Trump blinks: 'Substantially' lower China tariffs promised President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his administration plans to lower the 145 percent tariffs it levies on goods imported into America from China, continuing his pattern of unpredictable shifts in policy. Trump revealed the trade war climbdown during a press Q&A session in the White House when asked if the current 145 …
But what about Vance?
What about him?
He's irrelevant. The cult is solely focused on worshipping Trump. If Trump dies, Vance may be president but he will not be able to do all the crazy stuff Trump does because congress won't sit helplessly to the side and let him like they do Trump. There will be a battle for who gets to take over as lead MAGgot, and it'll fracture into sects like the religion it is between Vance, Don Jr, Bannon, and others.
"There are billions of people around the world who think Trump is suffering dementia and aren't convinced he'll be able to survive his full term."
The usual fast-pace removal of a political entity is often performed by a locally based group for mainly local reasons. To have an entire world willing to donate to the venture (GoFundMe?) is a real accomplishment.
I have been assuming that Trump didn't come up with this on his own, but has been colluding with a coven of like minded advisers who are are certain to be more intelligent that him.
I wans wondering if maybe these other folk know what they are doing and have modelled and have an expected outcome. It couldn't possibly be Trump blindly following a simplistic specious idea could it?
Surely not the president of the USA. Takes me back to Spitting Image "The president's brain is missing" sketches.
@werdsmith
"I have been assuming that Trump didn't come up with this on his own, but has been colluding with a coven of like minded advisers who are are certain to be more intelligent that him."
I could see that as possible, I dont think many presidents get to where they do without such 'help' which often brings criticism.
"I wans wondering if maybe these other folk know what they are doing and have modelled and have an expected outcome. It couldn't possibly be Trump blindly following a simplistic specious idea could it?"
I do wonder how much Trump understands about tariffs to be making these 'bold' (yes minister) decisions. It is possible it is an intentional objective but I could also believe it is the misunderstanding from 'advisors'.
"Surely not the president of the USA. Takes me back to Spitting Image "The president's brain is missing" sketches."
The only issue I really take with this is the lack of such interest in who got Biden up there. He was like a turtle on a fence post and nobody knows who was actually in charge. I can understand how the old video of Obama talking about wanting a third term if he could just put some puppet in as president has made some believe it was Obama running the show.
Doing right or wrong we know Trump is making these decisions. When it comes to Biden I suspect his only real input was to pardon his son and even then I could be persuaded he didnt do it of his own thoughts.
Crap.
Biden's mental abilities were a persistent stinky story throughout his term, just like Obama's nationality before him, because the Repubs are basically like the apes from Kubrick's 2001 - a barrel of howling primates, slinging sh*t.
And then one of them discovers he can beat others to death with a stick.
Now they are all with a stick in the hand not holding their own excrement, and howling louder.
For the pleasure of licking the Orange Jesus, they will say anything, and repeatedly, until the rest of us are so exhausted that we forget it was a lie.
Politicians toeing a party line is not just limited to the Right, it has to be said, but when the Dems do it, they at least do it like professionals.
Remember, if you can: almost every Repub vocally dismissed Trump's original candidacy for president as a beyond-the-pale absurdity - right up until he won the nomination at the convention.
Then, almost every single one ate a sh*t sandwich ENTHUSIASTICALLY.
Biden was 80 years old and had served in the government for what, most of his life?
A man who'd done this while living with personal tragedy.
Even if his mental acuity was starting to degrade, I can easily believe he'd be clear about helping his remaining son, without hesitation and while he could, and to hell with what anyone thinks about it.
I would do the same.
"A man who'd done this while living with personal tragedy."
Shacking up with the baby sitter?
"Biden's mental abilities were a persistent stinky story throughout his term"
Because his mental abilities were lacking. That is fact.
Another fact is the way you and others here constantly refer to Trump and his supporters in an utterly dehumanising way.
"Because his mental abilities were lacking. That is fact."
Show your sources - any that aren't an opinion piece, anyway.
"Another fact is the way you and others here constantly refer to Trump and his supporters in an utterly dehumanising way."
I refer specifically to politicians, rather than voters.
And yes, I do call them names. Happily. They inspire me.
I don't use the same words they do for their opponents or targets, though - vermin, rapists, traitors, Antifa, etc.
I also don't call them very fine people.
@S C
Your whole comment does not seem to challenge the fact that Biden was not mentally up to the job.
"Biden's mental abilities were a persistent stinky story throughout his term, just like Obama's nationality before him, because the Repubs are basically like the apes from Kubrick's 2001 - a barrel of howling primates, slinging sh*t."
Or against Trump the Russia hoax, crying some of his businesses failed (forgetting the pretty good success rate), claims the election wasnt fair or honest (how that came back to bite the dems), insults of colour or style (from the diversity/inclusivity people no less), not my president and so on. And that was before Trump became President, the sh*t slinging and howling only getting worse through Trumps first term and his bid for re-election.
"Politicians toeing a party line is not just limited to the Right, it has to be said, but when the Dems do it, they at least do it like professionals."
Weaponization of the state against a political rival. Claiming an insurrection without insurrectionists. Lawfare. Attempting to redefine the role of the Executive Office! Considering court packing. Pre-emptive pardons!
"Even if his mental acuity was starting to degrade, I can easily believe he'd be clear about helping his remaining son, without hesitation and while he could, and to hell with what anyone thinks about it."
I can believe he would even after claiming nobody was above the law (in the efforts against Trump of course). But I can also believe he was pushed to do it by his son/wife too. I dont think Biden had much by way of morals but also not much left by way of cognitive independence.
My comment was more to challenge yours on the idea that Biden was too feeble-minded to care about his son.
