Donald Trump and Elon Musk have arrogated congressional power to themselves.
“The true urgent cause is to return that power to the legislature before the damage becomes irreversible.” — The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait
“Sometimes a constitutional crisis sneaks up on you, shrouded in darkness, revealing itself gradually. Other times it announces itself dramatically. Elon Musk, to whom Donald Trump has delegated the task of neutering the congressional spending authority laid out in Article I of the Constitution, could hardly be more obvious about his intentions if he rode into Washington on a horse trailed by Roman legions”.
This Is How Dictatorship Begins
DOJ Says Trump Administration Doesn’t Have to Follow Court Order Halting Funding Freeze — Democracy Docket
“The focus has to be on Republicans right now and why they have been completely and utterly silenced. I do not want all of the pressure to be on Democrats to figure this out when Republicans should care just as much about democracy as Democrats do.” — Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.
David Horsey in Seattle Times 1/31/25
China hit back at the U.S. with tariffs on technology, farm equipment and fashion products, Elon Musk is using a group of 18 to 24 year-old hackers for his unconstitutional government takeover, and rising prices have prompted Waffle House restaurants to enact a surcharge of 50 cents per egg.
get ready for the most corrupt society ever
not only as sen murphy says “The focus has to be on Republicans right now and why they have been completely and utterly silenced….” but what about the media? their headlines, interviews, and panel discussions are mostly on the man spinning the glittery tariff and terror plates while ignoring the guy over there manipulating your private info while shutting down gov’t at will.
some of that problem has been touched upon and explained
In ‘The Siren’s Call,’ Chris Hayes discusses on how attention has become currency : NPR
the Democrats that let this happen aren’t going to save us
anon,
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.nWgwXN9qnEaV9CKnmC4lCQAAAA?w=151&h=182&c=7&r=0&o=5&pid=1.7
if hitler had the tech these guys have we’d all still be speaking German
True. I thought same thing watching Schumer chanting like a fool at Treasury Dept rally last night. Painful to watch.
Chris Murphy should get a bigger role: “Democrats are in love with subtleties. We have to change that. Don’t just fight on the inside. Fight on the outside”
Pitiful
Chuck is not the pulse raising, torches lit, charge the castle, type of speaker the Dems need. He needs to go back inside and start throwing wrenches into the coup and destruction of the U.S. Let AOC and Raskin take the podium and get the U.S. safe from the fascists.
Good plan, BlueB
The military needs to defend the Constitution. I worry that there are some who will split off defend Sh/tler and the Ketamine-addled n@zi…but they might all fall in line when they see their vet benefits going to the South African.
Republicans are complicit in the coup. On Friday night, they will dine at Mar-a-Lago.
What about all of the Dems who voted for Pam Bondi, etc.? Why are they helping? Were they promised something, threatened, or both?
They keep filing lawsuits against folks who don’t believe in law, and who have the DOJ and SCOTUS making sure the coup sticks.
Today, there will be protests in all 50 states. Will we see it in the evening news? Mainstream media has also been complicit. ABC has an “exclusive” invite to dinner on Friday.
Rubio, the one cabinet pick who didn’t worry the b’jeezus out of me, has said American citizens will be held in Central American prisons. So, not only are the prisons in the US going to house free labor/slaves, but Adolf is taking the slave trade international.
After Adolf’s Gaza statement, expect everyone except the Saudi bastards to go after him. Heck, they may even try to run interference.
My hope is that Elon thinks he can do ALL the K he wants and checks out. His staff of incels do the same.
Cholesterol takes out Adolf. Hegseth looks like someone his own troops would turn on. Nobody’s following JD anywhere, because he’s beyond weird. He’s a creeper. However it happens, it will happen.
BB, exactly. Nobody is going to call Shumer inspirational. I think Poobah is right about Chris Murphy. Watched him this morning and he gets it. Not sure he’s got that motivational spark, but he is articulate and knows WTH he’s talking about.
https://www.newsweek.com/target-retailer-class-action-lawsuit-diversity-dei-policy-lgbt-program-2025684
While this headline sounds like boycotts are working, it actually reads more like DEI was the problem.
“Target shareholders are suing the company for failing to predict the backlash to its diversity program.
Target displayed pro-LGBT items in May, 2023, and removed any reference to Target’s toys being for boys or girls. This led to a conservative backlash and consumer boycott.”
Target is now facing a class action lawsuit from investors who lost money on its shares. This follows a major drop in Target’s share price after the boycott.”
Wait until shareholders get a load of the drop from being anti-DEI. The boycott of Target and other companies will grab ‘em by their wallets.
Wonder if anything is in store for Super Bowl protests? Read someone had suggested it would be a good time for Canada to cut its power supply to the US.
The absolute takeover of our government is the “surprise” Adolf mentioned at the n@zi rally in NY.
The first Social Security payment to go missing will awaken MAGAts.
You may not see much coverage of protests on the evening news. You’ll have to rely on various social platforms, which are also compromised.
I hate this timeline.
Also Jasmine Crockett.
—Sturgeone
Fox has to start telling the truth.
today’s meme…
I’ve never been one for conspiracy theories since human greed and stupidity always seemed enough to bring about any disaster. Watching Elon, Trump, GOP cooperation, and Democratic passivity may make me change my mind.
Kept me up till the wee hours.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-4-2025
excerpt: [Elon] “Musk’s takeover of the U.S. government to override Congress and dictate what programs he considers worthwhile is a logical outcome of forty years of Republican rhetoric. After World War II, members of both political parties agreed that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. The idea was to use tax dollars to create national wealth. The government would hold the economic playing field level by protecting every American’s access to education, healthcare, transportation and communication, employment, and resources so that anyone could work hard and rise to prosperity.
Businessmen who opposed regulation and taxes tried to convince voters to abandon this system but had no luck. The liberal consensus—“liberal” because it used the government to protect individual freedom, and “consensus” because it enjoyed wide support—won the votes of members of both major political parties.
But those opposed to the liberal consensus gained traction after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, decision declared segregation in the public schools unconstitutional. Three years later, in 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, sent troops to help desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Those trying to tear apart the liberal consensus used the crisis to warn voters that the programs in place to help all Americans build the nation as they rose to prosperity were really an attempt to redistribute cash from white taxpayers to undeserving racial minorities, especially Black Americans. Such programs were, opponents insisted, a form of socialism, or even communism.
That argument worked to undermine white support for the liberal consensus. Over the years, Republican voters increasingly abandoned the idea of using tax money to help Americans build wealth.
When majorities continued to support the liberal consensus, Republicans responded by suppressing the vote, rigging the system through gerrymandering, and flooding our political system with dark money and using right-wing media to push propaganda. Republicans came to believe that they were the only legitimate lawmakers in the nation; when Democrats won, the election must have been rigged. Even so, they were unable to destroy the post–World War II government completely because policies like the destruction of Social Security and Medicaid, or the elimination of the Department of Education, remained unpopular.”
Confederacy has risen from its grave because we never put the stake through its heart. A carpetbagger from Queens came along, they willingly follow him because they like his racist message.
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/05/nx-s1-5286426/congress-republicans-musk-doge-usaid
“Republicans in Congress mostly shrug as Musk and DOGE set sights on spending”
Republicans also blocked an attempt by Dems to get Elon to show up for a hearing. Well, nice idea, and would be interesting know if he’d lie or if he’d so hopped up on K that he feels invincible and would tell the truth.
Message to MAGAts in Congress (since your voicemails are full today): You only think you are in on the coup. Orange Adolf and MuskRat will double-cross you. Remember, everything tRUMPsky touches is ruined. Enjoy your dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, and don’t choke on a fish bone or anything, It would be terrible if you didn’t get to see the coup unravel.
ps – The US is too big to fail. The world is watching, and there are probably other things in play to end this horror show.
This is a cautionary take for other countries. Don’t let billionaires nor anyone in tech near the seat of power.
Jewelry store smash-and-grabs on Fox TV outrages them, but Elon Amok looting the US treasury is just fine with them.
How about a mail-in campaign? Flood their zone with postcards.
Ivy – DeJoy is still mucking the postal system. I emailed the Treasury and a Senator whose voicemail was full; have left multiple messages got both, talked to one, Senate aide and one, HoR aide.
I’m doubtful that any of it will matter. Will the thousands of emails to the Treasury even get to anyone. It’s privacy@treasury.gov if you want to complain about the South African Princess raiding the coffers.
Straight, white men, aged 19 to 90 (or whatever Yertl’s age) have staged a coup. They are hell bent in creating slave labor, and an international slave trade via prisoner transfers to Central America.
