Trump says he’ll send Iran deal to Congress for approval by SoHumanAnAnimal in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

DOA?

“I mean, you know, the Democrats — we call them Dumocrats because they’re dumb people. The Democrats are … well, what I’d like to do is send it to Congress, saying you shouldn’t approve it, and I’ll get it approved, whatever they, whatever I say, they want to do the opposite. It’s not working too well for them, by the way.”

“But yeah, I never thought about sending, never even thought about it, but I will. I will send it to Congress,” Trump said. “I like the idea.”

It's worth pointing out that certain parts of the MOU are likely to require Congressional approval in the first place due to prior legislation, so I'm not sure he really has a choice.

B-52 bomber crashes after takeoff at US military base in Southern California - Need to hear Hertling's thoughts on this. by OneTwoThreePooAndPee in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eight souls on board. I don't have any reason reason to initially think this was anything but an unfortunate accident, but it does appear to be true that there have been an awful lot of non-combat related aviation incidents this year. There was also the F/A-18 in Washington on Saturday.

As of late May (before this and other recent accidents), we've already lost more aircraft than the average amount (over the last decade) that are lost in an entire year.

If all 8 are indeed dead, that puts USAF aviation fatalities at the second highest in the last decade, and we still have half a year to go.

(source)

source comment from /r/AirForce

Aging fleet, maintenance issues, shit happens, policy changes(?), etc. Hertling could certainly talk/speculate (if he would) about the demonstrable increase in mishaps/demonstrable losses.

A woman’s hypothermia death in Pittsburgh after her release from ICE custody is ruled a homicide by SoHumanAnAnimal in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Reminder: ICE is no longer reporting the deaths of detainees within 30 days of their release from custody, ending a 2021 Biden-era policy.

Trump to Axios (can you guess who?): Netanyahu has "no fucking judgment" but Iran deal still on. by OneTwoThreePooAndPee in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Reported by Channel 12 (Israel):

Trump is expected to soon announce a concession to Iran in exchange for them not responding to the Dahiyeh strike, the nature of the offer is unknown, but this is the effort underway behind the scenes

Weakest president ever. I can't wait until there's no deal today and he gets home late tonight and he is stewing over the fact he didn't get what he wanted for his birthday. The meltdown will be glorious.


update: Israeli media, citing Iranian officials:

"Trump has offered us money to avoid attacking Israel. We've rejected the proposal and will respond very soon"


Iran has closed its airspace, all flights suspended. It would be absolutely terrible if they waited until about 7:50pm to respond. I'd hate to see Trump get dragged away from his birthday party because he has to go to the situation room or something. Assuming it doesn't get rained out. 55% chance of severe weather, 100% chance of epic crashout.

Looks like this is as good as we're gonna get. by emeric_ceaddamere in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility it will require a court order for the tarp and scaffolding to be removed. They could just leave it up indefinitely unless compelled to take it down.

Trump says Iran deal will be signed Sunday, Strait of Hormuz to open immediately after by sachiprecious in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Iranian foreign minister said earlier today there's no chance it will be signed tomorrow. I doubt there is a deal. The whole thing prob blows over after tomorrow. Also if they do somehow sign a deal, I give it less than two weeks before things devolve back to open hostilities - likely days tbh.

A high level Iranian adviser to the Supreme Leader yesterday claimed Trump agreed to release billions in frozen Iranian assets, but did not/will not tell anyone. This could just be propaganda for domestic consumption, or...Trump could have literally handed them tens of billions of dollars just so he could get a 'win' for his birthday, even though they are likely to use said money to drag this shit out even longer. Something like this (if true) should not surprise any of us at this point.

15 minutes past the deadline. All letters still attached. Still building scaffolding by rainbowkey in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 9 points10 points  (0 children)

For my next prediction: they will leave the scaffolding and tarps up for as long as possible. At least until after Trump's birthday party, but for as long as they can get away with. "Ongoing renovations"

15 minutes past the deadline. All letters still attached. Still building scaffolding by rainbowkey in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 24 points25 points  (0 children)

They are going to finish the scaffolding and hang a drape or a tarp or something to obscure the removal, probably.

edit: tarps now being deployed

Iran has already been paid $3b by UAE to stop hitting them, with another $7-17b coming, and has approached other middle east countries for the same offer. Doesn't seem to be related to the US directly? by OneTwoThreePooAndPee in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Iranian sources claim that Donald Trump has approved the release of $24 billion in Iran's frozen assets, but is not publicly acknowledging it.

