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Tag Archives: current-events

Movie Reminders


Looking at the Movie “Iron Man” today and was reminded of the past year of the Gaza “conflict?”. Much of the action that occurs in the Middle east shows natives being rounded up and killed, sent packing or enslaved. Meanwhile the political classes (asses)  discuss and guess as to what should be done. And in America the new “Sheriff” has begun to dismantle the government agencies because either they can or because they don’t understand how Government works. The policy of “nuevo Trump 2.0 is to get even at all costs with the overt and tacit approval of the GOP. It is unfortunate that the DEMs are so weak as to present a meager objection even though they do not have control of Congress. All political change starts with small voices that build with facts as the foundation. This political weakness appears to voters as the weakness that it is. If the status quo is to shift, then the political winds need to shift also. It is bad enough that the public is apathetic, complacent or just doesn’t care but  the public servants need to take  the heat and do their jobs with as much honesty as they can muster or just because it is what they were elected to do.

I could quote numerous warnings from the past and near past about the rise of populists and the results thereof but until the public at large learns to or start to learn what information history has shown we will continue down the road to a “kingship” for an extremely incompetent leader and his suck up minions!

Administration: whitening America? not enough WHITEWASH!


Administration: whitening America? not enough WHITEWASH!

If we are paying attention, we will understand that Resident T—P is an angry small man with a grifters personality who thinks Government can be run like a business. However, a business always hires the best available people for open positions. The Resident hires on the basis of wealth and notoriety (or lip size?) and fealty. It is our (voters) duty to vote smarter and not along party lines. If your representatives are in the T—P camp, go independent or another party. Incidentally: How do you Bankrupt3 casinos?

Turns Out, Trump’s Qatar Private Jet Wasn’t Even a Gift


The New Republic

Opinion

Edith Olmsted

Tue, May 20, 2025 at 9:15 AM CDT2 min read

There’s no such thing as a free plane.

Donald Trump’s administration specifically sought out the luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar’s government to replace Air Force One, despite the president’s insistence that the plane was a gift, sources informed CNN.

A senior White House official told CNN that Trump tasked Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy to the Middle East (and shady crypto partner), with tracking down a replacement for Air Force One, after Trump learned that Boeing would not have new jets ready for another two years. Witkoff ended up leading initial conversations with the Qatari government, according to the White House official.

Boeing provided the Pentagon with a list of other clients who might be able to help with America’s search for a new plane, three sources told CNN. One of those sources said that Qatar was included on that list of clients and that the U.S. reached out about purchasing the luxury plane from the Qatari Defense Ministry, which indicated it was willing to sell. There were also discussions about leasing the plane, said another source.

Legal negotiations over the plane’s transfer are still ongoing, and it’s unclear how the plane went from being a potential purchase to a $400 million gift. Trump and his administration have repeatedly stressed that the plane will be free of charge, a gift of goodwill from a foreign government—sparking major backlash on both sides of the aisle over concerns of foreign corruption.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the potential transfer a “donation to our country” on Monday, but the plane is much more of a personal gift to Trump himself than to the people of the United States, whose tax-paying dollars could end up funding the costly rebuild for the president’s supposedly free gift.

Trump reportedly toured a Qatari plane with aides in February and began lamenting how luxurious the plane was compared to his own transportation options. Last week, Trump whined that the current Air Force One is a “much less impressive” plane than the lavish ones dictators use.

CNN’s reporting upends a recent claim from Senator Markwayne Mullin—which was then repeated by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent—that negotiations to receive a plane from Qatar began under Joe Biden’s administration.

Giving Trump $400m Boeing jet was his team’s idea not Qatar’s, report claims

Joe Sommerlad

Tue, May 20, 2025 at 8:39 AM CDT

President Donald Trump’s administration originally approached Qatar about the possibility of acquiring one of its Boeing 747 jumbo jets, according to a report.

The new claim reported in CNN contradicts Trump’s insistence that the controversial plane lined up to replace Air Force One was simply offered as a “gift.”

The $400m aircraft that the Qatari royal family intends to present to the United States, described as a “flying palace” due to its luxurious interior, has inspired a number of ethics complaints at home that cast a long shadow over the president’s visit to the Middle East last week.

Now administration sources cited by CNN claim it was the U.S. that first sought out the plane, rather than Qatar coming forward to offer it as a friendly gesture.

The network’s sources claim that, shortly after Trump returned to the White House in January, the Pentagon contacted Boeing for an update on the two new jets it is building as replacements for the current presidential plane.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, as he departs the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha on May 15 2025 (Win McNamee/Getty)

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, as he departs the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha on May 15 2025 (Win McNamee/Getty)

It was told that their construction would take another two years to complete, prompting a frustrated Trump to task his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff with drawing up a list of potential alternatives already in service.

Boeing reportedly supplied Department of Defense officials with the names of its clients around the world. “Qatar was one of the clients,” one of the sources said, adding that the Pentagon then approached Doha, with introductions from Witkoff, offering to buy the plane. Qatar responded by indicating it would be willing to sell, it is claimed.

Another source, however, suggested those discussions were originally about leasing the Boeing, not buying it outright.

The account stands at odds with Trump’s own version of events after the president insisted throughout his trip to the Gulf that the plane was a present from one of America’s key regional allies, describing it as “A GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE” on Truth Social and saying that only a “stupid person” would have refused it.

His position was reiterated by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday. She described the jet as a “donation to our country,” saying that Qatar’s royal family “has offered to donate this plane to the United States Air Force, where that donation will be accepted according to all legal and ethical obligations.”

A White House official has since told The Independent that CNN’s reporting is accurate.

Trump griped about the age of the current presidential plane repeatedly last week, boarding it at Abu Dhabi International Airport on Friday with the resentful words: “I leave now and get into a 42-year-old Boeing. The new ones are coming, new ones are coming.”

Amid a furor in Congress over the jet potentially violating the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause, Trump’s own Department of Justice lawyers moved quickly to rule that accepting it would break no laws.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House lawyer David Warrington said the donation of the aircraft would be “legally permissible,” given that its ownership would be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation before the end of his term.

But Columbia Law School Professor Richard Briffault questioned that assessment when he told NPR that if Trump retains ownership of the plane after leaving office, in spite of his claim that it will ultimately be given to the Department of Defense, “then it’s not really a gift to the United States at all” and instead amounts to a “pretty textbook case of a violation of the emoluments clause.”

A Boeing 747 bearing the color scheme of planes used by the Qatari royal family seen at San Antonio International Airport in San Antonio, Texas, earlier this month (Brandon Lingle/The San Antonio Express-News/AP)

A Boeing 747 bearing the color scheme of planes used by the Qatari royal family seen at San Antonio International Airport in San Antonio, Texas, earlier this month (Brandon Lingle/The San Antonio Express-News/AP)

Professor Briffault further warned that accepting any present leaves the recipient beholden to the gift-giver, an argument also made by Trump nemesis Hillary Clinton, saying that gestures like Qatar’s are “designed to create good feelings for the recipient and to get some kind of reciprocity.”

Another cause of concern is the eye-watering cost of retrofitting the jet to make it an acceptable substitute for the presidential plane.

Experts warn that it would take several years and require billions of dollars in further investment from the American taxpayer to ensure it meets the necessary security standards.

It would require secure communications, electromagnetic shielding, and in-flight refueling capabilities, to name just three necessary upgrades.

Lest We Forget (Forgot?).


It is unfortunate that the divide among voters is exploited by our now White House Resident, yet many have failed to realize that we have more in common than differences and the “occupier” with his dastardly minions has failed to realize this. In their single-minded pursuit of a Dictatorial state has brought them and us in conflict on multiple fronts. The rule of law is being twisted and tested with the facts being ground up in the middle. Those who experienced and those who have read and understand the reasons for WWl, WWll should recognize the path to those conflicts.

I am Greatly Concerned!


And you should be too!

