The Trump Presidency, Season 2

[Free]

I love a country where my freedom can only be given to me by a billionaire twitter troll.

 

[Casey Pelous]

I think it was Soen Eber who once said something like, "If you have two Lutherans, you have a church. If you have three, you have a schism."

 

[Free]

It'll only get worse.

As Flood Deaths Rise, Texas Officials Blast Faulty Forecast by DOGE-Gutted National Weather Service | Common Dreams

"Experts warned for months that drastic and sudden cuts at the National Weather Service by Trump could impair their forecasting ability and endanger lives during the storm season," said one critic.

www.commondreams.org

As catastrophic flooding left scores of people dead and missing in Texas Hill Country and President Donald Trump celebrated signing legislation that will eviscerate every aspect of federal efforts to address the climate emergency, officials in the Lone Star State blasted the National Weather Service—one of many agencies gutted by the Department of Government Efficiency—for issuing faulty forecasts that some observers blamed for the flood's high death toll.

The Associated Press reported Saturday that flooding caused by a powerful storm killed at least 27 people, with dozens more—including as many as 25 girls from a summer camp along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County—missing after fast-moving floodwaters rose 26 feet (8 meters) in less than an hour before dawn on Friday, sweeping away people and pets along with homes, vehicles, farm and wild animals, and property.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

According to this, Musk's new party looks likely to do a lot more damage to the Republicans than to the Democrats:

The poll shows clear splits in who likes Musk’s idea. Republican men are most interested – 57% said they’d likely support the America Party. Independent men followed at 47%.

But Democrats largely dislike the plan, with just 7% of Democratic men saying they’d strongly back it. The survey of 1,000 voters also found deep unhappiness with both main parties: 59% of independents said neither Republicans nor Democrats represent American values well.

Elon Musk's ‘America Party’ idea gets 40% backing in new poll - all details here | Today News

A new poll shows 40% of Americans would consider backing Elon Musk's proposed ‘America Party,’ though experts warn starting a new national party faces major legal and financial obstacles.

www.livemint.com

 

[Free]

>> 59% of independents said neither Republicans nor Democrats represent American values well.

So let's start listening to the billionaire twitter troll behind the curtain!

 

[Veritable Quandry]

The last real independent Presidential run was Ross Perot, who also financed a third party run. Musk can't run for president, and he mentioned focusing on swing districts to try to get a block that can broker compromise by playing the major parties against each other in Congress.

The flaw of course is his definition of cenerists. He criticized the BBB for not cutting deeply enough and has gone after programs that centerists in the US spectrum supported.

Perot helped Clinton by drawing mostly Republicans and "independents" who always voted Republican. Musk is setting up to do the same. I hope he invests in anti-MAGA Republicans in close states to increase odds of tipping the Senate as well as the House.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

Elon is the anti-Christ. After Trump finishes destroying everything, Elon will come sailing in claiming he is the only one who can save us, and people will be dumb enough to believe him.

I lost about half my FB friends list when I said the deaths of those sweet children in Texas is 100% on Trump and everyone who supports him. In the Orthodox Church we say when an individual sins, God punishes the individual. When a nation sins God punishes the nation. It's a thought that's been keeping me awake at night. I think it's very significant that all of these horrifying disasters have been happening in red states - kind of like divine justice. And anyone who thinks that God wouldn't kill children as part of a divine punishment hasn't ever read the Bible. Trump's policies slashing medicaid and SNAP will result in the deaths of way more children than this flood did.

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Sid]

If he manages to attract more Repubs tnan Dems in the red states during the mid term elections, so more Dems grab a seat there, the guy deserves a statue somewhere.

 

[Essence Lumin]

If he manages to attract more Repubs tnan Dems in the red states during the mid term elections, so more Dems grab a seat there, the guy deserves a statue somewhere.

He can have one made in starbase, tx.

 

[Sid]

He can have one made in starbase, tx.

Personally I was thinking about somewhere in the J.W. Bush Sewer Plant or in front of Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, but I'm okay with that place too.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Jeffrey Epstein documents: DOJ, FBI conclude no "client list," death was suicide

This is one of the problems with gaining power by pushing conspiracy theories. Logically, either the "client list" exists or it doesn't. Similarly, either there's evidence to suggest that Epstein was murdered or there isn't.