Bear in mind that this is something that most of us will never actually know as FACT, because all of our information comes from news stories of people adjacent to him, or to government, etc, expressing opinions. And that's true for just about any story we read, unless that story contains verifiable multiple sources.
But we will be more or less likelyto believe it, depending on our own perspectives.
'Weaponization of the state against a political rival' = 'Using the laws of the country to hold a criminal to account'
'Considering court packing' = 'Actually did pack the court'
'Claiming an insurrection without insurrectionists' = ..... I gotta give you that one. I do recall thinking it when they started claiming the 'storming' of the Capitol as an attempted coup. I mean, seriously - it was a violent riot.
But the reports of Proud Boys, etc, around DC with weapons caches, ready to go? Still small beans.
But the attempts to put forward alternate slates of electors?
But the attempt to bully the Georgia secretary of state into changing the vote count (on a recorded phone call, no less)?
Constantly claiming the election was rigged, resulting in the count being so closely scrutinised that it actually became the most accurate in US history?
Oh, and I didn't recall that Spitting Image sketch, although I do remember the Thatcher one, with the vegetables.
And John Scalzi has a funny little short story with the title 'The President's Brain is Missing'.
Bear in mind that this is something that most of us will never actually know as FACT, because all of our information comes from news stories of people adjacent to him, or to government, etc, expressing opinions. And that's true for just about any story we read, unless that story contains verifiable multiple sources.
You could get pretty close to fact just from having watched Biden in his relatively few public appearences. Falling off bicycles, up stairs, getting lost on stages, freezing or just remembering imaginary things.
But now Biden's signed with a talent agency, he's back in front of the camera. Maybe
https://notthebee.com/article/did-the-bidens-photoshop-joe-into-their-family-easter-photo-
Complete with his new detachable fingers. Bionic Biden! The new 6 Million Dollar Man! Well, $300k a pop for after dinner speeches that nobody seems to be buying, but that is quite an ask of a Waffle House franchisee. At least the Easter ghost photo has provided amusement with people playing 'where's Hunter?' and photoshopping him in as well.
"Complete with his new detachable fingers. Bionic Biden!"
That was really poor editing, but not ominous in and of itself. I had a friend that used to photograph weddings and when you have a group of people there's always somebody(s) with their eyes closed, making a face fighting off a sneeze, looking the wrong way, etc. A bit of editing and it's a perfectly posed photo. Occasionally it's somebody's face being blocked by the person in front of them and a wee bit of Photoshop magic comes to the rescue. It's not easy to pull off, but it is easy to muck up by leaving behind something like ghost fingers. It's also why a photographer is going to take multiple photos of a group so they can have some very similar versions to pull from.
It's not easy to pull off, but it is easy to muck up by leaving behind something like ghost fingers. It's also why a photographer is going to take multiple photos of a group so they can have some very similar versions to pull from.
I used to do wedding photography, and I hated it. At least with digital, it's a lot easier to take multiple shots. But the part of the not-fun was sometimes being ask to photoshop stuff, like slimming, spot removal, smoothing & de-aging etc. The camera never lies, and for some odd reason, the most demanding couples didn't want to pay extra for the editing.
But this one isn't easy to muck up because leaving the fingers would have required pretty major editing to crop out whoever the fingers belonged to, then replacing with Joe. But a neat example of real 'fake news' and begs the question about what was so wrong with the original.
The camera never lies, and for some odd reason, the most demanding couples didn't want to pay extra for the editing."
I learned from other photographer's mistakes and never got into wedding photography. I don't often photograph people at all.
I wouldn't be surprised if this example was AI editing. I've seen plenty of AI generated images created for ads that are a hot mess of bizarre artifacts. Almost as if the AI didn't have an innate feel for what is and isn't reality.
I learned from other photographer's mistakes and never got into wedding photography. I don't often photograph people at all.
A wise choice. But on the plus side, wedding photography can pay very well. On the minus, it can be like herding cats.. Drunken cats. Plus pressure to make sure you get all the traditional shots, like cake cutting. Where are those? Ooops. Then again, some happy couples will pay for additional photoshoots, sometimes during rehearsals or dedicated sessions. Can kinda tell those sometimes when cake cutting doesn't actually show cake being cut. Or they just order 2 so there's a stunt cake for the shoot. Easy enough to do with interior shots, and venues like the extra bookings. Exteriors, less fun because you're at the mercy of the weather & light.
But on the whole, just too much hassle and stress. I still shoot people, but usually only models because they're used to it. Also.. should photographers be worried about AI law enforcement given all the shooting that happens?
I wouldn't be surprised if this example was AI editing. I've seen plenty of AI generated images created for ads that are a hot mess of bizarre artifacts. Almost as if the AI didn't have an innate feel for what is and isn't reality.
Indeed. Which is a bit puzzling given AIs work off rules. So the typical human has a fixed number of limbs and other bits like breasts. Some AIs don't seem to grasp that concept, so the results can be both amusing and disturbing. But can also kinda back-track to guesstimate what might have happened. So maybe in the real shot, Biden was leaning down to talk to the person who ended up with the magic fingers. Photographer should have spotted that, but probably couldn't do the normal thing like shout 'Stop f'ng moving, you fscks!.. Mr President'.. But presumably didn't and didn't take the shot again, and then didn't spot the stray fingers when they composited Biden back in.
@S C
"My comment was more to challenge yours on the idea that Biden was too feeble-minded to care about his son."
I could accept either possibility. Both that he would protect his son and that we know he mentally wasnt there so could easily be guided to it.
"'Weaponization of the state against a political rival' = 'Using the laws of the country to hold a criminal to account'"
> Except for where the laws wernt so used. For example breaking the law by prosecuting beyond the statute of limitations, a charge the same prosecutors decided not to prosecute within the time (and on no new evidence) requiring a crime that has yet to be defined.
