The Conversation -- January 3, 2025
Marie: Some of you hardnosed cynics were speculating the other day that Trump's relatively decent statement in regard to the death of President Carter would soon be amended. Julie in MA informs us in today's Comments that we're there. Here is a post Trump wrote (no big words so likely his own voice) on his failing social media site (artwork added):
The Democrats are all "giddy" about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at "half mast" during my Inauguration. They think it's so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don't love our Country, they only think about themselves. Look at what they'e done to our once GREAT America over the past four years - It's a total mess! In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast. Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let's see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! -- Donald Trump
New York Times liveblog: "Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday salvaged his bid to win another term in a dramatic turn on the House floor after he won over a pair of conservative holdouts who initially opposed him, denying him the majority needed to prevail. As the vote was held open well past the point when every member had voted, Mr. Johnson huddled off the House floor with two of the three hard-liners who had refused to back him. Minutes later, they returned to the floor, and the two -- Representatives Keith Self of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina -- strode to the center of the chamber and changed their votes, handing the Louisiana Republican the support necessary to win another term as Republicans stood and applauded. Ultimately only one Republican, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, held firm in his opposition to Mr. Johnson. The vote made for a tense and confusing scene on the House floor, after a clutch of conservatives initially withheld their votes for Mr. Johnson, only to later reverse course and vote for him.: ~~~
Maya Miller: "The far-right House Freedom Caucus released a letter following Johnson's victory making clear that its members' support for him as speaker is lukewarm at best. They only voted for him 'because of our steadfast support of President Trump and to ensure the timely certification of his electors,' the letter said, and they cast their votes 'despite our sincere reservations regarding the Speaker's track record over the past 15 months.'"
Luke Broadwater: "You saw at the end [of the vote (but before two holdouts changed their vote to Johnson)] several House Freedom Caucus members vote for Johnson to prevent [Democratic Leader Hakim] Jeffries from becoming speaker. If too many hard-right members had refused to vote at all, there was a danger they would accidentally cause a Democrat to be elected."
Annie Karni (an entry with Biblical echos): "And on the first day of the 119th Congress, Representative Nancy Pelosi wore flats." Pelosi recently had hip replacement surgery after fracturing her hip on a fall in Luxembourg during a Congressional trip.
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In today's entertainment news, the House is voting to elect (or not elect) a speaker, beginning at noon. Story linked below.
Maeve Reston of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden on Thursday awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, honoring one of ... Donald Trump's most outspoken critics at a White House ceremony less than three weeks before Trump is set to reclaim the presidency. The medal, given to those who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country, is the nation's second-highest award, after the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Biden also gave the medal to Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Mississippi), who along with Cheney led the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. The attendees at the ceremony in the East Room -- composed largely of Democratic lawmakers and aides, along with friends and relatives of the honorees -- rose to give Cheney a standing ovation as she took the stage to accept the medal, later doing the same for Thompson. Biden alluded to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and pointedly mentioned the 'free and fair election of 2020' in his brief remarks before bestowing the medals, but did not mention Trump by name."
Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "President Biden has decided to block the $14 billion takeover of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel of Japan in an announcement expected as soon as Friday based on grounds that the sale poses a threat to national security, according to people familiar with the matter. The decision would be an extraordinary use of executive power, particularly for a president who is just weeks from leaving office. It is also a departure from America's long-established culture of open investment, one that could have wide-ranging implications for the U.S. economy. Mr. Biden's move to stop the transaction could cause foreign investors to rethink the wisdom of acquiring American firms in sensitive industries that are based in politically important states. It could also roil relations with Japan, a close ally of the United States and one of America's largest sources of foreign investment." ~~~
~~~ Update. President Biden's statement, via the White House, is here.
Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "The Biden administration, in a final push to shore up the nation's pandemic preparedness before ... Donald J. Trump takes office, announced on Thursday that it would nearly double the amount of money it was committing to ward off a potential outbreak of bird flu in humans. Federal health officials have been keeping a close eye on H5N1, a strain of avian influenza that is highly contagious and lethal to chickens, and has spread to cattle. The virus has not yet demonstrated that it can spread efficiently among people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the current risk to humans remains low, and that pasteurized milk products remain safe to consume. But should human-to-human transmission become commonplace, experts fear a pandemic that could be far more deadly than Covid-19."
