US Politics Thread 2021-24

[Rockstar]

https://youtu.be/aEInMKaEHY0?si=0-XwHNOsFi5Y98tu

I think he makes a valid point that these machines only provide an illusion of security. I’d also wager most of them are probably installed where the crime rate is low already amd a strong police presence nearby. That way none of the hoodies can steal or vandalize the new wonder tech. :03:

[Otto Harkaman]

^ His channel is about renting in NYC, the city has gotten so bad he has started to post videos like these.

https://youtu.be/KeMGM_RV4zA?si=r8quVHVyNl_xEJqd

[Rockstar]

^ His channel is about renting in NYC, the city has gotten so bad he has started to post videos like these.

https://youtu.be/KeMGM_RV4zA?si=r8quVHVyNl_xEJqd

I’d never live in New York period. In Florida I’m getting all sorts of new neighbors from New York who all say pretty much the same thing as people from California. They can’t stand it, the high cost of living and the politics of the state being run by the major metro areas.

[ET2SN]

That's where most of the people are. :yep:

If you don't believe me, try driving from Pa. to Rochester on the NY Thruway.

Its pretty desolate, most of the towns don't even have a WalMart or a Starbucks. :o

[Gerald]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-rule-grants-overtime-pay-4-million-us-workers-2024-04-23/

[Rockstar]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-rule-grants-overtime-pay-4-million-us-workers-2024-04-23/

I think most here are retired already for us overtime pay means nothing, it’s all about the COLA baby :up:

[Gerald]

I think most here are retired already for us overtime pay means nothing, it’s all about the COLA baby :up: I didn't know this was a tread for ppl who don't work anymore. Thanks for letting me know!😁

[Dargo]

I didn't know this was a tread for ppl who don't work anymore. Thanks for letting me know!😁If I do not get overtime paid I do not work for me (Europe) it is normal to get overtime pay.

[Rockstar]

OK everyone it has been signed into law.

https://youtu.be/uCh4muKUNTY?feature=shared

[mapuc]

An American law are first in effect after the President have signed it.

I know there's things like Decree which the President can use to overrule the H.R and the Senate.

Is there a kind of Decree for the Senate or H.R so they can overrule the President ?

Markus

[Dargo]

An American law are first in effect after the President have signed it.

I know there's things like Decree which the President can use to overrule the H.R and the Senate.

Is there a kind of Decree for the Senate or H.R so they can overrule the President ?

MarkusBiden signed the bill from the house and senate who is their to overrule this bill already agreed on it is a law now. Within a week munition and other equipment are in Ukraine from European NATO storehouses.

[vienna]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-rule-grants-overtime-pay-4-million-us-workers-2024-04-23/

I think most here are retired already for us overtime pay means nothing, it’s all about the COLA baby :up:

I didn't know this was a tread for ppl who don't work anymore. Thanks for letting me know!��



Yes, and its called "General Topics"...


Ya know, the Biden Administration may be playing a rather clever long game with all these "small" adjustments and reworking of seemingly rather mundane issues and topics; an awful lot of what the Administration has done since it took office has been to address the everyday irritations and/or what the electorate might see as more personal issues; when the Election Day nears, Biden and the DEMs will be able to point to a laundry list of issues addressed and taken care of by either Executive action or through reworking of existing rules and regulations; it might not seem like a big deal in relation to other much broader issues at hand, but remember, the electorate is often swayed more by what affects them on a personal level than what is done on national or global stage; basically all that matters is what hits their lives and their pocket books on an individual and/or family basis; in the run up to the Election, it will be more of a sort of "what have you done for me lately" question posed to the two major parties and their candidates; the DEMs and Biden seem to be better position to rattle off a lot of plusses in their columns while the GOP, as of now, seem to have nothing more to show for their efforts but an fractured party and the inability to make any kind of dent in pressing issues because they are consumed with the need to appease Dementia J. Trump and/or reign in the whack-job crazy fringes of the GOP who have apparently taken unwarranted control of the GOP, truly a case of the lunatics running the asylum; I'm not sure, but it may be the voters will be more inclined to favor those who addressed their everyday interests and complaints over those who can't seem to even effective run their own organization, much less the country...



<O>

https://richardbrenneman.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/blog-de-adder-13.jpg?w=650

https://hopes-and-dreams.net/img/deadder20201118losers.jpg




<O>

"Promises made, promises kept"...

..and the results when the promises are broken...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iukr0Nj_sAs


...and, on that line of thought, remember when Trump started out in 2016 and said he would never take outside campaign donations and totally fund his own campaign because "I'm very rich", and "I don't need anybody's money"? Promise made and promise kept...?...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU9jGDE6SUM


Trump's not even spending a dime of his own overly-self-purported wealth to defend himself in court or address his own legal problems; instead, he leeches off gullible MAGA lemmings not to mention the few Mega-Maga donors who definitely are expecting a quid pro quo for the millions they are dumping into Trumps's coffers; unfortunately for those fat cats, the 'best president money can buy' is also a serial loser in all the things he has taken on on his own, and, for the suckers who shelled out for Trumpy-Bears and cheap Bibles at high prices, and the such, well, it will be interesting to see what the morning after the Election Day hangover will be for them when they realize they backed a real loser at their own expense...



<O>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzjqJdsDWgc


... a side note: Trump's complaints about a too cold courtroom is valid, but there is a reason for the coolness: in order to keep the participant's alert during the proceedings, the temperature is kept low to reduce the chances of people dozing off (a particularly bad situation if one is a juror); the tactic mirrors one used in the TV industry where studios with live audiences are kept quite low in order to keep the audience awake and engaged (and, having been to an awful lot of TV tapings, I can verify the tactic works)...

...and yet Demetria J. Trump can apparently sleep (like he did through his term in office) through anything in any conditions...



<O>

[mapuc]

Despite all these negative Trump stuff people post, he could very well be your President after the Nov. -24 Election

Even Biden could despite negative stuff be your next President.

Markus

[em2nought]

Despite all these negative Trump stuff people post, he could very well be your President after the Nov. -24 Election

Even Biden could despite negative stuff be your next President.

Markus

Pence et al are doing their best to foil President Trump by making abortion the BIG issue again. I'm pretty sure it's sabotage. :hmmm:

[Buddahaid]

Pence et al are doing their best to foil President Trump by making abortion the BIG issue again. I'm pretty sure it's sabotage. :hmmm:

It's not the big issue again, it's never stopped being the issue since the Dobbs decision and Trump is claiming full responsibility.

[vienna]

Two more states are heard from in cases related to GOP/Trump efforts to steal the 2016 Election and Trump is an unindicted conspirator in each of those states cases...


Trump, Giuliani, Meadows are unindicted co-conspirators in Michigan fake elector case, hearing reveals -

https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-giuliani-meadows-unindicted-conspirators-michigan-fake-elector/story?id=109578220


Trump’s 2020 'fake electors' charged with state crimes in Arizona -

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trumps-2020-fake-electors-charged-state-crimes-arizona-rcna149214


Worrisome for the Trump camp is being unindicted doesn't necessarily mean a person will remain uncharged...






<O>

[Buddahaid]

Gee what a shame.

[vienna]

I kinda have the felling there are prosecutors, both Federal and State levels, who are just waiting to see which way the whole "absolute immunity" decision goes when SCOTUS checks in; it isn't in the best interests of prosecutors to start any real serious actions/activities until they know just how far SCOTUS will give in, if at all to Trump's delusions; there is a possibility SCOTUS may go their tried-and-true route when faced whit cases/issues they are leery of definitively addressing, and just do a "split the baby" ruling giving Dementia J. Trump a dog bone of a slight concession on part of the issue and deny him on the bulk of what he seeks; by rights; they ought to deny his claim of a sort of "divine right of kings" for the office of POTUS out of hand; I really can't a clear, logical, and Constitutional path for them to give him any immunity, at all...

It will be interesting how many of the DJT "unindicted conspirator" statuses will remain so after SCOTUS weighs in...



<O>

[Gorpet]

American citizens are not weeds Gorpet, and I know people who came from California that are so conservative they'd make you look like a commie pinko by comparison.

Well,How about the exit tax on anybody who leaves has to pay. Depending on their yearly wealth.? Why would you have to pay to leave a State? Could be commie pinko sh.t. Cause nobody wants to live there...And as the wind blows so do the weeds.Ya just hope they don't bring their tents to your neck of the woods.Right? Because your property is not Valley Forge.Don't matter who they are or how smart they are.You don't have enough bathrooms.

[Buddahaid]

Following the money, the Jan 6th rally was paid for from Trump campaign funds. That is not a presidential function and not covered by immunity.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-campaign-paid-more-43-million-jan-6-event-organizers-1624359

[Buddahaid]

Well,How about the exit tax on anybody who leaves has to pay. Depending on their yearly worth. ?

I'll play. Citation?

Everybody I know just has their tattooed s/n's crossed out, buy fake identity papers, then move to red states where nobody can figure it out!

[Gorpet]

Following the money, the Jan 6th rally was paid for from Trump campaign funds. That is not a presidential function and not covered by immunity.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-campaign-paid-more-43-million-jan-6-event-organizers-1624359

Well damn, Do we believe newsweek or any news outlet in the USA today? Really, I can't trust my neighbor! :D Serious when i raised a Russian Federation Flag on my own property, I wanted to know who in my neighborhood was the rabid left...It didn't take long.I was shooting drones out of the air off the roof of my house like skeet. It was a work out for our 12ga.auto shotguns. Anti Aircraft fire at its best.And from the wreckage we traced all them down. And a local Judge , who by the way was appointed by the last Democrat.After looking at the video of the drones Ruled in my favor not guilty. But that hasn't stopped the Rabid left. Soon they will show up in Hoodies. Who will save me ? I have the answer, switch to slugs instead of duck shot.

[em2nought]

"Four more years!" "Pause." :har:

[em2nought]

Look who escaped his leash the other morning. :D

We want Trump, we want Trump, USA, USA, USA

Of course most of the cheering got edited out almost everywhere. Imagine having to look until you found it on Sky News. :har: Even they left out all the "We want Trump!" "We want Trump!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBojCXj3Db8

Ah, here's some of the We want Trump! https://twitter.com/ChuckCallesto/status/1783459826850287698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1783466077164351960%7Ctwgr% 5E8d9eddb39d074e56e7aacbd5e782621537dd9b7b%7Ctwcon %5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizpacreview.com%2F2024% 2F04%2F25%2Fwe-love-trump-listen-to-cheering-union-workers-greet-trump-in-nyc-does-he-have-a-shot-at-winning-the-state-1455084%2F

[Buddahaid]

Of course he has his fans, but much of what gets put out is staged like that black guy in New York who is actually Indian and isn't random at all.

Anyway, here's a whatever you call them from Trump on Truth daring Biden to a debate "ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE." Let's see if that tough guy Trump, who's the only person whining about the cold courtroom, lives up to those words, after all, he refused to debate his own party's candidates and Nikki Haley is still getting votes after withdrawing.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/1368/inWBrJ.png

[nikimcbee]

To which states are they fleeing to ?

This immigration flow is not just a CA problem as I understand it.

Markus

No it isn't just a CA problem.

Here is a link to a map from Allied movers showing the Moving migration pattern in the US for 2023.

https://www.northamerican.com/migration-map


See New York (mainly City).

[em2nought]

but much of what gets put out is staged

HA! Project much? :har: Now Biden has his staff bunched around him when he walks so it's harder to see how feeble he is. :har: Or is it to keep anyone from getting close enough to ask a question that Biden has no idea on how to answer? Bring on the debate! :har:

[u crank]

Biden's 13th-Quarter Approval Average Lowest Historically

https://news.gallup.com/poll/644252/biden-13th-quarter-approval-average-lowest-historically.aspx

President Joe Biden averaged 38.7% job approval during his recently completed 13th quarter in office, which began on Jan. 20 and ended April 19. None of the other nine presidents elected to their first term since Dwight Eisenhower had a lower 13th-quarter average than Biden.

With about six months remaining before Election Day, Biden stands in a weaker position than any prior incumbent, and thus faces a taller task than they did in getting reelected.

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

At this point I'd rather vote for Count Binface who's currently running for Mayor of London.

[em2nought]

At this point I'd rather vote for Count Binface who's currently running for Mayor of London.

It would be kind of funny if Boaty McBoatface won our Presidency. :har:

[Gorpet]

[QUOTE=Buddahaid;2910424]Following the money, the Jan 6th rally was paid for from Trump campaign funds. That is not a presidential function and not covered by immunity.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-campaign-paid-more-43-million-jan-6-event-organizers-1624359[/QUO

Well damn, Buddahaid following the money would lead to the Execution of the Senate and the Congress of the United States and what hell, we could have Volodymyr Zelensky run for President. Hell he will be great, Right he will have plenty of dollars and comes to us with all the ideology that we want and we believe in.It would be apple pie in the sky. As the mushrooms grow.

[Gorpet]

Look who escaped his leash the other morning. :D



Of course most of the cheering got edited out almost everywhere. Imagine having to look until you found it on Sky News. :har: Even they left out all the "We want Trump!" "We want Trump!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBojCXj3Db8

Ah, here's some of the https://twitter.com/ChuckCallesto/status/1783459826850287698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1783466077164351960%7Ctwgr% 5E8d9eddb39d074e56e7aacbd5e782621537dd9b7b%7Ctwcon %5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizpacreview.com%2F2024% 2F04%2F25%2Fwe-love-trump-listen-to-cheering-union-workers-greet-trump-in-nyc-does-he-have-a-shot-at-winning-the-state-1455084%2F

We don't want Joey, we don't want Trump,we don't want a man who wants' his wanker cut off. We don't a women who is getting a wanker installed and we goddamn sure don't want two Pedifile groups having access to our children. The fact is neither group can procreate on their own. And that scares the **** out their groups.And most of Washington DC is one or the other.

And it wouldn't bother the millions if they were scrubbed....And im talking about the good people who live on this planet.If you want to come here and live you have to embrace today your nightmares. This country is a Democracy and that means mob rule and every bad people who you were trying to get away from came with you. Into the United States, this government will need all of you to go to Ukraine. And if they are all dead and NATO wins you will have jobs.Burying the dead. But NATO will feed you. And you can regenerate mother earth. But you might step on a leftover landmine.So every new World citizen gets a free Metal Detector

[Gorpet]

HA! Project much? :har: Now Biden has his staff bunched around him when he walks so it's harder to see how feeble he is. :har: Or is it to keep anyone from getting close enough to ask a question that Biden has no idea on how to answer? Bring on the debate! :har:

The University sophomore's in washington, are going to get their clocks cleaned by a Man who oversees more diversity and land mass. Than their feeble woke minds can even acutely take care of in the United States.

[Buddahaid]

RFK jr. has now challenged Trump to debate. Let’s see how the big strong man takes up that offer, or will he run away farting a smoke screen of lame excuses like he did for the primaries?

[Buddahaid]

[QUOTE=Buddahaid;2910424]Following the money, the Jan 6th rally was paid for from Trump campaign funds. That is not a presidential function and not covered by immunity.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-campaign-paid-more-43-million-jan-6-event-organizers-1624359[/QUO

Well damn, Buddahaid following the money would lead to the Execution of the Senate and the Congress of the United States and what hell, we could have Volodymyr Zelensky run for President. Hell he will be great, Right he will have plenty of dollars and comes to us with all the ideology that we want and we believe in.It would be apple pie in the sky. As the mushrooms grow.

Funny how that doesn’t address anything about Jan 6th.

[Rockstar]

[QUOTE=Gorpet;2910757]

Funny how that doesn’t address anything about Jan 6th.

Jan 6th has gone the way of Russian Collusion and the Dodo

[ET2SN]

[QUOTE=Buddahaid;2910798]

Jan 6th has gone the way of Russian Collusion and the Dodo

But it was still a direct attack on our basic government and type of Democracy. :yep:

[Rockstar]

But it was still a direct attack on our basic government and type of Democracy. :yep:

Can’t argue, for the simple reason I believe you believe that, and nothing will ever change your mind. All I can say is good luck to ya’ and your never ending crusade. Which in reality over the last decade or so has turned up absolutely nothing other than more loud accusations and headlines.

https://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-tell-a-lie-loud-enough-and-long-enough-and-people-will-believe-it-adolf-hitler-101-50-90.jpg


But then what of the Brits concern about Trump’s legal fees? :har::har::har::har:

[ET2SN]

I believe you believe that, and nothing will ever change your mind.

I have eyes, ears, and C-SPAN. :yep:
I also have enough intellect to figure out what the :k_confused: is going on.

Meanwhile, how often do I reply in these political "got 'cha" threads compared to, let's say, you? :hmmm:


:Kaleun_Goofy:

[Jimbuna]

Trump: I Could Have PREVENTED the American Civil War

Former President Donald Trump recently made the bold assertion that the civil war could have been negotiated before violence broke out. Trump also believed that he could’ve been the one negotiating, taking a dig at Abraham Lincoln. Critics have called it the “most insane” thing he’s said to date.

At a campaign rally in Newton, Iowa, former President Donald Trump made remarks about the American Civil War that have stirred controversy and ignited debates over historical interpretation and the identity of the Republican Party. The comments were delivered ahead of the state’s caucuses, where Trump is currently leading in the race to secure the Republican Party nomination for the 2024 presidential election.

Trump suggested that the American Civil War, fought between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865 over the divisive issue of slavery, could have been avoided through negotiation. Speaking before a crowd of supporters, he stated, “I’m so attracted to seeing it. There was something that could’ve been negotiated… Abraham Lincoln, if he negotiated it, we wouldn’t know who Lincoln was. He wouldn’t have been the Abraham Lincoln. But that would’ve been ok.”

These comments have sparked significant controversy and condemnation, given the historical context and the deeply ingrained understanding of the causes of the Civil War. Trump continued his rant by saying, “So many mistakes were made. See, there was something I think could have been negotiated, to be honest with you… “I think you could have negotiated that. All the people died. So many people died.”

The comments immediately provoked outrage on various online platforms, with former Republican Rep Liz Cheney questioning the feasibility of negotiating aspects of the Civil War, particularly regarding slavery and secession. She directed her criticism towards fellow Republicans who have endorsed Trump, asking how they could defend such statements.

“Which part of the Civil War ‘could have been negotiated’? The slavery part? The secession part? Whether Lincoln should have preserved the Union?” Cheney said, followed by, “Question for members of the GOP — the party of Lincoln — who have endorsed Donald Trump: How can you possibly defend this?”

Columnist Ahmed Baba and radio host Michelangelo Signorile also joined the online condemnation, stressing the historical impossibility of negotiating such a fundamental issue as slavery, “There is no compromise on whether or not Black people should be enslaved. They tried that with the Missouri Compromise —it only separated slave states and free states and led to the Civil War. So no, slavery couldn’t have been ‘negotiated’. It was slavery or no slavery.”

Michelangelo Signorile also said, “This is one of the most insane things Trump has said. Could have negotiated slavery? Would love to hear the terms of that negotiation.”

Trump’s remarks come at a time when the causes of the Civil War have become a sensitive topic within the GOP, particularly during the ongoing primary season. Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley faced criticism for not explicitly citing slavery as the root cause of the war, attributing it to differences in how government was to be run.

Trump’s statements, deviating from the traditional Republican view of Abraham Lincoln as a hero who preserved the Union and opposed slavery, reveal a different side of the Republican party that we haven’t seen before.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/trump-i-could-have-prevented-the-american-civil-war/ss-AA1nL9GY?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=d9e089c102304c918a668b09c1254ce9&ei=70#image=2

[vienna]

Trump: I Could Have PREVENTED the American Civil War


What next...?...


(Possible future news report):


"Today Trump declared he could have prevented the Crucifixion of Christ. Trump declared "You know, and many, many people agree, great people, smart people, if I had been around back then I could have easily gotten Jesus off his death penalty. I would have gotten him full, complete immunity with ease and prevented his demise. Only I could have done such a thing and many, many people, as I have said, agree with me..."




<O>

[mapuc]

You can say what you want but this man have very high thoughts about himself

Markus

[Dargo]

What next...?...


(Possible future news report):


"Today Trump declared he could have prevented the Crucifixion of Christ. Trump declared "You know, and many, many people agree, great people, smart people, if I had been around back then I could have easily gotten Jesus off his death penalty. I would have gotten him full, complete immunity with ease and prevented his demise. Only I could have done such a thing and many, many people, as I have said, agree with me..."




<O>https://i.postimg.cc/xjHF4vHL/Buddy-Christ.jpg

[em2nought]

I'm glad to see someone who thinks it might have been a good idea to at least try to prevent the American Civil War. :hmmm:

If we get "Four more years, pause." it will make all the wars we've fought feel like such awful wastes of life for absolutely NOTHING. NOTHING! :arrgh!:

[u crank]

What next...?

Maybe he could have saved Uncle Bosey from being eaten by cannibals.

:D:D:D

[Rockstar]

I'm glad to see someone who thinks it might have been a good idea to at least try to prevent the American Civil War. :hmmm:

If we get "Four more years, pause." it will make all the wars we've fought feel like such awful wastes of life for absolutely NOTHING. NOTHING! :arrgh!:


I see no difference between left or right kook fringe. They’re all just kook fringe.

I remember back in the day when they accused Obama of plotting to cancel the 2016 Election and install himself as dictator for life. Now the kook fringe thinks Trump will destroy democracy and install himself as dictator for life.

[August]

RFK jr. has now challenged Trump to debate. Let’s see how the big strong man takes up that offer, or will he run away farting a smoke screen of lame excuses like he did for the primaries?


Biden ran away from participating in the Democrat primary debates, including debating RFK, and now is too chicken to agree to debate Trump in the General. Is Old Joe also farting up a smoke screen of lame excuses or is he just too senile for his handlers to risk it? :hmmm:

[Onkel Neal]

Does it really matter? Trump will be in jail by the end of June... Nikki Haley, get your rest now, girl.

[Rockstar]

The US has eased sanctions on at least 10 Russian banks, including the Central Bank, to allow energy-related operations as energy costs soar, per Bloomberg.

Translation: Biden is, "Stickin' it to Putin"! ... except when something economically related may be hurting Biden's re-election chances.

Probably why Biden remains silent over what his pro Hamas constituency is doing at Columbia University and other universities too.

[Rockstar]

Does it really matter? Trump will be in jail by the end of June... Nikki Haley, get your rest now, girl.

I’m not so sure Trump should be the one going to jail.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24416570-9-23-cr-80101-judge-cannon-order-witness-names-unsealed

https://youtu.be/wwUKhrOlE7c?feature=shared

[Onkel Neal]

Yeah, I'm not sure he should be either, but he's spent his life playing fast and loose and now it's coming round to bite him.

[mapuc]

Does it really matter? Trump will be in jail by the end of June... Nikki Haley, get your rest now, girl.

If I understand it correctly-A voter can put their vote on a prisoner

If I did understand it correctly Trump can still be your next President

Edit
I was right.

A convicted or imprisoned felon can not only campaign for president and other federal offices, but also be elected.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/presidential-qualifications-felony-crime-convictions/3518094/
End edit

Markus

[Rockstar]

Yeah, I'm not sure he should be either, but he's spent his life playing fast and loose and now it's coming round to bite him.

I would say he had a mouth on him, and didn’t care to learn how to play the game inside the beltway. But the world did live in relative for four years. Now we have one that can’t string a complete sentence together unless he’s jacked up on Adderall two new hot wars, and one boiling over in the pacific. Two pots of the same color and both just as unpopular as the other. Look at Pence you think polls were the driving factor to his not running? I’d bet ya he saw the writting on the wall how much it would cost to defend himself and bowed out.

Way I see it the judicial system is being abused by those currently in power. That IMO is the real threat to our democracy. The current case is basically challenging presidential immunity, do you really think either party wants that? Of course not, they won’t allow it, it’s just being used by the opposition party to wear down Trumps finances hoping he won’t run again.

Can you imagine the consequences if the immunity case set a new precedent? Lies about chemical weapons in Iraq, Operation Fast and Furious, illegal immigrants murdering U.S. citizens? The Presidency would be made ineffective scapegoat and never ending chaos and lawsuits.

[Aktungbby]

You can say what you want but this man have(has) very high thoughts about himself

Markus...that is the primary definition of: MEGALOMANIAC! It comes from the Greek: mega (great) and mania(madness). Alexander the Great, Ghengis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, and presently, Vladimir Putin, who thinks he's a reincarnated Peter the Great, all suffered from this affliction. Their antics caused general misery for humanity. :hmph::smug:

[Buddahaid]

Biden ran away from participating in the Democrat primary debates, including debating RFK, and now is too chicken to agree to debate Trump in the General. Is Old Joe also farting up a smoke screen of lame excuses or is he just too senile for his handlers to risk it? :hmmm:

No incumbent president of either party has participated in a primary debate since Gerald Ford. Try again.

[August]

No incumbent president of either party has participated in a primary debate since Gerald Ford. Try again.


RFK is no longer a Democrat candidate. Is your old fart going to debate him in the general?

[Jimbuna]

Trump reveals his chilling plans for America should he be voted in for a second term

Donald Trump lifted the lid on his concerning plans should he be voted for a second term, after saying he believed he was too nice the first time around.

Six months ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Trump sat down with TIME at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, where he revealed that Americans can expect a mass deportation operation.

When politics reporter Eric Cortellessa asked whether Trump would override the Posse Comitatus Act, a law that prohibits the use of military force on civilians, Trump responded: "Well, these aren't civilians."

"These are people that aren't legally in our country. This is an invasion of our country. An invasion like probably no country has ever seen before," he continued.
"They're coming in by the millions. I believe we have 15 million now. And I think you'll have 20 million by the time this ends," Trump claimed. "And that's bigger than almost every state."

Trump added that it's unlikely he would house people in detention camps as he would deport them swiftly. However, he did not rule out building more holding centres if needed during the operation.

"No, I would not rule out anything," he said. "But there wouldn't be that much of a need for them [detention camps], because of the fact that we're going to be moving them out. We're going to bring them back from where they came."

Trump also said he would let red states monitor women’s pregnancies, as per the outlet.

"Do you think states should monitor women's pregnancies so they can know if they've gotten an abortion after the ban?" the 2024 Republican candidate was asked, to which he responded: "I think they might do that. Again, you'll have to speak to the individual states."

"Look, [overturning] Roe v. Wade was all about bringing it back to the states, and that was a legal – as well as possibly in the hearts of some, in the minds of some – a moral decision."

When asked if he felt "comfortable" with states prosecuting women, Trump said: "It’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not. It’s totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions."

Other topics of conversation included the January 6 2021 Capitol riot, calling those who rioted the "J-6 patriots."

He also said he would find it difficult hiring anyone who believed Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election.

"I wouldn't feel good about it, because I think anybody that doesn't see that that election was stolen – it just, you look at the proof. It's so vast, state legislatures where they didn't go through the legislature," he said.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/trump-reveals-his-chilling-plans-for-america-should-he-be-voted-in-for-a-second-term/ar-AA1nWntB?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=2b7fcc89c2ee435b846d5539e927fa7e&ei=17

[Rockstar]

Even Dick Van Dyke is worried about something going on. :yep:

https://youtu.be/BLdaqYeg3Ts?feature=shared

[Rockstar]

Drain the national reserves for personal political gains, stop supporting the Saudis, basically arm Iran and their Houthi proxy threatening energy in the Middle East, Ukraine striking Russian oil. All the while our national reserves remain dry because this senile old clown in chief and his sidekick spank Jake Sullivan the boy wonder have through a mismanaged foreign policy driven up oil prices and now can’t afford to replenish our reserves. THOSE ARE THE CLOWNS THAT HAVE ACTUALLY THREATENED OR NATIONAL SECURITY.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/04/how-and-why-biden-destroyed-the-strategic-petroleum-reserve/

How and Why Biden Destroyed the Strategic Petroleum Reserve


https://i0.wp.com/www.nationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Joe-Biden-90.jpg



Instead of unleashing more American energy, Biden has chosen to use America’s emergency reserves to solve his own political problems.

Last Wednesday, President Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) canceled a pair of oil purchases to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), leaving America’s energy reserves dangerously low at a time of global uncertainty.

The DOE originally planned to buy oil at $79 per barrel. But oil prices have stubbornly refused to cooperate and remain above $86 per barrel, leading the DOE to cancel the purchase.

When former president Donald Trump attempted to fill the SPR to the brim when oil prices were at a rock-bottom price of $24 a barrel, congressional Democrats blocked the purchase, claiming it would be an oil-industry bailout.. [Leave it to Dems to place their party first and screw up a good thing for the country.] :wah:

Taxpayers would have been left on the hook for the price increase since then had the Biden administration proceeded with the purchase. But simply refusing to replenish the oil supply is a risky decision given that now there’s almost no oil reserve left. America’s oil reserve has declined by 44 percent since Biden took office, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The SPR is at its lowest level since its initial filling in August 1983. The reserve can hold 714 million barrels. It’s currently about half full and thus could supply America’s needs for just 17 days.

Prior to Biden’s tenure, the SPR releases occurred for wars or natural disasters, such as the 1991 Gulf War or various hurricanes striking the oil refineries on the Gulf Coast. Such events could cause unexpected disruptions of the oil supply.

The SPR’s purpose is to “diminish the vulnerability of the United States to the effects of a severe energy supply interruption, and provide limited protection from the short-term consequences of interruptions in supplies of petroleum products.” It was not intended to bail out a president’s policy of producing less American energy. But that’s how Biden has used it: more as a political reserve than a strategic one.

In 2021, Biden made the unprecedented move of releasing oil from the SPR to combat high fuel prices, although prices remained stubbornly high regardless. Mysteriously, the release concluded right before the 2022 midterm elections, when high gas prices were a key issue. Biden claimed his plan to release another 15 million barrels from the SPR was “not politically motivated at all.”

But the problem isn’t just that American taxpayers were robbed of the opportunity to buy oil at bargain prices during the last administration and then saw the SPR used in an arguable attempt to score political points under Biden. Now, if America needed to significantly increase oil use in a natural disaster or war, the reserve is already mostly depleted.

The SPR’s depleted state certainly shows weakness to America’s enemies, as it demonstrates a lack of capacity to fight a long war. But the situation is actually worse than that. Biden’s policies have fatally undermined America’s ability to quickly increase oil production in an emergency.

The number of U.S. oil-drilling rigs has still yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Rig counts are down 22 percent compared with March 2020, mostly due to the anti-energy policies of the Biden administration creating legal and regulatory uncertainty. Especially damaging was Biden’s blocking of U.S. energy exports, which greatly weakened the growth of this strategically vital industry, and forced America’s allies to rely on foreign dictatorships for their energy security. So America’s strategic reserves are not only depleted, but our capacity to rapidly refill them during a crisis is as well.

Biden has greatly shrunk the market for U.S. energy. America’s capacity to quickly ramp up energy production in the event of a global conflict is sharply limited. That’s a major problem, given that the U.S. is directly or indirectly involved in major conflicts in Israel, the Red Sea, and Ukraine.

The situation in Israel presents particular risk to America’s energy reserves. The U.S. has a legal obligation to sell a portion of those reserves to Israel if the latter is unable to purchase energy in international markets. Although Israel has never exercised this legal right, given the current political and military situation in the Middle East, discounting the possibility would be extremely foolish.

But instead of unleashing more American energy, Biden has chosen to use America’s emergency reserves to solve his own political problems, to the detriment of America’s strategic interests, and has made his country vastly more vulnerable to true emergencies.

One hopes Biden and congressional Democrats will stop playing politics with this strategic resource before such an emergency arises, or the consequences could be grave. Blocking the opportunity to refill the reserves when prices were low, and then using high prices as an excuse to refuse to refill them now while wastefully and non-strategically depleting the reserves for political points, is the height of irresponsibility.

[August]

Trump reveals his chilling plans for America should he be voted in for a second term




What is so chilling about those so called plans?

[Rockstar]

What is so chilling about those so called plans?

I thought the same thing after I read the actual article. Did you know the person who writes the article and the person who gives it a headline are sometimes two different people. Proof is above.

[em2nought]

I thought the same thing after I read the actual article. Did you know the person who writes the article and the person who gives it a headline are sometimes two different people. Proof is above.

Sounds like sound planning to me. I wonder if I can get a "Letter of Marque" to capture illegal aliens? Do I get to keep any booty they be carrying? :arrgh!:

[August]

I thought the same thing after I read the actual article. Did you know the person who writes the article and the person who gives it a headline are sometimes two different people. Proof is above.

It's standard MSN procedure. If Trump says the sky is blue then they accuse him of a chilling plan to steal everyone's oxygen while their democrat masters are likely secretly plotting to do that very thing.

What i'm interested in knowing is if Jim actually believes the crap articles that he's always posting in this thread or if he just does it to stir up even more animosity between Americans.

[Rockstar]

It's standard MSN procedure. If Trump says the sky is blue then they accuse him of a chilling plan to steal everyone's oxygen while their democrat masters are likely secretly plotting to do that very thing.

What i'm interested in knowing is if Jim actually believes the crap articles that he's always posting in this thread or if he just does it to stir up even more animosity between Americans.


I said before I’ll say it again. He’s just padding his post counts which is considered spam, and spam is against subsim rules. I’m surprised we didn’t get to see a one liner like “concerning if true” :haha:. Oh well. I’ll prolly be accused of being hostile and banned without explanation again.

[Onkel Neal]

Trump reveals his chilling plans for America should he be voted in for a second term

Ok, MSN, what's so "chilling " about enforcing immigration and letting the states decide abortion issues?

edit: oh shoot, August beat me to it!! Almost word for word ;)

[August]

Ok, MSN, what's so "chilling " about enforcing immigration and letting the states decide abortion issues?

edit: oh shoot, August beat me to it!! Almost word for word ;)


:) I guess because it's such an obvious question! I'm guessing that they are betting that nobody will actually read the article closely enough to notice the headlines disparity.

[Rockstar]

Powell just said, it is likely that gaining greater confidence (in reducing inflation) will take longer than previously expected. Which I’m guessing unless it comes down soon they will NOT be able to lower rates in time for November elections and if they do anyway just for political gain, the results will be fleeting and probably worse once they raise them again.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/powell-likely-to-signal-lower-inflation-is-needed-before-fed-would-cut-rates/ar-AA1nZKuS

It will probably take longer than previously expected for the Federal Reserve to gain enough confidence about the inflation trajectory to start cutting interest rates, Chair Jerome Powell said.

So Biden’s Build Back Better economy is in shambles, emergency oil reserves about dry, universities under attack & democrats supporting calls for pogroms, Middle East on fire, war in Eastern Europe, border out of control.


All that’s left for him to pander to voters with is legalizing weed :har::har:

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/30/1248205659/marijuana-reclassify-biden-less-restrictions

Sad to think for some getting all of the above under control seems so “chilling”. :roll:

"Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?" - Ronald Reagan

[Rockstar]

Today Biden announced cancelling $6.1 billion in student debt for 317,000 borrowers from The Art Institutes, per CNBC.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/student-loan-forgiveness-6-1-billion-art-institutes-who-qualifies/



Since taking office, Biden’s administration has stolen over 144 billion dollars of tax payer money to cancel federal student loans to buy votes.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/07/politics/student-loan-debt-forgiveness-biden/index.html


Can you imagine how terrifying it would be if people were expected to pay off their own debts? Now that would be chilling!

[em2nought]

Today Biden announced cancelling $6.1 billion in student debt for 317,000 borrowers from The Art Institutes, per CNBC.

Can you imagine how terrifying it would be if people were expected to pay off their own debts? Now that would be chilling!

Talk about trying to buy the young radical voters off. Guess where Biden is planning to fast track the import of more illegal aliens from? You'd never guess. He wants to plop them into most of the major cities in Florida. :timeout:

https://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121123020546-cantor-hamas-fighters-story-top.jpg

https://apnews.com/article/biden-palestinian-refugees-plan-gaza-israel-war-0c73c3c214d354da2d22577bf1cc09b3

I wonder where Biden's FBI is? Not spying on any of these lovely fine junior intifada members? Probably not, they reserve the FBI for the really terrible dudes like these evil doers who raised the American flag at UNC after some fine terrorist wannabes had removed it and put up their own Jihadi banner. Singing the Star Spangled Banner? Lock those dudes up and throw away the key. ROTFLMFAO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZdRtgYTV7I&list=RDNSSZdRtgYTV7I&start_radio=1

[Rockstar]

I wonder where Biden's FBI is? Not spying on any of these lovely fine junior intifada members? Probably not, they reserve the FBI for the really terrible dudes like these evil doers who raised the American flag at UNC after some fine terrorist wannabes had removed it and put up their own Jihadi banner. Singing the Star Spangled Banner? Lock those dudes up and throw away the key. ROTFLMFAO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZdRtgYTV7I&list=RDNSSZdRtgYTV7I&start_radio=1


Not more than a month ago the usual suspects would have been accusing those lads of toxic masculinity and white supremacy. Because according to democrats, that’s where the real problem is. :roll:

[Rockstar]

I read about how the usual suspects all think Trump is destroying democracy the constitution, life, the universe and everything. But it seems to me that in all actuality it was the usual suspects all a long. Next time if the usual suspects ever wonder how someone like Hitler came to power just take a break from trying to redefine gender and look in mirror.

https://youtu.be/mxjVJCAgKmM?feature=shared

[Jimbuna]

If the 25th Amendment applies for one then it must apply to both candidates surely.

More concerns raised for Trump as he struggles to say four-syllable word

As cognitive concerns about Donald Trump continue to be raised, his latest struggle to pronounce a four-syllable word certainly won’t help things.

Trump has mispronounced things before, of course – including tricky words like “America” – and mixing up Hamas with hummus.

His latest mistake saw him unable to pronounce the word “infrastructure” properly during a rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Speaking to the crowd, Trump was attempting to criticise President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure package – but he couldn't get his words out coherently.

″[It didn’t] work out too well ― $1.2 trillion for their fake…” he said, before struggling to say the word.

Trump has sparked cognitive concerns in recent months since his 2024 presidential campaign began.
Earlier this year the crowd of his supporters gathered in Richmond, Virginia fell silent as the former president appeared to mix up Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama yet again.

It comes after leading psychiatrist Dr Lance Dodes released a statement claiming that there is “overwhelming” evidence that Donald Trump is suffering from dementia.

Dr Dodes is a supervising analyst emeritus of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. He released a statement about Trump’s cognitive state, referencing the mixing up of Biden and Obama.

He wrote: "Unlike normal ageing, which is characterized by forgetting names or words, Trump repeatedly shows something very different: confusion about reality.

"If he were to become president he would have to be immediately removed from office via the 25th Amendment as dangerously unable to fulfill the responsibilities of office.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/more-concerns-raised-for-trump-as-he-struggles-to-say-four-syllable-word/ar-AA1o1wpN?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=135017996fce4efdb6583d4a42ea8b54&ei=23

[August]

If the 25th Amendment applies for one then it must apply to both candidates surely.

Seems like you have taken a side with this constant posting of biased crap articles Jim. BTW the 25th Amendment does not apply to Trump like it does to crazy old Joe.

It clarifies that the vice president becomes president if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office through impeachment, and establishes how a vacancy in the office of the vice president can be filled. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution


Want to explain how you think the 25th is applicable to a candidate?

[Jimbuna]

Not biased at all Dave, I'm simply asking the question if the 25th Amendment applies to both.

If forced into a comment in public I would say that imho neither are fit for office but the reasons why are down to individual opinion.

I'll also add....I never thought I'd see the day when US politics followed in the footsteps of what we are being exposed to here in the UK.

Local by-elections in my home town today and it is the first time I've ignored the two largest parties and voted Independent.

[August]

Not biased at all Dave, I'm simply asking the question if the 25th Amendment applies to both.

Well the short answer is it doesn't Jim. The 25th only applies to sitting presidents, not mere presidential candidates.

[Jimbuna]

Well the short answer is it doesn't Jim. The 25th only applies to sitting presidents, not mere presidential candidates.

Cheers :salute:

[mapuc]

Well the question is:

As sitting President, is Biden fit for office if we look closely on your 25th Amendment ?

Markus

[August]

Well the question is:

As sitting President, is Biden fit for office if we look closely on your 25th Amendment ?

Markus

Well Markus the 25th doesn't make that determination one way or the other. It only provides the legal means to transfer power in the event it becomes necessary

The rest of the wiki paragraph that I posted above:

It also provides for the temporary transfer of the president's powers and duties to the vice president, either on the initiative of the president alone or on the initiative of the vice president together with a majority of the president's cabinet (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_the_United_States). In either case, the vice president becomes acting president (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acting_president_of_the_United_States) until the presidential powers and duties are returned to the president.
Taking over presidential duties in the event of incapacitation would be a decision made by the Veep and a majority of the Presidents Cabinet and note it would be only temporary.

Also see the article on Acting Presidents:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acting_President_of_the_United_States

The vice president immediately assumes the presidency in the event of the death, resignation, or removal of the president from office. Likewise, were a president-elect to die during the transition period (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_transition), or decline to serve, the vice president-elect would become president on Inauguration Day. A vice president can also become the acting president if the president becomes incapacitated; should the presidency and vice presidency both become vacant, the statutory successor called upon would not become president but would only be acting as president. To date, three vice presidents—George H. W. Bush (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush) (once), Dick Cheney (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney) (twice), and Kamala Harris (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris) (once)—have served as acting president. No one lower in the presidential line of succession has so acted.

[mapuc]

Thank you Dave.

This I knew without the Vice President approval the sitting President can't be removed-Except if he get hurt or killed(God forbid)

Markus

[Rockstar]

Well the question is:

As sitting President, is Biden fit for office if we look closely on your 25th Amendment ?

Markus

Take Nixon’s case, when he voluntarily resigned from office the 25th lawfully clarifies procedure and the chain of command. If a president were deemed unfit and forcibly removed before the end of their term the 25th still only clarifies procedure and chain of command. Defining what fit or unfit means is left up to the Senate and the Courts to decide.

Not a bunch of emotional and power hungry representatives in the lower house and their party fanboys, that’s what should send chills down anyones spine.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-25/twenty-fifth-amendment-doctrine-and-practice

[mapuc]

<
This sentence made me wonder:
"the Courts to decide."

Platapus have on several occasion told me-Without VP's sign a President can't be removed...this has been in my memory until now.

Can a court decide on the matter whether a President has to be removed or not ?

Markus

[Rockstar]

<
This sentence made me wonder:
"the Courts to decide."

Platapus have on several occasion told me-Without VP's sign a President can't be removed...this has been in my memory until now.