I have a difficult time understanding the lack of outrage over the actions of “commander Chaos” and his drain circlers. History has shown the same actions were taken in the 1930’s when A. Hitler lied and cheated his way into German Government. Even though Germany was in poor financial shape due to an ill-advised war in which they lost, the people were aroused over untrue issues and against certain people who were deemed “unfit, not German enough or otherwise undesirable”. When called to task over the treatment of so-called non-Germans, MR. H decided to squeeze an easier target and proceeded to persecute anyone Jewish. He so thoroughly indoctrinated the population in hatred of Jews that everyday people ignored the brutality against the Jews and often joined in.

The plight of the Jewish community was widely reported by those who fled and newspapers in Europe, but no one listened or paid much attention except to the “outrageous” statements blaming the Jews for everything that he could. All of this while the general public needed relief from the poor economy left after losing the war and having to pay reparations.

Instead, while making Jews the target of attention, he began building his “war Machine”, the German people did not notice (or did not want to) because they had good jobs in the munition and steel factories that were producing war machine and materials. He went after books, trashed Jewish businesses, raided Jewish homes and took anything of value. Took the residents took work camps building the infrastructure for the war machines and the soon to be “camps’ for Jews and other so called unwanted people aka, gays, Hungarians or anyone who was not able to prove German citizenship.

Fast forward to 2024 Donald J Trump elected to the Presidency! After the fiasco of his first term and the extensive rhetoric leading up to this one, his supporters didn’t learn anything or did not pay attention when he stated exactly what he was going to and is doing it. His broad strokes do not discriminate, and all are encompassed in them. WE the people need to wake up and insist on action from our elected officials especially the supporters in Congress who are facilitating his actions.

‘Andy, that’s not true:’ Texas Republican mocked after admitting he doesn’t know what intersex is


Ryan Adamczeski- THEADVOCATE

(we do not elect the smartest people so what makes them electable? MA.)

Mon, April 14, 2025 at 2:59 PM CDT

3 min read

Texas House Democratic Caucus video discussing intersex education

A Republican representative in Texas is proving what LGBTQ+ advocates have been saying all along — conservatives don’t know a single thing about the queer community.

The state House of Representatives voted 118-26 to approve a $337 billion budget Friday morning, but not without first killing several amendments targeting LGBTQ+ and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. One such amendment, proposed by Republican Rep. Andy Hopper, aimed to eliminate state funding for the University of Texas at Austin over its LGBTQ+ and DEI programs and degree plans.

In debating the amendment, Democratic Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons prodded Hopper until he made a stunning admission. The moment, which has since gone viral after being posted by the Human Rights Campaign and Texas Democrats, began with Simmons challenging Hopper after he stated “when you’re born, you have a set of chromosomes.”

“Are you speaking about biological sex? Or are you speaking about gender? ‘Cause one is scientific, one is a social construct,” Simmons said, adding, “‘Cause I have a follow up question after.”

“They’re one and the same, ma’am,” Hopper falsely asserted, grinning smugly.

“That’s not true, but moving on. So, in the same vein, what about intersex individuals?” Simmons questioned.

To which Hopper responded: “I don’t even know what that means, ma’am.”

The crowd in the room responded with a mix of surprise and laughter. When the noise died down, Simmons continued.

“You are not sure what intersex people are, if they exist or not, but you want to defund a program about something that you don’t understand,” she said. “That’s why I’m seeking clarification. … Then again, you haven’t yet answered my question about where intersex people fall into that equation?”

“Those intersex individuals are still XX or XY,” Hopper replied. “So, you can’t change that.”

The incorrect claim prompted Republican Rep. Valoree Swanson, the lead author of the state’s transgender sports ban who had been standing next to Hopper at the podium, to tug on his sleeve and say to him quietly — but loud enough for the microphone to pick up — “Andy, that’s not true.”

There are currently over 40 known intersex variations, according to the Intersex Society of North America, which can cause individuals to make more or less estrogen or testosterone than average, be more or less sensitive to those hormones, have different sizes and appearances of their genitals, and have variations in their X and Y sex chromosomes.

