Rodrigo Duterte goes to Hague Tribunal ...Is Donald Trump next?

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Donald Trump is dismantling the fabric of America

 

Donald Trump the dismantler

The Oval Office lunatic thinks it will happen, referring to taking over Greenland, a Danish territory. He even "hints" at sending troops in because it is needed for national security. This is what he promised the people of Greenland...

"We will keep you safe, we will make you rich, and together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before."

There's more...

"I think we're going to get it—one way or the other we're gonna get it," Trump said, drawing laughter from fellow Republicans in the chamber.

And Greenland's imperialism, which is considered a violation of international law, is only the beginning. t-RUMP, seemingly, still has plans for Canada and Panama.

If there is anything Trump is good at, it is using lawyers. His latest siege on American democracy came during his "accusatory and, at some times, rambling, speech at the Department of Justice."

"MSNBC host Michael Steele said the message sent by the president should send a chill down everyone's spines."

Here's the scenario...

"Speaking with his co-hosts on MSNBC's The Weekend, the former Republican National Committee chair said the re-elected Trump has an "army" of lawyers this go-around willing to do his bidding, no questions asked."

And Steele comments that we are experiencing a Donald Trump drunk with power that was given to him by the Supreme Court to act with impunity. That's right folks, as far as t-RUMP is concerned, he is exempt from punishment.

This one drew a "holy crap" from Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at American Immigration Council and former immigration lawyer for Immigrant Justice Corps. Donald Trump's Department of Justice pulled something that is without precedent in the U.S. After a judge blocked t-RUMP's move to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, his administration appealed. Then Reichlin-Melnick said his "holy crap"...

"The DOJ is arguing that the President can unilaterally deport anyone he wants without ANY statutory authority, just on his inherent authority as President over national security. That is a terrifying claim to make and has never been recognized before in US history."

And here's a reaction from an Authoritarianism expert...

Ruth Ben-Ghiat also flagged the appeal, writing on social media, "Everyone who thought he was joking about being a dictator, are you waking up now?"

This one is short but bitter. For some 43 million Americans who have federal student loan debt, the assault on the Dept. of Education by the White House maniac has caused their monthly payments to soar. They called the loan system under Biden "broken" but all that has resulted under t-RUMP is...

"...an effort to provide fewer rights and fewer resources for working people that have student debt, making the cost of living go up,” said Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center.

Arlington cemetery has become racist and misogynistic. This is what happened...

"Arlington National Cemetery has scrubbed from its website information and educational materials about the history of black and female service members."

According to the BBC, it is another of Trump's moves "to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in the military and throughout the federal government." Here's the story...

"Visitors to the site may also have trouble finding information, as links to major sections have disappeared. It no longer lists pages for African American History, Hispanic American History and Women's History."

And finally, former federal prosecutor Elie Honig takes a shot at t-RUMP, reminding the public just how unprecedented the grievance-filled speech was. To start...

“What happened today – that speech – was a desecration of the Justice Department of the Great Hall of Justice, where it was given."

Honig talked about a 1962 speech given by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, then in comparison...

“Now, today, by contrast, we have Donald Trump calling prosecutors Marxists, scum, savages and thugs,” Honig said. “We have a five minute speech on Bobby Knight in Indiana basketball. We have talk about the price of eggs and bacon. We have stuff about Hunter Biden’s laptop. We have a riff about Norm Eisen – why? I have no idea.”

I have an idea. Donald Trump is mentally unbalanced. 

 

George Orwell's "1984" comes to Columbia University

 

I am an avid fan of George Orwell, his 1984 and Animal Farm. Each has the message that a larger power is always standing at the door, attempting to enter and take away the rights of everyone inside. In 1984, it is Big Brother, who rules over Oceania. In Animal Farm it is Napoleon, a pig who seizes power after the initial revolution and uses it to create a tyrannical dictatorship. In both cases, the analogy is clear with the United States replacing Oceania, and Donald Trump replacing Napoleon (Trump has spoken of him often).

It was on Saturday, March 8, that Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian at Columbia University, was arrested by federal immigration authorities, the new American version of the KGB. Here's the scenario from AP...

"Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia until this past December, was inside his university-owned apartment Saturday night when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered and took him into custody, his attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press."

