User-Supported News Commentary Hosted by Craig Crawford
They Think It’s Funny
Steve Bannon, Elon Musk at CPAC
Author: craigcrawford
Trail Mix Host. Lapsed journalist, author & retired pundit happily promoting nothing but the truth for Social Security checks.
View all posts by craigcrawford
Trump again raises idea of running for an unconstitutional third term
The suggestion followed a stretch of days in which Trump referred to himself as a king and quoted a dictator in suggesting that he was immune from following laws
President Donald Trump on Thursday again raised the prospect of serving for an unconstitutional third term, asking a crowd at a White House event whether he should run again and receiving audience chants of “Four more years!”
The suggestion followed a stretch of days in which Trump referred to himself as a king and quoted a dictator in suggesting that he was immune from following laws — all while his administration has continued pushing the bounds of presidential power.
Trump’s escalating rhetoric stoked further alarm among critics who say he is governing with an authoritarian playbook and fear he could attempt to seize power undemocratically, as he attempted to do after losing the 2020 election. The Constitution’s 22nd Amendment limits presidents from holding the office more than twice.
[…]
So when anyone suggests that this nightmare might be over in 3 years and 11 months, tell them not to get too comfortable with that idea.
(Reuters) – Elon Musk, the billionaire tasked with slashing U.S. federal government spending, took to the stage at a conservative conference outside Washington on Thursday with a gift from Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei: a chainsaw.
“This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” said Musk, holding the gleaming power tool aloft at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
The red metallic chainsaw, given to Musk by Milei earlier in the day, was engraved on its side with the Argentine leader’s coarse Spanish slogan: “Viva la libertad, carajo,” which loosely translates to “Long live freedom, damn it!”
Musk is leading sweeping cuts under U.S. President Donald Trump that have targeted bank regulators, forest workers, rocket scientists and tens of thousands of other government employees.
On Thursday, 6,000 employees at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service were told they would be fired, a person familiar with the matter said.
Musk, the CEO of automaker Tesla and the world’s richest man, has enthusiastically promoted Milei’s speeches.
Before Milei became Argentina’s president in late 2023, he would often brandish a chainsaw at campaign rallies as a symbol of his drive to cut the size of government.
President Trump’s royal decree banning congestion pricing in New York City didn’t go over too well with Gov. Kathy Hochul, Elon Musk has set his sights on America’s gold depository at Fort Knox, and California is set to recognize Sasquatch as the state’s official cryptid.
We think we know why Don and Elon want to get their hands on America’s gold.
The video of little muskie at cpac shows someone who is having complex issues. Sunglasses often hide eyeballs when worn inside. He could hardly talk any sentences. I wonder if he is now searching out a fentanyl source to “audit”.
In other worlds, sfb is starting to be recognized by his KGB cover name – Krasnov. And, that he is a russian agent.
Elon has become a huge problem for Trump, per multiple polls: WaPo: Only 34% approve of Musk’s role, 63% worry about his data access CNN: 54% say it’s bad he was given a big role And majorities disapprove of Trump in CNN, WaPo, Gallup.
The resistance is awakening:
66% say Trump shouldn’t freeze funding w/o Congress
57% say he’s exceeded authority
52% say he’s overstepped powers, including 57% of independents
(CNN, GALLUP, WASHINGTON POST)
Putin plans to announce “Victory” over Ukraine on 2/24
If anyone still wonders what it may have felt like to live in Germany in 1937, this is it. We are fully in a nazified state of governance. DODO can do whatever and whoever he wants, congress and courts are complicit, polls will not matter because there will be no elections, just installations. Opposition will be crushed by all means including violence.
Welcome to the US of WWE!!!
Elon seemed to be flying on ketamine or something. There were clips of him not being able to find words or make sense. Sunglasses? Probably because there were clips of him at the inauguration with his eyes rolling around in his racist head.
Can’t tell if Bananazi (there’s a name from the past) actually bent his thumb & did the real salute to Shitler from that pic. Kinda looks like it. They don’t exactly think it’s funny, it’s more of um: Hey, look what we can do out in the open, now!
Please, call your Senators & tell them not to kill Medicaid, which would unhouse folks in nursing homes & starve children, you know, Republicans being ~good Christians~ and all.
Dodo was a lazy ass the first time. Now that’s he’s outsourced the presidency to Elon, he’s completely indolent, just watching the show he’s created from the sidelines, laughing his ass off.
I’ve often wondered what nasty, humiliating information Putin has on tRump that would explain why our convicted-felon president would suck up to him so diligently. The origin of Trump’s continuous pandering to Putin goes back decades and includes very active interest by the KGB. Learn more in this Politico article: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842/
Chainsaw Dunlap beat him to it. That didn’t end well either.
