The Second Term of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States of America

It was Kagan asking the question that the lawyer wouldn't answer

www.facebook.com

5.4K reactions · 141 shares | Uh oh, #maga … here goes #amyconeybarrett shedding her handmaid uniform again… . Repost from @reallyamericanmedia • BREAKING: this is great. Follow us here at @reallyamericanmedia | Joy Reid

Uh oh, #maga … here goes #amyconeybarrett shedding her handmaid uniform again… . Repost from @reallyamericanmedia • BREAKING: this is great. Follow us here at @reallyamericanmedia.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
Variety

Mark Ruffalo Slams ‘Grifter’ Trump and Says ‘Billionaires Are the Problem, Not Immigrants’: They’re ‘Stealing You Blind’ While ‘Immigrants Add to the Economy’​

Zack Sharf / Wed, June 18, 2025 at 9:53 AM EDT·
Mark Ruffalo has a message for Americans: Billionaires are the problem, not immigrants. The Hulk actor and Oscar nominee, who recently participated in one of the No Kings protests against Donald Trump’s policies, has been using social media to speak out against ICE raids and Trump-mandated deportations.
Ruffalo said in a social media video that “immigrants aren’t criminals” and “add to our economy by the billions.” It’s the “billionaires who are the true villains” and “who are really making our lives unbearable and making us so desperate,” he argued. “It’s time to take our country back from extreme wealth that has its hands all over the power of the nation.”
news.yahoo.com

Mark Ruffalo Slams ‘Grifter’ Trump and Says ‘Billionaires Are the Problem, Not Immigrants’: They’re ‘Stealing You Blind’ While ‘Immigrants Add to the Economy’

Mark Ruffalo has a message for Americans: Billionaires are the problem, not immigrants. The Hulk actor and Oscar nominee, who recently participated in one of the No Kings protests against Donald Trump’s policies, has been using social media to speak out against ICE raids and Trump-mandated...
news.yahoo.com news.yahoo.com

Not all Billionaires are a / the "problem".
Taylor Swift is a self-made $Billionaire. What's the "problem" with her?

None the less, a per capita contrast between these two groups may tend to corroborate Ruffalo's position here.
 
506494753_1200958952135677_4393223658878481940_n.jpg


BREAKING: Ted Cruz's most embarrassing moment to date goes mega-viral as a clip spreads of Tucker Carlson exposing the MAGA senator's stunning ignorance on camera: "How could you not know that?"

This was actually painful to watch...

"How many people live in Iran by the way?" Carlson asked Cruz in a clip released ahead of a new interview.

"I don’t know the population," admitted Cruz, who has been agitating for war with Iran for years. He knows such a conflict would be a massive handout to his military-industrial complex benefactors.

"At all?" asked Carlson.

"No, I don't know the population," said Cruz.

"You don't know the population of the country you seek to topple?" asked an astonished Carlson.

"How many people live in Iran?" asked Cruz.

"Ninety-two million," replied the former Fox News host without missing a beat.

"Okay. Yeah I uh—" said Cruz.

"How could you not know that?" asked Carlson.

"I don't sit around memorizing population tables."

"Well, it's kind of relevant because you're calling for the overthrow of the government," insisted Carlson.

"Why is it relevant whether it's ninety million or eighty million or a hundred million. Why is that relevant?" asked Cruz, getting increasingly flustered.

"Well, because if you don't know anything about the country—

"I didn't say I don't know anything about the country," interjected Cruz.

"Okay, what's the ethnic mix of Iran?" asked Carlson.

Cruz's was silent for a moment in stunned befuddlement, then said: "They are Persians and predominantly Shia—"

"What percent?" pressed Carlson.

"Okay this is cute okay," said Cruz, anger flaring.

"You don't know anything about Iran! So actually—" said Carlson.

"Okay I am not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran who says—" said Cruz.

"You're a senator who's calling for the overthrow of the government and you don't know anything about the country!"