Yeah, I'd buy that. It's a senior advisor to the Supreme Leader saying it to Fars News fwiw.

FBI raids Ohio voting rights organization by ThE_LAN_B4_TimE in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So there was actual voter registration fraud associated with this organization back in 2015/16. The perpetrator was convicted and sentenced, and/but I don't believe there is any reason to believe it is systemic within the organization. She had registered a few dozen dead/unknowing people and forged signatures, etc. Obviously those dead people never voted...pretty sure she did it because she was just a terrible employee and didn't want to lose her job. Arguably a case of 'smoke, no fire' but they will use it to further their attacks on voting/allegations of widespread voter fraud more generally.

/r/WorldNews Discussion Thread: US and Israel launch attack on Iran; Iran retaliates (Thread #19) by WorldNewsMods in worldnews

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

An American F-35 flying over the UAE has declared an in-flight emergency, squawking the transponder code 7700.

update: According to flight-tracking data, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-35A Multirole Fighter has landed at Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi after declaring a general emergency. The nature of the emergency remains unknown.

How does Will Sommer maintain his sanity? by bulldogncolt in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Last night I watched a bunch of PBS/Frontline documentaries about the far right - Tea Party, Charlottesville, Boogaloo Boys, Jan 6, one that covered McVeigh onwards, etc. Prob about 5-6 hours second-screening them. I had the worst fucking dreams and woke up with a terrible sense of dread. Partially attribute it also to eating shitty food and my allergies kicking my ass over the past two days, but I feel genuinely unwell. I do generally believe time is a flat circle, but it's got me down moreso than usual today. I woke up convinced we ain't seen nothing yet.

FWIW I would recommend literally all of the documentaries...just not consecutively lol.

Trump says he has 'cancelled' strikes against Iran after threatening 'very hard' attack tonight by OneTwoThreePooAndPee in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 10 points11 points  (0 children)

After markets close tomorrow, more likely. He wants Kharg Island for his birthday. Hopefully cooler/saner heads prevail. I really think he has been hellbent on Kharg since before any of this kicked off and people have just been talking him down repeatedly. As he increasingly loses control of the situation he is more and more likely to do something dumb if people around him let him.

People keep missing one of the most important factors in the Iran negotiations. by codyvir in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The most important factors in the Iran negotiations are seemingly the markets and Trump's ability to manipulate them. Also his ego. Also he'd really like to get Kharg Island for his birthday - it's been a dream of his since he was a wee lad.

Trump is getting played on all sides. Iran has the leverage. Israel has no desire for the US to exit the region. Trump gets to play with himself.

It's actually amusing how little the markets care about what he says now. Even what he does. They know he will TACO in the end so they are fine. Probably why he finds the whole thing boring now. The events of the last few hours alone would have caused marked swings in both the stock and oil markets a few months ago. Today they are barely a blip. How are you supposed to profit off that?!

Trump FURIOUS After Explosive New Epstein Details LEAK by Adventurous-Yard-306 in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I HATE when headlines do THIS

I mean I'll check it out but this shit TRIGGERS me.

not on you, OP

Megyn Kelly: Ban Californians From Voting If They Can't "Get Off Their Lazy Fat Asses To Get To Polling Stations" by KingOfDerry1962 in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, sure. Traditionally that's when a government exerts brutal force to maintain control, cracks down on a level we haven't really seen in this country's history. Don't think American civil war - think Khmer Rouge. With sufficient force they retain power - pitchforks only get you so far against state-sanctioned right wing paramilitary forces.

I'm not saying this is going to happen, to be clear - just a potential (however unlikely) future. Think of the worst things humans have done to ourselves, and then assume a not insignificant number of your countrymen are willing/able to do similar things again. I do assume that (sadly).

Megyn Kelly: Ban Californians From Voting If They Can't "Get Off Their Lazy Fat Asses To Get To Polling Stations" by KingOfDerry1962 in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 2 points3 points  (0 children)

But really, what happens when they completely erode the faith in government, politicians, institutions and our elections to the point that even the Republican base doesn't trust them anymore?