The most common intersex variations are due to differences in chromosomes, such as Klinefelter syndrome (XXY), Turner syndrome (X0), and triple X syndrome (XXX). About 2 in every 100 births have an intersex variation, according to multiple sources — around the same as the number of people with red hair.

Not all intersex people identify as LGBTQ+. They may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, female, male, both, or neither.

Simmons filed a point of order against Hopper, and after over an hour of debate, the House ultimately voted against the amendment.

Apparently, we did Forget.


There was a period between 2016-2020that defined this current administration. FFLOTUS is doing what he wanted to do in his previous stint as Leader? of America. His gross misunderstanding of leadership and vulnerability are now wreaking havoc here at home and in the world. His shortsightedness will cost us in the short run unless the seemingly cowardly Congress steps up. It appears that many of his supporters who work in Government jobs thought they were safe (until the (F)ELON approach to cost cutting came about. It is now too late to do very much except prepare for midterm elections where we could possibly turn the tide in Congress. We now have a semi authoritarian government. The primary purpose of this administration (or the Leader) is to ensure his tax cuts? are enforced with the brunt being borne by the least able to afford it. It should be clear to his supporters (those who voted for him) that they voted for him based on lies he told from 2016 on (as well as his lifetime of doing the same).

The “child “is now going after the same areas for revenge as outlined in the 30’s as Adolph rose in power on the back of his supporters. There was a mistaken idea that since “he” installed judges that they (judges) should rule in his favor in all cases and now has gotten a wakeup call in several instances whereby he immediately attacked them as “radical Left Lunatics”!

The time is now to assess your representative and decide if they are working for you!

It’s Interesting How Truth Social Moved to Sell Stock Right Before Trump’s Tariffs Were Announced


 

Victor Tangermann

Thu, April 3, 2025 at 1:47 PM CDT

3 min read

260

Just before announcing a major escalation in his tariff war on Wednesday evening — followed by a major stock market wipeout the following morning — president Donald Trump freed up the sale of his Truth Social shares.

As the Financial Times reports, Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) revealed that it was planning to sell more than 142 million shares in a late Tuesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Most notably, the shares listed in the document include Trump’s 114-million-share stake, which is worth roughly $2.3 billion and held in a trust controlled by his son Donald Trump Jr. Other insiders, including a crypto exchange-traded fund, and 106,000 shares held by US attorney Pam Bondi were also included in the latest filing.

While the filing doesn’t guarantee any future sale of shares, investors weren’t exactly smitten with the optics. Shares plunged eight percent in light of the news, according to the FT, and are down over 45 percent this year amid Trump’s escalating trade war.

The timing of the SEC filing is certainly suspect. Trump’s “liberation day” tariff announcement on Wednesday triggered a major selloff, causing shares of multinational companies and stock futures to crater.

Trump also vowed in September that he wasn’t planning to sell any of his TMTG shares, which caused their value to spike temporarily at the time.

Now that the shares are up for grabs, the president has seemingly had a change of heart — or, perhaps, is getting cold feet now that the economy is feeling the brunt of his catastrophic economic policymaking. It’s also possible Trump was always planning to cash out and leave investors exposed.

Meanwhile, Trump Media released a statement on Wednesday, accusing “legacy media outlets” of “spreading a fake story suggesting that a TMTG filing today is paving the way for the Trump trust to sell its shares in TMTG.” The company said this week’s filing was “routine.”

Experts have long pointed out that if Trump were to sell, it could lead to TMTG spiraling.

It’s still unclear whether the company — which reported a staggering $400 million loss in 2024, while only netting a pitiful $3.6 million revenue — will realize the mass sale of millions of shares.

But even just the suggestion appears to have spooked investors.

“In this offering it says the Trump trust could sell shares — it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will,” Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein told ABC News. “It signals to the market that they could.”

“This leaves it up in the air if and when a share sale will happen,” he added.

In short, instead of building a viable business that generates meaningful revenue to reflect its valuation, TMTG still feels more like an enrichment scheme for Trump and his closest associates.