> Or abusing a consumer protection law to attack Trump when both Trump (the consumer) and the banks (who the law is to protect from) and the experts explained to a judge reality and the judge decided he knows better and reality doesnt matter?
> Or redefining the role of President which SCOTUS had to step in crashing the cases.
etc
"'Considering court packing' = 'Actually did pack the court'"
I heard Biden considered it but never went through with it did he?
"'Claiming an insurrection without insurrectionists' = ..... I gotta give you that one. I do recall thinking it when they started claiming the 'storming' of the Capitol as an attempted coup. I mean, seriously - it was a violent riot."
Yup. One that deserves serious investigation including the 3 pipe bombs which seemed to cover the bases of both dem and republican. Almost as though it gave options for who to blame. And then of course the involvement of the state services. The misbehaviour since then to push a narrative instead of actually investigate what happened. The first lie caught out was that rioters forced their way in when the doors only open from the inside.
"Constantly claiming the election was rigged, resulting in the count being so closely scrutinised that it actually became the most accurate in US history?"
If only it was scrutinised. Still wondering where the magic voters went. And it doesnt help that the claims made have been shown to be true now that people are paying more attention to voting. One election being thrown out due to misbehaviour of public workers and in 2024 illegal votes being counted against the express wishes of the Supreme Court which caused a recount!
As a continuation of behaviour from the Russia hoax 2016 its easy to see why trust in their government would vanish.
We're straying a bit from the whole dementia conversation, but well, I have to ask:
You actually believe, with actual verifiable (non-Fox) sources, that
- The regular political core of the Democratic party engaged in an active conspiracy to destroy Trump as a political figure and person? I refer to actions taken outside of regular campaigning.
- Trump did NOT lead or participate in an active conspiracy to steal the 2020 election and did not then perpetuate a story that the election was in fact stolen from him?
- Trump is NOT now having a special task force (DOGE) conduct a slash-and-burn operation against his own government while exfiltrating confidential government records of US citizens and non-citizens from various departments while making serious efforts to hide exactly what was taken?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1yj0NKSsuU
Tish James calls the elected president illegitimate, so she is an election denier, and then her entire campaign is 'get Trump'. So it isn't a conspiracy. It is overt. The establishment wants to destroy Trump for daring to get in their way. She was just one of many. Even now we have Jamie Raskin threatening sovereign nations that if they do deals with the Trump admin the Dems will not treat them kindly if the Dems get back into power.
As for the election, Hillary bleated on about it being stolen as did her supporters and Harris supporters have done the same. Don't care, move on. Trump did not lead and certainly did not participate in the Jan 6th protest. He told them to walk peacefully to the capitol, as is their right under the constitution.
Do you have proof that the govt records ARE being taken?
@S C
"We're straying a bit from the whole dementia conversation"
Yeah sorry about that.
"You actually believe, with actual verifiable (non-Fox) sources, that
- The regular political core of the Democratic party engaged in an active conspiracy to destroy Trump as a political figure and person? I refer to actions taken outside of regular campaigning."
Not pointing to just the dems, its a uniparty effort but yes. It is publicly established reality that the Steele dossier was false, the FBI shouldnt have opened an investigation but did. It is clear and visible that covid coming from the lab was deemed a racist idea (because Trump said it) right until Biden won and then accepted the lab was possible (now a practical certainty). The Hunter Biden laptop was real and not a 'hoax' and the FBI sat on it unlike investigations into Trump. Dodgy lawfare discussed previously. Security services leaking like a sieve against Trump including staged photos of the documents raid. The J6 committee bull. And so on. So yes.
"- Trump did NOT lead or participate in an active conspiracy to steal the 2020 election and did not then perpetuate a story that the election was in fact stolen from him?"
I would like to believe the 2020 election was above board but every effort to believe it gets shot by continued misbehaviour. The magic votes that only voted that once and cant be found again is at a minimum odd. That democrats have severely opposed removing people ineligible to vote from ballot lists looks terrible. Actually causing an election to be nullified and in another instance being caught out actively counting illegal ballots just to try and support the democrat are clear violations! It is hard to get the standard of proof of dodgy behaviour for an election especially when not wanting to look, but since Bidens 'miraculous' win people have paid more attention and actually found such illegal actions during elections.
So in fairness I would like to believe 2020 was above board but its increasingly difficult to believe.
"- Trump is NOT now having a special task force (DOGE) conduct a slash-and-burn operation against his own government while exfiltrating confidential government records of US citizens and non-citizens from various departments while making serious efforts to hide exactly what was taken?"
No idea about the exfiltrating of confidential government records, I know the government doesnt want them looked at. After going after Trump over an accounting code issue it is amusing to see the Treasury being called out for the same thing. The slash and burn is pretty much what he was voted for, he campaigned on it. The US government is too expensive and they the people cannot afford it. The security services need a serious cleanup after the attacks Trump has been through.
On the hiding what was taken, departments have been noticed burning and destroying documents and information before DOGE can get in to take a look.
- Trump is NOT now having a special task force (DOGE) conduct a slash-and-burn operation against his own government while exfiltrating confidential government records of US citizens and non-citizens from various departments while making serious efforts to hide exactly what was taken?
What I don't understand is why the Donkeys are so violently opposed to goverment efficiency? Firebombing Teslas, all because the new government is trying to save taxpayer's some money. But this really shouldn't suprise me. After Trump beat the Blessed Hillary, she ranted about Russians, and how Trump had stolen the election from her, then unleashing her own 'basket of deplorables' to dance in the streets in those 'fiery, but mostly peaceful protests'-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6AY65Is8Q8
And I guess if you're AOC, it might be enough to get you screaming and crying at an empty carpark at the injustice of it all. But then if you'd previously enjoyed the generosity of say, USAAID and had your money cut off and sometimes clawed back, you might be a bit upset. If you're another leading Donkey, like say, Al Gore, you might be a bit more nervous. Dear'ol Klaus might be looking forward to owning nothing, and will he be happy, if claims of embezzling the WEF are true. Oh, and bugs. Crickets coming from some sections of the media on that one..
