At the Republican midterm convention in Dallas last night, Trump promised a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” to every adult U.S. citizen — but only if Republicans keep both the House and Senate in November. How should Democrats respond?
The cost: roughly $1.35 trillion. That’s nearly one-quarter of the federal government’s entire annual revenue.
Trump claimed tariffs could pay for it, but the supposed tariff windfall is disappearing: most of the $166 billion collected under the tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court is expected to be refunded.
We’ve tried massive cash injections before. Pandemic stimulus under both Trump and Biden helped Americans through the crisis, but economists found the added demand also contributed to the inflation that followed.
Sure, Democrats should blast this for the insane budgeting foolery that it is — BUT why not have some fun and call his bluff. Say they’ll vote for it if billionaires pay for it. A one time 13% tax on billionaire wealth would get it done. Read more about this on my Substack today.
CNN Fact Check: Trump makes numerous false claims in Republican convention speech.
hey, Don-old & Toddy Boy, ‘y’all seen this?
Fed law 18 U.S. Code § 597 – Expenditures to influence voting
Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate; and
Whoever solicits, accepts, or receives any such expenditure in consideration of his vote or the withholding of his vote—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 721; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 601(a)(12), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3498.)
Texas Election Code Section 276.015
Vote Harvesting
“Vote harvesting services” means in-person interaction with one or more voters, in the physical presence of an official ballot or a ballot voted by mail, intended to deliver votes for a specific candidate or measure.
(b)A person commits an offense if the person, directly or through a third party, knowingly provides or offers to provide vote harvesting services in exchange for compensation or other benefit.
(c)A person commits an offense if the person, directly or through a third party, knowingly provides or offers to provide compensation or other benefit to another person in exchange for vote harvesting services.
from NYT Trump Has Repeatedly Promised Payments That Have Yet to Materialize
President Trump is again talking up the possibility that the federal government will send Americans thousands of dollars in cash.
By Andrew Duehren
Reporting from Washington
Sept. 10, 2026, 12:44 a.m. ET
First, at the start of his second term, President Trump promised a DOGE dividend, a pledge to take the money that Elon Musk’s team would cut from the federal budget and send it to the American people.
Then Mr. Trump moved on to a “tariff refund,” a plan to use the money the government was collecting in import taxes to fund payments for the public.
Those ideas never panned out. Nevertheless, Mr. Trump is again talking up the possibility that the federal government will send Americans thousands of dollars in cash. At the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, the president pledged that every American adult would receive $5,000 if Republicans retain control of Congress in November.
Mr. Trump did not offer many details about the proposal, but there’s reason to think that Republicans in Congress, like they did with his two previous promises of quick cash, could shrug off the president’s suggestion.
That’s in no small part because the $5,000-per-American promise would be enormously expensive to fulfill, with a price tag over $1 trillion. Its actual cost, though, would depend on what, if any, eligibility requirements Congress would ultimately impose on the plan. Mr. Trump did not mention a proposal to finance the $5,000 payments, which beyond their fiscal cost could also prove inflationary.
The conceit of Mr. Trump’s other pitches was that the money to pay for them was already available, from Mr. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency or tariff revenue. On both of those fronts, though, the envisioned funding sources proved illusory: Mr. Musk’s team did not save the government much money, and the Supreme Court struck down many of Mr. Trump’s initial tariffs.
Republicans did succeed in providing Americans with substantial cash payments when they cut taxes last year. Under the design of the tax law, many Americans first experienced the policy change in the spring, when they received larger-than-usual tax refunds. Mr. Trump and Republicans have spent much of the year promoting those refunds, hoping that the larger lump-sum payments would be politically resonant ahead of the midterms.
But even after Mr. Trump delivered those tax refunds, his approval poll ratings are still sagging.
Those tax cuts were also very expensive, though Republicans did cover some of the fiscal cost by reducing federal spending on health care and food assistance for poor Americans.
from The Guardian US citizens will receive $5,000 if Republicans win midterms, Trump claims in lengthy convention speech
President makes offer that would cost US over $1tn and asks voters to ‘pretend that I’m on the ballot’ despite being deeply unpopular among electorate
Donald Trump pledged to pay every adult citizen in the US $5,000 if Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections, during a marathon speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas in which the president assailed Democrats as “radical” and defended his unpopular war in Iran.
The outlandish proposal, which would cost over $1tn, immediately raised ethical concerns. But it laid bare the extent of the Republicans’ concern about their prospects in the pivotal November elections.
