Want to understand what Trump is doing?

This will bring fire down on France’s head.

Elon Musk’s X faces criminal probe in France over algorithm manipulation concerns

French prosecutors have opened an investigation into X over allegations that it distorted its algorithms

Yes saw that.

Also that there is speculation that Donald Trump will demand the UK cuts taxes and red tape on tech giants including X, Amazon and Facebook in return for escaping trade tariffs.

Musk is heading to the Pentagon.

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/us/politics/trump-musk-doge-pentagon.html

Making pollutants great again: Trump says he’s bringing back plastic straws in new executive order (Independent)

You couldn't make it up.

Inwent and looked to be sure. There are 5 states that have banned plastic straws. Certainly not a straw crisis.

impastastraws.com/blogs/plastic-straw-bans-101/which-states-in-us-have-banned-plastic-straws

I assumed it was the same in USA as Canada where it's nigh on impossible to find plastic straws. Just seen you can request flexible ones but they mustn't be on view www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/managing-plastic-waste/reducing-plastic-waste/Factsheet_Exceptions%20for%20SUP%20flexible%20straws.pdf
Seems it's an invented problem for him 🙄

It's true.

I have no idea how plastic straws is going to lower the cost of groceries or help the American people.

I'm not sure what he is on about, ypu can get plastic straws at any store in any state in the US. We'll, maybe not California but that barely affects him since he never goes there.

MayBee70

Just read that Trump says paper straws don't work and the country needs to start using plastic ones again. Is it true or fake news? A small thing compared to most of the other things he's doing but still not very good for the environment.

Not good for the environment at all, but he's not wrong, paper straws especially those supplied in retail food outlets are rubbish. Many of my Canadian family who drink through straws carry their own reusable metal ones.
I don't support him by the way, plastic straws are bad for the environment, but they need to develop better paper or some other material options. On the odd occasion in Canada I use a straw I have to cut it down several times because the top collapses For someone who reputedly dines on MacDonald's and coke I imagine his acquaintance with paper straws is somewhat extensive!

Just read that Trump says paper straws don't work and the country needs to start using plastic ones again. Is it true or fake news? A small thing compared to most of the other things he's doing but still not very good for the environment.

Musk has locked democrats out of the Department of Education and has installed armed guards at the doors this time. This is escalating. I am worried where this is headed to be honest.

Good point, Maizie.

Thank goodness for someone with a subscription to the Washington Post

I wouldn't worry about the WaPO, Clg, All the MAGAs on X think it tells lies, so they're not influenced by it

I fear for The Washington Post, Wyllow.

The claims made on the previous page on the USAID spending by Rula are largely inaccurate or invented. This Washington Post fact check also gives an idea just how much the USA benefitted financially or politically by many USAID activities

*The White House’s wildly inaccurate claims about USAID spending
Eleven out of 12 claims about the agency’s work are misleading, wrong or lack context*

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/07/usaid-trump-fact-checker/

"The news release then listed 12 examples, plucked from the websites of right-wing media. But the numbers cited — as low as $32,000 — hardly justify the claim that these are “massive sums” of money.

In fact, they are so low that some of the funds appear to have been awarded at the ambassador level, without Washington involvement.

At least one dated from the first Trump administration, and some were actually State Department grants, not USAID"

Useful bits of information like

"About two-thirds of U.S. foreign assistance funds in fiscal year 2018 were obligated to U.S.-based entities, CRS said.

For instance, food aid must be purchased in the United States and by law must be shipped on U.S. carriers With the exception of some aid given to Israel, all military aid must be used to purchase U.S. military equipment and training —

meaning foreign military aid in reality is a jobs program in the United States

FGT, how do you feel about Mr Trump's plans on removing women's access to contraception and abortion, and his limiting crimes that could be prosecuted as sexual attacks?
I am anxious for the women of America. The rich, of course, will travel abroad to access contraception, and, if necessary, a termination. For other women, the future for them seems set to be run on testosterone and misogyny.

Thank you for the clarification imaround .
I am so pleased to see some of Mr Trump's illegal activities being challenged.

Well, we dont really know who they will be "going after?

The official memo states,

Order imposes financial sanctions and visa restrictions against International Criminal Court (ICC) officials and their family members who assisted in targeting America and Israel. Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the President a report on additional persons that should be included within the scope of the sanctions

So we don't actually know as yet who the "Additional persons" will be whether they are full blown officials or anyone involved with the ICC, and we don't know what is meant by "financial sanctions" or "Family Members".

