‘toon above and op ed below by David Horsey 3/12/25 in Seattle Times:
The senior adviser to the president is the most destructive domestic terrorist in history.
What do you call someone who attacks the United States government, wreaking havoc in every department and agency, from veterans’ programs, the CIA and national parks to the Internal Revenue Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Social Security Administration, endangering the welfare of millions of children, threatening the lives of ailing veterans and undermining the national security of the country?
Some call such a person an efficiency expert, but a better description is “domestic terrorist.”
Marlette bio by creators syndicate:
Born and raised by underpaid public school teachers in Sanford, Fla., Andy Marlette graduated from the University of Florida and became staff editorial cartoonist at the Pensacola News Journal in 2007. Marlette received a priceless editorial cartoon education while living with his uncle and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Doug Marlette in Hillsborough, N.C. Doug’s tragic death in July of 2007 made evermore poignant the elder Marlette’s fierce and faithful devotion to the art form of editorial cartooning as a cornerstone of American free speech. With this in mind, Andy works daily to learn and uphold the disciplines and values passed on to him by his late uncle. Andy’s editorial cartoons have become both hated and adored by daily readers. His work has been awarded by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors for best editorial cartoons on state issues and former Governor Charlie Crist referred to himself regularly as Marlette’s biggest fan, despite the fact that he was also regularly a target in cartoons.? Marlette has also illustrated two published children’s books co-authored by Orlando Sentinel sports columnist Mike Bianchi, as well as a recently published children’s book about a carrot-eating dog titled “Harry Loves Carrots.”
We had an agreed upon plan, House took immense risk, then Senate turned around midway and destroyed it w/ a fear-based, inexplicable abdication.
They own what happens next
“The [staff] hates [Musk], part of it is policy and part is that he’s not human. He treats Susie [Wiles] like a f–cking secretary. But they’re petrified of him,” said a source familiar with the situation inside the West Wing. I’ve learned that Wiles finally complained to Trump about Musk’s freelancing. And Trump’s pollster told me he’s NEVER ran a poll on Musk’s favorables, even after that disastrous interview with Kudlow when he touched the third rail, entitlements.”
— Tara Palmeri
He is insane and his only human emotion is revenge and you cannot mitigate against it. There is only one path through: destroy his presidency.
Onion
Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage
Flatten the curve.
Canada gives Rubio a 3-foot red carpet.
What she said
sturge, discussion by brooks & capehart on the CR vote last night:
David Brooks:
So you got Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who sort of made a similar point [capehart’s preceding comment] that we need to fight, we need to say no, we can’t pass this thing, we can’t assent to the Republican bill.
And Chuck Schumer — but the problem with the AOC side is they never answered Chuck Schumer’s core argument, is that if we shut down the government, Donald Trump will have expanded power to furlough all these nonessential workers, and he will never bring them back.
And so, by shutting the government, you’re expanding Trump’s power to decimate the government. And so that was Chuck Schumer’s argument, and he was like, this is a terrible choice, and it is a terrible choice. Everybody wants to stand up against Donald Trump, the Democratic Party. You’re offended by the way you’re being steamrolled. The country’s being decimated on every front. Of course you want to fight back.
But what AOC is offering is a really nice TikTok video. And what Chuck is offering, Chuck Schumer is offering, is, like, saving some jobs.
Jonathan Capehart:
Donald Trump is — President Trump is going to do what President Trump and Elon Musk are going to do, one.
Two, this isn’t just AOC wanting to do something for TikTok. You know this is a very serious situation when an institutionalist like Senator Chris Coons of Delaware adamantly said, no, I am not voting for the continuing resolution, or Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon who said, hell no, I’m not voting for this continuing resolution. That tells you how serious this is.
David Brooks:
Yes, I guess I would say a couple things.
First, one of the crucial things holding down from back is that he — the president does not have the power to get rid of an agency that Congress has passed into law. And I think that’s going to be upheld in the courts. But if the government is closed, suddenly, you’re giving him a way out. He could say, I’m not shutting it down, I’m just furloughing, and I’m furloughing forever.
And so it’s a loophole around that. And that’s the best defense against what Donald Trump is doing. On the Democratic Party, they’re going to have a chance to fight. Donald Trump will — is in the process now of making himself majorly unpopular.