Devlin Barrett & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "F.B.I. officials on Thursday released new details of their investigation into the still-unidentified suspect believed to have placed pipe bombs in Washington the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, hoping to spur tips that might solve a lingering mystery.... Now, four years later, with investigators still uncertain of the suspect's gender, the F.B.I. has offered video from a new angle of the suspect planting a bomb near a bench outside the Democratic headquarters. Investigators also say the suspect's height has been estimated at 5-foot-7. There is a $500,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.... The F.B.I. said its best hope to crack the case lies with the public.... The F.B.I. asks that anyone with information call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go online to tips.fbi.gov." The AP's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: I'm glad to learn the FBI has accepted my view that the person could be a woman. Although a Reality Chex reader pointed me to one portion of video in which the suspect appears to be broad-shouldered, there are a number of snippets that show the person walking in a way that resembles a woman's gait, and I told the FBI so, as I was worried investigators might be too misogynistic to consider female suspects. The fact that the suspect is 5'7" (my height), suggests my gender-theory could be correct.
⭐Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "... [House] Speaker Mike Johnson is still working to win over a handful of Republican lawmakers who are skeptical of his leadership.... Johnson (R-Louisiana) has spent the week working the phones and met with lawmakers in the Capitol through Thursday evening to try to better understand the concerns of roughly half a dozen hard-liners whose support he needs in the speakership election, which begins at noon. Many of the skeptics come from the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus.... Johnson needs 218 votes if all House lawmakers are present and voting for a speaker candidate by name. Because of the resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) last month, House Republicans will start the year with just 219 seats, meaning Johnson can afford to lose just one GOP vote. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) has said he'll definitely vote against Johnson, so the speaker would need every other Republican vote." A Vox report is here. ~~~
~~~ If Not Bible Mike, Then Who? Olivia Beavers of Politico: "Even House Republicans who are skeptical about keeping Mike Johnson on as speaker acknowledge they have a persistent problem: Who could replace him? As Johnson faces potentially a dozen holdouts or more going into the speakership vote on Friday, three familiar alternative candidates have come up in internal GOP conversations: Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan of Ohio and GOP Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota. All three ran for the speakership in October 2023 before Johnson was elected to take the gavel, and all three were forced to drop their bids as it became obvious they couldn't get the near-unanimous support needed from House Republicans. Their prospects haven't changed a ton since then -- each still has a faction of the conference that would likely oppose them."
Andrew Solender of Axios: "House Democrats are pushing back furiously against a proposed change to House rules that would allow only Republicans to force a vote on removing the speaker of the House.... 'This makes it clear that they have no intention of working together to find common ground,' Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, said of the rules change.... McGovern added: 'Instead of electing a Speaker of the House, they have decided to elect a Speaker of the Republican Conference -- held hostage by their most extreme members.'... Whereas in the last Congress, any single House member could introduce such a motion, now eight others have to co-sponsor the measure. But all nine of those lawmakers have to be members of the majority party...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Carl Hulse of the New York Times: Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) "will become majority leader in the new Congress that convenes on Friday, but he is ... facing an early challenge and a major threat to his political standing. Mr. Thune's task ... is to juggle ... Donald J. Trump's demands, the competing desires of 53 G.O.P. senators and a formidable legislative agenda. It starts with shepherding multiple baggage-laden Trump nominees to confirmation in the closely divided Senate, where he can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes if Democrats hold together in opposition. At the same time, he intends to use a tricky maneuver to steer around a filibuster and pass a combination border security, military spending and energy production bill that will require serious legislative finesse. And he wants to do it in the first month or so, while also reordering how and how often the Senate works."
Patrick Svitek of the Washington Post: "Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) on Thursday endorsed Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, to lead the national party, making Schumer the highest-ranking Democratic official to weigh in on the race so far.... DNC members are set to pick the next chair in a Feb. 1 election. Wikler's opponents include Ken Martin, a DNC vice chair who leads the Minnesota party; Martin O'Malley, the former commissioner of the Social Security Administration and a former governor of Maryland; and James Skoufis, a New York state senator." (Also linked yesterday.)
