Thread: President Trump - 2nd Term

Here's a good example of who benefits when DOGE goes in and demolishes a government department:

When fossil fuel extraction occurs on federal land, artificially low lease prices and royalty rates help subsidize costs. In 2023, in compliance with the IRA, the Department of the Interior (DOI) released a proposed rule that would:

• Increase the lease royalty rate from 12.5% to 16.67%;
• Increase the minimum bid per acre of federal land from $2 to $10;
• Increase base rental rates by at least $1 per acre, up to $3, $5, or $15, based on time elapsed since the lease began;
• Establish an “expressions of interest” filing fee of $5 per acre when public land is requested for inclusion in a lease sale;
• Increase the minimum individual lease bond amount from $10,000 to $150,000, and increase the minimum bond for leasing multiple public lands statewide from $25,000 to $500,000 (these bonds are used to cover the costs of cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells); and
• Introduce preference criteria for the selection of plots for leasing to divert interest away from areas with cultural, recreational, or wildlife-related significance.
  
  https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fac...s-january-2024
  
  
  

I heard that Trump had invited Bill Maher to the Whitehouse for dinner. It seemed like a strange thing for Trump to do, given that Maher is a centre-left comedian who has said many insulting things about Trump.

However, Maher has also railed against the partisan divisions making rational debate and intelligent discourse almost impossible across the political divide. He is also quite open in his criticism of the excesses of wokeness.

Anyway, here is Maher's own account of meeting Trump for dinner last week.

Kiwis can see it. Why can't Americans?

It's a cult.

Originally Posted by Looper

Trump had invited Bill Maher to the Whitehouse

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

He got played like a fiddle

Trump may have put on a moderate persona to woo Maher in private.

Or else the larger than life bombastic cartoon caricature that he projects in public is the fabrication.

Or it may be a mixture, but I think that the second option is probably closer to the truth.

Originally Posted by Looper

Trump may have put on a moderate persona to woo Maher in private.

Or else the larger than life bombastic cartoon caricature that he projects in public is the fabrication.

Or it may be a mixture, but I think that the second option is probably closer to the truth.

No, the orange turd is a consummate con man, everyone but the most retarded fucking idiot knows that.

Seems Trumptardiness is crossing the pond, i never knew there was such a thing. I don't think it'll gain the traction it has in the US, i hope not......


Librarians in UK increasingly asked to remove books, as influence of US pressure groups spreads


Anecdotal evidence suggests a rise in requests to take books off shelves, particularly LGBTQ+ titles


Requests to remove books from library shelves are on the rise in the UK, as the influence of pressure groups behind book bans in the US crosses the Atlantic, according to those working in the sector.


Although “the situation here is nowhere [near] as bad, censorship does happen and there are some deeply worrying examples of library professionals losing their jobs and being trolled online for standing up for intellectual freedom on behalf of their users”, said Louis Coiffait-Gunn, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (Cilip).


Ed Jewell, president of Libraries Connected, an independent charity that represents public libraries, said: “Anecdotal evidence from our members suggests that requests to remove books are increasing.” The School Library Association (SLA) said this year has seen an “increase in member queries about censorship”.


Most of the UK challenges appear to come from individuals or small groups, unlike in the US, where 72% of demands to censor books last year were brought forward by organised groups, according to the American Library Association earlier this week.


However, evidence suggests that the work of US action groups is reaching UK libraries too. Alison Hicks, an associate professor in library and information studies at UCL, interviewed 10 UK-based school librarians who had experienced book challenges. One “spoke of finding propaganda from one of these groups left on her desk”, while another “was directly targeted by one of these groups”. Respondents “also spoke of being trolled by US pressure groups on social media, for example when responding to free book giveaways”.


It is “certainly possible that the scale of censorship we’re seeing in the US will influence the debate over here”, said Jewell. However, the level of influence to date is far from clear, particularly because the nature of censorship requests in the UK seems to differ from those brought forward in the US.


