.

  493. says

    Netanyahu warns ‘intense fighting’ will resume in Gaza if Hamas delays hostage release

    “Israel’s prime minister said he had ordered troops to mass around Gaza and threatened a breakdown in the ceasefire after Hamas said it would indefinitely delay hostage releases.”

    […] Netanyahu’s warning followed […] Trump’s threat in recent days to let “all hell break out” in Gaza, after Hamas reiterated Tuesday that it would indefinitely postpone the next round of hostage-prisoner swap scheduled for Saturday. The Palestinian organization has accused Israel of violating terms of their three-week-old ceasefire.

    After a four-hour emergency meeting with Israel’s security Cabinet on Tuesday afternoon, Netanyahu said he had received unanimous support to mass Israeli troops in and around Gaza.

    “If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon — the ceasefire will end and the [Israel Defense Forces] will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” he said in a video statement following the meeting. […]

    More at the link.

  494. says

    Prominent CEOs start raising public concerns about the White House’s agenda

    “Leading executives have largely avoided criticizing Trump and his plans. It’s reasonable to question, however, whether that’s just now starting to change.”

    The Wall Street Journal published a headline this week that was probably noticed in the West Wing. “For CEOs and Bankers, the Trump Euphoria Is Fading Fast,” it read.

    The accompanying article added, “Corporate bigwigs are now using phrases like ‘fragility,’ ‘volatility’ and ‘wait and see’ to describe their outlooks.”

    What’s more, some corporate skeptics of Donald Trump’s plans aren’t just sharing off-the-record comments with reporters. As NBC News reported, some are making their concerns public.

    President Donald Trump’s tariffs, both implemented and just threatened, are causing “chaos” for the U.S. automotive industry, according to Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley. The chief executive of America’s second-largest automaker described 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, as well as threatened levies of the same amount on Mexico and Canada, as currently adding “a lot of cost, and a lot of chaos” to the industry.

    “President Trump has talked a lot about making our U.S. auto industry stronger, bringing more production here, more innovation in the U.S., and if his administration can achieve that, it would be one of … the most signature accomplishments,” the Ford CEO said at a conference this week. “So far what we’re seeing is a lot of cost, and a lot of chaos.”

    The executive’s comments covered a lot of other ground — he spoke at length about steel and aluminum access, for example — but he also specifically warned that some of the White House’s plans for trade tariffs would be “devastating” to auto manufacturers and “blow a hole in the U.S. industry that we’ve never seen.”

    As The New York Times reported, the Ford CEO also said that if Republicans scrap investments in electric vehicle manufacturing, “many” jobs at his company “will be at risk.”

    The Times’ report added, “Mr. Farley’s remarks at the conference, which was organized by Wolfe Research, offered a rare example of a corporate executive calling into question Mr. Trump’s policies or statements. In most cases executives have either offered praise or kept quiet, apparently out of fear they could prompt reprisals from the president.”

    It’s reasonable to question, however, whether that’s just now starting to change. In addition to the reporting on Ford, NBC News also reported this week that Citadel CEO Ken Griffin has also warned about the adverse consequences of Trump’s combative approach to U.S. trade policy.

    “From my vantage point, the bombastic rhetoric, the damage has already been done,” Griffin said at the UBS Financial Services Conference. “It’s a huge mistake to resort to this form of rhetoric when you’re trying to drive a bargain because … it tears into the minds of CEOs, policymakers that we can’t depend upon America as our trading partner.”

    Griffin, it’s worth emphasizing for context, not only voted for Trump, he also has been an exceedingly generous Republican megadonor.

    To be sure, two executives do not a trend make, and it’d be an overstatement to suggest private-sector giants are starting to buck the president in droves.

    But as consumer confidence sags, inflation lingers and Trump’s incompetence on economic matters becomes more pronounced, the comments from the Ford and Citadel CEOs might also offer a hint of things to come.

  495. says

    White House demands more money for border scheme amid funding freezes

    Members of the Trump administration are apparently pressuring congressional Republicans to fast-track $175 billion in new border money, according to Axios.

    Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, and Office of Management and Budget Chief Russell Vought told GOP senators during a closed-door meeting Tuesday that the administration is strapped for cash for President Donald Trump’s mass deportations and other inhumane immigration wants.

    Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, told reporters that Homan and Vought made clear that “we’re living on borrowed time.”

    After the meeting, Homan said that his message to senators was “more money, more success,” and he expressed optimism that the administration would find the money needed to continue its immigration operations.

    “Hopefully, we won’t run out of money,” he said. “The more money we got, the more bad guys we take off the street, the safer America is.”

    But it’s not just Homan and Vought who want lawmakers to shore up money for Trump’s immigration crackdown. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent a separate letter to lawmakers requesting money for more border resources.

    According to Fox News, which also obtained a copy of the letter, the money officials are soliciting will go toward more law enforcement and military personnel, aircrafts and additional means of transportation to facilitate deportations, and materials and workers to finish constructing a “permanent barrier” at the border, among other things.

    At issue is whether the GOP-dominated chambers of Congress can get on the same page for their approach. Graham, the Senate Budget Committee chair, plans to mark up his own budget resolution on Wednesday, which includes more than $340 million in new funding for border security and the Pentagon, according to Punchbowl News. This amount, he said, provides enough funding for the next four years.