“If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000,” Trump told a roaring crowd, during a nearly two-hour long speech in which he also urged voters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot” – despite his historic unpopularity causing many vulnerable Republican politicians to avoid the event.
Surrounded by supporters waving American flag placards, Trump claimed, without evidence, that his second term had been “the most successful two years, financially and every other way, in the history of the presidency”, but devoted much of his speech to fearmongering about what would happen should Democrats win the House or the Senate for the final two years of his presidency.
“There is a crazy little sick cloud over our country,” Trump said. “We will defeat communism in America.”
The president and Republicans are gambling that throwing a midterm convention – the first the GOP has ever held – can buoy the party, which is predicted to lose control of the House. Yet, Trump’s deep unpopularity among Americans – his approval rating is hovering at about 38% – meant many Republican candidates running in competitive races skipped the two-day confab entirely.
Even so, Trump’s speech made it clear he thinks he will be the deciding factor in November. Noting that the party which holds the White House traditionally struggles in the midterm elections, Trump said: “We’ve got to change that, because we have something going that’s so good.
“If we lose, you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, you’re going to lose your safety and security, you’re going to lose your wealth. Our country is going through hell – we will be going through hell, just like we did, just two years ago,” he said.
The buildup to the midterm convention had somewhat of a chaotic air. Trump was initially scheduled to speak on the second night, before the Republican National Committee announced that he would deliver the keynote on Wednesday, and instead give closing remarks on Thursday after his vice-president JD Vance speaks.
Trump made several references to the war in Iran, warning Tehran “not to get cute” or the US “will have to hit them very hard”. But he also appeared to acknowledge the economic pain caused by the soaring price of oil. Trump re-enacted the way he told his economic advisors that the US needed to start the conflict because Iran was “two, maybe three weeks away from having a nuclear weapon”. “I hate to do this to you,” he said he told them, noting the economy had been doing well.
At the convention center, there were signs of middling enthusiasm among the rank and file.
Compared with the four-day traditional convention in Milwaukee two years ago, the first day felt muted. There were no long queues to enter, no eternal waits for food or bathrooms. Swathes of empty seats were visible throughout Trump’s speech.
Visible, except to Trump, who claimed, wrongly, that the arena was full.
“Not only is this packed but you have an equal number of people standing outside,” Trump declared. This was not observed by Guardian reporters.
The RNC had announced in mid-August that Americans could apply for tickets to attend the event, suggesting that applicants would enter a lottery and only a lucky few would be granted access. Yet on Wednesday, with the convention underway, applications for tickets were instantly being granted on an RNC sign-up page.
Trump himself, however, appeared energized in his call to action on the first night, cracking jokes, including at the expense of Ken Paxton, his handpicked candidate for Senate in Texas who won a primary against the incumbent John Cornyn earlier this year.
“He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen,” Trump said of Paxton. “But you know what he is? He’s the greatest attorney general in America.”
Trump spent several minutes attacking Democrats, including Paxton’s opponent, James Talarico, who Trump mocked as a “weird looking dude” as well as the former Republican governor Roy Cooper in North Carolina, who is now running for Senate, and Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan.
In a statement, Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, accused Republicans of holding a “bizarre dog-and-pony show” to placate the president’s “fragile ego”.
“Tonight only confirmed that the president is a lame duck failure who is dragging his party toward defeat,” Martin said.
The Republicans’ unusual midterm convention featurs 12 hours of programming across two nights. On Wednesday, the speaker lineup featured Trump loyalists and candidates, but showmanship remained at the center of the agenda.
Byron Donalds, a rising star in the party who is running for governor of Florida, and Mehmet Oz and Scott Bessent, two of Trump’s cabinet secretaries, were among those to take the stage, yet the president, a UFC fan, decided he would be introduced by two fighters, the middleweight Bo Nickal and Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje, a lightweight.
Most speakers only got five minutes. Nickal and Gaethje, who both fought at the UFC 250 event on the White House Lawn in June, got 10.
Gaethje told the crowd he had earned his “Highlight” nickname when he knocked out his first opponent very quickly in 2016, before linking himself to the 80-year-old Trump.
“One mistake I’ve made in my career was becoming complacent while I was on a winning streak and forgetting how unforgiving my sport would be,” Gaethje said. “If we are not just as passionate about voting and winning in these midterms as we were in the last presidential election, then we risk being knocked out and losing all the momentum we have been fighting for.”
