Lotta things going boom

[Rideback]

Trump's approval ratings are tanking.
https://newrepublic.com/post/192777/usp ... ticker_rss

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Senate hearings ongoing and Dr. Oz won't answer yes or no whether he'll support cuts to Medicaid
https://newrepublic.com/post/192775/dr- ... ticker_rss

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From Alt NPS
"A federal judge in Maryland issued an even more sweeping restraining order, surpassing an earlier one from the same day. The order broadly prohibits the Trump administration from implementing any future “reductions in force,” such as this week’s directive to terminate half of the Education Department’s workforce. Additionally, the order requires agencies to offer reinstatement to recently laid-off probationary employees and expands its scope to 18 agencies, up from the six mentioned in the earlier case."

[mister_coffee]

I find it doubtful that "clawbacks" can be done or even make sense. And it will all be fought to death in the courts.

The right thing for the states is to just ignore any such orders and keep spending the money they have already received.

[just-jim]

.
Now….bike trails and other non-motorized infrastructure is considered ‘too green and woke’….and funding is being withheld from blue states.

https://archive.ph/SNFxo. (Article is from Seattle Times - this link gets around pay-wall)
.

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Federal judge rules Trump admin must reinstate employees
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/judge-o ... =119759494

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So Greenland held an election.
Their pro America party Qulleq did not get enough votes for a seat in their Parliament. Democrats who said Trump was a threat to their political independence won the majority handily.

[Rideback]

Musk Tracker
https://doge.muskwatch.com/

[mister_coffee]

Letters sent.

[mister_coffee]

I'd point out that there is something concrete we can ask our esteemed elected representatives in the House and Senate to do to help the situation. A lot of the craziness right now is caused by the continuous abuse of Presidential Trade Authority and the drama and disruption it is causing.

The smart thing to do would be for Congress to revoke those trade authorities and keep them out of the hands of a madman.

Here is some background on how this was made possible over the last century:

https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R4 ... conditions.

Attached is a sample letter which you can send to your elected Representative and Senators asking them to do something.

[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP Code]

[Date]

The Honorable [Senator/Congressional Representative's Name]
U.S. Senate/House of Representatives
[Address]
[City, State ZIP Code]

Subject: Request for Repeal of Presidential Trade Authorities to Protect Our Economy and Society

Dear Senator [Last Name]/Representative [Last Name],

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I am a concerned constituent writing to express my deep apprehension regarding the current state of our nation's economy, which is increasingly being affected by erratic trade policies pursued under recent Presidential Trade Authorities. As these actions continue to shape the global economic landscape, it has become imperative for us to reassess and potentially repeal certain provisions that undermine our constitutional authority over foreign commerce.

To safeguard our economy and society from further damage, I urge you to take a stand against the following Presidential Trade Authorities:

Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962
Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974
Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974
Section 338 of the Trade Act of 1930
The International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977

In addition to these measures, I also implore you to review other relevant legislation that has been enacted under Presidential Trade Authorities and consider their implications on our constitutional prerogatives over trade policy-making. It is crucial for Congress to restore its full authority in this domain to ensure a balanced approach that promotes the wellbeing of American industries, consumers, and workers while upholding international economic standards.

The impacts of these policies on our economy are far-reaching; they have resulted in increased tariffs, trade disputes, market volatility, and uncertainty for businesses and individuals alike. By repealing the aforementioned Presidential Trade Authorities, we can reinstate Congress's power to create fair, stable, and transparent trade practices that serve our nation's long-term interests.

As your constituent, I am confident in your commitment to protecting America's economic prosperity and upholding the principles of democracy. Therefore, I kindly request that you take action on this matter by initiating a review process for these Presidential Trade Authorities and advocating for their repeal when possible within Congress.

Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. Please feel free to contact me at [Your Phone Number] or via email at [Your Email Address] if you require any additional information or wish to discuss this matter further. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my concerns and hope that together we can work towards a more stable and prosperous future for our economy and society.

Sincerely,

[Your Full Name]

[Rideback]

Stars and Stripes editor for 30 years:
---
“It would be helpful if we stopped pretending this terrible chapter in American history won’t close without bloodshed …
It would be helpful if Americans, and our feeble Democratic politicians in particular, stopped implying by their comatose actions that Democracy is some damn American right and has no end date.
America very well might be arriving at hers, because, yes, it really is that bad right now.
Rather than bringing Ping-Pong paddles and groovy, little signs to a fascist hate-fest disguised as a State of the Union speech, it would be helpful if our meek, out-of-touch Democratic politicians at least pretended they understood the perilous moment we are standing in right now.
We are in deep, deep trouble, and now would be a wonderful, necessary time to step in front of your favorite mirror and honestly ask yourself what you are willing to do to fight for our country’s survival.
We are but six-plus weeks into the repulsive, wannabe-king’s second term and the damage he and his party are causing are already at catastrophic levels.
Our air, water, earned benefits, peace, public safety, civil rights, and human rights are all under immediate threat. Worse? This is only the first course of many that will be served by the vindictive, orange madman, and his pathetic party of supplicants.
The insults, the attacks, endless provocations, and thrashing of our Constitution will continue daily. All this carefully planned evil will be aimed at exactly one thing: breaking us.
Everything he is doing is designed to pound us into submission, and he’s having a grand damn doing it.
This was entirely his aim when he and his pet mutt, JD Vance, double-teamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the behest of Boss Putin in the Oval Office on Friday. The idea was to publicly humiliate the man who has done more to defend America’s interests across the globe than any Republican in memory.
Because Zelenskyy has tasted gun powder and breathed the odious smell of death on the battlefield, he wasn't about to be pushed around by some morbidly obese, 78-year-old yacht club bully and his toady, who think swinging a sand wedge to free a golf ball from some bunker is dangerous business.
Zelenskyy punched back and wasn't having it. He told the truth, and didn't back down. The future of his country is on the line right now, and he acted like it.
And therein lies the playbook for dealing with this sadistic bastard — if only the cautious, too-clever Democratic Party and their weak leaders, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, bothered paying attention.
While Rome burns, they dither.
They act as if we have all the time in the world, when time is something that is not guaranteed right now. They seem to somehow have no idea how bad things are about to get, or most certainly will be when elections they seem to be pinning their hopes on roll around next year.
Everything changed on November 5th, but by the looks of it, very little has changed in the Democratic Party.
This country will never be the same, and the sooner we come to grips with that, and start acting accordingly the better.
What would you do if everything you had and everyone you loved was threatened? Would you act like Zelenskyy or Schumer?
One of the big mistakes of Joe Biden’s presidency was this notion that everything was going to be OK, and that his idea of America matched the actual circumstances of America.
If I had a dollar for every time he said this, I’d fold up shop and move to Tahiti:
“We are the United States of America – there's nothing we can't do if we do it together. We just have to remember who we are.”
It was a noble statement and magical thinking that would have worked great pre-2016, when we could still believe without being laughed at that our two parties could work together in a crisis to protect America.
When we were attacked by the terrible human being who is now somehow leading us January 6, 2021, that magical thinking needed to go out the nearest window.
Instead, our Justice Department twiddled its thumbs and allowed the America-attacker to build himself back up, so that WE would have to deal with him AGAIN.
I seethe just thinking about this, but it is where we are right now, and the sooner we all understand this the better.
The clock is ticking. The bomb is in place.
Which brings me back around to my original premise: At some point, he will do something so heinous … so anti-America … so dangerous … that the people who truly love our country will be forced into the streets to take a life-or-death stand. Sadly, this is actually the best-case scenario, because the worst case is we just go quietly into the dark, gloomy night and become an authoritarian country, where we have zero rights or say in how we are governed.
Yesterday under the cover of his blankets, the America-attacker shared this with us:
Now read the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; OR THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PEACEABLY TO ASSEMBLE, AND TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES."
He is telling us what he thinks of America and silly things like the Constitution. Kings don’t pay attention to that kind worthless drivel.
And, really, end of the day, it not him who we have most to fear. It’s the stupid, goddam Republicans who are stubbornly in all of our lives. These are the people who have illustrated there is no known pain or sacrifice to our civil liberties or pocketbooks that they won’t absorb just for the satisfaction of watching some poor kid of color going without something they didn’t think she should have.
So the choice is yours: You can continue thinking there is some magical way out of this, or you can begin to take the threat to everything you hold dear seriously, and ACT accordingly.”
— D. Earl Stephens, author of “Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters” and finished up a 30-year career in journalism as the Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes.
"

[mister_coffee]

Assuming there is some kind of plan is very generous of you. For myself, I am doubtful they are that organized or coherent.

[PAL]

It's the Plan. Instability of the masses.

[mister_coffee]

We have to keep in mind that there are other shoes ready to drop. And those shoes are really stinky ones.

The debt ceiling needs to be extended and the government (or what's left of it) needs to be funded. Even though Rs have a majority it is doubtful they will have the votes. It seems to me disingenuous to expect Democrats to bail them out or assign Democrats responsibility for this self-inflicted disaster.

Employment numbers and GDP growth numbers will be out in the next month (on April 4th for employment and March 27th for GDP growth). I don't expect them to be good.

The short explanation is that running up to this catastrophe the markets underestimated the risks that a second Trump presidency posed to our economy, the fortunes of most every business, and our society at large. In true market fashion they are probably now going to overreact (although what "overreact" even means in this context is hard to imagine) and swing wildly the other way.

Markets are also kind of stuck, since if you get out your assets are in cash or equivalents and those will likely be ravaged by inflation in the coming years (nearly all of the Trump policies are massively inflationary). Or leave them in stocks and watch the value plummet and hope it recovers before you actually need the money. The choices are Ugly and Few.

If you are amongst the approximately fifty percent of Americans who hold shares Trump and the Rs are about to screw you over. I'm sorry those bad people ripped you off.

[Rideback]

HCR:
"March 11, 2025 (Tuesday)
The stock market continued to fall today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell another 478 points, or 1.14%; the S&P 500 fell almost 0.8%; and the Nasdaq Composite fell almost 0.2%. The S&P 500 briefly held its own in trading today, but then Trump announced on his social media platform that he was going to double the tariffs on steel and aluminum from the new 25% rates to a 50% rate on Canada and might increase tariffs to “permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada.”
Stocks fell again.
Unable to admit that he might be wrong, President Donald Trump is doubling down on the policies that are crashing the economy. In addition to his tariff threats, he also reiterated that “the only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State,” an outrageous position that he suddenly began to advance after the 2024 presidential election and which has Canadians so furious they are boycotting U.S. goods and booing the Star-Spangled Banner.
More than 100 top business leaders met with Trump today to urge him to stop destabilizing what had been a booming economy with his on-again-off-again tariffs. Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, told Jeff Stein and Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post that in private, “usiness leaders, CEOs and COOs are nervous, bordering on unnerved, by the policies that are being implemented, how they’re being implemented and what the fallout is. There’s overwhelming uncertainty and increasing discomfort with how policy is being implemented.”
The extreme unpredictability means that no one knows where or how to invest. Market strategist Art Hogan told CNN’s Matt Egan, “This market is just blatantly sick and tired of the back and forth on trade policy.” Yesterday, Delta Air Lines cut its forecasts for its first-quarter revenue and profits by half, a sign of weakening corporate and consumer confidence and concerns about the safety of air travel. Today, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines cut their forecasts, and American Airlines forecast a first-quarter loss.
When he talked to reporters, Trump reasserted that he intends to do what he wants regardless of the business leaders’ input. “Markets are going to go up and they’re going to go down, but you know what, we have to rebuild our country. Long-term what I’m doing is making our country strong again.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt advised, “If people are looking for certainty, they should look at the record of this president.”
Not everyone will find that suggestion comforting.
Trump backed off on his threat to raise the tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%, but went ahead with his threat to place 25% tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum products. Those tariffs took effect at midnight.
In the face of his own troubles, Trump’s sidekick billionaire Elon Musk is also escalating his destructive behavior. Yesterday Musk’s social media platform X underwent three separate outages that spanned more than six hours. Lily Jamali and Liv McMahon of the BBC reported that Oxford professor Ciaran Martin, former head of the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Center, said that the outages appear to have been an attack called a “distributed denial of service,” or DDoS, attack. This is an old technique in which hackers flood a server to prevent authentic users from reaching a website.
"I can't think of a company of the size and standing internationally of X that's fallen over to a DDoS attack for a very long time," Martin said. The outage "doesn't reflect well on their cyber security." Without any evidence, Musk blamed hackers in Ukraine for the outages, an accusation Martin called “pretty much garbage.”
