President Trump and US politics catchall

[Paddington Bear]

Look at all these tarrifs !

Meanwhile musk goes into federal agencies with his bunch of incel acolytes and gets root access to the payment systems.

It may seem like tin foil stuff. It looks like a technocratic coup to me.

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-a ... nt-system/

America as a democracy is done.

Can’t see how this threatens democracy - Trump won the election and has the right therefore to send his cronies in to run the government. Pretty much the purpose of voting to change a nation’s leader

And now we have laws being pushed to make it illegal for public officials to vote against the policies he wants. He's trying to use executive orders to force through new laws that he shouldn't have the power to do himself.

Democracy has to have checks and balances to prevent itself from changing from a democracy to something else. Removing those checks and balances is what people trying to take over do, and it's what Trumps seems to be doing.

This is a separate point to Trump’s appointees demanding access to the books, which is an entirely legitimate request from an elected leader’s representatives

[Raggs]

The Private Eye podcast this week had a good discussion about all this and signing of Executive Orders etc. They reckon its just performative nonsense that will never get passed and Trump is largely using it all as a negotiating starting point.

I can believe that he doesn't expect many of them to get passed, but I don't think it's just a negotiation, and even if it is, who exactly is he negotiating against when it comes to EO's that are internal? The limits of his power is what's being negotiated, and every slip on that takes them further from a true democracy.

Even if most the EO's don't end up sticking, they still have to go through a process to be struck down, and every time one is struck down, you can bet he'll be hollering over how he's not being allowed to do what he was elected to do etc.

[sockwithaticket]

Look at all these tarrifs !

Meanwhile musk goes into federal agencies with his bunch of incel acolytes and gets root access to the payment systems.

It may seem like tin foil stuff. It looks like a technocratic coup to me.

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-a ... nt-system/

America as a democracy is done.

Can’t see how this threatens democracy - Trump won the election and has the right therefore to send his cronies in to run the government. Pretty much the purpose of voting to change a nation’s leader

My udnerstanding it that those cronies don't have the right to suspend programs and payments already approved by Congress or to have blanket access to whatever element of government they wish. With Musk specifically, DOGE isn't even a real department, it's very unclear what sort of standing, if any, he and his little band of early 20 something goombas actually have.

Combined with the slew of unconstitutional executive orders and attempts of dubious legality to override public servants doing their jobs, 'threat to American democracy' seems pretty apt.

[yermum]

Look at all these tarrifs !

Meanwhile musk goes into federal agencies with his bunch of incel acolytes and gets root access to the payment systems.

It may seem like tin foil stuff. It looks like a technocratic coup to me.

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-a ... nt-system/

America as a democracy is done.

Can’t see how this threatens democracy - Trump won the election and has the right therefore to send his cronies in to run the government. Pretty much the purpose of voting to change a nation’s leader

that’s not how the federal government works.

Powers are split.

Congress controls spending and federal agencies associated with it. If he wants to get rid of congressional oversight and concentrate power in the executive branch that is rewriting the US democratic framework.

Just because trump won the election doesn’t give him carte Blanche to do what he wants. Theoretically at least.

But the rules and norms don’t seem to apply to trump. The US is going down the pseudo democracy route ala Russia. Putin gets elected as well.

[Slick]

The Private Eye podcast this week had a good discussion about all this and signing of Executive Orders etc. They reckon its just performative nonsense that will never get passed and Trump is largely using it all as a negotiating starting point.

I can believe that he doesn't expect many of them to get passed, but I don't think it's just a negotiation, and even if it is, who exactly is he negotiating against when it comes to EO's that are internal? The limits of his power is what's being negotiated, and every slip on that takes them further from a true democracy.

Even if most the EO's don't end up sticking, they still have to go through a process to be struck down, and every time one is struck down, you can bet he'll be hollering over how he's not being allowed to do what he was elected to do etc.

Isn’t that exactly what the checks and balances are then?

[Biffer]

Look at all these tarrifs !

Meanwhile musk goes into federal agencies with his bunch of incel acolytes and gets root access to the payment systems.

It may seem like tin foil stuff. It looks like a technocratic coup to me.

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-a ... nt-system/

America as a democracy is done.

Can’t see how this threatens democracy - Trump won the election and has the right therefore to send his cronies in to run the government. Pretty much the purpose of voting to change a nation’s leader

No he doesn't.

Poor understanding of the way US government is set up. It was deliberately done to prevent a tyrant being put in charge. Just because you're president doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want - that's a complete lack of comprehension of US government systems.

The more worrying thing is the way Musk and his teenagers are behaving. If you've traveled to the US, or interacted in any way with US govt, they now have your passport / personal data etc, copied off from government systems into personal / private systems. Less secure and these guys are absolutely going to now be the targets of the Chinese, North Korean, Iranian and Russian government.

[tabascoboy]

This may have been shared previously but it looks rather less crazy now than when it was first posted

[Raggs]

The Private Eye podcast this week had a good discussion about all this and signing of Executive Orders etc. They reckon its just performative nonsense that will never get passed and Trump is largely using it all as a negotiating starting point.

I can believe that he doesn't expect many of them to get passed, but I don't think it's just a negotiation, and even if it is, who exactly is he negotiating against when it comes to EO's that are internal? The limits of his power is what's being negotiated, and every slip on that takes them further from a true democracy.

Even if most the EO's don't end up sticking, they still have to go through a process to be struck down, and every time one is struck down, you can bet he'll be hollering over how he's not being allowed to do what he was elected to do etc.

Isn’t that exactly what the checks and balances are then?

Yes, but they can be eroded. Like packing the supreme court with your cronies, who vote to give you immunity as president.

Pardoning vasts swaths of criminals, is undermining the justice system.

EOs appear to effectively be law that needs to be stopped by the other branches, rather than endorsed and approved before they become law. These courts etc work only so quickly, and have other tasks they're supposed to be attending to. He's fired 18 inspector generals of federal agecies, he's packed agencies out with his own lackeys.

The more things that congress doesn't get around to handling, the more power they're effectively ceding to the president.

He's releasing orders to go against the constitution, with birthright laws etc.

Yes, he was voted in, but so were many leaders who have made massive power grabs later.

The people who are supposed to be providing the checks and balances are either in his (or Elon's) pocket, or are simply too overwhelmed to fight every cause he's chucked out quickly, and so will end up ceding ground in some of them.

Again, this isn't bringing out the brush and clearing away what the previous party did, this is a power grab.

[Paddington Bear]

Look at all these tarrifs !

Meanwhile musk goes into federal agencies with his bunch of incel acolytes and gets root access to the payment systems.

It may seem like tin foil stuff. It looks like a technocratic coup to me.

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-a ... nt-system/

America as a democracy is done.

Can’t see how this threatens democracy - Trump won the election and has the right therefore to send his cronies in to run the government. Pretty much the purpose of voting to change a nation’s leader

No he doesn't.

Poor understanding of the way US government is set up. It was deliberately done to prevent a tyrant being put in charge. Just because you're president doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want - that's a complete lack of comprehension of US government systems.

The more worrying thing is the way Musk and his teenagers are behaving. If you've traveled to the US, or interacted in any way with US govt, they now have your passport / personal data etc, copied off from government systems into personal / private systems. Less secure and these guys are absolutely going to now be the targets of the Chinese, North Korean, Iranian and Russian government.

To clarify - you are saying the US President does *not* have the right to make political appointments within the federal government, and I am the one with the poor understanding of their system of government?

[inactionman]

Can’t see how this threatens democracy - Trump won the election and has the right therefore to send his cronies in to run the government. Pretty much the purpose of voting to change a nation’s leader

No he doesn't.

Poor understanding of the way US government is set up. It was deliberately done to prevent a tyrant being put in charge. Just because you're president doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want - that's a complete lack of comprehension of US government systems.