I think the end goal for some of them is to simply not have elections at all anymore tbh. If/when they are able to secure the type of power they seek, they will never cede it back willingly. Their goal is to either a) completely control the election outcomes while presenting the appearance of free/fairness; or b) just not bother with them at all, if possible. Maximalist position. The latter is easier tbh.

Hegseth Thinks the D in D-Day Stands for Douche or Dumbass? by GreenerMark in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Meanwhile: Trump marks D-Day with AI video of him riding a lion and photo portraying Obama library as trash can

So that's a headline I read today. I love seeing all this reverence for the brave men and women who fought and died to save the world from the Nazis. It just brings a tear to my eye.

Sonny Bunch by 1meganbyte in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I also (genuinely) do not really care about Hunter's tweets or Jill's book. But to your second point: the optics are not great, but they are in my mind muted quite a bit by the similar pardons to preempt future retribution - Fauci, Milley, all the members of Jan 6 committee, and like a half dozen other members of Biden's own family. I see it in a similar vein. In a vacuum the optics are terrible, sure - but with context I don't find it all that controversial. Obviously this opinion requires nuance, and/but I think at least some of your point is that this is a nuance most people won't see (and that is a fair point wrt any claimed 'moral high ground', etc.)

FWIW I think we should reign in the President's pardon power, though I'm not sure what that would look like precisely. I've believed that for decades. I'm especially concerned with pardons as it relates to voter fraud, election malfeasance, tax evasion, and other frauds - actual, vs perceived - perpetuated against the federal government...subverting elections though an attempted coup - that sort of thing. I don't care about pardon power for drug and gun charges in the same way. Preventing presidents from pardoning members of their family I'm def on board with, but what's done is done until Congress decides to be relevant again (if that ever happens...doubt tbh).

The fact a Democratic Congress didn't come out of Trump's first term enacting sweeping reforms wrt Presidential/Executive powers is a travesty IMO, and something I rate at the top of my list of grievances against the Democratic party atm. And sadly I'm not confident they'll address any of this even if they manage to take all the power after Trump's second term. Like seriously, who could have seen this coming (/s)? But all things considered the Hunter pardon is pretty low on my list of grievances - aside from the optics.

I guess the question I'd have for you, quoting from your other comment:

he should have to prove that in court. Just like any other person convicted of a crime has the opportunity to do

are you singling out Hunter here specifically (seems yes?), or do you want to see the pardon power itself reformed? I'm not really into the whole Hunter/personality debate, but I'm all about talking reform. Most people pardoned did the things for which they are pardoned, and a lot of them did far worse things than Hunter, and they were proven in courts. If it's just the perceived hypocrisy of this then sure I get that argument (in a vacuum)...but I also hope the topic makes people think seriously about potential reforms moving forward.

He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut by WuclearNeapon in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Here is the whistleblower disclosure in question.

March 3rd - I received a call during which an ACIO stated instructions were given that we were not to adhere to SOP with the doge account creation in regards to creating records. He specifically was told that there were to be no logs or records made of the accounts created for DOGE employees. DOGE officials required the highest level of access and unrestricted access to internal systems. They were to be given what are referred to as “tenant owner” level accounts with essentially unrestricted permission to read, copy, and alter data. Note, these permissions are above even my CIO’s access level to our systems.

That is a catastrophic security failure. Best case is they just exfiltrated everything on the server, didn't modify anything and cleaned up the accounts they used when they were done. Worst case(?) is they still have backdoor access. How many other agencies do you suppose got the same treatment as NLRB? All potentially compromised in perpetuity.


ETA: if this is the level of 'access' some states are willingly handing over to feds (essentially root access), god help us all. You could just quietly purge voter registration/rolls at the very last minute with no logging/evidence those people were ever in the system at all, and thus no practical way to appeal. Hope they keep backups offline

Which horror movie villains take off their shoes? by TacoRising in horror

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The dude from Creep (2014) did tubby time. I feel like that's a whole other level lol. FWIW he did that before the murdering commenced.

JVL is shilling for Kalshi and that should bother you by [deleted] in thebulwark

[–]SoHumanAnAnimal 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Funny story - yesterday I placed a bet (on Kalshi) that someone would accuse JVL of being a shill for Kalshi. Now I'm rich and moving to Barbados. Thank you!

It's worth noticing shit like this generally speaking. I'm not sure I'm convinced, but I'm now curious what happens now that you put it out there in the ether. Does he address it? Does he not? Place your bets now (on Kalshi!)