Earlier, Republicans said the focus would be on “lowering costs, securing our border, making our communities safer, and putting American workers and families first”. Yet speaker after speaker instead attacked Democrats on alleged support for transgender rights, in particular, suggesting the Republican party intends to put culture wars towards the front as November approaches.
Trump will speak again on Thursday, but said his address would be much briefer.
“I gave you a lot of material,” he said, capping his remarks on Wednesday, before pleading one more time with voters to “please pretend that I’m running”.
Call Trump’s $5,000 Bluff
Democrats Should Say Yes — If Billionaires Pay for It
A one-time tax of 13% on billionaire wealth would raise enough to cover Trump’s $1.35 trillion “dividend” to all adult citizens.
Craig, that $5000 promise (no matter how it’s paid for) is based ONLY on republican’s winning across the board. Surely, you don’t mean Dems should vote red just to get billionaires to foot the bill, or do you???
ps: it’s still vote buying, still illegal no matter who pays for it.
I’m talking about political messaging, not policy. Flip the tables on Trump’s bullshit. Sure, we’ll back a dividend if your billionaire buddies pay for it. He’s handed us a fine chance to talk about all that we can do with higher taxes on billionaires.
Craig,
The full show is labeled “fair use” on You Tube and linked here. In addition, there are individual songs from the show as well available to share. I hope you will find things to use for the 25th anniversary tomorrow. My blog tomorrow will simply be: Thank You Canada.
Everybody knows he’s lying, so let’s just sing a hymn:
🎵🎶
Hymn,
Hymn,
Fuck hymn.
Fourth grade, all he deserves.
Jamie, I’ll check that out on YouTube’s copyright filter. That show is currently playing at Ford’s Theater, and we looked into it. But even matinees start at $180. A friend who’s in the biz told me that show has just been legally released for community theaters, meaning that soon we can see it at a decent price.
Paxton’s top cop flips 👉 Ex-Texas Ranger David Maxwell is ditching his old boss to back James Talarico. When a hardcore conservative gets sick of the Texas two-step, you know Democracy is actually on the line.
Craig
It is on Apple TV streaming with this Broadway cast as well.
It is definitely that time again in Texas
Jamie, that YouTube version is copyright safe. If you want, right click a worthy moment and choose “copy video URL at current time“. That shows a direct link to that moment in any video, and we can play it in chat.
The Trump administration is reportedly developing a plan that could allow some married couples to receive approximately $9,000 per child annually when one parent remains home to care for the children.
The proposal, reportedly championed by Vice President JD Vance…Under the draft plan, a married couple could qualify if one spouse works at least 35 hours a week and the other remains home with the children. Eligibility would also be limited according to household income, although the exact income limits and payment structure have not been publicly released. The proposal remains under development. No final rule has been announced, and families cannot currently apply for the benefit.
*Another empty promise, sort of. It already exists, but you can be a single-family household. Might even tempt some to start a family ASAP, without check in hand. If it does materialize, it will hurt kids with parents who have divorced, or died, or never married, and they are robbing Peter to pay Paul:
The administration is considering using money from the Child Care and Development Fund, a roughly $12 billion federal program administered by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The fund currently helps low-income working families pay for child care while parents work, attend school or participate in job training. It serves approximately 1.3 million children and provides an average benefit of roughly $9,000 per child, according to reports about the proposal.
The Administration for Children and Families describes the fund as the federal government’s primary source of child care assistance for eligible low-income working families.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6070508-pentagon-nih-diverts-funds-democrats-statement/
“This secretive attempt to siphon research funds away from NIH is outrageous. The interagency agreement needs to be terminated immediately,” DeLauro said in a statement.
“Circumventing Congress to divert money intended to help Americans who are exposed to HIV, influenza, tuberculosis, and other deadly diseases—and directing those funds to the Department of Defense—is beyond the pale,” DeLauro added.
The Democrat said the agreement would pull from the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), its leading institute for infectious-disease research.
A partnership between the NIH and the Pentagon “would enable nimble multi-agency resources to collaboratively respond to public health emergencies, such as the recent Ebola outbreak,” the spokesperson added.
It wasn’t clear how much money the Pentagon was seeking or what it would be used to fund.
*Robbing Peter to pay Paul for more boom-booms, probably.