"No you don't know anything about the country!" said Cruz. "You're the one who claims they're not trying to murder Donald Trump. You're the one—"

"No, I'm not saying that," said Carlson.

"You're the one who can't figure out if it was a good idea to kill General Soleimani. You said it was bad," said Cruz.

"You don't believe they're trying to murder Trump because you're not calling for military strikes against them in retaliation," pointed out Carlson.

"We are carrying out military strikes TODAY!," said Cruz.

"You said Israel was," corrected Carlson.

"Right. With our help. I said 'we.' Israel is leading them but we're supporting them," said Cruz.

"You're breaking news here because the U.S. government last night denied, the National Security Council spokesman Alex Pfeiffer denied on behalf of Trump that we were acting on Israel's behalf in any offensive capacity," said Carlson.

"We're not bombing them, Israel's bombing them," said Cruz, tying himself into a tighter and tighter knot.

"You just said we were," corrected Carlson.

"Uh... We are supporting Israel," said Cruz.

"This is high stakes. You're a senator. If you're saying the United States government is at war with Iran right now people are listening!" said Carlson.

The clip ends at that point and the full interview is slated for release later today.

Cruz's virulent ignorance is emblematic of the entire Republican Party. These people stumbled into Iraq without understanding that nation at all, leading to an utterly failed invasion, a subsequent sectarian civil war, and violence that persists to this day. We cannot do the same thing in Iran. NO WAR!
 
Shiftless2 said:
#884
Click to expand...
I have little patience for pseudo-cons, and Cruz is not my favorite pseudo-con. BUT !
Looks to me like Carlson ambushed Cruz here.

Without reference to statistical survey seems to me such interview questions are rare. Not sure if this means there's some underlying issue between Carlson & Cruz.

Shiftless2 said:
"Okay, what's the ethnic mix of Iran?" asked Carlson.

Cruz's was silent for a moment in stunned befuddlement, then said: "They are Persians and predominantly Shia—"

"What percent?" pressed Carlson.
#884
Click to expand...
A pro-Cruz advocate could tout this as proof Cruz' hostility to Iran is not ethnic bigotry.

None the less, not clear here if Cruz' malevolence against Iran even rises to that. Cruz may merely be parroting what he thinks the Trump administration position to be.

Shiftless2 said:
"... slaughtering Democrats in their homes - Not Terrorism" moraluniverse_ #885
Click to expand...
All murder is homicide. Not all homicide is murder, manslaughter for example.

"Terrorism" means the use of violence or the threat of violence, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political goals.

CBS Newswww.cbsnews.com › news › minnesota-lawmaker-shooting

Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman killed, state Sen. John ...​


A suspect is in custody after Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot Saturday, while state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded.

Was the motivation for murder simply a means to promote the opposing political party, the GOP?
To discourage like-minded politicians? That may be terrorism by definition.
Or some third?
 

Karl's defiant message after Nine correspondent shot with rubber bullet​



Australian reporter reflects on being shot with rubber bullet during LA protest​


 

Trump wanted a military spectacle. Instead, he got a history lesson.​

The parade must go on, and the Army sidestepped a major crisis of image and messaging.

The Army’s 250th birthday parade was not the grand military spectacle that many anticipated, and for that Americans can breathe a momentary, measured sigh of relief.

It was a family-friendly conclusion to a celebratory day, with events on the Mall and fireworks at the end. What had been billed as an overwhelming display of military might turned out to be a linear history lesson, from the early days of revolution to the age of robotic dogs and flying drones. A narrator made sense of it all over loudspeakers and for those watching the live stream on television, with a script that rarely strayed from the Army’s disciplined sense of itself as a lethal fighting machine in the service of democracy and the Constitution.

The tone was reminiscent of .....