    Over in the House, however, Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, pleaded with Graham to hold off. Johnson is apparently hopeful that House Republicans can pass “one big, beautiful [reconciliation] bill,” as Trump has advocated for, which would include various tenets of his agenda and an extension of tax cuts from his first term.

    […] It’s interesting that Republicans can’t seem to find the money needed to fulfill their hardline border and immigration agenda, considering that the federal government, under Trump’s direction, just capped funding for the National Institutes of Health’s research facilities. […]

    Either way, it’s foolish that the Trump administration is claiming to be low on cash when it has spent the better part of the past month axing federal agencies all in the name of making the government more “efficient.”

    When it comes to how and whether Republican lawmakers will acquiesce to Trump’s latest request, it seems that things are playing out in favor of Graham and the Senate. According to Axios, White House officials told GOP senators that the money earmarked in Graham’s bill would be enough to deliver on Trump’s border promises for the next four years. […]

  496. says

    A message and request from Elizabeth Warren

    I always love getting the informative well-written messages from Senator Warren that somehow give one hope even during desperate times. I sent this one around to a few friends and relatives who don’t seem to understand the violations going on now. I thought to post sections here because she does ask for input. […]

    Substantial text from Warren’s letter, plus the request for input from citizens, is available at the link.

  499. says

    Sudan and Russia agreed “on everything” regarding creating a Russian naval base in the country – foreign minister of Sudan during his visit to Russia. […]

    https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5jbj2wzit57tfjmmwocupfs7/post/3lhymh7ottk26

    Video, with English subtitles, is available at the link.

    Anton Gerashchenko:

    Russia is solely interested in protecting its own geopolitical interests. And exploiting Sudan’s resources to profit (selling weapons and diesel, illegal smuggling of gold). This is the essence of Russia’s cooperation with other countries: Russia will only think of itself and will not hesitate to betray any partner at any point it deems convenient.

  500. says

    Election security is the latest target in Trump’s rampage

    Workers at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency who focused on misinformation have been placed on administrative leave, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Tuesday—a move that leaves state election officials on their own as they seek to protect Americans from attempted intrusions on elections.

    “CISA needs to refocus on its mission, and we are starting with election security,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Tuesday, seemingly confirming an Associated Press report that said 17 election security officials at CISA had been placed on leave.

    “The agency is undertaking an evaluation of how it has executed its election security mission with a particular focus on any work related to mis-, dis-, and malinformation,” the spokesperson continued. “While the agency conducts the assessment, personnel who worked on mis-, dis-, and malinformation, as well as foreign influence operations and disinformation, have been placed on administrative leave.”

    Hobbling CISA—a branch of the Department of Homeland Security that was formed during President Donald Trump’s first term in office—was a goal of Project 2025, the right-wing screed that Trump distanced himself from during the campaign but that his administration is now implementing since he won office.

    “Of the utmost urgency is immediately ending CISA’s counter-mis/disinformation efforts,” Project 2025 read.

    […] Project 2025 railed on CISA’s efforts to combat mis- and disinformation, citing the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.

    “CISA began this work because of alleged Russian misinformation in the 2016 election, which in fact turned out to be a [Hillary] Clinton campaign ‘dirty trick,'” Project 2025 falsely stated, adding that “CISA has devolved into an unconstitutional censoring and election engineering apparatus of the political Left” and that “the entirety of the CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee should be dismissed on Day 1.”

    Other Republicans have also attacked CISA.

    In late January, Trump sycophant Marjorie Taylor Greene, who moonlights as a representative from Georgia, flagged the agency to co-President Elon Musk for cuts.

    “Joe Biden’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was more focused on undermining President Trump than they were protecting our own critical infrastructure. The thugs responsible for that kind of waste and abuse will be held accountable!” she wrote in a post on X.

    After he won the 2024 election, multiple reports said that the future of CISA was in doubt because of Trump’s anger that the agency wouldn’t substantiate his lies about fraud in the 2020 presidential election. In 2020, Trump fired CISA director Chris Krebs after Krebs said that the election that year was secure and not rife with fraud.

    […] “The most value that we’ve got from CISA has been the people that they have on the ground in our state that build direct relationships, not just with us but with the individual county clerks,” Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, said in January. “They’re teaching them and helping them check their physical security and their cyber hygiene, and that’s been extremely popular.”

    And election officials in states across the country are warning that getting rid of these CISA officials will make elections less secure.

    “Any step to weaken CISA will make it harder to keep our elections secure,” Aghogho Edevbie, Michigan’s deputy secretary of state, wrote in a post on X. “CISA has simply been an invaluable partner for our department and local clerks across Michigan.”

    And Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes wrote a letter to Trump on Monday urging him to reinstate the staffers.

    “This decision undermines the integrity of Arizona’s election security at a time when our enemies around the world are using online tools to push their agendas and ideologies into our very homes,” Fontes wrote, adding that getting rid of CISA election personnel is “akin to dismissing national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration … staff ahead of hurricane season.”

    “I urge you to reconsider these decisions and to reaffirm the federal government’s commitment to securing our elections,” Fontes added.

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