Trump's Day One accomplishments - your predictions!

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Originally Posted by Rogar

In the list of characters in Trumps cabinet line up RFKJ isn't near the top of my worries. He might be OK. My biggest concern would be that he or under Trumps influence would ignore warnings about bird flu and fail to make public any greater concerns. And the subsequent vaccines. His departments could use a good shaking up, so maybe? I'm not sure when Doug Burgum is coming up for the Dept. of Interior. He seems to want to turn a lot of our public lands out west into oil fields.

https://www.hcn.org/articles/trumps-...-public-lands/

I can't watch trump's comments on the plane crash yet. I'm going to have to ease into what he might have said.

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OK I won't be a spoiler, but it's a doozie.

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Originally Posted by catherine

OK I won't be a spoiler, but it's a doozie.

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No one has to watch it. Let Roger have some peace in his life. We a good summary from flowers.

save yourself, all!

Thanks. I got the main theme without having to watch. I try to pace myself. I did watch the interviews with Patel. That's enough for one day.

I urge everyone to take a look at the fednews subreddit on Reddit.

You will be able to see what is happening in real time from the perspective of federal workers.

They received another intimidating email last night, pushing them to resign.

They are pointing out that anyone who falls for this tactic will not get paid, as that is standard for Trump. There is also no money in the budget to pay them.

The emails are coming from a non -secure, non government server and are the product of Elon Musk and Amanda Scales.

If you care about these people at all, consider contacting your senators.

These emails are being sent at night, after normal work hours. I do not understand why this is not considered a massive security threat to our nation.

A reporter asked why Trump had not gone to the crash scene, where divers continue to work to recover the bodies of the lost souls, Trump replied thus:
"US President Donald Trump responded sarcastically to questions about whether he would be visiting the site of the deadly crash over the Potomac River in Washington D.C., asking reporters at the White House: “You want me to go swimming?”

'Want me to go swimming?': Trump raps reporter on being asked if he will visit Washington plane crash site (msn.com)

I am to the point I want nothing to do with anyone who supports Trump.

And this one:
They are straight up looting the treasury : r/fednews (reddit.com)

And one more, that USAID employees have been fired based on donations and voting records:

"Miller made a point of saying on CNN the other night that the names of USAID agency employees were apparently checked against poltical candidate donations/voting records. Straight up McCarthyism right therehttps://youtu.be/thMvPd-tW6U?si=wCfeU2cLIAtH61AM"

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Originally Posted by Tybee

They received another intimidating email last night, pushing them to resign.

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I've been under the impression that this is a return to office notice with the option to resign with severance if they choose not to do so.

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If you care about these people at all, consider contacting your senators.

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What should we tell our senators? "Oh my gosh, they're treating us like non-government employees and requiring us to return to office or face consequences!"

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Originally Posted by Alan

I've been under the impression that this is a return to office notice with the option to resign with severance if they choose not to do so.


What should we tell our senators? "Oh my gosh, they're treating us like non-government employees and requiring us to return to office or face consequences!"[/COLOR]

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Please, everyone, I urge you to read in this subreddit to see what is actually happening.
Read the memo from Robert Reich to all the federal workers which lays out why the email they received is deceptive and a trap, and no one should sign it.

I have contacted my senator, and posted here, it's all I can think of to do right now.

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Originally Posted by Tybee

And one more, that USAID employees have been fired based on donations and voting records:

"Miller made a point of saying on CNN the other night that the names of USAID agency employees were apparently checked against poltical candidate donations/voting records. Straight up McCarthyism right therehttps://youtu.be/thMvPd-tW6U?si=wCfeU2cLIAtH61AM"

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What do you mean my “voting records?”

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

What do you mean my “voting records?”

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I urge you to read this subreddit, Iris, as you are an excellent researcher and you can reach your own conclusions about what is happening.

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Originally Posted by Tybee

I urge you to read this subreddit, Iris, as you are an excellent researcher and you can reach your own conclusions about what is happening.

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No, you tell me: how are they targeting voting records?

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Originally Posted by Tybee

Please, everyone, I urge you to read in this subreddit to see what is actually happening.
Read the memo from Robert Reich to all the federal workers which lays out why the email they received is deceptive and a trap, and no one should sign it.

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My recent substack from Paul Krugman says it's a scam and people risk never getting any pay while they are on "administration leave". There are also legal issues about pay for such a long period and so many without being approved by congress. Speculative, but he's no slouch either.

"There are five things you should know about this plan:
1. It’s illegal
2. It’s almost surely a scam: workers who take the offer probably won’t see the money they’ve been promised
3. To the extent that workers actually take up the offer, they’ll be the workers we can least afford to lose
4. The move will cost, not save money
5. What this really amounts to is a purge, replacing professional civil servants with political loyalists"

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

No, you tell me: how are they targeting voting records?