And when the public turns, the momentum will shift, and the Democrats will have plenty of opportunities to do a lot of fighting. But at this moment, I think saving those jobs is more important.
Here there be rot.
David Brooks……I’m sure his family probably likes him.
Sometimes the worst greeting is the nicest one. or is it the otherway around?
Puppet Regime
S’mor Droobiee
By the way, Pat……Thanks for the article. (Might have gotten lost in my disdain for Mr brooks:-)
Canada gives Rubio a 3-foot red carpet.
That is not a red carpet welcome for Lil’ Marco. It’s a throw rug.
When vets start coming at you and the entire audience applauds the protestors then you in trouble.
Republicans are in big trouble.
@rachelbitecofer.bsky.social
· 15h
I understand why folks wanted them to fight it out and even more so, the frustration of NEEDING to fight back.
I have devoted 5 years of my life to trying to get Ds to fight back and have little to show for it!!!
But I also know we would have come to regret that shutdown.
We’ll never know.
today’s meme…
All in the Family. Fifth or sixth grade is about the age Fred Sr. decided Fred Jr. was a loser and pinned his hopes on the second son who was a bigger loser but in the mold Sr. approved.
America is being run like a dysfunctional family by a dysfunctional family.
They didn’t even bother making a PR event out of it, no pledges, no concessions, nothing
clean house
lol the only press they are getting out of it is bad press
im telling you these people suck at politics. They may be competent administrators once in office but that’s only half the game and you only play it if you win the first half
and they suck at the first half
Craig – Just binge-watched Lazy Man Cooking.
When are you making Bur-goo?
I need to vegetize it, but don’t remember the recipe from the early 2000s My first batch turned out good, and the second not so good, so I stopped making it & then stopped eating meat in 2010.
ps – For a tighter vacuum seal on those ziplock bags, use a straw.
Ppl actually liked my peppers 🤷♂️
OK, so take half a cup of dry quinoa, half a cup of rice throw it in a pot dry add some salt add 2 cups of water or vegetable broth. Make that if you know how to make rice, hopefully you do, set aside to cool. Then, in another pot take half a can of rinsed beans, finely chopped celery, onion, and reduce that until the beans are disintegrated and the onion softened then add the other half of the can of beans, some thyme, salt/pepper, grated carrot, and pickled peppers and a little bit more broth. Simmer for two minutes set aside to cool.
When both things are room temperature combine and compact, let sit another half an hour then stuff your peppers that are cut into halves
I mixed garlic salt with Panko and topped the half cut stuffed peppers with that, put on bed of diced tomatoes, more pickled peppers, and two tablespoons of your favorite oil, bake at 350 for 30 minutes covered 15 minutes at 4:15 uncovered or until panko is browned
Panko made it tbh
Bell peppers are expensive so you could use a cabbage and stuff that, core the cabbage completely, invert in a crockpot in an inch and a half of liquid steam on high for three hours to soften leaves for stuffing
Anon – Might try that, except for the quinoa. I love it, but no matter how much I soak and rinse it, I never get rid of the bitterness. I do buy it premade and frozen if it’s on sale.
i gotta get all 9 aminos in you vegans somehow!
some crushed walnuts in with the second half of the beans might be good 🤔
Germans always have a word for it. Whatever it is.
Just posted my 5-minute Ribeye I’m grilling tonight..
“Greenlanders march to US consulate building, protesting Trump’s annexation bid”
‘Stop threats and aggression! Don’t take over our country. You are not welcome,’ placards in Nuuk read
“A similar demonstration was also organized in the city of Sisimiut, north Greenland.”
“Demonstrators sang the Greenlandic anthem “Nunarput Utoqqarsuanngoravit” – a prideful song about Greenlandic pride, identity, and respect for their traditions – outside the US consulate.”
There are still several hours remaining in 3/15. Just sayin’
toga party
Who is going do clean-up and roofing after these tornadoes?
“Environmental disaster”: Toxic aftermath of Los Angeles fires puts public at risk, experts warn
“It’s an environmental disaster, and they [city authorities] are pretending like, ‘Oh, it’ll just go away.’ But now it’s sitting on our beaches, and it’s just like going into the sand, and it’s possible that, if they don’t deal with this, it could be years of contamination for the LA beaches or more,” Gerber told Salon.