Lindsay Whitehurst of the AP: "The federal courts will not refer allegations that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may have violated ethics laws to the Justice Department, the judiciary's policymaking body said Thursday. Thomas has agreed to follow updated requirements on reporting trips and gifts, including clearer guidelines on hospitality from friends, the U.S. Judicial Conference wrote to Democratic senators who had called for an investigation into undisclosed acceptance of luxury trips. Thomas has previously said he wasn't required to disclose the many trips he and his wife took that were paid for by wealthy benefactors like Republican megadonor Harlan Crow because they are close personal friends." Read on.
Cecilia Kang of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court struck down the Federal Communications Commission's landmark net neutrality rules on Thursday, ending a nearly two-decade effort to regulate broadband internet providers like utilities. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Cincinnati, said that the F.C.C. lacked the authority to reinstate rules that prevented broadband providers from slowing or blocking access to internet content. The decision put an end to the Biden administration's hallmark tech policy, which had drawn impassioned support from consumer groups and tech giants like Google and fierce protests by telecommunications giants like Comcast and AT&T.... In its opinion, a three-judge panel pointed to a Supreme Court decision in June, known as Loper Bright, that overturned a 1984 legal precedent that gave deference to government agencies on regulations.... Thursday's decision effectively concludes the back-and-forth battle. Brendan Carr, whom Mr. Trump has named as the incoming F.C.C. chair, has been a strong critic of net neutrality. The court's reliance on the Loper case in its ruling could also portend more lawsuits to hollow out federal regulations at the F.C.C. and other agencies." (Also linked yesterday.) The Verge's report is here.
Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "Trump's falsehoods aside..., the growing influence of Chinese companies and the Chinese government over shipping and global ports, including the Panama Canal, has become a concern for U.S. officials. The Chinese government has invested heavily in building ports throughout the world. And given that China is the world's biggest exporter, private Chinese companies now play a major role in shipping and port operations, giving them significant influence over the movement of global goods and strategic positions from which to monitor other countries' activities.... Much of the concern of U.S. officials in more recent times centers on two seaports at either end of the Panama Canal, a channel through which 40 percent of U.S. container traffic runs. Those seaports have been operated for decades by Hutchison Ports PPC, a division of CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong-based company."
⭐"When You're a Star, People Let You Think You're Smart." Paul Krugman on Substack: "The Smoot-Hawley level tariffs [Donald Trump] promised during the campaign would be disastrous, but sometimes I think he may have at least a vague sense of the damage those tariffs would do, so what he's really aiming for is an extortion scheme -- one in which most companies would secure exemptions via political contributions and/or de facto bribes (e.g. buying Trump crypto.) But then ... I'll be reminded that wealthy and powerful people like Trump or [Marc] Andreesen or, of course, Elon Musk are often far more ignorant than policy wonks can easily imagine." Read the whole post; it's not long and Krugman's explanation about why the federal government can't be funded by tariffs, as it was in the 1890s, is easily understandable.
... this country has suffered more deadly terrorism at the hands of American-born citizens who are veterans of the United States military than [from] people who have crossed into this country at the southern border. -- Lawrence O'Donnell, Thursday night ~~~
Sarakshi Rai of the Hill: "Chris Velazco of the Washington Post: "Vice President-elect JD Vance took to the social platform X on Thursday to share an op-ed by Elon Musk in which the tech mogul expressed support for the far-right German political party Alternative for Germany, or AfD. Quoting Musk's English version of the opinion piece, Vance said it was an 'interesting piece.' [Vance] emphasized that he wasn't endorsing AfD in the upcoming German elections, as it was not his country and 'we hope to have good relations with all Germans.' He further took aim at U.S. media outlets, adding that 'American media slanders AfD as Nazi-lite, But AfD is most popular in the same areas of Germany that were most resistant to the Nazis.'...