Khalil had been involved in some demonstrations at Columbia and was suspended at one point but was then reinstated as a Columbia student. His wife was also present during his arrest and is eight months pregnant. Khalil "is a legal resident of the US, was arrested and detained by federal agents after his lawyer said his green card was revoked by the Trump administration." 1984 had a daily “Two Minutes Hate” rallies that channeled citizens’ anger toward specific enemies, real or imagined. A part of Trump's plan for revenge.

Here is a statement from Trump...

Trump touted the arrest in a social media post, saying his administration will “find, apprehend, and deport” noncitizens who, in his view, engage in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”

The Oval Office lunatic tried to deport Khalil but "a federal judge barred the administration from deporting him pending a hearing in New York." Here's a statement from Irie Sentner, who was a student at Columbia University, where he covered tense campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war for the college newspaper and for POLITICO. The question is...

"Was deportation a widespread concern among immigrant students participating in the protests?"

The answer is...

"Absolutely. During the encampment, two friends who were international students told me they wished they could be there but couldn’t risk losing their visas. There was a similar fear among low-income students, who didn’t want to risk their scholarships or lose on-campus housing. Many chose to participate in other ways, like sharing pro-Palestinian content on social media or bringing food and supplies to the encampment."

In other words, many more students wanted to do their part in advocating for the Palestinian

cause but were afraid of either ending up on the streets of New York or in one of Donald Trump's stalags, as Khalil is in Louisiana. Big Brother used fear as a tool of control. I would think t-RUMP might have taken his lead from this, but forgot that he can't read.

You can read more of Gorge Orwell here.

RFK Jr. wants to send anti-depressant users to "wellness farms"

Brought to you by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Wellness farms, just another name for concentration camps. And that's where the new Sec. Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wants to send anyone who takes an anti-depressant. Where the hell did this come from? To the best of my knowledge, there have been no reports of mass deaths from Prozac. The new health lunatic is spending his time, and, taxpayer money, on crap like this when the country has a new significant problem with the outbreaks of measles and bird flu.

Mother Jones covered the anti-depressant thing as far back as July of 2024...

"In a virtual event last week that was billed as a “Latino Town Hall,” presidential candidate and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled his plan to overhaul addiction treatment programs. Speaking during a live recording of the Latino Capitalist podcast, Kennedy described opioid, antidepressant, and ADHD “addicts” receiving treatment on tech-free “wellness farms,” where they would spend as much as three or four years growing organic produce."

Then, just recently, RFK Jr. submitted his plan to, " Round up people with mental health conditions in camps." He has completely flummoxed a clueless bunch of Republicans on his intentions for keeping people healthy, and suddenly digressed into the intention of creating his own system of stalags. Of course, in keeping with the ideology of Donald Trump. But I am both surprised and very disappointed there has been no massive outcry from the medical community. They've let the Kennedy outcast take healthcare into a downward spiral.

Here's the scenario from NPR...

New Mexico health officials [recently] confirmed the death of an unvaccinated adult who tested positive for measles. The first death was a school-age child in Gaines County, Texas, last week.

News of a second death comes as infectious disease doctors worry that the federal government's messaging about the outbreak is putting more emphasis on treatments like vitamin A than on vaccination, even as misinformation about some of these treatments is spreading online.

RFK Jr. did reference vaccine as good " for community immunity," but said "good

nutrition is 'a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses.'" NPR reports...

"That emphasis on nutrition and vitamin A to treat measles is concerning some infectious disease doctors."

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said...

"Mentions of cod liver oil [by RFK Jr.] and vitamins [are] just distracting people away from what the single message should be, which is to increase the vaccination rate."

RFK Jr. told Fox News' Sean Hannity that the best immunization to measles is to catch it. If you haven't already heard, the latest fad is to have measles parties where you can pass around the highly contagious viral disease, for adults and children. What Kennedy did not tell Hannity is the fact that doctors claim the downside from catching measles is worse than getting a vaccination. The health care imposter didn't mention that...

"measles can be deadly, although rare, with approximately 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 people with measles dying, even with the best care, primarily due to complications like pneumonia or encephalitis."

But why would he even address the above possibility? RFK Jr. is a part of the Trump administration that cut U.S. aid to millions producing the following reaction from Irish Star...

"Experts have warned that Donald Trump’s cuts to USAID could cause over 2.1 million deaths per year over the next three years."

Considering the current objective to eliminate as much money and people from the U.S. Government as Trump and Musk can manage, it is obvious the Republicans just don't care. So why should RFK Jr.??? 