Can a court decide on the matter whether a President has to be removed or not ?

Markus

When Nixon was impeached by the lower house he went to court but lost, and instead of continuing the fight, he voluntarily resigned from office. Maybe the VP had to sign off on it then too but honestly there’s nothing he can do about it anyway. If removal has been decided by both houses and the judiciary the vp’s signature is IMO probably nothing more than just a formality. I honestly don’t know though.

We have three branches of government. All I’m saying is it’s going to take a helluva lot more than just the lower house to remove a president, no matter how many ‘chilling’ headlines are written.

[em2nought]

Bah ha ha, President Trump speaks a billion words and jumbles one up. Sleepy Joe can't even finish one sentence. :har:

I was trying to get caladium out of my brain to my tongue the other day, couldn't do it. Guess it's time to enter hospice. :har:

[Skybird]

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/01/opinions/trump-president-americans-emigrate-andelman/index.html

[Skybird]

Biden pissing the Japanese is a idiotic as Obama pissing the ME.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/02/politics/biden-japan-xenophobic-us-ally/index.html

[Rockstar]

Biden pissing the Japanese is a idiotic as Obama pissing the ME.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/02/politics/biden-japan-xenophobic-us-ally/index.html

This is your friendly reminder that the Unites States has spent trillions to build up our nuclear deterrence and Biden is the only person in the world who can authorize release

P.S. he also gets to pick the targets. :timeout:

Wonder what he accuses Germany of? Hope he remembers WWII has already ended. :D

[August]

Throwback to when Trump made fun of himself on Saturday Night Live. :)


https://x.com/historyinmemes/status/1786098328351936934

[Rockstar]

Pro Palestinian supporters and pro Israel supporters have found common ground! :har::har::har::har:


https://youtu.be/pZ70Yq83VtY?feature=shared

[Skybird]

This is your friendly reminder that the Unites States has spent trillions to build up our nuclear deterrence and Biden is the only person in the world who can authorize release

P.S. he also gets to pick the targets. :timeout:
Who has more to lose? The owner of the American cities and economy or th ewoner of Russian cities and economy?


Its futile to blackmail a havenot.


Even more so if the latter is a born fatalist convinced of that everything in life is in vein from beginning on. Russians have perfected that philosophy. :D

[mapuc]

But it is not the payment itself or the relationship with Stormy that is the problem. No, Trump, on the other hand, is accused of having hidden the payment in his accounts.

https://ekstrabladet-dk.translate.goog/penge/rosenvold-vil-det-koste-trump-valget/10217645?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=da&_x_tr_pto=wapp

According to this newspaper a verdict may cost Trump a win in the election.

I say whatever the verdict-He is going to win.

Markus

[Rockstar]

So much for the idea Democrats aren’t interested in foreign affairs.


Young Democrats warn Biden he must quickly change course
BY AMIE PARNES - 05/03/24 5:30 AM ET

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4640280-young-democrats-warn-biden-he-must-quickly-change-course/

Young Democratic voters are sounding the alarm and warning President Biden that his reelection bid could be in jeopardy if he doesn’t change course on the issues that matter most to them, including the war in Gaza.
While they have soured on Biden on a range of issues from cost of living to climate issues, the rash of protests at college campuses around the country has been the latest point of contention with the president.

“He will lose the election if he decides to roll the dice and assumes that Gaza isn’t at the top of minds right now,” said Elise Joshi, the executive director of Gen-Z for Change —which was once run under the name TikTok for Biden.
Joshi added that the last six months have seen “an increasing pace of concern” about the president.

The crisis in Gaza has been a tipping point for many young voters, and some polls have shown support dissolving for Biden.

Last month, a Harvard Youth Poll showed Biden’s support from voters ages 18-29 had slipped from about 60 percent in 2020 down to 45 percent.
A CNN poll last weekend also revealed that Biden was 11 percentage points behind Trump in a head-to-head match-up among young voters.
Some say Biden isn’t addressing some of the issues that matter most to young voters.

“It’s critical that President Biden recognize the voices of young people calling for peace in Gaza,” Girma said. “The Americans are calling for the end of unconditional military aid and a permanent cease-fire. The quickest way to end the unrest on college campuses is to listen to the majority of Americans and young students fighting for what is right.”

Biden was critical of the recent protests on college campuses Thursday, condemning vandalism and trespassing, adding that protesters at Columbia University and other campuses had the right to demonstrate peacefully.
“In moments like this, there are always those who rush in to score political points,” the president said in a speech at the White House. “But this isn’t a moment for politics. It’s a moment for clarity. So let me be clear … violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is.”

“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest; it’s against the law,” Biden added. “Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduation, none of this is a peaceful protest. Threatening people, intimidating people.

“Dissent is essential to democracy, but dissent must never lead to disorder,” he added.

Joshi blasted Biden’s comments, calling them “shameful.”

“To paint us as violent when police are the ones tear-gassing, shooting, and beating students, especially knowing he was elected in large part due to Black Lives Matter, is utterly shameful,” Joshi said.
An aide who worked on Biden’s 2020 campaign said the president’s remarks reflect the public’s overwhelming view on the protests.
Biden campaign aides say they have a “robust” operation to engage young voters and lure them to their column. Campaign aides say they have launched a youth outreach effort earlier than in previous cycles.

Since launching the campaign, they have also run digital ads targeting younger voters, including a current $30 million ad campaign.
The campaign has also leaned on surrogates including social media influencers to continue to highlight the administration’s policy wins, and separately in March it launched “Students for Biden-Harris,” a national organizing program that will help reach students across campuses.
Santiago Mayer, the executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, said the Biden administration actively engaged with the demographic.

“This is the first administration that has not only invited young people to the White House but has actively listened to us,” said Mayer, who has met with administration officials a number of times to discuss issues including gun violence prevention and climate issues. “They’re looking at young people as governing partners.”

Speaking of the protests at colleges, he said they’re directed not so much at the administration but at the leadership of their universities.
Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy, who also served as a foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), said the Biden administration has been “the most progressive administration of my lifetime,” bolstering issues that are important to young voters including student debt relief.

Still, he said of the administration’s handling of the crisis in Gaza, “I don’t want to say it cancels it out, but it resonates in a serious way that does tend to overshadow in some young people’s minds — and some older people’s minds — all the good things he’s done.”

Given the choice between Biden and former President Trump, Duss predicted that many of the young voters who are protesting the administration’s inaction in Gaza will come home to Biden during the election.

But he cautioned that Biden’s handling of the situation in Gaza “is going to be a drag” on the reelection bid.

“It’s impossible to say how big of a drag, but it’s going to be a close election that even something that hurts him at the margins could make a difference,” Duss said.

[em2nought]

Sleepy Joe just gave out some freedom to meddle to lots of the usual suspects. :D

[Rockstar]

Secretary Blinken toured an emergency call center in Tucson, where 40% of the calls they receive are related to fentanyl. The overdose crisis is devastating communities across the U.S.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/us-secretary-of-state-antony-blinken-visits-tucson-to-discuss-fentanyl-crisis/ar-AA1o76GL

https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_ 0.pdf


In other news

Expect to Hear Biden Talk Less About Ukraine

May 2, 2024 at 1:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

“President Joe Biden scored a massive foreign policy win with the passage of a foreign aid bill last week that included $60 billion for Ukraine,” Politico reports.

“But now, having cleared that hurdle, his team is poised to make America’s ongoing commitment to the Ukraine war less of a public focus, as it addresses an electorate preoccupied with economic concerns.”

“The cause of democracy will remain a central component of Biden’s reelection campaign — as a unifying thread to discuss everything from Ukraine and Donald Trump to abortion, gun safety and education — so White House and campaign aides said they do not foresee a relentless public relations push to bolster support for the war in Ukraine in the months ahead.”

Massive win huh? The guy already refused to use his presidential drawdown authority or the 6 billion appropriated specifically for use in Ukraine. The recently passed bill put in writing REQUIRING him to do what should have already done.

[Rockstar]

Another foreign policy debacle and $100,000,000 down the drain. I think Biden and his sidekick spank the boy wonder Jake Sullivan are out of the league.


Russian Troops Enter Base Housing US Military in Niger, US Official Says
By Reuters

May 2, 2024, at 3:15 p.m.

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger's junta to expel U.S. forces.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-05-02/exclusive-russian-troops-enter-base-housing-us-military-in-niger-us-official-says

https://millerthymedesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/I-did-that.jpg

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Serious questions:

Who does Vladimir Putin want to win the U.S. Presidential election? Do you think he wants that person to win because he wants what's best for America?

[mapuc]

Serious questions:

Who does Vladimir Putin want to win the U.S. Presidential election? Do you think he wants that person to win because he wants what's best for America?

Experts and others say he want Trump to win the election.

Reason should be that Trump is Putins marionette puppet.

I don't think Putin has to do all the effort to get him voted I say the American a little majority have had enough of Biden.

Markus

[Dargo]

Serious questions:

Who does Vladimir Putin want to win the U.S. Presidential election? Do you think he wants that person to win because he wants what's best for America?A U.S. President that let Putin do what he wants to do in Europe without question him, same as what China wants and actively tries to interfere in Western politics.

[em2nought]

Serious questions:

Who does Vladimir Putin want to win the U.S. Presidential election? Do you think he wants that person to win because he wants what's best for America?

He wanted Hillary Clinton in 2016, and I'm pretty sure he wants the weakest possible so obviously that's Sleepy Joe. :03:

[Buddahaid]

He wanted Hillary Clinton in 2016, and I'm pretty sure he wants the weakest possible so obviously that's Sleepy Joe. :03:

You've got that wrong. Putin was against Clinton and wanted Trump in 2016, and he wants Trump for 2024 since Trumps plan for peace is to stop sending weapons to Ukraine and tell Ukraine to cede territory to Russia.

[Rockstar]

You've got that wrong. Putin was against Clinton and wanted Trump in 2016, and he wants Trump for 2024 since Trumps plan for peace is to stop sending weapons to Ukraine and tell Ukraine to cede territory to Russia.


Looking at history Putin only took Crimea and invaded Ukraine when Democrat administrations were voted in office. Trump however was the first president to send lethal weapons to Ukraine and the world lived in relative peace.

Trump quotes:

"Well what I would do, is I would, we would, we have tremendous military capability and what we can do without planes, to be honest with you, without 44-year-old jets, what we can do is enormous, and we should be doing it and we should be helping them to survive and they're doing an amazing job."

To Mr Putin: “If you don’t make a deal, we’re gonna give them a lot. We’re gonna give more than they ever got.”

[Buddahaid]

After the Crimea annexation in 2014, the first Russian attack on Ukrainian assets was the Kerch incident in 2018 and strong man Trump did nothing.

[Gorpet]

RFK jr. has now challenged Trump to debate. Let’s see how the big strong man takes up that offer, or will he run away farting a smoke screen of lame excuses like he did for the primaries?

LOL, Trumps under a gag order how conveniente.

[Rockstar]

After the Crimea annexation in 2014, the first Russian attack on Ukrainian assets was the Kerch incident in 2018 and strong man Trump did nothing.

Trump? I think you meant to say Ukraine did nothing, it’s their territory not ours, in fact since independence they have done damn near next to nothing to bolster their own security. It wasn’t really until 2015 after Poutine annexed Crimea that we, along with the U.K. and Baltic States began training Ukrainian soldiers and supplying them lethal hardware in 2017 which continues today.

[Buddahaid]

LOL, Trumps under a gag order how conveniente.

What do the gag orders have to do with anything other than extrajudicial comments about juries, witnesses, and family members of court personnel? The answer is nothing. Trump can defend his presidential record, talk about border security, talk about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and absolutely anything else he wants to. He can even drone on about how unfair every trial is, how bad the judges are, how bad the AG's are, etc., in fact, he never stops.

The gag order excuses are really lame.

And, team Trump is already complaining, and setting up how the upcoming election is rigged. I guess they expect to lose again.

[Buddahaid]

Trump? I think you meant to say Ukraine did nothing, it’s their territory not ours, in fact in thirty years since independence they have done damn near next to nothing to bolster their own security. It wasn’t really until a short while after Poutine annexed Crimea that we, along with the U.K. and Baltic States began training Ukrainian soldiers and supplying them lethal hardware in 2017 which continues today.

Wrong. They entered into The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances and gave up their soviet era nukes for assurances that Russia would respect their borders which Putin signed.

[Rockstar]

Wrong. They entered into The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances and gave up their soviet era nukes for assurances that Russia would respect their borders which Putin signed.

No, right. Signing a piece of paper stating signatories would not invade Ukraine is not much of a defense against invasion. Plus the nukes didn’t belong to Ukraine nor did they have the codes to launch them anyway. When the Soviet Union broke up the biggest threat back then was the lack of security and the nukes, chemical and biological agents finding their way into the hands of non state players.

[Gorpet]

RFK jr. has now challenged Trump to debate. Let’s see how the big strong man takes up that offer, or will he run away farting a smoke screen of lame excuses like he did for the primaries?

LOL, The Judge has put Trump under a gag order. So... we see no debates or off to jail he goes. Cowardly but it will work. Joe Biden, RFK jr. and the DEMOCRAT party are so transparent to the world how fearful of this One Man they are.
Would he stop the aspirations of the NEW World order and NATO as an Aggressor Organization ? In Russia they throw em out windows.In the USA they hang themselves in their jail cells the Most popular or random killing by the homeless. :up:

[Gorpet]

What do the gag orders have to do with anything other than extrajudicial comments about juries, witnesses, and family members of court personnel? The answer is nothing. Trump can defend his presidential record, talk about border security, talk about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and absolutely anything else he wants to. He can even drone on about how unfair every trial is, how bad the judges are, how bad the AG's are, etc., in fact, he never stops.

The gag order excuses are really lame.

And, team Trump is already complaining, and setting up how the upcoming election is rigged. I guess they expect to lose again.

Holy **** that is a mouth full. But the transparency of the Democrat Party of the United States and it's corruption is evident, They are afraid of one Man exposing their Worldwide corruption of every leader of every NATO country. Tell me why elected officials and the Presidents or PM's of any country would put at risk their people the entire population of their country for WAR. The new world order right, it's all about resources and they can't get off this planet. I'll tell ya the truth if i was in their country club with their mindset, hidden caverns and a future for my offspring i would kill as many as it takes.Just to play
Tom Petty it's good to be King. When we break our hatches and come to the surface.

[Buddahaid]

Holy **** that is a mouth full. But the transparency of the Democrat Party of the United States and it's corruption is evident, They are afraid of one Man exposing their Worldwide corruption of every leader of every NATO country. Tell me why elected officials and the Presidents or PM's of any country would put at risk their people the entire population of their country for WAR. The new world order right, it's all about resources and they can't get off this planet. I'll tell ya the truth if i was in their country club with their mindset, hidden caverns and a future for my offspring i would kill as many as it takes.Just to play
Tom Petty it's good to be King. When we break our hatches and come to the surface.

Speaking about mouthfuls. Well, you and I have entirely different viewpoints to say the least. What corruption of the Democratic Party is so evident and who's afraid of one man? Only Trump and his wannabee's have said they won't accept an election result for 2024 they don't agree with. Sore losers before the race is even started.

[Rockstar]

Speaking about mouthfuls. Well, you and I have entirely different viewpoints to say the least. What corruption of the Democratic Party is so evident and who's afraid of one man? Only Trump and his wannabee's have said they won't accept an election result for 2024 they don't agree with. Sore losers before the race is even started.

And the other camp is equally ready to deny the election results if he is elected.

Here’s a blast from the past. https://archive.ph/exQI4

‘Not Our President’: Protests Spread After Donald Trump’s Election

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Manhattan on Wednesday night and converged on Trump Tower in Midtown to protest the election of Donald J. Trump as president.
Similar protests happened in several cities across the country, including Boston, Chicago, Seattle and Washington, and at college campuses in California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
In New York, the protests started in separate waves from Union Square and Columbus Circle and snaked their way through Midtown.
The protesters chanted “Not our president” and “New York hates Trump” and carried signs that said, among other things, “Dump Trump.” Restaurant workers in their uniforms briefly left their posts to cheer on the demonstrators.
The demonstrations, which appeared to be largely peaceful, forced streets to be closed, snarled traffic and drew a large police presence.

Protesters gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue near 56th Street, where the president-elect lives. Loaded dump trucks lined Fifth Avenue for two blocks outside the tower as a form of protection.
Emanuel Perez, 25, of the Bronx, who works at a restaurant in Manhattan and grew up in Guerrero, Mexico, was among the many Latinos in the crowd.
“I came here because people came out to protest the racism that he’s promoting,” he said in Spanish, referring to Mr. Trump. “I’m not scared for myself personally. What I’m worried about is how many children are going to be separated from their families. It will not be just one. It will be thousands of families.”
Protesters with umbrellas beat a piñata of Mr. Trump, which quickly lost a leg, outside the building.

The Police Department said on Wednesday night that 15 protesters had been arrested.

Bianca Rivera, 25, of East Harlem, described Mr. Trump’s election as something that was “not supposed to happen.”

“We’re living in a country that’s supposed to be united, a melting pot,” she said. “It’s exposing all these underground racists and sexists.”

Elsewhere in the country, college students gathered in spontaneous marches and asked university leaders to schedule meetings to reflect on the results.
After Mr. Trump’s victory speech, more than 2,000 students at the University of California, Los Angeles, marched through the streets of the campus’s Westwood neighborhood.
There were similar protests at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles; University of California campuses in Berkeley, San Diego and Santa Barbara;

Temple University, in Philadelphia; and the University of Massachusetts.
High school students also walked out of classes in protest in several cities.
As U.C.L.A. students made their way to classes on Wednesday, they talked about how to make sense of an outcome that had seemed impossible a day earlier.
“I’m more than a little nervous about the future,” said Blanca Torres, a sophomore anthropology major. “We all want to have conversations with each other, to figure out how to move forward. There’s a whole new reality out there for us now.”
Chuy Fernandez, a fifth-year economics student, said he was eager to air his unease with his peers.
“I’m feeling sad with this huge sense of uncertainty,” Mr. Fernandez said. The son of a Mexican immigrant, he said it was difficult not to take the outcome personally.
“We’re all just kind of waiting for a ticking time bomb, like looking around and thinking who will be deported,” he said. “That’s the exact opposite of what most of us thought would happen.”



I guess next you’ll try to tell me Trump was the only presidential candidate to ever deny election results or go to court over it. :har::har::har::har:

Even after 4 years since she lost the election Hillary was still going on about how the election was rigged, blaming Trump and Putin. And the kook fringe from here and abroad lapped it up and STILL DO!

Hillary Clinton Maintains 2016 Election ‘Was Not On the Level’: ‘We Still Don’t Know What Really Happened’
Mairead McArdle
October 9, 2020·2 min read

Hillary Clinton is sticking with her conviction that the 2016 presidential election was not conducted legitimately, saying the details surrounding her loss are still unclear.

“There was a widespread understanding that this election [in 2016] was not on the level,” Clinton said during an interview for the latest episode of The Atlantic’s politics podcast, The Ticket. “We still don’t know what really happened.”

“There’s just a lot that I think will be revealed. History will discover,” the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential nominee continued. “But you don’t win by 3 million votes and have all this other shenanigans and stuff going on and not come away with an idea like, ‘Whoa, something’s not right here.’ That was a deep sense of unease.”

Clinton also offered copious criticism of President Trump, saying she warned the country about her former rival, and “it was even worse than I thought it was.”

“I really did feel sometimes like the tree falling in the forest. I believed he was a puppet of Putin. I believed that there was relevant, important information in his tax returns. I believed he did not have the temperament to be president, he was unfit—not a partisan comment, but an assessment of him,” the former secretary of state said.

In August, Clinton said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden should not concede the upcoming November election “under any circumstances” because she believes “this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don’t give an inch, and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is.”

The 2020 election results are expected to be delayed, as the use of mail-in ballots, which can take weeks to count, will likely skyrocket due to the coronavirus pandemic.

President Trump has cast doubt on whether the upcoming 2020 election will be legitimate, warning that widespread voting by mail could be a catalyst for election fraud. Democrats have pushed for voting by mail to protect voters from having to leave their homes to vote, possibly exposing themselves to the coronavirus.

https://i.imgflip.com/23cjav.jpg

[Rockstar]

:o. Biden’s Economic Adviser Jared Bernstein: “… I don’t get it.”

https://youtu.be/1Fj0zRmEWYc?feature=shared


Now you know why Druckenmiller gives Bidenomics an ‘F’
https://youtu.be/reQtIkjW4Io?feature=shared

[mapuc]

https://i.imgflip.com/23cjav.jpg

Hmm now that both side use this type of picture one could say that there's not-so-clever-people(voters) on both side

Markus

[Rockstar]

Hmm now that both side use this type of picture one could say that there's not-so-clever-people(voters) on both side

Markus


Exactly. :up:

[August]

:) Not looking so good for the governments case against Trump.