Censorship by pupils in UK schools, including “vandalising library material, annotating library books with racist and homophobic slurs”, and damaging posters and displays was identified in Hicks’ study, which she wrote about in the spring issue of the SLA’s journal, The School Librarian. Such censorship “is not something I have seen in the US”, she said.


The types of books targeted may also differ. “Almost all the UK attacks reported in my study centred on LGBTQ+ materials, while US attacks appear to target material related to race, ethnicity and social justice as well as LGBTQ+ issues,” said Hicks.


While the study was small, the “LGBTQ focus of book challenges was undeniable”, wrote Hicks. Challenges were levelled against Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series, about the love story of two British schoolboys, and “coded” narratives in books such as Billy’s Bravery by Tom Percival, about a boy who wants to dress up as his favourite superhero, Nature Girl.


This supports the findings of an Index on Censorship survey last year, in which 28 of 53 librarians polled reported that they had been asked to remove books from library shelves, many of which were LGBTQ+ titles. In more than half of those cases, books were taken off shelves.


However, a 2023 study by Cilip, which found that a third of UK librarians had been asked by members of the public to censor or remove books, did identify themes of race and empire as among the most targeted, along with LGBTQ+.


While there may be differences in how the challenges are playing out, “this should not take away from the huge impact these attacks are having” in the UK, said Hicks. “My research demonstrates that UK school librarians are facing equivalent levels of distress and hostility in the face of book ban challenges such as these.”


In the US, book banning measures have been enacted across a number of states in recent years. “Library leaders in the UK are paying close attention to what’s happening in the US and there’s definitely a strong feeling of solidarity with American librarians,” said Jewell. Coiffait-Gunn of Cilip added that the profession “looks on with deep concern at the increasingly polarised and political debate” in the US about “what people, especially children, are allowed to read”.


One cause for concern in the UK is the “lack of robust evidence” about how widespread censorship is, said Coiffait-Gunn. “It’s hard to evidence what doesn’t happen and which books are not available.” The government does not tally how many school libraries or librarians there are, “let alone track book bans”.


Most UK libraries follow the Cilip ethical framework, which states that published materials should not be restricted on any grounds but the law, said Jewell. “That gives them the confidence and assurance to reject demands” for censorship.


“What we must guard against is a climate where libraries avoid stocking certain books – or holding talks or activities – for fear of negative publicity, threats or intimidation,” he added. “It’s vital that libraries feel able to provide access to a wide range of perspectives if they are to facilitate the free exchange of ideas.”

Librarians in UK increasingly asked to remove books, as influence of US pressure groups spreads | Libraries | The Guardian

On the one hand, libraries should be repositories for every kind of book. On the other hand, school libraries in particular are constrained by budget, so there is a narrow selection, it is already self-censored, by whom?
The article doesn't try to distinguish primary schools from secondary schools. I'm not a great supporter of gender material in primary schools, there are so many good books to choose from why seek out the gender focussed books?

Originally Posted by Shutree

On the one hand, libraries should be repositories for every kind of book. On the other hand, school libraries in particular are constrained by budget, so there is a narrow selection, it is already self-censored, by whom?
The article doesn't try to distinguish primary schools from secondary schools. I'm not a great supporter of gender material in primary schools, there are so many good books to choose from why seek out the gender focussed books?

Because they're book-burning nazis.

Originally Posted by Shutree

I'm not a great supporter of gender material in primary schools

Putting these ideas into the suggestible imaginations of young kids minds is probably the cause of some of the tragic cases of parents being charged with 'neglect' and being separated from their kids for being less than 100% supportive of their kids' suggestions that they think they may be a boy instead of a girl or vice versa.

Originally Posted by Looper

Putting these ideas into the suggestible imaginations of young kids minds is probably the cause of some of the tragic cases of parents being charged with 'neglect' and being separated from their kids for being less than 100% supportive of their kids' suggestions that they think they may be a boy instead of a girl or vice versa.

More trumpanzee drivel.

You really swallowed the fucking Koolaid eh?

