What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Valmy]

"If you go through male puberty, you can't partake in sports. Also, we're making puberty blockers and usage of hormones illegal for anyone who hasn't gone through male puberty." That is a de facto ban on trans women playing in sports.

No, that is a de jure ban on trans women playing in sports.

[HisMajestyBOB]

Well, duh.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/28/politics/us-intel-russia-china-attempt-recruit-disgruntled-federal-employees?cid=ios_app

Exclusive: US intel shows Russia and China are attempting to recruit disgruntled federal employees, sources say

Foreign adversaries including Russia and China have recently directed their intelligence services to ramp up recruiting of US federal employees working in national security, targeting those who have been fired or feel they could be soon, according to four people familiar with recent US intelligence on the issue and a document reviewed by CNN.

The intelligence indicates that foreign adversaries are eager to exploit the Trump administration's efforts to conduct mass layoffs across the federal workforce – a plan laid out by the Office of Personnel Management earlier this week.

Russia and China are focusing their efforts on recently fired employees with security clearances and probationary employees at risk of being terminated, who may have valuable information about US critical infrastructure and vital government bureaucracy, two of the sources said. At least two countries have already set up recruitment websites and begun aggressively targeting federal employees on LinkedIn, two of the sources said.

A document produced by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said the intelligence community assessed with "high confidence" that foreign adversaries were trying to recruit federal employees and "capitalize" on the Trump administration's plans for mass layoffs, according to a partly redacted copy reviewed by CNN.

It added that foreign intelligence officers were being directed to look for potential sources on LinkedIn, TikTok, RedNote and Reddit.

At least one foreign intelligence officer directed an asset to create a company profile on Linkedin and post a job advertisement, and to actively pursue federal employees who indicate they are "open to work," the NCIS document says.

The adversaries think the employees "are at their most vulnerable right now," another of the sources said. "Out of a job, bitter about being fired, etc."

"It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see that these cast aside federal workers with a wealth of institutional knowledge represent staggeringly attractive targets to the intelligence services of our competitors and adversaries," a third source familiar with the recent US assessments told CNN.

CNN has reached out to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as well as the embassies of China and Russia in Washington for comment.

The intelligence seems to confirm what was previously a hypothetical fear for current and US officials: that the mass firings could offer a rich recruitment opportunity for foreign intelligence services that might seek to exploit financially vulnerable or resentful former employees. The Justice Department has charged multiple former military and intelligence officials for providing US intelligence to China in recent years.

Officials have been discussing the risk
Career officials at the CIA have been quietly discussing that risk and how to mitigate it in the recent weeks, current and former intelligence officials previously told CNN. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard earlier this week suggested that those discussions represented a "threat" made by disloyal government employees — rather than a clinical warning of the potential risks posed by President Donald Trump's aggressive cost-cutting strategy — and that those involved should be penalized.

"I am curious about how they think this is a good tactic to keep their job," Gabbard told Fox News' Jesse Watters on Tuesday. "They're exposing themselves essentially by making this indirect threat using their propaganda arm through CNN that they've used over and over and over again to reveal their hand, that their loyalty is not at all to America. It is not to the American people or the Constitution. It is to themselves.

"And these are exactly the kind of people that we need to root out, get rid of so that the patriots who do work in this area, who are committed to our core mission can actually focus on that," she said.

Multiple current officials across national security agencies who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity expressed frustration at the administration's response to what they see as very real warnings — not partisan swiping.

"Employees that feel they have been mistreated by an employer have historically been much more likely to disclose sensitive information," said Holden Triplett, who served as director of counterintelligence at the National Security Council in the first Trump administration and is a former FBI attaché at the US embassies in Moscow and Beijing. "We may be creating, albeit somewhat unintentionally, the perfect recruitment environment."

'This isn't reality TV'
"This isn't reality TV," said another former intelligence official. "There are consequences."

The CIA and Defense Department are weighing significant staff cuts. The Pentagon said in a memo last week that over 5,000 probationary employees, who in most cases have been in their job a year or less, could be fired in the short term. And the CIA has already fired more than 20 officers for their work on diversity issues, many of whom are now challenging their dismissal in court.

The CIA also aggressively seeks to recruit disaffected government employees in adversarial countries "all the time," noted a former intelligence official — using similar tactics. The agency has released a series of public recruitment videos aimed at persuading disgruntled Russian government employees to spy for the United States, videos that detailed ways to securely contact the agency.

"'Domestic political turbulence in your country? Sign up with us to help us help your country!'" the former official paraphrased the US efforts, adding that those efforts deeply aggravate foreign governments.

The CIA may have already inadvertently put some American secrets within the grasp of foreign spies and hackers. In an effort to comply with the executive order to downsize the federal workforce, the CIA earlier this month sent the White House an extraordinarily unusual email listing all new hires that have been with the agency for two years or less — a list that included CIA officers who were preparing to operate under cover — over an unclassified email server.

Some of those officers, who have had access to classified information about the agency's operations and tradecraft, may now be terminated as part of the layoffs.