 

Animal cruelty and abandonment are both detestable and punishable

All 50 U.S. states have laws against animal cruelty, which typically include provisions against animal abandonment and neglect. The detestable part goes without saying. If you caught someone being cruel to an animal, animal lover or not, you would most likely step in and do something. Should you see someone abandon an animal, most of us would contact authorities to rescue the discarded pet. Some of us would do the usual check for ownership and, if none, get a vet checkup and take the animal home. It depends.

The Iditarod is an example of cruelty to dogs, defined as an annual sled dog race in Alaska, also known as the "Last Great Race," which takes place on the Iditarod Trail, a historic trail system connecting towns in inland Alaska. This is what PITA says about the race...

"As many as half of the dogs forced to run the Iditarod will never finish the grueling 1,000-mile race—succumbing to exhaustion, illness, or injury as they are forced to pull heavy sleds through treacherous terrain in freezing temperatures. Some dogs won’t make it back alive."

Another kind of animal cruelty is dog fighting...

In all states, it is against the law (and often a felony) even to attend a dog fighting

 

event, regardless of direct participation. According to authorities, dog fighting is increasingly practiced by gangs, and is linked to other unlawful activities, such as illegal gambling.

These are probably the most serious cases of animal cruelty, along with cockfighting. This "sport"  is illegal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories. It is also a federal crime. More facts...

• 40 states and the District of Columbia have made cockfighting a felony
• 43 states and the District of Columbia prohibit being a spectator at cockfights
•  20 states prohibit the possession of cockfighting paraphernalia

The above is to illustrate that laws are in place to protect animals. The question is, in just how many instances do authorities act? And also, on how many occasions does the cruelty occur in a secluded environment, as an example, the owner ...

• Keeps the animal on a chain, unable to exercise, often in freezing weather
• Doesn't feed the animal to the point of starvation
• Physically/mentally abuses the animal

And then there is abandonment, an act that can be as bad as the worst cruelty. Here are the stark facts...

Each year, 6.5 million dogs, cats, and other former pets are abandoned or lost in the U.S. and end up in shelters. Out of these, only 3.2 million are adopted, and many return to shelters within a year of being rehomed.

This story is from the Calhoun County Animal Center in Michigan that discovered a 16-week-old puppy dumped at the facility in freezing and snowy conditions on the morning of February 19. From CCTV footage, the driver stops in front of the animal center, dumps the dog out and takes off. Tiger was taken into the center and quickly found his forever home. Fortunately authorities were able to locate the abandoner and charges were filed. You can read the article here.

Red, the cat was 12-years-old, a husky orange tabby found walking the streets by a woman

named Alex. She could tell he wasn't just another stray so she took him to a vet and from a chip found his former owner. When Alex contacted the person, she learned they had moved and didn't want the cat anymore. She stepped up to the situation and decided to adopt Red. He shares the house--in a separate bedroom until his health is cleared by the vet--with the family's other cat and a dog and is getting along just great. Read the article here.

According to a surveillance video, this time in Surprise, AZ, a dog was pushed out of the back seat of a vehicle on a dead-end street, when someone is actually heard saying, "Bye-bye." The back door of the car is closed and it speeds off. The dog was taken in by a neighbor and was found to be malnourished. Having a video of the car with its license plate clearly visible, the Surprise Police Department is now looking for the person responsible for abandoning the dog. Read the article here.

We had a stray orange, tabby, male come to our door in California. After checking the best we could in those days, we brought Thoreau--named that because he was so laid back-- in with our other cats. Thoreau befriended everyone, knew no stranger, and was a real calming member of our household. Unfortunately, Thoreau caught feline immunodeficiency virus from a cat brought into our house by a pet sitter. Since then we have taken in more strays since they seem to be attracted to my wife.

I did a post back in February of 2022, People Have More Humanity Toward Animals Today I believe that even more so today when I see the stories on the Internet about every kind of animal you can imagine being rescued by good people. These good samaritans are to be lauded, but as you can see, above, there is still work to be done. I have chosen a selection of my posts on animals over the years you can read here. In the meantime, love and care for your pet like a member of the household. He or she will love you for it.

Seniors must revolt against the Trump/Musk attack on Social Security

There are 69 million Americans on Social Security. I am one of them. And I am satisfied with the benefits I receive. I also realize Social Security isn't paying for itself and something must be done. There have been proposals for years to expand Social Security benefits and revenues by expanding the tax base...