Having argued that the Biden administration was corruptly concealing evidence and now finding themselves forced to put their money where their mouths are, Kash Patel and Dan Bongino now have to deal with a very disappointed audience of MAGA supporters, who were looking forward to seeing "the truth" revealed.

Since they've already primed their audience to believe in a grand conspiracy, they can hardly complain that their erstwhile audience conclude they must now be part of the great cover-up..

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Jeffrey Epstein documents: DOJ, FBI conclude no "client list," death was suicide

This is one of the problems with gaining power by pushing conspiracy theories. Logically, either the "client list" exists or it doesn't. Similarly, either there's evidence to suggest that Epstein was murdered or there isn't.

Having argued that the Biden administration was corruptly concealing evidence and now finding themselves forced to put their money where their mouths are, Kash Patel and Dan Bongino now have to deal with a very disappointed audience of MAGA supporters, who were looking forward to seeing "the truth" revealed.

Since they've already primed their audience to believe in a grand conspiracy, they can hardly complain that their erstwhile audience conclude they must now be part of the great cover-up..

Yes, absolutely. I was always very suspicious that Epstein was stupid enough to keep a simple, concise list of his clients to be found later. It is probably possible to compile at least a partial list based on some of his other records but that likely takes time. I'm willing to bet it's possible to prosecute at least some of his clients if there is sufficient will to do so but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

Part of the problem is Epstien was involved in two overlapping schemes. The underaged girls gets the media attention. Less is said about how he structured finances to aid tax evasion. The connection between the two is Les Wexner (who has a bunch of buildings on the OSU campus named for him) who owns L Brands, a major fashion company (Victoria's Secret, Abercrombie and Fich, and others) who turned over financial management of his personal wealth where Epstien helped him shelter much of his money. Wexner also gave him access to models and creepy men who wanted to molest them. A lot of names on his contact list were only there for tax fraud.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

...A lot of names on his contact list were only there for tax fraud.

I'm pretty sure he was also a very accomplished "socialite" who had contact info for all kinds of random celebrities and rich people he met. Many of them likely were oblivious to his shadier endeavors. ...or at least have a lot of plausible deniability they were.

 

[Noodles]

Yes, absolutely. I was always very suspicious that Epstein was stupid enough to keep a simple, concise list of his clients to be found later. It is probably possible to compile at least a partial list based on some of his other records but that likely takes time. I'm willing to bet it's possible to prosecute at least some of his clients if there is sufficient will to do so but I'm not holding my breath.

I imagine he kept a list with blackmail info, but I cannot imagine it was not heavily encrypted.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

I'm pretty sure he was also a very accomplished "socialite" who had contact info for all kinds of random celebrities and rich people he met. Many of them likely were oblivious to his shadier endeavors. ...or at least have a lot of plausible deniability they were.

For sure. Epstein would have only offered "access" to the girls to people he positively knew were into that sort of thing. Because the goal was to create dirt he could use against them if it ever came to that. If he just went and told every friend or visitor that he was regularly bringing underage prostitutes to his house, and it turned out they weren't into that, suddenly now they have dirt on him rather than the other way around.

 

[Cristiano]

There are multiple ridiculous things about the Epstein announcement:

-Pam Bondi claimed the list was on her desk in February, and that there were thousands of documents. She was later caught on hidden cam talking about having video evidence as well.
- The binder incident with the right wing "influencers" waving around binders of supposed released information on Epstein.
- The sudden appearance of video claiming to show that no one entered Epstein's cell on the day of his death. During Trump 1.0, Bill Barr claimed the cameras were not functioning and a guard fell asleep.

I was impressed. Steve Doocy, who is a total idiot, managed to call out Bullshit Barbie's propaganda today:

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

That part doesn't seem like such a mystery to me. Bondi has been bought into the conspiracy story since forever, she has always believed that there's a "client list" and video evidence from the jail showing a murder that the last admin was hiding, and when the DOJ dumped the full case file on her desk she simply jumped the gun and excitedly tweeted and told people that she FINALLY HAD THE EVIDENCE! because she assumed sight-unseen that what she believed would be there was there.

It just finally took this long for her to see for herself that they didn't really exist and her belief was wrong. It's really embarrassing, and I'll bet that's why this story is coming in the form of an unsigned memo and not a press statement by Bondi.