US may end support for Ukraine war effort, says Donald Trump Jr
Eldest son of Donald Trump makes speculative comments during tirade against Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU
Donald Trump may walk away from the Ukrainian war, the US president’s oldest son has said in comments to a Middle East conference.
In a lengthy tirade against the purpose of continued fighting in Ukraine, Donald Trump Jr also said Ukraine’s “corrupt” rich had fled their country leaving “what they believed to be the peasant class” to fight the war.
Trump Jr has no formal role inside his father’s administration, but is a key figure in the MAGA movement. His intervention reflects the antipathy among some inside the Trump team towards the Ukrainian government, and comes as Trump’s negotiating team is putting pressure on Kyiv to give up territory.
Trump DoJ ‘immediately’ stops enforcing prison rape protections for trans and intersex people, according to leaked memo
The Department of Justice instructed prison auditors across the country to simply stop assessing whether facilities are violating laws designed to shield LGBT+ prisoners from sexual abuse
The U.S. Department of Justice will "immediately" stop enforcing a swathe of federal regulations protecting trans and intersex prisoners from rape and sexual assault, according to leaked documents.
In a memo obtained by the non-profit news outlet Prism, DoJ official Tammie M. Gregg told prison auditors across the nation to "immediately pause" all "compliance determinations" for key safety rules concerning LGBTQI+ inmates, and advise prisons to "disregard" them.
Those rules include requiring trans and intersex prisoners to be allowed separate showers, banning body searches purely for the purpose of finding out what genitals they have, and requiring prison staff to consider their safety when assigning them to male or female wings.
Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans and intersex people, memo says
A Department of Justice memo says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act do not align with Trump’s executive orderAdam Rhodes (Prism)
Yeah, to al the assholes who decided not to vote for a progressive
We could've had West abolish prisons
Fucking hilarious! Hey, real quick, what’s West been up to since November?
Remember when we tried to tell you that he and all the rest of the party dividers would disappear post-election?
Yeah. Maybe you’ll listen next time. That dude didn’t give a shit. He’s paid to split the vote and that’s what he does.
Yeah, the difference is, none of us that were voting for her ever claimed or believed that she was going to change the world-
-instead, we just thought she’d play spoiler to the one person that would bring us fascism.
Those 3rd party clowns were supposed to usher in a new world of perfection and bliss according to all the kids crying about things like…. “aBoLiSh pRiSoNs!” LMAO!
-Instead, all they did was play spoiler to the one person that could have stopped fascism….
What state would have been for Harris if all 7 voters for West voted for her?
EDIT: And there is is, no answer.
Trump Makes Weird Bid to Turn His Birthday Into a Holiday
President Donald Trump has taken an extraordinary step in his efforts to turn his birthday into a national celebration, with the National Park Service revealing that on June 14, his birthday, admission to national parks will be free for U.S. citizens.
In addition, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth have been removed from the schedule of free park admission days, despite both being federally recognized holidays.
Trump Makes Weird Bid to Turn His Birthday Into a Holiday
Americans will be able to visit national parks for free on the president’s birthday next year.Catherine Bouris (The Daily Beast)
Next day, he turns up, and does the same thing. Buys it, glances at the front page, throws it in the trash.
Next day, same thing. The newsstand worker is increasingly puzzled, but doesn't say anything.
But eventually, after a couple of weeks of this, he can't take it. "I'm sorry, friend, but I must ask: why do you buy the paper every day and then just look at the front page and throw it out?"
"Oh, I'm just checking for something."
"OK, but: what are you checking for?"
"I'm checking for a particular obituary."
"But sir, you don't even open the newspaper! The obituaries aren't even on the front page!"
"Oh, believe me, the one I'm waiting for will be."
I will make it a tradition to celebrate his death every year.
Religious people love doing that.
Well, don’t get me wrong. I don’t like the man any more than you do. But I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that most people on the planet does not give a fuck, or might even know who the guy is.
