America

[Which Tyler]

Not how it’s being reported by the BBC, The Times and a few others but hey ho. The general consensus is that Columbia caved over accepting deported migrants.
Who knows who’s falling for what.

They always accepted the deportations.
They rejected two(?) aeroplanes' worth because Trump did a publicity stunt, and sent them handcuffed etc on a military flight, instead of not handcuffed, and on civilian flights, as they always had been before, and we're again after the stunt.

I believe I mentioned about the press falling for it.
They also fell for the Canada and Mexico caving in line as well.
And so many lies from so many politicians.

[Mellsblue]

From Trudeau’s X account:
‘In addition, Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar, we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada- U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering. I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million.’
For a 30 days pause.

[Mellsblue]

Not how it’s being reported by the BBC, The Times and a few others but hey ho. The general consensus is that Columbia caved over accepting deported migrants.
Who knows who’s falling for what.

They always accepted the deportations.
They rejected two(?) aeroplanes' worth because Trump did a publicity stunt, and sent them handcuffed etc on a military flight, instead of not handcuffed, and on civilian flights, as they always had been before, and we're again after the stunt.

I believe I mentioned about the press falling for it.
They also fell for the Canada and Mexico caving in line as well.
And so many lies from so many politicians.

Reuters, NYT and CNN all reporting it differently but hey ho. Everyone’s fallen for it, seemingly.

[Which Tyler]

Moving on from a discussion where no-one's going to convince the other...

Trump's next landgrab
https://us.cnn.com/2025/02/04/politics/ ... index.html
Use US troops to ethnically cleanse Gaza, and then have it as a US vassal.

[Mikey Brown]

I mean is that even new? Isn’t the whole stance on Israel because it functions as a US military outpost anyway?

[Son of Mathonwy]

Moving on from a discussion where no-one's going to convince the other...

Trump's next landgrab
https://us.cnn.com/2025/02/04/politics/ ... index.html
Use US troops to ethnically cleanse Gaza, and then have it as a US vassal.

'We'll own it' and 'long term ownership'. So he's actually talking about annexing it for the US, not Israel. No way would Netanyahu be happy with that. Maybe he's just cut a deal where Donald Trump becomes owner of significant parts of the strip? Or it could be a Hong Kong type thing where the US gives it to Israel after a very long period.

Anyway, what a piece of shit war criminal.

Not sure how having US troops coming back in bodybags is going to go down with Trump's supporters though.

[Son of Mathonwy]

I thought the US had more lawyers per square foot than any other country. If what Musk is doing at various agencies is illegal - eg because the agencies were set up by congress so the President has no power to shut them down - why isn't someone, eg the Democrats, launching a lawsuit to prevent it??

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... adquarters


At least the unions have taken this action because the data grab by Musk seems to shatter the Privacy Act and some other legislation:

https://therecord.media/union-groups-su ... ss-to-data

It's possible that a class action could be taken on behalf of the whole US population to sue for the theft of their data.

[Which Tyler]

I thought the US had more lawyers per square foot than any other country. If what Musk is doing at various agencies is illegal - eg because the agencies were set up by congress so the President has no power to shut them down - why isn't someone, eg the Democrats, launching a lawsuit to prevent it??

A] They are
B] It takes time to then reach court
C] It then gets bumped up to more senior courts, and things like this, probably as far as the Supreme court
D] Trump stacked the courts (not just the SC) with his lickspittles last time out
E] The Supreme Court has already (in essence) said "If the president does it, it's not illegal"

[Son of Mathonwy]

I thought the US had more lawyers per square foot than any other country. If what Musk is doing at various agencies is illegal - eg because the agencies were set up by congress so the President has no power to shut them down - why isn't someone, eg the Democrats, launching a lawsuit to prevent it??

A] They are
B] It takes time to then reach court
C] It then gets bumped up to more senior courts, and things like this, probably as far as the Supreme court
D] Trump stacked the courts (not just the SC) with his lickspittles last time out
E] The Supreme Court has already (in essence) said "If the president does it, it's not illegal"

Yes, that is the really scary thing. That if they do fight it, it will just end up with the Supreme Court writing this power grab into law*.

That country is fucked.


* NB I hope there is some way to do this that wouldn't end up before the SC but am far too ignorant of US law to know.

[Mikey Brown]

Is Morepork still alive? Has this whole debacle seen him off?

[morepork]

Is Morepork still alive? Has this whole debacle seen him off?

Pretty much.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Tesla car sales plunge across the world. Not surprising. And that'll hit him where it really hurts.

https://thedriven.io/2025/02/05/tesla-s ... k-problem/

[Mikey Brown]

Is Morepork still alive? Has this whole debacle seen him off?

Pretty much.

Well that's something. Are you past even needing to vent on here?

[Son of Mathonwy]

Is Morepork still alive? Has this whole debacle seen him off?

Pretty much.

Fair enough. I find the Trump/Musk double act scary enough from my side of the Atlantic.

[J Dory]

Interesting podcast on the Trump/Musk agenda here:

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/ ... government

[J Dory]

Is Morepork still alive? Has this whole debacle seen him off?

Pretty much.

Well that's something. Are you past even needing to vent on here?

I think MP is busy swatting sandflies.

[J Dory]

Moving on from a discussion where no-one's going to convince the other...

Trump's next landgrab
https://us.cnn.com/2025/02/04/politics/ ... index.html
Use US troops to ethnically cleanse Gaza, and then have it as a US vassal.

'We'll own it' and 'long term ownership'. So he's actually talking about annexing it for the US, not Israel. No way would Netanyahu be happy with that. Maybe he's just cut a deal where Donald Trump becomes owner of significant parts of the strip? Or it could be a Hong Kong type thing where the US gives it to Israel after a very long period.

Anyway, what a piece of shit war criminal.

Not sure how having US troops coming back in bodybags is going to go down with Trump's supporters though.

Kushner was talking about redeveloping Gaza over a year ago during a talk at Harvard.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Moving on from a discussion where no-one's going to convince the other...

Trump's next landgrab
https://us.cnn.com/2025/02/04/politics/ ... index.html
Use US troops to ethnically cleanse Gaza, and then have it as a US vassal.

'We'll own it' and 'long term ownership'. So he's actually talking about annexing it for the US, not Israel. No way would Netanyahu be happy with that. Maybe he's just cut a deal where Donald Trump becomes owner of significant parts of the strip? Or it could be a Hong Kong type thing where the US gives it to Israel after a very long period.

Anyway, what a piece of shit war criminal.

Not sure how having US troops coming back in bodybags is going to go down with Trump's supporters though.

Kushner was talking about redeveloping Gaza over a year ago during a talk at Harvard.

Yep. Jared Kushner, another empathy-free life form.

Jared Kushner finding a new low: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... rael-negev

Puja

[Son of Mathonwy]

Tesla car sales plunge across the world. Not surprising. And that'll hit him where it really hurts.

https://thedriven.io/2025/02/05/tesla-s ... k-problem/

I guess what's keeping Tesla shares from crashing is the suspicion that it's just one Donald Trump whim (or Elon Musk whim) away from a multi-billion dollar contract to build America a fleet of electric tanks or driverless aircraft carriers or whatever the fuck it takes to keep it from insolvency.

[paddy no 11]

Tesla car sales plunge across the world. Not surprising. And that'll hit him where it really hurts.

https://thedriven.io/2025/02/05/tesla-s ... k-problem/

I guess what's keeping Tesla shares from crashing is the suspicion that it's just one Donald Trump whim (or Elon Musk whim) away from a multi-billion dollar contract to build America a fleet of electric tanks or driverless aircraft carriers or whatever the fuck it takes to keep it from insolvency.

Absolutely, the glory of the free market eh

[Which Tyler]

Military vehicles are supposed to blow up the other guys, aren't they? not your own side?

[Stom]

Military vehicles are supposed to blow up the other guys, aren't they? not your own side?

Well, this is America… I just remember there was a time on the afghan war when more British troops had been killed by Americans than by the taliban…

[Son of Mathonwy]

Tesla car sales plunge across the world. Not surprising. And that'll hit him where it really hurts.

https://thedriven.io/2025/02/05/tesla-s ... k-problem/

I guess what's keeping Tesla shares from crashing is the suspicion that it's just one Donald Trump whim (or Elon Musk whim) away from a multi-billion dollar contract to build America a fleet of electric tanks or driverless aircraft carriers or whatever the fuck it takes to keep it from insolvency.

Absolutely, the glory of the free market eh

I'd suggest more mad products but I can't think of anything too mad for these lunatics.

[Son of Mathonwy]

I thought the US had more lawyers per square foot than any other country. If what Musk is doing at various agencies is illegal - eg because the agencies were set up by congress so the President has no power to shut them down - why isn't someone, eg the Democrats, launching a lawsuit to prevent it??

A] They are
B] It takes time to then reach court
C] It then gets bumped up to more senior courts, and things like this, probably as far as the Supreme court
D] Trump stacked the courts (not just the SC) with his lickspittles last time out
E] The Supreme Court has already (in essence) said "If the president does it, it's not illegal"

Yes, that is the really scary thing. That if they do fight it, it will just end up with the Supreme Court writing this power grab into law*.

That country is fucked.


* NB I hope there is some way to do this that wouldn't end up before the SC but am far too ignorant of US law to know.

More on this:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -democracy

[Son of Mathonwy]

The dismantling of democracy:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -autocracy

What's he got left to do? Suppress liberal news media. Arrest/intimidate/beat up political rivals. Really fix the elections in time for the mid-terms. When it comes to 2028 will he simply stand again and wait for any objections to be shot down by the supreme court? Assuming there's anyone brave enough to object by that point.