The Biggest Loser

Legume

Botch

A small bit of good news:
https://apnews.com/article/trump-ap-media-court-white-house-events-access-f346a0efe87c1dec4d6f90e6041abd09  
A couple months ago my subscription to WaPo came due, but it happened just a couple days after Bezosebub announced that its editorial board would be... throttled.  I dropped them.  
AP News became my new "trusted" source, and the fact that they were cut from the WH press pool because of something as juvenile as them ignoring Chief Toddler's desire to rename a certain Gulf, well, they gained a lot of points from me.  

GrateEggspectations

Botch said:

A small bit of good news:
https://apnews.com/article/trump-ap-media-court-white-house-events-access-f346a0efe87c1dec4d6f90e6041abd09  
A couple months ago my subscription to WaPo came due, but it happened just a couple days after Bezosebub announced that its editorial board would be... throttled.  I dropped them.  
AP News became my new "trusted" source, and the fact that they were cut from the WH press pool because of something as juvenile as them ignoring Chief Toddler's desire to rename a certain Gulf, well, they gained a lot of points from me.  

The administration’s MO is to (unlawfully) silence or discredit those who disagree with him. In the wake of the Gulf debacle, he characterized the AP as “radical left lunatics”. He’s previously used the exact same in reference to Harris.

Ad hominem on repeat. 

“Enemy of the American people”, of the media. “Ashley is not capable or competent enough to understand the intricacies of High Level politics”, of Ashley Parker, The Atlantic. “Crooked Hillary.” “I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic; to me it’s a magazine that is going out of business.” “This woman is the worst… lazy as hell.” “Sleepy Joe.” “Low energy Jeb.” “Third rate magazine.” “Horse face.” Ad nauseam. 

Arguably the lowest form of logical fallacy because it is born out of weakness. It concedes that the debater is wholly unprepared to counter the arguments of his adversary. If you can’t attack the argument, then attack the orator. 

These are basics of critical thought that humankind had recognized and thoroughly defined as logically-illegitimate millennia ago. 

On that first quote above, Hitler, Mao and Stalin all similarly referred to dissenters, including the press, as “enemy of the people”.

Thought you may enjoy this excerpt from https://apnews.com/article/787784fe65c844669f3a3472cd3eb44a, detailing courage of the staff of the Munich Post, which had been warning about Hitler’s dangers to a free society and peaceful nation. The Nazis reportedly labelled the Post the “Munich Pestilence” and the “Poison Kitchen” - an apparent attempt to discredit them via argumentum ad hominen.

“The raid on the Post occurred soon after Hitler rose to power. The newspaper had incurred the Nazi leader’s wrath with its publication of embarrassing secrets about the Nazis and of documents leaked to the Post revealing Hitler’s nefarious plans.

It’s worth noting the front-page headline that the Munich Post’s editors published a few days before storm troopers ransacked and shut down its offices in March 1933. Whatever the Munich Post’s faults, that headline should be the rallying cry of journalists around the globe whose work is threatened by those who place the accumulation and wielding of authoritarian power above the defense of citizens’ rights.

The headline’s defiant assertion: ‘We Will Not Be Intimidated.’”

lousubcap

Wednesday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

"The Supreme Court yesterday blocked a federal judge’s order for the Trump administration to reinstate more than 16,000 fired probationary employees,ruling that the nonprofit groups that brought the lawsuit against the dismissal lacked standing. The consequences of the ruling may be limited, as another order requiring the reinstatement of many of the same workers remains in place with different plaintiffs having brought that suit. Adam Liptak reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge yesterday issued a preliminary injunction ordering the White House to restore the Associated Press’ access to presidential events, ruling that the First Amendment prohibits the government from punishing the news organization for the content of its speech. The judge gave the government a week to respond or appeal the order before it comes into force. David Bauder reports for AP News.

The American Civil Liberties Union yesterday filed a lawsuit in New York on behalf of two Venezuelan migrants allegedly expecting deportation under the Alien Enemies Act and asked for an emergency order temporarily restraining the government from moving the migrants out of the New York area. The move follows the Supreme Court’s ruling that lawsuits seeking to block the deportations should be filed as a habeas claim in the places where the detainees are held. Rebecca Beitsch reports for the Hill; Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.

A Louisiana immigration judge yesterday said that she will terminate the case against Columbia university student activist Mahmoud Khalil if the government does not provide evidence this week that would justify its attempts to deport him. Sara Cline and Jake Offenhartz report for AP News.

The American Library Association and an union representing cultural workers yesterday sued the Trump administration over its cuts to the Institute for Museum and Library Services, arguing the move required congressional approval to be lawful. Jennifer Schuessler reports for the New York Times."

JohnInCarolina

https://www.vox.com/on-the-right-newsletter/407623/trump-tariff-culture-war-hanania-khan-ferguson

DoubleEgger

Trump folded like origami. 

Penguins 1 
Trump     0 

JohnInCarolina

Botch

Botch

https://youtube.com/shorts/x3upksrnZyE?si=kpp_aecHb-gJRp25

Botch

A final post and I'll shut up for awhile.  A balance between trade, and tariffs, and economies is a delicate balance that takes decades to tweak; look what he's done to all that work, in one week.  And to anyone who still praises this ****, I want you to all check back in, in six months.  
 

dbCooper

Botch said:

A final post and I'll shut up for awhile.  A balance between trade, and tariffs, and economies is a delicate balance that takes decades to tweak; look what he's done to all that work, in one week.  And to anyone who still praises this ****, I want you to all check back in, in six months.  
 

Remind me, which economic era is it that the current leadership pines for?