My critique is not of the intent of the message, just the fact that ppl from the US think that all that happens in the US must be on the world agenda, and is probably that most important thing in the universe right now..
This self importance is tiring, and stretches from left to right in US politics.
There's a better chance that MAGA will collapse into factional infighting.
It's always been an uneasy alliance between Putin-aligned kleptocrats, fundamentalist morons, neo-Nazis, quacks, con artists and tech bros (yeah, I know, there's overlap), and all of those groups have competing interests.
Gross. Fuck off fascist. No one wants to celebrate the day your mom shat you out.
We'll celebrate the day you last draw breath though! Gonna get me some nice booze. None of that cheap stuff.
Maybe he dimly realizes it too, and that's why he's obsessively building monuments, giving himself fake awards, and other imbecilic pursuits of "legacy."
Possibly also why the mask is off with respect to being a Russian-controlled quisling.
Good, it will be a great day to Protest on.
Also, gorsh, I wonder what Juneteenth and MLK Jr. day have in common that Republicans and only Republicans dislike so much? /s
Also, gorsh, I wonder what Juneteenth and MLK Jr. day have in common that Republicans and only Republicans dislike so much?
I find it simply hilarious that, even still, now that their mask has been completely removed, you still have conservatives and Republicans trying that age-old chestnut about how it is really the Democrats that are the racists, because Lincoln was a Republican, and because of the Dixiecrats. And trying to yadda yadda something about Robert Byrd, etc.
All while they go apoplectic about "woke", DEI, CRT and "political correctness", etc...
Of course, entirely ignoring everything that had happened in more recent times, like the Southern Strategy, and the Civil Rights movement, etc...there was some Republican idiot on the DP comment section that even kept rejecting the Southern Strategy as fake news for some contrived reason that only made sense in his head.
It was always so goddamned pathetic, just like their attempt to tie socialism to Nazis merely because of the label, even if it's easy to point out the fact that the Nazis targeted unions, Communists and socialists.
But the fact that they are still trying this nonsense is beyond pathetic.
Gavin Newsom opposes California ‘billionaire tax’ as he eyes 2028 White House bid
Gavin Newsom opposes California ‘billionaire tax’ as he eyes 2028 White House bid
A campaign to plug California’s leaky health care system by squeezing the state’s richest has a high-profile opponent: Gov. Gavin Newsom.Annie Gaus (New York Post)
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If Newsome gets the nod, which is the assumption we were all OBVIOUSLY operating one for the purpose of this conversation, people are already all over this thread saying they wouldn't vote him and would hand the presidency to Republicans.
Just like they did last November. They're right to scrutinize Harries, every politician should be. But they're WRONG to stop at Harris. They give Trump a pass. Then they act like they have the moral high ground and gloat about bringing Trump back to power.
If Newsome gets the nod, which is the assumption we were all OBVIOUSLY operating one for the purpose of this conversation
That's a weird assumption to make considering I started this conversation by saying, "The minute [Newsom] enters the primary...he's going to flame out fast."
No criticism, only votes!
No platform, only votes!
No primaries, only votes!
No speech, only votes!
You voted in a way they didn't like? HOW DARE YOU!
She was the vice president, the person we choose to take over when a president is incapacitated. I would love to hear about all the ways she's worse than Trump.
Nothing more infuriating to see people thoroughly scrutinize one candidate while absolutely refusing to do so for the other.
they said she had no shot of winning the primary
The neither did Sanders.
She was NOT GOING TO LOSE CALIFORNIA. For fuck's sake, who could possibly be this fucking stupid. You know the election happened right? SHE WON CALIFORNIA, YOU IMPOSSIBLE DUMBASS.
She was essentially a younger Biden so you might want to look into whatever unconscious issues you have with voting for a non-white man.
You're saying Harris shouldn't have been elected.... that means you support Trump. You certainly worked extra hard for him spreading your bullshit lies and blatant propaganda. You're the same as MAGA, no thought, no reasoning, no HONESTY. Fucking shameful.
