Collection of worrying incidents

[EricDMMiller]

Trump was busy last night:

Establishment of the Religious Liberty Commission

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:Section 1. Purpose and

www.whitehouse.gov

Specific topics to be considered by the Commission under these categories shall include the following areas: the First Amendment rights of pastors, religious leaders, houses of worship, faith-based institutions, and religious speakers; attacks across America on houses of worship of many religions; debanking of religious entities; the First Amendment rights of teachers, students, military chaplains, service members, employers, and employees; conscience protections in the health care field and concerning vaccine mandates; parents’ authority to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children, including the right to choose a religious education; permitting time for voluntary prayer and religious instruction at public schools; Government displays with religious imagery; and the right of all Americans to freely exercise their faith without fear or Government censorship or retaliation.
...
Specific activities of the Commission shall include, to the extent permitted by law, recommending steps to secure domestic religious liberty by executive or legislative actions as well as identifying opportunities for the White House Faith Office to partner with the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom to further the cause of religious liberty around the world.

Loyalty Day and Law Day, U.S.A., 2025

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAA PROCLAMATION The rule of law is the capstone of our constitutional order and the crown jewel of the

www.whitehouse.gov

For centuries, the world has revered America for its devotion to the timeless principle of equal justice under the law. Tragically, in recent years, our constitutional heritage faced an existential threat from a political class that abandoned justice in favor of political retribution. Under the previous administration, Federal law enforcement agencies outrageously allowed violent criminals to roam our streets with impunity while targeting parents, churchgoers, political opponents, and ordinary citizens. This weaponization of our Government is a threat to our sovereignty and is antithetical to our Nation’s most sacred principles, reminiscent of evil communist regimes.
...
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2025, as Loyalty Day, and in accordance with Public Law 87–20, as amended, as Law Day, U.S.A. I call on all Americans to observe this day by reflecting upon the importance of the rule of law in our Nation and displaying the flag of the United States in support of this national observance, as well as by learning more about the proud history of our Nation. I urge all Government officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings and grounds on this day.

Ending Taxpayer Subsidization Of Biased Media

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

I therefore instruct the CPB Board of Directors (CPB Board) and all executive departments and agencies (agencies) to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS.

 

[Borg]

Every day brings a new horror. F that POS.

 

[Borg]

Judge strikes down Trump’s ‘unconstitutional’ executive order against law firm Perkins Coie

Judge Beryl Howell’s 102-page opinion excoriates Trump, calling his targeting of the firm “an unprecedented attack” on the judicial system.

www.msnbc.com

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order against Perkins Coie on Friday night, ruling his targeting of the law firm unconstitutional.

In a 102-page opinion, Howell excoriated Trump and called his efforts against Perkins Coie “an unprecedented attack” on the principles of the American judicial system.

I would hope that SCOTUS would understand the implications of overturning this ruling if it shows up on their doorstep. I'm guessing that some of the 102 pages was directed at them.

 

[placebo]

I feel better about public health now that we're clearly in such good hands.

RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory

In his 2021 book vilifying Anthony Fauci, RFK Jr. lays out support for an alternate theory.

arstechnica.com

 

[EricDMMiller]

The US is about to start shipping people to Libya because they have active slave markets and no real authorities.

Trump Administration Plans to Send Migrants to Libya on a Military Flight (Published 2025)

Human rights groups have called conditions in the country’s network of migrant detention centers “horrific” and “deplorable.”

www.nytimes.com

Trump has already stated that the US "can't have millions of trials." The next step will be "we can't have millions of flights, so let's put them in a ghetto." Any guesses about the next step?

 

[fresh_42]

The White House Is Now Harnessing the Full Power of U.S. Intelligence Agencies to Spy on Greenland​

Several high-ranking officials under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a “collection emphasis message” to intelligence-agency heads last week. They were directed to learn more about Greenland’s independence movement and attitudes on American resource extraction on the island. The classified message asked agencies, whose tools include surveillance satellites, communications intercepts and spies on the ground, to identify people in Greenland and Denmark who support U.S. objectives for the island. The directive is one of the first concrete steps Trump’s administration has taken toward fulfilling the president’s often-stated desire to acquire Greenland.