“The lifeguards are standing there, and I was like, ‘Dude, you’re not going to tell these people to get out of the water?’” he said, describing a recent encounter on a beach. “They’re literally wading in toxic s**t. It’s all over. And they’re like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ I figured if I started telling people to get their kids out of the water, they would be like, ‘leave us alone.’”
When it comes to air quality, officials have mostly warned about avoiding outdoor activities in areas with visible ash or poor air quality, but some safety experts say that many toxic particles could be hard to see.
“The particles are so small they can get into the brain,” said Ed Avol, professor emeritus at USC School of Medicine at the same Coalition for Clean Air event. “The ability to focus, pay attention in school, dementia – we’re looking at a range of outcomes. It affects your metabolic system.”
While California Governor Gavin Newsom touted“the fastest-ever hazardous debris removal effort in the nation” as of February 25, many questions about the safety of air, water and long-term health impact remain. Newsom’s office did not respond to Salon’s request for comment.
“They’re driving those trucks right through West LA right through residential neighborhoods,” Gerber said of the ongoing clean up efforts. “The whole idea that they’re using any level of safety is absurd.”
it is said that the Roman senator Cato, rather than facing the shame of living under the thumb of Caesar, eviscerated himself. He was reported to have been found by his attendants who unviscerated him, and sewed him back up and laid him down to rest. Determined, Cato removed his stitches, re-eviscerated himself for a second time and died.
Do you think any of these Republicans have that kind of courage and honor?
~Oh, goody~ ABC News is using the last, full segment to do a missing dog story. There were zero clips of protests from yesterday or today (which are on the socials, so it’s not hidden), and they didn’t talk about anything in a consequential way with the exception of Democrats in-fighting over the CRappy bill.
“…President Trump has filed a presidential action invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a seldom-used law that gives the president authority to detain or deport nationals of an enemy nation during wartime.”
”It’s only the fourth time in American history a president has used the act — and the first since World War II.”
“The directive targets members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang, and authorizes expedited removal of all Venezuelan citizens 14 and older, deemed to be members of the organization, who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.”
~I’m sure it will only be used to capture gang members, and absolutely nobody else will be targeted nor caught up in this mess.~
Elon Musk’s Chatbot Says There’s a Strong Chance Trump Is ‘Russian Asset’
“What is the likelihood from 1-100 that Trump is a Putin-compromised asset? Use all publicly available information from 1980 on and his failure to ever say anything negative about Putin but has no issue attacking allies.”
Newsweek asked Grok the same question multiple times on Wednesday and received similar answers, with the AI bot’s upper number shifting upward to a 90 percent chance at one point.
“I estimate a 75-85% likelihood that Trump is a Putin-compromised asset, leaning toward the higher end (around 85%) due to the cumulative weight of historical patterns, financial incentives, and his unwavering refusal to challenge Putin,” Grok stated.
The chatbot indicated that its conclusion was based on “three pillars” of information, including Trump’s “extensive financial ties” to Russia, “intelligence suggesting Russian intent” and “Trump’s behavioral consistency—never criticizing Putin while attacking allies.”
“The ‘useful idiot’ scenario, where Trump’s ego and debts make him unwittingly pliable, fits the pattern as much as deliberate collusion might,” it continued.
North Texas hospital network stops accepting VA insurance, impacting disabled veterans’ families
A North Texas hospital network, Children’s Health, has stopped accepting VA insurance for disabled veterans’ families, causing unexpected issues for many. Marine veteran Rick Henderson discovered this when his son’s insurance was denied during a hospital visit for a severe asthma attack.
*How long are they gonna put up with Orange Adolf and his parade float of DUI hires?
Sketchy sales bump for 8,600 Tesla vehicles in 3 days across Canada prompts official investigation This was no ordinary hot streak, mind you. Tesla EV sales claimed millions in government reimbursed rebates over the weekend before Canada suspended its iZEV rebate program.