She was NOT GOING TO LOSE CALIFORNIA. For fuck's sake, who could possibly be this fucking stupid.
OK, but yes, she absolutely was..
You know the election happened right? SHE WON CALIFORNIA, YOU IMPOSSIBLE DUMBASS.
Again, no. She dropped out before the California ballot deadline, most likely to spare herself the embarrassment of losing her home state.
The neither did Sanders.
Sanders won several states. Kamala was polling so badly she dropped out before Iowa.
I'm sorry that accurately remembering the 2020 primary is so upsetting to you, but Kamala did not win a single state, even as a VP choice. She dropped out in December of 2019. Voting started in February of 2020. Biden eventually secured the nomination, and on August 11th, the day that the final state voted, he named Kamala as his running mate.. Anyway, maybe before you jump into a thread and start calling people dumbasses, you should make sure that literally everything you're saying isn't wrong.
Sen. Kamala Harris drops out of 2020 presidential race
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., announced Tuesday she was dropping out of 2020 presidential race.Adam Edelman (NBC News)
If this is the Democratic candidate, and there is no adequate progressive 3rd party candidate, 2028 will be the first election I sit out since 2000.
I am DONE accepting milquetoast corporate right wing democrats just because they aren’t literally insane. John Kerry was my first, and Kamala Harris is my last. I swear to fucking god.
It fucking blows my mind that with all Trump is doing, you people STILL refuse to learn what happens when good is positioned to be the enemy of perfect.
Heads up bud-
There will NEVER be a candidate you will like. Because ALL of them know how the game is played. YOU don’t. And as a result of this, from your perspective, they will all fail you in one way or another… guaranteed.
So go ahead and pout and stay at home all because a perfect candidate isn’t running. The rest of us will be voting against fascism while you’re enjoy those cartoons on Election Day.
I guess you missed the part where I said I’ve done exactly what you are suggesting for nearly 30 years now. I mean, what’s the definition of insanity, again?
I’m not looking for a perfect, ideal candidate. I’m looking for a candidate that doesn’t continue to help the right shift the Overton window further in their direction. Especially in the case of corporate power and campaign finance. That’s it. Bill Clinton was why my first vote was cast was for Ralph Nader. George Bush, and everyone blaming him on people like me, was why I “fell in line” with the Democrats. I’m done playing their games until they’re done playing the Game you are referring to. Democrats have become complacent, feckless, and lazy. They need to learn how to earn a vote like mine again. Zohran understood this. Sorry, I’m voting for whomever I feel like from now on.
The Left is not the reason Kamala lost, the facts DO NOT SUPPORT this narrative. You are spreading misinformation because it is part of a story that riles you up and "feels" right to you, it is irresponsible.
Back up your accusations or stop pushing this narrative.
MTG Says Trump Told Her Releasing Epstein Files Would 'Hurt People'
Marjorie Taylor Greene Says ‘Furious’ Trump Told Her That Releasing the Epstein Files ‘W ...
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said President Donald Trump was "furious" with her over her advocacy of the release of the Epstein files, and that doing so would "hurt people."Michael Luciano (Mediaite)
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Texas AG Ken Paxton sues EPIC to stop Muslim housing project
The East Plano Islamic Center has pitched a residential development, formerly called EPIC City, with more than 1,000 residential units, a mosque, a K-12 faith-based school and retail shops outside of Dallas. The project drew numerous state investigations earlier this year — some for unclear reasons — including one from Paxton, who said in March he was looking into potential violations of consumer protection laws.
...
“The leaders behind EPIC City have engaged in a radical plot to destroy hundreds of acres of beautiful Texas land and line their own pockets,” Paxton said in a statement, vowing to stop the development. “I will relentlessly bring the full force of the law against anyone who thinks they can ignore the rules and hurt Texans.”
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues to stop Muslim housing project in North Texas
Paxton began investigating the East Plano Islamic Center in March for potential violations of consumer protection laws.Alejandro Serrano (The Texas Tribune)
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The development is no longer called EPIC City and is instead called The Meadow. EPIC could not be reached for comment Friday night.