The more worrying thing is the way Musk and his teenagers are behaving. If you've traveled to the US, or interacted in any way with US govt, they now have your passport / personal data etc, copied off from government systems into personal / private systems. Less secure and these guys are absolutely going to now be the targets of the Chinese, North Korean, Iranian and Russian government.

To clarify - you are saying the US President does *not* have the right to make political appointments within the federal government, and I am the one with the poor understanding of their system of government?

I'm not quite sure that is where the sticking point is. Appointing people to defined positions with specific powers != just unilaterally doing whatever you decide.


The situation is not helped by the ongoing denuding of the legislature and the appointments of idiots simply because they're yes-men, but at least that has a veneer of legality.

[Biffer]

Can’t see how this threatens democracy - Trump won the election and has the right therefore to send his cronies in to run the government. Pretty much the purpose of voting to change a nation’s leader

No he doesn't.

Poor understanding of the way US government is set up. It was deliberately done to prevent a tyrant being put in charge. Just because you're president doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want - that's a complete lack of comprehension of US government systems.

The more worrying thing is the way Musk and his teenagers are behaving. If you've traveled to the US, or interacted in any way with US govt, they now have your passport / personal data etc, copied off from government systems into personal / private systems. Less secure and these guys are absolutely going to now be the targets of the Chinese, North Korean, Iranian and Russian government.

To clarify - you are saying the US President does *not* have the right to make political appointments within the federal government, and I am the one with the poor understanding of their system of government?

You understand that Congress can veto appointments, right?

You understand there's restrictions on who they can then grant access to data to, right?

You understand they can't just do whatever the fuck they like and have to act within the law, right?

[inactionman]

No he doesn't.

Poor understanding of the way US government is set up. It was deliberately done to prevent a tyrant being put in charge. Just because you're president doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want - that's a complete lack of comprehension of US government systems.

The more worrying thing is the way Musk and his teenagers are behaving. If you've traveled to the US, or interacted in any way with US govt, they now have your passport / personal data etc, copied off from government systems into personal / private systems. Less secure and these guys are absolutely going to now be the targets of the Chinese, North Korean, Iranian and Russian government.

To clarify - you are saying the US President does *not* have the right to make political appointments within the federal government, and I am the one with the poor understanding of their system of government?

You understand that Congress can veto appointments, right?

Given some of the utter shitshows in the confirmation hearings that doesn't always seem to work so well.

This for health secretary:

[Paddington Bear]

No he doesn't.

Poor understanding of the way US government is set up. It was deliberately done to prevent a tyrant being put in charge. Just because you're president doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want - that's a complete lack of comprehension of US government systems.

The more worrying thing is the way Musk and his teenagers are behaving. If you've traveled to the US, or interacted in any way with US govt, they now have your passport / personal data etc, copied off from government systems into personal / private systems. Less secure and these guys are absolutely going to now be the targets of the Chinese, North Korean, Iranian and Russian government.

To clarify - you are saying the US President does *not* have the right to make political appointments within the federal government, and I am the one with the poor understanding of their system of government?

You understand that Congress can veto appointments, right?

You understand there's restrictions on who they can then grant access to data to, right?

You understand they can't just do whatever the fuck they like and have to act within the law, right?

The existence of any of this is no barrier to what I’m saying - the President demanding his appointees take control of the books of the executives is entirely reasonable and democratic. Your point on data is understandable, Musk and DOGE were a well publicised part of his campaign and he won. Unless democratic means something entirely different to winning elections, which does appear to be increasingly pushed as a position on the left, it is what it is

[Raggs]

The existence of any of this is no barrier to what I’m saying - the President demanding his appointees take control of the books of the executives is entirely reasonable and democratic. Your point on data is understandable, Musk and DOGE were a well publicised part of his campaign and he won. Unless democratic means something entirely different to winning elections, which does appear to be increasingly pushed as a position on the left, it is what it is

Winning an election doesn't give you unlimited power for 4 years.

Just like many of his appointments require full intelligence vetting and approval from congress/senate etc, you would have expected the same for Musk, who appears to have simply waltzed in, able to grab hugely confidential information etc, without any sort of oversight.