Four days ago, another of Musk’s SpaceX rockets exploded after takeoff, and now SpaceX’s Starlink internet service is facing headwinds. In February, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim canceled his collaborations with Starlink after growing tensions with Musk culminated with Musk alleging on X that Slim is tied to organized crime. The loss of that deal cost Musk about $7 billion in the short term, but more in the long term as Slim will work with European and Chinese companies in 25 Latin American countries rather than Starlink. Slim has said he would invest $22 billion in those projects over the next three years.
Also in February, after U.S. negotiators threatened to cut Ukraine’s access to the 42,000 Starlink terminals that supply information to the front lines, the European Commission began to look for either government or commercial alternatives. The European Commission is made up of a college of commissioners from each of the 27 European Union countries. It acts as the main executive branch of the European Union.
On Sunday, Musk posted: “[M]y Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.” Poland pays for about half the Starlink terminals in Ukraine, about $50 million a year. Poland’s minister of foreign affairs, Radosław Sikorski, responded that “if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers.” “Be quiet, small man,” Musk replied. “You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.”
After all the tariff drama with Canada, last week Ontario also cancelled a deal it had with Starlink.
But perhaps the biggest hit Musk has taken lately is over his Tesla car brand. On February 6, Musk’s younger brother Kimbal, who sits on Tesla’s board, sold more than $27 million worth of shares in the company. Tesla chair Robyn Denholm sold about $43 million worth of Tesla stock in February and recently sold another $33 million. Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja has sold $8 million worth over the past 90 days. Yesterday, board member James Murdoch sold just over $13 million worth of stock.
Fred Lambert of Electrek, which follows the news about electric vehicles and Tesla, noted that Tesla stock dropped 15% yesterday, “down more than 50% from its all-time high just a few months ago.” “Tesla insiders are unloading,” he concluded.
Tesla sales are dropping across the globe owing to the unpopularity of Musk’s antics, along with the cuts and data breaches from his “Department of Government Efficiency.” Protesters have been gathering at Tesla dealerships to express their dismay. While the protests have been peaceful, as Chris Isidore of CNN reports, there have also been reports of vandalism. Tesla owners are facing ridicule as protesters take out their anger toward Musk on his customers, and at least one competitor is working to lure consumers away from Musk’s brand by offering a discount to Tesla owners.
Trump has jumped to Musk’s defense, posting just after midnight this morning that “Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for. They tried to do it to me at the 2024 Presidential Ballot Box, but how did that work out? In any event, I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American.”
Indeed, today Trump used the office of the presidency to bolster Musk’s business. Teslas were lined up at the White House, where Trump read from a Tesla sales pitch—photographer Andrew Harnik caught an image of his notes. And then the same man who gave a blanket pardon to those convicted of violent crimes related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol called those protesting at Tesla dealerships “domestic terrorists” and promised that the government would make sure they “go through hell.”
Trump and Musk appear to have taken the downturn in their fortunes by becoming more aggressive. Martin Pengelly of The Guardian noted that in the middle of Monday’s stock market plunge, Trump posted or reposted more than 100 messages on his social media channel. All of them showed him in a positive light, including reminders of the 2004 first season of the television show The Apprentice, in which Trump starred: a golden moment in Trump’s past when his ratings were high and the audience seemed to believe he was a brilliant and powerful businessman.
Today, egged on by Musk, Trump pushed again to take over other countries. He told reporters: "When you take away that artificial line that looks like it was done with a ruler…and you look at that beautiful formation of Canada and the United States, there is no place anywhere in the world that looks like that…. And then if you add Greenland…that's pretty good."
The Trump administration also announced today it was cutting about half the employees in the Department of Education. The Senate confirmed Linda McMahon, who has little experience with education, to head the department on March 3 by a party-line vote. Shutting down the department "was the president's mandate—his directive to me," McMahon told Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham. McMahon assured Ingraham that existing grants and programs would not “fall through the cracks.”
But when Ingraham asked her what IDEA stood for—the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act—she wasn’t sure, although she knew it was “the programs for disabled and needs.” Ingraham knew what the acronym meant but assured McMahon that after 30 years on the job, she still didn’t know all the acronyms. McMahon replied: “This is my fifth day on the job and I’m really trying to learn them very quickly.”
Musk lashed out at Arizona senator Mark Kelly on social media yesterday, after Kelly posted pictures of his recent trip to Ukraine and discussed the history of Russia’s invasion, concluding “it’s important we stand with Ukraine.” Musk responded: “You are a traitor.”
Kelly, who was in the Navy for 25 years and flew 39 combat missions in the Gulf War before becoming an astronaut, responded: “Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.”