Some places have attempted to deny ICE agents entry and several lawsuits have been filed. And they have stopped and detained US citizens - latin, indigenous, etc - based on profiling. You need cause, you can just go around asking to check people's papers because of how they appear. Remember when conservatives said checking COVID vax cards to get into a restaurant was like being in East Germany? Well it wasn't, but this kind of is. Deporting people who aren't supposed to be here is business as usual, but unlawful search and seizures are unconstitutional.
https://www.newsweek.com/ice-raids-us-military-veteran-detained-warrant-2020137
Police make mistakes, the US military makes mistakes, hospitals make mistakes, etc - some mistakes are harmful. I support the overall cause and mission of ICE, if mistakes are made somebody will have to pursue the legal means available to address them.Some places have attempted to deny ICE agents entry and several lawsuits have been filed. And they have stopped and detained US citizens - latin, indigenous, etc - based on profiling. You need cause, you can just go around asking to check people's papers because of how they appear. Remember when conservatives said checking COVID vax cards to get into a restaurant was like being in East Germany? Well it wasn't, but this kind of is. Deporting people who aren't supposed to be here is business as usual, but unlawful search and seizures are unconstitutional.> https://www.newsweek.com/ice-raids-us-military-veteran-detained-warrant-2020137 <
I can appreciate a mistake, but suspecting a citizen (especially an indigenous one who has been here far longer) of being an illegal immigrant just because of their skin tone is not a mistake. They can do their job within the law.
mayb July 11-16 1863 & Jan 6 2021 is the more apropos comparison, but again, that just brings it back to what’s been said b4 - ‘one can’t compare them/the latter was nothing compared to the former’ blah blah
You don't need to compare anything. Jan 6 is comprehensibly awful all on its own, anyone with eyes can see that. If you're seeking something worse you're just trying to disregard it. The Italian Fascists of WWII were bad, but the Nazis were worse. They're still both really really bad. It doesn't need to be relative.
I understand - yet sometimes, by standing up side by side, parallel events w/similar circumstances, something can be learned/gleaned from them
the Battle of Athens 4 instance
no one would want a repeat of that, & for the most part there hasn’t been
thank heaven
election time, Aug 1946, the hills of Tennessee appalachia - rampant corruption among police & politicians is well-known & basically an accepted way of life - residents are resigned to it
….until veterans fresh off the WW II battlefields, now civilians, say enough, & confront election officials
who then barricade themselves in the county jail
long story short, heavy gunfire is exchanged - luckily casualties are minimal
so we thank our lucky stars uprisings like this are the exception not the rule
mayb we have learned something over the decades from these conflicts after all
yes complete local, then state, reforms resulted from the 1946 Battle of Athens in TN
Despicable reaction from the President regarding the tragic air disaster today. Using a horrible tragedy to politicize and attack Buttigieg's record, which is impeccable and completely unrelated to the crash, is a new low. He went on to blame diversity initiatives, which is not only racist but also completely ludicrous, as well as the blackhawk helicopter pilots. Shut up and let people grieve, and let the recovery and investigators do their job. If this doesn't make your skin crawl you're heartless. Have you no sense of decency?
@porkchopbob I keep waiting and hoping that there might still be a voice of reason and common decency hidden somewhere in the Republican party - that one of his contemporaries will call him out over his never ending rhetoric. As Jimi once said (paraphrased here), I guess the love of power is greater than the power of love. Sick stuff here.
Trump is pretty much always going to say the wrong thing.
I am seeing conservative media and typical supporters have his back again including on this issue.
Surely long standing Republicans in Washington are very uncomfortable with the optics, but what are they going to do about it? Less than 2 weeks into their supreme leader.
Interesting chat about exactly what you're saying - Chris Christie chats how he changed his mind to speak out against Trump and what it might take for others to do so.
no ground fatalities reported so far on the medical aircraft that crashed in a populated area near Phila, leaving a wide swath of fires & terrible destruction
if this stays unchanged, what a miracle
of course those on the flight didn’t survive
Only GOP politicians on their way out of office will say anything, Liz Cheney being the exception. There's too much fear of retribution, which is a horrible climate to be in. But here we are.
This Trump administration and Musk's "DOGE" has spent the first weeks attempting to cut federal government, like a new CEO reorganizing a business to increase profits. But the federal government isn't a business. You can't just cut aid, funding, workers, and services like you can in the private sector where there is other competition for people to turn to. Musk, who was not elected, has spent the past few days dismantling USAID department that has been in place since 1961.
