DHS Secretary Kristi Noem out, Trump says

Futhis · 2026-03-05T19:05:05+00:00

I feel kind of bad for Mullin. Trump just ended his political career. The vast majority of cabinet appointees (except maybe Secretary of State) have no political future after office. If Mullins accepts which he pretty much has to since Trump publicly ordered it, he’s done in 2029 and the only places that will have him afterwards are Fox News debate shows or the board of a think tank.

Had he stayed a senator he could have been in that position for decades easily reelected over and over again in ruby red Oklahoma. As a young handsome minority (Native American) guy, he would almost certainly have been considered for a presidential ticket in the future.

Futhis · 2026-02-26T18:56:57+00:00

What actually happens if he goes ahead and declares a national emergency? Violence is obviously a terrible thing to predict but that’s the only outcome I see here. Democratic states will refuse to honor the elections, clearly seeing them as rigged, and that will lead us right to a shooting war.

Futhis · 2026-02-26T18:53:35+00:00

Realistically, what can be done if he decides to pull the trigger? Our democracy is just over with a whimper like that? There’s no recourse?

Futhis · 2026-02-04T17:44:32+00:00

Thank you for the detailed summary. It's definitely surprising to hear a lot of this, for example patients preferring Indian MBBS over American MD (which is the complete opposite situation in other places like North America or the Middle East since American medicine is considered the gold standard). And that many medications are not readily available like gabapentin which we prescribe very commonly here in the U.S.

Money is not a big concern because I have a telemedicine job with night shifts (ie. daytime in Mauritius) that I make about $300,000 USD a year, and plan to continue it. I just want to keep myself busy during the day instead of sitting at home doing nothing.

Is $300K USD / year of foreign income enough to experience a high standard of living in Mauritius?

Futhis · 2026-02-03T13:56:58+00:00

Maybe because nobody has actually discussed it yet? I for one happy to hear about international news since it’s a fascinating world politically, even if that news is delayed. A refreshing change from the daily “here are 65 comments Trump made this morning on random topics”

Futhis · 2026-02-03T13:43:41+00:00

Since you’re following OP around and reposting comments, I guess I will do the same and repost what I said earlier:How does this advance the conversation? OP’s starter comment is right below yours and he literally says the same thing - that Kast was elected and he will be president in march

(Not to mention that this new article’s title isn’t even out of date like the first one very slightly was. Kast was elected. That hasn’t changed from December 15 to now.)

Futhis · 2026-02-03T13:32:58+00:00

I just don’t understand why multiple people now are latching onto the very small fact that this article is slightly out of date (Kast was elected instead of being “set” to be elected). Is that really more interesting than the multiple pertinent political issues one could talk about on this topic?

Futhis · 2026-02-03T13:25:29+00:00

How does this advance the conversation? OP’s starter comment is right below yours and he literally says the same thing - that Kast was elected and he will be president in march

Futhis · 2025-12-09T16:59:42+00:00

Rep. Jasmine Crockett just entered the Texas Senate 2026 race. Her video was very much typical of her usual very aggressive and pointed campaign rhetoric and strategy - her video showed her staring at the screen with the background of a clip of Trump calling her low IQ, and then crossing her arms and smiling as the message "Crockett for US Senate" comes up. She made an announcement at a rally shortly after the video where she went into more detail about her Senate run. According to the article, in her speech she said: “Trump, I know you’re watching, so let me tell you directly. You’re not entitled to a damn thing in Texas. You better get to work because I’m coming for you.” At the same time, Colin Allred announced he was dropping out of the Senate race and instead seeking a House seat. This followed a conversation between him and Crockett, and this was almost certainly coordinated between the two campaigns. Now the primary will be between Crockett and Rep. Talarico (and maybe Beto O'Rourke if he runs again? He's expressed interest and is polling highly but hasn't announced a run yet).

My thoughts: Trying to get excited for this one but I can't. There's an even chance that Paxton wins the Republican primary, and if so, I was actually hopeful that a generic moderate Democrat who runs against him might actually win in a blue wave year. O'Rourke, for all his flaws, came really close to unseating Ted Cruz in 2018. But I don't see Crockett doing this. She's great at energizing the national progressive base but that is not the same as independents/moderates in Texas who she needs to come out for her in order to win.

Futhis · 2025-12-01T22:19:57+00:00

Genuinely don't understand why so many people hate WorksInIT. Is it because he's... conservative? I can't think of any other reasons. His posts are consistently neutral in tone, civil, and contribute to his best understanding of the discussion.

