What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[crazy canuck]

Jordan is pretty wild too. One of the few remaining friendly countries in the Middle East.

with a 60% Palestinian population.

More and more you resemble a Trump staffer

[Admiral Yi]

Apparently Trump is going to Davos next week. That should be a circus.

[HVC]

Should the Daleks be worried?

[Jacob]

The implementation of the surveillance state in the US seems to be proceeding at pace:

Palantir is working on a tool for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that populates a map with potential deportation targets, brings up a dossier on each person, and provides a "confidence score" on the person's current address, 404 Media has learned. ICE is using it to find locations where lots of people it might detain could be based.

The findings, based on internal ICE material obtained by 404 Media, public procurement records, and recent sworn testimony from an ICE official, show the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency's activities on the ground. The tool receives peoples' addresses from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) among a range of other sources, according to the material.

https://www.404media.co/elite-the-palantir-app-ice-uses-to-find-neighborhoods-to-raid/

[Admiral Yi]

Should the Daleks be worried?

Daleks are the vacuum cleaners from Dr. Who, right?  Sorry, don't get the reference.

[HVC]

Should the Daleks be worried?

Daleks are the vacuum cleaners from Dr. Who, right?  Sorry, don't get the reference.

Yeah. Their creator was called Davros. So everything i see Davos i think Davros 

[Admiral Yi]

Yeah. Their creator was called Davros. So everything i see Davos i think Davros 

Better put that one on the solo album.

[Tamas]

The implementation of the surveillance state in the US seems to be proceeding at pace:

Palantir is working on a tool for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that populates a map with potential deportation targets, brings up a dossier on each person, and provides a "confidence score" on the person's current address, 404 Media has learned. ICE is using it to find locations where lots of people it might detain could be based.

The findings, based on internal ICE material obtained by 404 Media, public procurement records, and recent sworn testimony from an ICE official, show the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency's activities on the ground. The tool receives peoples' addresses from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) among a range of other sources, according to the material.

https://www.404media.co/elite-the-palantir-app-ice-uses-to-find-neighborhoods-to-raid/

Well, this gives  whole new meaning to profiling. People with Latino family names would do best to start changing them. Lots of German-origin families in Hungary opted to gain some security from deportation by doing that past 1945.

[Jacob]

This is pretty wild if true:

Trump Is Keeping Money From Venezuelan Oil Sale in Offshore Account

President Trump is keeping proceeds from the first sale of Venezuelan oil in an offshore bank account based in Qatar, according to reporting from Semafor. The sale was worth $500 million.

This unprecedented move is yet another middle finger to Venezuelan sovereignty and once again raises questions about the president's cozy relationship with the Qatari government.

"There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military," Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren told Semafor. "That is precisely a move that a corrupt politician would be attracted to."

That seems to be exactly what Trump is doing. Trump has vowed to "indefinitely" control Venezuela's oil, claiming the proceeds will be given back to the U.S. and Venezuela.

Still, it remains unclear just how that money held in Qatar will benefit the Venezuelan people the administration claims to care about.

https://newrepublic.com/post/205327/trump-money-venezuelan-oil-sale-account

[Jacob]

So assuming for a moment that the midterms go ahead without too much interference, how are they shaping up in terms of the two houses?

I'm assuming there's a decent chance that the House of Representatives would swing to the Dems. What does the Senate look like?

[Valmy]

So assuming for a moment that the midterms go ahead without too much interference, how are they shaping up in terms of the two houses?

I'm assuming there's a decent chance that the House of Representatives would swing to the Dems. What does the Senate look like?

There are some opportunities in the Senate but it far from a liklihood. Ohio, North Carolina, Maine, Alaska and defend everything successfully. That would do it. Is that likely? Nope. But possible. We have to gain four with JD Vance around. Just defending our seats will be tough enough,

Obviously if the Democrats win anywhere else that would be a huge deal.

[Grey Fox]

Maybe Dems should hammer the message that if they don't win, war is coming.

[Oexmelin]

Donald Trump Gripes About 2026 Midterms, Saying, 'When You Think of It, We Shouldn't Even Have an Election'

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-midterm-elections-cancel-leavitt-white-house-11368056

Only joking, of course. Such a jokester.

[Zanza]

This is pretty wild if true:

Trump Is Keeping Money From Venezuelan Oil Sale in Offshore Account

President Trump is keeping proceeds from the first sale of Venezuelan oil in an offshore bank account based in Qatar, according to reporting from Semafor. The sale was worth $500 million.

This unprecedented move is yet another middle finger to Venezuelan sovereignty and once again raises questions about the president's cozy relationship with the Qatari government.

"There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military," Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren told Semafor. "That is precisely a move that a corrupt politician would be attracted to."

That seems to be exactly what Trump is doing. Trump has vowed to "indefinitely" control Venezuela's oil, claiming the proceeds will be given back to the U.S. and Venezuela.

Still, it remains unclear just how that money held in Qatar will benefit the Venezuelan people the administration claims to care about.

https://newrepublic.com/post/205327/trump-money-venezuelan-oil-sale-account

How is that wild? Seems to be a fairly usual move for dictators to stash some money abroad in a friendly country in case they have to go into exile.

[Jacob]

Every bit where Trump explicitly behaves like a dictator is wild to me, at least the first time it comes out.