Craig,
I don’t seem to be doing it right. When I try to post here to check it, I get a “you already said that” message without posting. I was trying to capture the 38 planes segment, President’s speech and name of pilot that went into the pentagon. That section starts about 20 minutes in to this video
BiD, that child care plan gets the money from a program for low-income working parents. it pits working parents against stay-at-home parents for the same dollars. Would be interested in the racial breakdown. me suspects it shifts money from blacks to whites.
It wasn’t all that long ago.
Jamie, just give me the time stamp at the end of the url so that the whole video doesn’t embed here, or email the full link. Right click the the spot you want, and the url will end with something like this: t=1255. that’s all i need.
HOW TO EMBED VIDEO TIMESTAMP (YouTube Only)
For all: if you want to post a YouTube video that starts at a particular moment right click and choose copy video url at current time — then post that full url on a separate line in your comment. The video will embed starting at the point you chose.
I just went ahead and put up my blog for Friday. Grab anything you want
CBS Sunday Morning just broadcast a segment about the town and people of Gander. It was a repeat but still timely.
*Let’s hope he actually to confesses (brags about) everything in detail soon.
I seem to be having this issue as well.
Jamie, the tour clip you originally posted is fine but the show owners block those other clips on your site, for livestreams.
Yes, Craig, that was posted further down in my post…and isn’t it a coincidence that the average benefit is “about $9,000” per child.
Black, white or brown, it punishes women the most, as they are more likely to be single, head of household than tan men. How dare they! A) For having the gall to be unmarried. B) If married, for having the audacity to work outside of the home and take a job away from a man.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tim-scott-convention-speech_n_6aa211b9e4b0186919a91944
Tim Scott in Dallas. Weirdest tent revival, ever.
True Magas will gamble on that bribe. Why not, what is there for them to lose?
Despite the localized political uproar, broader public support heavily favors the mayor’s inclusion. A Suffolk University poll revealed that 73 percent of registered NYC voters believe Mamdani should attend the 25th-anniversary ceremony as the city’s official representative. Local Democratic leaders and even his former Republican mayoral rival, Curtis Sliwa, have defended his right to attend, emphasizing the tradition of sitting New York City mayors representing the city at the Ground Zero memorial.
https://www.newsweek.com/republican-accuses-mamdani-of-using-9-11-air-quality-report-as-distraction-12417202
Mamdani maintains that his presence is strictly focused on honoring first responders and the nearly 3,000 lives taken. He is expected to join prominent dignitaries at the Manhattan ceremony, including former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, as well as Vice President JD Vance
did he take my offer?
Today in the Diner…
Trump Dallas Promise & James Talarico
Why Trump is Promising $5K in Dallas
Trump’s $5K Bribe & Texas GOP Trolls
Donald J. Trump promises a $5,000 payout at the Dallas American Airlines Center, while James Talarico takes on Fox News.
The GOP rolled into the American Airlines Center in Dallas this week, and it was quite the spectacle for Democracy. Donald J. Trump took the stage for 90 minutes to promise every adult a $5,000 dividend if Republicans take Congress, a math puzzle that left everyone scratching their heads. Meanwhile, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker showed up across the street to troll the event, and Texas Democrat James Talarico skipped the gala entirely to run a local food drive before going on Fox News to calmly defend his record.
Howard Mortman from C-SPAN also dropped by the Diner to share archival footage of Laura Bush and preview their coverage of the 9/11 remembrances happening in Gander, Newfoundland. We also dive into Nate Silver and his latest midterm election numbers, review the breaking news surrounding Charlie Kirk, and wrap things up with a little Roy Rogers.
Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
Website: https://trailmix.cc
Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts
00:00 Intro
08:00 Howard Mortman from C-SPAN
16:00 Laura Bush 9/11 Archives
23:00 Gander Newfoundland Musical
31:00 Donald J. Trump in Dallas
38:00 J.B. Pritzker Trolls GOP
40:00 James Talarico Food Drive
46:00 Nate Silver Midterm Polls
53:00 Charlie Kirk News
56:00 James Talarico on Fox News
01:01:00 Roy Rogers Auctioneer
— Human Prompted and Edited. Machine Drafted. (Gemini Pro)
saying Mamdani shouldn’t go to 9/11 memorials is like saying irish americans shouldn’t go to Oklahoma City memorials
i’m guessing they wouldn’t be interested to know he is of Indian heritage via Uganda
Trump’s $5,000 Bribe:
Donald promises every adult five grand if the GOP wins Congress. Math is hard, but buying votes is easy.
