The Second Term of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States of America
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"The problem is that through this bilateral channel between the United States and Russia the United States seems to be giving away major concessions before Ukraine has been made a part of the Negotiation.So we have heard from senior Trump administration officials that Ukraine will have to concede significant parts of its territory, that Ukraine will not have a place in NATO, the United States has already indicated that it won't play a role with boots on the ground in sustaining any peace in Ukraine or that any peacekeeping force would fall under a NATO umbrella. So these are major concessions that the United States is giving away in this bilateral format, and that has real implications for Ukraine. So once Ukraine gets to the negotiating table we've basically taken their knees out from under them and put them in a far weaker position.
So if we were going into these discussions with Russia it should have been the case that the United States had had some coordinated position with Kyiv and its European allies before going into that meeting."
Former Intelligence Official Andrea Kendall-Taylor: Center for a New American Security / PBS/NH 25/02/18
"The problem is that through this bilateral channel between the United States and Russia the United States seems to be giving away major concessions before Ukraine has been made a part of the Negotiation.So we have heard from senior Trump administration officials that Ukraine will have to concede significant parts of its territory, that Ukraine will not have a place in NATO, the United States has already indicated that it won't play a role with boots on the ground in sustaining any peace in Ukraine or that any peacekeeping force would fall under a NATO umbrella. So these are major concessions that the United States is giving away in this bilateral format, and that has real implications for Ukraine. So once Ukraine gets to the negotiating table we've basically taken their knees out from under them and put them in a far weaker position.
So if we were going into these discussions with Russia it should have been the case that the United States had had some coordinated position with Kyiv and its European allies before going into that meeting."
Former Intelligence Official Andrea Kendall-Taylor: Center for a New American Security / PBS/NH 25/02/18
Shiftless2
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Republican introduces bill to make Trump’s birthday a federal holiday
by Ailia ZehraRep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) introduced a bill Friday that would establish President Trump’s birthday, June 14, as a public holiday.
The Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day Holiday Establishment Act proposes the recognition of both Trump’s birthday and Flag Day, celebrated on June 14, as federal public holidays.
“Just as George Washington’s birthday is codified as a federal holiday, President Trump’s birthday should also be celebrated to recognize him as the founder of America’s Golden Age,” Tenney wrote on the social platform X on Monday.
George Washington was born on Feb. 22, but Presidents Day, marking his birthday, is celebrated on the third Monday of February.
In a separate post Friday, shared after she introduced the Trump birthday bill, Tenney said, “No modern president has been more pivotal for our country than Donald J. Trump.”
“Today, I introduced legislation to designate Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day as a federal holiday, ensuring President Trump’s contributions to ...
Donald Trump To Be Put on Mount Rushmore Under Republican Bill
By Ewan Palmer /
Newsweek Is A Trust Project MemberA bill to add a carving of President Donald Trump to Mount Rushmore has been introduced by a MAGA politician.
Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna announced the bill Tuesday calling for Trump to be added to the South Dakota monument with the message: "Let's get carving."
Donald Trump to be put on Mount Rushmore under Republican bill
Republican Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna announced her bill with the message: "Let's get carving."
www.newsweek.com
Shiftless2
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Jim Acosta Argues Media Should Pull White House Coverage of ‘Aspiring Autocrat’ Trump in Solidarity With AP | Video
Stephanie Kaloi / Tue, February 18, 2025 at 10:38 PM ESTJim Acosta had strong advice for the White House press corps days after Trump banned the Associated Press from the Oval Office. Other media outlets should “take those cameras away” to teach “aspiring autocrat” Trump a “lesson,” he told MeidasTouch News Tuesday.
“I think he would say, okay, maybe I ought to rethink this idea of kicking the Associated Press out of there if I can’t have the cameras with me,” Acosta added.
The broadcast journalist also suggested the Associated Press explore taking legal action against the Trump administration following the president’s ban on the new service in the Oval Office. “I think that the AP should look at whether or not they should sue the administration,” Acosta said. “I think the AP needs to, you know, look at other options in terms of what can be done.”