What, they're not getting enough from senior leadership?

[Sophie Scholl]

No, only in sports where it is scientifically proven to give you an advantage and only on the highest levels where winning actually matters.

Like almost everything related to trans folks, there is incredibly little legitimate scientific research done on trans issues, especially focused issues like trans women athletes in sport. Much of what we have are not legitimate scientific studies and are financed by and directed to get the results that anti-trans groups want. Without legitimate scientific research into things, the easiest and quickest way of seeing the impact being trans has on athletics would be the eye test, in my opinion. Are trans women exponentially appearing in women's sports? Are they dominating those sports? The answers to those questions are "no" and "no". The odds of us being able to engage in said eye test is basically over, though, as trans women are being banned from women's sports all over the world. Given the national and, to a lesser extent, international hatred and restrictions on trans care and existence, we are not likely to have any legitimate scientific studies done, either. We're destroying our proverbial Institut für Sexualwissenschaft and burning its books as we sit here and debate things.

[Legbiter]

Like almost everything related to trans folks, there is incredibly little legitimate scientific research done on trans issues, especially focused issues like trans women athletes in sport.

I have no idea whether you're a cynical trööner or if you've actualy fully transitioned so spare me cautious reception.

[Syt]

Like almost everything related to trans folks, there is incredibly little legitimate scientific research done on trans issues, especially focused issues like trans women athletes in sport.

I have no idea whether you're a cynical trööner or if you've actualy fully transitioned so spare me cautious reception.

Are you saying she's wrong?

[Syt]

Trump put the Canada/Mexico tariffs back on the menu for March 4th, because fentanyl deaths haven't dropped enough.

[Legbiter]

Are you saying she's wrong?

You go right a head and deal with...her...problems. 

[Syt]

Are you saying she's wrong?

You go right a head and deal with...her...problems. 

Fuck right off.

[grumbler]

Are you saying she's wrong?

You go right a head and deal with...her...problems. 

Found Trump's sockpuppet account.

[Legbiter]

I'd have to actually mean it. "Go fistfight, and kill, my brother who always stood up for me" over a "Ms. Thin Hairline"...

[Valmy]

Like almost everything related to trans folks, there is incredibly little legitimate scientific research done on trans issues, especially focused issues like trans women athletes in sport. Much of what we have are not legitimate scientific studies and are financed by and directed to get the results that anti-trans groups want. Without legitimate scientific research into things, the easiest and quickest way of seeing the impact being trans has on athletics would be the eye test, in my opinion. Are trans women exponentially appearing in women's sports? Are they dominating those sports? The answers to those questions are "no" and "no". The odds of us being able to engage in said eye test is basically over, though, as trans women are being banned from women's sports all over the world. Given the national and, to a lesser extent, international hatred and restrictions on trans care and existence, we are not likely to have any legitimate scientific studies done, either. We're destroying our proverbial Institut für Sexualwissenschaft and burning its books as we sit here and debate things.

Fair enough. Agree on all points. But since this topic keeps getting discussed and is convincing people to support horrible things, I have to have a position. And I gave it.

I agree that there should be scientific studies with a burden of proof to justify banning transwomen from a sport. Not that it even matters since we are probably talking about enough people to count on both hands. But people seem to be swayed by it.

[Valmy]

I have no idea whether you're a cynical trööner or if you've actualy fully transitioned so spare me cautious reception.

Spare you? She was talking to me.

You always teach me the creepiest slang. Do I want to know what trööner is?

Anyway Sophie has been at this forever. Nothing cynical about it. She is very earnest.

[Sophie Scholl]

Fair enough. Agree on all points. But since this topic keeps getting discussed and is convincing people to support horrible things, I have to have a position. And I gave it.

I agree that there should be scientific studies with a burden of proof to justify banning transwomen from a sport. Not that it even matters since we are probably talking about enough people to count on both hands. But people seem to be swayed by it.

Entirely fair. I just wanted to give someone who I respect and Languishly care about my personal view on it and a little additional perspective from someone in the crosshairs of the madness. 

[Sophie Scholl]

"Troon"
The Online Hate Research and Education Project defines this derogatory anti-trans word as: "A slur used by transphobes to refer to and dehumanize transgender women. The term is a portmanteau of the words 'trans' and 'goon,' and carries the connotation that those accused of being 'troons' are using gender identity to hide sinister and potentially violent ends."

Sourced from: here

[Razgovory]

I'm not sure it's that everyone hates LGBT people, but "T" part does seem to be giving some people problems.  My brother, who is gay, is not particularly fond of Trans, but otherwise supports LGBT.  I think that most people can tolerate trans people.  Sort of a "you can do what you want, so long as you don't hurt anyone", but they become unhappy when they feel that trans people or their allies are perceived to harm others, such gender-affirming care for children, trans in women's sports, etc

Children don't get gender-affirming care and the number of transwomen in sports is miniscule and insignificant.  The Big Lie is alive and well.

I can find plenty of articles where people under 18 receive this care.