Dexter spent his already…
🍽️From today’s Digital Diner menu
We will need to see tomorrow if Merlin has fixed by audio issue. Signed off with a classic example of why AI is so seductive to use when the conversation gets as human as I’ve trained Merlin to be:
Thanks Craig,
Hmmm I don’t know about that message you are receiving. I just went on my site and all of the videos are playing without a message. I wonder if it is just a matter of not being able to copy from my site where full credit is given.
Everything I’m doing since I cleaned my computer of all the places I’ve been has been strange.
i wouldn’t do that if i were you Dave
it’s time to ban lawn irrigation
if we are sincerely concerned about wasting water
Here in WA no one is watering lawns even though we have been unusually dry for the state. Everyone should go to xeriscaping with local plants that no how to survive in your particular climate.
and Yes, Anon – I do sometimes get a bit creeped out by the fact that the Wizard does speak human so well. It would help if I understood what the programmers did to make that happen, but I’m not too sure even they completely understand what makes it tick. I trust me to not send it out to do evil things, but there are human beings who are so lacking in humanity, that Frankenstein’s monster would not be so constrained.
it’s probability based
why more data improves it (if the data is good)
Jamie, that copyright block is only for live streams like our daily chat room. For some reason the rules are much more strict than for what we post here. I have to delete anything copyright protected that I run live but not if we just put it on our websites.
i like how it is trained to misrepresent with the “a few teaspoons” line
now multiply that by billions
a day
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/jimmy-kimmel-live-james-talarico-youtube-fcc-1236856911/
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ Moves Interview With Texas Senate Candidate James Talarico From TV to YouTube Due to FCC Threats
“So if you want to learn about a candidate for the Senate tomorrow, you will have to go to the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ YouTube channel, where you will see it in its entirety. And thank goodness we have that, because in the America we live in right now, that is the best that we can do until November, of course. Make sure you’re registered to vote, by the way, because that’s the most important thing you can do.”
Anon – Getting hearing aids & they modulate with Ai. They will probably act like tracking devices, too; hearing is just how they get in the door. I won’t be able to power them down when I’m out and about like I do with my phone.
ps – I will not be naming them, although I may be offer naming rights to subsidize them. Expensive, little suckers.
Anon, as to accuracy, AI can be very impressive, but it can produce a feedback loop that turns a supposition into a fact. It is important to demand sources that can be checked. It is obviously a problem for students who really need to learn how to do their own research.
Library science may become a mandatory course. … Bring back the card catalogue!
C-SPAN Legend Howard “Extreme” Mortman crashes the Diner every Thursday as Thor, God of Thunder 👉 He swings the hammer for Democracy. Today he unpacks the Laura Bush 9/11 archives, and previews tomorrow’s Gander memorial coverage.
Watch today’s debut of EXTREME THORTMAN on the Digital Diner
I think maybe the blue wave is stretching some Republican pacs to the limit. Last election I got a ton of mail from “Americans For Prosperity” trying to take back a local Missouri legislative seat. Since I donated to a local Democrat, I thought they had taken me off their list. But ,no, I just got a flyer from them. I got a negative flyer back in June and it looked like they were getting ready to dump a ton of negatve mailers in the local races. Then nothing.
Makes me wonder.
Jack
welcome to the machine
always-connected hearing aids must use hella data
On the watering your lawn
It depends on where you live. East of the Missouri/Kansas no problem.
The zone west of there to the 100 meridian can be problematic. West of the 100 meridian you are right.
West of the 100 meridian water is a precious commodity.
Jack
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
current drought map
it’s apocalyptic out west you’re right
but still bad out east
and not getting better
if anyone would like to pitch in I am working on our next weekday naming inspiration — for Friday: Frigg. She and Freyja are frequently confused. But the English Friday is conventionally traced to Frigg/Frīg, not Freyja.
Frigg was one of the most important goddesses in Germanic/Norse religion: wife of Woden/Odin (our Wednesday guy), queen of the Æsir, and a goddess associated with marriage, motherhood, love, household life and foresight. She supposedly knew what the future held but generally kept that information to herself — which already sounds promising for a Friday script. Her name is related to ancient Germanic words meaning “beloved” or “loving.”
I could have connected mine to my phone but I don’t do that. I don’t hook my blood sugar readings to my phone either.
My doctor was trying to talk me into it and she finally gave up.
