The Imperial Presidency

[robkelk]

Uncle Sam abruptly turns off funding for CVE program

Apparently, data security doesn't matter to DOGE. Keep that in mind if you still use X.

[classicdrogn]

That's certainly not good, but I'm more concerned about Mr. Tangerine Man just ignoring the Supreme Court's order to un-deport that one guy. Not because of that one guy (though he definitely deserves to be returned to his family and to get All The Restitutions) but because court orders aren't something you just say "Nah" to and get away with it, but without a major overturn among the Congresscritters (that can't even begin for another year and a half or so) impeachment will be dead in the water and I'm not confident that enough of the US system will survive to even HAVE meaningful elections by fall 2026.

[Labster]

I'm honestly more concerned about the one guy than the court orders, because it's laying the groundwork for something bigger.  Trump calls for deporting some citizens to El Salvador, testing US law.  Deportation isn't just for immigrants, it's for everyone.  Homeland security ordered US-born immigration lawyer to leave country. Relying on patronage, they build a system where a US court cannot intervene, where any undesirable can be moved out of the country.  And then we don't need the courts, because the justice has already been served when the plane's wheels leave the ground.  If that one guy comes back, the system doesn't work.

Uncle Sam abruptly turns off funding for CVE program

Apparently, data security doesn't matter to DOGE. Keep that in mind if you still use X.

Why do you need to track vulnerabilities when you can just use threats?  Government IT whistleblower calls out DOGE, says he was threatened at home.  Data was exfiltrated, and apparently valid logins suddenly started coming in from Russia after DOGE walked in the building.

[robkelk]

California sues President Tariff

Saying that he doesn't have legal authority to impose tariffs without consulting Congress first.

Given how much respect His Orangeness has given the courts in other matters, well... good luck with that.

[MilkmanConspiracy]

Welcome to The Jungle (by Upton Sinclair).

"FDA to suspend quality-control program for food testing due to staff cuts" (The Guardian)

Looks like ivermectin is back on the menu.

[Mamorien]

Welcome to The Jungle (by Upton Sinclair).

"FDA to suspend quality-control program for food testing due to staff cuts" (The Guardian)

Looks like ivermectin is back on the menu.

This Presidency brought to you by Durham's Pure Leaf Lard.

[robkelk]

King Charles reminds the world that he's King of Canada.

Royals aren't supposed to make political statements, so this is as much as we're going to get from him.

[robkelk]

National Science Foundation cancels funding for DEI and misinformation studies, citing free speech as justification

---

Stock markets tumble as investors pull back from American assets

USA markets: S&P 500 drops 2.4%, Dow Jones Industrial Average drops 2.5%, Nasdaq composite drops 2.6%. U.S. government bonds and the value of the U.S. dollar also drop.

Canadian markets: S&P/TSX composite index drops 0.76%.

[robkelk]

Multinational moves warehouse from USA to Canada because of tariffs

“We’re trying to figure out, ‘What’s the best way to keep the prices down?’” said Greg Wiens, director of operations at Global Vision 2020.

[robkelk]

Musk announces he's getting the heck out of DOGE

[robkelk]

Peace Bridge duty-free shop goes into receivership as cross-border travel plummets

Way to boost the economy, doods.

[robkelk]

May Day update.


  2025-bingo-card.png (Size: 138.39 KB / Downloads: 200)

[Labster]

There are a couple more updates to the bingo card.  One is one of them the 100 citizens deported -- I set this goal a little high because citizens being deported isn't exactly a new thing for Trump to do, it's just a normal part of breaking up families for him.  But we have three citizen children deported so far, one with cancer.

On the other box, CBS loses broadcast license, I no longer think that one is going to happen.  Mainly because CBS is now bowing to Trump, dismissing a news producer And reports say that CBS is getting ready to settle in Trump's baseless lawsuit against him, that he didn't receive equal air time after he refused to show up for an interview.  You see, they want to merge Paramount and Skydance, and they need government approval.  So I think this particular event is unlikely.  As they say in Hollywood, circle gets the square.

I've also seen articles about wolves eating livestock in the newspaper lately.  This one I included because it's a long-time conservative bugaboo, and as my environmental policy professor said, "Basically no one is rational about wolves."  In lieu of a policy change, here's something rational on wolves from my alma mater, Novel Study Calculates the Cost to Cattle Ranchers of an Expanding Wolf Population -- note this only covers the costs in one area, not the benefits from the ecosystem services wolves provide.

Oh, no judges murdered yet, but there has been one judge arrested for obstruction of justice in helping an immigrant to escape deportation from her courtroom.  There is a actually a visa category for immigrants who witnessed a crime, on the basis that illegals will choose to not report being victims of a crime if they risk deportation to themselves, which makes the whole society less safe.  Trump sees this as a feature, not a bug, and won't be granting those visas.

[robkelk]

King Charles will deliver the Speech from the Throne to open Canada's Parliament

The Head of State hasn't delivered the speech that starts a new session of Parliament since 1977. A message is being sent.