My one hope is that this is the "find out" phase of F around and find out. Maybe everyone who gripes about their tax dollars being wasted, those people who wanted to burn it to the ground and start over, realize that their tax money is actually being used for them and their benefit in places they didn't realize or took for granted. So no, you haven't been funding condoms to Gaza, but you were paying for Air Traffic Controllers and helping allies in need.
Meanwhile, Trump has started a trade war with our closest allies. USA is a capitalist country but we depend on a global economy. Firing people and creating economic chaos is going to make things worse before anything gets better, if it ever does. He's also sabre rattling, talking about taking over Panama Canal and Greenland. Mind you, the only countries that invaded another country unprovoked over the past 40 years are Iraq and Russia, both of which we opposed (the US invaded Afghanistan but that doesn't really matter because Trump gave the country back to the Taliban when he invited them to Martha's Vineyard). He is going to end up isolating us, this is how a country becomes an international villain.
Republicans went to a lot of trouble to make a movie lionizing Ronald Reagan, one that ignores his many imperfections (he also negotiated with terrorists). But he warned us of a man like Trump, of trade wars that would isolate us. Maybe they should listen to him if they hold him in such high regard.
I am always happy to talk trade related issues. I have promoted tariffs long on this message board long before Trump got into politics.
What I don't like right now is how he is using tariff threats. The three executive orders are meant to address illegal immigration and drug smuggling with some side note on a trade imbalance.
Trade tactics, I believe, should be used to address trade issues. Trump just likes to use them for any old thing.
His administration negotiated ad ratified USMCA. Like it or not, that should govern trade among our nations. It is up for review in 2026, that is when changes can be proposed. I don't like how this is unfolding.
Now, I certainly believe illegal immigration is a major problem and a net liability for our nation. And obviously a lot of that is VISA overstays, but there are real threats that enter illegally across the borders. Honestly I was not aware of some of the increases in numbers coming from Canada.
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/illegal-crossings-northern-us-border-terror-suspects-arrested/
And drug smuggling.
These issues need action. Is the tariff threat the right kind of action? It depends on the end result. I would peruse a different path if I was President. I'm not, so we will just have to see.
I disagree with Ronald Reagan and Adam Smith. And Smoot Hawley did not cause the great depression with all due respect President Reagan. That video was filmed in the late 1980s. The damage of the trade policies of that era is what created the environment for a person like Donald Trump to emerge with blue collar workers who voted Democrat all their lives. Free trade has devasted the good paying jobs on the middle class, jobs that a worker could make more on a 9-5 hourly shift than somebody with a college degree can earn on salary. We have President Reagan to thank for that. Oh sure, free trade enriches people. Wealth gap much of a problem? I'm hearing oligarchy lately. Corporate profits, CEO pay grow exponentially. How about average American wages? How's that growth?
Robert Lighthizer was on 60 Minutes you might have saw. I wish he was USTR this time around as he was in Trump 1.0. But it's all messed up now. Trump's trade policy from 2017-2020 was pretty well crafted and administered in my opinion. I honestly don't know what it is now.
As for USAID, I have much less to say there. I'm aware of some of the benefits the programs have and I have now become aware of some of the negatives that some claim originate at that organization. I don't know how true any of it is. I will say I am a little less concerned what is happening there in terms of how the office will or will not function. I am concerned how it is happening though with essentially being overrun and shut down like some kind of mafia organization almost breaking the doors down.
Can anyone believe the inauguration was just 2 weeks ago, so much has happened it almost feels like 2 years.
A lot of things are not functioning the way things are supposed to obviously. What does it all mean? I don't know. How can I know. What is happening at FBI is very concerning.
What is happening at FBI is very concerning.
Most people probably didn't know what USAID was a few days ago. But it administers ALL aid, to US citizens as well. Now Musk, a private businessman, has access to all of this info and is trying to tear it down even though Congress has approved much of this aid. USAID Security officers who denied him access were put on leave. Whether you support the aid that has already been approved is irrelevant, the bigger issue is what authority does Congress have if Elon Musk can swoop in and override an elected body? Where are the checks and balances on the Executive if a private businessman, named to no cabinet, can interrupt our Federal process?
Going after FBI agents simply based on the cases they were assigned to, I have no words. If Trump felt persecuted he isn't proving anyone wrong by going after law enforcement following orders.
I've never been a fan of Reagan's economic policies either, but how do all of the MAGAs championing him rationalize Trump and Reagan being in such stark opposition. Obviously everyone should have their different philosophies regardless of party, but neither is going to bolster the working class.