We need a big boycott, a general strike now, and Republicans who don’t want to be remembered the way we talk about Goebbels and Goring now. That would be there best outcome, to be remembered as traitors who intentionally hurt other humans. The more likely outcome is that a military altercation (ours or someone else’s) will round up or pew-pew Adolf and MuskRat and others…and MAGAts in Congress will have shown the world they were complicit.
Zero tears will be shed. Really wondering if Elon didn’t do something to screw with the election, now.
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/05/g-s1-46542/usps-parcels-hong-kong-china
“The U.S. Postal Service is reversing course a day after placing a ban on all inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong.”
Well, that was a very brief distraction. The robbers are still in the bank!
https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-future-trumps-order-blocking-birthright-citizenship/story?id=118460936
“Judge issues nationwide injunction blocking Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship”
“The judge heard arguments from lawyers for five pregnant undocumented women.”
~But JD creepily said he wanted more babies~
“In her ruling, Judge Boardman said Trump’s executive order “conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment.”
“The U.S. Supreme court has resoundingly rejected the president’s interpretation of the citizenship clause,” Boardman said. “In fact, no court has endorsed the president’s interpretation, and this court will not be the first.”
“With Trump vowing to appeal a ruling that finds his executive order unconstitutional, Wednesday’s preliminary injunction could be his first opportunity to appeal to a higher court.”
BTW, there’s a video going around about all of Adolf’s family that were here without proper documentation and who then had kids who benefited from birthright citizenship; his mom, Ivana, and Melonoma.
where TF is Kamala
you wanted to lead the Free World
where the fuck are you when leadership is needed
https://www.investing.com/news/politics-news/elon-musks-doge-team-examines-medicare-and-medicaid-services–wsj-93CH-3851345
“The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative spearheaded by Elon Musk, has been studying the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. The DOGE team has been granted access to essential payment and contracting systems within the CMS.”
“The DOGE representatives were reported to be at the agency’s offices this week. Their objective is to scrutinize the technology of the systems and the spending that transpires through them. They are particularly interested in identifying potential instances of fraud or waste, the sources explained.”
“In addition, the DOGE team is evaluating the agency’s organizational structure and staffing. The representatives are investigating how the agency is designed and the personnel that operate within it.”
Summary: A fake department consisting of incels, headed up by a drug-addled South African billionaire (who became a billionaire by inherited wealth, stealing ideas, bullying people, and tax subsidies), have illegally accessed the national database of our treasury to, reportedly, look for fraud. These teens, and recent teens have no business doing this, nor do they have the intelligence to do it. Any charges they make to recipients will not only hurt the payee, but every business that money goes to; food, nursing homes and care staff…who in turn put their paychecks back into the economy. Republicans are complicit. Mainstream media is complicit. Democrats are impotent. This required military intervention (foreign or domestic) or the entire world is cooked. We are too big to fail without a tsunami of impacts globally.
Just posted a dish I haven’t made in so long — a truly authentic recipe for Real Italian Sunday Sauce from a long time friend’s mother. Gathering the ingredients for this weekend. And it is denture-friendly soft!
FASCISM IS HERE
CBS News’ ’60 Minutes’ Kamala Harris Interview Transcript, Video Will Be Made Public, Trump’s new FCC Chair Says. The federal agency will also seek the public’s comment as part of its investigation into allegations of news distortion.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/05/musk-doge-takeover-usaid
“The young men, who are all under the age of 26 and have almost no government experience, have tapped into the treasury department’s federal payment system and vacuumed up employment histories at the office of personnel management (OPM). Roughly 20 Doge employees are now working out of the Department of Education, the Washington Post has reported, and have gained access to sensitive internal systems there too. On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported they had infiltrated the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and accessed key systems as well.
The young engineers, whose identities have been confirmed to the Guardian, wanted the same at USAid. One of them, Gavin Kliger, was a 25-year-old techie who has defended the failed attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz as a victim of the “deep state” and claimed he had left behind a seven-figure salary to join Doge and “save America”. Another, Luke Farritor, 23, was a former SpaceX intern who had been given top-level clearances to USAid systems and had requested similar to Medicare and Medicaid. A third, Jeremy Lewin, was an AI specialist also reportedly assigned to the general services administration. A superior planned to lobby the CIA for a clearance for him after he failed to gain access to a secure area.”