[robkelk]

Why Trump's vision to bring home all U.S. manufacturing is 'almost impossible'

tl;dr: Even with massive automation, it costs too much to make most things in North America. The example given: A pair of Nikes that list for $100 (and usually sell for $60-$75) would cost $400 if made in the USA from locally-sourced materials.

[Labster]

Let's talk about something that was definitely not on my bingo card this year: Trump seems to want to be elected as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.  Okay, so at first Reuters posted that Trump jokes that he'd like to be the next pope.  But like a lot of Trump's "jokes", they're really just a trial balloon for his real desires.  At least one US Senator endorsed Trump for Pope.  Like 5 days later, the official White House account posted an AI-generated photo of Trump dressed as the pope.

Now, I myself dressed as the Bishop of Rome for a couple of Halloweens, and that was all in the spirit of good fun.  But context is everything, and I don't think this current thing is in the spirit of merriment.

Put aside all of the heretical and blasphemous implications for a second, and look just at the political implications: the head of state of one nation has dressed himself in the ceremonial garb of another head of state.  The implications are pretty damn clear, a universal element in human history — ever since Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt were united, the crown of the pharaohs combined the shape of both of the previous hats.  Trump is acting as a pretender to the throne of Saint Peter.

Maybe it's a joke, sure.  But he wants it.  He wants all the power.

[Norgarth]

Please nobody tell Trump about how King Henry VIII made his own church.

Though at least then his followers wouldn't be claiming to be Christian while ignoring pretty much all of Christ's teachings.

[MilkmanConspiracy]

Why Trump's vision to bring home all U.S. manufacturing is 'almost impossible'

tl;dr: Even with massive automation, it costs too much to make most things in North America. The example given: A pair of Nikes that list for $100 (and usually sell for $60-$75) would cost $400 if made in the USA from locally-sourced materials.

For another example, albeit an unusual one, a Librem 5 costs $799 USD. The Liberty Phone, same model made in the USA under a secure supply chain costs $1,999.00 USD. New Balance sells (Made in USA 990v4 - at least 70% American made) sneakers for $184.99. A pair of Red Wing Shoes Weekender Oxfords (Style 3606) that is made in the USA runs for $259.99.

Given that all I have mentioned are not exactly mass market products, I’m not sure how well that scales. Normally higher production drives prices down, but if the materials also have to come from the United States, that could seriously drive up costs if 340 million people need American made shoes. Even at the current prices, it’s unaffordable to a good chunk of the population. Wal-Marts website lists shoes for under $15, and I expect that is the price point much of the population is used to.

Even if it America becomes an industrial powerhouse once again, it won’t be like to good old days in terms of job creation. Things are automated, and factories don’t need men on turret lathes like they used to. (Although putting many inexperienced workers on lathe work is a great way to increase "chip" production , ha!) In many cases they just need a few skilled automation engineers for even greater volume. The work that can’t be easily automated is not something companies will want to pay for, yet it requires skill or dexterity.

I'm not a manufacturing guru though. Closest thing I did to that was a previous job running a strange tool crib and try to stop our users from maiming, poisoning, or irradiating themselves and others.

[MilkmanConspiracy]

Alcatraz has been ordered reopened and expanded. Will be interesting to see where this goes.

In related news the Monument Mythos fandom is having a field day with this.

[Jinx999]

Alcatraz has been ordered reopened and expanded. Will be interesting to see where this goes.

Every source I've seen says it would need to be completely rebuilt from the ground up at great expense and cost at least three times as much as any other prison to run.

[Norgarth]

Alcatraz has been ordered reopened and expanded. Will be interesting to see where this goes.

Every source I've seen says it would need to be completely rebuilt from the ground up at great expense and cost at least three times as much as any other prison to run.

so fairly standard for a Trump plan.

[robkelk]

Prime Minister Carney tells His Orangeness flat-out that Canada is not for sale. His Orangeness refuses to believe him.

His Orangeness also continued to repeat untruths about Canada.

Looks like there's no God-damned fucking way in Hell that I'm going anywhere near the USA or knowingly spending money on anything from that country for as long as that asshole is in the Oval Office. It might not do much, but I'm not the only one.

[robkelk]

This seems like as good a place as any to drop this.


First they came for the immigrants, and I did not speak out — because I was not an immigrant.

Then they came for the bureaucrats, and I did not speak out — because I was not a bureaucrat.

Then they came for the judges, and I did not speak out — because I was not a judge.

When will they come for you — and will there be anyone left to speak?

— a pastiche of the words of Martin Niemöller



He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment

- Jesus Christ, Matthew 25:45-46a (New International Version)

[Labster]

Stockholm rejects U.S. demand to end DEI programs in accordance with Trump policy -- yes, that Stockholm

Kanye West has a new song called "Heil Hitler", in which the phrase is played straight. Not sure if this counts towards my swastikas goal, but someone please get that man some mental health care.

Denmark summons US ambassador over Greenland spying report -- apparently Americans are trying to encourage secessionist unrest in Greenland

Gaza will be entirely destroyed, Israeli minister says -- Gaz-a-Lago plans move forward

[robkelk]

I think these two belong together...

Paul McCartney, Elton John and other creatives demand AI comes clean on scraping

US Copyright Office found AI companies sometimes breach copyright. Next day its boss was fired