Judge Indefinitely Postpones Trump’s Classified Documents Trial



Former president Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Florida for allegedly mishandling classified documents is being postponed indefinitely.
Trump-appointed judge Aileen Cannon ordered a new pretrial schedule for motions and discovery Tuesday afternoon after the classified documents case was originally scheduled to go to trial later this month.
“The Court also determines that finalization of a trial date at this juncture — before resolution of the myriad and interconnected pre-trial and CIPA issues remaining and forthcoming — would be imprudent and inconsistent with the Court’s duty to fully and fairly consider the various pending pre-trial motions before the Court, critical CIPA issues, and additional pretrial and trial preparations necessary to present this case to a jury,” Cannon said in her order.
The trial will likely be pushed until after the 2024 presidential election this November. Trump is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee and will face off against incumbent President Joe Biden



https://www.nationalreview.com/news/judge-indefinitely-postpones-trumps-classified-documents-trial/

[mapuc]

Why are you saying the Government when it is the state Vs Trump on the subject?

Or is there something I've misunderstod ?

Markus

[Rockstar]

Why are you saying the Government when it is the state Vs Trump on the subject?

Or is there something I've misunderstod ?

Markus

He is being prosecuted by Democrats in the federal courts over the classified documents and by Democrats in the State courts over Stormy Daniels. Both of which Trump will win, like I said before he’s not going to jail, in fact he never was going to jail. IMO since Biden, the world has caught fire, uncontrolled border, demonizing an entire population of voters over a campaign slogan on a hat, the economy sucks, inflation keeps rising. The only political platform Democrats have this election season is to distract everyone from their failure with ‘chilling headlines’, articles by anonymous sources, blatant abuses of power and election interference by preventing an opposition candidate from speaking or traveling the country to share his vision, attempting to ruin him financially and crush his reputation with a never ending bombardment of false accusations and litigation.

We have truly become a banana republic. To hell with the country and the people.

Long live the Democrat Party!


https://christhard-laepple.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/roland-freisler.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/fvGp01j/IMG-3667.jpg

And no Sun Tzu didn’t say that but it fits.

[August]

Why are you saying the Government when it is the state Vs Trump on the subject?

Or is there something I've misunderstod ?

Markus

Rockstar is correct. There are three separate criminal cases ongoing against Trump. The Federal Government is trying to hang him on mishandling of classified documents, the State of Georgia is trying to get him for election interference and the State of New York is trying to get him for falsifying business documents.

It looks like the Federal case is about dead in the water, the New York case is looking pretty weak and I haven't heard about the Georgia case lately except that the lead prosecutor is being investigated for some sort of malfeasance.

[em2nought]

So where are these camps in the hills where I'm going to get some training? Can I bring my La-Z-Boy recliner? I really hope this is one of my instructors. :D

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9b/9f/e0/9b9fe0fe85191117c287adee0bf9600e.jpg

[Rockstar]

Siding with Iran and homegrown kook fringe democrats Biden withholds weapons to Israel. Helping our enemies win and placing American lives at risk, including the hostages still held in Gaza.


Trump campaign slogan is, Make America Great Again

Democrats new slogan is, Destroying Democracy to Preserve it!

[Reece]

^ That's a good policy!! If I were an American I'd vote Democrat!! :yeah:

[Rockstar]

NSFW

https://youtu.be/xYkNXDookYI?feature=shared

Long Live Bidenomics & The Party!

https://i.ibb.co/fvGp01j/IMG-3667.jpg

[Torvald Von Mansee]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess one of you will have brought up that quote of Putin saying he wants Biden to win reelection in response to my previous post. Because Putin is such an honest person who'd never try to manipulate anyone!!!

[August]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess one of you will have brought up that quote of Putin saying he wants Biden to win reelection in response to my previous post. Because Putin is such an honest person who'd never try to manipulate anyone!!!


Doesn't look like anyone did that. Are you disappointed?

[August]

Evidence of 2020 election fraud in Fulton County Georgia?


In the original count, we identified 550 double counted ballots. These ranged from what appeared to be random single-ballot doublings, likely due to paper jams, to entire batches being scanned twice. Surprisingly, about half of these double-scanned documents were QR-coded (Ballot Marking Device) ballots. We had to rely on the ordering of the ballots and patterns to decipher the duplication of these.

More alarming, however, was the discovery of an astonishing 5,812 ballot records present in the original count but missing in the recount data. Entire batches were nowhere to be found in either the recount ballots or the cast vote records.
Adding to the perplexity, we observed some ballot tabulators from which random ballots seemed to have been arbitrarily removed, without any discernible pattern. It was as if someone had rifled through the ballots, randomly discarding some. There was no clear pattern in terms of the candidate selection or any other identifiable reasoning behind these removals, leaving us with more questions than answers about Fulton County's handling of the election.


https://ballotassure.com/Reports/Georgia/2020/Fulton

[Rockstar]

Biden lied and throws Israel under the bus for votes in Michigan and Minnesota.



https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/2999388/does-jake-sullivan-see-israel-as-a-liability/

President Joe Biden professes his love for Israel and his respect for the Jewish state. On Oct. 18, 2023, he traveled to Tel Aviv to declare, “As long as the United States stands — and we will stand forever — we will not let you ever be alone.”

Today, letting Israel be alone is exactly what Biden intends to do. As Israel fights a seven-front war initiated by Iran and its proxy terrorist groups, Biden has frozen arms shipments allegedly in anger at Israel’s refusal to allow Hamas to preserve its Rafah safe haven.

On its face, the policy is counterproductive. By publicly freezing arms to Israel while simultaneously providing weaponry to Qatar and Lebanon and waiving sanctions on Iran, the Biden administration signals to Hamas that it can take a harder line and it convinces Iran that defeat of Israel is a possibility. Biden also betrays remaining American hostages, held illegally by Hamas. Freezing arms transfers after Holocaust Remembrance Day simply added insult to injury.

Why then did the White House take such a counterproductive stance? The cynical explanation would be that Biden threw Israel under the bus because his aides believe it necessary to win the Muslim vote in Michigan and Minnesota. That could be an impeachable offense, though, as it mirrors Democratic accusations of playing politics with national security that were at the heart of President Donald Trump’s first impeachment.

A more troubling explanation could be at play: As Biden’s acuity and stamina suffer, national security adviser Jake Sullivan has more autonomy than any predecessor. Sullivan rules policy with an iron fist, but he substitutes academic theory for life experience. He believes the U.S.-Israel relationship to be a liability and that the long game requires ripping the Band-Aid off and ending support for the Jewish state, even at the risk of its existence.

Sullivan confuses cynicism with strategy. After the criminally negligent withdrawal from Afghanistan, Sullivan told a gathering in Aspen, “It had to come to an end.” On the facts, Sullivan was deceptive. While nation-building wasted blood and treasure, by 2017 American forces in Afghanistan cost little more than the military presence in Japan and Korea. The Afghanistan investment was worth it. Around 3,000 troops kept the Taliban out of Kabul and every district capital.

With the ego of Henry Kissinger, the skill of Rex Tillerson, and the naivete of Frank Kellogg, Sullivan appears to believe he alone has the foresight to make hard decisions. Simply put, he believes the price of betrayal of allies is worth it. Afghans already pay the price for his cynicism, but Americans will soon as the U.S. withdrawal provides inspiration for terrorism globally.

Then, there is Nagorno-Karabakh. When Azerbaijan cast diplomacy aside, broke its 2020 ceasefire, and blockaded the self-governing, democratic Armenian region, Sullivan put out feelers about relocating the region’s residents, with little care that this amounted to ethnic cleansing. When Azerbaijan used military force to drive out the region’s residents, the White House stood down, seemingly believing that ending the conflict was the sophisticated thing to do even if it meant betraying liberty, emboldening a dictator, and erasing a 1,700-year heritage. Syrian Kurds now face the same cynical calculation as Sullivan appeases Turkey.

Back to Israel: Sullivan would not be the first American official to believe betrayal of Israel to be a virtue. After Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal and sought to blockade the Jewish state, France, the United Kingdom, and Israel responded militarily. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sided with Nasser for the cynical reason that Arab states outnumbered Jewish ones.

His decision almost destroyed NATO and shook U.S.-Israel relations to their core. Arab states did not embrace America, though. Within two years, Eisenhower realized his error and sought to rectify it. As a democracy, Israel was simply a better ally.

What Sullivan does, though, is worse. He emboldens enemies to believe war works and anti-Zionism is a solution. Ethnic cleansing and betrayal have become his brand, but the lives he now risks with his arrogance will number in the millions.

[ET2SN]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CyegBxGV2w


I'm just sayin'. :O:

[u crank]

President Biden Just Made His Biggest Blunder

https://dnyuz.com/2024/05/09/president-biden-just-made-his-biggest-blunder/

This is the New York Times a reliable left wing publication. Why does Bret Stephens say this?

The munitions cutoff helps Hamas.

It doesn’t end the war. It prolongs it.

It diminishes Israel’s deterrent power and is a recipe for a wider war.

There will be unintended foreign-policy consequences.

It’s a political gift to Donald Trump.

[Rockstar]

President Biden Just Made His Biggest Blunder

https://dnyuz.com/2024/05/09/president-biden-just-made-his-biggest-blunder/

This is the New York Times a reliable left wing publication. Why does Bret Stephens say this?

Last time someone just thinking about holding up a shipment he was impeached. :har::har::har:

[Rockstar]

Biden’s Incoherent Energy-Policy Response to the War in Ukraine

https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/05/bidens-incoherent-energy-policy-response-to-the-war-in-ukraine/

It has harmed U.S. interests while aiding major industrial competitors in China and India.

In mid April, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin joined Secretary of State Antony Blinken in urging Ukraine to desist from attacking Russian oil refineries. Such attacks have disabled up to 15 percent of refinery capacity in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, denting both its ability to earn export income and to wage war against Ukraine. In an election year, the Biden administration’s policy clearly values domestic fuel-price stability over helping Ukraine in its war for survival. The stated purpose of the U.S.-led price cap and ban on Russian exports to the West is to maintain Russia’s supplies while reducing the income from its exports without causing a price spike by taking Russian oil off the world market.

Biden’s policy has harmed U.S. interests while aiding major industrial competitors in China and India. These huge economies are exploiting cheap Russian oil imports to build new refining capacity. Additionally, shifting oil refining to these countries has had negative environmental effects and weakened U.S. industrial competitiveness.

There are better policies to maintain global price stability, starting with reversing the regulatory squeeze on U.S. oil and gas production. Earlier in its tenure, the administration reduced the holdings of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve by 43 percent, which limited Washington’s ability to use these stocks to offset severe price spikes. The Biden team has also closed off the possibility of cooperation with longtime ally Saudi Arabia to keep prices stable by increasing the weight of human-rights considerations in the relationship. U.S. policy keeps Iranian oil on the market, leads to additional discounted sales to China, and helps finance the Iranian war machine.

The feeble attempt to slow Russia’s oil production by limiting its ability to export crude oil at world prices has been a failure. While Russian exports to Europe have cratered, the breach was quickly filled by huge increases in sales to China and India after the war was unleashed. China’s imports of Russian crude have ballooned from .63 million barrels per day (mbd) before the war to an average of 1.3 mbd in recent months. India’s imports were negligible prior to the onset of the war, but now average more than 1.75 mbd. The typical price discount available to Chinese and Indian importers relative to Brent crude has ranged from $37 per barrel to around $12 or $13 per barrel in recent months.

These emerging economic giants have benefited from access to a large and steady supply of discounted Russian crude to build new refining capacity and become significant exporters of refined products such as diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline. In effect, Indian and, to a lesser extent, Chinese refiners transform blacklisted Russian crude into higher-value products to supply third markets. And the profits from this arbitrage are significant: The Indian Oil Corporation has more than doubled its profits since starting this trade, and its share price has increased by 178 percent. Indian refined-product exports to the European Union (EU) alone now average over 360,000 barrels per day (bd). India can compete on price with U.S. exporters due to lower input costs, including transportation. In early 2024, U.S. refined-product exports to Europe fell by almost half, partly due to this competition.

It is also worth noting that America’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally Turkey has contributed to keeping Russia’s war economy from collapsing by increasing its imports of crude oil and refined products that were previously sold to Europe. It has in turn become a major exporter of refined products to the EU.

Below-market supplies of crude to China put wind in the sails of Beijing’s manufacturing-export goliath, which has become the most important engine of growth in the Middle Kingdom. In sectors such as metals, cement, and chemicals, energy costs are a significant competitive factor. The cutoff of Russian oil and gas to European markets has redistributed exports to China, which has picked up the pace of purchases since the war began. In addition to crude imports, China is the beneficiary of stranded liquefied-natural-gas (LNG) sales, which previously had gone to Europe or other Western allies. Because the Biden administration has employed a freeze on permits for new U.S. LNG export facilities and increased regulatory burdens on pipelines to get gas to existing facilities, Russian gas may partially displace U.S. LNG supply to China in the medium term. In the short term, Qatar is the main beneficiary of the Biden freeze on new LNG facilities. Europe especially has eagerly signed contracts with Doha, which now plans to nearly double its LNG capacity in the next five to seven years. Some North African suppliers have also reached deals with European nations.

A final factor worth noting is that freezing or reducing U.S. oil and gas production while tolerating Russian production, as well as increased Indian and Chinese refining and manufacturing capacity, significantly harms the global environment. Russia is one of the world’s largest offenders in the emission of methane, a greenhouse gas ten or more times as potent in exacerbating climate change as CO2. Only Iran and Venezuela top Russia in methane emissions relative to economic output. In terms of total methane emissions, China is by far the world’s largest offender, while India is rapidly catching up with its neighbor. But the U.S. and EU have far better methane- and CO2-emissions records, relative to economic output, than China and India.

The U.S. and EU price caps and embargoes on imports of Russian oil and gas have reduced the hard-dollar income from this major sector of the Russian economy — which normally accounts for 30 percent to 50 percent of Moscow’s federal budget revenues — by $30 to $50 million per day. But overall production has not yet materially affected the Putin regime. Russia has accumulated more yuan and rupees to buy manufactured goods and war materiel from China. Having access to less Russian crude and fewer Russian refined products would reduce the current advantages for the Chinese and Indian manufacturing and refining sectors, which increasingly compete with U.S. producers on the world market.

Promoting increased U.S. production would go a long way to stabilizing prices and eliminating any cost advantages to competitors now afforded by the availability of discounted Russian products. An additional benefit would be strengthening the U.S. economy and creating the jobs that the campaign strategists in the Biden administration seem to have at the top of their agenda. And even environment czars John Kerry and John Podesta should applaud the climate benefits of reducing production from the champion polluters in Russia, China, and India by substituting cleaner U.S. supplies.

[vienna]

Evidence of 2020 election fraud in Fulton County Georgia?



https://ballotassure.com/Reports/Georgia/2020/Fulton


Jeez, ya know, the facts just seem to keep getting in the way of the MAGA BS...


Missing 2020 poll tallies in Georgia don’t prove 20,713 votes never existed. Other records are available --

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-2020-fulton-county-georgia-20713-votes-504105499507


It seems there were several avenues to confirm the ballots in place in 2020 and nothing, thus far, points to a massive breach in the voting process; even with the so-called 'doubled scanned' ballots in play, Trump still wouldn't have enough votes to overturn GA's final election results; as far as BallotAssure.com is concerned, the owner of the site is a MAGA/Trump diehard who claims expertise in fingerprint analysis and who appears to be one of the many "experts" who popped up after the 2020 Election to spout off their now debunked theories and claims; the owner, Phillip Davis, has no real statistical training or background that lends to him claiming data expertise in the field of election analysis; again, if there were any sound validity to these sort of claims, why don't the claimants just file suit in court and justify their 'facts' in open court, under oath, and under penalty of perjury? If they are so confident of their truth, why do they hide out behind sniper attacks on the web instead of facing those they accuse in the cold eye of the courts and the public...?...



<O>

[mapuc]

Said it before-Voters on both side tried to cheat in the 2020 Presidential election.

Markus

[Rockstar]

Said it before-Voters on both side tried to cheat in the 2020 Presidential election.

Markus

I’m not so sure both parties willingly try to cheat. Sure there may be some voters out there that will either by mistake or willingly mishandling ballots, but I got faith in the system and I like to think our system is secure enough that such things can’t sway a national election.

But one thing you can always seem count on these days when it comes to cheating is the losing party candidate and their Lunatic Fringe fanboy’s will claim the winning party does. Hillary and Pelosi are still butt hurt over 2016, so is manbearpig Algore when he lost 2000 and now Trump. Maybe Trump really is a Democrat at heart? :har:

What does worry me is the weaponization of the justice system going after opposition political candidates. That’s some pretty third world, banana republic, fascist, Hitler lovin’ kinda sheet.

The Lunatic Fringe motto: Long Live the Party! Those clowns are the real threat to democracy, the anti-Democratic lunatic fringe who spend their days being lead around by the nose arguing over hair color, porn stars, campaign slogans on a hat, Manchurian candidate & collusion conspiracy theories, ‘chilling headlines’, fake dossiers, legal fees, listening to late night comedy shows, pee tapes, goof balls broadcasting from their basement on YouTube and other mindless Build Back Better B.S. The stuff only fascist brains can digest believing they are the ones fighting to preserve democracy. Some going so far to declare the elected leader of the free world an enemy of the state. Those party fanboys will stop at nothing and are the real threat to our democracy.


Pelosi rebuked to her face during Oxford debate after condemning Americans clouded by 'guns, gays, God'

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pelosi-rebuked-her-face-during-182359130.html

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was rebuked as an "elite" during a recent Oxford Union debate, where she argued that populism in the United States is a threat to democracy.

Pelosi — a self-described "devout" Catholic — said during the April 25 debate that certain Americans, whom she considered to be "poor souls who are looking for some answers," refuse to accept the answers Democrats give them on particular topics due to their beliefs about "guns, gays, [and] God."

Challenging Pelosi's position in the debate about populism, Winston Marshall, a musician who was once a part of Mumford and Sons and now hosts the "Marshall Matters" podcast for The Spectator, spoke in opposition to the Oxford Union motion that "This House Believes Populism is a Threat to Democracy."

The Oxford Union at the UK's famed university holds itself as a defender of free speech, and has hosted events with numerous U.S. politicians in the past, including former Republican House Speakers Newt Gingrich and Kevin McCarthy.

Marshall argued at the April 25 debate that the meaning of the word "populist" has been changed by "elites [who] have failed" to align with their own narrative.

"'Populism' has become a word used synonymously with ‘racist.’ We've heard ‘ethno-nationalist,’ we have ‘bigot,’ we have ‘hillbilly,’ ‘redneck,’ we have ‘deplorable,’" Marshall said. Pelosi had argued in her remarks that contemporary American populism currently had an ethno-nationalist character.

"Elites use it to show their contempt for ordinary people," Marshall said.

Marshall argued that the change in meaning of the word "populist" is "a recent change," and pointed to a 2016 speech delivered by then-President Barack Obama, who he said "took umbrage with the notion that Trump be called a populist."

"If anything, Obama argued that he was the populist. If anything, Obama argued that Bernie was the populist," he said. "Something curious happens. If you watch Obama's speeches after that point, more and more recently, he uses the word ‘populist’ interchangeably with ‘strong man,’ ‘authoritarian.' The word changes meaning. It becomes a negative, a pejorative, a slur."

Highlighting the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, which he believed to be "a dark day for America, indeed," Marshall said: "I'm sure Congresswoman Pelosi will agree that the entire month of June 2020, when the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, was under siege and under insurrection by radical progressives, those, too, were dark days for America."

At that point, Pelosi raised her hand and said: "There is no equivalence there. . . . It is not like what happened on January 6th, which was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States."

"My point, though, is that all political movements are susceptible to violence and, indeed, insurrection," Marshall said. "Populism is not a threat to democracy. Populism is democracy. And why else have universal suffrage if not to keep elites in check?"

Marshall said he was "rather surprised" that Pelosi was arguing in favor of the motion as he thought "the left was supposed to be anti-elite" and that the "left was supposed to be anti-establishment."

"Today, particularly in America, the globalist left have become the establishment," he continued. "I suppose for Mrs. Pelosi to have taken this side of the argument, she'd be arguing herself out of a job.

Marshall went on to claim that "populism is the voice of the voiceless" and that the "real threat to democracy is from the elites."

"Now, don't get me wrong, we need elites. If President Biden has shown us anything, we need someone to run the countries," he said. "When the president has severe dementia, it's not just America that crumbles, the whole world burns."

Marshal shifted his focus to examining the elites, saying he believes that Trump should have accepted the results of the 2020 presidential election.

"So should Hillary in 2016, so should Brussels and Westminster in 2016, and so, too, should Congresswoman Pelosi instead of saying the 2016 election was, quote, ‘hijacked.’"

"It was," Pelosi interjected, drawing laughter from those in attendance.

"That doesn't mean we don't accept the results of it," she added.. :har:

During his speech in opposition of the motion, Marshall also took aim at the social media companies that suspended Trump from their platforms following the January 6 Capitol protests and the mainstream media.

"Mainstream media elites are part of a class who don't just disdain populism, they disdain the people. If Democrats had put half their energy in delivering for the people, Trump wouldn't even have a chance in 2024 … you've had power for four years. From the fabricated Steele Dossier, to trying to take him off the ballot in both Maine and Colorado, the Democrats are the anti-Democrat party," he said.

"Populism is not a threat to democracy. But I'll tell you what is: It's elites ordering social media to censor political opponents," Marshall said. ". . . It's Brussels, D.C., Westiminster, mainstream media, big tech, big Pharma, corporate collusion and the Davos cronies."

Delivering remarks prior to Marshall, Pelosi said, "Democracy is the rule of law, democracy is free and fair elections, democracy is about independent judiciary, it's about freedom of the press to have transparency and to have accountability of elected officials to the people."