The program provided $5,000 rebates for EV sales with the same premise as the U.S. federal tax credit, namely lowering the immediate financial burden of an EV purchase. During the same timeframe as the program’s suspension, Tesla locations reported a staggering sales bump of 8,653 EVs in just three days. As a result, the sales figures represented $43 million in reimbursable dealership rebates.
As brazen as it sounds, the massive sales uptick was spread out over just four Canadian locations.
To give you an idea of how ridiculous that is, we need only look at the individual locations’ reported Tesla sales. One of the locations, in Québec City, Québec, submitted 4,000 rebate requests in a single weekend. Needless to say, they couldn’t possibly have sold 2,000 Teslas in one day.
In that same vein, a location in Toronto, Ontario, reported over 1,200 Tesla sales on January 11th. One day, over 1,200 EVs, four million dollars in rebates. As you might expect, Redditors were less than kind. A few users broke the math down, positing that the Toronto location would have to sell nearly 50 EVs per hour to make things work. And that’s if the dealer was open for 24 hours.
According to the Toronto Star, the money-grubbing move just before the rebate program’s shutdown has left dealerships accountable for $10 million already. Consequently, the Transport Minister of Canada, Anita Anand, ordered an investigation into the suspect sales and rebate figures.
***
Elon used Tesla shares to back the loan to buy Twitter, which is dying on the vine. If Tesla share prices drop and the bank loan for Twitter can’t be paid, that will be the end of Elon’s empire of smoke, mirrors, misogyny, and racist BS. If Elon has no money, he can’t pay tRUMPsky, thus Crazy Don-Old’s car lot on the WH lawn.
Also, the DOGE staff is getting paid six figures per year. Well, that’s their base salary; the real money is in selling data on the dark web or to foreign governments.
TERRIBLE THINGS HAPPENED TO MONKEYS AFTER GETTING NEURALINK IMPLANTS, ACCORDING TO VETERINARY RECORDS To add to Neuralink’s problems, an ethics group known as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has sent letters to the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), demanding that it investigate Musk’s suspect claims.
They are claiming they are going to put a safe device on the market, and that’s why you should invest,” Ryan Merkley at the Physicians Committee, told Wired. “And we see his lie as a way to whitewash what happened in these exploratory studies.”
NEW THREAD by our Trail friend Jack
Comments are closed.
Join the Trail Mix
Get an alert when Craig goes live, and the link when our Open Thread heats up.
‘toon above and op ed below by David Horsey 3/12/25 in Seattle Times:
enjoy political cartoonists such as Horsey while you can. they are an endangered species in this brave less new world. here are some of their recent works which no doubt will disturb the power that be-s:
Marlette
https://cdn.creators.com/588/390052/390052_image.jpg
Ratt
https://image.caglecartoons.com/293755/600/abridge-too-far.png
Attribution: Abridge Too Far by Ratt, PoliticalCartoons.com
Whamond
https://image.caglecartoons.com/293661/600/elon-musk-fallout.png
Attribution: Elon Musk fallout by Dave Whamond, Canada, PoliticalCartoons.com
one more for the roadies
https://cdn.creators.com/588/389932/389932_image.jpg
Marlette bio by creators syndicate:
Born and raised by underpaid public school teachers in Sanford, Fla., Andy Marlette graduated from the University of Florida and became staff editorial cartoonist at the Pensacola News Journal in 2007. Marlette received a priceless editorial cartoon education while living with his uncle and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Doug Marlette in Hillsborough, N.C. Doug’s tragic death in July of 2007 made evermore poignant the elder Marlette’s fierce and faithful devotion to the art form of editorial cartooning as a cornerstone of American free speech. With this in mind, Andy works daily to learn and uphold the disciplines and values passed on to him by his late uncle. Andy’s editorial cartoons have become both hated and adored by daily readers. His work has been awarded by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors for best editorial cartoons on state issues and former Governor Charlie Crist referred to himself regularly as Marlette’s biggest fan, despite the fact that he was also regularly a target in cartoons.? Marlette has also illustrated two published children’s books co-authored by Orlando Sentinel sports columnist Mike Bianchi, as well as a recently published children’s book about a carrot-eating dog titled “Harry Loves Carrots.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social
·
10h
Among the material devastation to everyday people, Senate Dems have now blown a hole in their ability to work with the House.
