Author Archives: M

Crybaby Republican Loser Finally Throws in the Towel

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Republican Jefferson Griffin conceded the North Carolina Supreme Court race Wednesday to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs, bringing an end to the last unresolved contest from the 2024 election that dragged on for months after a barrage of lawsuits.

The announcement came two days after a federal judge ruled against Griffin’s legal challenge to tens of thousands of ballots and ordered the North Carolina State Board of Elections to certify Riggs’ 734-vote victory.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Richard Myers, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, effectively put an end to all ongoing litigation and provided Griffin with seven days to appeal. Instead, Griffin, chose to end his legal efforts six months after the final votes had been cast in November’s election.

Republican Jefferson Griffin concedes N.C. Supreme Court race after months of legal battles
The announcement, which comes six months after the final votes were cast, ends the final unresolved contest from the 2024 election.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/republican-jefferson-griffin-concedes-nc-supreme-court-race-rcna205358

Guardian: US considers special status for Greenland amid Trump push for control

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Officials float idea of compact of free association (Cofa), used by US to keep close ties with Pacific Island nations

US officials are discussing a plan to pull Greenland into America’s sphere of influence using a type of agreement that the United States has used to keep close ties with several Pacific Island nations, according to two US officials and another person familiar with the discussions.

Under the plan being considered, the Trump administration would propose to Greenland’s leaders that the island enter into a so-called compact of free association, or Cofa, with the United States.

While the precise details of Cofa agreements – which have only ever been extended to the small island nations of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau – vary depending on the signatory, the US government typically provides many essential services, from mail delivery to emergency management to military protection. In exchange, the US military operates freely in Cofa countries and trade with the US is largely duty-free.

Excuse me, King Donald, but the Greenlanders and Denmark have both made it clear that they want neither you nor J.D. Dunce, nor do they want the horses that you rode in on. To top it off, there’s not a single family in Nuuk that wants Dunce over for coffee. Not a one!

US considers special status for Greenland amid Trump push for control
Officials float idea of compact of free association (Cofa), used by US to keep close ties with Pacific Island nations

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/09/us-greenland-trump

NPR: Vice President Vance says India-Pakistan fighting is ‘none of our business’

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Vice President Vance said that the current escalation between India and Pakistan was “fundamentally none of our business,” as they traded blows overnight Thursday and early Friday evening using drones and projectiles, reaching places that have not been targeted in decades on either side.

Vance spoke on Fox News late Thursday, in response to a question about if the Trump administration was worried about nuclear conflict. “We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible,” and added: “We can’t control these countries though.”

“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we’re not going to get involved in the middle of a war that’s fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it.”

Useless apathetic worm! We have two nuclear friends coming to blows, and J.D. Dunce shrugs it off as “none of our business”. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

Vice President Vance says India-Pakistan fighting is ‘none of our business’
Vice President Vance said the fighting between India and Pakistan was “fundamentally none of our business.” Experts say the U.S. used to work hard to de-escalate crises between the nuclear states.

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/09/nx-s1-5393719/vice-president-vance-india-pakistan-crisis

The Hill: What is Trump even doing any more?

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One of the most frustrating things about the Trump administration is that it offers too much nuttiness to process.

Not long ago, the discovery that the president doesn’t know what the Declaration of Independence is would have consumed the country for months. Today, it barely registers because the Trump White House pumps out similar stories two or three times a week. 

When you compare such stories to the trade war with China or President Trump’s claim that he doesn’t know whether he’s required to uphold the Constitution, it’s tempting to view Trump’s recent brainstorms on movie tariffs and reopening Alcatraz as mere distractions. That would be a mistake. They are evidence of something much darker than Steve Bannon’s call to “flood the zone with s—.”

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5289900-trump-tariffs-alcatraz-constitution-hollywood

Reason: The U.K. Trade Deal Screws American Consumers

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Residents of the United Kingdom will get lower tariffs, while Americans are stuck paying higher ones.

The White House is hailing a new trade deal with the United Kingdom as “a great deal for America.”

But is it a great deal for Americans? The specifics of the deal seem to suggest otherwise.

The agreement maintains the 10 percent universal tariff that President Donald Trump imposed on nearly all imports to the United States. But even the president admits this is a tariff hike on American consumers, rather than a reduction.

The point of comparison should be the average tariff rate on imports from the U.K. before Trump took office. In 2023, the most recent year for which full data are available, the average U.S. tariff on British goods was 3.3 percent.

That means this “deal” charges American consumers a 10 percent baseline tax on goods that were previously taxed at 3.3 percent. That’s not a win for free trade or lower prices.

Meanwhile, it is British consumers who will benefit from lower tariffs. According to the White House, the deal means that American exports to the U.K. will now face an average tariff rate of 1.8 percent, down from 5.1 percent before the deal.

So it’s a 6.7% increase for us and a 5.1% decrease for the Brits? Thank you ever so much for screwing us over, King Donald!

The U.K. trade deal screws American consumers
Residents of the United Kingdom will get lower tariffs, while Americans are stuck paying higher ones.

https://reason.com/2025/05/09/the-u-k-trade-deal-screws-american-consumers

Bloomberg: Global Shift to Bypass the Dollar Is Gaining Momentum in Asia

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Banks and brokers are seeing rising demand for currency derivatives that bypass the dollar, as trade tensions add a sense of urgency to a years-long shift away from the greenback.

Firms are receiving more requests for transactions including hedges that sidestep the dollar and involve currencies such as the yuan, the Hong Kong dollar, the Emirati dirham and the euro. There’s also demand for yuan-denominated loans, and a bank in Indonesia is setting up a desk for the Chinese currency.