…earned him the nickname Chainsaw Al, but whose career ended in an accounting scandal
Carville stuns Hannity. Facts are stubborn things..
Gordo!!!
I’ve always been satisfied with the simple provable explanation that when the New York banks took over Trump’s business after the casino debacle and refused to loan him money again he turned to Putin’s cash laundered through a German bank. Poor stupid Eric said so many years ago.
Just received a boilerplate email from United Healthcare. I don’t get Medicaid nor Medicare, but this tells me something is up.
I already left a scathing voicemail for one Senator and went scorched earth in an email to another one, about Elon, cabinet picks, the dodgy contract tRUMPsky’s personal, New York lawyers wrote up for Zelensky, veterans’ benefits, farmers/food programs, the potential for unhoused elderly because Medicaid no longer pays nursing homes, etc.
I did everything but ask to speak with him manager, because I didn’t know if that was Orange Adolf or Putin. Anyway, something is afoot because Republicans ARE going to kill Medicaid, no matter what their constituents say.
***
“On behalf of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), we are seeking information from you regarding the following types of Health Reimbursement Arrangements. These results may help us better serve members who may be enrolled in an employer-sponsored plan:
Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) is a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) available to employers of any size to reimburse their employees for some or all the premiums the employee pays for health insurance they purchase on their own. The employer should provide a notice to the employee explaining how ICHRA works. Qualified Small Employer Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) is a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) available to employers with under 50 full time employees, who don’t offer a group health insurance plan, to reimburse their employees for health insurance premiums and medical costs. The employer should provide a notice to the employee explaining how QSEHRA works.”
Donald Trump’s demand for a $500bn (£400bn) “payback” from Ukraine goes far beyond US control over the country’s critical minerals. It covers everything from ports and infrastructure to oil and gas, and the larger resource base of the country.
The terms of the contract that landed at Volodymyr Zelensky’s office a week ago amount to the US economic colonisation of Ukraine, in legal perpetuity. It implies a burden of reparations that cannot possibly be achieved.
The Telegraph has obtained a draft of the pre-decisional contract, marked “Privileged & Confidential’ and dated Feb 7 2025. It states that the US and Ukraine should form a joint investment fund to ensure that “hostile parties to the conflict do not benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine”.
The agreement covers the “economic value associated with resources of Ukraine”, including “mineral resources, oil and gas resources, ports, other infrastructure (as agreed)”, leaving it unclear what else might be encompassed. “This agreement shall be governed by New York law, without regard to conflict of laws principles,” it states.
The US will take 50pc of recurring revenues received by Ukraine from extraction of resources, and 50pc of the financial value of “all new licences issued to third parties” for the future monetisation of resources. There will be “a lien on such revenues” in favour of the US. “That clause means ‘pay us first, and then feed your children’,” said one source close to the negotiations.
It states that “for all future licences, the US will have a right of first refusal for the purchase of exportable minerals”.
Washington will have sovereign immunity and acquire near total control over most of Ukraine’s commodity and resource economy. The fund “shall have the exclusive right to establish the method, selection criteria, terms, and conditions” of all future licences and projects. And so forth, in this vein. It seems to have been written by private lawyers, not the US departments of state or commerce.
If this draft were accepted, Trump’s demands would amount to a higher share of Ukrainian GDP than reparations imposed on Germany at the Versailles Treaty, later whittled down at the London Conference in 1921, and by the Dawes Plan in 1924. At the same time, he seems willing to let Russia off the hook entirely.
President Zelensky himself proposed the idea of giving the US a direct stake in Ukraine’s rare earth elements and critical minerals on a visit to Trump Tower in September, hoping to smooth the way for continued arms deliveries. He calculated that it would lead to US companies setting operations on the ground, creating a political tripwire that would deter Vladimir Putin from attacking again.
Donald Trump told Fox News that Ukraine had “essentially agreed” to hand over $500bn. “They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earths, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things,” he said.
He warned that Ukraine would be handed to Putin on a plate if it rejected the terms. “They may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But I want this money back,” he said.
***
Orange Adolf can’t choke on a cheezeberder fast enough.
ps – Private lawyers? New York law? Joint investment group? <— ??? Anyone? Anyone?
Continuing the nazi life style, bannon gave his version of the nazi salute at cpac. The fallout was immediate, the French far-right speaker refused his slot. No word from krasnov as to whether he knows bannon.
“Two of Sen. John Fetterman’s longest-serving staff members are leaving his team as the senator takes a more open approach to President Donald Trump than many of his Democratic colleagues are.”