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I don't know what "they" are doing in this particular case but...

In Washington State, it is very easy for anybody to see if someone else has voted, or not voted, in an election. It's a public record.

I have used this to derail several local glad-handing politicians that were running for re-election when I pointed out that even though they had loudly congratulated various local bond/levy efforts (after the effort won at the polls), they had not in fact *voted* themselves in any of the controversial elections, nor had their trad-wives.

Of course, if they had voted, there would be no way of knowing which position they took, but it's pretty clear that they consistently *didn't* vote at all in controversial elections.

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Originally Posted by bae

I don't know what "they" are doing in this particular case but...

In Washington State, it is very easy for anybody to see if someone else has voted, or not voted, in an election. It's a public record.

I have used this to derail several local glad-handing politicians that were running for re-election when I pointed out that even though they had loudly congratulated various local bond/levy efforts (after the effort won at the polls), they had not in fact *voted* themselves in any of the controversial elections, nor had their trad-wives.

Of course, if they had voted, there would be no way of knowing which position they took, but it's pretty clear that they consistently *didn't* vote at all in controversial elections.

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Yes, see who is voting.That’s why I always got nonstop calls from politicians when I lived in the city because I never missed a vote but for one spring election near the time we moved.

But see WHO they are voting for? Nope.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

My recent substack from Paul Krugman says it's a scam.

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I also subscribe to Krugman on Substack--and it's really fun to read the unleashed version of him. I think that eventually all really good journalists will leave their mainstream media jobs and start writing on platforms like Substack, especially as mainstream media increasingly bends to certain interests.

I'm glad someone else reads Krugman. I had a few economics classes in school and enjoy his easy to understand presentations of the topic. And since his NYT days he's added some good humor. His music codas at the end are usually fun to listen to. His illustration heading in his discussion of Mexico and Canada tariffs was good:

Attachment 6210

Trump's press secretary, when asked about impact of Canadian tariff with Canada, and Canadian response to tariff:

""They want you to panic, but President Trump wants you to remember Jesus didn’t have electricity either and he did just fine," Leavitt said."

Karoline Leavitt shocks as she tells press 'Jesus didn't have electricity either' - Irish Star

About the tariffs from someone in the business:

There are LOTS of unanswered questions and details I need info on but don’t have on the implementation. For example, I’m guessing the 10% China duty will be ON TOP of current China duties. But some items aren’t subject to current China duties. Do those get to skip the 10% or not? That sort of thing.

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Originally Posted by Tybee

Trump's press secretary, when asked about impact of Canadian tariff with Canada, and Canadian response to tariff:

"[FONT="]"They want you to panic, but President Trump wants you to remember Jesus didn’t have electricity either and he did just fine," Leavitt said."

[/FONT]Karoline Leavitt shocks as she tells press 'Jesus didn't have electricity either' - Irish Star

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unbelievable.

Even though I am emotionally checked out of this country I still worry for my neighbors as most are struggling. These tariffs on Mexican goods are going to raise prices on fruits and vegetables. I guess the good part is that realistically it won't be long until people - entirely justified - hit the streets ala a world country about to topple. It is long overdue. What are your plans for this inevitability? I'd be sorting that out before (expletive) hits the fan. And stock up on canned goods while stocking up remains possible!

In short, learn something from my Austrian ancestors and even more importantly, let it sink into your DNA that the United States is not immune from collapse, either. Rob

I am trying to figure out the current state of Federally mandated ESG* investing.

I know Obama era times yielded to Trump (who got rid of some or all directives) back to Biden who liked the idea of my fiduciary considering ESG in my investing (though I do not. Thanks Joe.)

But I don’t know if Trump really has any thing to roll back because, from what I read tonight, it seems Biden simply said fiduciaries could consider ESG. if they wished. While that seems benign, I would be happier if the government didn’t say anything about ESG at all in investing.

And yes, I know there are many investment advisors who say ESG results in higher returns and that is great! Good for you! But I would like the concept to be one I do not talk about with our investment guys.

so bottom line: does Trump have anything to roll back here? If there is something to roll back, he will do it.

*ESG=Environmental, Social, Governance

I read recently* that over the past 3 years ESG funds have underperformed the stock market and that many fund managers now believe they made a mistake bowing to pressure to invest in them.

* I believe it was a piece by John Stossel a week or so ago.

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Originally Posted by Alan

I read recently* that over the past 3 years ESG funds have underperformed the stock market and that many fund managers now believe they made a mistake bowing to pressure to invest in them.

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Based on my own 30+ year experience, my "portfolio of evil" outperforms ESG in rain and shine.

