Trump / Musk (other than DOGE)

[ZenMode]

It’s the US taxpayer who lost.

DOGE sleeping yay the wheel.

True.

When's the last time taxpayers actual won?

 

[WaynetheDrain]

True.

When's the last time taxpayers actual won?

Boston Tea Party. We kicked ass that day.

 

[evrheel]

'Cruel': Ex-GOP lawmaker slams Trump's border czar for Dr. Phil stunt​

"'Dr Phil.' These targeted raids went on all the time under Obama, they went on all the time under Biden," wrote Walsh. "In fact, Obama, in each of his terms, deported way more people than Trump. Biden & Trump deported the same number.

"But neither Obama nor Biden chose to bring a talk show host along on the raids and post a video. Because neither Obama nor Biden is cruel."

'Cruel': Ex-GOP lawmaker slams Trump's border czar for Dr. Phil stunt

Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) has a blunt message for President Donald Trump's border czar.The one-time Tea Party lawmaker, who became an outspoken anti-MAGA voice after Trump's first election, reacted on X to a publicity stunt border security adviser Tom Homan pulled with celebrity psychologist...

www.rawstory.com

 

[OGtruthhurts]

I will say this again, and it's probably the closest I come to believing in a conspiracy theory: I think this is what a certain group of Trump's new tech allies - in particular Peter Thiel - want. They want a global trade war. They want global conflict (maybe even a global shooting war). They want the devaluation of the dollar and they want the power and prestige of the American government to fall. They want a new world order with technocrats standing above any and every world government. And sowing global distrust, chaos, and disorder is the way they think they can do it.

as insane as the birthers

 

[nycfan]

Trump Vows ‘Near Future’ Tariffs, Calls DeepSeek Progress ‘Good’

Loading…

finance.yahoo.com

“… “In the very near future we’re going to be placing tariffs on foreign production of computer chips, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals to return production of these essential goods to the United States of America,” Trump said Monday as he spoke to a gathering of House Republicans at his Doral resort in Miami.

Trump added that he would “also be placing tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper.”

The comments offered one of the most detailed looks at a tariff regime that Trump has been crafting since taking office. The president has previously pledged to impose a flat tariff on Canada, Mexico, and China by the end of the week.

Trump’s threat of semiconductor tariffs also comes hours after investor concern about Chinese artificial-intelligence startup DeepSeek rattled markets and erased billions from Nvidia Corp.’s market capitalization. Trump has argued that tariffs will help keep and build US manufacturing of the advanced chips compared to a subsidy program championed by former President Joe Biden.

… Trump said he had been reading about the company and saw their apparent breakthrough as “good, because you don’t have to spend as much money.”

“I view that as a positive, as an asset,” Trump said.

“The release of DeepSeek AI from a Chinese company should be a wake-up call for our industries that we need to be laser-focused on competing to win,” Trump continued. “Because we have the greatest scientists in the world, even Chinese leadership told me that. They said you have the most brilliant scientists in the world.” …”

——
Weird how much his administration is targeting scientists right out of the gate for a guy proud to claim having the best scientists in the world.

Anyway, a very strange time to announce tariffs on microchips given the market reaction to DeepSeek today. Is he trying to drive down tech stocks further? Because his tariffs will drive up the price of pretty much everything with a chip in it.

 

[rodoheel]

as insane as the birthers

I acknowledged that it was basically a conspiracy theory. But there's a lot out there you can read about what Thiel believes and the world he wants, and it's pretty dark. Here's a good interview with a guy who wrote a book about him:

Who’s Afraid of Peter Thiel? A New Biography Suggests We All Should Be

Author Max Chafkin argues that Thiel may be the most powerful person in Silicon Valley—and perhaps the world.

time.com

There are some other articles that are behind paywalls that talk about Thiel and the influence that Curtis Yarvin, among others, has had on him, and what their plans for the world are, that make interesting reading:

Curtis Yarvin wants American democracy toppled. He has some prominent Republican fans.

The New Right blogger has been cited by Blake Masters and J.D. Vance. What exactly is he advocating?

www.vox.com

Inside the New Right, Where Peter Thiel Is Placing His Biggest Bets

They’re not MAGA. They’re not QAnon. Curtis Yarvin and the rising right are crafting a different strain of conservative politics.

www.vanityfair.com

 

[StrangePackage]

Dr Phil?! Wtf.

What a terrible human he is.

 

[BlooVooDoo]

as insane as the birthers

Would it be more palatable to you if it involved both sides and a corporate overlord?

 

[Zoo_View]

Still think the nominees that will face stiffest opposition are the former Dems. Too easy for the GOP Senators to break ranks on those.

As bad as many Trump appointees are, Kennedy Lite and Tulsi Gabbard might be the worst.