Fetterman is such a f&cking disappointment…unless he’s planning to be a mole and work from the inside. Nah, I actually think Orange Adolf threatened to deport his Brazilian wife and split up his family if he didn’t play nice with the orange mob boss.
Research shows that LGBTQ+ inclusion can drive economic activity. Open For Business’ latest report shows the economic case for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Poland: open-for-business.org/poland
he turned to Putin’s cash laundered through a German bank
Agree with your theory, Craig, and hypothesize further that the cash is still flowing. Pootie has amassed more money than he knows what to do with and would love to buy America outright. Dodo, being the narcissistic greed-hog that he is, is quite ready to sell. After all, he’s almost done with the country himself, being near his expiration date, so why not wring the last few rubles out of it while he can.
“After all, he’s almost done with the country himself, being near his expiration date, so why not wring the last few rubles out of it while he can.” Ivy, my thoughts too. his mom died at 88 and pop at 94 so he knows there’s not that much time left to wallow in the wealth and attention he craves and will do anything to get. what does he care about the little guy, no different from all those subcontractors he reneged on paying or the addled dad he looted.
his mom died at 88 and pop at 94
Pat, I would not bet on Dodo breathing as long as his parents. The average age of the expired Dodo siblings is 67, including brother Freddie who passed at 43. The sole surviving sibling is Elizabeth who is about 83.
Allegory for current politics.
Guess which group are the Democrats.
Bannon’s (and Elon’s) nazified “salutes” are knock-offs that wouldn’t have sold in now-bankrupt Filene’s Basement.
whoa, Gordo
glad your seeing clearly 🫡
People have all sorts of theories regarding trump and musk’s motivations
maybe they’re just assholes
occam’s razor
As far as the “resistance waking up”
it’s too fucking late
not too late, anonstuff.
midterms coming — win back congress and impeach him one last time
“Former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio was arrested Friday near the U.S. Capitol on a charge that he assaulted a woman protesting a gathering attended by Tarrio and others who received presidential pardons for crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in the nation’s capital.”
Tarrio, of Miami, was serving a 22-year sentence — the longest among hundreds of Capitol riot cases — when President Donald Trump granted clemency last month to all 1,500-plus people charged in the Jan. 6 attack.”
“The Department of Justice has widened the scope of President Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 riot defendants to include separate but related gun charges.”
“This week, the Department of Justice said in a court filing that it had concluded that Trump’s pardon order extended to Costianes’ drug and gun case, because it was sufficiently related to his Jan. 6 charges.”
Flip those two special election House seats blue in April, to slow it down a bit. Boycotts & general strikes to hit ‘em in the wallet. Then midterms & impeachment if the cholesterol doesn’t get him first. It’s not all genetics; there’s a lifestyle component.
i suspended disbelief when it mattered, no longer does
i think ive seen 3 strongmen deposed in my lifetime, all only after destroying their country, none had nuclear arsenals
Red state legislatures working hard to make sure we never win a national election again
failing on his number one priority, just had to fire his hand-picked ICE chief
According to Christiaan Hetzner of Fortune, DODO tells Elon that it would be “very unfair” to the DODO admin if Elon built a factory in India (third largest car market in the world behind the US and China). If DODO starts trying to interfere in Elon’s business, I predict a breakup in their bromance.
“A congressman from Florida is under investigation Friday after he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department for allegedly attacking a woman inside a Southwest D.C. apartment.”
Maybe there’ll be another House seat open!
As much as I’d like to have faith that Trump supporters are starting to wake up and realize how bad he and Musk are for America, it seems impossible for me to do. This morning, 2 hardcore right-wingers at work were praising Trump and Musk. Trump is doing a great job and Elon has been such a go-getter and successful throughout his life. I finally put in some ear plugs.
Corey, there is no hope for MAGAts, but those wacky independent voters are softening on him for sure.
Time for my frequent reminder, krasnov is out of his earthly mind. He is probably research material for young want to be phd shrinks looking into the criminal mind, which is senile and other things. He is fixating on things that would send one of us into the padded room. In your guts, you know he is nuts.
It is Friday, and with so much going on it is time for news dumps. An early one today that is not exciting is krasnov fired his ICE head. Not enough pain to those with brown skin, a need to find someone less concerned with the law.
Local newscaster talking to one of our Senators (a Republican) who said he hadn’t heard a word about farmers having problems with funding freezes. BS. I’ve called every day & included the farmers in my daily rant, and there are videos on the internet & they have had mentions on TV.
Yep, Republicans will never have town halls. They have been promised they will be part of the ruling class….and I can’t wait until Adolf throws them off of the proverbial cliff.