Jim Acosta Argues Media Should Pull White House Coverage of ‘Aspiring Autocrat’ Trump in Solidarity With AP | Video
The news organization's colleagues need to give "serious consideration" to "doing a bit more to stand up for our friends," he tells MeidasTouch News The post Jim Acosta Argues Media Should Pull White House Coverage of ‘Aspiring Autocrat’ Trump in Solidarity With AP | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Is this not an obvious First Amendment issue?
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Wtf..
It's no longer hyperbole to say the USA is a dictatorship. It's only been a month.
This caption text is long. Read it anyway.
??????This Executive Order does the following:
❧ All federal agencies, including independent regulatory commissions, are now subject to direct White House control.
❧ Regulations cannot be issued without presidential approval.
❧ The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) can now withhold funding from independent agencies if they don’t align with White House priorities.
❧ All federal employees must follow the President’s and Attorney General’s interpretation of the law, eliminating legal independence.
❧ A White House Liaison is to be installed in every independent regulatory agency to enforce direct presidential control.
This is the biggest executive power grab in U.S. history. This formally ends the concept of an “independent” regulatory agency, dismantling one of the last barriers to absolute executive power.? This order effectively erases the last major restraints on executive power.? The federal government no longer operates with checks and balances.? Regulations and laws are now dictated solely by the President.? If left unchecked, this is the moment the U.S. ceases to function as a democratic republic.
The President Now Controls All Regulatory Agencies
The SEC, FTC, FCC, and FEC are no longer independent.The Stock Market is now subject to White House control, enabling insider trading, favoritism, and targeting of political opponents.Antitrust laws can be selectively enforced, allowing administration-friendly monopolies to expand unchecked.Political opponents in the tech sector, media, or finance can be targeted with regulatory action while allies are protected.Elections are now influenced by direct White House oversight of the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The FDA, EPA, and consumer protection agencies are fully politicized.Drug approvals, food safety regulations, and environmental policies can be rewritten for political or corporate interests.Climate change regulations can be erased overnight.Scientific research is now subject to White House approval before public release.? Implication: There is no longer any neutral enforcement of economic, environmental, or election laws. Everything is now dictated by political loyalty.
The White House Can Block Agency Budgets or Direct Funds ElsewhereThe OMB can now adjust funding allocations for independent agencies.This gives the President the power to defund agencies without needing Congress. Regulatory agencies that challenge presidential policies will be quietly strangled of resources. Agencies loyal to the President will receive full funding—even illegally. ? Implication: Congress no longer controls federal spending on regulatory enforcement. The executive branch can choke out opposition agencies and reward allies.
The President & Attorney General Have Final Say on All Legal Interpretations (Shift's comment - among other things that puts Trump and his AG above the Supreme Court) All federal employees must follow White House interpretations of the law . The Attorney General’s opinions override agency lawyers, inspectors general, and independent counsel. Agencies cannot adopt their own interpretations of legal statutes—everything must align with the President’s views. The President can rewrite federal legal interpretations overnight. ? Implication: Legal consistency is gone. Agencies cannot push back against corrupt, illegal, or unconstitutional directives because the President’s interpretation is the only interpretation allowed.
Installing White House Liaisons in All Regulatory Agencies A “White House Liaison” will be placed in every independent agency.This ensures constant presidential oversight of daily operations.These liaisons will report agency actions back to the White House and enforce political compliance.Agency directors will no longer have the ability to act without White House approval.? Implication: There is now a direct enforcement arm inside every regulatory body. Even agencies that resist presidential control will be internally monitored and controlled.? Every regulatory body—from financial markets to environmental protections—is now politicized.? Congress no longer controls federal funding—agencies must obey the White House or risk defunding.? The President’s legal interpretations override all agency autonomy, eliminating independent enforcement of federal laws.? The federal bureaucracy, once designed to be resistant to corruption, is now completely subject to presidential loyalty.
Hegseth could soon fire or remove generals and senior officers, US officials say
LUIS MARTINEZ, MATT SEYLER, RACHEL SCOTT and KATHERINE FAULDERS / Wed, February 19, 2025 at 5:47 PM ESTDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth is considering firing or removing generals and senior officers as early as this week, according to multiple U.S. and congressional officials.
A list has been circulated on Capitol Hill that contains generals and senior officers who could be fired or removed, the officials said.