WWm2 I quote from your post at 11:12

Amal Clooney will be sanctioned - any property will be confiscated…

Now you are saying that she won’t fight against this? I don’t think so.

Whitewavemark2

Just listening and beginning to get my head around the implication of sanctions against ICJ.

So its tentacles will reach sny person associated with the ICJ.

Amal Clooney a British citizen and lawyer, carries out work for the ICJ, and will be one of those sanctioned, which means any property she owns will be confiscated and her movements limited. This will also cover her family - husband and children - we know that her husband has a good few properties, but we also know that he is a strong Democrat, and Trumps revenge will be as vengeful as he can get away with, which at the moment seems a lot,

Trump has it in for George Clooney - he called him a "fake movie actor" - ever since he, Clooney, wrote an impassioned op-ed for the NYT calling on Biden to stand aside and allow a younger candidate to become the 2024 nominee.

For some reason, this really triggered Trump. Considering the number of times he alluded to Biden's failures and alleged incapacity - did he really think Democrats should've stayed mute in order to allow Trump the upper hand?

He told Clooney to "get out of politics" - we could say the same about Musk.

“He’s turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are. What does Clooney know about anything?"

- well quite a lot, in fact, Clooney has been politically active for many many years. I'm sure he knows as much, if not more, about politics as Musk thinks he knows.

Trump's reaction was the typical reaction of a self-absorbed egotistical bully when faced with opposition. He talks tough but has an extremely fragile ego. If you look at some of his late-night rants on Truth Social, you can see the apoplectic explosions of wrath and revenge as he unpacks his anger - particularly those ALL CAPS tirades.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Well it seems Drug dealers can now be charged as terrorists in the U.S. making them eligible for a trip to Gitmo. No more woke local prosecutors & judges, just hard time. Surely a great deterrent?

I don't disagree with this move at all, just to clarify, it's not all drug dealers.

"The recently installed Trump administration has announced plans to designate Mexican and other Latin American drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations or FTOs.

(Its also not new: Congress passed the Drug Cartel Designation Act on the 4 major cartels 2023, this is extending it.)

A number of these groups have already been designated by the U.S. government as sanctioned drug traffickers, so the FTO designation will largely add both to existing federal bans on transactions with those groups and to U.S. enforcement risk relating to any such transaction

www.cov.com/-/media/files/corporate/publications/2025/02/drug-cartels-terrorist-label-raises-litigation-risk-for-cos.pdf

I doubt very much frankly whether so called "woke" judges have given dealers an easy time but of course I hope further measures will help.

It also won't help with home grown makers and distributors of illegal drugs but I'm sure all of us would welcome anything further to halt the drugs plague in the USA.

I assume you mean the ICJ.

Where did I say that she is an official?

Why on earth should she need to fight her case?

She is a lawyer, who provides her services to a completely legal entity recognised internationally.

Amal Clooney is not an official of the ICC . I am sure she has sufficient legal expertise to answer her case should Trump push it.

Trump did this in 2020 because there was an ICJ investigation into the behaviour of US troops in Afghanistan. Trump is acting out of revenge, yet again.

Just listening and beginning to get my head around the implication of sanctions against ICJ.

So its tentacles will reach sny person associated with the ICJ.

Amal Clooney a British citizen and lawyer, carries out work for the ICJ, and will be one of those sanctioned, which means any property she owns will be confiscated and her movements limited. This will also cover her family - husband and children - we know that her husband has a good few properties, but we also know that he is a strong Democrat, and Trumps revenge will be as vengeful as he can get away with, which at the moment seems a lot,

Trump is taking a leaf out of Chinas rule book at home far more control of spending and policy, abroad far more influence of US policy but not military.

Could the achieve his Gaza plan, yes definitely, Israel will be delighted to do the dirty work, other countries will just have to “suck it up”. Many will accept US aid payments in return for taking Palestinians, (temporarily of course). Of course a holiday resort needs workers to service it so Gazans will be able to return if they wish.

Trump has some very big carrots to offer and a very big stick and to influence nations and it seems he means to use it. He’s also confronting the International Criminal Court directly, with some justification, he thinks it’s a talking shop, the worst penalty it can impose is to imprison genocidal leaders, which hasn’t proved a deterrent to despots yet.