Mmmm, as soon as the cuts impact them, they will care. It’s sad that they don’t care about anyone but themselves, but it’ll be a rude awakening for them very soon. What a way to get woke.
I go by what I hear from them in person. My maggers are making excuses about why (fill in the blank) is excusable, or “not that bad,” or “not the first time that’s been done.” To me it signifies a slippery-slope on their long-standing Dodoism. They’re defensive. They know it looks bad because it is bad. They may persist for a while blaming Joe, but they can’t stay in denial forever.
The chickens aren’t coming home to roost because they’re dead from bird flu.
Rational selfishness is a term generally related to Ayn Rand‘s Objectivist philosophy, which refers to a person’s efforts to look after their own well-being, to cultivate the self, and achieve goals for the good of the self. The focus in rational selfishness might be considered to be more self-directed (where the benefit to the group or society is a possible by-product) than the focus of enlightened self-interest which is more group-directed (and the benefit to oneself might be more of the by-product). Some authors say that this concept elevates egoism to the level of a moral principle.
Are government employees required to be on X-twat for their job status updates?
Ivy – The chickens are coming home to roost here, because their office is heavily funded by state and federal money & today the manager couldn’t promise everyone will keep their job. They still think I’m overreacting with talk of fascism & women losing the right to vote, but the funding freeze and cuts in the upcoming budget have them worried. Again, it’s sad when folks don’t care about anyone but themselves, but the squawking has started.
ps – Seeing local politician with a jacket that has a cross draped with an American flag on it. Not fooling me – he’s not a Christian, he’s a yt supremacist. If I ever meet someone with that clothing, I will ask them how long they’ve been a yt supremacist. IDGAF who I offend anymore.
BID, that’s an interesting development, more will be revealed, let us know when you can. Keep on keepin’ on tellin’ them how it really is.
Here we have grown-child-of-magger-parents in federal job, refused buyout bullshit, thinks job security will be okay. I’m waiting to learn if that is more than wishful thinking which I hope it is.
Slashing and burning does not serve the greater good. No one knows where the “savings” are going.
I was in the county when they shut down Bainbridge. 20+ years of negative economic impact.
i’ll still talk with younger conservatives but any trumpers my age or older can go pound sand or watch football, ive no time for them, life’s too short and these ppl want to make it shorter, fuck em
Leon Head-Up-His-Ass apparently not thinking swaths of unemployed have nothing to do other than rally in protest.
these idiots will root for a corporate sports business, they’ll make that corporate sports business their identity, won’t support a democratic sovereign nation in it’s fight against an oppressive invader
hate em
take the reflexive stupid position on literally every issue, they’re a fucking embarrassment
Sorry Mr. C, your last post triggered me
Slava Ukraine
lol top comment: “Beatles or Stones? Answer: Led Zeppelin”
i used to scoff at modern vinyl-record enthusiasts, but now i’m realizing there are no Taco Bell ads on my old albums 🤔
Bernie still got it
Roger Waters accurately describes a trump rally, 45 years before (don’t understand how Waters got so much wrong since):
“The U.S. Justice Department has removed a database tracking misconduct by federal law enforcement, a list proposed by Republican President Donald Trump during his first term and formally created by Democratic former President Joe Biden.”
“The Justice Department website says the database is no longer active and was being decommissioned after Trump revoked Biden’s executive order that had created it.”
“As of September 2024, there were 4,790 records of federal officer misconduct between 2018 and 2023 in the database, according to a report released last year,”
Hmmm, now why would a fascist state want to turn a blind eye to excessive force by local law enforcement?
.
NEW THREAD
Macfee
interesting Wikipedia article, probably not completely up-to-date, and at 63 pages, probably too long to print, but anyway…
(📢) MAJOR BREAKING NEWS: The Daily Beast publishes a sourced allegation that Trump has been a Russian spy since 1987 and then—possibly under some form of threat—deletes it. But in an act of unusual heroism, it left it up long enough for Wayback Machine to capture it.
Wait, is 2028 going to be 2020 again? WaPo.
So when anyone suggests that this nightmare might be over in 3 years and 11 months, tell them not to get too comfortable with that idea.
bros of a feather
Elon Musk wields chainsaw at conservative gathering, a gift from Argentina’s Milei
wonder how much ellen gave him in return
https://image.caglecartoons.com/293066/600/crimes-to-save-the-country.png
Attribution: Crimes to Save the Country by Pat Byrnes, PoliticalCartoons.com
p.s. that last panel hints of what the DEI purge is really about
tough ‘toons, tough times.
https://image.caglecartoons.com/293024/600/musk-cuts.png
Attribution: Musk Cuts by Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune, UT
President Trump’s royal decree banning congestion pricing in New York City didn’t go over too well with Gov. Kathy Hochul, Elon Musk has set his sights on America’s gold depository at Fort Knox, and California is set to recognize Sasquatch as the state’s official cryptid.