⭐“In response to Vance's tweet, Germany's ambassador to the U.S. Andreas Michaelis called it an 'interesting observation. in a post on Bluesky. 'Historical context can be tricky -- while some areas you are referring to resisted the Nazi party early on, others did not, or later became strongholds of the regime. Germany's history reminds us how important it is to challenge extremism in all its forms,' he wrote." MB: I believe that's the diplomat's way of saying, "JayDee, you blithering idiot."
Chris Velazco of the Washington Post: "Apple has agreed to end a five-year legal battle over user privacy related to its virtual assistant Siri with a $95 million payout to affected customers, according to a preliminary settlement. The company ... signed off on the payment to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming its virtual assistant Siri can be accidentally activated, and subsequently record parts of people's conversations without their consent. Apple then violated its users' privacy, plaintiffs alleged, by sending those recordings to third parties.... The terms of the settlement ... are still subject to approval by the court...." The Ars Technica story is here.
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Colorado. "Trump's America." Maria Luisa Paul of the Washington Post: "A White Colorado man was charged Thursday after allegedly following a Pacific Islander reporter for 40 miles, berating him about his nationality and choking him at his news station in what court records describe as a racially motivated attack.... While heading north toward Grand Junction, [KKCO/KJCT journalist Ja'Ronn] Alex realized [Patrick Thomas] Egan's car, a Sunshine Rides taxi cab, was following him.... At a traffic light, Egan pulled up next to Alex's car, rolled down the windows and shouted xenophobic threats, according to [an arrest] affidavit. 'Are you even a U.S. citizen? This is Trump's America now! I'm a Marine and I took an oath to protect this country from people like you!' Alex -- who is a Detroit native, according to KKCO/KJCT -- recalled, according to the affidavit."
Louisiana. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, et al., of the New York Times: "A Texas man who ... drove into a crowd in New Orleans on New Year's Day, killing 14 people, appears to have acted alone, an F.B.I. official said on Thursday, as the city reopened Bourbon Street after the attack and hosted thousands of fans for the Sugar Bowl. Investigators have found no definitive link' between the attack and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck hours later that wounded at least seven people outside of a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, according to the F.B.I. official, Christopher Raia, the deputy assistant director of the bureau's counterterrorism division." ~~~
~~~ Adam Nossiter, et al., of the New York Times: "Five years before a man in a pickup mowed down dozens of New Year's revelers in New Orleans, a confidential security report warned that the iconic Bourbon Street tourist strip was vulnerable to a 'vehicular ramming' attack. The assessment, prepared by a security firm in November 2019 for the group that manages the city's French Quarter, warned that the bollards designed to block vehicles from entering Bourbon Street did 'not appear to work.' The New York security firm recommended fixing the barriers immediately.... Police officials stressed that the city had started work to replace the old barriers in November, ahead of the Super Bowl next month, and that the work was still ongoing on Wednesday when the attack occurred.... But some security experts said New Orleans had left Bourbon Street dangerously vulnerable."
Nevada. Jacey Fortin & Jesus Jiménez of the New York Times: "... authorities identified the driver ... of the Tesla truck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning ... as Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger of the Army and a soldier with the 10th Special Forces Group.... The cause of [his] death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the driver's head, the county coroner ruled.... Over a few days, Sergeant Livelsberger drove from Colorado through New Mexico and Arizona -- a route that officials traced using data from the Tesla charging stations he had visited." The article provides some biographical details about Livelsberger, but authorities have not discovered the motives behind the apparent attack. A CBS News story is here. ~~~
~~~ Justin Rohrlich of the Independent: "The active-duty Green Beret [Matthew Livelsberger] who was driving a Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year's Day 'was a 100 percent patriot,' his bewildered uncle [Dean Livelsberger] said Thursday.... 'He used to have all patriotic stuff on Facebook, he was 100 percent loving the country,' he continued. 'He loved Trump, and he was always a very, very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American. It's one of the reasons he was in Special Forces for so many years. It wasn't just one tour of duty.'"