Nice thing about being over 70 she thinks I’m just too old to understand this modern tech. I’m not going to correct her.
BTW, I got my hearing aids at Sams club they seem to work ok. I have a couple of problems, just minor issues, I need to go back and deal with. The pair cost me about $1800 not cheap but probably cheaper than the folks that sent me out an invite to a free chicken dinner.
Jack
another product that’s only expensive because insurance covers it
yo good Sir btw
be careful gardening in the heat
unless you want to die in it
which i totally get
but still
I’ve worked in heat all my life so I know how to handle it.
My body still adjusts well both to hot weather and on the other end cold weather. There will come a time if I live long enough when it won’t. But so far so good. I am getting tired of this 100 degree weather. Over a week now of it. We get a break today, a cool 80 degrees.
Jack
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260519-google-tackles-attempts-to-hack-its-ai-results
We uncovered examples where ChatGPT, Gemini and the AI Overviews at the top of Google Search were being manipulated to dole out biased answers on topics as serious as your health and personal finances. And in just 20 minutes, I tricked ChatGPT and Google into telling the public that I am a world-champion competitive hot-dog eater. The joke was dumb. The problem is serious.
Anon
My favorite mailer I get is from the folks wanting to sell me an annuity. They must be making a lot of money stealing old people’s money. They have went from offering a meal at Golden Corral to one of the fancier restaurants in town. I may take them up on it. Free food, at a good restaurant, just as long as I don’t let any where near my money.
Jack
🫡
I get all the concerns but dammit, AI just saved me a ton of time and worry diagnosing and fixing a computer issue I could never have done on my own. All my browsers were freezing on a regular basis, requiring a full reboot to get them working again. After steering me through a battery of tests where I supplied screen shots of the results, ChatGPT discovered that a recent Windows 11 update had installed a faulty WIFI adapter (it actually went on the Microsoft Support sites to find and read other user reports of the same issue). It then steered me to the PC manufacturer’s web site to install a more recent, functioning driver and everything is back to normal. The whole process only took about an hour.
https://ua.news/en/world/u-seuli-protestuvalniki-zaklikali-ne-napravliati-viiska-do-ormuzkoyi-protoki
Protesters in Seoul urge government not to send troops to Strait of Hormuz
Protesters gathered opposite the US Embassy complex in Seoul and carried placards calling for no participation in a war of aggression.
Channel NewsAsia reports that the action took place amid Seoul’s discussion of a possible contribution to security in the Strait of Hormuz. The previous day, South Korean defense authorities said they had dispatched a mission to assess the situation in the strait, stressing that a decision on a possible deployment of forces had not yet been made.
South Korea has also said it is considering contributing to US security efforts along the strait if this does not harm the combat readiness of its armed forces.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-gets-brutal-welcome-before-hes-even-arrived-on-golf-trip/
A family has prepared a brutal welcome for President Donald Trump as he heads to Ireland for a glorified golf trip.
The president, 80, will land in Dublin on Saturday for a brief encounter with the country’s top politicians before hightailing it to his golf course on the west coast, where the Irish Open golf tournament is being held.
Trump will go from the capital to Shannon Airport in County Clare, then travel on Marine One to Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg.
On the flight path to Shannon Airport, one family has left the president a reminder that not everyone is happy that he is in Ireland. An anonymous woman called leading radio network Today FM to talk about her foul-mouthed protest, sharing a photograph of her backyard covered in massive painted letters spelling “FXCK TRUMP.”
The massive sign dwarfs the woman’s home and stretches across her whole yard.
Activists from across western Ireland are preparing to protest Trump’s visit. Shannonwatch, Futureproof Clare and other groups plan two days of demonstrations at Shannon Airport.
Craig – If was just tech support for users like you, and hearing aids, and stuff like that, it wouldn’t be a big deal. There wouldn’t be a push for data centers. It’s for surveillance, control, monetization of habits. They wouldn’t be militarizing autonomous drones. Drones, another invention that can be used for good, like the thermal drones trying to recover folks in Nepal, but then sociopaths want to to uses them to drop munitions or spray chemicals.
i’m not worried about ai because it’s incapable
worried because it is
literally every expert on the field will say the same or has
That’s why the current status of ZERO FEDERAL REGULATION is unacceptable. In these next elections we’ve got to put people in office who get that done.
Talarico Corners Fox:
Texas Democrat James Talarico stares down Fox News over gender binaries and actually survives.