In the House of Representatives, Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) has led proposals for years to expand Social Security benefits and revenues by expanding the tax base. In the Senate, “The Social Security Expansion Act,” introduced by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) would raise the taxable earnings cap to $250,000, and like Larson’s bill, include investment income.

The above " would raise more money than needed to solve the long run deficit." And there has also been talk of taxing the income of the wealthiest, which would not only solve the Social Security crisis, but also put the U.S. budget on solid ground. And why not? Larson says...

"164 million workers (about 94% of us) pay Social Security taxes all year long. The point is a lot of income escapes the Social Security system; and the escaping income is that from the wealthiest Americans."

This could all be moot if Donald Trump and Elon Musk get their way, with The New Republic reporting the "systemic destruction" of Social Security started last Tuesday night in t-RUMP's speech. 7,000 SS employees are already scheduled to be laid off, another 30,000 in the near future. With half of its staff gone, experts expect delays in every aspect of the Social Security program. There are many in the program that depend entirely on their benefits and it is likely there will be deaths if they lose them.

Contact Congress NOW!

Trump and Musk don't care. Hell, most Republicans don't care. And many others in the country are apathetics, which is one of the reasons we are in the situation we are. But this is what U.S. voters elected, and hopefully it will be the Trump-voting group that suffers the most from the actions of the radical right. Here's what Republican anti-Trump publication, The Bulwark, says...

"House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said that "after years of hard work and a lifetime of contributions, our seniors shouldn't have to worry about Republicans meddling with their Social Security. This is an attack on our nation's seniors—plain and simple.""

Emphasis my own. 

The GOP and its wealthy donors have wanted to get rid of Social Security or, privatize it, for years. It comes up regularly in Congress but even Republicans realize you don't meddle with something as sacred as this senior benefit. But, under t-RUMP it is different...

"They’ve [Republicans] called it everything from communism to socialism to a Ponzi scheme, which Musk just called it this week (“the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” no less)."

But The New Republic counters...

"In fact, it has been the most successful anti-poverty program in the history of America, one now emulated by virtually every democracy in the world."

The masquerading president, Elon Musk, appears to have his sights on privatizing Social Security, according to a leaked email from acting Social Security Administration Commissioner Leland Dudek, posted on AlterNet. It goes without saying, this maniac should not have the power given him by Trump, and he most certainly should not have the capacity to make changes to Social Security. So, it all gets back to the morons who elected Donald Trump, knowing full well he carried the baggage of Elon Musk.

The Bobbsey twins who want to take your Social Security

Other salient points from The Bulwark and AlterNet: former SS admin. Martin O'Malley says there is a toxic work environment there, "they are driving people out there with a viciousness that I believe will collapse the agency, which could result in an 'interruption of benefits.';" "We have a 50-year low in staffing while the baby boomer generation is swelling their ranks," O'Malley said. In fact, O'malley thinks Trump and Musk want to break the agency.

Continuing these points...

"House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said that "after years of hard work and a lifetime of contributions, our seniors "shouldn't have to worry about Republicans meddling with their Social Security."

"Congressman Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) declared that 'in no way, shape, or form, should we privatize any aspect of Social Security.'"

Here is an interview from The New Republic with Tracey Gronniger, a leading advocate for social insurance, who argues that Musk’s ransacking of Social Security is getting worse—and will prompt a major political backlash: "Transcript: Musk’s Attack on Social Security Exposed in Shocking Leak." It illustrates the disaster Elon Musk could cause if he is allowed to mess around with Social Security.

John Larson reports...

"that recently House Republicans advocated cutting Social Security benefits by (about 8%) by raising the full retirement age to 69 and President-elect Donald Trump’s only Social Security proposal would drain Social Security of revenue by $23 billion, according to a report by the thorough Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget."

But Larson also says there is, "Political Hope For Social Security Fixes"...

There is hope. In December 2024, Republicans and Democrats raised Social Security benefits for more than 2 million people by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).

The hope is that the bipartisan support for the expansion of Social Security benefits may mean Congress is listening to the majority of Americans — Republicans and Democrats — who want more revenue for Social Security and do not want benefit cuts.

The other hope is that the Republicans in Congress will finally get some balls and keep Trump and Musk from any tampering with Social Security benefits. 

