Trump 2.0

[Tessa K]

You know how we joked about Trump becoming Pope? It would seem he heard us

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdrg8zkz8d0o.amp

[Tessa K]

Alcatraz will be reopened as a prison, because a building that hasn't been used as a prison for 60 years is the best place to keep violent, repeat offenders away from the rest of the population. Trump needs to stop watching late night movies.

He's working on that, by placing tariffs on movies.

That's not going to be feasible with international coproductions and US funded movies shot in other countries

[dyqik]

Alcatraz will be reopened as a prison, because a building that hasn't been used as a prison for 60 years is the best place to keep violent, repeat offenders away from the rest of the population. Trump needs to stop watching late night movies.

He's working on that, by placing tariffs on movies.

That's not going to be feasible with international coproductions and US funded movies shot in other countries

It's also completely illegal - all potential movie carrying media is explicitly excluded from the act that he's using a flimsy cover for the tariffs.

[jaap]

Alcatraz will be reopened as a prison, because a building that hasn't been used as a prison for 60 years is the best place to keep violent, repeat offenders away from the rest of the population. Trump needs to stop watching late night movies.

I thought a major plot point of the movie was that when the building was used as a prison it was already so badly deteriorated that they could hack away through the crumbling concrete with a spoon. But we already know that Trump does not understand movies, as proven years ago by his opinions on Citizen Kane.

[Tessa K]

Alcatraz will be reopened as a prison, because a building that hasn't been used as a prison for 60 years is the best place to keep violent, repeat offenders away from the rest of the population. Trump needs to stop watching late night movies.

I thought a major plot point of the movie was that when the building was used as a prison it was already so badly deteriorated that they could hack away through the crumbling concrete with a spoon. But we already know that Trump does not understand movies, as proven years ago by his opinions on Citizen Kane.

I suspect he likes the idea of a prison surrounded by shark infested waters

[Gfamily]

I thought a major plot point of the movie was that when the building was used as a prison it was already so badly deteriorated that they could hack away through the crumbling concrete with a spoon. But we already know that Trump does not understand movies, as proven years ago by his opinions on Citizen Kane.

Ha ha. He's one step ahead of you.

Only plastic spoons!

[IvanV]

The FBI has arrested 2 judges (CNBC article).

One of them has not been arrested in relation to their judicial work, but for having undocumented immigrants stay on their property, alleged to be connected to Tren de Aragua. So possibly that is not so worrying. He has resigned as a judge, recognising perhaps that his situation was untenable.

The other was arrested for in relation to exercising her judicial powers, so that is more worrying. Some ICE agents turned up at her courtroom to arrest someone previously deported, and who was now back in the country and due to appear as a defendant in front of her for violent crimes. Since the ICE agents did not have a judicial warrant, the judge ordered them out of the building. The judge's concern issue is that ICE agents have increasingly been turning up at courthouses to arrest suspects - it had happened twice recently at that very courthouse, and judges are concerned this will deter defendants and witnesses from turning at court. ICE were still able to conduct the arrest when the person of interest left the courthouse after the hearing, but they had to chase him.

Trump has publicly commented on the cases, asserting them to be guilty of course, when at least one of the cases is exceedingly tenuous.

[dyqik]

The FBI has arrested 2 judges (CNBC article).

One of them has not been arrested in relation to their judicial work, but for having undocumented immigrants stay on their property, alleged to be connected to Tren de Aragua. So possibly that is not so worrying. He has resigned as a judge, recognising perhaps that his situation was untenable.

Given that "wearing a hoodie" and "having a tattoo of a cannabis leaf" is apparently evidence that one is in Tren de Aragua, even if you once left a Tren de Aragua controlled area due to their threats against you, I think we can changed "alleged" into "spuriously claimed" there.

[IvanV]

I missed the news from a week or two ago that Trump is offering an exclusive dinner with him for the 220 largest Trump coin holders. The top 25 get an extra VIP reception with Trump and tour of the White House. Oh yes, and David Sacks, Trump's Crypto czar, will be there too.

Soon people woke up to the consequences of this offer. One Senator called it the most brazenly corrupt thing any president ever did.

Because he is making massive sums of money from it. There is always a bit of monetisation of the presidency, it's hardly completely avoidable. But this is off the scale. Some people think this kind of access to the president and his crypto policy man are very valuable to them, to go rent-seeking. One person appears to have recently acquired what the market now values at over $20m buying up Trump coin to get access. And many others have been buying in large too. This has driven up the value of the otherwise low value Trump meme-coin, which had value only because it was a sign of loyalty to buy it. The initial offer earned him a heap of money. This reawakening of a market that had crashed has earned huge additional sums for him, not just in selling coin but in transaction fees. In comparison to selling tickets to a posh dinner where you can get access to leading politicians, which often happens in Britain, this is profiteering on a massive scale from access to the president.

[Silly trivia]I do like what you see when it is written $TRUMP. And $MELANIA.[/Silly trivia]

[dyqik]

As a reminder, the US President cannot make trade deals. Only Congress can.

[TopBadger]

As a reminder, the US President cannot make trade deals. Only Congress can.

Only congress could gut USAID too - so go figure.

[IvanV]

As a reminder, the US President cannot make trade deals. Only Congress can.

He is using emergency powers granted by Congress. There are several law-suits against this apparent misuse of those emergency powers, including the tariffs, hearings coming up soon.

Trump's victory in the Supreme Court over the immunity cases, where we learn the Constitution means whatever the Supreme Court says it means, shows it can be a bit of a risk pushing such things to this partisan Supreme Court, that then rewrites the constitution to Trump's convenience. And when he has lost in the Supreme Court recently, he took no notice. And he uses defunding threats, etc, to get what he wants when he can't get them directly.

On a "choose your battles" basis, I think probably I would say that the President setting tariffs is not the first or biggest battle I'd want to fight, it isn't such a terrible thing that he is doing that rather than Congress. In many other countries, it would be the responsibility of the executive. But there is a court case and we'll see where it goes.

The lawyers who opposed Trump's arm-twisting of law-firms just won a Federal case,with a coruscating judgment striking down those executive orders. But what happens next with that one, I wonder. Will Trump back off quietly?

[shpalman]

Mayor of Newark arrested (and then released)

[philbo]

Mayor of Newark arrested (and then released)

Other reporting:

three members of Congress also stormed the facility's gate

..I love the concept that three people (especially three Congressmen) could be said to "storm", well, anything. Gives very "Princess Bride" sorts of vibes
Spoiler:

storming the prison.jpg (144.23 KiB) Viewed 396 times

[dyqik]

..I love the concept that three people (especially three Congressmen) could be said to "storm", well, anything. Gives very "Princess Bride" sorts of vibes

Particularly when they have explicit authority to inspect these facilities at zero notice.