We think we know why Don and Elon want to get their hands on America’s gold.
The video of little muskie at cpac shows someone who is having complex issues. Sunglasses often hide eyeballs when worn inside. He could hardly talk any sentences. I wonder if he is now searching out a fentanyl source to “audit”.
In other worlds, sfb is starting to be recognized by his KGB cover name – Krasnov. And, that he is a russian agent.
Elon has become a huge problem for Trump, per multiple polls: WaPo: Only 34% approve of Musk’s role, 63% worry about his data access CNN: 54% say it’s bad he was given a big role And majorities disapprove of Trump in CNN, WaPo, Gallup.
As we hand over Ukraine to Russia let’s remember the Wall Street Journal reported Elon Musk has been Putin’s phone pal for years.. https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/musk-putin-secret-conversations-37e1c187?mod=hp_lead_pos7
The resistance is awakening:
66% say Trump shouldn’t freeze funding w/o Congress
57% say he’s exceeded authority
52% say he’s overstepped powers, including 57% of independents
(CNN, GALLUP, WASHINGTON POST)
Putin plans to announce “Victory” over Ukraine on 2/24
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-prepares-to-announce-its-victory-over-ukraine-and-nato-on-24-february-ukrainian-intelligence-reports/ar-AA1zvhs6?ocid=socialshare&pc=ASTS&cvid=38787afad23d4bb3b42613025c66cca6&ei=25
If anyone still wonders what it may have felt like to live in Germany in 1937, this is it. We are fully in a nazified state of governance. DODO can do whatever and whoever he wants, congress and courts are complicit, polls will not matter because there will be no elections, just installations. Opposition will be crushed by all means including violence.
Welcome to the US of WWE!!!
Elon seemed to be flying on ketamine or something. There were clips of him not being able to find words or make sense. Sunglasses? Probably because there were clips of him at the inauguration with his eyes rolling around in his racist head.
Can’t tell if Bananazi (there’s a name from the past) actually bent his thumb & did the real salute to Shitler from that pic. Kinda looks like it. They don’t exactly think it’s funny, it’s more of um: Hey, look what we can do out in the open, now!
Please, call your Senators & tell them not to kill Medicaid, which would unhouse folks in nursing homes & starve children, you know, Republicans being ~good Christians~ and all.
Dodo was a lazy ass the first time. Now that’s he’s outsourced the presidency to Elon, he’s completely indolent, just watching the show he’s created from the sidelines, laughing his ass off.
I’ve often wondered what nasty, humiliating information Putin has on tRump that would explain why our convicted-felon president would suck up to him so diligently. The origin of Trump’s continuous pandering to Putin goes back decades and includes very active interest by the KGB. Learn more in this Politico article: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842/
Chainsaw Dunlap beat him to it. That didn’t end well either.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_J._Dunlap
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/obituaries/al-dunlap-dead.html
today’s meme…
Renee, note that I concur with today’s meme.
Carville stuns Hannity. Facts are stubborn things..
Gordo!!!
I’ve always been satisfied with the simple provable explanation that when the New York banks took over Trump’s business after the casino debacle and refused to loan him money again he turned to Putin’s cash laundered through a German bank. Poor stupid Eric said so many years ago.
Just received a boilerplate email from United Healthcare. I don’t get Medicaid nor Medicare, but this tells me something is up.
I already left a scathing voicemail for one Senator and went scorched earth in an email to another one, about Elon, cabinet picks, the dodgy contract tRUMPsky’s personal, New York lawyers wrote up for Zelensky, veterans’ benefits, farmers/food programs, the potential for unhoused elderly because Medicaid no longer pays nursing homes, etc.
I did everything but ask to speak with him manager, because I didn’t know if that was Orange Adolf or Putin. Anyway, something is afoot because Republicans ARE going to kill Medicaid, no matter what their constituents say.
***
“On behalf of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), we are seeking information from you regarding the following types of Health Reimbursement Arrangements. These results may help us better serve members who may be enrolled in an employer-sponsored plan:
Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) is a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) available to employers of any size to reimburse their employees for some or all the premiums the employee pays for health insurance they purchase on their own. The employer should provide a notice to the employee explaining how ICHRA works. Qualified Small Employer Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) is a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) available to employers with under 50 full time employees, who don’t offer a group health insurance plan, to reimburse their employees for health insurance premiums and medical costs. The employer should provide a notice to the employee explaining how QSEHRA works.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/02/17/revealed-trump-confidential-plan-ukraine-stranglehold/
Donald Trump’s demand for a $500bn (£400bn) “payback” from Ukraine goes far beyond US control over the country’s critical minerals. It covers everything from ports and infrastructure to oil and gas, and the larger resource base of the country.