“Inside of USAid, the operation to shut down the decades-old operation was being run by Marocco, four engineers in their early 20s, and the Doge leadership that contacted them by phone.
“It’s all being driven through Doge right now,” said a current USAid official, adding that Doge engineers in USAid headquarters continued to field calls from Musk and Marocco on Monday. “The folks in the building are turning the system off for [USAid employees], they’ve kept a small number of people from the different bureaus to help understand what programs will be kept and not kept, what the footprint will look like.”
Tyranny is here.
https://futurism.com/elon-musk-conflict-interest-shutting-down-usaid
“Elon Musk Reportedly Has a Huge Conflict of Interest Motivating Him to Gut USAID”
“Now, it’s starting to sound like Musk’s seething hatred towards the aid organization can be traced back to at least one conflict of interest at one of his business ventures: according to The Lever, USAID’s inspector general was investigating Musk’s Starlink partnership with the Ukrainian government around the time DOGE shut down the organization.”
Here’s the why.
https://apnews.com/article/50501-protests-project-2025-trump-state-capitols-ddd341171a54ba9b498cbfe7530e18ab
“Thousands of demonstrators gathered in cities across the U.S. on Wednesday to protest the Trump administration’s early actions, decrying everything from the president’s immigration crackdown to his rollback of transgender rights and a proposal to forcibly transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.”
“The protests were a result of a movement that has organized online under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Websites and accounts across social media issued calls for action, with messages such as “reject fascism” and “defend our democracy.”
There was misinformation about the protest, saying they weren’t really happening. Glad to see not everyone took the bait. Some are likely afraid of the government, because it’s no longer their government.
No, Loni is not giving you any money now.
https://www.newsweek.com/stimulus-check-scam-warning-issued-its-2025892
‘People are feeling galvanized’: Anti-Trump protesters rally in cities across US
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/02/05/anti-trump-protests-50-states-updates/78239472007/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/doge-noaa-headquarters
“Staffers with Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) reportedly entered the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the Department of Commerce in Washington DC today, inciting concerns of downsizing at the agency.
“They apparently just sort of walked past security and said: ‘Get out of my way,’ and they’re looking for access for the IT systems, as they have in other agencies,” said Andrew Rosenberg, a former Noaa official who is now a fellow at the University of New Hampshire. “They will have access to the entire computer system, a lot of which is confidential information.”
Cue Carly Simon: We Have No Secrets.
Trump and Musk’s dismantling of government is shaking the foundations of US democracy https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-congress-4e0c025629e8a0c758d13dc916ab4f43?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=share
Talk about talky talk.WaPo.
OK, let’s look at this … mess.
What a load of shit.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/west-point-disbands-student-clubs-related-gender-race/story?id=118493041
“The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has disbanded a dozen clubs on campus related to gender and race, ABC News has confirmed.
The National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers Club, the Latin Cultural Club and the Native American Heritage Forum were among the clubs ordered to cease operations.”
If you are not a straight, white male who pretends to be Christian, they are coming for you. And if you aren’t rich, you’ll still feel it.
Big, disruptive protest at the Super Bowl? Ad denouncing TeSSla and Orange Adolf?
http://pocan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pocan-introduce-elon-musk-act-ban-federal-government-contracts-special
“The legislation, the Eliminate Looting of Our Nation by Mitigating Unethical State Kleptocracy (ELON MUSK) Act, ensures transparency and honesty in government spendingWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) announced plans to introduce the Eliminate Looting of Our Nation by Mitigating Unethical State Kleptocracy (ELON MUSK) Act. The legislation would direct Federal Agencies to terminate any contracts held by a Special Government Employee, similar to bans for Members of Congress and other federal employees.”
Does Musk have a contract to loot the US? Thought he was just working on spec.
I did call Congress about this today, and actually spoke to an aide. Much easier to get through to Dems than MAGAts.
We all know it’s going to take a lot more than this. A lot more.
https://www.vpm.org/news/2025-02-04/virginia-community-health-centers-close-federal-funding-grant-access
“Despite pause on federal funding freeze, centers unable to access grantsHalf of Virginia’s community health centers have been cut off from federal grant money, forcing some to stop providing certain services and others to close branches.”
Pro-life, my a$$! Folks will suffer. Some will die. Some will be in middle-America, rural MAGAtLand, because “community center” does not mean urban aka black. Are the yt nationalists awake yet?