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@A Non e-mouse
"Yes, they did cover Biden's mental health. They said apart from old age, he appeared to be fine. Whereas Trump was clearly showing mental health issues."
Then that surely discounts their views as not entirely capable nor reliable. Bidens fall was noticed before he was elected yet it took until the fateful debate when people suddenly started to acknowledge the truth and more and more people continue to speak out about the decline of Biden in office that they saw but covered up or dared not speak about.
Hopeful prayers that a diagnosis against *orange man bad* are true from people who couldnt see Biden failing and seemed to think he was 'fine' is nothing more than hopeful prayers. If they missed the obvious in front of them their opinion does not seem reliable.
It's entirely reasonable that Bidchen is completely inept and that Donald is completely worthless as a human sack of flesh.
A is bad does not necessarily mean that B is good, and vice versa.
Both the offers from the major US political party suck beyond reason. Both of them. All choices. Yet, people keep voting for them, either shadow-government run by a sock puppet, or in-your-face school bully blow-hard, because they feel they have no other option, and because they feel that if they *don't* then that _other_ asshole of a candidate will win. !!!
As long as either of the major political party's candidates are the major vote recipient, the situation will not improve. The democrats lost the 2016 election, when they had a slam-dunk candidate, because they felt they were running their terrible, horrible candidate against someone *so much worse* that they couldn't _*POSSIBLY*_ lose. Then their candidate was **SO** bad... they lost. That was their best offer. Someone so bad they lost to Donald was the Democrats' best candidate. Meanwhile, Donald is the best that the republicans have to offer. Go figure.
@m4r35n357
"No it does not"
I said "Which begs the question of their ability" so why not? Why should we not question their ability based on them (according to A Non e-mouse) failing to identify such failings in Biden who was obviously struggling and yet seem to claim Trump is?
"But if you are wrong about that . . . I am beginning to be concerned about the veracity of the rest of your post."
So is the post so difficult for you that you must nit pick a fallacy? Or you have no good answer but felt compelled to respond?
@gnasher729
"The difference: Biden sometimes went slow."
Sometimes? Foreign powers knew they were limited in when they could meet him due to his cognitive problems. He needed tape on the floor to know where to walk and a teleprompter to speak. Regularly he would still stray and give away his inability which is why people were already aware the gov and media were just lying constantly about Biden. We already know he didnt even know what he was signing and was kept away from the media as much as possible.
Now compare that to Trump who regularly invites the media and regularly discusses with them while staying in their spotlight and not hiding away. And while some dream of the bad orange man having whatever mental issues, they are typically laughed off because its desperate dreaming of sore losers. The same sore losers who remained quiet over the previous administration. And its not just Biden, look at who was in charge of health! Or Nuclear!
It is difficult to take such criticism of the current administration seriously when such criticism of the vastly worse previous administration wasnt there.
@AC
"Being able to play the media is not synonymous with being a good decision maker."
Absolutely. At no point do I try to claim that.
"Yes, Trump is a showman and enjoys the media attention. Biden was the opposite."
Trump is a media whore, Biden was kept away from the media for obvious reasons.
"Invites SELECTED media. Trump hides away from anyone who would actually ask questions, like Associated Press"
Are you high or just really dumb?
The Biden admin revoked something like 440 press passes, only let pre-approved questions be asked when Joe was having one of his rare press appearances (something like only 10 per year) and the moment the pre-approved questions were over they would kick the press out of the room.
"He needed tape on the floor to know where to walk and a teleprompter to speak."
Those are actually very regular things. The President doesn't get much time to rehearse a presentation so having notes is important as well as teleprompters since there'd be little point in hiring good script writers to word smith everything only to rely on somebody memorizing every word with no time to practice. The telling things are when he was reading the stage directions in the script that weren't meant to be read out aloud and marked in a way to show they weren't to be read. Just look at a movie/TV script. Somewhere in my collection I have one from The Big Bang Theory where I was present for the taping. There's all sorts of stage directions. <Leonard, sitting at computer desk> <Turn to Sheldon> Blah Blah Blah <turn back to computer>. I think my favorite gag about this sort of thing was in Yellowbeard. Spike Milligan was awesome when he proudly declares "Not to be read out aloud!". Getting completely lost on stage is a big faux pax. To do it once is humorous. For it to be a regular thing is a concern
There's also not time to run through the "blocking" so putting tape markers on the floor is used all over the place. Just look at the Cybertruck event where Elon decides to climb up in the bed of the truck unscripted and from the waist up is in the dark. Blind to his making things up being bad, he goes on telling lies while in the dark (as far as cameras can see). Musician stoned out of their heads somehow manage to understand that they need to hit their marks for the lighting to work. This is more important today as in-ear monitoring means they can be just about anywhere in the venue and still hear everything where before, if they weren't in front of the stage monitors, they'd have a hard time. Peter Falk had a hard time seeing the tape marks and they folded his always staring at the ground as part of his "Columbo" character. A bit harder to pull off with a President.
did they see Bidens situation when the politicians and the media were lying to cover for him?
Two problems with your whataboutism: 1. It isn't true. A stutter does not mean cognitive decline, thanks for giving us the opportunity to say that AGAIN. and 2. There were a Cabinet of actual experts, not inexperienced buddies and sycophants from media who advised the president, and he took their opinions into consideration.
Your pronounced admiration for authoritarian leadership begs the question of your ability to spout anything but bollocks.
"Which begs the question of their ability- did they see Bidens situation when the politicians and the media were lying to cover for him?"