Executive Orders=Executive Power=Dictatorship

If you have been able to keep up with Donald Trump's eradication of the U.S. Constitution, then you know how much damage he has done in the short period since he was inaugurated. Right out of the box, he halted all federal aid. Then there was an executive order targeting transgender medical care for young people under 19. The BBC also reports...

"He has signed a number of orders since taking office, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and reshaping the federal government. He has also issued a number of controversial pardons."

The executive order does "carry the weight of law," but can be more easily overturned. However, with T-rump controlling Congress, this likelihood would be virtually impossible. Notwithstanding, some of these executive orders have been challenged legally, but, again, Donald Trump has been known to challenge the courts, in some cases ignore their decisions. Of course, there is the new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), headed up by the world's richest, and becoming the most hated man, Elon Musk.

The general consensus is that Musk has done just about as much damage to the country as

Donald Trump has no interest in the people

Trump, as it seems the billionaire has stuck his nose into a number of government departments. The outset is massive firings and cuts in budgets, some of which had to be reversed. The BBC said this all...

"...could lead to "a high-stakes confrontation between two branches of government that the nation’s founders designed as co-equals: the executive and the judicial."

And this was The Conversation's headline following Donald Trump's speech to Congress on Tuesday, March 4...

"Trump is the kinglike president many feared when arguing over the US Constitution in 1789 – and his address to Congress showed it"

The piece quickly skims over the litany of T-rump's claims of accomplishments, many of which are denied or listed as only partially true. BBC makes it clear that the U.S. President is not granted unlimited power in the Constitution but says...

"The extravagant claims appear to match Trump’s view of the presidency – one virtually kinglike in its unilateral power."

But as the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, his corner on America's military clout could harken back to what he said in 2019, that he can do “whatever I want as President.” The Conversation comments...

"I think legal experts are concerned that Trump is expanding executive power beyond anything we have known in American history. And as executive power continues to expand, we may eventually hit a tipping point that threatens the structure of the government, as laid out in the Constitution."

The authors of the Constitution, along with a host of readers, "...believed that endowing the president with such powers was dangerous." And it would appear that their foresight has culminated in Donald Trump.

Selective wealth and power will bring America to its knees

It is called an oligarchy, "a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few," according to Dictionary.com. And the current oligarchs are, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. If ever, any one of the three ran their business with the customer's best interest in mind, this all vanished when Donald Trump was sent to the White House for the second time.

It's like all the rules were discarded, the direction of the country changed to reflect rights only for the chosen. For those of you who put the White House maniac back in office, one can only assume you had a total memory loss of what this lunatic did the first time in this position. And, you must also have your head in the sand if you don't see the destruction to the United States Donald Trump has promised. Here's the scenario from The Guardian...

One of the unacknowledged advantages of the horrendous era we’ve entered is that it is revealing the putrid connections between great wealth and great power for all to see.

Oligarchs are fully exposed and they are defiant. It’s like hitting the “reveal codes” key on older computers that let you see everything.

Now, addressing each oligarch individually, starting with Jeff Bezos...

"On Wednesday, Jeff Bezos, the third-richest person in America, who bought the Washington Post in 2013, announced that the paper’s opinion section would henceforth focus on defending “personal liberties and free markets”. 

"Anything inconsistent with this view would not be published, according to his statement. “Viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.”

"The Post’s opinion editor, David Shipley, promptly resigned, as he should have."

 Defending “personal liberties and free markets” means simply supporting Donald Trump and his far-right ideologies, also turning a once great newspaper into bush league journalism.

Next is Mark Zuckerberg...

"Mark Zuckerberg, the second-richest person, has followed suit, allowing Facebook to emit lies, hate and bigotry in support of Trump’s lies, hate and bigotry."

Zuckerberg has reneged on promises to improve the security of FB users' personal information for years, selling much of this private information to advertisers actively. 

And now Elon Musk...

"Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, bought Twitter in 2022, laid off everyone who was filtering out hateful crap on the platform, renamed it X and turned it into a cesspool of lies in support of Trump."

Musk, with the "play-like" government department, DOGE, has all but decimated several U.S. agencies and fired millions of employees without cause, many of which had to be called back in desperation.

Each, in his own way, has put this country into a jeopardy that could work in three different ways to put this country over the edge. The American dream is no longer just to own a home; we've now added the idea of shared equity, that is to bring the classes together when it comes to the standard of living. This won't work under an oligarchy.

 

Zelensky and Trump: The meeting from hell

If you don't already know, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump had a knock down drag out meeting at the White House this past Friday. Although Zelensky wasn't dragged out, he was thrown out of the Oval Office by Trump. The Guardian said about Zelensky's treatment...

Adjectives including disastrous and vile were used to describe the meeting in which Donald Trump and his vice-president JD Vance openly berated the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

At one point Trump said to Zelensky, “You are gambling with world war three.” David Smith commented, that “Trump on Friday presided over one of the greatest diplomatic disasters in modern history.” Smith also wrote a zinger titled, "Diplomacy dies on live TV as Trump and Vance gang up to bully Ukraine leader." The Manchester News of North West England says it has proof the meeting was a "set up" on the part of Trump and Vance, signified by the fact that Trump winked at a planted reporter in a crucial moment.

Just before booting Zelensky from White House

Here's the scenario from The Manchester News...

"There are suggestions that Volodymyr Zelensky may have been the victim of a set-up at the White House, with a wink from Donald Trump seen as evidence. The now notorious confrontation between the US president and the Ukrainian leader saw Trump accuse Zelensky of being "disrespectful" and "gambling with WW3" last Friday.

"From the outset, Trump sarcastically commented that he was "all dressed up", a remark caught on mic as the two men met after Zelensky exited his SUV and approached the West Wing entrance to the White House. "Yes I had to," responded the Ukrainian leader."

There's more...

"... the manner in which Zelensky was mocked has led to allegations that he could have been ambushed, with a possible giveaway being a wink to right-wing media reporter Brian Glenn who questioned the Ukrainian about his choice to wear a combat outfit - despite it being common for leaders to do so during peacetime."

Zelensky Biden in better times

Contrary to the White House escapade, "European leaders back Zelensky after Trump clash." Just look at the support...

"The leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands were among those who posted social media messages backing Ukraine - with Zelensky responding directly to each one to thank them for their support.

"The Ukrainian president has arrived in London to attend a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who "retains unwavering support for Ukraine", Downing Street said."

Later came this,

"Starmer announces £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine." Here's what happened...
Sir Keir Starmer has announced a £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine, following a summit of European leaders in London.

"The prime minister also announced "a number" of allies had signed up to a "coalition of the willing", alongside France's President Emmanuel Macron, prepared to commit troops to the Ukrainian frontline in the event of a peace deal.

"Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the meeting, where 17 European leaders and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau discussed next steps in securing peace for Ukraine."

So, it would appear that Zelensky had the last laugh and T-rump's mediocre and déclassé move to demean and embarrass the Ukrainian leader backfired. In reality, it is the kind of thing you would expect from a child, and I don't mean to disparage childhood.               

 

Elon Musk and Donald Trump hit the skids...opening door for the left

Just who is pulling the strings

It has happened, and with only one month of Donald Trump entering the White House for the second time. The polls have him tanking and as The New Republic put it, "Even more tellingly, however, the new polls show that majorities are rejecting Trump’s authoritarian governing tactics." Those voters who temporarily lost their minds voting for the Oval Office lunatic have reattached to reality and decided on democracy, not living under a dictator. TNR adds this...

"And on top of that, Elon Musk, who’s been tapped to carry out some of Trump’s most autocratic designs, fares even worse than Trump does in this polling."

I covered the polls in my earlier post, "Donald Trump takes a dive in the polls - Democracy wins," where it is clear T-rump is flailing wildly with many of the top pollsters showing him to be losing support. Quickly again...

"CNN finds that 47 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s performance while 52 percent disapprove"

"Gallup finds him at 45 to 51"

"And The Washington Post finds that 43 percent support what Trump has done in his first month while 48 percent oppose it."

Greg Sargent from TNR is interviewing political scientist Julia Azari and she thinks "public backlash to Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s authoritarian overreach give Democrats an opening." The scenario from Azari...

"They’re [the polls] not entirely unexpected, but they really do underscore the point that I’ve been trying to make since the November election, which is that there’s not a lot of conclusive evidence that Trump’s specific agenda is very popular. In a context in which there’s a lot of distrust of government, it’s not obvious that strong executive overreach is the answer to that distrust."

Then Azari talks about voters who must have voted for Trump to see what the outcome of him returning to the White House would be. That's hard to believe but then Sargent comes up with...

It's the Bobbsey Twins

"What’s been missing is a big argument about why Trump’s authoritarianism is bad. On the other hand, we are seeing this polling here, which shows majorities are troubled by the authoritarian rule they’re seeing. I would like those numbers to be higher and maybe they’re not higher because of what you’re pointing out, which is the lack of the counternarrative explaining it all."

Sargent asks...

"Should we take at least a tiny bit of solace from the fact that majorities are already seeing Trump as an overreacher and potentially even an abuser of his powers?"

Azari's answer is simply that Democrats must build power; something they have sorely lacked for the last several years. Something the Republican Party has emphasized as far back as when Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House. Something that put Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in the White House. Maybe they need to bring back James Carville and David Axelrod...together. This is not too far-fetched; you combine the two strategies and add to that modern methods and technology.

Azari and Sargent both agree, it's time for the Democrats to jump on the bandwagon and ride this wave of the rejection of the Trump adminstration while it's on the upward swing. And then there is the other element in Trump's boondoggle...Elon Musk. Here's Sargent's take...

"By the way, speaking of unpopularity, let’s talk about Elon Musk. The Post poll finds that only 34 percent, and only 26 percent of independents, approving of Musk’s role. Even worse, Americans disapprove by 2 to 1 of Musk shutting down government agencies, and 63 percent are concerned by his team’s access to sensitive government data." 

There's much more in this piece, and everything combined could be a prelude to bringing Trump to the fore. No, we'll never get to all the secrets of the White House maniac, but maybe we can get enough cards on the table to bring the American public to the conclusion Donald Trump is corrupt and should not be in the position he is in.

 

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John Roberts bails Trump out once again

 

Isn't it amazing how corrupt Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is right around the corner when an also corrupt Donald Trump needs to be rescued? Here's the headline from CNN: "Chief Justice John Roberts pauses order for Trump admin to pay $2 billion in foreign aid by midnight." Hre's the scenario...

"Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday paused a court-imposed midnight deadline that would have required the Trump administration to release $2 billion in frozen foreign aid, a goal that the government has claimed it is unable to meet.

"The emergency appeal marks the first time President Donald Trump’s efforts to drastically remake the federal government – including with deep cuts across government agencies – have reached the nation’s highest court. The case appears likely to put the justices on a collision course with Trump’s sweeping efforts to consolidate power within the executive branch."

This is called an “administrative stay” which allows the court and litigants to prepare for a formal hearing. This is the second time T-rump has gone sniveling to the higher court for help, this time in a case the lower court had ordered him to obey their decision. SCOTUS' final decision will be a good indication of its partnership with Trump.

Trump unimaginables and unbelievables you shouldn't miss...

After a day of surfing through all the reputable and credible news sites, I had such a collection of unbelievable articles on Donald Trump and Elon Musk that I couldn't resist sharing them with you. Here are the results:

Donald Trump had his first cabinet meeting today and guess who was there? You got it, Elon Musk. READ MORE

Washington Post says, "The anti-Trump resistance begins to wake in earnest." READ MORE

WaPo owner Jeff Bezos dumps opinion editor to add more Trump fluff. READ MORE

Trump wants to abolisg the Small Business Administration. READ MORE

Trump announces large-scale federal worker layoffs. READ MORE

Trump wants to take away the power from Republican women. READ MORE

RawStory says, "Bombshell report reveals staggering amount of government funds paid to Elon Musk." READ MORE

What Trump thinks of Ameridca: "Bloated and Fat and Disgusting!" READ MORE

Trump freezes $4 billion endangering drinking water for 40-million along Colorado River. READ MORE

'Showing You Exactly Who They're Working For,' GOP Votes to Gut Medicaid for Tax Cuts. READ MORE

Trump is the most unpopular president in more than 70 years. Sorry, MAGA. READ MORE

Trump’s FBI Is the Nightmare We All Feared. READ MORE

"President Trump says U.S. can pay off $36 trillion debt by selling wealthy immigrants $5 million ‘gold card’ visas and eventual citizenship." READ MORE

"Donald Trump Cuts Medicare Telehealth Funding: Who Will Be Most Affected?" READ MORE

"Petition to revoke Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship gets more than 250,000 signatures." READ MORE

Boycott the TODAY SHOW: Host Kathie Lee Gifford says President Donald Trump will 'fulfil every promise' he has made. YEAH! SURE! READ MORE

'Crossed the line': Analysts warn 'something has changed' for Musk's place in Trump team. READ MORE