Collection of worrying incidents

[gleem]

Funding for medical services that have been discontinued, the money spent to date has been a benefit. That is not true for ongoing studies or research that have been terminated. One such program, the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), is a thirty-year ongoing study of pre diabetic persons to see the effect of different protocols on the development of the the disease. Terminating it trashes all the effort to date on this study.. While the American Diabetic Association and the Endocrine Society are calling for its restoration, so far, it has not been restored.

Throwing the baby out with the bath water. Another waste.

 

[EricDMMiller]

Scumbags surrounding themselves with scumbags.

The supervisor of Rubio's security detail was arrested in Brussels after demanding his hotel re-open the bar, arguing with the hotel managers, and fighting with police.

Brussels police arrest Rubio security detail supervisor after fight - Washington Examiner

An agent on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's Diplomatic Security Service protective detail was arrested in Brussels after fighting with hotel staff and police.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

 

[gleem]

Trump has planned to revitalize US manufacturing. So why is a program that gives $500M to Cleveland Cliff, a steel producer in Middletown, Ohio, to modernize and become more efficient and competitive, being shut down? Well, the Cleveland Cliffs modernization program comes from $6.3B in a Biden administration program known as the Office of Clean Energy Demonstration. OOPs a "Clean Energy" program must be bad; shut it down. Since Middeltown is JD Vance's hometown, I suppose it will eventually be spared. How many businesses under programs with a title that raise a red flag and do not have influential advocates are inadvertently adversely affected even though they are consistent with the Trump adjenda?

 

[placebo]

I don't know if it's fair to call the DSS supervisor a scumbag. From the article, it sounds like he was severely overworked and finally snapped, a symptom of poor management of the DSS. It was just a matter of time.

 

[EricDMMiller]

They don't get to make those kinds of excuses.

He was an entitled belligerent asshole baby causing a fight because the hotel bar closed. Anyone who does that is an entitled belligerent asshole baby. It's quite a metaphor for the entire current US government, now that I think about it.

 

[Grinkle]

@EricDMMiller

Even more so given he is a Federal employee on official duties and hence an implicit ambassador of his countries image abroad (which happens to be the US, but my point is not specific to US Federal employees).

 

[fresh_42]

They don't get to make those kinds of excuses.

He was an entitled belligerent asshole baby causing a fight because the hotel bar closed. Anyone who does that is an entitled belligerent asshole baby. It's quite a metaphor for the entire current US government, now that I think about it.

At least he survived. Something I wouldn't necessarily expect if this had happened in the USA and the man would have been black.

 

[EricDMMiller]

They are even aiming for Hitler's birthday. Cute.

It won't show the link to the medium article.

Part 1: On April 20th, 2025, the United States may Cross the Point of No Return.

 

[placebo]

I'm not saying that the DSS supervisor didn't act like an ass and that he shouldn't have. Indeed, he should be deeply embarrassed. But from the account of what happened, it's pretty clear he was not of his right mind, and there's a very compelling explanation for why. Of course, you guys can choose cherry pick what you want to believe and dismiss everything that's inconvenient to fit your narrative, and then sit in holier-than-thou judgment of a person you don't even now, but that makes you no better than Trump and his supporters.

 

[morrobay]

I don't know if it's fair to call the DSS supervisor a scumbag. From the article, it sounds like he was severely overworked and finally snapped, a symptom of poor management of the DSS. It was just a matter of time.

Reading comprehension. From the article sounds like he had been drinking and wanted to continue drinking. Insisting the bar remain open, then fighting with local police. And you are implying he is the victim??

 

[placebo]

Reading comprehension.

Pot. kettle, black.

 

[EricDMMiller]

Putting the Secretary of the Army in charge of the ATF is a violation of Posse Comitatus, isn't it?

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/kash-patel-removed-acting-atf-director-replaced-by-army-secretary-sources-say-2025-04-09/

 

[Grinkle]

Putting the Secretary of the Army in charge of the ATF is a violation of Posse Comitatus, isn't it?

The Secretary of the Army is a civilian, and not responsible for the operational command of troops (at least technically) so probably not a violation of PC. He is responsible for the Department of the Army, and for all I know he has as much influence as any general regarding what troops do, not saying otherwise, just it probably not a legal problem for him to head up the ATF.

More to the spirit of your post, though, as opposed to the letter, imo the goal of the administration is to gut the ATF, not to weaponize it for deportations or other administration goals. I have read opinion pieces (and it has become my opinion) that MAGA sees the ATF as the weaponized enemy of the 2nd amendment (the firearms amendment, I'm sure you know but others may not) and a general PITA for Americans who like to arm themselves to the teeth.

 

[EricDMMiller]

The Secretary of the Army is a civilian...

Thanks for the added information and context. I was operating from a layman understanding and that clarified a lot.

 

[Grinkle]

I was operating from a layman understanding

The only reason I even bother to know this is because the destruction of US government norms and traditional behavior makes it seem relevant. I remember the days when this knowledge would have seemed like nothing more than a Trivial Pursuit question.

 

[dlu]

This is kinda bizarre.
Article says the idea came from the Doge team.
Being declared dead, but still alive.

Devastating': Trump admin marks thousands legally 'dead' to stop them from making money​

MSN

 

[Grinkle]

This is kinda bizarre.

While campaigning, Trump made lots of noise about illegal immigrants coming here and getting government benefits and he wants some way to claim that he is working in this (never mind that all THESE folks are here legally). Someone from Doge probably noticed how difficult it is to be declared alive once you are declared as dead in the social security database and a light bulb went off. I envision a conversation like - "Hey, no one ever thought to make an explicit law against declaring someone dead in this system, we can just do that to anyone we don't like. Worst case, it takes years to get through the courts."

The inspiration probably came from an event like the below.

Man falsely declared dead by Social Security still dealing with fallout, he says

Ned Johnson first learned of his "death" when his wife received a condolence letter from their bank. Later, he lost his Social Security benefits.

abcnews.go.com

 

[EricDMMiller]

This just has to be demoralizing at showing how deep the bench of incomptent idiots in charge of this administration really is.

The US Secretary of Education referred to AI as 'A1,' like the steak sauce | TechCrunch

During a panel at a summit, Linda McMahon, the U.S. secretary of education, referred to AI as 'A1,' like the steak sauce.

techcrunch.com

During the panel, she said “AI” at first, but became increasingly less consistent.

“It wasn’t all that long ago that it was, ‘We’re going to have internet in our schools!’” she continued. “Now let’s see A1, and how can that be helpful.”

AI is such a ubiquitous term that it seems hard to imagine how one could forget the correct acronym — it’s like if a professional athlete referred to Major League Baseball as the “NFL.”

 

[gleem]

A paper on evolutionary biology was withdrawn from a Royal Society journal for fear it would produce a negative reaction from the Trump administration.

MSN

The co-authors, who are legal immigrants, told fellow researchers they feared deportation for daring to publish a paper on evolution, according to Washington Post reporter Mark Johnson. One of the co-authors had just lost a job because of a canceled government grant and the other feared more canceled grants for even broaching the topic in a nation riddled with anti-science. Both worried they might lose their residency if their names appeared on a “controversial article” despite being in the U.S. legally, Johnson writes.

The article also notes that some scientists fear layover flights in the US. Recently, a French scientist trying to attend a meeting in the US was detained and denied entry because of the criticism of the termination of science grants.

This fear could stop the publication of papers on global warming, energy research, and medical research that contradict the Trump administration's views.

 

[fresh_42]

CDC's cruise ship inspectors laid off amid bad year for outbreaks​

All of the full-time employees in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program are now off the job, multiple officials tell CBS News, gutting the agency's ability to investigate outbreaks and conduct health inspections on cruise ships. A smaller group of 12 U.S. Public Health Service officers will remain.

The steep cuts to the program's inspectors baffled CDC officials since the small team's staff is not paid for by taxpayer dollars. Fees from cruise ships companies pay for the program, which is supposed to inspect large vessels at least twice a year.

The epidemiologist tasked with leading the agency's outbreak response on cruise ships was included in the layoffs, multiple CDC officials said.

The cuts come as the U.S. has been battling a record surge of norovirus, largely driven by a new strain of the virus.

At least a dozen outbreaks have been documented so far this year on cruise ships, mostly from norovirus. Some of those outbreaks have made headlines for sickening dozens or even hundreds of people. There were 18 total outbreaks listed for all of last year.

CDC's cruise ship inspectors laid off amid bad year for outbreaks

The steep cuts to the cruise ship inspection team baffled officials in the program, which is not paid for by taxpayer dollars.

www.cbsnews.com

Comment: Reminds me of my last PF signature: When Hilbert was asked at a banquet in 1934 by the new Prussian Minister of Education, Bernhard Rust, whether it was true that his institute had suffered “from the departure of Jews and friends of Jews,” Hilbert replied: “The institute - it doesn’t even exist anymore.”

 

[Klystron]

CDC's cruise ship inspectors laid off amid bad year for outbreaks

This could just be ongoing stupidity but nonetheless follows Trump failures during the initial Covid-19 pandemic. Testing produces data leading to bad press. CDC norovirus inspectors discover and track outbreaks on cruise ships. No CDC inspections == no norovirus outbreak reports.

Toddlers play a game where they cover their eyes believing this renders them invisible. Toddler Trump eliminates norovirus no matter how virulent the strain by canceling inspections. Voilà!

 

[Grinkle]

Iirc, he did say America’s covid problem was too much testing.

 

[fresh_42]

Just seen this on TV in a report about the US-Regime's goal to rebuild the US-American education system, esp. what has recently happened at Cornell and Harvard: US-American scientists currently in Germany started to ask the Max-Planck-Society for jobs.

It is so similar to Germany in the 30s of the last century, just with exchanged roles!

 

[EricDMMiller]

Just seen this on TV in a report about the US-Regime's goal to rebuild the US-American education system, esp. what has recently happened at Cornell and Harvard: US-American scientists currently in Germany started to ask the Max-Planck-Society for jobs.

It is so similar to Germany in the 30s of the last century, just with exchanged roles!

To me it seems like Mao or Pol Pot. Close the academia and open the factories.

In other news, the US is now being strangely selective on who it sells weapons to.

Trump refused Ukraine in Patriot systems, despite its readiness to pay $50 billion - Media | УНН

УНН War in Ukraine ✎ Donald Trump rejected Ukraine's proposal to buy Patriot with EU funds and frozen assets of the Russian Federation.

unn.ua

What a surprise.

You know, he always wants to buy missiles. But you see, when you start a war, you have to know that you can win this war. You can't start a war against an enemy that is 20 times bigger and then hope that someone will give you missiles

 

[fresh_42]

The USA has obviously changed sides and is now Putin's ally. Molotov-Ribbentrop, just a few miles south and 86 years later.

 

[Klystron]

The USA has obviously changed sides and is now Putin's ally. Molotov-Ribbentrop, just a few miles south and 86 years later.

Not the USA. Most US citizens never swallowed Ronald Reagan's blather concerning axis of evil with USSR/Russia as bad guys. Outside Fox 'news' and neo-fascists, I doubt most Americans accept Trumpian idiocy nor suddenly embrace Russia, either.

Though if sufficient US leadership has been bought, who can say... ?

 

[EricDMMiller]

RFK Jr. Taps Man Who Harmfully Injected Autistic Children With Anti-Puberty Drug to Run His Autism Study

David Geier, RFK Jr.'s hand-picked autism expert, has long been a pariah in the medical community.

www.theamericansaga.com

Mark Geier is, in fact, the very figure conservative commentators cite when warning that “they’re forcibly transitioning your children.” In 2011 multiple state medical boards revoked his medical licence after he prescribed the puberty‑blocking drug Lupron—widely used in gender‑affirming hormone therapy—to autistic minors. Geier diagnosed the children with fabricated “precocious puberty” and promoted the drug as an unproven “cure” for autism, bypassing accepted standards of informed consent and ethical oversight.

He's good buddies with RFJKR and is now being put in charge of the autism review.

 

[fresh_42]

He's good buddies with RFJKR and is now being put in charge of the autism review.

Nazi eugenics. Not that the USA wouldn't have a history in using humans to study deadly diseases and drugs (look up Hep A experiments, https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/29/7/23-0064_article).

This entire Nazi regime in the States right now is like watching a soap opera about a German history class.

 

[EricDMMiller]

I sit on our provincial Research Ethics Board as the member knowledgeable in the law, and I am appalled at this.

 

[fresh_42]

I sit on our provincial Research Ethics Board as the member knowledgeable in the law, and I am appalled at this.

I wonder where this repeated obsession with autism comes from. It's close to the obsession with Zombies. I do not understand it. And even less, that it is a subject for laymen. I have seen on Wikipedia that the number of diagnoses has risen, but that does not mean that the number of cases has risen, too. But even if, how can this be discussed anywhere else than in medical sciences?