We had an agreed upon plan, House took immense risk, then Senate turned around midway and destroyed it w/ a fear-based, inexplicable abdication.
They own what happens next
“The [staff] hates [Musk], part of it is policy and part is that he’s not human. He treats Susie [Wiles] like a f–cking secretary. But they’re petrified of him,” said a source familiar with the situation inside the West Wing. I’ve learned that Wiles finally complained to Trump about Musk’s freelancing. And Trump’s pollster told me he’s NEVER ran a poll on Musk’s favorables, even after that disastrous interview with Kudlow when he touched the third rail, entitlements.”
— Tara Palmeri
Olbermann
I’m sorry that @schumer.senate.gov and @cnn.com and @msnbc.com didn’t know this before today: there is no compromising with Trump.
He is insane and his only human emotion is revenge and you cannot mitigate against it. There is only one path through: destroy his presidency.
Onion
Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage
Flatten the curve.
Canada gives Rubio a 3-foot red carpet.
What she said
sturge, discussion by brooks & capehart on the CR vote last night:
Here there be rot.
David Brooks……I’m sure his family probably likes him.
Sometimes the worst greeting is the nicest one. or is it the otherway around?
Puppet Regime
S’mor Droobiee
By the way, Pat……Thanks for the article. (Might have gotten lost in my disdain for Mr brooks:-)
That is not a red carpet welcome for Lil’ Marco. It’s a throw rug.
Be safe today, friends and family in Alabama.
Rachel Bitecofer @rachelbitecofer.bsky.social
·
18h
I know many of you are disappointed right now but this will cheer you up.
When vets start coming at you and the entire audience applauds the protestors then you in trouble.
Republicans are in big trouble.
@rachelbitecofer.bsky.social
·
15h
I understand why folks wanted them to fight it out and even more so, the frustration of NEEDING to fight back.
I have devoted 5 years of my life to trying to get Ds to fight back and have little to show for it!!!
But I also know we would have come to regret that shutdown.
We’ll never know.
today’s meme…
All in the Family. Fifth or sixth grade is about the age Fred Sr. decided Fred Jr. was a loser and pinned his hopes on the second son who was a bigger loser but in the mold Sr. approved.
America is being run like a dysfunctional family by a dysfunctional family.
They didn’t even bother making a PR event out of it, no pledges, no concessions, nothing
clean house
lol the only press they are getting out of it is bad press
im telling you these people suck at politics. They may be competent administrators once in office but that’s only half the game and you only play it if you win the first half
and they suck at the first half
Craig – Just binge-watched Lazy Man Cooking.
When are you making Bur-goo?
I need to vegetize it, but don’t remember the recipe from the early 2000s My first batch turned out good, and the second not so good, so I stopped making it & then stopped eating meat in 2010.
ps – For a tighter vacuum seal on those ziplock bags, use a straw.
Ppl actually liked my peppers 🤷♂️
OK, so take half a cup of dry quinoa, half a cup of rice throw it in a pot dry add some salt add 2 cups of water or vegetable broth. Make that if you know how to make rice, hopefully you do, set aside to cool. Then, in another pot take half a can of rinsed beans, finely chopped celery, onion, and reduce that until the beans are disintegrated and the onion softened then add the other half of the can of beans, some thyme, salt/pepper, grated carrot, and pickled peppers and a little bit more broth. Simmer for two minutes set aside to cool.
When both things are room temperature combine and compact, let sit another half an hour then stuff your peppers that are cut into halves
I mixed garlic salt with Panko and topped the half cut stuffed peppers with that, put on bed of diced tomatoes, more pickled peppers, and two tablespoons of your favorite oil, bake at 350 for 30 minutes covered 15 minutes at 4:15 uncovered or until panko is browned
Panko made it tbh
Bell peppers are expensive so you could use a cabbage and stuff that, core the cabbage completely, invert in a crockpot in an inch and a half of liquid steam on high for three hours to soften leaves for stuffing
Anon – Might try that, except for the quinoa. I love it, but no matter how much I soak and rinse it, I never get rid of the bitterness. I do buy it premade and frozen if it’s on sale.
i gotta get all 9 aminos in you vegans somehow!
some crushed walnuts in with the second half of the beans might be good 🤔
Germans always have a word for it. Whatever it is.