[sockwithaticket]

The various people going through confirmation hearings, however unsuitable they might be, will be going to established roles with defined remits as part of the existing governmental structure. A random appointee who thinks he can do whatever he wants, including accessing any and all data relating to US citizens and disregard conflicts of interest to access financial information from which he personally would stand to directly benefit via his businesses, is unprecdented and not built into their system of government.

Part of the reason Musk is blitzing with his activity and Donnie's handlers are having him sign as many executive orders as they can get in front of him is to push as much shit through as possible before the legal challengese start. And presumably they're hoping to neuter the instruments that would potentially check them by the time those challenges have begun.

[Paddington Bear]

The existence of any of this is no barrier to what I’m saying - the President demanding his appointees take control of the books of the executives is entirely reasonable and democratic. Your point on data is understandable, Musk and DOGE were a well publicised part of his campaign and he won. Unless democratic means something entirely different to winning elections, which does appear to be increasingly pushed as a position on the left, it is what it is

Winning an election doesn't give you unlimited power for 4 years.

Just like many of his appointments require full intelligence vetting and approval from congress/senate etc, you would have expected the same for Musk, who appears to have simply waltzed in, able to grab hugely confidential information etc, without any sort of oversight.

I don’t accept that Trump is wielding unlimited or undemocratic power by ensuring his appointees have access to the financial information of the executive branch.

[Biffer]

The existence of any of this is no barrier to what I’m saying - the President demanding his appointees take control of the books of the executives is entirely reasonable and democratic. Your point on data is understandable, Musk and DOGE were a well publicised part of his campaign and he won. Unless democratic means something entirely different to winning elections, which does appear to be increasingly pushed as a position on the left, it is what it is

Winning an election doesn't give you unlimited power for 4 years.

Just like many of his appointments require full intelligence vetting and approval from congress/senate etc, you would have expected the same for Musk, who appears to have simply waltzed in, able to grab hugely confidential information etc, without any sort of oversight.

I don’t accept that Trump is wielding unlimited or undemocratic power by ensuring his appointees have access to the financial information of the executive branch.

Well that's just not paying attention to what's going on. They're firing employees across government. Their appointees could do that if they're confirmed, but they haven't been. They're closing down and neutering federal agencies. They don't have the right to do that without congressional approval. They're granting data access to people without clearance, and sharing that data into other systems without the required security. These are all outwith the power of the executive to do unilaterally.

It seems you're describing democracy in the same way that the French did during their revolution. That led to tyranny of the majority. If you don't know what that is, go and look it up. And figure out what it led to.

[Paddington Bear]

Winning an election doesn't give you unlimited power for 4 years.

Just like many of his appointments require full intelligence vetting and approval from congress/senate etc, you would have expected the same for Musk, who appears to have simply waltzed in, able to grab hugely confidential information etc, without any sort of oversight.

I don’t accept that Trump is wielding unlimited or undemocratic power by ensuring his appointees have access to the financial information of the executive branch.

Well that's just not paying attention to what's going on. They're firing employees across government. Their appointees could do that if they're confirmed, but they haven't been. They're closing down and neutering federal agencies. They don't have the right to do that without congressional approval. They're granting data access to people without clearance, and sharing that data into other systems without the required security. These are all outwith the power of the executive to do unilaterally.

It seems you're describing democracy in the same way that the French did during their revolution. That led to tyranny of the majority. If you don't know what that is, go and look it up. And figure out what it led to.

Data is a wider point as has already been addressed. I must say I am somewhat impressed that the patronising and overwrought historical analogy reached for with Trump wasn’t Hitler, but I can’t say I see a direct line from the executive having access to financial records they are entitled to and the Terror

[Biffer]

I don’t accept that Trump is wielding unlimited or undemocratic power by ensuring his appointees have access to the financial information of the executive branch.

