The Trump Presidency, Season 2

[Innula Zenovka]

US judge temporarily blocks Trump's freeze on federal funding - live updates

A judge pauses enforcement of a sweeping White House order freezing federal grants and loans.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Khamon]

Executive dictatorship will be our future if the funding halt is enacted. Tramp has issued a triple dog dare right out of the gate. Congress and the Courts have to step up right this very minute now to protect their Constitutional duties or they won't have any.

 

[Casey Pelous]

Executive dictatorship will be our future if the funding halt is enacted. Tramp has issued a triple dog dare right out of the gate. Congress and the Courts have to step up right this very minute now to protect their Constitutional duties or they won't have any.

Are you talking about the US Congress and the US Supreme Court, wholly owned subsidiaries of der Dumpenfuhrer? I'm afraid I have some bad news -- you might want to sit down ...

 

[Soen Eber]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota%27s_2nd_congressional_district

It's a congressional district won by Harris in 2024.

Essentially Minneapolis/St Paul south suburbs, exurbs, and rural following along the Minnesota River until it hits the city of Mankato. Democratic and more reliably so than the northern and western districts, but still flippable. Not Trump country by any means, but moderate and sane Republicans have won office there, and not rarely.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

In the Not At All a Coincidence department:

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5112026-speaker-johnson-debt-ceiling-debate/

DORAL, Fla. — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a Tuesday interview with The Hill’s Emily Brooks floated the possibility of working with Democrats to raise the debt ceiling instead of including it in the GOP’s reconciliation package, which Republicans hope to pass in a party-line vote.

The Republicans can't pass their reconciliation bill because some Republicans have vowed to never support a debt limit increase. They can lose at most 2 Republican votes on any party-line bill. This move could buy some time on the debt ceiling, but will also make it harder to get Democrats to help.

And in temporarily good news:

Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a push from President Donald Trump to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives.

apnews.com

Hence all of the Executive action. The House is frozen unless Republicans can unite. And so far that has been impossible. They barely got Johnson reelected as Speaker, and had to hold the floor open long enough to pressure holdouts.

 

[Noodles]

Tell them they will include the debt ceiling in a comvicted impeachment bill.

 

[Essence Lumin]

Jim Acosta

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota%27s_2nd_congressional_district

It's a congressional district won by Harris in 2024.

100% of the non Americans I showed it to got it quickly or immediately. It was about 50% of the Americans.

 

[Free]

Bluesky

bsky.app

Border czar Tom Homan is on CNN complaining that Chicago is “very well educated” and people “know their rights” too well for ICE to be able to enforce mass deportations. Good work, neighbors.

 

[Khamon]

Are you talking about the US Congress and the US Supreme Court, wholly owned subsidiaries of der Dumpenfuhrer? I'm afraid I have some bad news -- you might want to sit down ...

Yes, yes, and I understand. The US Congress and the US Courts will assert their Constitutional duties to prevent totalitarian Executive control of the government or we will be living in a dictatorial police state. These are the options at this point, in this moment, with this funding order. Our elected and appointed leaders will agree, or refuse to cede, absolute power to the Executive branch. It's unimaginable that the Reich pushed this hard this soon. But they are all in and I have to believe, at least for a few more days, that even hard right Republicans are not truly willing to bow to the God Emperor Trumpineus Americana.

 

[Soen Eber]

ICE Homeland Security warrants to detain aliens are not constitutional:

Followup via Bluesky: Red Cards / Tarjetas Rojas
Red Cards / Tarjetas Rojas
All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The ILRC’s Red Cards help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home.

Front:

You have constitutional rights: • DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if an immigration agent is knocking on the door. • DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS from an immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the right to remain silent. • DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without first speaking to a lawyer. You have the right to speak with a lawyer. • If you are outside of your home, ask the agent if you are free to leave and if they say yes, leave calmly. • GIVE THIS CARD TO THE AGENT. If you are inside of your home, show the card through the window or slide it under the door.

Back:

I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions, or sign or hand you any documents based on my 5th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. I do not give you permission to enter my home based on my 4th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with my name on it that you slide under the door. I do not give you permission to search any of my belongings based on my 4th Amendment rights. I choose to exercise my constitutional rights. These cards are available to citizens and noncitizens alike.

Link at top of page points to printer-ready artwork in several immigrant languages in a convenient card size.

 

[Noodles]

Yes, yes, and I understand. The US Congress and the US Courts will assert their Constitutional duties to prevent totalitarian Executive control of the government or we will be living in a dictatorial police state. These are the options at this point, in this moment, with this funding order. Our elected and appointed leaders will agree, or refuse to cede, absolute power to the Executive branch. It's unimaginable that the Reich pushed this hard this soon. But they are all in and I have to believe, at least for a few more days, that even hard right Republicans are not truly willing to bow to the God Emperor Trumpineus Americana.

They only have two years toncompletely break America and never lose poweer again.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Trump is vengeful: Retired Gen. Mark Milley, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Trump and Biden administrations, has had both his security detail and his security clearance revoked, the Pentagon says.

New Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "informed General Milley today that he is revoking the authorization for his security detail and suspending his security clearance as well," Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot told CBS News in a statement Tuesday night.

Ullyot said Hegseth "also directed" the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General to "conduct an inquiry into the facts and circumstances surrounding Gen. Milley's conduct so that the Secretary may determine whether it is appropriate to reopen his military grade review determination."

Acting Defense Department Inspector General Stephen Stebbins received a request to review whether Milley, a four-star general, should be stripped of a star, a spokesperson with the Pentagon's inspector general's office also told CBS News. Stebbins is reviewing the request.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gen-mark-milley-security-detail-and-clearance-revoked/

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

100% of the non Americans I showed it to got it quickly or immediately. It was about 50% of the Americans.

.. I was more confused that when I asked Google, just to confirm that it was Minnesota ... the first 2-3 pages of results were all manganese dioxide, not a single mention of Minnesota...

 

[Innula Zenovka]

USpolitics 🇺🇸 (@uspol.skyfleet.blue)

‘Headed for technofascism’: the rightwing roots of Silicon Valley https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2025/jan/29/silicon-valley-rightwing-technofascism

bsky.app

 

[Khamon]

They only have two years toncompletely break America and never lose poweer again.

They only have two years to demonstrate to the population that they are incapable of governing and dangerous to boot. The quicker they accomplish it the better. We'll give them A+ for effort on that front to date.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Trump ordered the erection of the Iron Dome of America. (The Iron Dome for America – The White House)

This reminds me so about this episode of "Inside Job", where the president was replaced by a sentient android gone rogue.

 

[Casey Pelous]

They only have two years to demonstrate to the population that they are incapable of governing and dangerous to boot. The quicker they accomplish it the better. We'll give them A+ for effort on that front to date.

My fondest wish is that you are right. However, they already had four years of abundantly and repeatedly demonstrating they are "incapable of governing and are dangerous."

It seems it only made them more popular. There's also the not-insignificant question of why a corrupt organization that has been handed the keys to the kingdom would risk having elections. What's the upside for them?

Your optimism is admirable, even enviable. I hope you also have a backup plan.

 

[WolfEyes]

"Peace through strength" has never worked. All it has ever done is escalate things.

 

[detrius]

100% of the non Americans I showed it to got it quickly or immediately. It was about 50% of the Americans.

Funny enough, this is one of the areas that I looked up in Google Maps to find examples of bullshit infrastructure, like these two homes that are 1.7 kilometers apart:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

Or this shitty road layout:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl