The Imperial Presidency

[robkelk]

Trump fires NSA boss, deputy

Which are supposed to be nonpartisian positions.

"Always, we’re going to let go of people we don’t like, or people we don’t think can do the job, or people who may have loyalties to somebody else," Trump said on Air Force One while on his way to a Saudi Arabia-backed golf tournament.

This comment repeats unclassified information: The Five Eyes intelligence agencies have always said which agency supplied which piece of information, so that getting the same report from multiple sources can be traced back to its originator, which prevents giving a report from only one agency undue weight in the decision-making process.

EDIT:

So, let's update Labster's bingo card, 44 days after he posted it.


  2025-bingo-card.png (Size: 138.71 KB / Downloads: 159)

Okay, the recession won't officially start for another two months... but it's pretty obvious from the last two days of stock markets tanking that it's happening.

[robkelk]

Analysis: It's clear who sees tariffs as a political winner in Washington. It isn't Trump's side

When Ted Cruz is questioning the wisdom of the tariffs, you know the GOP is worried.

[Norgarth]

Hey Rob? would the 'Over 100 American Citizens deported' space on the bingo card be taken? Or has it not reached that many (yet)?

I was talking with a co-worker and she suggested that Trump has gotten dementia, and the reason he's always keeping Musk nearby is because he thinks Elon is his son Baron.

[robkelk]

I haven't seen any reports either way yet, for either question. Best to ask somebody south of the 49th about the deportations.

As to your comment, the show Because News (Canada's answer to Mock the Week) has suggested that His Orangeness married his current wife because he likes Asian women. Her name's Malaysia, right?

[robkelk]

Have a podcast

A double-length episode of a comedy series.

[Labster]

Trump Calmly Reminds Nation That Desire Is The Root Of All Suffering

It turns out tariffs are just one step forward on the eightfold path.

[Norgarth]

yup, Trump desires (more money/power), so other people suffer.

[robkelk]

Okay, so maybe we won't come down there and burn down the White House again.

[classicdrogn]

Aww, not even in effigy?

[Labster]

Public health leaders who worked with Fauci are being transferred to Alaska

Feel free to update the trope pages.

[Inquisitive Raven]

I expect it's a comment on the average American's ability to spell more than anything.

Shouldn't that come back with "Do you mean 'Make America great again" and not just change it without comment which is the impression I get from what Rob said.

[robkelk]

Rolling Stone: National Park Service Restores Underground Railroad Material After Diminishing Harriet Tubman

According to the [Washington] Post, since Donald Trump returned to office, dozens of government-owned webpages have “softened descriptions of some of the most shameful moments of the nation’s past,” including erasing or editing references to slavery and Jim Crow-era segregation.

EDIT: Back in 1980, Stephen King wrote a novel (that got turned into a movie) in which the only news source the protagonist was willing to trust was Rolling Stone. Who knew how prophetic that ended up being?

[robkelk]

So, when is an orange-toupeed waffle maker going to be licenced? Because he's waffling again.

Trump raises China tariffs to 125 percent, issues 90-day pause on countries that haven’t retaliated

This does not apply to the existing tariffs, just the new ones that went into effect today.

[Dartz]

The sheer insanity of this is that nobody can tell if it was a pump and dump scheme, that someone talked some sense into the shithawk after bond yields started to go Greek, or that he saw the reaction on Monday to the whiff of the tarrifs being cancelled and decided to do just that to make the line go brrr.

[robkelk]

China Issues Travel Warning For US

The new advisory comes after the state of Ohio passed the Higher Education Act, which includes provisions negatively impacting Chinese-American academic exchanges. The Ministry urges Chinese nationals to carefully assess safety risks and increase their awareness of potential challenges when selecting U.S. states, particularly those affected by the new restrictions.

The ministry's alert, issued on Wednesday, highlights concerns over the worsening China-U.S. economic and trade relations, as well as the domestic security situation in the U.S. It advises Chinese tourists to carefully evaluate the risks of traveling to the U.S. and exercise caution.

The updated travel guidance by China comes as Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Germany, France and the U.K. have all issued new travel guidance for those wishing to travel to the U.S. in response to President Trump's crackdown on immigration and trans rights.

[robkelk]

U.S. bond sell-off drives market worries around the world

U.S. government bonds underwent a big sell-off early Wednesday, signalling investors were dumping the usually safe assets as tariff turmoil continues to rock the world.

They're typically seen as the safest bonds in the world because the chances that the U.S. government would default on the loan is virtually inconceivable.

In times of uncertainty, like when the stock market makes wild swings as it has been the past few days, investors usually reach for U.S. government bonds because they're safe. But today, investors were selling them as the U.S. continued to create unease with broad tariffs.

"The U.S. government is the source of instability … nobody trusts that the White House knows what it's doing," said Moshe Lander, a professor of economics at Concordia University in Montreal. "People are racing away from the source of instability."

Following the chaos in the bond market, [Canadian] Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and his Japanese counterpart, Katsunobu Kato, shared concerns about the U.S.'s slate of tariffs in a phone conference, according to the ministry.

Canada is the current chair of the G7. The ministry says Canada is working with Japan and the European Union to maintain global stability in financial markets and the financial system.

[robkelk]

As a reaction to His Orangeness' tariff war, two-score craft breweries across Canada are brewing the same beer using the same recipe.

Glorious and Free IPA

* robkelk looks at the list of participating breweries

Heh, I didn't know you could brew those. Or those. Or those.

[robkelk]

Head of US Space Force base in Greenland is fired after Vance visit

Meyers’ firing was the latest in a series of terminations of senior military leaders, including several female leaders.

The Trump administration has previously fired Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan and U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee.

It appears to this Canadian that failing to have a Y chromosome is sufficient to be considered disloyal in the USA.

[Jinx999]

Head of US Space Force base in Greenland is fired after Vance visit

Meyers’ firing was the latest in a series of terminations of senior military leaders, including several female leaders.

The Trump administration has previously fired Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan and U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee.

It appears to this Canadian that failing to have a Y chromosome is sufficient to be considered disloyal in the USA.

Apparently, she may have politely suggested that some of Vance's comments about the people of Greenland may not have 100% matched objective reality. And she didn't have the Y chromosome that means it was worth considering her opinion.

[Bob Schroeck]

As a reaction to His Orangeness' tariff war, two-score craft breweries across Canada are brewing the same beer using the same recipe.

Glorious and Free IPA

Huh. I'll have to try that recipe. As an act of open rebellion, of course.

[Labster]

Donald Trump’s White House has a threatening message for anyone who might even be perceived to disagree with the president: Don’t. Or else.  A good round-up of various ways in which offense against our President are punished.

Social Security lists thousands of living immigrants as dead to prompt them to leave -- if you're legally dead, you can't collect benefits, even if you claim to be alive

Trump signs two executive orders to promote coal: one to remove all regulations on coal power and mining, and the other to begin investigations into states that put any limitations on coal power.  +6.5° here we come!

Florida teacher's contract dropped after using student's preferred name without parental permission -- no details about the minor in this case, but apparently you can lose your teaching credential for calling a student named James as Jim.  (But we all know this is really about the trans.)

House Republicans passed a bill aiming to curb district court judges' ability to issue nationwide injunctions.  Not passed the Senate, probably won't, but one house of congress voted for a bill that would limit actions to apply only to the plaintiffs.  For example, Miranda rights would apply specifically to Ernesto Miranda, and everyone else would have to file suit to get similar rights (presumably named after themselves).  Separate but equal justice for all!

President of El Salvador says he won't return mistakenly deported man to U.S.  The pieces are now in place -- the US government now has a place to send undesirables to that is fully immune from judicial review.  The Supreme Court has already ruled, but can't enforce their decision.  Oh wells.

[robkelk]

Let's take another look at Labster's bingo card...

Federal wolf delisting took one small step closer to becoming reality as members of the House Committee on Natural Resources passed the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, H.R. 845, out of committee by vote of 24 to 17 on Wednesday, April 9.

Kanye West Wears Swastika Shirt In Public (February 28)

Trump official gives clearest indication yet that there are plans to put Donald Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore - (March 31)

Federal agencies told to implement transgender bathroom ban as Trump's DEI attacks continue (January 31)

Federal agencies plan for mass layoffs as Trump's workforce cuts continue (March 15)

[Dartz]

Coal can also be used to make textiles - it doesn't need to be burned. There's a process for combining coal with limestone that can create textile fibres - by become acetylene along the way. It may be a viable method to produce hardwearing clothing in a closed economy that's otherwise unable to import things

If coal is heavily subsidised it could work.

[classicdrogn]

I'm sure they'd happily return to the plantation system for textiles production - much cheaper and simpler that way. Human cost? Pfft! If you have to ask the cost of anything, you aren't rich enough to matter.

[robkelk]

I missed one on the bingo card update.

U.S. and El Salvador presidents ‘thumbing their nose’ at Supreme Court, says lawyer (April 14)