The terms of the contract that landed at Volodymyr Zelensky’s office a week ago amount to the US economic colonisation of Ukraine, in legal perpetuity. It implies a burden of reparations that cannot possibly be achieved.
The Telegraph has obtained a draft of the pre-decisional contract, marked “Privileged & Confidential’ and dated Feb 7 2025. It states that the US and Ukraine should form a joint investment fund to ensure that “hostile parties to the conflict do not benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine”.
The agreement covers the “economic value associated with resources of Ukraine”, including “mineral resources, oil and gas resources, ports, other infrastructure (as agreed)”, leaving it unclear what else might be encompassed. “This agreement shall be governed by New York law, without regard to conflict of laws principles,” it states.
The US will take 50pc of recurring revenues received by Ukraine from extraction of resources, and 50pc of the financial value of “all new licences issued to third parties” for the future monetisation of resources. There will be “a lien on such revenues” in favour of the US. “That clause means ‘pay us first, and then feed your children’,” said one source close to the negotiations.
It states that “for all future licences, the US will have a right of first refusal for the purchase of exportable minerals”.
Washington will have sovereign immunity and acquire near total control over most of Ukraine’s commodity and resource economy. The fund “shall have the exclusive right to establish the method, selection criteria, terms, and conditions” of all future licences and projects. And so forth, in this vein. It seems to have been written by private lawyers, not the US departments of state or commerce.
If this draft were accepted, Trump’s demands would amount to a higher share of Ukrainian GDP than reparations imposed on Germany at the Versailles Treaty, later whittled down at the London Conference in 1921, and by the Dawes Plan in 1924. At the same time, he seems willing to let Russia off the hook entirely.
President Zelensky himself proposed the idea of giving the US a direct stake in Ukraine’s rare earth elements and critical minerals on a visit to Trump Tower in September, hoping to smooth the way for continued arms deliveries. He calculated that it would lead to US companies setting operations on the ground, creating a political tripwire that would deter Vladimir Putin from attacking again.
Donald Trump told Fox News that Ukraine had “essentially agreed” to hand over $500bn. “They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earths, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things,” he said.
He warned that Ukraine would be handed to Putin on a plate if it rejected the terms. “They may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But I want this money back,” he said.
***
Orange Adolf can’t choke on a cheezeberder fast enough.
ps – Private lawyers? New York law? Joint investment group? <— ??? Anyone? Anyone?
Continuing the nazi life style, bannon gave his version of the nazi salute at cpac. The fallout was immediate, the French far-right speaker refused his slot. No word from krasnov as to whether he knows bannon.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/two-staffers-quit-john-fetterman-office-rcna192804
“Two of Sen. John Fetterman’s longest-serving staff members are leaving his team as the senator takes a more open approach to President Donald Trump than many of his Democratic colleagues are.”
“The departures come one month after Carrie Adams left as Fetterman’s communications director. She had garnered attention when she was quoted in a Free Press article disagreeing with the senator on Israel and the war in Gaza. That followed Fetterman losing three of his top communications staffers last March, before his chief-of-staff, Adam Jentleson, stepped down.”
Fetterman is such a f&cking disappointment…unless he’s planning to be a mole and work from the inside. Nah, I actually think Orange Adolf threatened to deport his Brazilian wife and split up his family if he didn’t play nice with the orange mob boss.
B L A C K M A I L
When Trump’s first-term disaster provoked angry town halls Republicans found an easy solution: They canceled them.
“Georgia congressman confronted by angry crowd over support for Trump’s agenda. Critics boo, jeer U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick throughout town hall in Roswell”
https://www.ajc.com/politics/mccormick-confronted-by-angry-crowd-over-support-for-trumps-agenda/A4FRX7YIUFD2RK7SFTNOKGMDQY/
Richard Branson
Research shows that LGBTQ+ inclusion can drive economic activity. Open For Business’ latest report shows the economic case for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Poland: open-for-business.org/poland
Agree with your theory, Craig, and hypothesize further that the cash is still flowing. Pootie has amassed more money than he knows what to do with and would love to buy America outright. Dodo, being the narcissistic greed-hog that he is, is quite ready to sell. After all, he’s almost done with the country himself, being near his expiration date, so why not wring the last few rubles out of it while he can.
“After all, he’s almost done with the country himself, being near his expiration date, so why not wring the last few rubles out of it while he can.”