Just posted my 5-minute Ribeye I’m grilling tonight..
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/greenlanders-march-to-us-consulate-building-protesting-trump-s-annexation-bid/3510596
“Greenlanders march to US consulate building, protesting Trump’s annexation bid”
‘Stop threats and aggression! Don’t take over our country. You are not welcome,’ placards in Nuuk read
“A similar demonstration was also organized in the city of Sisimiut, north Greenland.”
“Demonstrators sang the Greenlandic anthem “Nunarput Utoqqarsuanngoravit” – a prideful song about Greenlandic pride, identity, and respect for their traditions – outside the US consulate.”
There are still several hours remaining in 3/15. Just sayin’
toga party
Who is going do clean-up and roofing after these tornadoes?
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/14/environmental-disaster-aftermath-of-los-angeles-puts-public-at-risk-experts-warn/
“Environmental disaster”: Toxic aftermath of Los Angeles fires puts public at risk, experts warn
“It’s an environmental disaster, and they [city authorities] are pretending like, ‘Oh, it’ll just go away.’ But now it’s sitting on our beaches, and it’s just like going into the sand, and it’s possible that, if they don’t deal with this, it could be years of contamination for the LA beaches or more,” Gerber told Salon.
“The lifeguards are standing there, and I was like, ‘Dude, you’re not going to tell these people to get out of the water?’” he said, describing a recent encounter on a beach. “They’re literally wading in toxic s**t. It’s all over. And they’re like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ I figured if I started telling people to get their kids out of the water, they would be like, ‘leave us alone.’”
When it comes to air quality, officials have mostly warned about avoiding outdoor activities in areas with visible ash or poor air quality, but some safety experts say that many toxic particles could be hard to see.
“The particles are so small they can get into the brain,” said Ed Avol, professor emeritus at USC School of Medicine at the same Coalition for Clean Air event. “The ability to focus, pay attention in school, dementia – we’re looking at a range of outcomes. It affects your metabolic system.”
While California Governor Gavin Newsom touted“the fastest-ever hazardous debris removal effort in the nation” as of February 25, many questions about the safety of air, water and long-term health impact remain. Newsom’s office did not respond to Salon’s request for comment.
“They’re driving those trucks right through West LA right through residential neighborhoods,” Gerber said of the ongoing clean up efforts. “The whole idea that they’re using any level of safety is absurd.”
it is said that the Roman senator Cato, rather than facing the shame of living under the thumb of Caesar, eviscerated himself. He was reported to have been found by his attendants who unviscerated him, and sewed him back up and laid him down to rest. Determined, Cato removed his stitches, re-eviscerated himself for a second time and died.
Do you think any of these Republicans have that kind of courage and honor?
~Oh, goody~ ABC News is using the last, full segment to do a missing dog story. There were zero clips of protests from yesterday or today (which are on the socials, so it’s not hidden), and they didn’t talk about anything in a consequential way with the exception of Democrats in-fighting over the CRappy bill.
Anon- Pretty high bar for jellyfish.
https://www.kjzz.org/politics/2025-03-15/trump-enacts-a-1790s-law-to-target-alien-enemies-for-detention-and-deportation
“…President Trump has filed a presidential action invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a seldom-used law that gives the president authority to detain or deport nationals of an enemy nation during wartime.”
”It’s only the fourth time in American history a president has used the act — and the first since World War II.”
“The directive targets members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang, and authorizes expedited removal of all Venezuelan citizens 14 and older, deemed to be members of the organization, who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.”
~I’m sure it will only be used to capture gang members, and absolutely nobody else will be targeted nor caught up in this mess.~
Jellyfish who lie though their teeth.
???
Broken record
https://www.newsweek.com/elon-musks-chatbot-says-theres-strong-chance-trump-russian-asset-2040338
Elon Musk’s Chatbot Says There’s a Strong Chance Trump Is ‘Russian Asset’
“What is the likelihood from 1-100 that Trump is a Putin-compromised asset? Use all publicly available information from 1980 on and his failure to ever say anything negative about Putin but has no issue attacking allies.”