New York. Christopher Maag of the New York Times: "A few hours after midnight on New Year's Day, a man scaled the fence surrounding Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the New York City mayor, Eric Adams, and broke into the building.... Mayor Adams was not at home at the time, a spokeswoman for the mayor said. The bizarre incident was recorded by surveillance cameras, which captured the man, Michael Aromando, 20, climbing the fence at 4:23 a.m. Wednesday.... One minute later, a police officer noticed Mr. Aromando walking around inside the mansion. Mr. Aromando was unarmed when he was arrested. He was carrying several items, including a Christmas ornament he had taken from the mansion, the police said. In an interview with a police officer, Mr. Aromando shared a video recorded on his phone, which showed him taking the ornament from a drawer inside the residence. Police officers assigned to guard the mansion did not notice him scaling the fence, the police spokesman said. The closed-circuit television video of the break-in was found only after he was arrested."
New York. Maria Cramer & Chelsia Marcius of the New York Times: "Federal agents on Thursday morning searched the home of Jeffrey Maddrey, the former chief of department for the New York Police Department, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Mr. Maddrey, who resigned on Dec. 20 after a lieutenant accused him of coercing her into sex, is also being investigated by the department's Internal Affairs Bureau, which is working with law enforcement authorities in its inquiry, Commissioner Tisch said in a statement on social media. Mr. Maddrey, who left the department but whose resignation is not yet effective, was suspended without pay Thursday morning as the search warrant was executed, the commissioner said."
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Kenya. Coming Soon to a Village Near You? Lynsey Chutel of the New York Times: "A glowing ring of metal, more than eight feet in diameter and weighing more than 1,100 pounds, fell from the sky and crash landed in a remote village in Kenya this week, causing no injuries but frightening residents who feared a bomb or worse. The object turned out to be space debris -- junk left over from six decades of space exploration and a growing number of commercial launches, the Kenya Space Agency said Wednesday. It identified the object as a separation ring from a launch rocket and said that it was investigating the ring's origin and ownership.... Last year, the European Space Agency estimated that there were more than 14,000 tons of material in low Earth orbit. About a third of that is junk, according to Sara Webb, an astrophysicist...."
South Korea. The New York Times is live-updating developments in the political turmoil in South Korea: "Officials in South Korea abandoned an attempt to take President Yoon Suk Yeol in for questioning over insurrection charges on Friday after a standoff inside the president's residence that lasted several hours.... Officials began withdrawing from Mr. Yoon's residence at 1:30 p.m. local time after entering the compound in the morning. To get inside, they had cleared away crowds of supporters attempting to block their path. But when they neared the building where Mr. Yoon was believed to be, they met walls of vehicles, and 200 soldiers and presidential bodyguards, officials told reporters. The dozens of investigators and police officers were outnumbered and had to withdraw after brief and minor scuffles, they said. Mr. Yoon has ignored repeated summonses from the investigators to appear for questioning...."
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Reader Comments (13)
On Krugman:
The Right has never liked the income tax because it's progressive. The rich pay more. Not enough these days, but more.
Tariffs would work as a flat tax. Just what the Right wants. Everyone paying the same rate on their purchases. What's not to like if you're rich?
From the AP story, "It’s unclear whether the law allows the U.S. Judicial Conference to make a criminal referral regarding a Supreme Court justice, U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad wrote."
So Trump isn't the only one with the get out of jail free card. The judiciary has no mechanism to refer criminal behavior for the Supreme Court Justices. I wonder if it was a "serious" crime like murder if they would find some way to make the referral. But it is just people with interests in front of the court lavishing (previously) undisclosed gifts and trips continually on one of the Justices and just coincidentally receiving mostly favorable rulings from Thomas. Good thing the courts are not facing an ethics and legitimacy crisis \s. It might also be nice to have people on the highest court who don't pretend to not have basic reading comprehension of even basic laws.
Washington Post
"10 policies Republicans could use to pay for new tax cuts
Extending the expiring 2017 tax cuts could add $5 trillion to the national debt; Trump and GOP lawmakers are considering these policies to offset that cost."
We are paying one way or another.
I'm hoping today's House version of High Noon is as good as the old western classic,
I've got my popcorn ready.