I've always felt economies here should be more localized as they were 100 years ago. If you had more production on a smaller scale in more places you'd increase jobs and decrease wasteful packaging and transport. Tariffs can encourage production at home, but that takes time, and as you say it's not the purpose he is using them for.
Anyways, get ready for gas prices to go up.
Most people probably didn't know what USAID was a few days ago
I am one of those people admittedly and I haven't yet really gotten into it and actually I may decide not to.
Did see this Marco Rubio clip talking on it:
Like you say, for me the process by which this is happening is where the issue lies. So, if people on the right agree this agency should be minimized or corralled or blended with State Department then they care less about how it happens. Kind of the way things generally work in Washington, whatever side wants something to happen, it matters less how it happens and matters more that is does happen.
Yeah...I ah....I really don't know. I can see everything that is happening the last 2 weeks. I just don't know. Just don't know. Certainly a massive transformation is happening outside of laws and norms. Keeps the courts busy. The attitude is very much 'do what we want when we want now and then let the courts decide whatever later and by then we will have already accomplished what we want'
Anyways, get ready for gas prices to go up.
Maybe, maybe not. Canadian oil was only going to be 10% and Mexico tariffs have already been shelved based off conversations Trump has with the Mexican President.
I took a stroll through conservative media and twitter today. I guess it is no surprise, but supporters of the President are quite overjoyed at everything - anything uncomfortable or whatever just gets explained away or ignored. Lots of winning they say. Personally some things about this administration I like, other things I don't, some I really really don't and many things I am unsure what to think one way or the other. But so much celebration, maybe I just felt lonely to not find reasoned or objective thought, no "yeah, but...". That is what I like to seek out and normally spend most of my time with. I just hadn't sought out the Trump backers realm to see what they were saying lately.
This is the danger, really the result, of not talking to each other. Everyone finds their self-reinforcing echochambers never having to consider that they may be wrong or others might have valid counter opinions. There is just no place for it out there today. Through the years here I have really enjoyed talking to each other on this message board about sometimes controversial or uncomfortable or timely and important topics. Hard to believe I've called this place home now for 22 years in times when the WP forum was bubbling with action. I can recall many of the lively exchanges, some respectful give and take, sometimes not as respectful, but good all the same. I always looked forward to coming here and engaging or explaining or reading and sometimes learning. I don't have it in me to try and start over and I don't even know where I would do that at. Maybe I'm the last to know. Those days are over, not just here for a different reason, but it looks like that is gone everywhere now. It's all memes and hot takes and high-fives and put downs.
The wedge gets driven in deeper and deeper and deeper.
This is the problem with Trump. But this is Trump. Because these people like him and were doing something for him, he likes them - doesn't matter what they did. It is bullshit. And this is day 1.
Maybe it sounds different coming from me Stephen. I'm not some liberal or Trump hater. I'm actually somebody that his policies appeal to. But those pardons for January 6th are total bullshit Stephen, you trying to make it sound ok is a bad look for you.
no offense but your posts … saying he’s shit, only you like what he’s doing so far & generally agree w/his policies
“Trump pardoned Jan 6 insurrectors”
oh come now Stephen, how blind are you, the crime rate is skyrocketing in your face now that Trump left the cage doors open & unleashed 1,500 hardened criminals - just like him - out of jail to continue their spread of violence & hatred - just like they did Jan 6
not to mention (by a hardcore antiTrump here on the boards)
….muster the released insurrectors
….organize an army privately funded by Trump
& Run Amok In America - seize this land, ruin it, terrorize its citizens - a state by state undoing & destruction of democracy
again I emphasize, no offense - you’re trying to hate Trump like everyone else but don’t want to seem too over-the-top militant about it - I understand
with malice toward none
you’re trying to hate Trump like everyone else but don’t want to seem too over-the-top militant about it - it rings hollow but I understand
Stephen, if you feel you have to repeatedly state no "malice" or "no offense", you probably know you're being offensive.
People here have listed a litany of Trump's policies and actions that they strongly disagree with. You can support Trump, a lot of people do. But if you disregard, or don't understand, what people here are discussing and can't put together a comprehensible counter argument without insults then your posts are meaningless.
This is the problem with Trump. But this is Trump. Because these people like him and were doing something for him, he likes them - doesn't matter what they did. It is bullshit. And this is day 1.