Oh, it was thoroughly spotted, but it's not process that's been gone through in living memory (ever?). One would expect that the US Congress would kick that drive off, but competing sponsors of the "elected" officials might have competing agendas that aren't all pulling in the same direction. I also have to wonder if the pullers of the strings behind the curtain have a compete inventory of skeletons in closets derived from "intelligence" agencies that would be something a President could request. Of course, the request would come from the "Office of the President" and perhaps not from the President himself. Radar would just have Col Blake sign the paperwork amongst all of the regular stuff that needed signing.
There are psychologists who think Trump is suffering dementia and aren't convinced he'll be able to survive his full term.
Were these the same ones that said the same thing during Trump's first term? Or the ones that said Biden was as sharp as a tack?
Trump's just doing what he (ghost) wrote about in his 'Art of the Deal'. Make a big ask, negotiate down from there. Problem is other people have read the book, know the style, and know the last part was knowing when to walk away from a bad deal. The US doesn''t want (ok, need) Chinese products? Fine. China will just sell to someone else. Or not buy 2yr T-Bills. Oops.
"It is incredible how many of those "Make America Great Again" bottles, t-shirts and hats are made in China. For real."
I've been to a couple of open houses at JPL and their merch is mostly made in China too. I think the NASA jacket I got from Charlie Bolden was made in Indonesia.
"It probably pronounce it A1"
It's as bad as narrators of Sci-Fi books saying "Delta 5" rather than "Delta V". I'll call out Jeff Kafer's reading of the Backyard Starship episodes having issues as he doesn't see the difference between em-yoo and E.M.U. (Extra-Vehicular Mobility Unit). Bruce McCandless must roll in his grave on that one, though he was driving the "MMU". What would an agency be without constantly changing TLA's for the same thing? (TLA = Three Letter Acronym).
"Except Trump isn't stupid."
There is quite a lot of evidence that the Orange utan is knows little and behaves really stupid.
There have even been academic studies on how stupid his policies are.
The Orange utan's behavior and its consequences is very much in line with the ideas of Carlo Cipolla in “The fundamental laws of human stupidity”, their testing, and their revision.
If he's so stupid, how did he win?
Twice?
He certainly espouses policies that seem stupid, but only because you aren't thinking about the same objectives as he is. He wants to enrich himself and ingratiate himself with other rich people, and if he has to sacrifice the entire US and the rest of its population to do that, he won't hesitate for a moment.
I'm not saying he's playing 5D chess. He's not even playing 2D checkers. He's playing king of the hill.
"How did he win?"
As in many other countries that skirted the same cliff, the people wanted a clown, so they voted in a clown.*
Cult leaders do not have to be smart, just deified smooth talkers, or a clown.
* A clown on the ballot.
China was the major exporter of Tea.
England got a serious addiction to the stuff.
Tea was expensive and England did not have much of anything that China wanted to buy.
So a major imbalance of trade resulted.
England responded to this by creating an Opium market in China though Opium Den drug pushers.
China and England went to war over this as the East India Tea Company was being stopped in its Opium trade that was balancing England's balance of Trade.
China has been here before and knows that backing down is simply not an option for them as they know what happens if they do.
I would say United Kingdom (Inc Eire).
Despite the best efforts of the Republic of Ireland and the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for some historical revisionism they were all elbow deep in ‘Empire Business’.
Indeed Glasgow was known as the Second City of the Empiore for a long time.
https://www.theglasgowstory.com/story/?id=TGSD0
Oh yes the English were prime instigators- and the UK Westminster Parliament is in London… but don’t let romanticism, Outlander, Nationalist revisionism and the independence of Eire in 1922 fool you that all were involved/benefitted..
The name of the country, in English, is Ireland. The name of the country, in Irish is Éire. You're using neither.
Silly me thought that the Irish were 'elbow deep' in the Great Hunger at about that time but perhaps they were trading opium for potatoes all along?
Just as certain classes from both these Islands and all countries therein were complicit in Imperialism (along with France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands..... etc) the peasant classes of all these nations were subject to exploitation as bad as suffered anywhere in the Empire. Including England, and the closer you get to the centre of power the harder it was to rise up against it before being crushed.
I love how the people of the "Celtic" nations love to portray themselves as victims of the English. But in fact all of our ancestors were victims, not of a particular nation but of a particular class of society and that class were landowners everywhere.
I remember that the French peasant class did revolt quite a few times and in some cases actually managed to topple the imperialists.
ok, most of the French revolutions where crushed, but a few, including The Révolution managed to overthrow governemnt of that time. Not that it also lead to some government worse than what had been overthrown... La Terreur anybody ?
Ireland wasn't ruled neither by Irish people nor from Dublin at that moment, was it ? Nor was Ireland land owned by Irish people in most part. At best Ireland was an English colony. Irish people revolted several times, for centuries before gaining independence at last.
You must have missed the words Eire above <shrug>
Across the UK the establishment, monarchy, nobles, aristocracy, military and rich were involved - poor people in Yorkshire, Wales, London, All-Ireland, Scotland were pretty much fucked until wider electoral reform and equality crept in.
Similar in the nascent USA.
All victims of Capitalism and the landed and wealthy…. in the past scum were people like the East India Company. Now it’s the likes of Amazon.
"Silly me thought that the Irish were 'elbow deep' in the Great Hunger at about that time but perhaps they were trading opium for potatoes all along?"
As per Wiki:
First opium war 1839-42
Irish famine 1845-52
Second opium war 1856-60
Plus there were plenty of Ireland-born gentry in the upper echelons of the British / Imperial government and army. All parts of these islands had their role.
"I think the key word is gentry."
That has different meaning today than it did at the time. The "gentry" would have been principally landed families where there was money to spend on educating their children. To engage in politics, good reading and writing skills, in a couple of languages, would have been required. It would also help that there would be family and business connections as well. Today, with education being more of a universal, there aren't as many barriers to a twenty-something becoming an MP. The more affluent families still have the advantage, but not as much as before.
A parallel today in the US would be the more conservative Amish and Mennonite being less likely to take on political roles. Not that they couldn't, but the person would have to leave those communities and progress beyond the usual 8th grade education they would otherwise leave school with. Of course, those people are also disinclined to even want to pursue those sorts of roles. I'll clarify that it's "book learnin' " that only goes to an 8th grade level formally and after that it's more about vocational/practical training.
In the same way as we're currently "elbow deep" in the Arab Spring, sure. Those events were years apart. Turns out the 19th century went on for quite a while.
The United Kingdom, it's often forgotten, was formed by a Scottish takeover of England and Wales, not vice versa. Scots merchants were at the heart of the imperial project all the way. Names like Campbell and Macdonald and Mackenzie keep coming up again and again in imperial history.
The Irish, it's true, were more removed. But in all countries, the really important distinction was between ruling classes versus proletariat. It was always the latter who did the really graphic suffering. At the same time as the Irish peasants were starving, English mill workers and miners were labouring 14 hours a day from the age of 11, with no chance of an education. And peasants were only slightly better off; only a generation earlier, the countryside had been depleted by enclosures, which had forced countless people into the cities to find work by, yes, starving them out of their homes.
The United Kingdom, it's often forgotten, was formed by a Scottish takeover of England and Wales, not vice versa. Scots merchants were at the heart of the imperial project all the way. Names like Campbell and Macdonald and Mackenzie keep coming up again and again in imperial history.
And this misadventure-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_scheme
Where Patterson, Hamilton and other Scots wanted to do their own spot of colonialism & mercantalism to challenge England. Hamilton was a tad unenlightened-
As part of the scheme, Hamilton planned to import African slaves "to be worked to death" at local gold mines in the region after they had come under the colonists' control.
Charming fellow. But the Darien Scheme failed rather spectacularly, costing Scottish nobility rather a lot of money and was one of those things that lead to the Act(s) of Union. ISTR Scots were also involved in some rather dubious real-estate deals in Florida, demonstrating that those are nothing really new.
I believe that prior to the 1982 Falklands Conflict / Malvinas war, in Argentina, the phrase 'The world of an Englishman' meant that something could be trusted completely. It went out of fashion shortly thereafter.
Speaking as an 'Englishman', I do try to be honest, truthful and illustrate integrity at all times, but frankly, the British would never had achieved their empire without callous disregard for the lives of foreigners and 'British lower classes'. Nations with imperial ambitions can afford compassion towards their prey.
And, of course, having grown up in England, I have benefitted greatly from the spoils of empire - museums and art galleries built with revenues form colonies and slavery, and populated by 'collecting' items from overseas that the indigenous populations would never have sold or parted with, unless threatened with guns. (Benin bronzes spring to mind as particularly awful examples of imperial pillage.)
So, umm, I guess 'sorry' is probably a bit late, and maybe not enough.
It wasn't me,a bigger boy done it. Ha! that should stall them for a while. Then after a couple of months,we will pretend none of this every happened with a collective amnesia.
The only sign it ever happened will be the M25 gridlocked by the 5 american SUV's some bozo's brought.
Nonsense! Trump did not 'blink'. It is all part of the plan.
In the same way that Putin's invasion of Ukraine is going exactly to plan*.
Or at least Trump will claim in retrospect that it was all part of his plan so as to avoid any admission of failure.
*Actually, it looks like the USA is on its way to officially recognising Crimea as part of Russia, and letting Russia retain the parts of Ukraine it has taken with its army, but hey Ukraine gets, oh yes! a deal to sell / give its natural resources to the USA in return for capitulation.
<....."It is all part of the plan.".....>
Indeed, and the plan is (and always has been) to generate confusion and distrust, and thus create instability in the world economy and in the relations between nations.
An awful lot of people seem to continue to be unable to get their heads around this concept, and until they do, none of it will make any sense.
*Actually, it looks like the USA is on its way to officially recognising Crimea as part of Russia, and letting Russia retain the parts of Ukraine it has taken with its army, but hey Ukraine gets, oh yes! a deal to sell / give its natural resources to the USA in return for capitulation.
The plan is even simpler. Trump said he'd resolve the conflict in 24hrs. Some time later.. Trump berated the WLB telling him he had no cards. Neither does Trump, and he may now have started to realise this. The 'Kellog Plan' is just Minsk 3 and a non-starter, Witkoff's plan might get somewhere, the WLB is ranting about not surrendering any territory, even though it's lost and isn't coming back. Plus claiming Ukraine's 'Constitution' doesn't allow it, even though the WLB changes that every other week. And the 'coallition of the willing' talks in London today were pretty much a no-show.
Nobdy is really listening to the WLB, other than maybe the media, replacements are being prepared, and other Ukrainian politicians are becoming increasingly delusional, eg Melnyk's 'open letter' to Germany demanding 30% of their military stocks, and around $30bn a year. Plus similarly compelling deals like the G7 donating another $500bn over the next 4 years. Sure. Great deal. See also-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78jx68d922o
Recognising Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea would not only be politically impossible for Zelensky to accept, it would also be contrary to post-war international legal norms that borders should not be changed by force.
Except that happens fairly frequently, and perhaps the Bbc is trying to forget Yugoslavia. Plus-
Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine's ministry of strategic industries, said it was "not productive to discuss" such reports and added it was "naïve" to expect Ukraine to change its position on "non-negotiable" issues such as Crimea.
Everything is negotiable, especially when you're losing. But this is probably why the US is going to walk away. Trump can say he tried to stop (ok, freeze) the conflict and blame Obama & Biden for starting it, then Ukraine and Russia and dumping the whole mess on Europe.. Which goes back to one of the leaked calls from the war planning stage when Ass Sec Nuland said 'fsck the EU'. Mission accomplished I guess.