@RAS: Yeah, that sentence knocked me out, too. Not that we didn't already know the "new ethics rules" the Supremes adopted in 2023 were a farce, but Judge Conrad there seems to have written a public letter that should have started with, "Re: As the Supreme Court So Ordered, Ethics Rules for Justices Are a Farce."
Fortunately, as you wrote, the Supremes have proved willing to share the wealth with other top officials, first and foremost the president. And their recent (and by recent, I think I'm talking about the last 10 years or so) "interesting readings" & rulings on the scope of bribery statutes has made it difficult for prosecutors to charge members of Congress with criminal corruption.
So it isn't just the rich who are different from you and me. It's also the politicians, because the Supremes have decided they are not responsible for their typical & frequent bad acts. Or, to borrow from Trump (thanks, Krugman! [linked above]), "When You're a Politician, They Let You Do It."
One might suspect that the courts do not see themselves so much as one the three branches of government that provides checks & balances upon the others but as one of the three branches of government, all of which are in cahoots with the others. There is plenty of tension between the political parties, to be sure, but the tension that should exist among the branches of government is abating.
Bobby Lee,
Yeah, “High Noon” was a good one, a metaphor for standing up to the McCarthyite bullies looking for commies under the bed and in cereal bowls, abetted by a cowardly bunch who went along to get along. But in today’s coming gunfight, who’s who? Who is Gary Cooper? Certainly not Bible Mike, who is no better than the crooks coming to town looking for revenge. In fact, he’s worse than your average MAGA bully because he has power, power he uses in the service of the biggest bully, in complete opposition to the so-called Christian values he claims to honor.
And who’s Grace Kelly? Certainly not Fatty Trump. Kelly plays the faithful wife who comes back to stand by her man. Trump will throw Bible Mike to the wolves if he sees something in it for himself.
The whole thing is more like “Goodfellas”. A pack of cheap gangsters who turn on each other as they each grab for the biggest piece of the pie.
If there are any Gary Coopers here today, I’m hoping it’s the collective Democratic Party.
That being said, as you suggest, it should be a great show no matter the cinematic provenance. Popcorn is a must.
Wake me up when the crowning is over. I tuned past Bible Mike and the Phonies, and it is simply stupid that the networks decided this is newsworthy. Love seeing the family members crowded around the cartoon black-spectacled liar/speaker, wrapping their little stringy arms around him for a photo...It does not matter which quisling gets "elected" at this point. The aforementioned "alternatives" are worse than he is, and much less religious, although that is a plus... None of them have morals, scruples, ethics or charisma-- so who cares?
It is much worse to hear the people supposedly there to monitor the actions of a completely corrupt court state that "Uh, we jus' dunno if we are allowed to declare this court legally corrupt---" Yes, folks, the Fat Felon has declared himself untouchable, and so, apparently, is the court. Winner-winner chicken dinner. Aren't we the luckiest...
This Truth Social post from DT needs Marie’s crying baby emoji. We’re gonna need a new word to describe how low he can go.
“The Democrats are all “giddy” about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at “half mast” during my Inauguration. They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves. Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America over the past four years - It’s a total mess! In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast. Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
But they let Trump...
"The legal team of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol claimed Friday that Yoon's impeachment trial does not warrant a ruling as he should have immunity from prosecution, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Donald Trump.
"As martial law was lifted in six hours, it did not restrict the people's basic rights," the document read. "Things were fully restored so that there is no need to judge the declaration itself."
Yoon's side pointed to the U.S. court ruling in July last year that said Trump cannot be prosecuted for actions that were within his constitutional powers as president."
Julie,
Forget half mast. This stupid ass is pissed because a real President is being honored during his MAGA coronation. On that day, flags should be flown upside down, the
Mostly my posts never make it though…today the last one went through before I was finished…
As I was saying…we should fly the flag upside down as the Fat Fascist is being crowned…the signal of dire distress.
Akhilleus and Julie in MA,
I see my suggestion that flags fly at half mast for the next four years didn't make the trip either.
And take that!
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/03/world/americas/honduras-trump-mass-deportations.html