Hegseth, days before President Donald Trump nominated him to lead the Defense Department, said in November that "woke" officials needed to be uprooted from the DOD.
"First of all, you've got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs," Hegseth said in an appearance on the "Shawn Ryan Show."
Hegseth could soon fire or remove generals and senior officers, US officials say
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is considering firing or removing generals and senior officers as early as this week, according to multiple U.S. and congressional officials. A list has been circulated on Capitol Hill that contains generals and senior officers who could be fired or removed, the...
It's been a tradition for nearly a quarter millennium U.S. military commanders are non-partisan. We've strayed.
The White House intruded on General William Westmoreland during the Vietnam War.
This War was wildly unpopular, and precipitated the suspension of U.S. military conscription.
This Secretary Hegseth headline is far more ominous.
Putin has surrounded himself with "yes-men", a factor in Putin's current position.
Trump seems determined to mirror this blunder. Is the U.S. prepared for the consequence?
The U.S. $purchased Alaska from Russia, at 2 pennies per acre, a real estate (& natural resource) bargain.
Is Trump going to indulge Putin?
47 more months to go.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
As for the IRS being a poor investment
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Another must read:
Elon Musk attacked democracy defender and superstar court lawyer Marc Elias as “undermining civilization,” taunting him by asking if he suffered “generational trauma.”
Elias’s response was brilliant and worth amplifying:
Mr. Musk,
You recently criticized me and another prominent lawyer fighting for the rule of law and democracy in the United States. I am used to being attacked for my work, particularly on the platform you own and dominate.
I used to be a regular on Twitter, where I amassed over 900,000 followers — all organic except for the right-wing bots who seemed to grow in number. Like many others, I stopped regularly posting on the site because, under your stewardship, it became a hellscape of hate and misinformation.
I also used to buy your cars — first a Model X and then a Model S — back when you spoke optimistically about solving the climate crisis. My family no longer owns any of your cars and never will.
But this is not the reason I am writing. You don’t know me. You have no idea whether I have suffered trauma and if I have, how it has manifested. And it’s none of your business.
However, I will address your last point about generational trauma. I am Jewish, though many on your site simply call me “a jew.” Honestly, it’s often worse than that, but I’m sure you get the point. There was a time when Twitter would remove antisemitic posts, but under your leadership, tolerating the world’s oldest hatred now seems to be a permissible part of your “free speech” agenda.
Like many Jewish families, mine came to America because of trauma. They were fleeing persecution in the Pale of Settlement — the only area in the Russian Empire where Jews were legally allowed to reside. Even there, life was difficult — often traumatic. My family, like others, lived in a shtetl and was poor. Worse, pogroms were common — violent riots in which Jews were beaten, killed and expelled from their villages.
By the time my family fled, life in the Pale had become all but impossible for Jews. Tsar Nicholas II’s government spread anti-Jewish propaganda that encouraged Russians to attack and steal from Jews in their communities. My great-grandfather was fortunate to leave when he did. Those who stayed faced even worse circumstances when Hitler’s army later invaded.
That is the generational trauma I carry. The trauma of being treated as “other” by countrymen you once thought were your friends. The trauma of being scapegoated by authoritarian leaders. The trauma of fleeing while millions of others were systematically murdered. The trauma of watching powerful men treat it all as a joke — or worse.
As an immigrant yourself, you can no doubt sympathize with what it means to leave behind your country, extended family, friends and neighbors to come to the United States. Of course, you probably had more than 86 rubles in your pocket. You probably didn’t ride for nine days in the bottom of a ship or have your surname changed by immigration officials. Here is the ship manifest showing that my family did. Aron, age three, was my grandfather.
As new immigrants, life wasn’t easy. My family lived in cramped housing without hot water. They worked menial jobs — the kind immigrants still perform today.
Some may look down on those immigrants — the ones without fancy degrees — but my family was proud to work and grateful that the United States took them in. They found support within their Jewish community and a political home in the Democratic Party.
I became a lawyer to give back to the country that gave my family a chance. I specialize in representing Democratic campaigns because I believe in the party. I litigate voting rights cases because the right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy. I speak out about free and fair elections because they are under threat.
Now let me address the real crux of your post.