Well that's just not paying attention to what's going on. They're firing employees across government. Their appointees could do that if they're confirmed, but they haven't been. They're closing down and neutering federal agencies. They don't have the right to do that without congressional approval. They're granting data access to people without clearance, and sharing that data into other systems without the required security. These are all outwith the power of the executive to do unilaterally.

It seems you're describing democracy in the same way that the French did during their revolution. That led to tyranny of the majority. If you don't know what that is, go and look it up. And figure out what it led to.

Data is a wider point as has already been addressed. I must say I am somewhat impressed that the patronising and overwrought historical analogy reached for with Trump wasn’t Hitler, but I can’t say I see a direct line from the executive having access to financial records they are entitled to and the Terror

That's not about data, it's about attitude to democracy and controls on it. But well done for your reductive and simplistic response, again.

And your reply is the problem. You can't see it. Because you don't want to.

[inactionman]

To clarify - you are saying the US President does *not* have the right to make political appointments within the federal government, and I am the one with the poor understanding of their system of government?

You understand that Congress can veto appointments, right?

Given some of the utter shitshows in the confirmation hearings that doesn't always seem to work so well.

This for health secretary:

And Kennedy has - of course - been approved.

[Paddington Bear]

Well that's just not paying attention to what's going on. They're firing employees across government. Their appointees could do that if they're confirmed, but they haven't been. They're closing down and neutering federal agencies. They don't have the right to do that without congressional approval. They're granting data access to people without clearance, and sharing that data into other systems without the required security. These are all outwith the power of the executive to do unilaterally.

It seems you're describing democracy in the same way that the French did during their revolution. That led to tyranny of the majority. If you don't know what that is, go and look it up. And figure out what it led to.

Data is a wider point as has already been addressed. I must say I am somewhat impressed that the patronising and overwrought historical analogy reached for with Trump wasn’t Hitler, but I can’t say I see a direct line from the executive having access to financial records they are entitled to and the Terror

That's not about data, it's about attitude to democracy and controls on it. But well done for your reductive and simplistic response, again.

And your reply is the problem. You can't see it. Because you don't want to.

I’m aware of what you consider the problem to be as you keep repeating it. I’m sorry but I can’t really look beyond the central point of you and others being that the wrong person won the election - I don’t disagree with that but I don’t believe the losers of an election spending 4 years claiming that the other side are anti democratic because they’re doing things they don’t agree with is fair or anything but counter productive.

If we live in democracies a change of government should mean a change in *how* a country is governed as well as *who* governs it, particularly during a period where a central critique of government from both right and left is that the current set ups fail to achieve results.


If you begin making silly comparisons as you did by wafting out the threat of the guillotine then don’t be shocked if people don’t take them particularly seriously, I didn’t bring it into the discussion in the first place and this rubbish got done to death during Trump’s first term where notably he did not reanimate the Third Reich or bring back Robespierre from beyond the grave.

[Slick]

this rubbish got done to death during Trump’s first term where notably he did not reanimate the Third Reich or bring back Robespierre from beyond the grave.

Have to agree with PB on this, some of the stuff on here would be laughed off the bored as conspiracy theory lunacy by the same people saying it, if it wasn't Trump.

[sockwithaticket]

this rubbish got done to death during Trump’s first term where notably he did not reanimate the Third Reich or bring back Robespierre from beyond the grave.

Have to agree with PB on this, some of the stuff on here would be laughed off the bored as conspiracy theory lunacy by the same people saying it, if it wasn't Trump.

I'm pretty sure you've been directed to Project 2025 before. The playbook is out there in the domain and it's architects are in the Trump administration putting it into practice. It's not conspiracy theory if it's actually happening.

[Biffer]

Data is a wider point as has already been addressed. I must say I am somewhat impressed that the patronising and overwrought historical analogy reached for with Trump wasn’t Hitler, but I can’t say I see a direct line from the executive having access to financial records they are entitled to and the Terror

That's not about data, it's about attitude to democracy and controls on it. But well done for your reductive and simplistic response, again.

And your reply is the problem. You can't see it. Because you don't want to.

I’m aware of what you consider the problem to be as you keep repeating it. I’m sorry but I can’t really look beyond the central point of you and others being that the wrong person won the election - I don’t disagree with that but I don’t believe the losers of an election spending 4 years claiming that the other side are anti democratic because they’re doing things they don’t agree with is fair or anything but counter productive.

If we live in democracies a change of government should mean a change in *how* a country is governed as well as *who* governs it, particularly during a period where a central critique of government from both right and left is that the current set ups fail to achieve results.


If you begin making silly comparisons as you did by wafting out the threat of the guillotine then don’t be shocked if people don’t take them particularly seriously, I didn’t bring it into the discussion in the first place and this rubbish got done to death during Trump’s first term where notably he did not reanimate the Third Reich or bring back Robespierre from beyond the grave.

So because I’m left wing, you automatically can’t believe a word I say.

Well done on your open mind.

[Uncle fester]

Look at all these tarrifs !

Meanwhile musk goes into federal agencies with his bunch of incel acolytes and gets root access to the payment systems.

It may seem like tin foil stuff. It looks like a technocratic coup to me.

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-a ... nt-system/

America as a democracy is done.

Can’t see how this threatens democracy - Trump won the election and has the right therefore to send his cronies in to run the government. Pretty much the purpose of voting to change a nation’s leader

If you can't see how giving an arbitrary and unelected cünt like Musk control of payroll is dangerous taking into account his previous behaviour, then there's no helping you.

[Yeeb]

These executive orders do have a whiff of emperor palpatine about them

[Guy Smiley]

Arguing the purity of democratic process is hopelessly idealistic... the reality is that the democratic process has been hijacked by wealth and influence for years now and Trump as a brand is the ultimate expression of that so far. It's arguable that he has stolen this election victory through the cooperation of Musk and others anyway, so the purity of democratic process is a pipe dream, a fantasy indulged by those who back the winning side.

it's hopelessly one eyed.

[Paddington Bear]

That's not about data, it's about attitude to democracy and controls on it. But well done for your reductive and simplistic response, again.

And your reply is the problem. You can't see it. Because you don't want to.

I’m aware of what you consider the problem to be as you keep repeating it. I’m sorry but I can’t really look beyond the central point of you and others being that the wrong person won the election - I don’t disagree with that but I don’t believe the losers of an election spending 4 years claiming that the other side are anti democratic because they’re doing things they don’t agree with is fair or anything but counter productive.

If we live in democracies a change of government should mean a change in *how* a country is governed as well as *who* governs it, particularly during a period where a central critique of government from both right and left is that the current set ups fail to achieve results.


If you begin making silly comparisons as you did by wafting out the threat of the guillotine then don’t be shocked if people don’t take them particularly seriously, I didn’t bring it into the discussion in the first place and this rubbish got done to death during Trump’s first term where notably he did not reanimate the Third Reich or bring back Robespierre from beyond the grave.

So because I’m left wing, you automatically can’t believe a word I say.

Well done on your open mind.

Exactly what I said, good talk

[Paddington Bear]

Look at all these tarrifs !

Meanwhile musk goes into federal agencies with his bunch of incel acolytes and gets root access to the payment systems.

It may seem like tin foil stuff. It looks like a technocratic coup to me.

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-a ... nt-system/

America as a democracy is done.

Can’t see how this threatens democracy - Trump won the election and has the right therefore to send his cronies in to run the government. Pretty much the purpose of voting to change a nation’s leader

If you can't see how giving an arbitrary and unelected cünt like Musk control of payroll is dangerous taking into account his previous behaviour, then there's no helping you.

I said it wasn’t anti democratic - doing this was a policy platform that won the election

[Biffer]

I’m aware of what you consider the problem to be as you keep repeating it. I’m sorry but I can’t really look beyond the central point of you and others being that the wrong person won the election - I don’t disagree with that but I don’t believe the losers of an election spending 4 years claiming that the other side are anti democratic because they’re doing things they don’t agree with is fair or anything but counter productive.