Interesting to get Dana White's take on the Maher dinner, which he also attended with Kid Rock.



It is refreshing to hear more sentiments against the stoking of the ubiquitous tribal partisan divide that has been increasingly dominating politics in the social media age.

Originally Posted by Looper

Interesting to get Dana White's take.

Interesting to whom?

Originally Posted by Looper

It is refreshing to hear more sentiments against the stoking of the ubiquitous tribal partisan divide that has been increasingly dominating politics in the social media age.

What a crock of shit. The divide is stoked daily on the right in the US, these idiotic charades are just that and are as phony as it gets. Bill Maher should have known better than to have anything to do with the orange buffoon. He must have been stoned.

You have really shown your true colors of late Looper. You are a full on MAGA loon and a right wing twat.

I’m sure there’s a thread dedicated to the buffoon, JD Vance.
Perfect metaphor, for the Trump presidency.

I saw the Chinese have been making fun of Vance wearing eyeliner. If I want to go full on right wing loon, I don't want to have to support dudes covered in orange makeup or eyeliner.

Originally Posted by Looper

Interesting to get Dana White's take on the Maher dinner, which he also attended with Kid Rock.

It is refreshing to hear more sentiments against the stoking of the ubiquitous tribal partisan divide that has been increasingly dominating politics in the social media age.

He's a fucking trumpanzee you idiot. Do you really think he's going to say anything against his orange turd hero?

And look, here's the orange turd doing Big Pharma a massive favour. What a fucking surprise.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that aims to delay Medicare negotiations for a broad category of prescription drugs, handing the deep-pocketed pharmaceutical industry a major win as it lobbies aggressively against efforts to rein in its pricing power.
Trump's order, titled "Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First," instructs Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to work with Congress to "modify" the Medicare drug price negotiation program that was established under the Biden administration and has already yielded significant results despite pharma companies' best efforts to block it in court.
Specifically, Trump calls for a four-year extension of the period during which small-molecule prescription drugs are exempt from price negotiations with Medicare. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, small-molecule drugs—which are typically taken in pill form and represent 90% of medications currently in circulation—are not subject to the price negotiation process until at least nine years after their Food and Drug Administration approval date.
Steve Knievel, a drug policy advocate at Public Citizen, warned in a statement that by pushing back the negotiation date for many drugs, Trump's order could do the opposite of its stated goal, potentially reversing recent progress on an issue that has long plagued the United States.
"Further delaying Medicare drug price negotiation would lead to higher prices for patients and taxpayers, not lower ones," said Knievel. "Empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices is the only significant legislative measure taken to address Big Pharma price gouging in the last 40 years. Now Trump proposes to undermine that singular achievement."
"Extending negotiation delay periods," Knievel added, "is nothing but a total capitulation to the demands of drug corporation lobbyists that want to continue to overcharge Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers."

https://www.rawstory.com/just-caved-...major-promise/

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Big Pharma a massive favour.

the most profitable dealers preying on sick America the sole developed nation without free health care for all

Of course the US Marshals, part of the DoJ, would be the ones to enforce it. And we know how that would go.

A US federal judge has warned that he could hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for violating his orders to turn around planes carrying deportees to El Salvador. The comments are an escalation in a row which began last month when US District Judge James E Boasberg issued an order temporarily blocking the deportations.

US judge warns Trump administration could be in criminal contempt over El Salvador deportations | US News | Sky News

What if God isn’t benevolent, and He really likes Donald J Trump ?… and can’t wait to have him
at His right hand side.

Or even better, make him eternal so he can rule the world for the next 500 years.



Wake up Arry, it was only a nightmare.

Originally Posted by peaches

What if God isn’t benevolent, and He really likes Donald J Trump ?… and can’t wait to have him
at His right hand side.

Or even better, make him eternal so he can rule the world for the next 500 years.



Wake up Arry, it was only a nightmare.

Doesn't bother me mate, I don't believe in space fairies. I leave that to simpletons.