You are very rich and very powerful. You have thrown in with Donald Trump. Whether it is because you think you can control him or because you share his authoritarian vision, I do not know. I do not care.
Together, you and he are dismantling our government, undermining the rule of law and harming the most vulnerable in our society. I am just a lawyer. I do not have your wealth or your platform. I do not control the vast power of the federal government, nor do I have millions of adherents at my disposal to harass and intimidate my opponents. I may even carry generational trauma.
But you need to know this about me. I am the great-grandson of a man who led his family out of the shtetl to a strange land in search of a better life. I am the grandson of the three-year-old boy on that journey. As you know, my English name is Marc, but my Hebrew name is Elhanan (אֶלְחָנָן) — after the great warrior in David’s army who slew a powerful giant.
I will use every tool at my disposal to protect this country from Trump. I will litigate to defend voting rights until there are no cases left to bring. I will speak out against authoritarianism until my last breath.
I will not back down. I will not bow or scrape. I will never obey.
Defiantly,
Marc Elias
#resistance #ResistTrump #antifascist #ResistFascism #Trump
Elon Musk attacked democracy defender and superstar court lawyer Marc Elias as “undermining civilization,” taunting him by asking if he suffered “generational trauma.”
Elias’s response was brilliant and worth amplifying:
Mr. Musk,
You recently criticized me and another prominent lawyer fighting for the rule of law and democracy in the United States. I am used to being attacked for my work, particularly on the platform you own and dominate.
I used to be a regular on Twitter, where I amassed over 900,000 followers — all organic except for the right-wing bots who seemed to grow in number. Like many others, I stopped regularly posting on the site because, under your stewardship, it became a hellscape of hate and misinformation.
I also used to buy your cars — first a Model X and then a Model S — back when you spoke optimistically about solving the climate crisis. My family no longer owns any of your cars and never will.
But this is not the reason I am writing. You don’t know me. You have no idea whether I have suffered trauma and if I have, how it has manifested. And it’s none of your business.
However, I will address your last point about generational trauma. I am Jewish, though many on your site simply call me “a jew.” Honestly, it’s often worse than that, but I’m sure you get the point. There was a time when Twitter would remove antisemitic posts, but under your leadership, tolerating the world’s oldest hatred now seems to be a permissible part of your “free speech” agenda.
Like many Jewish families, mine came to America because of trauma. They were fleeing persecution in the Pale of Settlement — the only area in the Russian Empire where Jews were legally allowed to reside. Even there, life was difficult — often traumatic. My family, like others, lived in a shtetl and was poor. Worse, pogroms were common — violent riots in which Jews were beaten, killed and expelled from their villages.
By the time my family fled, life in the Pale had become all but impossible for Jews. Tsar Nicholas II’s government spread anti-Jewish propaganda that encouraged Russians to attack and steal from Jews in their communities. My great-grandfather was fortunate to leave when he did. Those who stayed faced even worse circumstances when Hitler’s army later invaded.
That is the generational trauma I carry. The trauma of being treated as “other” by countrymen you once thought were your friends. The trauma of being scapegoated by authoritarian leaders. The trauma of fleeing while millions of others were systematically murdered. The trauma of watching powerful men treat it all as a joke — or worse.
As an immigrant yourself, you can no doubt sympathize with what it means to leave behind your country, extended family, friends and neighbors to come to the United States. Of course, you probably had more than 86 rubles in your pocket. You probably didn’t ride for nine days in the bottom of a ship or have your surname changed by immigration officials. Here is the ship manifest showing that my family did. Aron, age three, was my grandfather.
As new immigrants, life wasn’t easy. My family lived in cramped housing without hot water. They worked menial jobs — the kind immigrants still perform today.
Some may look down on those immigrants — the ones without fancy degrees — but my family was proud to work and grateful that the United States took them in. They found support within their Jewish community and a political home in the Democratic Party.
I became a lawyer to give back to the country that gave my family a chance. I specialize in representing Democratic campaigns because I believe in the party. I litigate voting rights cases because the right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy. I speak out about free and fair elections because they are under threat.
Now let me address the real crux of your post.
You are very rich and very powerful. You have thrown in with Donald Trump. Whether it is because you think you can control him or because you share his authoritarian vision, I do not know. I do not care.