This post has been deleted by its author
A much more comprehensive list. I've got this one saved for obvious reasons.
The Trump Network - MLM scam
Trump University - Fraud
Trump foundation/charity Fraud
Trump Tampa - failure & fraud
Trump Soho - bankrupt
Trump golf Aberdeen - scam
Trump golf Puerto Rico - Bankrupt
Trump Chicago - default 40 million
Trump Panama - lawsuit corruption
Trump Baja Mexico Fraud & failure
Trump Fort Lauderdale Scam & failure
Trump Vodka - business failure
Trump Wine - business failure
Trump Steaks - business failure
Trump Shuttle - loan default failure
Trump Air & Trump Pac business failure
Trump Taj Mahal - 4 bankruptcies
Trump Marina/Trump Castle - bankrupt
Trump Plaza - Bankrupt
Trump Indiana Riverboat Casino - bankrupt
Trump IPO ticker DJT failure
Trump Atlanta - failure
Trump Jupiter - lawsuit
Trump Waikiki Hotel - scam lawsuit.
To be continued.
"Didn't a recent forecast say the biggest loser as a result of Trump's yo-yoing tariffs was the US Economy?"
A lot of economies. With no way to know which way to jump and many things needing time to accomplish, many businesses are in "wait and see" mode when it comes to planning their futures. I'm not going to be making any major purchases I can put off. Everything I do right now is cash since so much is up in the air and I can't be sure of what sort of future work I might get. Fortunately, I've been stocking up the pantry so eating won't be an issue. Eating out is off the menu.
Looks as though Donny's ludicrous bets have been double and redoubled and inscrutably Xi and co. haven't blinked - why would they? They undoubtedly hold most of the decent cards and were never going to fold. America's cards are on the table about to be revealed and as it's Poker not Bridge misère isn't a belated option but no Trumps is I guess.
I don't doubt Donny and co. can arrange rational terms with the Chinese - it's business after all and the Chinese unlike Americans have never forgotten that. The curious question remains of whether Trump supporters and MAGA loons will swallow the reality defying spin required to sell this defeat after his latest disastrous expedition into the realms of economic insanity. My guess is his following of the great unwashed would suckle at the tits of Satan, so Donny's Wiener no biggy let alone swallowing the snowjobs selling the various failures of his administrations.
America's cards are on the table about to be revealed and as it's Poker not Bridge misère isn't a belated option but no Trumps is I guess.
More like China playing go or mah jong, and the US expecting to play beer pong or dodge ball. China's been doing international trade and diplomacy for centuries, the US hasn't.
In view of the constant swings in the actions of the USA regarding trade and international relations, the ONLY sensible course of action for other nations, and particularly for companies that trade with the USA is to take the hit and quietly withdraw from dealings with the USA wherever they possibly can.
Instead of which we seem to be witnessing a frantic panic of countries wanting to do trade deals (the UK and the EU being at the forefront) and companies stretching themselves to build manufacturing facilities in the US (looking at you Lord Bamford!). This of course will just lead Trump & Co to believe that their threatening behaviour has worked, so they may try similar threats again in the future, but this time may want companies transferring their production facilities to the USA to export the products back to us.
Thin end of the wedge!
There's no point in building lots of factories in the USA, they do not have enough skilled workers to man the factories they have, and now they are throwing out the very immigrants they need if they want to ramp up production, and with the attacks on education there won't be many skilled workers entering the workforce either.
And that's before we consider the time it takes from saying "let's build a factory" to having stuff rolling out of the gates.
Of course! His stock market manipulation brought me (being EU) winnings! If I'd switched my brain to "he IS killing the stock market ON PURPOSE" mode sooner I'd already have 50% more than at the beginning of April! Half month, 50% winning, that would have been great. But well, I am only above my normal level of winnings, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯..
"Or Zelenskyy giving his voice to Paddington’s bear, who has more honesty, empathy and intelligence in his little finger than Trump in his whole fat body?"
The same Zelenskyy who misbehaved so badly he got thrown out of the White House and begged to come back? When all he was to do was sit there, behave and sign an already agreed document?
The same Zelenskyy who misbehaved so badly he got thrown out of the White House and begged to come back? When all he was to do was sit there, behave and sign an already agreed document?
Your revisionism would do credit to a Soviet propagandist. But then again, you're vocal in support of the Moscow Agent Governing America.
@Like a badger
"Your revisionism would do credit to a Soviet propagandist. But then again, you're vocal in support of the Moscow Agent Governing America."
I am guessing I have hurt your witle feefees there, which part of reality do you disagree with? The televised misbehaviour? Him being thown out for misbehaviour without signing? Or begging to come back? Remember this was an agreement already reached and just needing Zelenskyy to sign.
What, exactly is that "misbehaviour" you're repeatedly mentioned?
Not saying "thank you" often enough?
Showing that he is the leader of a country at war by wearing practical clothes instead of a nice suit?
And the agreement wasn't signed because he was thrown out of the White House.
Besides the fact that said agreement basically said "the USA get access to Ukranian rare earths, Russia get's to continue what they're doing, and Ukraine gets jack-all".
Showing that he is the leader of a country at war by wearing practical clothes instead of a nice suit?
That might have worked, if he'd gone full-Che and worn issued gear instead of having a Ukrainian fashion designer create his costumes. Think my favorite was his 'I am Ukrainian' one, presumably in case he forgot.
@esque
"What, exactly is that "misbehaviour" you're repeatedly mentioned?"
Ukraine and the US had come to an agreement and just needed his signature. He spent the whole time demanding more and making inflammatory comments about Putin. Apparently he did this for 40 minutes before what we saw in front of the camera! It was not a negotiation just a simple signing of a document and get food. Very simple.