The vast majority of foreign-exchange trades use the dollar even if they’re transferring money between two local currencies. For example, an Egyptian company wanting Philippine pesos will typically transfer its local currency into the greenback before buying pesos with the dollars it receives. But companies are increasingly looking at strategies that skip the dollar’s role as a go-between.

Global Shift to Bypass the Dollar Is Gaining Momentum in Asia
Banks and brokers are seeing rising demand for currency derivatives that bypass the dollar, as trade tensions add a sense of urgency to a years-long shift away from the greenback.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/ar-AA1EqTN6

NBC News: Kash Patel’s new way of leading the FBI: Fewer morning intel briefings, more pro sports events

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Supporters of the new director say he is bringing needed change. Some current and former FBI and DOJ officials worry he is not taking the job seriously enough.

Probably asleep at the helm or out clubbing!

For decades, the head of the FBI has attended a daily 8:30 a.m. “director’s brief,” where he is presented the most important intelligence and law enforcement information gleaned from thousands of agents and analysts across the country, current and former FBI officials say.

And on Wednesday afternoons, the FBI director or his deputy held a secure video teleconference with the leaders of field offices across the country to share information about bureau priorities.

But that schedule has changed under FBI Director Kash Patel. Unlike his recent predecessors, Patel is receiving the “director’s brief” two days a week, according to two current officials with direct knowledge and two former FBI and Justice Department officials familiar with the matter. Patel has also stopped holding the weekly Wednesday-afternoon video teleconference with FBI leaders, one current and one former FBI official said.

Patel’s approach to his new job has raised concerns that he is not taking the position seriously enough, a dozen current and former DOJ and FBI officials told NBC News.

Officials who worked on the morning director’s briefings were told that the schedule was changed because Patel sometimes failed to arrive on time, said two current and two former FBI and Justice Department officials familiar with the matter.

At the same time, Patel has drawn attention for regularly appearing with celebrities at professional sporting events around the country, according to flight logs and social media posts.

Kash Patel’s new way of leading the FBI: Fewer morning intel briefings, more pro sports events
Supporters of the new director say he is bringing needed change. Some current and former FBI and DOJ officials worry he is not taking the job seriously enough.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/rcna202865

Mediaite: WATCH: Furious Residents Surround ICE Agents Trying to Arrest Mom Clinging to Baby

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An ICE operation spiraled into chaos on a Worcester, Massachusetts, street Thursday morning after agents detained a woman clinging to her baby as neighbors surrounded them, demanding a warrant.

Dramatic footage circulating online shows about 25 residents swarming the ICE vehicle on Eureka Street, demanding agents identify themselves. Screaming can be heard in the video as agents attempt to control the crowd before police tackle one individual.

“We don’t have to show you anything,” one agent reportedly shot back when asked for ID or a warrant.

Worcester police were called to the scene and later confirmed that the woman had already been placed under arrest when the crowd tried to block the vehicle from leaving.

“The crowd was unruly,” police said in a statement, claiming several individuals “put their hands on federal agents and Worcester officers.”

The woman’s teen daughter was left holding the woman’s baby and stood in front of the car in an apparent attempt to stop it. After handing the child to another person, she allegedly kicked the car—and was also reportedly arrested on four charges, including child endangerment. Police have not disclosed what happened to the baby afterward.

Let’s hope this resistance is only the beginning!

WATCH: Furious Residents Surround ICE Agents Trying to Arrest Mom Clinging to Baby
An ICE operation spiraled into chaos in Worcester, Massachusetts street after agents detained a woman as she clung to her baby—without showing a warrant.
WATCH: Furious Residents Surround ICE Agents Trying to Arrest Mom Clinging to Baby

New York TImes: Trump Has Made Claims About Abrego Garcia’s Tattoos. Here’s a Closer Look…

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Gang experts say the tattoos on Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s knuckles are unlikely to signify gang membership. The president says otherwise.

Mendacious King Donald used an altered photo in his claim that Kilmar Abrego Garcio had MS-13 tattoos:

President Trump has claimed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, is a member of MS-13, the Salvadoran-American criminal gang, and that the tattoos on Mr. Abrego Garcia’s knuckles prove it.

In a post nearly three weeks ago on Truth Social, Mr. Trump’s social media platform, he gave his version of a primer on those tattoos, showing a photo of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s hand, with one small tattoo on each finger: a marijuana leaf, a smiley face with X’s for eyes, a cross and a skull.

Above each of those black tattoos was a letter or a number — M, S, 1 and 3 — in a sans-serif font that clearly had been superimposed onto the photo. “He’s got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles,” the president wrote in his post.

In other photos, however, including ones shared by Mr. Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the letters and numbers do not appear on Mr. Abrego Garcia’s knuckles.

https://archive.is/FL4VB#selection-695.0-695.170

Newsweek: ‘We Currently Have No Container Ships,’ Seattle Port Says

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Another shipping port official voiced concern about the drastic decline in imports as a result of President Donald Trump‘s tariffs.

“I can see it right over my shoulder here, I’m looking out at the Port of Seattle right now, and we currently have no container ships at berth,” Seattle port commissioner Ryan Calkins told CNN on Wednesday.

…

Several port authorities have observed a similar drop in cargo volumes over the past few weeks, warning that such a decline could have significant and adverse effects on consumers—who may face rising prices and limited product availability—as well as the supply chain-linked sectors of the U.S. economy.

Calkins told CNN that the current situation would impact the job security of longshoremen and those dealing directly with the freight, as well as industries responsible for transporting imports nationwide.

“And that’s hundreds of jobs right here in our region and across the country,” he said, adding that his port had not witnessed such a significant downturn in activity since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘We Currently Have No Container Ships,’ Seattle Port Says
Seattle port commissioner Ryan Calkins described the decline in activity as “a stark reminder” of the impact of tariffs.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/we-currently-have-no-container-ships-seattle-port-says/ar-AA1EozjS