Ivy, my thoughts too. his mom died at 88 and pop at 94 so he knows there’s not that much time left to wallow in the wealth and attention he craves and will do anything to get. what does he care about the little guy, no different from all those subcontractors he reneged on paying or the addled dad he looted.
Pat, I would not bet on Dodo breathing as long as his parents. The average age of the expired Dodo siblings is 67, including brother Freddie who passed at 43. The sole surviving sibling is Elizabeth who is about 83.
Allegory for current politics.
Guess which group are the Democrats.
Bannon’s (and Elon’s) nazified “salutes” are knock-offs that wouldn’t have sold in now-bankrupt Filene’s Basement.
whoa, Gordo
glad your seeing clearly 🫡
People have all sorts of theories regarding trump and musk’s motivations
maybe they’re just assholes
occam’s razor
As far as the “resistance waking up”
it’s too fucking late
not too late, anonstuff.
midterms coming — win back congress and impeach him one last time
https://apnews.com/article/proud-boys-leader-enrique-tarrio-arrested-a1b88e26b17e21193fbf92ad0e9a65e2
“Former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio was arrested Friday near the U.S. Capitol on a charge that he assaulted a woman protesting a gathering attended by Tarrio and others who received presidential pardons for crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in the nation’s capital.”
Tarrio, of Miami, was serving a 22-year sentence — the longest among hundreds of Capitol riot cases — when President Donald Trump granted clemency last month to all 1,500-plus people charged in the Jan. 6 attack.”
lol
more power to you 🫡
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/20/nx-s1-5304454/jan-6-pardons-drugs-firearms
“The Department of Justice has widened the scope of President Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 riot defendants to include separate but related gun charges.”
“This week, the Department of Justice said in a court filing that it had concluded that Trump’s pardon order extended to Costianes’ drug and gun case, because it was sufficiently related to his Jan. 6 charges.”
Flip those two special election House seats blue in April, to slow it down a bit. Boycotts & general strikes to hit ‘em in the wallet. Then midterms & impeachment if the cholesterol doesn’t get him first. It’s not all genetics; there’s a lifestyle component.
i suspended disbelief when it mattered, no longer does
i think ive seen 3 strongmen deposed in my lifetime, all only after destroying their country, none had nuclear arsenals
Red state legislatures working hard to make sure we never win a national election again
failing on his number one priority, just had to fire his hand-picked ICE chief
Funding for the Department of Government Efficiency has soared to nearly $40 million, ProPublica found in a review of Office of Management and Budget records.
https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-trump-musk-funding-foia-congress-transparency
According to Christiaan Hetzner of Fortune, DODO tells Elon that it would be “very unfair” to the DODO admin if Elon built a factory in India (third largest car market in the world behind the US and China). If DODO starts trying to interfere in Elon’s business, I predict a breakup in their bromance.
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/crime/republican-arrested-arrest-florida-washington-dc-maryland-avenue-southwest-politics-capitol/65-57a1dde3-a0ac-456c-ab2e-b2752ee50564
“A congressman from Florida is under investigation Friday after he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department for allegedly attacking a woman inside a Southwest D.C. apartment.”
Maybe there’ll be another House seat open!
As much as I’d like to have faith that Trump supporters are starting to wake up and realize how bad he and Musk are for America, it seems impossible for me to do. This morning, 2 hardcore right-wingers at work were praising Trump and Musk. Trump is doing a great job and Elon has been such a go-getter and successful throughout his life. I finally put in some ear plugs.
Corey, there is no hope for MAGAts, but those wacky independent voters are softening on him for sure.
Time for my frequent reminder, krasnov is out of his earthly mind. He is probably research material for young want to be phd shrinks looking into the criminal mind, which is senile and other things. He is fixating on things that would send one of us into the padded room. In your guts, you know he is nuts.
It is Friday, and with so much going on it is time for news dumps. An early one today that is not exciting is krasnov fired his ICE head. Not enough pain to those with brown skin, a need to find someone less concerned with the law.
Local newscaster talking to one of our Senators (a Republican) who said he hadn’t heard a word about farmers having problems with funding freezes. BS. I’ve called every day & included the farmers in my daily rant, and there are videos on the internet & they have had mentions on TV.
Yep, Republicans will never have town halls. They have been promised they will be part of the ruling class….and I can’t wait until Adolf throws them off of the proverbial cliff.
Mmmm, as soon as the cuts impact them, they will care. It’s sad that they don’t care about anyone but themselves, but it’ll be a rude awakening for them very soon. What a way to get woke.