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
Craig,
Let Hillary have Frig. She should get a promotion to goddess for all the stff she’s put up with from men.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/10/peru-joins-us-led-shield-of-the-americas-security-alliance
Peru joins US-led ‘Shield of the Americas’ security alliance
Peru will join the “Shield of the Americas”, a regional security alliance led by the United States that shares intelligence and cooperates in military operations against drug cartels.
Keiko Fujimori, Peru’s recently elected right-wing leader, announced the move on Thursday after talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Her government also awarded Rubio the Order of the Sun, one of the country’s highest civilian honours.
Peru is the world’s second-largest producer of cocaine, behind Colombia, and reports of crimes like extortion have spiked in recent years.
*So, the US is taking over for the cartel.
https://patch.com/california/across-ca/newsom-vetos-ai-kill-switch-safety-bill-what-it-means
Newsom Vetoes AI ‘Kill Switch’, Safety Bill: What It Means
*This is from September of 2024, and it’s going to haunt Newsom if he runs for POTUS.
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill on Sunday that would have established safety guardrails around artificial intelligence to prevent catastrophic harm, the governor’s office said.
SB 1047 would have required large AI developers to enact protocols to prevent their models from causing harm either by accident or misuse. The bill would have required a “kill switch” — a way of immediately shutting the model down if it went rogue.
Tech companies would have been held legally liable for harms caused by their models, according to the bill.
But Newsom said it would hand the public a false sense of security about controlling a fast-moving industry.
“While well-intentioned, SB 1047 does not take into account whether an Al system is deployed in high-risk environments, involves critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data,” Newsom said. “Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions — so long as a large system deploys it.”
How will Dodo prevent us in the “disloyal opposition” from cashing-in on the vote-bribe money?
Oh wait, no one will actually receive any vote-bribe money.
Frigg in developmen…
Her script:
“I am FRIGG.
They named FRIDAY after ME.
I see the FUTURE.
But I’m not TELLING.”
https://www.npr.org/2026/09/10/g-s1-142713/musk-trump-2024-lasers-space
Elon Musk threatens to sue over Gibney documentary’s “space lasers” claim
NPR has obtained and authenticated the texts between Musk and St. Clair, which were sent on Oct. 6, 2024.
… “tomorrow we unleash the anomaly in the matrix.” When St. Clair asked for clarity, Musk said he planned on tapping “‘Lasers’ from space,” adding that “I have over 10 thousand lasers in space right now.”
St. Clair said Musk’s legal threats are “a joke” in a statement to NPR. “They are more likely to colonize Mars than win a defamation case against Alex Gibney,” she said. “Alex Spiro is sending fairy dust letters with obtuse legalese.”
In the film, Gibney asked St. Clair if she believed Musk’s texts referred to satellites owned by his rocket company, SpaceX. She responded, “I don’t know where else he has lasers.”
Musk has in recent days been targeting his ire at filmmaker Alex Gibney, whose forthcoming documentary, Musk, offers a scathing look at the tech mogul’s rise. Now, a lawyer for Musk is threatening to file a defamation lawsuit ahead of the film’s release next month.
In a letter sent to Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, the company behind the film, Musk attorney Alex Spiro homes in on an exchange between Gibney and Ashley St. Clair, a former MAGA influencer who dated Musk and had a child with the billionaire.
I agree so much, Mr. C that I’ve been saying it for 10 years
DOJ:
Congress Schmongreas.
sorry to to my own horn, but I’m probably the only person you know that said we should regulate AI before it existed
The visionaries were saying it 50 years before me
Look at the dweebs in whom power is concentrating
You’ll be scared too
they are not benevolent people
They are developmentally divergent sociopaths
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/10/elon-musk-attacks-film-maker-behind-documentary-about-him
Musk has issued an angry tirade at the film-maker behind a four-hour documentary about his life and influence, labelling the director Alex Gibney a “bitter old man” who has “zero integrity”.
Gibney, who has previously made films about the collapse of Enron, WikiLeaks and Vladimir Putin, premiered his Musk documentary at the Venice film festival this week. He said he believed the world’s richest man was “extremely dangerous”.
Musk also appeared to push at conspiracy theory, reposting an image depicting the Democratic party as a puppet, controlling another puppet labelled “Team Soros” – a reference to the billionaire George Soros, who has supported progressive causes.