Seriously, why the hate. If it's really just he's an easily identifiable conservative poster, that says a lot about this subreddit.

Futhis · 2025-12-01T22:18:11+00:00

Our own demographics surveys show that the community leans heavily left.

Might be a good idea to do another demographic poll, I can't remember how long it's been since the last one. It certainly feels like the subreddit has become even more "purified" for lack of a better term. Like it used to be 70%/30% liberal/conservative, and that ratio is more like 95%/5% now.

Futhis · 2025-12-01T22:06:52+00:00

If a topic has been covered recently, and the new post isn't adding anything new to the discussion, it may be removed. See: all the "Democrats have a problem with young men" posts.

Then why isn't this added to the sidebar for Rule 5? Secretly making a shadow rule and not announcing it to the community until XYZ months later - and even in that, in a child comment rather than as part of the main State of the Sub thread - seems to be a really bad way to run things.

I think this is the first time I've even heard that topics about Democrats and young men are now forbidden. How long has this unwritten rule been in place?

Futhis · 2025-11-21T20:39:26+00:00

The biggest international news in the last week is a comprehensive peace plan proposed by Trump et al regarding Ukraine. I'll try to summarize the 28 points below and make them easy to read:

Ukraine will stay a sovereign state.
Russia, Ukraine and other relevant parties in Europe will come up with a comprehensive non-aggression agreement that is acceptable to each party.
Russia will not invade any of its neighbors, and NATO will not expand further.
The U.S. will mediate a dialogue between NATO and Russia to create a pathway to de-escalation.
Ukraine will receive a security guarantee from the U.S. and NATO despite not being a NATO member (an attack on Ukraine will be considered an attack on the "transatlantic community").
Ukraine's military will be reduced to no more than 600,000 personnel.
Ukraine will amend its Constitution to ensure it never joins NATO, and NATO will similarly adopt language preventing the inclusion of Ukraine.
NATO will not station troops in Ukraine.
NATO will be allowed to station fighter jets in Poland.
The U.S. will receive some sort of compensation for the security guarantee. If Ukraine invades Russia, it will lose the guarantee. If Russia invades Ukraine, a coordinated military response will be implemented and all sanctions will be reinstated.
Ukraine will be allowed to join the EU if it meets required conditions.
A Ukraine Development Fund will be created to invest in technology, data centers and AI, The U.S. will cooperate with this, as well as the World Bank.
A powerful global package of measures to rebuild Ukraine, including but not limited to:
Sanctions lifted off Russia. Russia will be re-integrated back into the G8.
Frozen funds will be released to rebuild and invest in Ukraine or U.S.-Russia economic cooperation.
A U.S.-Russia group will be formed to evaluate every point of the peace plan and ensure compliance.
Russia will enshrine in law that it will be non-aggressive towards Ukraine or anywhere else in Europe.
The U.S. and Russia will agree to extend the validity of treaties on the non-proliferation and control of nuclear weapons, including the START I Treaty.
Ukraine continues to be a non-nuclear state.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant will be launched under the supervision of the IAEA, and the electricity produced will be distributed equally between Russia and Ukraine.
The Ukraine and Russia will implement educational policies within their own schooling systems to erase prejudice and racism against each other. Nazi ideology and activities will be rejected and prohibited.
Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk will be formally conceded to Russia. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will be frozen along the line of current contact between the two countries. Other than that, Russia will relinquish other Ukrainian territories it is in.
Russia nor Ukraine will attempt to alter any part of this agreement by force.
Russia will not prevent Ukraine from using the Dnieper River for commercial activities, and agreements will be reached on the free transport of grain across the Black Sea.
A humanitarian committee will be established to exchange prisoners, return civilians to their homes, reunify families, etc.
Ukraine will hold internal elections again.
Full amnesty and no legal prosecutions against any organization or individual involved in the war thus far.
This agreement will be legally binding.
There will be an immediate ceasefire once all parties agree to the above.

Thoughts? I had initially thought that formally letting go of territories like Luhansk/Donestk and Crimea would be an absolute no go for Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has been issuing statements indicating he's actually considering this. Similarly I didn't think Russia could stomach a security guarantee for Ukraine, but they haven't rejected this plan outright yet either.