If we live in democracies a change of government should mean a change in *how* a country is governed as well as *who* governs it, particularly during a period where a central critique of government from both right and left is that the current set ups fail to achieve results.


If you begin making silly comparisons as you did by wafting out the threat of the guillotine then don’t be shocked if people don’t take them particularly seriously, I didn’t bring it into the discussion in the first place and this rubbish got done to death during Trump’s first term where notably he did not reanimate the Third Reich or bring back Robespierre from beyond the grave.

So because I’m left wing, you automatically can’t believe a word I say.

Well done on your open mind.

Exactly what I said, good talk

Good to know.

None of us should listen to someone with a self confessed closed mind.

[Kiwias]

This will go down well with the Palestinians who voted for Trump because Biden/Harris ...whatever.

Trump speaking about Gaza after his meeting with Netanyahu:

Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent.”

[Niegs]

Trump's megalomania and greed is so strong, he's almost taunting Iran to take a shot at him...
https://globalnews.ca/news/11001824/tru ... -pressure/

[mat the expat]

Arguing the purity of democratic process is hopelessly idealistic... the reality is that the democratic process has been hijacked by wealth and influence for years now and Trump as a brand is the ultimate expression of that so far. It's arguable that he has stolen this election victory through the cooperation of Musk and others anyway, so the purity of democratic process is a pipe dream, a fantasy indulged by those who back the winning side.

it's hopelessly one eyed.

More importantly, the access to the Payroll records is 100% illegal in the US system - it's only working because Trump's team are moving too fast for the Senate/Congress to react to

It's not about Democracy as PB claims

[geordie_6]

This will go down well with the Palestinians who voted for Trump because Biden/Harris ...whatever.

Trump speaking about Gaza after his meeting with Netanyahu:

Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent.”

Even among the ludicrous statements he comes out with, this has to be amongst the most batshit? Middle East is already a powder keg, what amounts to ethnically cleansing Gaza by resettling Palestinians elsewhere is going to set off all kinds of shit.

[sturginho]

This will go down well with the Palestinians who voted for Trump because Biden/Harris ...whatever.

Trump speaking about Gaza after his meeting with Netanyahu:

Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent.”

Anyone who didn't vote, or voted against Harris because of Gaza is an absolute dribbling moron, but here we are. I guess they're acting all outraged now

[Yeeb]

This will go down well with the Palestinians who voted for Trump because Biden/Harris ...whatever.

Trump speaking about Gaza after his meeting with Netanyahu:

Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent.”

Even among the ludicrous statements he comes out with, this has to be amongst the most batshit? Middle East is already a powder keg, what amounts to ethnically cleansing Gaza by resettling Palestinians elsewhere is going to set off all kinds of shit.

Actually, contrarian thinking here, but it could be exactly what Gaza needs:
Present and recent situation suits neither Palestinians or Israel
Emnity will continue
Killings will continue
Nearby Islamic (not Egypt which has) states will continue to take almost no displaced of refugees of their faith when they can scrounge benefits in uk / Germany / Sweden etc
USA will continue to ship arms and military to the region anyways

Having USA acting as policeman / buffer in Gaza to sort out the emnity between one lot of pork dodgers and another , and give them yet another airbase in the area , could put a damper on all the killings. USA owning Gaza won’t sit well with his earlier proclamation that all Palestinians should go to Egypt temp basis as Gaza is currently a demolished building site , but joined up thinking & not contradicting himself has never been a trump strong point

[sturginho]

Speaking of dribbling morons

[Biffer]

But he was elected, so it should be ok. Isn’t that how it works?

[Biffer]

USAID has been completely shut down. All personnel on administrative leave, all those outside the USA to be brought home immediately.

USAID was established by act of congress and can only be shut down the same way.

[Sinkers]

Just returned from Cambodia.
NGOs in turmoil, many pausing operations and in fear of shutting down for good.
Even the de-mining paused but might be able to recommence in some form after Aus stepped in with $1.25m