Trump Redux: The Death of Democracy, or Overblown Hyperbole?

[Lexi Darling]

Yeah, I haven't really seen too much antisemitism on the left as of late personally, but I also don't really run in politically focused circles much, so I can't speak on it. But I know firsthand that it's absolutely real that reactionary ideas can and do inform young a portion of the young left. An example in the circles I run in that I've noticed is a lot of Gen Z left leaning people buying into conservative attitudes toward sex and not understanding how those attitudes are used as a tool by fascists. So I absolutely would believe there is antisemitism on the left; speaking as a Jew antisemitic ideas can very much be subtle and manifest and ingrain themselves in ways other than people just saying "Jews = bad".

No need to accuse people of being Zionists for reporting on what they've seen in their communities. I have no reason to assume bad faith here.

[Trollheart]

Informative article about Greenland, and how Denmark isn't the kindly uncle it's being portrayed as.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gpgqqzqymo?at_campaign=crm&at_medium=emails&at_campaign_type=owned&at_objective=conversion&at_ptr_name=salesforce&at_ptr_type=media&at_creation=[82857_NEWS_NLB_DEFGHIGET_WK5_MON_3_FEB]-20250203-[bbcnews_genocidegreenlandhistorytrump_newsworld]

[Buck_Mulligan]

News Alert: USAID workers at Washington HQ told to stay home on Monday in unexpected, early-morning email


The main office of the US Agency for International Development in Washington was unexpectedly closed Monday and workers were emailed shortly after midnight that they should not come in, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

"At the direction of Agency leadership, the USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C. will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, February 3, 2025. Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remotely tomorrow, with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership," said the email, of which CNN has obtained a copy.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk said President Donald Trump has said USAID needs to be "shut down," following days of speculation over the future of the agency after its funding was frozen and dozens of its employees were put on leave.

Does this factor into aid for Gaza? Is that part of what's behind Musk's heartless intention of shutting down USAID?

Not much. Most foreign aid to Gaza is via the UN. Typically, (for now), by law,( I think), the US pays 25% of the UN budget, from a different fund.

USAID an independent agency, accounts for maybe 60% of aid, and is funded by an annual presidential request to Congress.
Separately, some government depts. have smaller aid budgets.
The Congressional Research Service is a non-partisan arm of Congress.

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10261#:~:text=The%20top%2010%20recipients%20of,Direct%20Financial%20Support%20for%20Ukraine.)

https://foreignassistance.gov
Incidentally, under Biden the Administrator of USAID, was Dublin born Samantha Power.

[SGR]

U.S. tariffs on Mexico paused for a month after border deal, Trump says

U.S. President Donald Trump has paused new tariffs on Mexico for one month after Mexico agreed to reinforce its northern border with 10,000 National Guard members to stem the flow of illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl, he said on Monday.

The agreement also includes a U.S. commitment to act to prevent trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X. The two leaders spoke by phone on Monday, just hours before U.S. tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada were set to take effect.

The two countries will use the month-long suspension to engage in further negotiations, Trump said.

[Trollheart]

How do you read that? Trump backing down, Mexico offering a tougher sanction or a rare case of cooler heads prevailing? Is it a better deal for Mexico, standing up to the bully in the playground (but have they?) or USA, seen as magnamimous in victory and willing to listen, once they get something?

[DJChameleon]

It's read as just the threat of tariffs being used to get what he wants out of Mexico. It's just a negotiating tactic and the Mexican president finally folded last minute to work through some of the deal and give him what he wants. I'm sure she got something out of this deal as well. It just wasn't specified in that quote.

[degrassiknoll]

Run of the mill posturing

[Lisnaholic]

How do you read that? Trump backing down, Mexico offering a tougher sanction or a rare case of cooler heads prevailing? Is it a better deal for Mexico, standing up to the bully in the playground (but have they?) or USA, seen as magnamimous in victory and willing to listen, once they get something?

Funny how a single pronouncement can be read in so many ways! Who knows where the truth lies? I see this development as a climb-down all round and a return to "business as usual": after Trump's dramatic pronouncements,"cooler heads" if you will, are going to fudge together some kind of compromise. My guess: some Mexican soldiers might be sent to the border, but will melt away again as soon as US scrutiny allows that to happen. As for "a U.S. commitment to act to prevent trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico" - I bet that'll stay as words on a page, rather than an enforcement policy that would ultimately dent US gun manufacturers' profits, which to my cynical eyes means that it's a total non-starter. 

[SGR]

It's read as just the threat of tariffs being used to get what he wants out of Mexico. It's just a negotiating tactic and the Mexican president finally folded last minute to work through some of the deal and give him what he wants. I'm sure she got something out of this deal as well. It just wasn't specified in that quote.

You might have missed it, but this was in the quote and I assume this was what they got out of it - at least optically (oh wow, a US commitment to act, so valuable and reliable  ).

The agreement also includes a U.S. commitment to act to prevent trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X.

But for the rest of it, I agree with DJ - I don't think Trump really cares about 'trade imbalances', at least not in the sense that he truly thinks it justifies these tariffs. That's just something he says for TV/media, and if he can sell these countries/leaders on the idea that he is willing to incur the domestic price pain these tariffs would result in over time, he can bring them to the negotiating table to get whatever it is that he actually wants - and as we saw with this resolution, the other side gets something too so it can be at least seen optically as 'wins' by both sides (even if nothing truly changes/improves). It's basically a game of economic chicken, or an economic application of Nixon's 'madman theory'.

I'm not truly convinced that this will curb the flow of illegal drugs/fentanyl over the border though. I was trying to find the post I made maybe a year ago where I posited the idea that the American intelligence agencies (and it doesn't matter if a (D) or an (R) is controlling the branches of government) have somewhat of an unstated agreement with the cartels that they're allowed to do business in America and make their money (knowing that many Americans will die, which intelligence agencies would view as the 'cost of doing business', or in other words, acceptable), in return for the cartels exercising political control in America's interests (as a proxy) in Mexico and parts of Central America where they have a foothold. My guess would be that the 10,000 Mexican national guards deployed to the border will contain maybe 20 - 30% that are compromised by the cartels. If we start seeing a violent response from the cartels against officials/national guardsmen, then maybe I'll be convinced that I'm wrong. But I doubt that will happen. The cartels derive much of their power from American laws, and the disastrous 'war on drugs'. If you really wanted to cripple them, you'd do it by changing drug laws, not by labeling them as terrorists or making Mexico send their national guard to patrol the border.

[SGR]

Trump is supposed to have a call with Trudeau today at 3pm, so it's possible we see a similar comrpomise agreement and delay with Canada.

[Lucem Ferre]

Trump is supposed to have a call with Trudeau today at 3pm, so it's possible we see a similar comrpomise agreement and delay with Canada.

Good. I'm sick of those Canadians hopping our border.

[Weekender]

It's 2 adults saying "sure whatever you want you're so smart oh yes good idea" to a child.

Thank God for them, because I wouldn't have the patience and would have launched full on retaliation.

[Trollheart]

Ah here, look! They're even letting dogs cross over! 

[SGR]

Ah here, look! They're even letting dogs cross over! 

He must've watched the Trump/Kamala debate 

[Marie Monday]

Yes take the beginning of that quote for your argument without reading the rest of the statement directly afterwards. So fucking disingenuous to take selective part of that and isolate it.  I'm not going to argue with you Zionists.

I'm not ignoring anything. How dare you call me a Zionist without any basis. And that when I've been patient with your bullshit too, given how obtuse it is. I'm not calling you an antisemite either. Also hypocritical since you tend to complain about other people's tone. Childish and dumb behaviour