Maybe it sounds different coming from me Stephen. I'm not some liberal or Trump hater. I'm actually somebody that his policies appeal to. But those pardons for January 6th are total bullshit Stephen, you trying to make it sound ok is a bad look for you.
no offense but your posts … saying he’s shit, only you like what he’s doing so far & generally agree w/his policies
“Trump pardoned Jan 6 insurrectors”
oh come now Stephen, how blind are you, the crime rate is skyrocketing in your face now that Trump left the cage doors open & unleashed 1,500 hardened criminals - just like him - out of jail to continue their spread of violence & hatred - just like they did Jan 6
not to mention (by a hardcore antiTrump here on the boards)
….muster the released insurrectors
….organize an army privately funded by Trump
& Run Amok In America - seize this land, ruin it, terrorize its citizens - a state by state undoing & destruction of democracy
again I emphasize, no offense - you’re trying to hate Trump like everyone else but don’t want to seem too over-the-top militant about it - I understand
with malice toward none
I see the confusion you have in understanding my points of view because I neither hate Trump nor do I love him therefore you don't understand what an objective opinion on a particular subject or host of subject means. So allow me to explain it again.
I didn't say "he's shit", I said what he did related to January 6th is "bullshit" and I will extend that to what is happening at the FBI isn't just bullshit it is very very concerning. You do not have to agree with me saying that, but you should atleast understand the reasons I say it, which on the January 6th pardons and commutations I've already explained that. On the FBI, Trump wanting a list of the hundreds or mabe even a thousand of FBI agents names who worked on January 6th cases - do you not see the implication of what could be happening? Does it need to be explained to you? Read some news stories and you will see.
I don't know what you are talking about with the "crime rate skyrocketing" portion of your post but clearly you are missing the point or you don't want to see the point.
I'm only trying to be me. I do hate everything about what Trump has done on the January 6th issue.
And I stand by my other comments, his policies do appeal to me in the sense of illegal immigration, along the lines of trade assuming it mirrors his first term. I'm more on his side with energy, call it right of center, not as far right as others. Beyond that, honestly I find him entertaining. I had to watch the joint press conference with Netanyahu last night to see what kind of things Trump might say. I was rewarded with the Gaza proposal. He never disappoints and I always find something to laugh about how he says or what he says. So I take some personal gratification being able to react in the moment when he is talking. I mean, I watched Biden too in case he said something dumb. The debate between Trump and Biden was gold.
Maybe that clarified some things. There are only 3 of us talking here so it shouldn't be too hard to follow.
I thought he gave a good speech - it wasn’t hateful, belligerent, bellicose to my senses - i41 would like to just leave it Gulf of Mexico & not change it to what he suggested, Gulf of America
apologies in advance to the offended
am jumping threads in response to another thread (Gulf of America)
this I know is a logistical nono/stepping out of bounds re protocol, & scotches immediately the content
…to those who get upset about it
-
mine is not to judge
I don’t hate Donald Trump or anyone here - it’s not vice versa - said b4, none of it is taken personally
also said b4, their garbage only aids his candidacy
said b4 anyone else here, Biden should step down, & he did
but you’re right, I’m wrong pretty often
for around here
even when you agree with someone
they think you’re shit
b/c you don’t hate Trump
🇺🇸I support the new administration & leaving it the Gulf of Mexico
if you don’t like it, or me b/C of it, tough ****/get over it/get a life….
✌️🇺🇸imo he’s a fascinating character
he narrowly defeated Clinton in 2016, narrowly lost to Biden in 2020, back to a narrow margin of victory once again 2024 over Harris, making him the only president to have defeated two female opponents
so there could be acrimony/bitterness about that too - ‘he bullied two weaker foes less-able to express/defend themselves, into defeat …. it wouldn’t be the 1st time’ etc
-
‘in 2024, Detroit had its lowest crime rate since 1965’ (current press report) - remark, it just goes to show how violent conditions were
it all manifested itself in the July 1967 Detroit riots - a low point of an equally gruesome ‘long hot summer’ - for 3-4 days a city turned into a battleground/war zone - some of it burned down - casualties were high
amazing to think there was a more violent summer in Detroit than 1967
awesome to see (reports of) a much-better MC
-
how cool was that shot by Stephen Curry - behind the back one hand shot, Swish - he was as stoked as a kid at Christmas & why not🏀
✌️🇺🇸imo he’s a fascinating character
I agree, he is pretty fascinating, often for the wrong reasons though.