"Not saying "thank you" often enough?"
I am guessing you are talking about the last 10 minutes when finally the President and Vice President lost patience with him.
"Showing that he is the leader of a country at war by wearing practical clothes instead of a nice suit?"
You mean the comment by a reporter when Trump complemented his clothing twice.
"Besides the fact that said agreement basically said "the USA get access to Ukranian rare earths, Russia get's to continue what they're doing, and Ukraine gets jack-all"."
So you say but Ukraine came to this agreement. All Zelenskyy had to do was sign and couldnt do that!
"Ukraine and the US had come to an agreement and just needed his signature. "
And were you able to get a copy and have the time to spend going through it? No.
What gets discussed and what gets on paper can be two different things. This is also a situation where the goal posts are changing by the hour or in constant motion.
What seems to be on the docket now is that Russia gets to annex the regions they fancy and keep Crimea too. The map I didn't look at too closely seems to have Ukraine wind up being landlocked. At least close to it. If the world is going to settle down and progress, the aggressive annexation of territories needs to end. If the people that "were demanding" to become part of Russia just moved from Ukraine to Russian instead, it would be problem solved. What does Russia need with more land other than just taking a real fancy to having it?
What gets discussed and what gets on paper can be two different things. This is also a situation where the goal posts are changing by the hour or in constant motion.
Except the plan for that event was after the press questions, they were supposed to move on to the signing of the deal. Which the WLB was busily backpeddling from, and so was booted out of the White House without any dinner. But you're right about the lack of details, plus what Ukraine already dealt away to the EU and UK.
If the world is going to settle down and progress, the aggressive annexation of territories needs to end. If the people that "were demanding" to become part of Russia just moved from Ukraine to Russian instead, it would be problem solved. What does Russia need with more land other than just taking a real fancy to having it?
This isn't about land. It's about the right to self-determination and the right to not face cultural or religious persecution. So the basic rights granted under UN and EU human rights legislation that Kiev have been trampling over in the name of Ukrainian nationalism. But following the coup in 2014, over a million Ukrainians did flee to Russia, then more once the SMO started. This is a point our 'leaders' tend to gloss over. It was fine to invade and destroy Yugoslavia to protect Moslims, but not for Russia to do the same thing. Even though in places like Crimea and the Donbas, ethnic Russias were the majority. Until those problems are resolved and Ukraine becomes more tolerant, there won't be any peace.
@MachDiamond
"And were you able to get a copy and have the time to spend going through it? No."
Why should I? The agreement was reached between the US and Ukraine and approved by Ukraines government. That being after Zelenskyy reportedly messed Rubio around by coming to an agreement but needs government approval before publicly claiming to have rejected it personally.
"What gets discussed and what gets on paper can be two different things. This is also a situation where the goal posts are changing by the hour or in constant motion."
That seems to be one of the problems trying to end this war.
"What seems to be on the docket now is that Russia gets to annex the regions they fancy and keep Crimea too."
Yes. Probably. The bit people forget is this isnt Trumps problem, Crimea went under Obama (and Obama was ok with that) and the invasion restarted under Biden and he was ok with that (to the extent he was aware). At this point the only real way to stop Russia is for NATO to declare war. European NATO has wet itself and wont be involved without the US and Trump says no. Yet only Trump seems to want an end to the war.
But then again, you're vocal in support of the Moscow Agent Governing America.
Vocal is perhaps a poor choice of words given the WLB was caught on audio calling 'JD' a suka blyat, or whore bitch. Not exactly very diplomatic, but then neither was referring to Vance as 'JD' instead of Mr Vice President. Perhaps he should have just tried slipping 10% to the Big Guy. That seemed to have worked for a few years.
@gnasher729
"Zelenskyy in the White House: One man without a suit. And one suit without a man. Trump behaving like an obnoxious toddler out of jealousy. We all know Zelenskyy is ten times the man trump ever was or will be. And so does trump."
Yet it is on camera and obviously not the case.
JD Vance’s bluster over peace in Ukraine shows why Zelensky swerved an American ambush in London
Marco Rubio cancelled his visit to London for ceasefire talks after it emerged that Volodymyr Zelensky wasn’t coming – and then JD Vance got cross. Ukraine’s president certainly swerved an ambush
@MachDiamond
"While some hanger-on belittles him about his wardrobe choices?"
At no point do I defend a reporter asking that question. But that happens part way through, so whats Zelenskyy's problem before that? And apparently was that bad 40 minutes before the televised discussion
"While some hanger-on belittles him about his wardrobe choices?"
Well, he has rather questionable dress sense. See the Pope's funeral as an example where the WLB couldn't be bothered to get suited & booted to show some respect. Well, he did the booted bit, but dress shoes would have been more appropriate. Press seems busy attacking Trump's blue suit, and ignoring Biden and a lot of other people who wore the same.
The Fat Old Convicted Felon listens to Navarro, who seems to be his only source of economic "Wisdom," and who likes to quote "Ron Vara," who is in fact himself. Donny34 seems to like this, as it reminds him of his "John Barron" days posing as "The Donald's" PR guy as he tried to con-vince Forbes "No, he's really over the limit for the 500 richest people in the US. Honest."
You want chaos and cruelty?
You got it.
This financial crisis is literally the result of your pathetically narcissistic and easily manipulated man-child ("There eating the DOGS!" No, they are not you SEL).
He could stop it tomorrow, in exactly the same way Putin could end the war in Ukraine.
Neither will of course. They are both world-class Aholes.
American Vultures. The mid-terms are coming. Your 250 Representative Democracy is circling the toilet of history. That is not Faux News hyperbole. That is fact.
If that bothers you, then it's time to go to work.
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