“Trump Media has been pretty unsuccessful at creating an operating business model, but they have been quite successful at selling their stock,” University of Florida finance professor Jay Ritter told ABC News.

The FFLOTUS Effect?


Arlington Cemetery Erases Civil War in Hegseth DEI Purge

Nandika Chatterjee

Fri, March 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM CDT

3 min read

The Arlington National Cemetery has removed key information from its website about prominent Black, Hispanic, and female service members as well as historical topics like the Civil War.

The moves are part of a broader initiative by the Department of Defense to do away with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the Washington Post reported.

A spokesperson for the cemetery confirmed on Friday that, in compliance with new Pentagon directives, internal links leading to webpages about notable veterans who were minorities—such as Gen. Colin Powell, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and members of the all-Black, all-female 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion—were taken down.

Educational material on the Civil War and Medal of Honor recipients has also been completely removed, leaving only a brief mention of the cemetery’s connection to the conflict.

These deletions follow a series of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump banning DEI across the federal government. In accordance with the directives, Pentagon leaders have been tasked with purging content that “promotes” DEI on military websites.

“We are proud of our educational content and programming and working diligently to return removed content to ensure alignment with Department of Defense instruction 5400.17 and Executive Orders issued by the President,” a cemetery spokesperson told the Post in a statement.

They added: “We remain committed to sharing the stories of military service and sacrifice to the nation with transparency and professionalism, while continuing to engage with our community in a manner that reflects our core values.”

Historian Kevin M. Levin first noted the removals in his Substack, “Civil War Memory,” which was further reported on by military news site Task & Purpose. The removals have drawn sharp criticism from educators and historians, who argue that the changes erase vital pieces of American history.

Levin, a Boston-based author and former teacher, expressed disappointment over the loss of accessible material about influential individuals like Captain Joy Bright Hancock, one of the military’s first woman officers, and Major General Marcelite Jordan Harris, the Air Force’s first female, African-American general officer.

“It’s incredibly unfortunate. This is just the kind of history that we want students to be learning, a history that allows students from different backgrounds to make a meaningful connection with one of our sacred sites,” Levin told the Post.

Some of the removed content is still accessible through active links to pages on “Prominent Military Figures” and “U.S. Supreme Court,” but the categories “African American History,” “Hispanic American History,” and “Women’s History” no longer appear prominently on the site.

The cemetery’s website, a key resource for educators and visitors, once provided lesson plans, walking tours, and detailed profiles of military heroes. Now, many of these resources have been scrubbed.

“This is a place where history comes alive, and you feel it when you’re there,” Levin said. “Even if you can’t bring your students there, you can bring the stories to them in the classroom. There’s a story there for everyone to connect to.”

History Repeats??


If one is disposed to view historical events from this century and the last, 2 major wars are evident. Each one involves a regime of leader whose sole object is world domination. We have in modern times several instances of leaders performing the same acts within their countries that mimic those great wars especially the events of WWII. There are several programs on an assortment of channels that document the rise of Adolph Hitler and his regime. These documentaries are mirrored by the Administration in America today. We have a person whose sole reason for gaining the highest office is revenge. His supporters fail to realize that his action cut across all parties, races lifestyles and beliefs. His primary drive is his personal accumulation of power and prestige(?) at the expense of the country. There is no true endgame beyond what can be garnered from the actions of his administration to dominate and reduce the government’s purpose based on “saving money”. The recruitment of idiot savants to do his bidding or work his will, ostensibly lets him off the “hook’ so he thinks. We will do well to remember that even now there are human beings in Syria, Israel, Congo and other countries who are suffering under the “Hitlerian” method of rule. If you are a voter, you are in peril because there are no lines to block the effects of a dictator aided and abetted by likeminded individuals that we the people have elected. Currently this administration has an unelected minister of the purse, who at this point fired thousands of Federal employees under the guise of trimming the Federal waste. These “cuts” will give the administration a way to cover the price of tax cuts which the administration says will” benefit the taxpayers “yet as may remember never happened when it was put in place in FFLOTUS’s prior administration. The caution: LEST WE FORGET!!! is appropriate again!