CONTINUED
 
Fortune

Unless the Trump family secretly built a U.S. factory, industry experts say the $500 made-in-America smartphone is a fantasy​

Verne Kopytoff / Wed, June 18, 2025 at 1:20 PM EDT
The Trump Organization has licensed the Trump name for a new phone and wireless service.
Donald Trump’s family business is putting the president’s name behind something that few have dared to produce in years: a made-in-America smartphone.
The Trump Organization, led by the president’s eldest sons, said on Monday that it has licensed Donald Trump’s name to a new wireless service and a gold-colored phone. The T1, as the device is called, is supposed to be available in August for $499, and is “proudly designed and built in the United States,” the company said in a statement.
news.yahoo.com

Unless the Trump family secretly built a U.S. factory, industry experts say the $500 made-in-America smartphone is a fantasy

The Trump Organization’s promise of a U.S.-built phone flies in the face of years of domestic manufacturing realities.
news.yahoo.com news.yahoo.com

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Compare Apple's iPhone 17 w/ iOS 25 (?) priced from $449 to $599 e-tail.

That the Trump T1 smart phone would be on par with Apple's next iPhone release seems about as likely as Trump building a great great wall, and having Mexico pay for that wall, mark my words.

And "made in America"? Is Trump planning to invade and conquer South Korea? By August?

This would not be the first promise Trump has broken. Just ask Ivana, or Marla. BUT !

People are particular about their "-phone", and MAGA talent seems deeply rooted in fault-finding. Even if Trump clears every other hurdle, "made in America"?
That single criterion seems to nudge it from astronomically unlikely to - impossible - .
 
Reflections on global leadership, war, and what happens when one man walks away

1750297358446.png


Canada Strong and Free​

Nancy MCClure · esdSooptnr35hi3tg2930ai1t49g5g13c345g4ich569762tm1aglcu0haca ·

Abandoning the G7:Trumps Ego, and The World's Crisis. While the G7 was taking place, Donald Trump walked out. I don't believe his departure was primarily to manage the Middle East situation. I feel he left because, in his mind, it wasn’t all about him. The G7 didn’t feed his ego the way a rally does. And so, he left. He walked away because he needed to be somewhere his ego could be fed, and that sure as heck wasn’t happening for him in Kananaskis. Note Air Force One has the ability to act as a situation room.

But, maybe that was a blessing in disguise. Because what we saw in his absence was something remarkable: world leaders from the G7 and invited guests stepping up, not stepping back. They collaborated. They brought calm and clarity to a moment that demands it. Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, showed exactly what quiet, principled diplomacy looks like; strong, steady, and unshaken by spectacle. Carney doesn't need a spotlight. And he knows how to bring substance.

And although it may seem small in the grand scheme, I had a private moment of delight watching Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sitting in the chair Trump had abandoned. There was something poetic in that. And the leaders continued with the hard work. Some may have felt that the meetings would lose their effectiveness without Trump there but I personally feel the room likely got a lot smarter..

And that’s where this shifts from farce to fear. Because while those leaders were working together to steer the world off the edge of a cliff, Trump is inching us toward it. There is intel suggesting he’s warming to the idea of deeper U.S. involvement with Iran, despite concern from some Republicans. That terrifies me.

I know there's a lot going on right here at home, in our province, in our country, and it’s easy to say, “Let’s just focus on our own backyard.” But sometimes, the world kicks down your front door whether you invited it in or not.

I can’t ignore what’s unfolding in the Middle East right now. This isn’t the same as a one-off drone strike. Maybe those are sometimes necessary, maybe. But this? The idea of American troops being deployed into Iran without a direct threat to the U.S.? That’s a whole other scale. And I don’t believe it’s justified.

So when people say, “Mind your business, Nancy. Stay out of it. This isn’t ours to worry about,” I call bull. Because it is ours. Because this is terrifying. Frickin’ terrifying.

And we’d be naive, willfully naive, to pretend it doesn’t affect us.

Yes, the U.S. is a close friend of Israel, as is Canada, and yes, we stand by our allies. But at some point, we also have to ask: What does standing with an ally actually mean? Blind escalation? Endless retaliation? Or helping chart a path out of catastrophe?