 

[sringwal]

Doesn't this seem illegal? Can you just fire people for revenge?

Title:
Trump Justice Department says it has fired employees involved in prosecutions of the president

Link:

Trump Justice Department says it has fired employees involved in prosecutions of the president

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Monday that it had fired more than a dozen employees who worked on criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump, moving rapidly to pursue retribution against lawyers involved in the investigations.

www.wral.com

Rule of law is out the window.

 

[sringwal]

Once again, Quakers for the win:

Quaker groups file suit over the end of policy restricting ICE arrests in houses of worship

The suit appears to be the first from a faith-based organization challenging the change in court.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[farce©]

Would it be more palatable to you if it involved both sides and a corporate overlord?

Or pharmaceutical poison?

 

[Bobfripp]

"Just as Elon Musk is demonstrating how huge wealth can create enormous personal political power, Trump is demonstrating how enormous personal political power can create huge wealth."

Trump’s crypto-ligarchy

It will blow up in his face — and possibly take the financial system with it

robertreich.substack.com

 

[ZenMode]

Boston Tea Party. We kicked ass that day.

I was actually thinking maybe under Bill Clinton. I think he was the last president to balance the budget.

 

[altmin]

Donald Trump pledges sweeping tariffs on steel, semiconductors and other imports

President Trump said in the \

www.usatoday.com

Trump said "in the very near future" his administration will place tariffs on computer chips, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals "to return production of these essential goods to the United States of America."

-----

Just checking - people like paying more for things that keep them alive - like medicine, right?

 

[heelslegup]

Today, fired 12 career Justice Dept employees who helped prosecute him as part of the Special Counel's investigations. Can't get more retributive than that. Tearing down the rule of law step by step

 

[ChapelHillSooner]

I had a discussion with my not-too-bright cousin about the Colombian incident. He is one of the few who will actually have a real discussion with you though it is unlikely he will change his mind. (That is fine. At least we have real discussions.)

Some things he didn't know.

1. The objection of the Colombian president dealt with treatment of the deported immigrants.
2. The Colombian president objected about this before the agreement was made. (Cousin tried to claim that that was just a story he said after he "capitulated" but that can be disproven easily by looking up articles and times of statements.)
3. Flights have been going to Colombia regularly. This is not new. What was new was the way the immigrant passengers were treated.
4. These were not all violent criminals. (I actually don't know if they had all committed crimes or not. I suspect not.)
5. Colombian president knew about this ahead of time because of reports coming out of Brazil.
6. The agreement satisfies the main objection of the Colombian president. Who won? Who lost? I don't know. We could debate that but it is not debatable that the resolution satisfied the Colombian president's concerns.

Other than #4, these are all easily verifiable facts.

I didn't say this to my cousin, but if your opinion is formed without hearing about these facts, that should be a hint that your sources of news are not reliable.

I am not saying my sources are perfect and always give me all relevant facts. I just know in this instance, his sources excluded very relevant facts.

 

[ChapelHillSooner]

I do worry about what Trump and others will take away from this agreement with Colombia. Treating the deportees badly can result in the other country taking responsibility for the deportations.

I don't think that will work with Mexico. Notice Mexico refused flights but we haven't put tariffs on them. They have more leverage.

 

[ChileG]

I was actually thinking maybe under Bill Clinton. I think he was the last president to balance the budget.

Hiring more IRS agents brought in even more tax revenue. Paid for itself and then some.
Investment in green energy.
Weapons to Ukraine.
Investment in infrastructure.
It’s not that hard to think of them. We could win a lot more if we wanted to.

But back to my original point - Trump is throwing away taxpayer money without any arguable benefit.
Other ventures may have its detractors, but almost all have some ostensible benefit to someone. Not this one.

 

[altmin]

White House Budget Office Orders Pause in All Federal Loans and Grants

The full extent of the order was not immediately clear, but the directive sent to government agencies on Monday threatened to paralyze a vast swath of federal programs.

www.nytimes.com

The White House budget office has ordered a pause in grants, loans and other federal financial assistance, according to a memo sent to government agencies on Monday, potentially paralyzing a vast swath of programs and sowing confusion and alarm among the array of groups that depend on them.

The directive threatened to upend funds that course throughout the American economy: Hundreds of billions of dollars in grants to state, local and tribal governments. Disaster relief aid. Education and transportation funding. Loans to small businesses.

But the two-page memo from Matthew J. Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, left the scope of the pause, and much else, unclear.

Among the uncertainties was whether President Trump has the authority to unilaterally halt funds allocated by Congress. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader in the Senate, said in a statement that the memo “blatantly disobeys the law.”

“Congress approved these investments and they are not optional, they are the law,” Mr. Schumer said, adding that “Donald Trump must direct his administration to reverse course immediately and the taxpayers’ money should be distributed to the people.”