Alex Karp was just on CNBC. I am a big fan of his and plan on buying his book. He is a lifelong Democrat who feels the party is lost and he views himself outside the party these days. He points to areas where Republicans are right and where Democrats are wrong and where both have gone wrong. This is a natural appeal to me.
I will have to paraphrase what he said on Trump just 30 minutes ago or whatever, but it was something to the effect of Trump's best trait is not accepting old paradimes and offering his own paradime, not always best or accepted, but he is willing to challenge the way things have been and how they can instead be.
I would add, that may be true, but the way in which the he goes about it is wrong. But is it him that is wrong? Or is it the system that has made the way he goes about it wrong?
I think the biggest problem with what is happening right now with DOGE and everything is that Republicans can do it by themselves, well or that the White House can do it themselves - I have to leave that to the courts because that is the only opinion that matters in the end. And because they can just go it alone on this or anything else, therefore they can be arrogant and reckless and the end result isn't broadly shared. And the next biggest problem is that Democrats aren't willing to join and try to advance cost savings and identifying waste and efficiency. And because they appear unwilling to do these things they look like they are against efficiency and saving and protecting waste. The definition of which matters a lot, what is waste to a Republican could be valuable program to a Democrat. But they should work that out, I want them to have to work that out. The worst thing for this country in my opinion is when one side gets what they want and the other side isn't involved. I just HATE to see big issues and problems in this country continually either not get addressed at all, or solutions opposed by the ones on the other side. The system is designed to oppose whatever the political rival wants. What I really want is a different political system.
It's all going off the rails at some point regardless of who is protesting here or there or even regardless of who is in the White House. If Harris would've won I could point to areas of concern and direction of policy and country. And with Trump, we have seen and are seeing areas of concern with direction and policy. At the end of the day I don't know which one is better or worse. I voted for neither because I agreed with neither. Maybe it is easy to be pessimistic or maybe in a sense it can be human nature of some. Like they say 'going to hell in a bucket atleast enjoy the ride'.
The control what you can control thing is what I try to live by. Whatever happens in Washington could have benefits and drawbacks and gains and losses - regardless of how that falls, just have to manage our own worlds as best we can, come-what-may.
I can appreciate what you're saying, breaking up establishments just because that's the way it's always been isn't a bad thing. The problem is what they're breaking and how, and without a plan to pick up the pieces.
The process right now is slash and burn, almost arbitrarily (some appear to be conflicts with Musk's own business ventures). I don't know that Democrats could join in the process if they wanted to since so much of the dismantling is being done with zero transparency. Employees are getting emails and given 45 minutes to gather their things. Right now everyone is trying to keep up and the court process is very slow. So it's impossible to trust the case the administration is making when it comes from an un-elected foreign businessman with a conflict of interest with unsubstantiated claims of fraud and poor performance. Mind you, fraud is a felony and USAID has some of the most intense oversight into who and how they fund. Years ago Trump complained the National Parks Services didn't rake the forest to prevent fires, now he's firing thousands of its employees because he probably doesn't something that isn't profitable having value. It's not worth the money saved when you stretch FAA workers thin, you jeopardize safety and an entire industry that is still recovering from the pandemic. They fired nuclear weapons employees by accident. And anyone who thinks they are going to get some windfall in their taxes because of this, they're mistaken because it's such a small part of the Federal budget.
I don't really buy the Democrats are in a state of crisis talk. Everyone is in a state of crisis. US politics are in a state of crisis because Trump has resorted to using falsehoods faster than they can be debunked to further far-right agendas. Sure Biden shouldn't have run again and the Democrats probably should have had a primary, but Harris lost to a morally bankrupt man who presented no plans, repeated lies, colludes with our enemies and attacks our allies, and attacked our own government. Deceit won out over issues, and a lot of the press (especially corporate press) is afraid to go on the attack. Trump 2.0 has even fewer fecks to give and the press is giving him a pass trying to stay objective. Our only hope is that the courts will hold, but lawsuits are expensive and it's going to take a lot of litigation.
So, breaking up establishments is fine, but creating absolute chaos in its wake is much worse. It doesn't have to be this messy.
Paradigms. Unless you're just putting in your twenty cents worth. 😉
Understood @porkchopbob
I was saying that I didn't like the way the Republicans are going about it, and I agree, because of the way they are doing it - they don't think they need Democrats and obviously Democrats aren't going to join in now because of the way it is being done. So that is really what I don't like, both the fact that it is all one-sided and the fact that the other side isn't involved, but I understand from the left's perspective right now why they are fighting it.