Once again, we’re on the precipice. Once again, we’re waiting to see what the President of the United States will do. And maybe more importantly, what those around him, including his own party, will say if and when they disagree. Because they damn well better.

And as we wait, I sit here thinking of my own family members who could be called to serve if Canada aligns with the U.S. in a wider conflict. I think about our kids. Our future. Our shared humanity. And I ask, how the hell did we get here?

There was a time, not long ago, when all the talk was about Joe Biden’s fitness for office. And I get it. People questioned his cognitive strength. Maybe some of that concern was valid. But what I know for sure is this: whatever questions we had about Biden then are dwarfed by what we’re seeing from Donald Trump now. Because

Trump’s not just struggling with cognition. He’s struggling with reality. With rationality. With restraint. And when you’re standing at the edge of war, those are the bare minimum requirements.

Already, there are 30 U.S. air-to-air refueling aircraft in the Iranian region. There’s an aircraft carrier on station. And if we start seeing the big bombers lifting off U.S. soil, that will tell us everything we need to know about the decision Trump has made, long before he announces it from a stage in Washington or on Truth Social.

And if you think the maga-supporters, the ones who were promised no new wars, are suddenly going to walk away? Think again. They still believe in him. They still think his decisions are rational, objective, and in the best interests of all. Dear God!!

This is a frightening moment. My gut aches. My heart hurts. And I suspect I’m not alone in feeling like the world is teetering.

And what’s most disturbing? That one of the loudest, most dangerous figures on the world stage, the one whose shadow still looms over this entire mess, is masquerading as the leader of the “greatest democracy on Earth.”

Yeah. Wrap your head around that oxymoron. But sure, let’s keep pretending the guy who walked out of the G7 to go feel important somewhere else is the one who’s going to bring world peace. What could possibly go wrong?

P.S. I chose the image to accompany this post, the “family photo” of G7 leaders, very deliberately. It’s the one without Trump. And honestly, it looks better that wa
 
Don't do this. After all, throwing glitter directly at someone could be called assault. Instead throw it in the air so it covers a wide area - that way you're just celebrating

1750329990673.png

I would like this to be true
 
1750332859834.png

Canadians Against Pierre Poilievre​

Frank Lingohr · rSpedootsnh9ath29u0i3a7mt45f4lt4l580702i47m84a1ummg439f6tt0f ·

https://www.facebook.com/#
We're done with fascism

Excerpt: Canadians made up the biggest share of foreign buyers of U.S. residential real estate in 2024, according to the National Association of Realtors, with 13% of the foreign purchase market – followed by China and Mexico at 11% each. In five years out of the last decade, Canadians have led foreign purchases.
______
In the first quarter of 2025, Canadians have listed more than 700 homes for sale in Maricopa County, compared to 100 homes in the same period last year, Zimbaluk said.

Canadians own about 30,000 properties in the county, however.

The U.S. housing market is slowing down

Still, any slowdown in demand isn't helpful for the weakening U.S. housing market. In April, sales of previously-owned homes were at the slowest pace for any April since 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors. The pace of sales set that month was below the 4.06 million mark achieved in 2024, which was the worst year since 1995.

In South Florida, real estate agents are “absolutely” seeing less demand from Canadians, said Jeff Lichtenstein, the owner and broker of Echo Fine Properties, headquartered in the greater Palm Beach area.