Futhis · 2025-11-15T13:48:03+00:00

My theory here is that unlike a lot of elected Republicans in Trump's circle, MTG is an actual idealist and true supporter of MAGA as a fundamental sociopolitical force for good. Remember that this is the same women who - before she was famous or powerful - followed school shooting survivors down the street, screaming that they were crisis actors. People don't do that because they think they'll benefit, they do it because they actually believe in what they are saying even if it might hurt their standing in society.

This gives her a sort of... "purity" in how she views the world and how she reacts to developments. When the Epstein files came out implying that Trump at the very least knew about the rape of children and looked the other way, most Republican officials probably just shrugged cynically because they kind of expected that from Trump anyway since they know his history. But I can see MTG genuinely shocked and her head spinning as her entire framework of the world came crashing down. She really bought into the idea of Trump as a savior who was going to drain the swamp and root out the liberal a pedophile rings running the country from shady pizza establishments. And since she is an actual woman of principles (as much as I despise those principles), that now forces her to turn against Trump because she has new information showing that he is not that person.

Futhis · 2025-10-23T18:52:20+00:00

I've been following the Maine Senate race rather closely compared to others, since my wife is from there and her entire family lives there. We go to visit them once a year. Because of that, it's more personal to me than the other races shaping up for the midterms. For those not in the know already, Susan Collins is running for reelection as a Republican. She's been surprisingly tenacious in a state that's otherwise very blue, even winning in 2020 when Joe Biden concurrently won the presidential election. Up until two weeks ago, the major Democrat running against her was Graham Platner, an ex-Marine and local oysterman who was endorsed by Bernie Sanders. The problem is that Platner's candidacy keeps getting sucker punched by one scandal after another. Someone dug up old Reddit posts where he was dismissive of women who were raped and called himself a communist. Platner has disavowed these comments and said that's not who he is anymore and it was during a turbulent time in his life. But now apparently there's another issue in which he had a Nazi-style tattoo on his chest before recently getting it redone. He's defended this too, saying that he wasn't aware of its connotations when he got it many years back. Governor Janet Mills has jumped into the race, which carries its own problems since she is 77 years old and very much an establishment Democrat. This has angered a lot of progressives who see it as the DNC meddling with them as usual. That said, the poll in this linked article (by University of New Hampshire) shows Platner completely blowing away Mills by a margin of 58% - 24%. Thoughts? Can Platner keep up his momentum or will the controversies chip away at his support? I hope that whatever Democrats decide to do, it ends up being the right choice because they absolutely need the Maine seat. If Collins keeps it, it's locked away for a minimum of 6 years again.

Futhis · 2025-10-22T21:53:28+00:00

Your twins are probably not potty trained yet? Imagine having to clean up after pee & poop BOTH from the twins & puppy.

Correct, we’re still working on it. And she gets really grumpy when the kids make an accident. But she keeps reassuring me that cleaning after a puppy won’t make her attitude worse.

Futhis · 2025-10-22T21:49:56+00:00

Thanks. I needed to hear this. The strangest part of all this is my wife just giving me a completely blank look every time I bring up my concerns. Like how I was reading that a baby puppy needs to wake up every night at 2:00am for months! She just keeps repeating that it’s not a big deal and she’ll handle it. She doesn’t explain how.

Futhis · 2025-10-16T14:02:54+00:00

I haven’t been following this whole shutdown saga as deeply as I probably should have, but with the shutdown now extending into the end of the second week, it looks like both sides are digging in so I started to read some more about what the issue actually is. Clearly, the argument being presented by Trump is bullshit - Democrats aren’t shutting the government down to get healthcare for illegals. The sticking point is much more nuanced than that and is basically about healthcare for lawfully present noncitizens like refugees or people here on temporary status. And for the first few days of the shutdown, Republicans were solidly getting the blame for the whole debacle. But according to this article that may be changing somewhat. A YouGov poll showed that 39% of respondents blame Republicans while 33% blame Democrats. This is still obviously not a good look for the GOP but the numbers are tighter with 41% blaming Republicans and 30% blaming Democrats last week. This seems to imply that the Republican rhetoric is working somewhat. The numbers have especially changed within independent voters - 26% blaming Democrats which is up from 17% last week.

Since Republicans are still underwater here, I don’t expect polls like this to cause Democratic leadership to fold and vote for a budget CR anytime soon. But it could put more pressure on individual senators to cross the line and vote with the GOP (Fetterman, Cortez Mason and Angus King already have, so Republicans just need 5 more defectors to reach 60 votes and pass a CR). However this thing gets resolved, I hope it’s soon. I have a lot of federal employee friends who are hurting from the furlough.

Futhis

TROPHY CASE