To hell with the Texas Ttibune. They wish to be known by another name but the Tribune ignores it.
The legal action is the latest development to bring attention to the community, which has been the recipient of Islamaphic vitriol for months.
“Islamaphic” is not a word you dumbass.
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The leaders behind EPIC City have engaged in a radical plot to destroy hundreds of acres of beautiful Texas land and line their own pockets
— Texas AG Ken Paxton
That's really odd for a State that has regularly written off all the various pollution Musk does over at his launchpad. And of course that ignores the obvious anything and everything that has anything to with oil production there.
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Putin should have accepted Trump’s deal. Now Russia’s collapsing economy could lead to his downfall | Simon Tisdall
People in Britain who think they are governed by fools should take a closer look at the Russian and US presidents. Vladimir Putin is systematically ruining his country. His war of choice in Ukraine is an economic, financial, geopolitical and human calamity for Russia that worsens by the day. For his own murky reasons, Donald Trump, another national menace, offered him a lifeline last week. Yet Putin spurned it. These two fools deserve each other.
On the table in Moscow was a “peace” deal that, broadly speaking, rewarded Russia’s aggression by handing over large chunks of Ukrainian land, compromised Kyiv’s independence and weakened its defences against any future attack. The Trump deal, if forced through, would have split the US and Europe; ruptured Nato, perhaps fatally; reprieved Russia’s pariah economy; and probably toppled Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government.
These are key Russian war aims. But Putin, suffering from neo-imperial fantasies and legacy issues, said “no”. He reckons he can get it all, and more, by fighting on. He has persuaded the idiot Trump that Russia’s victory is inevitable – and that scheming Europeans are the real warmongers. Yet his premise is fundamentally flawed. Hard facts confound him. Almost four years on, he’s still trapped in Donbas mud and ice. And at home, things fall apart.
Putin should have accepted Trump’s deal. Now Russia’s collapsing economy could lead to his downfall
The war against Ukraine has hit ordinary Russians hard, and the deteriorating situation is likely to inflame tensions, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon TisdallSimon Tisdall (The Guardian)
Russia still kicking Ukraine's ass
What, in your mind, is the attrition/casualty rate per kilometer of advancement by the Russian army?
I don't think you're getting information from an impartial news source.
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If I have impartial news sources, please, show yours where it is shown that Ukraine is pushing Russians out instead. I'll be more than happy to see those.
They don’t need to push Russia out so long as Russia is losing far more men and equipment. This is a war of attrition and despite being far larger Russia is losing.
Fighting age men and equipment are finite resources.
They might gain ground now but Russia will be unable to hold it, assuming that the EU and US continue to back Ukraine.
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OK, you are speaking like the Ukraine has infinite resources and tactically loosing ground just to deplete Russia. I'm sure that they have the plan to loose strategically important cities just for that.
US continue to back Ukraine? Please, do a reality check. While EU is only backing Ukraine halfheartedly and not even the entire EU.
It’s ‘Ukraine,’ not ‘the Ukraine’ – here’s why
That three-letter word erases the country’s political sovereignty.The Conversation
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"The" before a place name is an odd choice, isn't it? There are really very few places (in English) that have it. "The Hague" being probably the best known. There's one locally here called "The Dalles".
Odd that it's so common in Spanish but not English.
The Gambia is another one.
I don't know, I see Ukraine vs the Ukraine in a similar light as Democrat Party vs Democratic Party. Yes, it's possible that it's an innocent mistake, but looking at everything else the person is saying, it's usually pretty clear when they have an ulterior motive.
Wikipedia on the Name of Ukriane
We don't necessarily disagree, but proclaiming disregard for Ukrainian souvereignty based on the use of a definitive article in an international forum is bad faith conduct. It's specifically an English thing and a Ukrainian/Russian thing. There are languages that are using the definitve article based on how their languages work and these kind of usages will sometimes transfer into English.