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Originally Posted by Alan

I read recently* that over the past 3 years ESG funds have underperformed the stock market and that many fund managers now believe they made a mistake bowing to pressure to invest in them.

* I believe it was a piece by John Stossel a week or so ago.

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Return reports seem to be a mixed bag since I’m seeing various reports, but maybe in 2022 and 2023 ESG funds did well and in 2024 not so well.

I don’t care because I wish it was not a concept that we had to pay any attention to at all. This should be solely between the investor and her fiduciary.

But we are entering an era where that kind of crap will go by the wayside and that makes me happy .

"Trump administration[COLOR=rgba(13, 13, 13, 0.9)] officials have forced out all six of the [/COLOR]FBI[COLOR=rgba(13, 13, 13, 0.9)]’s most senior executives and multiple heads of FBI field offices across the country, current and former FBI officials told NBC News. "

[/COLOR]Trump administration forces out multiple senior FBI officials – NBC New York

"Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll on Friday refused a Justice Department order that he assist in the firing of agents involved in January 6th riot cases, pushing back so forcefully that some FBI officials feared he would be dismissed, multiple current and former FBI officials told NBC News."

Senior FBI official forcefully resisted Trump administration firings (msn.com)

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Return reports seem to be a mixed bag since I’m seeing various reports, but maybe in 2022 and 2023 ESG funds did well and in 2024 not so well.

I don’t care because I wish it was not a concept that we had to pay any attention to at all. This should be solely between the investor and her fiduciary.

But we are entering an era where that kind of crap will go by the wayside and that makes me happy .

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I think this is more what you should be concerned about right now:

"Why aren't we talking more about the treasury takover?

[COLOR=rgb(0 0 0/var(--tw-text-opacity))]Misc Question
[/COLOR]

[COLOR=var(--color-neutral-content)]I'm just an outside observer of what's going down, but once the payments system is taken over, it doesn't matter what happens after. Federal employees can get their wages cut off at any time. The current regime has proven it doesn't care about legality, aren't they just going to force federal workers out by not paying them? It feels like everyone is still thinking in terms of a working system."

Why aren't we talking more about the treasury takover? : r/fednews (reddit.com)

This is your social security check. Whether Trump just takes what is in your IRA. Whether Medicare is no longer funded. Not Medicaid, which he already ended last Friday, but Medicare.




[/COLOR]

I’ve read that the DOGE people have access to the information in the payment system, but have no control to stop or originate payments. The current panic seems to be similar to the furor over Musk’s awkward gestures in that people are desperate for something to hyperventilate about.

I’m a lot more worried about Trump’s dumb populist economics than Nazis hiding under my bed.

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Originally Posted by Alan

I've been under the impression that this is a return to office notice with the option to resign with severance if they choose not to do so.


What should we tell our senators? "Oh my gosh, they're treating us like non-government employees and requiring us to return to office or face consequences!"[/COLOR]

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the notice even went to the air traffic controllers the day before the crash. They are in very short supply in big cities. Obviously they work in the office. And a friend has a daughter who works in a position required by law with specific education and skill sets and they got letters. They also returned to the office as soon as they were able.

while shrinking the government sounds good on paper, the reality of assessing performance is far more realistic to keep the high performers.

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Originally Posted by LDAHL

I’ve read that the DOGE people have access to the information in the payment system, but have no control to stop or originate payments. The current panic seems to be similar to the furor over Musk’s awkward gestures in that people are desperate for something to hyperventilate about.

I’m a lot more worried about Trump’s dumb populist economics than Nazis hiding under my bed.

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But see, this is what we get with constant hysteria. Constant. I am sick of it.

i want to understand what is really going on, but I accept that my limited ability to comprehend the huge machine of our Federal government will interfere with that. Yet I struggle on…

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Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife

In short, learn something from my Austrian ancestors and even more importantly, let it sink into your DNA that the United States is not immune from collapse, either. Rob

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Have you considered learning from your Austrian heritage?

Smart ones got out of the country, BEFORE the Nazi party shut down the borders and started sending people to camps. You seem to think the same thing is happening here, yet you're still here?

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Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff

Have you considered learning from your Austrian heritage?

Smart ones got out of the country, BEFORE the Nazi party shut down the borders and started sending people to camps. You seem to think the same thing is happening here, yet you're still here?

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Glad I to know I wasn’t the only one thinking this.

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Originally Posted by catherine

Yeah, that's the bottom line for me. I agree with him about how the food system is messed up--from the ground up--I love that he wants to support all farmers, and wants to support regenerative ag. I like that he talks about processed foods and food chemicals and impact on national health. I like that he's been an environmental lawyer.