Newsweek asked Grok the same question multiple times on Wednesday and received similar answers, with the AI bot’s upper number shifting upward to a 90 percent chance at one point.
“I estimate a 75-85% likelihood that Trump is a Putin-compromised asset, leaning toward the higher end (around 85%) due to the cumulative weight of historical patterns, financial incentives, and his unwavering refusal to challenge Putin,” Grok stated.
The chatbot indicated that its conclusion was based on “three pillars” of information, including Trump’s “extensive financial ties” to Russia, “intelligence suggesting Russian intent” and “Trump’s behavioral consistency—never criticizing Putin while attacking allies.”
“The ‘useful idiot’ scenario, where Trump’s ego and debts make him unwittingly pliable, fits the pattern as much as deliberate collusion might,” it continued.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/north-texas-hospital-network-stops-032105546.html
North Texas hospital network stops accepting VA insurance, impacting disabled veterans’ families
A North Texas hospital network, Children’s Health, has stopped accepting VA insurance for disabled veterans’ families, causing unexpected issues for many. Marine veteran Rick Henderson discovered this when his son’s insurance was denied during a hospital visit for a severe asthma attack.
*How long are they gonna put up with Orange Adolf and his parade float of DUI hires?
Sketchy sales bump for 8,600 Tesla vehicles in 3 days across Canada prompts official investigation
This was no ordinary hot streak, mind you. Tesla EV sales claimed millions in government reimbursed rebates over the weekend before Canada suspended its iZEV rebate program.
The program provided $5,000 rebates for EV sales with the same premise as the U.S. federal tax credit, namely lowering the immediate financial burden of an EV purchase. During the same timeframe as the program’s suspension, Tesla locations reported a staggering sales bump of 8,653 EVs in just three days. As a result, the sales figures represented $43 million in reimbursable dealership rebates.
As brazen as it sounds, the massive sales uptick was spread out over just four Canadian locations.
To give you an idea of how ridiculous that is, we need only look at the individual locations’ reported Tesla sales. One of the locations, in Québec City, Québec, submitted 4,000 rebate requests in a single weekend. Needless to say, they couldn’t possibly have sold 2,000 Teslas in one day.
In that same vein, a location in Toronto, Ontario, reported over 1,200 Tesla sales on January 11th. One day, over 1,200 EVs, four million dollars in rebates. As you might expect, Redditors were less than kind. A few users broke the math down, positing that the Toronto location would have to sell nearly 50 EVs per hour to make things work. And that’s if the dealer was open for 24 hours.
According to the Toronto Star, the money-grubbing move just before the rebate program’s shutdown has left dealerships accountable for $10 million already. Consequently, the Transport Minister of Canada, Anita Anand, ordered an investigation into the suspect sales and rebate figures.
***
Elon used Tesla shares to back the loan to buy Twitter, which is dying on the vine. If Tesla share prices drop and the bank loan for Twitter can’t be paid, that will be the end of Elon’s empire of smoke, mirrors, misogyny, and racist BS. If Elon has no money, he can’t pay tRUMPsky, thus Crazy Don-Old’s car lot on the WH lawn.
Also, the DOGE staff is getting paid six figures per year. Well, that’s their base salary; the real money is in selling data on the dark web or to foreign governments.
https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-kardashian-tesla-cybertruck-optimus-robot-2025-3
“Kim Kardashian posts photo shoot with a Tesla Cybertruck and Optimus robot”
Well, well, well. Look who just got herself cancelled.
Here’s a list of KKKardashian things to boycott. I don’t see a single thing that I recognize, but anyway..
https://futurism.com/neoscope/terrible-things-monkeys-neuralink-implants
TERRIBLE THINGS HAPPENED TO MONKEYS AFTER GETTING NEURALINK IMPLANTS, ACCORDING TO VETERINARY RECORDS
To add to Neuralink’s problems, an ethics group known as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has sent letters to the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), demanding that it investigate Musk’s suspect claims.
They are claiming they are going to put a safe device on the market, and that’s why you should invest,” Ryan Merkley at the Physicians Committee, told Wired. “And we see his lie as a way to whitewash what happened in these exploratory studies.”
NEW THREAD by our Trail friend Jack