I go by what I hear from them in person. My maggers are making excuses about why (fill in the blank) is excusable, or “not that bad,” or “not the first time that’s been done.” To me it signifies a slippery-slope on their long-standing Dodoism. They’re defensive. They know it looks bad because it is bad. They may persist for a while blaming Joe, but they can’t stay in denial forever.
The chickens aren’t coming home to roost because they’re dead from bird flu.
They think all self interest is enlightened.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightened_self-interest
Ayn Rand was an authentic crackpot.
Are government employees required to be on X-twat for their job status updates?
Ivy – The chickens are coming home to roost here, because their office is heavily funded by state and federal money & today the manager couldn’t promise everyone will keep their job. They still think I’m overreacting with talk of fascism & women losing the right to vote, but the funding freeze and cuts in the upcoming budget have them worried. Again, it’s sad when folks don’t care about anyone but themselves, but the squawking has started.
ps – Seeing local politician with a jacket that has a cross draped with an American flag on it. Not fooling me – he’s not a Christian, he’s a yt supremacist. If I ever meet someone with that clothing, I will ask them how long they’ve been a yt supremacist. IDGAF who I offend anymore.
BID, that’s an interesting development, more will be revealed, let us know when you can. Keep on keepin’ on tellin’ them how it really is.
Here we have grown-child-of-magger-parents in federal job, refused buyout bullshit, thinks job security will be okay. I’m waiting to learn if that is more than wishful thinking which I hope it is.
Slashing and burning does not serve the greater good. No one knows where the “savings” are going.
I was in the county when they shut down Bainbridge. 20+ years of negative economic impact.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Training_Center_Bainbridge
https://www.newsweek.com/new-coronavirus-bat-chinese-lab-2034232
“New Coronavirus Discovered in Chinese Bats Sparks Alarm”
“A new bat coronavirus that has the capacity to spread to humans, similar to the one that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, has been discovered.”
It’s great learning all this music history I didn’t know.
https://delawareliberal.net/2025/02/21/song-of-the-day-2-21-brian-setzer-blue-moon-of-kentucky/
Colin Powell is forgotten
Facts don’t matter and journalism has become pig slop.
I’ve never understood the OCD about the price of a stamp.
As we give away Ukraine to Russia let’s remember the ex-KGB agent who told The Guardian that Donald Trump had been their asset for decades.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/29/trump-russia-asset-claims-former-kgb-spy-new-book
i’ll still talk with younger conservatives but any trumpers my age or older can go pound sand or watch football, ive no time for them, life’s too short and these ppl want to make it shorter, fuck em
Leon Head-Up-His-Ass apparently not thinking swaths of unemployed have nothing to do other than rally in protest.
these idiots will root for a corporate sports business, they’ll make that corporate sports business their identity, won’t support a democratic sovereign nation in it’s fight against an oppressive invader
hate em
take the reflexive stupid position on literally every issue, they’re a fucking embarrassment
Sorry Mr. C, your last post triggered me
Slava Ukraine
lol top comment: “Beatles or Stones? Answer: Led Zeppelin”
i used to scoff at modern vinyl-record enthusiasts, but now i’m realizing there are no Taco Bell ads on my old albums 🤔
Bernie still got it
Roger Waters accurately describes a trump rally, 45 years before (don’t understand how Waters got so much wrong since):
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-justice-department-cuts-database-tracking-federal-police-misconduct-2025-02-21/
“The U.S. Justice Department has removed a database tracking misconduct by federal law enforcement, a list proposed by Republican President Donald Trump during his first term and formally created by Democratic former President Joe Biden.”
“The Justice Department website says the database is no longer active and was being decommissioned after Trump revoked Biden’s executive order that had created it.”
“As of September 2024, there were 4,790 records of federal officer misconduct between 2018 and 2023 in the database, according to a report released last year,”
Hmmm, now why would a fascist state want to turn a blind eye to excessive force by local law enforcement?
.
NEW THREAD
Macfee
interesting Wikipedia article, probably not completely up-to-date, and at 63 pages, probably too long to print, but anyway…
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Links_b…
sethabramson.bsky.social
(📢) MAJOR BREAKING NEWS: The Daily Beast publishes a sourced allegation that Trump has been a Russian spy since 1987 and then—possibly under some form of threat—deletes it. But in an act of unusual heroism, it left it up long enough for Wayback Machine to capture it.
Here it is
https://web.archive.org/web/20250221153932/https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-intelligence-officer-alnur-mussayev-claims-kgb-recruited-donald-trump-under-codename-krasnov/
Song from the movie “War of the Gargantuas”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VP5LZOsGkzw&pp=ygUcV29yZHMgZ2V5IHN0dWNrIGluIG15IHRocm9hdA%3D%3D