This, again, does not mean what you trying to do, discrediting another user's opinions or arguments based on an improper use of a foreign language. That is the opposite of civil behaviour.
As a german, I had to actively learn to not use "the" in combination with "Ukraine". It happened because of a confrontation with clever individuals like you, but that really can be done politely hinting at the proper use in the English language and not by shaming the other person.
(reup, edited out the meany words, lol, because imagine the uncivility that might be caused in this post)
Yeah, they are still able to trade with China (which happens to make everything anyway), and as opposed to most countries, Russia can still draw on a lot of the remaining Soviet infrastructure that was specifically built because Russia needed to be self sufficient during the cold war.
As long as Putin can manage to remain in power Russia can keep this war going.
Not for much longer. While they may have the equipment but they are lacking the most important thing: manpower. They already lost a huge amount of men and they can't really conscript more since that will just make the collapse come faster. All those men, dead, or fighting are just people that can't work and pay taxes, can't start families. It's a productivity and demographic disaster. It's unsustainable and you don't need an economics degree to see it.
Though I suspect the reason Putin is keeping the war going is because he has no choice. He was offered one of the best peace deals by the US and they refused it. Why? Because Putin is scared. Once the war ends a lot of angry men with combat experience are going to return home. And those men will look at how the war was run, how some people were safe while they died in the mud. That's just a revolution waiting to happen. It has happened before, World War 1 veterans overthrew the Kaiser in Germany and installed the Weimar republic. The 1917 Russian revolution was started by WW1 veterans. Hitler was a WW1 veteran and he tapped into the anger of other veterans to help him gain power early on.
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They can’t and have neither. The soviet era equipment is a crumbling pile of junk and if they try to draft more soldiers Putin faces mutiny, something he absolutely doesn’t need right now. Russias economy is in shambles. After 4 years of war.
The best thing they can do is just pretend they are so strong that they can carry on in this war forever. So… just shut the fuck up.
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Yet we didn’t hear it from the beginning. In the beginning we saw the might of the second strongest military of the world ready to crush a smaller country in no time. 100 000s of troops, a fleet of battleships, fighter jets and tanks. We all remember this giant column of thousands and thousands of tanks on the way to Kiev. They’re were untouchable.
Where are they now? Where is the flagship of one of the worlds strongest militaries? Where are the men that first heralded the attack? Where are those untouchable tanks?
I’m generally rude to russian propagandists. What I can’t stand even less are useful idiots. What are you?
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This comment strikes me as incredibly out of touch and full of straw men. Nobody was impressed with the Russian military in 2022. That's why they've been waging a hybrid war since before they annexed Crimea. Their economy is the size of Italy's. Ukraine has a lot of land area for a power like that to conquer, and so it's been adrawn-out war of attrition and slow gains. You're asking where they are? Mostly the same place that they started, with half a million casualties and an occupied pile of rubble.
The useful idiots are the people who drag this conflict out, thinking that one side can win. We need a cease fire, the map has to be redrawn, and security guarantees need to be made to both sides regarding the region. Instead we'll get another half million dead and a frozen conflict in the middle of the most fertile land in Europe. In the meantime we'll keep hearing about how another 20 F-16s will turn the tide and Putin's government is on the verge of collapse. And everyone who points out how absurd that is gets called a Russian propagandist.
Oh look, another one. Funny, I think your comment is fundamentally dishonest and contradictory.
We need a cease fire, the map has to be redrawn, and security guarantees need to be made to both sides regarding the region
That are many words for just saying Ukraine should surrender.
If you‘re so concerned about the people, maybe you should ask your dear leader to stop the war of aggression?
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I think you’re being abrasive about it, but are making a decent point.
Yes, lots of clickbait exaggerated Russia's fragility. Some actual analysts underestimated certain aspects of Russia.
And Russia won many geopolitical dice rolls:
- Trump won.
- Europe is still bickering internally.
- India bought their oil for a long time.
- China stayed tolerant.
- Wagner coup failed, but only barely.
And so on.