"It's about all of that, and that is everything that the populist regime in Washington, D.C., is against," she added. "Ethno-nationalistic populism, as is the threat to democracy, is about threatening what they call elites, a free press," she said. "It's about fighting issues that relate to free and fair elections, where we have voter suppression to the nth degree under this regime and its resistance to passing the Voting Rights Act, the John Lewis Act, all of that."

At one point, while speaking about those who may consider themselves a part of the populist movement and/or are "poor souls who are looking for some answers," Pelosi said, "We've given them to them, but they're blocked by some of their views on guns – they have the three Gs, guns, gays, God, that would be a woman's right to choose — and the cultural issues cloud some of their reception of an argument that really is in their interest."

The motion debated by Marshall and Pelosi ultimately received a passing vote from those attending the Oxford Union event, 177 to 68.



Original article source: Pelosi rebuked to her face during Oxford debate after condemning Americans clouded by 'guns, gays, God'

[Rockstar]

Bad U.S. Policy Has Enabled the Current Chaos in the Middle East

May 9, 2024 31 min read

https://www.heritage.org/middle-east/report/bad-us-policy-has-enabled-the-current-chaos-the-middle-east

Authors: Brent Sadler and Nicole Robinson

SUMMARY The Middle East is aflame because of the Biden Administration’s poor policy choices. The United States must be strategic to avoid falling into another Middle East conflict. The Houthi threat in the Red Sea is a symptom of a larger problem with Iran, and to address this threat, the United States must embrace its Arab and Israeli partners to isolate Iran. Greater sanctions pressure and weapons interdiction are short-term solutions, but in the long term, America must work to strengthen the Abraham Accords in a way that creates more burden-sharing among Arab partners to address the Iranian threat so that the United States can focus on China.

Iran’s proxy Hamas initiated a war against Israel on October 7, 2023, unleashing region-wide violence. Until Iran’s massive, coordinated drone and missile attacks on Israel on April 14, 2024, the Iran-backed Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping had been the most urgent problem for the U.S. and its allies. Between mid-November 2023 and March 2024, the Houthis carried out more than 60 attacks on commercial shipping and warships—most of which missed their target. Increasingly, however, Houthi attacks are becoming more successful.

On February19, U.S. Central Command confirmed that two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles struck and severely damaged a Belize-flagged, British-registered, and Lebanese managed vessel. The most recent seizure of Portuguese-flagged container ship MSC Aries on April 13 by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) near the Strait of Hormuz increased Iran’s pressure on the United States and Israel by disrupting trade through the Strait of Hormuz. After several months of U.S. and British airstrikes, the Houthis have been unrelenting in their attacks, and with renewed concerns of a closure in the Strait of Hormuz, the costs to global trade are mounting.

Acting in concert with Iran’s wider regional interests, the Houthis’ ongoing provocations aim to disrupt international trade, threaten global supply chains, and worsen historically high global inflation—economic pressures that will only drive up prices for everyday Americans. The Houthis hope that these economic pressures will incentivize America to cease support for Israel. Meanwhile, U.S. adversaries, notably China and Russia, are not subject to intentional Houthi attacks and may actually gain an advantage by their free passage through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

This unfortunate situation was avoidable. Before this round of Middle East chaos, the Biden Administration had inherited a relatively stable region. By confronting the Iranian regime’s hostile actions and embracing partners in concert with the historic Abraham Accords, the Trump Administration was able to chart a new peaceful path forward. However, a series of poor policy choices by the Biden Administration set in motion the chaos unfolding in the Middle East today. Failing to reverse this disastrous course risks U.S. interests, dangerously distracting the United States from a potential showdown with China in Asia.

https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/BG-red-sea-houthis-incidents-map-1.gif

With one-third of all container traffic flowing through it, the Red Sea is one of the most important arteries in the global shipping system. Another 12 percent of seaborne oil and 8 percent of liquified natural gas (LNG) transit the Suez Canal. The Red Sea is also a major Internet choke point, home to 16 undersea cables that connect Europe and Asia and also, in addition to being used to conduct financial transactions, enable governments to communicate securely across the region. In response to the Houthi attacks, many global shipping and energy companies such as Shell and British Petroleum suspended their Red Sea routes indefinitely and are now redirecting their ships around the Cape of Good Hope. This rerouting adds fuel costs and increases demand for additional tankers to sustain trade flows. If the impacts on shipping were also to include the Strait of Hormuz, the region’s oil shipments, or 20 percent of global oil supplies, would be imperiled.

On December 18, 2023, the Secretary of Defense announced that the U.S., along with its allies, was establishing a joint maritime task force, Operation Prosperity Guardian, to defend against Houthi attacks. Although the operation supposedly brings together 20 countries, more than half of these countries have not acknowledged their participation. Long-standing allies like Spain and Italy have naval forces in the region but have not actively participated in the operation.

So far, only the United States and the United Kingdom have carried out strikes to degrade the Houthis’ military capacity to attack shipping in the Red Sea.

As Houthi attacks continue, it is clear that Operation Prosperity Guardian is failing to re-establish freedom of navigation and the safety of maritime traffic in the Red Sea.

Only an unambiguous signal to Iran will prevent escalation toward a regional war. The U.S. must impose costs on the Houthis to end their assault on shipping. This means, among other things that need to be done, restoring and enforcing the Houthi Designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The U.S. must also degrade the capacity of Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to sow chaos throughout the region by disrupting the flow of Iranian weapons to Tehran’s proxies. Finally, the U.S. needs to offer a more positive vision for the region by broadening and strengthening the Abraham Accords. Such actions will better ensure and sustain freedom of commerce and security against the worst proclivities of the mullahs in Tehran.

Sadly, however, there has been little indication that the Biden Administration will act accordingly. Failing to take decisive action will accelerate an already growing divide between the U.S. and key regional partners. In the absence of effective military responses, Iran and its regional proxies will continue to destabilize the Middle East, further drawing limited U.S. resources away from Washington’s most pressing threat: China.

The Economic Impact of Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea

Threats to shipping in the Red Sea compound other maritime challenges. For months, shipping has been delayed through the Panama Canal. A drought has slowed the canal authority’s ability to retain canal water depth. Added to the disruptions in the Red Sea, these pressures will accelerate ongoing efforts to harden and diversify U.S. production. Supply chain issues during COVID-19 forced some U.S. industry to onshore and near-source goods made overseas. Thankfully, the fact that U.S. markets are more reliant on trade across the Atlantic and Pacific reduces the impact of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea on U.S. markets.

There are, however, trickle-down effects from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea that drive up the costs for everyday Americans. Increased shipping costs may force wholesalers and retailers that import and export their goods to mark up their prices to maintain margins. Consumer goods, apparel, and chemical producers are particularly vulnerable sectors. It is expected that major retailers like Walmart, H&M, and Target, which rely heavily on the Suez Canal to transport goods from Asia, will be affected.14
Joe Antoshak, “Red Sea Trouble Threatens US Freight Recovery,” FreightWaves, February 6, 2024, https://www.freightwaves.com/news/red-sea​-trouble-threatens-us-freight-recovery (accessed May 6, 2024).
As containers and goods adjust to increased shipping costs, that effect adds to inflationary pressures here at home. Americans might first see price increases across import-dependent sectors like electronics, clothing, and gasoline.

Europe is more directly affected by attacks in the Red Sea because many European countries rely on the Red Sea for 40 percent of their imports from and 10 percent of their exports to the Middle East and Asia.15
Mark John, “Explainer: What Does Red Sea Disruption Mean for Europe’s Economy?” Reuters, January 23, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/markets​/europe/what-does-red-sea-disruption-mean-europes-economy-2024-01-19/ (accessed May 6, 2024).
Delayed shipments increase prices—both factors that worsen inflation and drive up interest rates.

Energy is another problem. Russia’s war on Ukraine has increased Europe’s dependence on Middle East energy that travels through the Red Sea, with further disruptions to either Brent crude or natural gas a major concern.

If the current Middle East crisis is not resolved soon, prices for energy and goods in Europe could increase even further.

In Egypt, Red Sea disruptions have affected “the daily influx of $25 [million] to $30 million…collected through fees from ships and additional services provided by the Suez Canal Authority.” This further stresses Egypt’s troubled economy, already straining under a staggering 33.3 percent inflation rate as of March 2024 in addition to a weakening currency and historically elevated debt-to-GDP ratio of 88.97 percent. Lost revenue deepens Cairo’s long-running currency shortage and puts pressure on President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to make key structural reforms.

In March, after its currency plummeted, Egypt announced three economic deals: an $8 billion dollar deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF); a $35 billion investment deal with the Emirati Sovereign Wealth Fund (ADQ); and an $8.06 billion aid deal with the European Union. These deals provide the necessary influx of cash to buy time for Cairo. Any instability in Egypt could further exacerbate Red Sea disruptions and make the movement of U.S. naval forces between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal more difficult.

https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/BG-red-sea-houthis-incidents-map-2.gif

China’s economy—as noted, already under strain—will face added downward pressures if attacks in the Red Sea increase in lethality or frequency. Shipping has already come under attack in the Arabian Sea, and matters would be made significantly worse if such attacks were to expand into the Strait of Hormuz. These attacks increasingly pose a dilemma for China, which sources a significant share of its energy needs from the Arabian Gulf and sizeable trade with Europe. So far, however, China, like Russia, has benefited because it is not being targeted.

Maritime shipping accounts for 95 percent of China’s exports, and the Red Sea is one of the principal trade arteries upon which it relies to ship its goods to Europe. The cost of shipping goods to Europe has more than doubled since December 2023. High shipping prices come at a time when China is trying to boost its exports to offset the effects of a real estate crisis on its economy.

China imports approximately half of its crude oil from Iran (some of which is suspected of being transshipped via Malaysia) and Gulf States: Kuwait; the United Arab Emirates (UAE); Qatar; and Saudi Arabia.

So far, the Red Sea attacks have not seriously affected Chinese trade. If Beijing managed to convince the Houthis to stop attacks in the Red Sea, the result could be to justify China’s naval buildup and global port investments across strategic trade routes. For now, the Chinese are benefitting by letting the situation play out because their ships are not targeted by the Houthis.

This “protection” gives Beijing a shipping advantage over the United States and its European partners as its trade sails through uninhibited.

For Russia, threats to the energy trade could be a strategic challenge. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian oil destined for Europe has been diverted to China and India, sometimes illicitly on so-called dark fleets of unregistered tankers. These oil shipments from Russia accounted for around 75 percent of southbound Suez Canal oil traffic in the first half of 2023.

Like China’s, Russian vessels are not being targeted by the Houthis. Russian oil tankers are therefore sailing through the Red Sea largely unmolested.

Despite the wider economic impact of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, only the United Kingdom and the U.S. have conducted military operations against the Houthis. De-escalation efforts so far have failed, leaving the U.S. at risk not only of economic pressure, but also of another prolonged military confrontation in Middle East. Today’s situation was avoidable and is the product of a series of bad policy choices by the current Administration.

Biden’s Middle East Policy Mistakes

Before the horrific October 7 Hamas attacks, the Middle East was not at the top of President Biden’s action list. The Administration’s October 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS), for example, references “climate change” twice as many times as it references “Middle East.”

A year later, in September 2023, Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that the region was “quieter today than it has been in two decades. Weeks later, this statement would haunt the U.S. and Israel.

According to the NSS, decades of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East allegedly advanced “military-centric policies” rooted in an “unrealistic faith in force and regime change.” (The White House, National Security Strategy, October 2022, p. 42.)

To ensure stability and prosperity, the Biden Administration proposed a new strategic framework focused on diplomatic de-escalation with Iran. This approach, if successful, ostensibly could enable the Administration to redirect resources currently concentrated in the Middle East to focus on China’s threat to the Indo-Pacific.

This was the logic behind the Administration’s Iran-centered regional strategy with attempts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal—the deeply flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—playing a pivotal role.

Given the dire state of the region today, it is clear the Biden Administration’s Middle East strategy has failed. This failure is rooted in three key policy mistakes: the decision to appease Iran instead of confronting the regime, the decision to snub regional partners, and the decision to neglect the Abraham Accords.

Policy Mistake #1: Biden appeased Iran and permitted its aggressive behavior.

U.S. policy under the Trump Administration maximized diplomatic and economic pressure on Tehran by imposing economic sanctions and pushing back against Iranian troublemaking. More than 1,500 terrorism, missile, and nuclear sanctions targeted individuals and state institutions, costing Tehran over $200 billion from 2018–2021.

These sanctions impacted Tehran’s military spending. In 2019, Iran cut its defense spending by 28 percent, 17 percent of which was for IRGC funding alone. Sanctions therefore limited Iran’s ability to fund proxies like Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah.

https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/BG-red-sea-houthis-incidents-map-3.gif

Iranian proxy aggression was also met with strong military repercussions. On January 3, 2020, for example, the United States killed Iranian General Qassem Suleimani in response to months of attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq. This response sent a clear signal to Tehran that it would pay a high price if its proxies continued to attack U.S. forces in the region. For a while, this act had a chilling effect on Iran’s proxy attacks on U.S. forces and interests.

When President Biden came to office, however, his Administration made several concessions to appease Iran in the naïve hope that it would facilitate a quick return to the JCPOA and stop attacks by Iran’s regional proxies. Tehran demanded that Washington lift all sanctions imposed by the Trump Administration’s “maximum pressure campaign” and remove its designation of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. That demand, if granted, would have given Tehran even more benefits than it received under the original nuclear deal, which only lifted nuclear sanctions.

Iran also demanded that Washington guarantee that it would not withdraw from the agreement again—something that no President can promise. After more than seven rounds of indirect negotiations facilitated by Russia in Vienna, Austria, the Administration was left with no agreement. Instead, it faced an increasingly hostile Iran.

Between January 2021 and March 2023, Iran and its proxies attacked U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria more than 83 times. The U.S. responded to these attacks only four times. By ignoring the threat, the Biden Administration gave Tehran and its proxies a green light to escalate their attacks on U.S. forces and regional partners.

Even after the vicious murder of Mahsa Amini for violating Iran’s headscarf rules and the brutal crackdown on protests that followed, the Biden Administration continued its appeasement of Iran. The Administration has essentially overlooked the mullahs’ human rights violations and Iran’s destabilizing proxies in pursuit of a nuclear arms deal to the detriment of America’s relations with regional partners.

Policy Mistake #2: Biden alienated regional partners. Unlike the Trump Administration, which developed good working relationships with regional partners to confront Iran, the Biden Administration acquiesced to Tehran, hoping to entice the regime to return to the JCPOA. At the same time, the security concerns of partners such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were largely ignored.

A case in point: Despite more than 20 separate drone and missile attacks against Saudi infrastructure from January to March 2021, the Pentagon announced in June 2021 that it would withdraw missile defense systems, military hardware, and personnel that were sent to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2019 by the Trump Administration. At about the same time, President Biden paused arm sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia under agreements negotiated under the Trump Administration. These two decisions were not well received in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi because they left Gulf partners vulnerable to Iran and its proxies.

Unsurprisingly, the Iran-backed Houthis conducted hundreds of attacks against Saudi Arabia between 2021and 2022 and attacked the UAE twice in 2022.
Similar attacks took place prior to 2021 during the Trump Administration, but the U.S. imposed high costs on Iran and embraced regional partners. Following attacks during 2021 and 2022, the UAE and Saudi Arabia requested additional air defense support, and the UAE asked that the Biden Administration redesignate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Ignoring both requests, the Administration instead chose to continue talks with Iran. Then, when oil prices spiked after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the UAE and Saudi Arabia refused to take President Biden’s phone calls asking for help in supplying global energy markets.

In the summer of 2022, with gas prices high and mid-term elections pending, Biden made his first trip to the Middle East and visited Saudi Arabia and Israel. Biden, however, spent the beginning of the meeting with the Saudi King condemning Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who was present at the meeting, for allegedly approving the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi—a major insult to the crown prince.

Saudi Arabia agreed to a nominal increase in its oil output, but this verbal commitment was never implemented. Instead, the Kingdom made additional cuts in October 2022.

After a so-called apology tour around the region and approval of $5 billion in missile defense and related sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Biden Administration managed to repair its poor relationships with regional partners to some degree.

With relations thus marginally improved, the Administration looked to revive the Abraham Accords with Saudi Arabia as the next signatory.

Policy Mistake #3: Biden neglected the Abraham Accords. Negotiated by the Trump Administration and signed in September 2020 by Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain and later by Sudan and Morocco, the Abraham Accords created a pathway for increased economic and security cooperation among America, Israel, and four Arab countries, strengthening their abilities to deter Iranian aggression.


From the beginning of its term, however, the Biden Administration was hesitant to embrace the Trump Administration’s successful accords. In the summer of 2021, for example, it was reported that the State Department was avoiding the term “Abraham Accords,” referring to them instead as “normalization agreements.”

Whether or not this was true, the Administration did not make any noticeable efforts to advance the accords until nuclear negotiations with Iran failed and energy prices spiked in the summer of 2022.

Following President Biden’s visit to the region, the U.S. and Abraham Accord countries established the Negev Forum as a framework for enhanced regional cooperation. According to the State Department, the forum consists of working groups focused on clean energy, education and coexistence, food and water security, health, regional security, and tourism. The only progress in this new forum was its unveiling; ministerial meetings were postponed in March and then June 2023.

At the same time, the Biden Administration has been pushing to negotiate a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, but the Kingdom has driven a hard bargain. Saudi Arabia insists on a mutual security pact with the United States and the development of its own civilian nuclear program.

The attack on October 7, however, set back normalization talks. The Saudis are now demanding that “an independent Palestinian state be recognized along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capitol.

” Given the current war in Gaza, it is unlikely that any diplomatic push will move the needle toward normalization.

Neglecting the Abraham Accords was a missed opportunity for President Biden. If the Administration had embraced and strengthened the accords framework from the beginning, Saudi Arabia would have been more incentivized to join. More important, embracing the accords would have reassured regional partners of America’s U.S. commitment to the Middle East even as the U.S. shifted its attention to the Indo-Pacific to address the China threat.

The Consequences of Bad Policy

In the Biden Administration’s final year, the Middle East is on fire again. While Israel fights to defeat Hamas in Gaza, Iran and its proxies have stepped up their attacks against Israeli and U.S. forces across the region. In Iraq and Syria, Iranian proxies have attacked U.S. troops largely unopposed more than 168 times and with deadly consequences. On January 28, three U.S. servicemembers were killed and 34 were wounded in a drone attack by an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq.

As the situation has worsened, Congress has approved aid to Israel and passed multiple bills sanctioning Iranian officials and Iran’s energy sector. These congressional actions were taken after Iran significantly escalated tensions following a surgical Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 that killed senior IRGC leadership coordinating the attacks on Israel.

On April 14, Iran and its proxies in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria responded by launching more than 300 missiles and attack drones at Israel. All but five ballistic missiles were intercepted by Israeli air defense systems (Iron Dome and Arrow 3) and by U.S., British, French, and Jordanian aircraft. The attack was the first time the mullahs in Tehran had executed a direct attack on Israel from Iranian territory. Israel’s limited strike in response reduced tensions between the two for now, but the situation could escalate at any moment.

Meanwhile, to the south, global trade remains held hostage by the Houthis—one of several factions vying for power in war-torn Yemen. The Houthis are suspected of receiving assistance in their targeting of attacks by the persistent presence of the Iranian spy vessel Behshad, which has been in the Red Sea since 2021. The spy ship, however, is currently en route back to Iran, likely decreasing the Houthis’ ability to target vessels accurately.

The Houthis their attacks in April, but have since resumed attacking ships.
Because of these attacks, half of the global shipping fleet that regularly travels the Red Sea is rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. This represents significant lost business for the Egyptian Suez Canal and is costing global shipping companies billions of dollars in additional fuel, delays, and insurance premiums.

Charting a Path Forward

Washington’s actions have neither curtailed nor diminished the impact on the attacks in the Red Sea. Sadly, the Biden Administration refuses to take concrete, material steps to shift its failed policies, apparently preferring to leave the problem for a future President. A future Administration should therefore:

Disrupt material weapon supplies to the Houthis. Since November 2023, the United States and the United Kingdom have conducted a series of targeted attacks against the Houthis in Yemen. The objective of these strikes is to degrade the Houthis’ capability to attack shipping in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. Until weapon supplies from Iran are cut off, however, the Houthis will be able to continue attacks in the Red Sea. In international waters, in accordance with international law, all navies retain the right to “approach and visit” vessels suspected of piracy, slave trading, falsely broadcasting their flag state, or failing to fly a flag of their registered state. Additionally, the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of weapons to the Houthis in Yemen violates both United Nations Resolution 2216 and international law. These authorities grant the U.S. and its allies wide margin to interdict shipping headed for Yemen. U.S. and partner navies should therefore collaborate with partner navies and regional partners to interdict arms shipments headed to Yemen and close overland smuggling routes through Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Restore and enforce the Houthis’ Designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. On January 17, 2024, the Biden Administration redesignated the Houthis as Specially Designated Terrorists (SDGT), reinstating one of the two terrorist designations put on the Houthis by the Trump Administration. The SDGT designation took effect on February 16. But not redesignating the Houthis as an FTO means that only limited asset freezes can be implemented. This additional designation would impose more significant constraints, including immigration restrictions on members of the organization simply by virtue of their membership, whereas SDGT travel restrictions are much more constrained.

The FTO designation also triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organization. Licenses and exemptions can be drafted for both FTOs and SGDTs, but only an FTO designation triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organization.

Potential criminal prosecution makes multinational aid organizations, international banks, shipping companies, and suppliers nervous about possibly violating U.S. laws. While an FTO designation would create a legally challenging environment for aid organizations, it would not be impossible to get needed aid to those who merit it.

Strengthen the Abraham Accords. Shying away from the Abraham Accords was a strategic miscalculation for the Biden Administration. The Accords shifted the geopolitical order in the Middle East because they set up a framework that could be used to explore new defense, investment, and political opportunities to bring together Israel and Arab partners under American leadership. A future Administration should look for opportunities to advance the collective interests of countries participating today in these Accords, notably with enhanced economic cooperation.

Given the current war in Gaza, the U.S. should explore opportunities to strengthen trade cooperation through the Dubai–Haifa “land corridor.” This proposed route would connect Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port in the UAE to Israel’s Haifa port via roads through Saudi Arabia and Jordan. This corridor would allow trade to bypass the Red Sea and sets the conditions for more regional trade agreements that encourage more nations to join the Abraham Accords. Doing so will build trust between Israel and its Arab partners and it will weaken China’s influence in the region.

Conclusion

Make no mistake: The Middle East is aflame because of the Biden Administration’s poor policy choices. The United States must be strategic in its approach to avoid falling into another Middle East conflict. The Houthi threat in the Red Sea is a symptom of a larger problem with Iran. To address this threat, the United States must embrace its Arab and Israeli partners to isolate Iran. Greater sanctions pressure and weapons interdiction are short-term solutions, but in the long term, America must work to strengthen the Abraham Accords in a way that creates more burden-sharing among Arab partners to address this threat, the United States must embrace its Arab and Israeli partners to isolate Iran. Greater sanctions pressure and weapons interdiction are short-term solutions, but in the long term, America must work to strengthen the Abraham Accords in a way that creates more burden-sharing among Arab partners to address the Iranian threat so that the United States can focus on China.

The President should have embraced the Abraham Accords and sustained comprehensive pressure on Iran. Instead, the Administration redeployed deterrent military capabilities out of the Middle East, spurned key regional partners such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, ignored attacks against U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq, eased sanctions, and released funds—all to appease Iran. Its actions have effectively enabled our top regional adversary to finance and supply its proxies that are behind all of the chaos that we see today. Moreover, the massive April 14 missile and drone attack against Israel is a clear escalation by Iran and must not be viewed as in any way acceptable. To reverse course and ultimately to keep Iran in check, the Biden Administration must embrace its Israeli partner instead of appeasing its Iranian adversary.

Without U.S. leadership, the Middle East will look for alternative partners. China is already making commercial and strategic inroads in the region. The Middle East links Europe, Africa, and Asia and is home to key commercial, communication, and energy arteries that the Chinese Communist Party relies on to sustain its economy. Taking a step back from the Middle East will open the door for greater Chinese encroachment and further elbow the U.S. out at great security and economic risk to all Americans.

Brent Sadler is Senior Research Fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation.

Nicole Robinson is Senior Research Associate for the Middle East in the Allison Center.

[Buddahaid]

Here's the 100K supporters on Jersey Beach. :har::har::har:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypuff6LcU04

[Reece]

Good grief, I had to see it to believe it!! :o
Don't know whether to laugh or cry!! :doh::oops:

[August]

Good grief, I had to see it to believe it!! :o
Don't know whether to laugh or cry!! :doh::oops:




Reece you're a sucker if you believe anything that Budda claims about Trump. Especially when his own candidate doesn't even dare to hold rallies in order to prevent being embarrassed by the lack of interest.

[mapuc]

Do not watch these type of videos, 'cause they are filled with anti-propaganda.
In this case anti-Trump propaganda. Same would be happening if it was an anti-Biden video.

I did watch them before, however everyone makes mistakes.

Markus

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5udtSQ-LtM0

[August]

Impeachment resolution introduced against Biden. The highlighted portions are lifted verbatim from the resolution against Trump.


https://i.imgur.com/mWpj8ok.jpg

[em2nought]

Impeachment resolution introduced against Biden. The highlighted portions are lifted verbatim from the resolution against Trump.


https://i.imgur.com/mWpj8ok.jpg

We all know that for want of a more precise word, the democrats have "better" lawyers so why not use their own words against them. :D

I think they may try to bring one final surprise witness, after Cohen, to point to where bad man orange hurt him. ;)

https://legalinsurrection.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Hillary-Clinton-Epstein-Tweet-ClintonBodyCount-e1565484127432-600x422.jpg

[August]

We all know that for want of a more precise word, the democrats have "better" lawyers so why not use their own words against them. :D


I think it's genius. It puts every Democrat who voted for impeachment in the position of having to explain what is different when it's about their guy.


I think they may try to bring one final surprise witness, after Cohen, to point to where bad man orange hurt him. ;)
Picture removed due to photographers impending "suicide".




:)

Barring that it seems to me that the states entire case rests upon the believably of a convicted perjurer with a known hatred of trump who has been making money grinding an axe against him for several years now. It should be obvious to the jury that this guy will say anything to maximize that revenue flow.


As the Alabama AG attending the trial put it: "...the only thing the jury is going to be able to conclude is that while Michael Cohen made a career on monetizing his relationship with Donald Trump, his testimony in this case was designed to monetize his ability to get Donald Trump a conviction, and that is not going to play very well"

[vienna]

Here's the 100K supporters on Jersey Beach. :har::har::har:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypuff6LcU04

Reece you're a sucker if you believe anything that Budda claims about Trump. Especially when his own candidate doesn't even dare to hold rallies in order to prevent being embarrassed by the lack of interest.



Hmm, I know this from Newsweek, but, dang, if they ain't a-quoting Fox News...


Fox News Questions Donald Trump's Rally Size -

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-new-jersey-rally-crowd-jesse-watters-1900281#:~:text=Stuart%20Varney%2C%20co-host%20of,his%20latest%20White%20House%20bid.



<O>

[vienna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3K_yqL4i0k



<O>

[Otto Harkaman]

So the picture they always show is from a photo-op?

He says he had no physical intimacy with her?

She basically tried to blackmail him?

Is Micheal Cohen in fact an accomplice who tried to help her blackmail Trump?

[Otto Harkaman]

I just don't know how someone could become so obsessed, almost like he fell in love with Donald Trump and then when dumped he had to do everything to extract some revenge.

Look at his wife's face, hey Micheal there is the cost of your obsession

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/14/17/84859539-0-image-a-27_1715705132519.jpg

[Buddahaid]

So the picture they always show is from a photo-op?

He says he had no physical intimacy with her?

She basically tried to blackmail him?

Is Micheal Cohen in fact an accomplice who tried to help her blackmail Trump?

It doesn't matter if they actually had sex, or not. The issue is there was money paid to her by Cohen to keep the story out of the news before the 2016 election on Trump's order, that was later reimbursed to Cohen, and nearly doubled to compensate for Cohen's tax burden and called a legal expense on Trump's books. You don't pay your lawyers taxes for them when paying their bills for legal services rendered therefore making the book entries falsified. It's not some rarely used law Trump broke, it's been used thousands of times in NY going after drug traffickers and others laundering money.

[Otto Harkaman]

Do they have an actual recording of Trump ordering Cohen to do this?

Is there any other collaborating witness to Cohen's testimony?

But we can say there is no evidence of Trump having physical intimacy with Stormy other than her testimony?

And I don't understand your expose into entry book fraud? If Trump paid Cohen so what? Did Cohen not pay taxes on it?

And that is conjecture that keeping that story out of the press helped Donald Trump. Maybe if the story would have aired it would have helped him even more because it seems as if this porn star was just trying to blackmail him.

Lets talk about his opponent in that election, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose compromised private email server allowed untold damage to National Security. Dropping the ball on the Benghazi attack, we had a United States Ambassador killed in the streets!

[Buddahaid]

Do they have a actual recording of Trump ordering Cohen to do this?

Is there any other collaborating witness to Cohen's testimony?

But we can say there is no evidence of Trump having physical intimacy with Stormy other than her testimony?

And I don't understand your expose into entry book fraud? If Trump paid Cohen so what? Did Cohen not pay taxes on it?

And that is conjecture that keeping that story out of the press helped Donald Trump. Maybe if the story would have aired it would have helped him even more because it seems as if this porn star was just trying to blackmail him.

Lets talk about his opponent in that election, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose compromised private email server allowed untold damage to National Security. Dropping the ball on the Benghazi attack, we had a United States Ambassador killed in the streets!

Yes, there is evidence for all of it, and it's pretty damning, but it's too long to go into here. Phone records, text records, audio recordings, witness testimony, etc.

Trump tried to hide he paid her off by falsifying business records before the election, and right after the Access Hollywood recording went public. There are records of Trump saying it would harm his election if it went public and for Cohen to "take care of it". Falsifying business records is a crime and it's then tied to election interference by Trumps statements which are in evidence.

Hillary is not on trial and irrelevent.

[Otto Harkaman]

So what? There was no money laundering if any of this is true.

All the falsified documents were of Cohen's doing to conceal from his wife?

Yes Hillary matters because your premise is that withholding this supposed story of a porn star claiming she had sex with Trump would have affected the election, Obviously not. Hillary's husband while President had an intern give him a blow job in the oval office and she is still married to him! Her email server was exposed by Wiener exposing himself geez. Who cares about Trump

The whole thing seems to me that Cohen used Stormy's blackmail attempt to force a power move on (Blackmail) Trump to appoint him to some position in his cabinet.

[Buddahaid]

So what? There was no money laundering if any of this is true.

All the falsified documents were of Cohen's doing to conceal from his wife?

Yes Hillary matters because your premise is that withholding this supposed story of a porn star claiming she had sex with Trump would have affected the election, Obviously not. Hillary's husband while President had an intern give him a blow job in the oval office and she is still married to him! Her email server was exposed by Wiener exposing himself geez. Who cares about Trump

The whole thing seems to me that Cohen used Stormy's blackmail attempt to force a power move on (Blackmail) Trump to appoint him to some position in his cabinet.

I don't agree but we'll see when the verdict is reached. It shouldn't be more than about two weeks in coming.

Then there is this Friday where Trump is supposed to go to Baron's graduation after making a fuss about the mean judge who's allowing him to go. I bet he dodges that and goes fundraising in Minnesota.

Trump's whole blather about not being able to campaign falls flat since he's only in court about 60% of the whole time the trial's been going on.

[em2nought]

Hillary is not on trial and irrelevent.

Can you imagine if Clinton appeared in the witness box? That sketch artist's days would surely be numbered. :har:

[Rockstar]

This is gonna be good. I guess there’s only much Adderall and Mydayis in the world.
Really hope they concentrate on the good and bad of current foreign and domestic policy instead of the usual childish kook fringe drama and conspiracy theories like above

https://insiderpaper.com/topic/news/usa/

Biden proposes June and September election debates with Donald Trump, ditching the decades-old tradition of three fall meetings organized by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

[Rockstar]

Inflation hits 20 percent under Biden, pushing small businesses to the brink

https://thehill.com/opinion/4663651-inflation-hits-20-percent-under-biden-pushing-small-businesses-to-the-brink/

On Wednesday, the country hit a sad milestone: Inflation under President Biden hit 20 percent. The dollar’s value has plummeted under his watch. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also confirmed that the consumer price index is resurgent and growing faster than average wages. Combined with weak GDP growth, this data shows the U.S. economy is reentering stagflation.
Historic inflation is causing declining living standards and a cost-of-living crisis. Under Biden’s presidency, grocery prices have increased by nearly one-third and gas has risen by 50 percent. It feels like every daily convenience — from a turkey sandwich to some handyman help — has increased by 50 percent or more.

Yet Biden seems entirely out of touch with this reality. In a recent CNN interview, he responded to these inflation numbers by claiming, “They have the money to spend.” In reality, it now costs the average American family $12,000 more to maintain the same living standards as before President Biden took office.
Biden also tried to deflect from this consumer pain by claiming he inherited high inflation. Fact-check: Inflation was 1.4 percent when he took office.
The situation is especially bad for small businesses. “Customers that used to come in every week now come in every three weeks,” says Joe Germanotta, a New York restauranteur. This statement reflects what I’m hearing from small businesses nationwide. When people are faced with $20 for a burger or $10 for dry cleaning, they choose to eat and do laundry at home instead.
Small business economic woes are compounded by a credit crunch and crime. Resurgent inflation has forced the Federal Reserve to hold interest rates at 22-year highs, restricting access to capital entrepreneurs need to thrive. One-third of small businesses say increased crime is reducing their earnings.
Democrats’ regulatory and tax onslaught will only add more pressure. The Biden administration recently issued rules expanding overtime pay, banning noncompete contracts, mandating electric vehicle use and regulating internet access. The Corporate Transparency Act, which took effect this year, burdens every small business with annoying reporting requirements and the risk of jail time for noncompliance.
Biden recently promised that if he’s reelected, he will dramatically raise taxes on small businesses by letting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire in 2025 as scheduled. That means small businesses would face a 20 percent tax hike, the end of bonus depreciation, and higher tax brackets on their earnings.

Two-thirds of respondents to JCN’s SBIQ nationwide poll of small business owners already say current economic conditions could force them to close. Massive tax hikes like these will push many past the brink.
Biden has spent a half-century in government and doesn’t know what it’s like to run a business. Most Democrats are the same, never signing the front of a paycheck. They treat small businesses as if they were a state of nature, like the Great Lakes or Rocky Mountains.
In reality, small businesses need the right policy environment to thrive — and even survive. What Democrats still can’t do is pass a mandate to stop small businesses from simply closing their doors in the face of these threats and choosing to do something less productive. At least not yet.

[August]

Inflation hits 20 percent under Biden, pushing small businesses to the brink


Just the other day Biden was claiming that inflation was 9% when he took office. The truth is that it was at less than 2% and it didn't hit 9% until he was halfway through his (hopefully only) term.

[mapuc]

Can you solely blame Biden for your high inflation ?

Heck it's not only the States who are fighting high inflation.

Markus

[August]

Can you solely blame Biden for your high inflation ?

Heck it's not only the States who are fighting high inflation.

Markus

Well Biden is the one who is trying pin it on his predecessor, so why not? It's like how he tries to take credit for creating the jobs that people went back to after the end of the covid lockdown. The man is a serial liar and should be held accountable.

[Rockstar]

Slinging blame is easy. The hard part is finding someone who will take responsibility. I look at it as a change of command it’s now this administration's responsibility.

[Rockstar]

So it looks like June 27th is the day for the 1st big debate. Both ought to submit to a drug test beforehand. Bet they’d be disqualified.

[em2nought]

Of course Sleepy Joe is responsible for inflation. Green new raw deal for the USA. Biden and his Davos buddies. Nothing that dude does is designed to benefit the average citizen in the USA. He doesn't even seem to care about voters so what might that tell you? :hmmm:

[Gorpet]

RFK jr. has now challenged Trump to debate. Let’s see how the big strong man takes up that offer, or will he run away farting a smoke screen of lame excuses like he did for the primaries?

You do know, Joey and the rest of the country club, Have denied RFK secret service protection. In his run for President.

[Gorpet]

[QUOTE=Rockstar;2910842]

But it was still a direct attack on our basic government and type of Democracy. :yep:

Ok what is a basic government ? Are you equating the homeowners association as a form of Democracy ?

Damn i am more than a mile behind , I leave it to ya goodby.

[Buddahaid]

Today, Trump's defense has rested, and the big strong man will once again chicken out and not testify.

And on another note, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. has released their SEC Form 10Q showing earnings of $700,000.00 and loss of $327,000,000.00. I wonder how this will look in three months when the lock is lifted, and Trump dumps all his shares for cash and runs away.

Plus, the "anywhere, anytime, anyplace" man is already having his media groupies walk back on the statement and complaining like the nest of Karen snowflakes they all are. :Kaleun_Applaud:

Here's the 10Q form.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/sec.irpass.cc/2660/0001140361-24-026889.pdf

[August]

Today, Trump's defense has rested, and the big strong man will once again chicken out and not testify.

And why should he? Defendants only testify when it looks like they might lose and that doesn't seem to be the case with such a weak and flawed prosecution as your side has put on here.

It's just like your boy old Joe finally agreeing to have a debate Trump (with many conditions). We both know he wouldn't dare leave his basement if his campaign wasn't in major trouble.

How are you going to deal with it when Trump gets back in the oval office again? :)

[Rockstar]

So The US State Department sent its condolences to the Islamic regime of Iran after the death of Ebrahim Raisi, otherwise known as "The Butcher of Tehran."

Wow, Joe Biden is really worried about losing Michigan kisses Irans arse for personal political gain


If the Biden administration is looking to offer sincere condolences I suggest they start with the families of US service members killed by Iranian terrorists, their surrogates, and equipment provided.

They can also offer their condolences to the Iranian people mourning the execution, imprisonment, torture, rape and abuse of family members who suffered under Raisi’s tenure.

—————-

Now compare the above Biden Build Back Better BS to to a time when we stood for something. Before some weak senile old man democrat got into office. Below is how we used to view murderous governments


WILLIAM J. CLINTON

42nd President of the United States: 1993 ‐ 2001
Statement on the Death of Pol Pot

April 16, 1998
The death of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot has again brought to international attention one of the most tragic chapters of inhumanity in the twentieth century. Between 1975 and 1979, Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge followers transformed Cambodia into the killing fields, causing the death of an estimated 2 million of their countrymen in a brutal attempt to transform Cambodian society.

Although the opportunity to hold Pol Pot accountable for his monstrous crimes appears to have passed, senior Khmer Rouge, who exercised leadership from 1975 to 1979, are still at large and share responsibility for the monstrous human rights abuses committed during this period. We must not permit the death of the most notorious of the Khmer Rouge leaders to deter us from the equally important task of bringing these others to justice. And equally, we must renew our determination to prevent such atrocities from occurring in the future.

Now is a time to remember the victims of Pol Pot's murderous reign of terror and to underscore our determination to help the Cambodian people achieve a lasting peace based on respect for basic human rights and democratic principles.

[Oubaas]

Never vote for anyone who desires to hold political office. If you insist on voting, which in my opinion invokes 2 John 1:11, use your write-in vote and vote for someone who has no interest in becoming involved in politics.

Filling public offices should be done by conscription lottery, like the draft.

"You're looking glum today, what's the matter?"

"I got a notice from the draft board. I have to be president for the next four years!"

Personally, I'd go AWOL. I'd desert so fast it would make their heads spin. When it comes to things like that, I'm with Hazel from John Steinbeck's "Cannery Row".

All political parties look at the voting populace and think to themselves, "Never give a sucker an even break."

:Kaleun_Cheers:

[Buddahaid]

How are you going to deal with it when Trump gets back in the oval office again? :)

Like an adult and accept the results unlike a lot of people cooling their heels in prison and awaiting trial.

[mapuc]

Like an adult and accept the results unlike a lot of people cooling their heels in prison and awaiting trial.

He can get a prison verdict-This does not prevent him from being elected as your next President.

In this ongoing trial I think he will get a fine nothing more.

Markus

[Rockstar]

He can get a prison verdict-This does not prevent him from being elected as your next President.

In this ongoing trial I think he will get a fine nothing more.

Markus

A fine sure beats selling out for votes by mourning the lose of a murderer like the Butcher of Tehran.

[em2nought]

A fine sure beats selling out for votes by mourning the loss of a murderer like the Butcher of Tehran.

At least Brandon has a low down dirty reason for sending condolences to Iran over "The Butcher of Tehran", Brandon's buddies at the UN and NATO are taking a moment of silence, and sending their condolences because it's how they genuinely feel about the guy apparently. :o

[Skybird]

https://www-focus-de.translate.goog/politik/ausland/gastbeitrag-von-gabor-steingart-abstieg-einer-grossmacht-die-7-krankheiten-die-den-usa-zu-schaffen-machen_id_259972653.html?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de


The US government debt brake is not holding. Congress has already adjusted the borrowing limit 78 times since 1960. 49 times under Republican presidents and 29 times under Democratic presidents. No matter who is in power: Enough is never enough, which is why the American state as a whole had to raise one trillion dollars for interest payments for the first time in 2023.

Citizens are no better than their state. Savings reached an all-time low in 2023 and credit card debt reached an all-time high. The upturn in the economy - driven by government and private borrowing - is the best upturn money can buy.

[Rockstar]

Oh Skybird, you’re such a worrywart. We’re in good hands, nothing to see here, move along now.

https://youtu.be/Ux-K2kakA70?si=gRwWGTUUuj5-r0tc

[mapuc]

Will we see a refugee stream going from US to Europe in some years from now ?
Where American citizens are fleeing the situation in their country.

Markus

[Rockstar]

Naw that’ll never happen. I read a lot of news from around the world and IMO in Europe there seems to be a lot of the same things or worse going on over there. ;)

Remember it was only a few short years ago the world witnessed German police as they were cheered on by the facist usual suspects here, arrest Santa Claus for not wearing a mask. :har:

As long as I can carry and shoot ‘the Lord's caliber’ from my 1873 wheel gun I’ll be happy. Mess with that and we got us a problem ;)

[Skybird]

Oh Skybird, you’re such a worrywart. We’re in good hands, nothing to see here, move along now.

https://youtu.be/Ux-K2kakA70?si=gRwWGTUUuj5-r0tc


Oh man, John Cleese really has grown old, I almost did not recognize him.