The White House Is Now Harnessing the Full Power of U.S. Intelligence Agencies to Spy on Greenland

Surveillance satellites. Agents on the ground. The next step could be wiretapping polar bears.

www.esquire.com

Will you really declare war on Denmark? This would mean war against a NATO ally and against the EU. I guess if this happens, then embargos will be the consequence.

 

[fresh_42]

Case of brain-dead pregnant woman kept on life support in Georgia raises tricky questions​

ATLANTA (AP) — The case of a pregnant woman in Georgia who was declared brain dead and has been kept on life support for three months has given rise to complicated questions about abortion law and whether a fetus is a person.

Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, was about two months pregnant on Feb. 19 when she was declared brain dead, according to an online fundraising page started by her mother. Doctors said Georgia’s strict anti-abortion law requires that she remain on life support until the fetus has developed enough to be delivered, her mother wrote.

Case of brain-dead pregnant woman kept on life support in Georgia raises tricky questions

The case of a pregnant woman in Georgia who was declared brain dead and has been on life support for three months has given rise to complicated questions about abortion law and whether a fetus is a person.

apnews.com

Comment: This is insane.

 

[dlu]

Case of brain-dead pregnant woman kept on life support in Georgia raises tricky questions​

Case of brain-dead pregnant woman kept on life support in Georgia raises tricky questions

The case of a pregnant woman in Georgia who was declared brain dead and has been on life support for three months has given rise to complicated questions about abortion law and whether a fetus is a person.

apnews.com

Comment: This is insane.

A red herring and biased news reporting.
It is a worrying incident, but not so directly relatable to the present political climate.

This is a more of a medical story, and not political as implied by AP news, and others I presume.
A case of the opposition to Trump and Republicans doing exactly what the so called left dislike. ie telling stories with distorted facts.

No mention of whether the father, or family, were requesting an abortion, or term care.
This is more of an ethical issue for the medical profession, rather than just legal.
What would one say for a brain dead woman with no family?
Who would be responsible for making the decision to either remove life support for the pregnant woman with no family with subsequent termination of pregnancy, or efforts be made to continue fetus development through life support of the brain dead woman. - the insurance company if an insured mother', the doctor, an ethics board, the general public opinion or outcry.
Or in this case, biased reporting relating some sort of ab assumed blame to a law from politicians.
One has to ask: what would be the reporting had a decisions been made by the doctors to discontinue life support of the pregnant woman? And how that would relate to the supposed unfair treatment a patient based on race.

I fail to understand how this can be ascribed as a fault of 'republicans', when in fact no where in the world is there clear ethical guidelines to fall back on under such circumstances.

One such case in 2021. Note that the fetus was delivered healthy. ( contrary to what is implied in the story for that Georgia case )

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.n

Delivery of a Healthy Baby from a Brain-Dead Woman After 117 Days of Somatic Support: A Case Report​

Progress in intensive care, technology and patient care in recent decades has brought about a unique situation in which somatic support of brain-dead pregnant women is possible to prolong the pregnancy until a viable fetus can be delivered. This situation is quite uncommon, and to date, only 25 cases have been described in the medical literature [1]. To our knowledge, descriptions of only 3 cases in which the somatic support exceeded 100 days have been published [5–7].
ih.gov/articles/PMC8141338/

Conclusions​

BD during pregnancy is an extremely rare but increasingly common condition, and its management is associated with medical, ethical, and legal uncertainties and controversies. Guidelines for care management are lacking, and reporting these cases may help establish medical treatment in future cases. We showed that somatic support of the body of a brain-dead pregnant woman for an extended period of time can lead to the successful delivery of a healthy child. This possibility should be considered during decision-making processes regarding whether to commence somatic support after BD is diagnosed in pregnant women

 

[Jonathan Scott]

I subscribe to the Guardian and the Washington Post, and the Trump-related news in both is quite overwhelmingly scary. It seems that the world is just as powerless to stop him destroying the USA as it is to stop Putin destroying Ukraine.