Since more than half of the population is female, no one who is a straight white male should serve in the presidency for the next 235 years.
Important to care for oneself. No looking at FB, twit, or BlueSky. No radio, television. Listen to music, no news. Go buy silly stuff. And, eat comfort food. Screw the self deprivation. Today was slow cooker pork ribs in BBQ sauce.
Urrp. Yeah. Happiness.
Nah, I stocked up on necessities.
Lots of chamomile tea, and daily calls to Congress, and boycotting Amazon & Target & WalMart. Had to take my dad the Wally World, but I did not buy.
CBS News is a joke. Not mentioning Elon looting the Treasury. Two, men anchoring? They noted the FCC wanted the 60 Minutes tape of Kamala Harris, sitting political distortion. They should be ashamed to call themselves journalists, but no other network is any better.
I’m glad I retired early and did a lot of things on my bucket list.
No simpy for gimpy.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/mitch-mcconnell-using-wheelchair-falling-stairs-capitol-rcna190840
*insert R.E.M. song here
alternatively
*insert Willie Nelson song here
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-democrats-remain-floor-overnight-denouncing-trump-budget-nominee
“U.S. Senate Democrats to remain on floor overnight denouncing Trump budget nominee”
“Vought later launched a conservative-leaning think tank called the Center for Renewing America that has published repeatedly during the last few years on the idea that a president can refuse to spend money Congress has appropriated. Vought also wrote the chapter in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation conservative agenda, on the executive office of the presidency.”
“A refusal to spend appropriated funds is barred under the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which lawmakers passed after then-President Richard Nixon balked at spending billions in federal funding that Congress had approved.”
“Vought said during his confirmation hearing that he expected to challenge the constitutionality of the law once confirmed by the Senate.”
We need to South Korea the entire administration.
Most Wanted
Because Jesus cannot come back until he can have a beachfront condo in Gaza.
Eagerly awaiting our next print edition of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/05/asia/philippines-vp-duterte-impeachment-intl-hnk/index.html
“Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte was impeached Wednesday on a range of accusations that include plotting to assassinate the president, large-scale corruption and failing to strongly denounce China’s aggressive actions against Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea.
The move by legislators in the House of Representatives, many of them allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., deepens a bitter political rift that involved the two highest leaders of one of Asia’s most rambunctious democracies.
She has also been accused of unexplained wealth and failure to declare her wealth as required by the law. The petition urged the Senate to shift itself into an impeachment court to try the vice president, “render a judgement of conviction,” remove her from office and ban her from holding public office.”
South Korea impeached & removed. We can do this!
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-administration-evicts-former-coast-guard-linda-fagan-3-hours-rcna190820
“President Donald Trump’s administration evicted former Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan from her home with three hours of notice on Tuesday — not even enough time to gather her personal effects — according to two people familiar with the incident.
Fagan, a four-star admiral and the first woman to lead a branch of the military, was removed from her post as the Coast Guard’s top officer on Trump’s second day in office. Officials at the Homeland Security Department — which oversees the Coast Guard — cited border security issues and an “excessive focus” ondiversity, equity and inclusion among the reasons for her dismissal.”
Hmmm, “excessive focus on diversity,” aka lacking a penis.
“Trump White House Moves to Allow for a Musk Takeover of Government ITThe Office of Personnel Management is trying to make it easier to put ideologues and cronies in key tech roles.”
“But the Office of Personnel Management, now being overseen by Elon Musk and his minions, just issued a memo, which was obtained by Mother Jones, to all heads and acting heads of federal agencies asking them to request a change in the status of CIOs from “senior executive service” and “career reserved” to “general.” This means Musk could move to take over the IT of the entire federal government by placing cronies and ideologues into these key posts.”
“In all the flurry of news about Musk’s effort to seize control of the federal government and depopulate its workforce, this memo hasn’t received much attention yet. But if OPM succeeds in reclassifying the status of CIOs, Musk—or someone else—could gain control of the lifeblood of any modern organization: its IT.”
https://www.wired.com/story/federal-workers-sue-over-doge-server/
“Two federal workers, citing reports that Elon Musk’s associates are operating an illegally connected email server at OPM, seek a restraining order.”
https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-government-young-engineers/
MuskRat’s helper monkeys
Do not fear Drumph, fight him and Musk hard every minute.
Gaza.
Wouldn’t be the first time Whitey stole land from the natives.
NEW THREAD