[mapuc]

Here is some fun clips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6C9QWmJYYw&ab_channel=JeffDunham

Markus

[Rockstar]

Here is some fun clips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6C9QWmJYYw&ab_channel=JeffDunham

Markus

That was funny, really got a kick outta that. But I have to ask, do y’all have that kinda of entertainment about your own politicians In Europe? I’d like see some of that if you do, don’t worry about translating anything I got that covered.

If you don’t, it might explain the European infatuation and ungodly number of posts in the American politicos thread.

[Dargo]

^ Sure we have on national TV like you remember "spitting image", "Charlie Hebdo" and other satire in Europe we ridicule our kings, queens and leaders for centuries before the creation of the US. Over the last centuries, European political cartoonists have faced prison, censorship and death threats.

[mapuc]

That was funny, really got a kick outta that. But I have to ask, do y’all have that kinda of entertainment about your own politicians In Europe? I’d like see some of that if you do, don’t worry about translating anything I got that covered.

If you don’t, it might explain the European infatuation and ungodly number of posts in the American politicos thread.

If I in some way have mocked the Americans, then I'm so sorry this was not my intention behind my posting of this video.

I thought that you Americans make fun of your elected politicians like we do.

Here in Denmark and Sweden we do not have dolls-puppets but real people dressed and act like some known politicians.

Where we have something called Cirkus Revyen

As Dargo wrote they have spitting image in UK and Charlie Hebdo in France

Markus

[Skybird]

If you don’t, it might explain the European infatuation and ungodly number of posts in the American politicos thread.
We have a thread on the UK and a thread on Germany and none of the two is a compliment, and a thread on economics and a thread on energy, the latter two also often focussing on stories from the EU, so the kicking and beating is hardly focussed on just the US.

[mapuc]

We have a thread on the UK and a thread on Germany and none of the two is a compliment, and a thread on economics and a thread on energy, the latter two also often focussing on stories from the EU, so the kicking and beating is hardly focussed on just the US.

The problem is when it is an outsider who post certain thing in a country thread like the US-politics thread.

This is what I did I made fun of the elected politicians in US while not being an American

But you're right kicking and beating is hardly focused on US only

Markus

[em2nought]

Harris Faulkner's tribute to her father who served in Vietnam is worth watching if you get a chance this Memorial Day. :Kaleun_Salute:

https://nation.foxnews.com/vietnam-footsteps-of-my-father-w-harris-faulkner-nation/

[Rockstar]

Somewhere floating around in the Mediterranean Sea is Biden’s 320 million dollar pier looking for its army personnel.

https://www.twz.com/news-features/gaza-aid-pier-lasted-less-than-two-weeks-before-breaking-apart

Pretty much analogous to the rest of his Middle East policy so far. Pissing off the Saudis, driving up oil prices, releasing billions to Iran, removing Houthi off terror list who then closed the Red Sea to shipping driving up the price of goods supported by the money he gave to Iran. And now a busted up 320 million debacle in Gaza attempting to pander to voters here in the U.S.

[mapuc]

All 12 Jury member have found Trump Guilty

What Verdict he will get we may know in some days from now.

https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-05-30-24/index.html

Markus

[Jeff-Groves]

Somewhere floating around in the Mediterranean Sea is Biden’s 320 million dollar pier looking for its army personnel.


No one remembers the past. I seem to recall details of Mulberry harbours.
But that was 1940's tech so guess that's just not good enough nowdays.
:hmmm:

[Skybird]

Trump 0 - Jury 34 .

[Skybird]

Media report Biden is to allow limited strikes inside Russia with US weapons for defending Charkiv.

Should I laugh or yell or cry now?

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/30/politics/biden-ukraine-limited-strikes-russia/index.html

[mapuc]

Trumps sentencing will come in the beginning of July and could face up to 4 years in prison.

He can still run for Presidency and become the next President.

This have made me wonder-What's going to happen if his sentence is 1½ years in prison and he win the election ?

Markus

[Buddahaid]

Trumps sentencing will come in the beginning of July and could face up to 4 years in prison.

He can still run for Presidency and become the next President.

This have made me wonder-What's going to happen if his sentence is 1½ years in prison and he win the election ?

Markus

Somehow, I don't see jail as a sentence but personally, I like to see him picking up trash along the freeways for a year or so.

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Non-story. Criminalization of crime.

[Buddahaid]

Big story. He was convicted on the evidence by a jury he helped pick. His defense was crap and likely so because Trump doesn't listen to anyone but his ego.

[Reece]

Ah yes, his mirror! :03:

[August]

Big story. He was convicted on the evidence by a jury he helped pick. His defense was crap and likely so because Trump doesn't listen to anyone but his ego.


You got the conviction you were hoping for. How you gonna feel when it helps him win the election?

[Platapus]

This have made me wonder-What's going to happen if his sentence is 1½ years in prison and he win the election ?

Markus


If he is elected president, on 20 Jan, his sentence will be paused and will continue when his term is over. The state where he was convicted would have an opportunity to suspend the remaining part of his sentence, but they are not required to.

[Skybird]

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung comments:


The guilty verdict of the twelve jurors from Manhattan came surprisingly quickly. Even after 21 days of trial and a six-hour plea, the charges seem contrived. In addition, the key witness, Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen, has a much-discussed credibility problem. But from the jury's point of view, the prosecution has provided sufficient evidence that Donald Trump incorrectly accounted for the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He was trying to cover up an alleged affair with her. The hush money payment shortly before the 2016 presidential election is classified as a violation of New York's election law.

The jury has done its job, its verdict is to be respected and must be recorded as a success for New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Contrary to the insinuations of Donald Trump and his entourage, the twelve jurors from Manhattan are not a homogenous left-liberal fighting force. When the jury was selected, two members, a banker and a salesman, stated that they had used conservative media, Fox News and Truth Social, Trump's social platform, among others. They also found the ex-president guilty; in criminal proceedings, a jury verdict must be unanimous, otherwise it fails due to a so-called "hung jury".
Nevertheless, the verdict cannot help but have a political effect. The fact that the trial took place in the middle of an election year and was conducted against the Republican presidential candidate alone ensures this.

Now there are good reasons for bringing Trump to court, and it is not the role of an independent judiciary to follow the political calendar. But the timing of the start of the trial just when the primaries had been decided seemed suspect, at least to Republicans.
When the hush money trial began on April 15, both parties used the courtroom as an election campaign arena. Republican politicians flocked in groups to portray Trump as a martyr and victim of justice in front of the cameras. On the day of the closing arguments, the Biden campaign could not resist inviting people to a press event outside the courtroom. In view of the spectacle, one has to ask whether the trial has not done the credibility of the judiciary a disservice.

An uncomfortable mix of justice and politics also characterizes the other pending criminal trials. In Florida, Judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by Trump, has been delaying the secret documents trial for months. In this case, Trump is accused of embezzling secret documents from the White House and of serious obstruction of justice. The 43-year-old judge is notable for having listened to several procedural complaints from Trump's lawyers, who are clearly pursuing a delaying tactic.

It is unclear when the trial can begin, and it is unlikely to be before the elections in November. The New York Times painted a picture of an eager but inexperienced judge who is torpedoing a trial with her hesitation. It goes without saying that the Democrats see this as a political intention to postpone the start of the trial until after the November election.

Finally, in Washington, the Trump trial, which is the most important in terms of democracy, is being delayed. It concerns the attempted coup and the storming of the Capitol. The indictment was filed in July 2023 at the instigation of the special investigator appointed by the Department of Justice. But the judge at the District Court of the District of Columbia, Tanya Chutkan, cannot begin the trial until the Supreme Court decides whether US presidents enjoy immunity during their term of office. Depending on how the Supreme Court is likely to decide in June, the trial can continue or must be discontinued.

The fact that the Supreme Court is taking its time with this irritates the Democrats. Since the Dobbs ruling, which curbed American women's freedom to have an abortion, they have been convinced that the conservative majority is deliberately pursuing an ideological agenda. Political polarization is also noticeable within the highest court. The three left-liberal and the six conservative judges often appear to be at odds in their oral hearings and written verdicts.
Ideological self-portrayals, such as the recent flag scandal involving Judge Samuel Alito, are not conducive to credibility. The Washington Post revealed that flags that were also used during the storming of the Capitol were hoisted on two of Alito's properties. One represents the "Stop the Steal" movement of Trump supporters, the other is popular with Christian nationalists.

A political coloring of the judiciary is inherent in the constitutional system of the USA. Federal judges and the Attorney General are nominated by the President and then confirmed by the Senate. The Supreme Court, for example, underwent a significant political change under President Trump when he was able to fill three judges' seats with conservatives.

In many states, prosecutors and police commanders are elected by the people. They take an oath that they will perform their office independently and impartially. But that seems to be getting more and more difficult, especially when the defendant is called Donald Trump and is a presidential candidate. The political rift has contaminated the judiciary.

[mapuc]

If he is elected president, on 20 Jan, his sentence will be paused and will continue when his term is over. The state where he was convicted would have an opportunity to suspend the remaining part of his sentence, but they are not required to.

Thank you so much.

Guess what it was written in a Danish newspaper yesterday evening was wrong it said that if Trump get a prison verdict and win the Presidential election he has to run as President from his cell.

The supporters of Biden are overwhelming happy-They think Trumps career is over and done with.

Markus

[August]

Thank you so much.

Guess what it was written in a Danish newspaper yesterday evening was wrong it said that if Trump get a prison verdict and win the Presidential election he has to run as President from his cell.

The supporters of Biden are overwhelming happy-They think Trumps career is over and done with.

Markus


Platapus is an expert in US Constitutional law so he may be able to come up with a statue to support that but I'm not sure that any potential prison sentence would be "paused".

As for Trumps career, watch the US presidential polls over the next couple weeks and you'll know if that is true or not.

[mapuc]

As for Trumps career, watch the US presidential polls over the next couple weeks and you'll know if that is true or not.

You don't have to, in the morning news here it was told that Trumps campaign fond had a few breakdowns during the day due to massive contribution

Markus

[August]

You don't have to, in the morning news here it was told that Trumps campaign fond had a few breakdowns during the day due to massive contribution

Markus


That is an encouraging sign but lets see how it plays out in the polls over the next few weeks.

[mapuc]

That is an encouraging sign but lets see how it plays out in the polls over the next few weeks.

Which you really can't use because some percentage would be classified as sympathy voters.

No in the end of Oct. Nov. The real polls will show how far in front he is or how far back he is.

In a couple of weeks from now he will be in a clear front, This until these sympathy voters leave.

I could be wrong though

Markus

[ET2SN]

If he is elected president, on 20 Jan, his sentence will be paused and will continue when his term is over. The state where he was convicted would have an opportunity to suspend the remaining part of his sentence, but they are not required to.

If he is elected president, on 20 Jan, he'll still need to check in with his parole officer.

:Kaleun_Wink:

[mapuc]

It didn't take long
"Trump will appeal guilty verdict in hush-hush case"

https://ekstrabladet-dk.translate.goog/nyheder/trump-vil-anke-afgoerelse-om-skyld-i-tys-tys-sag/10252769?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=da&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Markus

[ET2SN]

One of the things that no one has thought about, yet.

Trump can no longer be briefed on anything classified as "Secret" or above. :yep:

Those Presidential Daily Briefing folders would be a snap to prepare. Just a newspaper and maybe the latest edition of People magazine. :O:

[Rockstar]

Transpac ecommerce freighters on pause as US Customs checks every parcel

https://theloadstar.com/transpac-ecommerce-freighters-on-pause-as-us-customs-checks-every-parcel/

By Alex Lennane 31/05/2024
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency is inspecting every single ecommerce shipment coming from mainland China on freighters – leading to airport congestion, delays and the cancellation or suspension of some flights, according to sources.

“All freighters coming into LAX from mainland China, many of which are Shein and Temu, are going straight to Customs warehouses for full inspection,” said one source at LAX.

“And CBP is finding a lot of illegal stuff. There is fentanyl, drug-making equipment and misdeclarations of value to meet the de minimis threshold.”

The source added: “The US is finally cracking down on every shipment, and this is slowing things down a lot. The customs warehouse is packed full, and it’s causing a huge backlog of ecommerce.”

With estimates of 100 freighters a day carrying ecommerce into the US, perhaps 100 tons on each – there is a significant amount of cargo to check.

“The past few months have all been about new carriers coming in with more ecommerce,” said a source. “But we are now seeing these services suspended. We were, for example, expecting a five-times-a-week flight into Chicago, and that is on hold now.”

Another planned high-frequency flight into New York is also thought to have been paused.

One large forwarder confirmed that CBP are checking documentation and cargo descriptions “very closely”.

“It’s a sign that US Customs is trying to make it more difficult.”

One source named several freighter operators that were suspending flights. Shipments on flights from Hong Kong, according to sources, are not being checked, however, the US focusing on flights from the Chinese mainland.

A charter broker commented that the market was “really nervous”. Indeed, no one in the US air cargo industry wanted to go on the record – and the source said his Chinese customers were especially worried.

He said: “Temu has got a lot of capacity booked until the end of the year, and they’re starting to get very nervous about that.”

He added: “I’ve just received a note from our Chinese government guy that says ‘let us use an old Chinese saying. let the arrow fly a little, then we will know what happened’. They are really nervous, and just waiting to see what happens.”

At least one Chinese mainland carrier is thought to have halted freighters temporarily, to ensure that all shipments were fully checked at origin before going to the US, according to one source. Another said carriers such as CMA CGM Air Cargo, which was planning to begin flights from China to the US, would likely have to pause the launch slated for June. CMA CGM was approached for comment.

But sources said the US was unlikely to stop checking shipments any time soon, particularly following the discovery of fentanyl and drug-making equipment. Tighter security on the Mexican border has led drug smugglers to identify other routes – and air cargo is now one of them.

US Airforwarders Association executive director Brandon Fried told The Loadstar last month that the government’s focus on preventing the import of illegal drugs, or their chemical parts, could lead to 100% screening of all inbound shipments – which is effectively what is happening now.

He urged the government to find another method, warning that more screening would cause delays and congestion.

One ecommerce source said this was the real question for US air logistics now.

“Will [these illegal shipments] lead to additional screening measures for all inbound cargo? That is a good question.”

Fentanyl caused the death of 200 Americans every day in 2022 and over a quarter of a million have died from a fentanyl overdose since 2018. Fentanyl-type drugs reportedly caused the death of 100,000 Americans last year alone.

Check out The Loadstar’s ecommerce series, explaining the potential threats to air cargo, here.

[Platapus]

One of the things that no one has thought about, yet.

Trump can no longer be briefed on anything classified as "Secret" or above. :yep:




Well he doesn't receive any briefings now, but once he formally is nominated by the GOP, he will start to receive some briefings, just like other candidates

[Platapus]

Of course, processes for dealing with a convicted felon president are, literally, unprecedented. Since this has not come up before, there are few case studies that can serve as a guide. Laws have not been written specifically addressing presidential felons.


Most of the rules and such deal with members of congress. It would be a safe assumption, but still an assumption, that the rules would not be more restrictive for an elected president.



What we do know


1. There is no prohibition on someone running for President nor being elected if they are a felon. It is left up to the people. Bottom line, if the people want to elect Trump, he will be elected.





2. If he is elected president, the official action would be that his sentence would be held "in abeyance", which is a legal term for temporarily suspended.



3. No state charges or action can interfere with the elected president from performing his duties while in office.



4. Regardless of any court action concerning handling of classified information, by the virtue of being elected by the people, a president would have the same security accesses that other presidents have.


When it comes to presidents, the intent was that the people can be trusted to vote for the right person (stop laughing!!)



As an aside, odds are that Trump will be able to vote in November.


He is a resident of Florida and Florida law states that a convicted felon in another state will have the same voting restrictions as the felon would have in the state of conviction.



In New York, a felon is only disenfranchised if they are sent to prison and that disenfranchisement ends when they leave prison. A felon in NY who is given a suspended sentence, or no prison time can still vote in NY and therefore, can vote in Florida.



Will Trump get prison time? Unknown


Normally first offenders for these sets of crimes are not given a prison term. However, the number of convictions (34) counts against him. Also judges are influenced by the convict's conduct and whether they accept responsibilities. Trump's conduct may count against him. Claiming that the judicial system and court are corrupt is not helping him.



I think it is extremely doubtful that he will serve any years in prison. It is possible that he may be given a token "one day and one hour" sentence to serve as an example.


But like everything connected with this and other upcoming cases, we are in unprecedented territory.



People can opine on what can or can not happen, but I don't think anyone is in a position to credibly predict what will happen.



We live in interesting times.

[mapuc]

Then I must have remembered wrong, 'cause during my research about felony running for President I found something interesting it was around 1896 where some prison ran for Presidency he got Ca 9 %.

Markus

[Buddahaid]

You got the conviction you were hoping for. How you gonna feel when it helps him win the election?

How are you going to feel when you're proved just as wrong about that as you were about the trial?

And why should he? Defendants only testify when it looks like they might lose and that doesn't seem to be the case with such a weak and flawed prosecution as your side has put on here.:)

[Skybird]

Hate, lie and fanatism as political obligation? Why not even as a civil duty? Our ancestors made experience with that over here, and in many other countries. It works wonders regarding overthrowing an existing political order. Any order.



https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck77xpkr0x8o

[August]

How are you going to feel when you're proved just as wrong about that as you were about the trial?


I was wrong about the trials outcome because I expected justice to actually prevail. Silly me, obviously the fix was in. Like I have said before, your side is willing to do anything to stay in power and I fully expect that if Trump ever sees the inside of a New York prison he'll be getting Epstein's old cell.

[Rockstar]

I was wrong about the trials outcome because I expected justice to actually prevail. Silly me, obviously the fix was in. Like I have said before, your side is willing to do anything to stay in power and I fully expect that if Trump ever sees the inside of a New York prison he'll be getting Epstein's old cell.

There’s always the appeal which you know they will do. Having pulled jury duty myself more than few times in my life. Lawyer theatrics, 10 years of media frenzy, political shenanigans can sway a juries opinion more than facts can sometimes.

CNN Senior Legal Analyst Describes How The Trump Conviction Was A Political Hit Job

1. "The judge donated money... in plain violation of a rule prohibiting New York judges from making political donations—to a pro-Biden, anti-Trump political operation."

2. Alvin Bragg boasted on the campaign trail in an overwhelmingly Democrat county, “It is a fact that I have sued Trump over 100 times.”

3. "Most importantly, the DA’s charges against Trump push the outer boundaries of the law and due process."

4. "The charges against Trump are obscure, and nearly entirely unprecedented. In fact, no state prosecutor — in New York, or Wyoming, or anywhere — has ever charged federal election laws as a direct or predicate state crime, against anyone, for anything. None. Ever."

5. The DA inflated misdemeanors past the statute of limitations and "electroshocked them back to life" by alleging the falsification of business records was committed 'with intent to commit another crime.'

6. "Inexcusably, the DA refused to specify what those unlawful means actually were — and the judge declined to force them to pony up — until right before closing arguments. So much for the constitutional obligation to provide notice to the defendant of the accusations against him in advance of trial."

7. "In these key respects, the charges against Trump aren’t just unusual. They’re bespoke, seemingly crafted individually for the former president and nobody else."

8. "The Manhattan DA’s employees reportedly have called this the “Zombie Case” because of various legal infirmities, including its bizarre charging mechanism. But it’s better characterized as the Frankenstein Case, cobbled together with ill-fitting parts into an ugly, awkward, but more-or-less functioning contraption that just might ultimately turn on its creator."

[Buddahaid]

There’s always the appeal which you know they will do. Having pulled jury duty myself more than few times in my life. Lawyer theatrics, 10 years of media frenzy, political shenanigans can sway a juries opinion more than facts can sometimes.

CNN Senior Legal Analyst Describes How The Trump Conviction Was A Political Hit Job

1. "The judge donated money... in plain violation of a rule prohibiting New York judges from making political donations—to a pro-Biden, anti-Trump political operation."

2. Alvin Bragg boasted on the campaign trail in an overwhelmingly Democrat county, “It is a fact that I have sued Trump over 100 times.”

3. "Most importantly, the DA’s charges against Trump push the outer boundaries of the law and due process."

4. "The charges against Trump are obscure, and nearly entirely unprecedented. In fact, no state prosecutor — in New York, or Wyoming, or anywhere — has ever charged federal election laws as a direct or predicate state crime, against anyone, for anything. None. Ever."

5. The DA inflated misdemeanors past the statute of limitations and "electroshocked them back to life" by alleging the falsification of business records was committed 'with intent to commit another crime.'

6. "Inexcusably, the DA refused to specify what those unlawful means actually were — and the judge declined to force them to pony up — until right before closing arguments. So much for the constitutional obligation to provide notice to the defendant of the accusations against him in advance of trial."

7. "In these key respects, the charges against Trump aren’t just unusual. They’re bespoke, seemingly crafted individually for the former president and nobody else."

8. "The Manhattan DA’s employees reportedly have called this the “Zombie Case” because of various legal infirmities, including its bizarre charging mechanism. But it’s better characterized as the Frankenstein Case, cobbled together with ill-fitting parts into an ugly, awkward, but more-or-less functioning contraption that just might ultimately turn on its creator."