Examples:

White House officials wanted to put federal workers ‘in trauma.’ It’s working.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/05/20/federal-workers-trump-mental-health/

Cooking the books? Fears Trump could target statisticians if data disappoints
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/18/trump-statisticians-economy-figures

(The Guardian is definitely not behind any paywall. The Washington Post says that shared links do not need a subscription to access, but I don't know whether the above link counts).

 

[fresh_42]

I heard Jean-Claude Juncker in an interview yesterday, and he said: "We mustn't underestimate Trump. Most Europeans simply think he's out of his mind, but that's a belittlement."

Both links are freely accessible. Particularly, the Guardian article is frightening. On the other hand, Trump only does what right-wing extremists like Erdogan, Orban, Putin, and others have already done before in their countries: gain access to information.

 

[gleem]

Will we ever be able to believe anything from the Trump administration? When Trump wanted an assessment of Maduro's relationship to the Tren de Aragua, and the final report showed no connection, the report's authors were fired, and a reassessment was ordered. Clearly, they missed something after all the intuition of the Great Oz should be respected.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

... Trump only does what right-wing extremists like Erdogan, Orban, Putin, and others have already done before in their countries: gain access to information.

I get the general idea, but I'm not quite clear what you mean here. Do you mean control access to information? Or gain the ability to alter information before the public sees it?

 

[fresh_42]

I get the general idea, but I'm not quite clear what you mean here. Do you mean control access to information? Or gain the ability to alter information before the public sees it?

I meant control over information, but the two go hand in hand. It is only more difficult in the USA to control access as it is in Turkey, or Russia. FOX News is a good starting point. People consuming FOX usually relinquish other sources. They are satisfied with the illusions they are sold.

 

[gleem]

Kristi Noem, head of Homeland Security, former Governor of South Dakota, and member of the House of Representatives, was asked to explain Habeas Corpus in the Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing.

She responded: "Well habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country,' Noem replied, adding that Abraham Lincoln "used it."

 

[EricDMMiller]

Authoritarianism depends on the appearance of total control and the reality of selective terror. Secret police organizations like the Stasi, NKVD, Gestapo, not only enforce regime power but embody its deepest logic that no one is ever safe and guilt is irrelevant.

In a liberal regime, law seeks to constrain power through procedure and evidence. In an authoritarian regime, law is weaponized to produce arbitrariness. The point is not whether you committed a crime. The point is that you can be made a criminal at any time. Once this is understood by the population, obedience becomes rational not because the regime is just, but because it is capricious and omnipotent.

Control over information (who knows what, who sees what, what counts as truth) is central to this dynamic. It allows the regime to fabricate charges and disappear inconvenient facts and people.

 

[dlu]

I am not sure this is 'incident', a it seems to be ongoing procedure at the dept of HS.
Leadership paranoia has set in, which ties into post 165 about Authoritarianism.
The lie detector tests are being misused imo, random willey nilley.
Sillley goose leadership once more.

Lie detector tests are not foolproof. A one shot gives little electronic information itself to determine guilt-innocence.
Instead, a series of tests is used as comparison subject responses. - most agencies would use this method, the first test as a base, under some set time frame between tests, probably not daily as the test can take a couple hours or so, for high security personnel state of mind.
The one shot is useful, though, for subjects that breakdown under stress , weeping and admitting guilt ( sometimes falsely ) when asked the final questions around "Did you do it?", as well as the examiner accusation of "My tests show you are guilty".

Staffers quit over Kristi Noem's 4-hour 'fishing expedition' polygraphs: report​

MSN

 

[EricDMMiller]

Bribing a new batch of brownshirts with opportunities to be violent and immunity from consequences:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/21/politics/justice-department-consent-decree-police-department

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Trump's administration are terminating the lease on the building containing Nasa’s top climate and space monitoring lab, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (Giss), on 31st May, releasing 130 staff to work from home with an uncertain future ahead.