That puppet in turn controls another labelled “Alex Gibney”, while the Gibney puppet controls another labelled “Hollywood”. In response to the picture, Musk stated: “Accurate.”
Speaking at a press conference in Venice, Gibney said he had encountered a “sense of fear” among people he approached over his film. He surmised that Musk’s childhood in South Africa may account for how he behaves now.
“He had a childhood that was very difficult and traumatic,” Gibney said. “To some extent he’s now playing out that trauma on the rest of us, if I were to psychoanalyse the situation.”
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/09/gop-midterm-convention-dallas-texas-trump-paxton-day-one/
…the president praised Paxton’s record while belittling his appearance in equal measure. Trump warned that his riffs on Paxton might be offensive and were not part of his planned remarks. Mimicking aides who begged him not to go there — after he’d ripped Paxton’s looks at multiple points in recent weeks — Trump could not help himself.
“Some may not like the way he dresses — although tonight he looked very spiffy in his blue suit, I must tell you,” Trump said. “I don’t. They may not like the way he talks. I can see that.”
On the trail, Paxton sometimes refers to the similarities between himself and Trump — both are beloved by the GOP base and, as Paxton frames it, victims of political persecution in the impeachments and indictments they have each survived.
Trump chose to emphasize different similarities.
“I”m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot — I’m on the ballot — just one more time,” Trump said. “Because if we lose, you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, you’re going to lose your safety and security, you’re going to lose your wealth.”
*Lose your tax cuts? Was the audience just billionaires?
We kept nuclear weapons from destroying the planet. Surely we can sort this out.
Ask folks in Japan how we did with that. Just because it hasn’t been the whole planet yet…
Here’s tonight’s schedule:
8:00 – 9:00 PM ET
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Mayor Eric Johnson, Mayor of Dallas, TX
Karoline Leavitt, fmr. White House Press Secretary
Everyday American, Manufacturer, Small-Business Owner, and Job Creator
Donald Trump Jr.
9:00 – 10:00 PM ET
Keynote Address & Closing Remarks: Vice President JD Vance and President Donald J. Trump.
Interesting that Don Jr gets a premier slot. Hey JD, ask Dan Quayle how that goes down.
RFK Jr on now
Sickening listening to him invoke his family to fake a connection to this fascist regime
Dodo really skeert of James + Jimmy.
Nate Silver’s Senate:
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
Don Jr on now, focusing on Charlie Kirk…
I word-searched every available transcript of speeches at the Republican midterm convention and so far no mention today of Trump’s $5,000 dividend. Please let me know if you find one. If Vance brings it up right now, he’ll be the first.
scully played a clip of JD spinning the 5k bribe on some show, word salad
started with his trademark “well, look, i think…”
sincere policy arguments can’t happen when the algorithm only feeds one side
people were choosing one-sided perspectives before the algorithm anyway to be fair, eg foxnews and msnbc
Vance just told a protester to “get your ass to Mexico, I’ll buy the plane ticket”
JD still hasn’t brought up Trump’s 5K plan. I wonder if Trump himself will ignore it. He’s next
im looking hold on
this maybe
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1974647179889654/
Dumbass is back on stage. Lee Greenwood really needs to retire
Yeah,in that fox interview that’s change the subject to tariffs and lied about that. These Republicans only talk about his proposal if asked about it. Nobody brings it up on their own.
Trump just brought up his crazy dividend for “all adults. Because we love our adults. It’s about time we take care of our adults”.
Pending further research. I really do think he was the first and only speaker to bring this up at the podium today.
he’s going off the rails…
The cheaters’ pledge. FFS! Ha! OMG!
https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/10/politics/video/trump-vote-pledge-digvid
Trump asks GOP convention crowd to pledge to vote and even “cheat like hell”
I saw 2 minutes of Dipshit Jr. and after puking flipped between a Charlie Daniels tribute and the 2nd US Open semifinal 🥺. Coco did better than the eye test suggested. I’m still waiting for my $2000 DOGE credit. Fuck him.
Know your Dumbass:
Dumbass. (prez)
Junior Dumbass (vp)
Dumbass Junior (spawn of Don)
So, Dumbass made fun of Ken Paxton, the way he dresses, and said folks may not like him…
…and then Paxton gets interviewed and they go through his list of scandals, and old Eggar the bug man says, yeah, but tRUMP’s list is worse than mine.
Ha! No honor among thieves and other unscrupulous types.
NEW THREAD