Right, just ignore the evidence and testimony that proved the case and go with conjecture and rainbow dreams of MAGA Karens.

[Rockstar]

Right, just ignore the evidence and testimony that proved the case and go with conjecture and rainbow dreams of MAGA Karens.

Do enlighten us tell us this evidence,

In fact I’ll even wager that after appeal you will once again be wrong as you and others have been for the last 7 or so years.

[ET2SN]

There’s always the appeal which you know they will do. Having pulled jury duty myself more than few times in my life. Lawyer theatrics, 10 years of media frenzy, political shenanigans can sway a juries opinion more than facts can sometimes.

CNN Senior Legal Analyst Describes How The Trump Conviction Was A Political Hit Job

1. "The judge donated money... in plain violation of a rule prohibiting New York judges from making political donations—to a pro-Biden, anti-Trump political operation."

2. Alvin Bragg boasted on the campaign trail in an overwhelmingly Democrat county, “It is a fact that I have sued Trump over 100 times.”

3. "Most importantly, the DA’s charges against Trump push the outer boundaries of the law and due process."

4. "The charges against Trump are obscure, and nearly entirely unprecedented. In fact, no state prosecutor — in New York, or Wyoming, or anywhere — has ever charged federal election laws as a direct or predicate state crime, against anyone, for anything. None. Ever."

5. The DA inflated misdemeanors past the statute of limitations and "electroshocked them back to life" by alleging the falsification of business records was committed 'with intent to commit another crime.'

6. "Inexcusably, the DA refused to specify what those unlawful means actually were — and the judge declined to force them to pony up — until right before closing arguments. So much for the constitutional obligation to provide notice to the defendant of the accusations against him in advance of trial."

7. "In these key respects, the charges against Trump aren’t just unusual. They’re bespoke, seemingly crafted individually for the former president and nobody else."

8. "The Manhattan DA’s employees reportedly have called this the “Zombie Case” because of various legal infirmities, including its bizarre charging mechanism. But it’s better characterized as the Frankenstein Case, cobbled together with ill-fitting parts into an ugly, awkward, but more-or-less functioning contraption that just might ultimately turn on its creator."

9. He was found guilty on 34 charges by an impartial jury. :yep:

[Reece]

Impartial jury!! Says who? :hmmm: :timeout:

[August]

Impartial jury!! Says who? :hmmm: :timeout:


About as impartial as a southern state jury from the 1950's would be to a black defendant.

[ET2SN]

Impartial jury!! Says who? :hmmm: :timeout:

Trump's lawyers, for a start. :yep:
They, and the DA, had to approve all 12 of them.

[August]

Trump's lawyers, for a start. :yep:
They, and the DA, had to approve all 12 of them.


Just like those southern juries back in the 1950's.

[Rockstar]

9. He was found guilty on 34 charges by an impartial jury. :yep:


In your dreams maybe. After almost a decade of hostile media, accusations , and sideshow drama. You really think anyone can find an impartial jury? You get a certain number of randomly selected people to chose from, it’s Hobson’s Choice. Haven’t you noticed the state of politics in this country or this thread for that matter, look at the comments nobody in this jury pool gives a flying flip about being impartial. Lawyers knew that, which is why they requested a change of venue but of course that was denied.

By the way another thing that can influence a jury is the desire to get the hell out of there and get back to work.

[Dowly]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UJ_a7mxGpM

[Skybird]

By the way another thing that can influence a jury is the desire to get the hell out of there and get back to work.They could have had that easier by misbehaving and giving the unwanted answers during the selection process.

[Rockstar]

They could have had that easier by misbehaving and giving the unwanted answers during the selection process.

I’ve seen people come right out and give some wild answers to keep from being selected.

The last jury I was on I was told to by those who already made a decision to hurry up so they could go pick up their kids at school.

[Onkel Neal]

Of course, processes for dealing with a convicted felon president are, literally, unprecedented. Since this has not come up before, there are few case studies that can serve as a guide. Laws have not been written specifically addressing presidential felons.


Most of the rules and such deal with members of congress. It would be a safe assumption, but still an assumption, that the rules would not be more restrictive for an elected president.



We live in interesting times.

Good summary. It makes Nov 7 even more interesting. I am betting the Dems pull Biden if the polls don't reflect him leading.

[mapuc]

Good summary. It makes Nov 7 even more interesting. I am betting the Dems pull Biden if the polls don't reflect him leading.

Who are they going to pick instead ?

From what I understand the Dems really don't have any classified candidate except Biden.

Markus

[ET2SN]

In your dreams maybe. After almost a decade of hostile media, accusations , and sideshow drama. You really think anyone can find an impartial jury? You get a certain number of randomly selected people to chose from, it’s Hobson’s Choice. Haven’t you noticed the state of politics in this country or this thread for that matter, look at the comments nobody in this jury pool gives a flying flip about being impartial. Lawyers knew that, which is why they requested a change of venue but of course that was denied.

By the way another thing that can influence a jury is the desire to get the hell out of there and get back to work.

When the going gets tough, pout and throw a tantrum. :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

[Oubaas]

Whom would you like as president, Devil #1 or Devil #2? :haha:

Voting? Tantamount to wishing them god speed. 2 John 1:11 applies.

Out of 336,518,508 people, these two are the best that the US can scrape up to man the Oval office?

But don't worry. Long before November, 95% of us will be dead. The remaining 5% will envy the dead.

:Kaleun_Salute:

[August]

But don't worry. Long before November, 95% of us will be dead. The remaining 5% will envy the dead.


What? :doh:

[Jeff-Groves]

I need some of that stuff he's smoking!
:D

[Oubaas]

Don't look at the flash. It's hard to forage in the rubble when you're blind.

But look on the bright side. Maybe we'll have an Avian Influenza pandemic before the nukes fly, and we can ride the virus on out of here before WWIII gets emphatically rolling.

:Kaleun_Cheers:

[ET2SN]

Even Elmo thought he was a bad### when they wired him up to Old Sparky.

Warning: Graphic footage of Elmo's botched execution. :o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh-ZCG_OwGU

[Jeff-Groves]

Don't look at the flash. It's hard to forage in the rubble when you're blind.

But look on the bright side. Maybe we'll have an Avian Influenza pandemic before the nukes fly, and we can ride the virus on out of here before WWIII gets emphatically rolling.

:Kaleun_Cheers:

Sorry. But I have a problem listening to anyone that pronounces Arkansas
as Rcansaw.
Do you also say Cansaw for Kansas?
:hmmm:

[mapuc]

I need some of that stuff he's smoking!
:D


Could be he has been watching this video clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l50H7Ul4XW4&ab_channel=LiveNOWfromFOX

Markus

[Jeff-Groves]

Yea. Like that is gonna happen.
This is 2024 NOT 1962.
:hmph:

[Oubaas]

It's the inevitable outcome of current events. None of the parties in our current global goat-rope have a reverse gear.

:gear: <- Missing reverse gear.

Just think, people that you've never even met before rule over you and are going to get you killed. Your life isn't your own. Ain't the world grand?

:Kaleun_Cheers:

[mapuc]

It's the inevitable outcome of current events. None of the parties in our current global goat-rope have a reverse gear.

:gear: <- Missing reverse gear.

Just think, people that you've never even met before rule over you and are going to get you killed. Your life isn't your own. Ain't the world grand?

:Kaleun_Cheers:

Smells like it fits more in our Ukraine thread or ?

Markus

[Oubaas]

Smells like it fits more in our Ukraine thread or ?

Markus

Oh, it would fit there, too. But the point here is that regardless of who your favorite professional con-artist happens to be, and even if we make it to November, nothing is going to change.

I have to wonder why people are so fond of having others rule over them? Is there some sort of naturally submissive streak in humans?

As for it being 2024 and not 1962, back in 1962 there were still a few adults in the room who understood the concept of compromise. That is not the case in 2024, in which we are led by half-bright, ego-driven, anal-expulsive emotion monsters.

So everybody pick their favorite, and defend them to the hilt as they vie for the chance to rule over your lives for you. :haha:

:Kaleun_Cheers:

[mapuc]

Oh, it would fit there, too. But the point here is that regardless of who your favorite professional con-artist happens to be, and even if we make it to November, nothing is going to change.

I have to wonder why people are so fond of having others rule over them? Is there some sort of naturally submissive streak in humans?

As for it being 2024 and not 1962, back in 1962 there were still a few adults in the room who understood the concept of compromise. That is not the case in 2024, in which we are led by half-bright, ego-driven, anal-expulsive emotion monsters.

So everybody pick their favorite, and defend them to the hilt as they vie for the chance to rule over your lives for you. :haha:

:Kaleun_Cheers:

WOW as you can put it, can't be misunderstood.

Yes does people put their vote on a politician, so s/he can be controlled by this politician ?

Of course not-People put their vote on a politician in the meaning this politician make life easier for the voter.

Markus

[Oubaas]

WOW as you can put it, can't be misunderstood.

Yes does people put their vote on a politician, so s/he can be controlled by this politician ?

Of course not-People put their vote on a politician in the meaning this politician make life easier for the voter.

Markus

You may be onto something there, Markus. Perhaps it makes life easier. So people surrender their personal sovereignty to others for an easier life. They're enduring slavery for the sake of convenience. Yikes!

I have a theory that all governments are made up of the kids that were picked on in high school. They're now getting even with the rest of us because they didn't like being pantsed in the hallway by the bullies. But I didn't bully anyone in high school, so they should go away and leave me out of it. :haha:

:Kaleun_Cheers:

[mapuc]

You may be onto something there, Markus. Perhaps it makes life easier. So people surrender their personal sovereignty to others for an easier life. They're enduring slavery for the sake of convenience. Yikes!

I have a theory that all governments are made up of the kids that were picked on in high school. They're now getting even with the rest of us because they didn't like being pantsed in the hallway by the bullies. But I didn't bully anyone in high school, so they should go away and leave me out of it. :haha:

:Kaleun_Cheers:

A voter isn't just a voter-They goes into categories

Such as
Dedicated, popular and so on.

Markus

[vienna]

Trump and his Trumpette lemmings are making a lot of noise about his felony convictions; reminds me of the phrase "Sound and fury signifying nothing" (Thanks, Bill); why nothing?; because, as with the 'stolen election/election fraud' claims, its just noise without any real substance; Trump and his attorneys (who I am sure, given the "reputable" nature of DJT's business history, will be demanding payment upfront) will have their day in court(s), again, to make their appeals to try and keep Trump from being tagged as the felon he really is; a main point to consider is an appeal may be made based on trial procedures, etc, but an appeal cannot re-argue evidence; once a trial is held and a jury has rendered a verdict, the evidence presented is accepted as factual and cannot be contested unless there is some extraordinary occurrence (e.g., in a murder trial, new evidence that is fully exculpatory of the convicted criminal comes to light); but Trump's situation really leaves him with only the possibility of finding some technicality to void the verdict; still, it would not be an acquittal at all and would only mean that the DA could refile for a new trail; so, for Trump, he is guilty of the his crimes and was found so by a jury chosen with his participation and, if there was any exculpatory evidence to be presented, he either chose not to present that evidence or he actually really didn't have a defense for his actions under the law (saying, ad nauseam, "I'm not guilty!!" or "Rigged trial" is not an actual legal defense, its just a loudmouth ranting); he had his chance and he, as the loser he is, blew it...

Now, he probably will try to push his loony bin ideas of how he was 'mistreated' but I doubt if any of them will hold any legal water; as far as the Trumpette lemmings and their ranting, I have one main question:

Can you give any specific, verifiable, and legally justifiable proof or substantiation that the trial was rigged, or the Judge was corrupt or unethical, or the jury was in any way tampered with, or the Biden Administration had any direct or tangential influence or exerted direction in the conduct of the prosecution and/or trial; I want actual provable facts, not op-eds or talking-head, tin-hat rantings from the InterWebs, I want something that has real weight and effect that would have a good chance of standing up in court...


Let's eee if there are any real takers...


I got a bit of a laugh from the claim in a previous posting citing as proof of bias/corruption/etc., the statement by NY DA Bragg that he had sued Trump "hundreds of times"; this is the sort of specious "proof" I'm talking about; yes, Bragg, in his function as DA has sued Trump "hundreds of times", or more precisely, the NY DA's office has sued Trump hundreds of times; So, Bragg actually has sued Trump as he claims, but so have his many predecessors and likely those DAs who will follow; there is no specific bias at play here: Trump is just a sleazy businessman for whom being sued is SOP; Trump, and his businesses in NY, have a very long and colorful history in the NY state courts since Trump has had an astonishing number of complaints and lawsuits filed against him over the decades and has had rather mixed results; although Trump projects the image that his is a "winner" and never settles when it comes to court cases against him, he actually has settled out of court far more often than he has won in court and he has a long, long history of trying to avoid jury trials at any cost (gee, I wonder why?) he has even lost some of the cases brought against him, with the this case, in particular, being interesting...


Paint Shop Owner Juan Carlos Enriquez Took On Trump — and Won -

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/paint-shop-owner-juan-carlos-enriquez-took-trump-won-n747756



Gotta admire it when a little guy wins over a fat cat...



So, by being stubborn and fighting to avoid paying a USD $32,000 legitimate billing, Trump ended up paying some USD $300,000, instead, yep that Trump is a real astute businessman, someone who should be running a government...


...and, there's this little gem...


$300,000 Arbitration Win, Defeating Trump CampaignÂ’s Efforts to Enforce Arbitration -


https://www.tzlegal.com/our-successes/trump-campaign-ordered-to-pay-staffer-over-300000/



Seems like Donnie just isn't the "winner" he wants us to believe he is...


BTW, although I have many, many very good reasons not to vote for Trump, there is one very big and glaring reason I could never vote for someone like him: Trump had a charity foundation setup and raised funds for a particular charity; there was little notice of the disposition of the funds until a journalist, before the 2016 Presidential Election, got the idea of doing a sort of human interest, 'feel good' piece on those who were to have benefited from the Trump Foundation fundraising; the big problem was, as the journalist contacted the purported recipients, none of them had seen a single cent from the Foundation; further investigation showed none of the funds had been distributed by Trump; in fact, Trump had used the Foundation's funds as a sort of 'petty cash' account, using the fund to pay for personal items like sports memorabilia and a "Yuuge" six-foot portrait painting of himself for his own personal use, among other tchotchkes; the NY State Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit against the Trump Foundation and forced Trump to own up to his transgressions and doubled the amount he would have had to pay as donated funds to charity, so, again, Trump, by his own stubborn willingness to stand by his criminality, had to fork over far more than he would have had tom pay if he had just acted honestly...

So, I find it extremely repulsive to vote for a man who would, with free will and malice aforethought, steal from a charity; and I find it even even more of a repugnant idea to vote for him with the knowledge that the charity he so cavalierly disrespected and stole from was a veteran's charity; there are low people and there are low people; Trump, much as the worm he is, is absolutely subterranean...




<O>

[Oubaas]

The maximum sentence on each count is four years.

If this is a political hatchet job as some allege, Trump could be sentenced to 4 x 34 = 136 years, each sentence to be served consecutively, not concurrently.

If you're looking at 136 years in the can, they don't send you to Rikers. He'd go upstate, to Attica.

So, what happens then if the judge throws the book at him? Does Attica Correctional Facility become the new White House if Trump wins the election?

Maybe Joey has got up to mischief in New York. What if he got indicted and convicted and sent to Attica, too? And the two of them became cell mates?

"We've got another disturbance in D-block! Send in CERT!"

Where's Lee Greenwood? I want to hear that song! :haha:

:Kaleun_Cheers:

[Rockstar]

You may be onto something there, Markus. Perhaps it makes life easier. So people surrender their personal sovereignty to others for an easier life. They're enduring slavery for the sake of convenience. Yikes!

I have a theory that all governments are made up of the kids that were picked on in high school. They're now getting even with the rest of us because they didn't like being pantsed in the hallway by the bullies. But I didn't bully anyone in high school, so they should go away and leave me out of it. :haha:

:Kaleun_Cheers:

I like George Carlins theory where politicians come from. So proud to be American these days our two presidential candidates we seem to be presented with are a convict and a turnip.

Maybe the thread can delve into current events that affect the country instead of the party.

Let’s see there’s….

American hostages in Gaza

a TDR carrier group being shot at by Houthis

A runaway 320 million dollar pier debacle.

Boeing eating away billions in NASA’s funding

Rising oil prices

Inflation

War in Middle East

War in Europe


Naaaw that’s too much and people likely feel they have no control over those. The convict and turnip drama is easier.

[em2nought]

I like George Carlins theory where politicians come from. So proud to be American these days our two presidential candidates we seem to be presented with are a convict and a turnip.

Maybe the thread can delve into current events that affect the country instead of the party.

Let’s see there’s….

American hostages in Gaza

a TDR carrier group being shot at by Houthis

A runaway 320 million dollar pier debacle.

Boeing eating away billions in NASA’s funding

Rising oil prices

Inflation

War in Middle East

War in Europe


Naaaw that’s too much and people likely feel they have no control over those. The convict and turnip drama is easier.

None of those would have happened if... :03:

[Jimbuna]

None of those would have happened if... :03:

Now if I'm interpreting the above correctly, that is the funniest one liner I've seen around these parts for a good while :)

[Rockstar]

None of those would have happened if... :03:

If? Just look at the history of this thread. We demand it. :D

[Onkel Neal]

https://archive.ph/isZq4#selection-1473.0-1479.694

Within NATO, the immediate priority is “Trump-proofing” the alliance. In the past 18 months, Finland and Sweden have joined, each bringing relatively capable and high-tech militaries. Secretary-General Stoltenberg has also proposed shifting responsibility for Ukrainian arms deliveries from the U.S. to NATO in case the next administration decides to abandon the war.

Most notably, allied countries have dramatically increased their own military spending. I spoke with several officials who grudgingly credited Trump for this development—something NATO officials and U.S. presidents had spent decades advocating for unsuccessfully. In 2017, when Trump took office, only three allies, plus the U.S., were spending at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense. This year, that number is expected to rise to at least 18. Trump’s criticism of paltry defense budgets was not only effective, Stoltenberg told me, but fair. “European allies have not spent enough for many years,” he said. (No doubt Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also factored into the increased spending.)

Yeah, funny how that works. Countries that take advantage of the US and allocate their spending to their own domestic boondoggles finally wake up when Trump calls them on their ****.

[Jimbuna]

^ Probably one of if not the only point I can agree with him.

[mapuc]

Among our Journalist he is very much disliked and when he started to demand us to pay our part. They got a heart attack and wrote in big letters
Trump is going to leave NATO.

Trump haven't never mentioned anything about leaving NATO, what he said was that NATO members who doesn't pay their part would not get help from USA.

Today they see the verdict against him as a victory for the democracy.

He may have a huge percentage supporters among the Rep. voters
This isn't enough he has to have the support from the Rep politicians
Which may be an another story.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

Ukraine
Overall, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the total U.S. assistance, including military, economic, and humanitarian aid, has surpassed $52 billion​ (CRS Reports (https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12040#:~:text=URL%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fcrsreports. congress.gov%2Fproduct%2Fpdf%2FIF%2FIF12040%0AVisi ble%3A%200%25%20))​​ (Defense.gov (https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3261263/more-than-3-billion-in-additional-security-assistance-for-ukraine/))​.

President Joe Biden has clearly stated that the United States will not deploy American troops to Ukraine. He has reiterated his position multiple times, emphasizing that while the U.S. remains committed to supporting Ukraine through military aid and advisory roles, American soldiers will not be involved in combat operations on Ukrainian soil. This stance is aimed at avoiding a direct conflict between U.S. and Russian forces​ (Kyiv Post (https://www.kyivpost.com/post/33281))​​ (The White House (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/01/25/remarks-by-president-biden-on-continued-support-for-ukraine/))​.

However, there have been discussions about increasing the number of U.S. military advisers at the embassy in Kyiv. These advisers would primarily assist with logistics, maintenance of military equipment, and other support roles, but they would not engage in combat​ (Politico (https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/20/us-troops-ukraine-00153499))​.

California
California's state budget for 2024 has revealed significant fiscal challenges, including a projected deficit. The shortfall for the fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25 is estimated to be between $38 billion and $68 billion, according to various projections. This gap is partly due to lower-than-expected tax revenues and economic factors such as stock market declines and Federal Reserve interest rate hikes​ (California Budget and Policy Center (https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/first-look-understanding-the-governors-2024-25-may-revision/))​​ (California Budget and Policy Center (https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/first-look-understanding-the-governors-2024-25-state-budget-proposal/))​.

In addition to this broader budgetary shortfall, an audit released in early 2024 highlighted that California had spent $24 billion over the past five years on homelessness initiatives without adequately tracking how effectively the funds were used. This has raised concerns about the management and oversight of state expenditures​ (The Independent (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/gavin-newsom-homeless-money-budget-b2544347.html))​.

[mapuc]

However, there have been discussions about increasing the number of U.S. military advisers at the embassy in Kyiv. These advisers would primarily assist with logistics, maintenance of military equipment, and other support roles, but they would not engage in combat​ (Politico (https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/20/us-troops-ukraine-00153499))​.

Where have I heard this before.. Seem to recall some historical similarity.

Markus

[August]

Where have I heard this before.. Seem to recall some historical similarity.

Markus


If you got a point to make then you'll have to narrow it down some. We have military advisors in a bunch of countries atm.