As far as his family legacy goes, I agree that the family succeeds in spinning their narrative to achieve their status as political icons but there are SO many slimy chinks in the armor going down through the generations.

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here is what National Review said today about RFKJ and it is a good summary of how I view him:

“RFK Jr. hears things and reads things, and half-remembers them, then makes sweeping conclusions from what he misremembers, and insists he’s merely citing “the science.”

Since Donald Trump is slashing and burning government regulations, I have a wish for Donald: I wish for him to roll back the automobile requirements that no longer allow small trucks to be manufactured. No, the new Ford Maverick is not a “small “truck.

This year we started babying DH’s 2009 Ford Ranger that had been” totaled” in a wreck although he fixed it and it’s been going fine ever since. He does not want a bigger truck with a higher bed. He wants a truck the size of a Ford Ranger. You can no longer get them due to government regulations. We are not driving it when we have a choice to drive something else because it’s irreplaceable, so we want to put as few miles on it as possible.

Maybe President Trump can do something about that, because there is certainly a market for the old small trucks like a Ranger.

look at the small trucks of bygone years and the things that replaced them. And if any of you make fun of owners of big trucks, please at least recognize that there isn’t much choice anymore.

Attachment 6231

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Since Donald Trump is slashing and burning government regulations, I have a wish for Donald: I wish for him to roll back the automobile requirements that no longer allow small trucks to be manufactured. No, the new Ford Maverick is not a “small “truck.

This year we started babying DH’s 2009 Ford Ranger that had been” totaled” in a wreck although he fixed it and it’s been going fine ever since. He does not want a bigger truck with a higher bed. He wants a tractor the size of a Ford Ranger. You can no longer get them due to government regulations. We are not driving it when we have a choice to drive something else because it’s irreplaceable, so we want to put as few miles on it as possible.

Maybe President Trump can do something about that, because they’re certainly a market for the old small trucks like a Ranger.

look at the small trucks of Bagon years and the things that replaced them. And if any of you make fun of owners of big trucks, please at least recognize that there isn’t much choice anymore.

Attachment 6231

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+ one million!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DH had a Ford Ranger and loved it too! He can buy any truck he wants and has not done so either.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

He wants a truck the size of a Ford Ranger. You can no longer get them due to government regulations. We are not driving it when we have a choice to drive something else because it’s irreplaceable, so we want to put as few miles on it as possible.

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I was wondering why I couldn't find a small truck when last I bought one. I got a Toyota Tacoma, but it is "huge" compared to what I was looking for, and compared to the small Toyota I had in the '80s.

Subarus also seem excessively huge - when we got my now-ex-wife an Outback, we were looking for something to replace our expired Volvo wagon, and remembered Outbacks as being station wagons. Imagine our surprise on the lot to find they had ballooned into large-ish SUVs.

I'm currently on a quest to get a decent, old, diesel, Toyota HiLux - there are a few importers of such treasures now. I almost pulled the trigger on a lovely Ford Model A pickup last year, but it was way too nice for how I'd use it, and I would have felt bad.

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Originally Posted by bae

I was wondering why I couldn't find a small truck when last I bought one. I got a Toyota Tacoma, but it is "huge" compared to what I was looking for, and compared to the small Toyota I had in the '80s.

Subarus also seem excessively huge - when we got my now-ex-wife an Outback, we were looking for something to replace our expired Volvo wagon, and remembered Outbacks as being station wagons. Imagine our surprise on the lot to find they had ballooned into large-ish SUVs.

I'm currently on a quest to get a decent, old, diesel, Toyota HiLux - there are a few importers of such treasures now. I almost pulled the trigger on a lovely Ford Model A pickup last year, but it was way too nice for how I'd use it, and I would have felt bad.

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That’s another thing….no longer are there small station wagons although I do not know of I can blame government regulations for that.Probably not.

we wanted the small Ford station wagon to replace our larger station wagon when it went bad in 2008, but they no longer made them. Station wagon cargo areas are the right height For bulldogs to stand and see out or to sit and see out. They can’t see out in SUVs. They were making Subaru station wagon then but we didn’t want to spend that kind of money, we just wanted the plan Jane Ford.

Washington State oddly hasn't banned kei-class mini-trucks, so those seem to be flooding into at least my county recently.

https://www.nwminitrucks.com/

They are super-cheap. Parts supply apparently requires a bit of an effort, but seems to be not-impossible.

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Originally Posted by bae

Washington State oddly hasn't banned kei-class mini-trucks, so those seem to be flooding into at least my county recently.

https://www.nwminitrucks.com/

They are super-cheap. Parts supply apparently requires a bit of an effort, but seems to be not-impossible.

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I see one of those around here occasionally, every few years and I wondered where they came from. But they are hot house things and I have no idea how reliable they are.