The Trump Presidency, Season 2

[Free]

This sort of thing is also going to continue killing people long after Trump is gone.

 

[Free]

NOT The Onion...

Trump administration declares brass instruments a national security threat

This week, the Trump administration declared tubas, trombones, trumpets, and French horns a national security threat.

Yes, really. Brass instruments could soon face a 25% tariff on imports, parts, and accessories, as part of a wider push to expand tariffs on aluminium, steel, and copper.

The six-page proposal, published this week by the Department of Commerce, uses the words “national security” nine times.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

- - - ^A[Del] nope. expressed that already.
- - - ^A[Del] that too.
- - - ^A[Del] weak.
- - - ^A[Del] uh, yeah, can't say that online.
- - - ^A[Del] wait, were any of those words NOT expletives?
- - - ^A[Del] too wall of text
- - - ^A[Del] too fatalistic
- - - ^A[Del] maybe I do have trump derangement syndrom...

First they came for the [Maps, Truth, Regulations, Election Integrity, Latinos, Allies, Reporters, Life saving government programs, Weather Service, Critics, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Reflecting Pool, The White House itself, Windmills, Magnets, and now... brass instruments?]

Then came up with a whole new list of things to come after. Because distortion, persecution and stupid changes for the sake of making someone rich during the emergency brinksmanship that follows is pretty much all they do.

Fucking parasites.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

 

[Veritable Quandry]

I wonder if he knows the Korean War ended in a ceasefire? And that South Korea may be more worried about nukes in North Korea?

 

[Free]

Trump's efforts to work backwards on his $5 million payment to E. Jean Carroll have failed.

Supreme Court rejects renewed Trump appeal in E. Jean Carroll case

The Supreme Court rejected for the second time an effort by President Donald Trump to avoid paying more than $5.6 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for sexually abusing and defaming her.

The court on Aug. 17 declined to reconsider Trump’s appeal of a 2023 jury verdict in a civil suit brought by Carroll.

Trump had to pay Carroll the $5 million judgment plus interest after the court first rejected his appeal on June 29.

His lawyers fought the payment, arguing he deserved a chance to ask the Supreme Court to reconsider his request.

 

[Free]

North Korea is busy arming Iran, but apparently not so busy where they can enjoy Trump fellating Dear Leader Kim at the same time.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Here's the newest addition to US territory after Greenland and Venezuela.

 

[Noodles]

> Straight of Hormuz

> Is Bent

Someone needs to learn words.

 

[Arkad Baxton]

Trump's efforts to work backwards on his $5 million payment to E. Jean Carroll have failed.

Supreme Court rejects renewed Trump appeal in E. Jean Carroll case

Good. The legal system does something right after all. Although 5mill is symbolical to him. It hurts his ego more, than his wallet. It's like someone would make me pay out a nickle, if that.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

Here's the newest addition to US territory after Greenland and Venezuela.

more like...

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Cristiano]

Whistleblower says probes into antisemitism at colleges were ploys to harass and strip millions

A former Justice Department lawyer says the Trump investigations squeezed Ivy League universities for millions before they were even concluded. A top Democrat is demanding answers.

www.ms.now

 

[Free]

> Straight of Hormuz

> Is Bent

Someone needs to learn words.

So will Trump start calling it the Bent of Hormuz?

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

If the carrier is pitching around in 60 or 70 foot waves, it probably doesn't make much difference whether the aircraft are launched by steam, magnets or witchcraft. It's still going to be suicidal.

We don't launch aircraft when seas are that heavy. In fact, we have everything triple-tied down and close the flight deck to all personnel. Trump is a fucking idiot, but that should come as a surprise to no one.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

The Constitution of the United States has a word for this: Treason. Trump is very clearly giving aid and comfort to the enemy during a time of war (the Korean War never officially ended).

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Well his cuddling with Kim is just an obvious distraction for his failure in Iran.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Midweek Update #24: The USA Is Not A Serious Country

In Strategy And Planning The USA Is A Self-Destructive Mess: Here Is A Short-Term Way To Stop The Bleeding

phillipspobrien.substack.com

Evernote Link

A damning analysis both of the position in which the US now finds itself after the mess Trump has made of his war with Iran and of the long-term and very serious damage the US military has sustained -- with very little resistance from senior officers -- under the insane procurement policies of Trump and Hegseth.

Now, over the last week, the situation has reached ludicrous heights. Trump is actually making entirely self-destructive decisions which will cost many billions, and will make the US military worse. The two most obvious of these were Trump’s decision on re-introducing steam-powered catapults on aircraft carriers and even having aircraft carriers reconfigured so that they look much more like their World War II counterparts.

The steam-powered catapult decision is foolish. Steam powered catapults were a very useful, early technology, that has been supplanted. The US in its most recent carriers moved to an electromagnetic catapult, which after some real teething problems, now works well. If you want to read more, here is a primer.

The redesign request, which is slated to cost billions, is truly insane. The US does not need large central command towers in its aircraft carriers anymore, they are relics of the past. This is basically saying we want a modern tank, but arm it with a catapult please.

These recent changes come after the billions being wasted on a new generation plane so it can be numbered after Trump’s presidency, the F-47, and, of course, the utterly useless Trump-class battleships. These, btw, should have a total cost of almost $300 billion to build and will waste what precious shipbuilding assets the USA possesses.

If you add just these four ridiculous decisions together you are looking at procurements that could reach a trillion dollars or so. The F-47s, for instance, are projected to cost almost $400 million each.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

We don't launch aircraft when seas are that heavy. In fact, we have everything triple-tied down and close the flight deck to all personnel. Trump is a fucking idiot, but that should come as a surprise to no one.

Exactly. Obviously I don't know anything about it other than having a basic understanding of the laws of physics, but even I, on reading "aircraft carrier ... 80 foot waves ... takeoff," thought "hang on a minute!"

 

[Veritable Quandry]

With 80 foot waves you just put the planes on the deck and when the waves peak you hit the throttle as the ship falls out from under you.