Ike

The ones who made all of $$$ in the sell off are just waiting to do it again.  Maybe Forrest Trump isn't so stupid Afterall...stupid is as stupid does.

JohnInCarolina

lousubcap

Thursday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday temporarily allowed Trump to fire National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox and Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris, issuing a brief administrative stay of a lower court ruling pending the Supreme Court’s consideration of the administration’s appeal. Zach Schonfeld reports for the Hill.

An appeals court yesterday blocked a lower court ruling ordering the federal government to reinstate thousands of probationary workers. Eileen Sullivan reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge in Texas yesterday issued an order temporarily restraining the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport people held in a Texas detention center without due process. Separately, a federal judge in New York said that he planned to issue a similar order in proceedings concerning migrants held in the Southern District of New York. Gary Grumbach, Chloe Atkins, and Suzanne Gamboa report for NBC News.

The White House told a court it intends to appeal a Tuesday ruling that ordered the administration to readmit Associated Press journalists to White House events on First Amendment grounds. AP News reports."

lousubcap

Friday TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

"The Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of a Maryland man “erroneously” deported to a notorious El Salvador prison last month, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday, ruling that a lower court’s order “properly requires” the government to ensure the man’s case is handled “as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.” Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.

A federal judge yesterday said she will temporarily block the Trump administration from ordering hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans with Temporary Protected Status to leave the United States while the case proceeds. Their residence permits were to be canceled on April 24. Michael Casey reports for AP News.

The Trump administration can move forward with its plan to require undocumented immigrants to provide their fingerprints to the federal government or face a fine or imprisonment, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Sareen Habeshian reports for Axios.

Attorneys General from 16 states and the District of Columbia yesterday filed a challenge to the Trump administration’s halt of pandemic relief aid for schools, arguing the move violates federal law by reversing a prior decision to allow states to access the money through March 2026. Carolyn Thompson reports for AP News.

The Trump administration is seeking to deport a Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil over his actions’ impact on the “significant foreign policy objective” of combating anti-Semitism, according to a memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The memo states that Khalil’s activities were “otherwise lawful” and does not allege criminal conduct. Jake Offenhartz reports for AP News."

GrateEggspectations

Can’t make this stuff up, folks. 

lousubcap

The latest on CHEETO and the dumb phque trade war with China: 

"Billed as so rock-solid safe they’re risk-free, US Treasury bonds have long been the first port of call for investors during times of panic. They rallied during the global financial crisis, on 9/11 and even when America’s own credit rating was cut. But this time may be different. As President Donald Trump unleashes an all-out assault on global trade, their status as the world’s safe haven is increasingly coming into question. They are trading, in other words, a little like a risky asset themselves. Or, as former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers says, like the debt of an emerging-market country. Yields, especially on longer-term debt, have surged in recent days while the dollar has plunged. Even more disconcerting for America is the pattern of recent market moves. Investors have often dumped 10- and 30-year Treasuries—pushing prices down and yields up—at the very same time they frantically sold stocks, crypto and other risky assets. The inverse is also true, with Treasuries rising in unison with them. This has many on Wall Street increasingly nervous. President Donald Trump, left, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, center, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in the Oval Office. Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP This volatility—and the risk of destabilizing the US financial system—is seen as likely to continue when markets open Monday. Trump, 78, has continued to up the ante in one of the biggest poker games in history, and his main opponent—China—keeps matching his raises. Just this morning, Beijing said it will boost tariffs on all US goods from 84% to 125%. Perhaps hoping to bluff his way to a win, Trump has said he’s waiting for Xi Jinping to call him. But the Chinese leader has shown an unwillingness to back down. China has in fact been publicly adamant, going so far as calling Trump’s tariffs a “joke.” At this point, the levies on both sides are so high that trade between the world’s two largest economies is effectively about to halt. Which means any further escalation would have to be in other areas. And China has signaled it may go there. —David E. Rovella "

JohnInCarolina

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/11/mortgage-rates-surge-tariffs-bond-market.html

I, for one, am getting tired of all the winning.

lousubcap

There's another one (Edit):

JohnInCarolina

Canugghead

https://youtube.com/shorts/bVHjryvnfoQ?si=VpdChLaG1bHGuzYv

DoubleEgger

Skit of the year from SNL 

https://youtu.be/o_1GzmjOvKQ?si=Q93aYolz-QDfbn16

Botch

A study has been released of drumpf's first term, that explains the real reason for the tariffs:
 
https://archive.is/20250411233630/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/11/trump-crony-capitalism-graft/

GrateEggspectations

Gotta try this stuff! Seems the Secretary of Education is a big fan! 😂🤣

JohnInCarolina

Legume

Botch

I posted this before, but it bears mentioning again; over a century of fine-tweaking tossed aside by an out-of-control septuagenarian toddler.


 

Canugghead

GrateEggspectations said:

Gotta try this stuff! Seems the Secretary of Education is a big fan! 😂🤣

Killer sauce for wonton 😂 

CPFC1905

JohnInCarolina said:

I don't fully understand all that,  but just remember that I am here to receive your cash.

Two scenarios,
1) you send it all to me and I enjoy spending it
2) you don't send it and worry about it being less every day

The obvious choice is #1, right? 

JohnInCarolina

CPFC1905 said:

JohnInCarolina said:

I don't fully understand all that,  but just remember that I am here to receive your cash.

Two scenarios,
1) you send it all to me and I enjoy spending it
2) you don't send it and worry about it being less every day

The obvious choice is #1, right? 

I might be up for this under the condition that you use the funds to replace your roof.