“Some of it is uncertainty, some of it is not feeling as welcome,” Lichtenstein told USA TDOAY. “As a country, we’re making a lot of news. We’re in the news a lot. None of that is good for tourism or buying real estate."
_____
“A lot of people are saying they don’t feel comfortable being in the U.S.,” Zimbaluk said. While no-one is concerned for their safety, per se, he has heard of some people with Canadian license plates having nasty notes left on their windshields. “There’s just so much uncertainty. Everyone is trying to find their own way.”
_____
 
Here is why Trump withdrew President Obama's deal. Trump is jealous of president obama. Trump hates President Obama because he is so jealous of him. Trump is jealous of President Obama because everyone loves and respects him! Trump wanted to be the one to make this fantastic deal in hopes that everyone would love and respect him the way they do President Obama! Never going to happen!! So he broke it, and then he tried to fix it so that he could gain the glory of fixing President Obama's problem! It is still broken. It is broken worse now. It will be getting way way more broken! This is happening all because of Trump's jealousy that he just had to spite President Obama. He would never consider what he is doing to his country ahead of what he thinks of himself! Petty, jealous, insecure little man!!!

1750333126266.png
 
So this is what “Make America Great Again” means?

"This man served with our troops. He came through the front door. He followed every rule. And we locked him up anyway," said Shawn VanDiver, executive director for #AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that advocates for U.S. wartime allies. He said it's unknown how many Afghan allies have been detained by ICE officials.

1750337283572.png
 
1750365025781.png

Occupy Democrats​

dtpnesSroogl001m1a3l24339131ha6t065gfc32amt256u0m64ilhfm88lm ·

https://www.facebook.com/#
BREAKING: The White House has a full-blown freakout after activist artists erect a hilarious statue on the National Mall mocking Donald Trump's pathetic failure of a birthday parade.

This one really struck a nerve...

"If these Democrat activists were living in a dictatorship, their eye-sore of a sculpture wouldn’t be sitting on the National Mall right now," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told The Washington Post. "In the United States of America you have the freedom to display your so-called ‘art,’ no matter how ugly it is."

The art in question is an 8-foot-tall sculpture of a golden hand — evocative of Trump's obsession with tacky gold-plating — giving a big Trumpian thumbs up while squashing the Statue of Liberty. The piece is appropriately entitled "Dictator Approved" and the base displays quotes from authoritarian leaders heaping praise on Trump.

“President Trump is a very bright and talented man," reads one plaque, quoting murderous Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

"We do have a great deal of shared values. I admire President Trump," reads the second, quoting far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's quotes calling Trump "Your Excellency" and praising their "special relationship" and "the extraordinary courage of President Trump" are also featured.

"The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump," reads another, quoting authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The piece was legally erected through a permit with the National Park Service and was specifically designed to condemn Trump's birthday military parade that doubled as a celebration of the Army's 250th anniversary.

The permit application predicted that Trump's parade would "feature imagery similar to autocratic, oppressive regime, i.e. N. Korea, Russia, and China, marching through DC." The purpose of the statue is to draw attention to "the praising these types of oppressive leaders have given Donald Trump."

While Trump was certainly hoping for a fearsome fascist parade, the result was a far more depressing and pathetic affair. Even though it cost taxpayers at least $45 million, the troops marched out of sync, the crowd turnout was paltry, and Trump looked miserable throughout. At the same time, millions of Americans were taking the streets as part of the

"No Kings" movement to oppose his authoritarian policies.

Journalist Michael Wolff has revealed that Trump was privately furious about how the parade turned out and has been "reaming out" his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

"He’s pissed off at the soldiers," said Wolff. "He’s accusing them of hamming it up, and by that, he seems to mean that they were having a good time, that they were waving, that they were enjoying themselves and showing a convivial face rather than a military face."

"Apparently, there was a phone call, and he said to Hegseth, the tone was all wrong. Why was the tone wrong? Who staged this? There was the tone problem. Trump, he keeps repeating himself," Wolff reported.

"It didn’t send the message that he apparently wanted, which is that he was the commander in chief of this menacing enterprise," he added.

The "Dictator Approved" statue will remain up through Sunday. While the identities of the artists remain unknown, The Post reports that the style and materials used are reminiscent of a previous art piece that depicted the feces left on then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk during the January 6th insurrection, a "mock" tribute to the deadly Capitol attack.

To the artists, whoever you are: Keep at it. Trump has taken notice and he's absolutely furious.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top