Godfather of climate science decries Trump plan to shut Nasa lab above Seinfeld diner: ‘It’s crazy’
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/21/nasa-giss-lab-trump-shut-down-james-hansen

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Trump seems to be easily taken in by "fake news", as demonstrated at his meeting with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa:

Trump’s ‘white genocide’ claims ignore the reality of life and crime in South Africa
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/21/trump-south-african-president-meeting

As for who is "killing farmers", Trump's own first term saw a significant increase in the already high suicide rate among farmers in the USA, despite "bailout" programs to attempt to compensate for some of the worst effects of his trade policies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_administration_farmer_bailouts

 

[Grinkle]

Trump seems to be easily taken in by "fake news",

I suspect he is an agent in the creation of the fake news to begin with, as opposed to being taken in. I think he wants to facilitate a permission structure for his supporters to be ok with the dismantling of DEI, so he causes the creation of narratives where people of European decent are as much oppressed as any other group in the world.

I doubt he could point out South Africa on an un-labelled globe.

 

[gleem]

The Trump administration (Dept of Homeland Security) has just issued an order preventing Harvard from enrolling foreign students. I do not know under what rule or pretense this can be done. Twenty-seven percent of Harvard's enrollment is international students. According to the NY Times article, the current students must find another university or lose their legal status,

 

[EricDMMiller]

Not content with the foot, the US is now shooting itself squarely in the brain.

 

[Borg]

Not content with the foot, the US is now shooting itself squarely in the brain.

Easy to do when someone doesn't have one to begin with.

 

[Borg]

My congressman Gerry Connolly, passed away this week. Unfortunately, Connolly's death makes it easier for the House to lose Republican votes and still pass whatever ridiculous bills they want along party lines.

Since the governor of Virginia is a Republican, I'm concerned that he could drag his feet and delay the special election to replace Connolly. However long it lasts, the loss of this strong Democratic voice will be yet another tough setback to our democracy.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Federal judge blocks Trump from revoking international students’ immigration status

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White said the Trump administration “acted arbitrarily and capriciously” in efforts to terminate foreign students’ visas and that nationwide relief was appropriate.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/22/trump-foreign-student-visas-sevis/

Of course, that doesn't guarantee that the Trump administration will actually take any notice.

 

[fresh_42]

Not content with the foot, the US is now shooting itself squarely in the brain.

 

[fresh_42]

In case anyone wonders, why Trump keeps attacking Harvard. Here is the answer:



This is so paltry.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

In case anyone wonders, why Trump keeps attacking Harvard. Here is the answer:

View attachment 301

This is so paltry.

Reference? As far as I know, this is common speculation, unconfirmed.

 

[fresh_42]

Reference? As far as I know, this is common speculation, unconfirmed.

Maybe, but it would explain a lot. I posted it because I saw the same statement for the second time.

 

[fresh_42]

Germany offers ‘exile campus’ to Harvard students after foreigner ban​

Germany has offered to host an “exile campus” for Harvard University students in response to the Trump administration’s attempts to block the institution from enrolling any more international students.

The attempts to lure academic talent from the US to Europe comes as the White House aims to rid elite American universities of left-wing ‘tendencies’, according to reports.

Harvard has been a particular punchbag for the president since its leadership spurned the government’s demands for an audit to determine the extent of its “ideological capture by the radical left”, The Times said.

The Trump administration has suspended more than $2.2 billion worth of grants and contracts involving Harvard, then announced it was cancelling the certificate that permits the university to enrol foreign students.

A letter from the US General Services Administration (GSA) has instructed federal agencies to file a list of contracts they have ended with the university by June 6.

...

Germany offers ‘exile campus’ to Harvard students after foreigner ban

Germany has offered to host an “exile campus” for Harvard University students in response to the Trump administration’s attempts to block the institution from enrolling any more international students.

www.lbc.co.uk

Comment: I'm still torn between laughing and crying.