It's just so different...I mean I do support the ultimate goal - let's right size the government. That includes DOD. Didn't mind sequestration from the Obama-Ryan years honestly. And when it came down to it neither side actually wanted those mandatory cuts. Sure DOD says we will be less safe, or they will have to cut pay for soldiers. That is baloney, pulling on heart strings. No government agency wants to lose money and they will always fight losing money and they will posture in such a way to gain public support so they don't have to lose the money. Maybe it is just easier to tell each department their budget will be decreased across the board and let them figure out how to handle it. It's like at the end of the year when a department has money left over they didn't spend, they have to hurry up and spend it at the 11th hour so it doesn't look like they can function with less money. I say cut it all across the board. Can Congress actually do that? Probably not. So is this the only way for spending cuts? Maybe.
I've asked some on the right about what if we get some unintended consequences from this - like the spending freeze, such as wildfire mitigation like you mention, not sure about the National Parks specifically but at the National Forest Service. Or the FAA cuts. Or the FBI cuts. And I'm not a big foreign aid person, but what about the US farmers that benefit from the food exports (and they say some of that will be absorbed at State Dept - maybe). So I ask and the most logical answer I have received is Trump is the only person that can or would do this, speaking cutting government and it's our only chance at this, so if this is the way it happens then it is what it is. I guess. It's just hard for me, I kind of envision, why can't government spending go back to slightly higher than pre-covid levels? Treasury.gov says 2019 fiscal spending $5.47 trillion, 2024 $6.75 trillion. I say cut a trillion dollars of spending out. Why has it grown over a trillion dollars in just 5 years? It went from $4.89 trillion in 2014 to $5.47 trillion in 2019 growing about 600 billion in 4 years to now growing 1.3 trillion from 2019 to 2024.
And I know the income tax issue side of the equation. But we should balance the budget, we should cut the deficit. We should not only spend what we take in, but we should spend less than we take in to cut the deficit. Taxes and what happens there is a big part of it, another conversation. But the other half of that is government spending. I don't actively support or promote the Trump or DOGE cutting that because I can't really defend with how it is happening or know what the end result will be in terms of dollars or other impacts. I guess when the dust settles, if it works out ok in terms of fiscally for the federal government and safely for the American people then I will be ok with it. Until then I'll just have to watch and see.
All this talk about our personal data being made available, did I really trust the government with my data 3 years ago or 13 years ago or 23 years ago or 33 years ago. For all I know they have had data breaches that we aren't told about. Maybe I'm a little numb to my personal information being seen or stolen or whatever because none of it is safe really.
Paradigms. Unless you're just putting in your twenty cents worth. 😉
That's awesome. Appreciate the correction. I don't think I have ever personally used that word, no surprise I had no idea how to spell it. Fortunately did understand the meaning though. Well played.
@nebish I embarrassed myself profusely by mispronouncing it in meeting with some corporate sophistos once. "Para-digums". The hard lessons stick! 😉
@nebish totally, I was echoing and expanding on why I agree, hope it didn't sound to the contrary.
I'm not as worried that DOGE accessing personal data will compromise my accounts and identity (although the more places it's in, the more the odds of it is to get hacked increase) as I am Musk simply having more data. All social media and the internet seeks to do is collect information to strengthen its algorithms, and now the richest man has access to it. At this point I just don't trust anyone in the administration to bother following any rules, which is the bigger issue. When Trump is told "no" by the courts, how will it be enforced?
I think the paper straw issue is a microcosm of this administration - Trump switched Federal agencies from paper back to plastic straws. This issue isn't up for debate, paper straws work and are safe for the environment while single-use plastics are polluting planet at an alarming rate. It's not just straws, obviously, but every bit helps. So it's out of pure spite that Trump and MAGAs have made an issue out of what they want to suck on. Of course, people could just not use straws at all but then there would be no issue.
It's all really stupid. Being stupid takes a lot more energy than just doing the smart thing.
And now Trump is claiming Ukraine started the war with Russia (Ukraine was invaded without provocation) and trying to broker a deal in which Ukraine gives some of its territory to Russia.
So, a Republican US President is parroting Russian propaganda and encouraging Russia's expansion. I recall we won the Cold War, during GOP administrations, but maybe this will make James Bond movies relevant again.
I don't know what the world will look like 3 years from now, but one thing I worry is all of this antagonizing will provoke something. I do not trust this administration to respond well, and I do not trust this administration wouldn't see the possibilities at increased nationalism it could invoke.