Together, you and he are dismantling our government, undermining the rule of law and harming the most vulnerable in our society. I am just a lawyer. I do not have your wealth or your platform. I do not control the vast power of the federal government, nor do I have millions of adherents at my disposal to harass and intimidate my opponents. I may even carry generational trauma.
But you need to know this about me. I am the great-grandson of a man who led his family out of the shtetl to a strange land in search of a better life. I am the grandson of the three-year-old boy on that journey. As you know, my English name is Marc, but my Hebrew name is Elhanan (אֶלְחָנָן) — after the great warrior in David’s army who slew a powerful giant.
I will use every tool at my disposal to protect this country from Trump. I will litigate to defend voting rights until there are no cases left to bring. I will speak out against authoritarianism until my last breath.
I will not back down. I will not bow or scrape. I will never obey.
Defiantly,
Marc Elias
#resistance #ResistTrump #antifascist #ResistFascism #Trump
We now know what.
Do we yet know why?
Musk has powerful incentive here. Those not paying much attention may pretend to being blind-sided, when the other shoe falls.
Musk is likely to be looking for "R.O.I.", return on investment. Some reports indicate Musk spent a $quarter $Billion on the 2024 elections.
It seems Musk is going to want that $money back.
It seems Musk is in the process of getting it.
Is this not the opposite of utilitarianism? The greatest benefit for the few, at the expense of the many?
Musk accuses Ukraine leader Zelensky of ‘feeding off the dead bodies of soldiers’ in vicious rant on X
Josh Marcus / Fri, February 21, 2025 at 5:26 AM ESTElon Musk has accused Volodymyr Zelensky of “feeding off the dead bodies of Ukrainian soldiers” as the Trump administration continues ferociously lashing out at the Ukrainian president.
The Tesla owner wrote on his X site, without evidence, that Zelensky is “despised by the people of Ukraine” in a post that refuted Kyiv’s claims that the president has a 57 per cent approval rating. Earlier this week Trump had claimed that the Ukraine leader had an approval rating of ‘4 per cent’.
“If Zelensky was actually loved by the people of Ukraine, he would hold an election. He knows he would lose in a landslide, despite having seized control of ALL Ukrainian media, so he canceled the election,” the tech billionaire wrote.
Musk accuses Ukraine leader Zelensky of ‘feeding off the dead bodies of soldiers’ in vicious rant on X
Musk also threatened changes to Community Notes on X as Trump administration has sought to falsely portray Ukrainian president as a ‘dictator’
a) - ghastly -
b) Right back atcha Elon. What is your deadline for holding elections for Trump?
note: Industrialist Musk bears some similarities to industrialist Ford:
"In the 1920s Ford promoted antisemitism through his newspaper The Dearborn Independent and the book The International Jew. He opposed his country's entry into World War II, and served for a time on the board of the America First Committee." More from Wikipedia
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Shiftless2
Well-known member
a) Not good.
b) It seems it's too late to stop Trump.
“I'm gunna be workin' for you. I'm not gunna have time to go play golf.” GOP pres. cand. Trump “8/2/16”
“I'm gunna be in the White House a lot. I'm not leavin'.” GOP pres. cand Trump “2/11/16”
counterpoint:
Since JFK's assassination the U.S. has been sensitive about presidential security. For reason of executive continuity, stability, we surround our president with Secret Service body guards. That's expensive.
There are additional concerns including the "nuclear football", a term inspired by Peter Sellers' The Mouse That Roared.
Is Trump's per day excursion costs wildly more than that of other presidents?
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Guess who - Only two of them have been out of high school long enough to get a degree
Shiftless2
Well-known member
And they admit it ....
Any of them cabinet officers?
"I'm not gunna cut Social Security like every other Republican. I'm not gunna cut Medicare or Medicaid." Candidate Donald Trump 15/05/26
"I am going to take care of everybody. I don't care if it costs me votes or not. Everybody's gunna be taken care of much better than they're taken care of now." Candidate Trump 15/09/27 to CBS Scott Pelly
"You're going to have such great healthcare at a tiny fraction of the cost." candidate Trump 16/10/25 from campaign podium
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Cross posted from the Headlines thread