There are some nasty, ambitious figures in Russian politics apparently “reigned in” by Putin now. If he's deposed… what happens? Do we get a Russia fractured by warlords armed with Soviet warheads? I’d much rather see it vassalized by China or something.
And yeah, at the end of the day this is the physically
largest country on Earth, backed by the most populous, invading a tiny one. Endless war is utterly catastrophic for the Russian people, but (if the US basically withdraws from NATO and Europe keeps being Europe), they are on an extremely slow track to grind down Ukraine and claim the ashes :(
Anyway, you should read ISW’s reports on the war:
They have a quite grounded take. And from the even before the war started (when forces massed on the border), they’ve been warning that Russia has the political power to grind on. They tried to warn policymakers about the clickbait.
Home | Institute for the Study of War
ISW is a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization that advances an informed understanding of military affairs.Understanding War
Couldn't care less if they all fall. The only good thing about the US is they speak the same language as me.
Also Scarlett Johansson
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Scarlett Johansson
You make an excellent point.
I do hope that, when the US fractures, Caloreginton will continue to provide good work for talented people in entertainment. Or at least a plane ticket to Hollywood North.
I hope Putin is discovered while fleeing, and promptly suffers the divine plight of kings...
Really, all dictators should end up this way.
If all American foreign policy just disappeared the world would be at a net positive overnight - and it's not even close.
3 years of us arming Ukraine, encouraging them to NOT negotiate (when they had much better position to previously than they do now), and then abandoning them once we finished dumping all our weapons. America was proud to fight to the last Ukrainian.
Russia is like the bullie that punches you in the face.
America is like the bullie that spends weeks pretending to be your friend just so they can steal your lunch money, humiliate you in front of your friends, and then push you into the other bullie that'll punch you in the face for bumping into them.
Also, Trump just puts a blunt face to what America has always been. Foreign wars in this country are bipartisan. Ukraine would be just as fucked if Harris was president. She'd just have a better narrative for it to make Americans feel less guilty for the fucked up way we treat our "allies".
the war has “dramatically improved” the incomes of 20% of Russians, it is hugely socially divisive. “For the bulk of Russians, real incomes have fallen by 16% to 42%,”
Like most wars, this is why they tend to go on so long - because those that are making the most money from the war, reinvest some of it to keep the war going as long as possible. After all, they aren't paying the price in money or blood, they just collect the spoils.
Putin’s readiness to risk the lives and wellbeing of ordinary Russians is only too evident, symbolised by the cynical signing-up fees and death benefits paid to infantry volunteers from poor rural areas – whose average frontline life expectancy is 12 days.
This is what will eventually end the war - they will simply run out of draftees, or the people will finally get sick of sacrificing their sons to advance corruption, and revolt, although that could be tough with any fighting-age men off getting slaughtered less than two weeks after joining. We may see something crazy like a Mother's Rebellion, with a million mothers marching on the Kremlin and taking it over. It would be pretty tough to get Russian soldiers to fire on their own mothers.
the people will finally get sick of sacrificing their sons
This is what happened in the US with Iraq and Afghanistan, arguably similar forever-wars instigated to benefit a few. But holy fuck, it took nearly two decades.
I don't know about that, I wasn't hearing too many calls to end the over the number of soldiers being killed. Casualties were fairly low in the 9/11 wars, compared to Vietnam, which had 55,000 deaths in about a decade.
Calls to end the war over the high body count were much, MUCH, louder in the Vietnam era, to the point that it became a political liability beyond the young protesters. That's why they finally abolished the draft, then probably would have left soon anyway, if they hadn't been chased out by the North Vietnamese.
In Afghanistan and Iraq, there seemed to be more outrage over the amount of money that was being wasted to keep a war going with no real agenda or final objective. After a while it gets hard for Republicans to complain about the National Debt when they are wasting trillions of dollars on wars over nothing.
People in Britain who think they are governed by fools should take a closer look at the Russian and US presidents.
That bigger fools exist doesn't stop your fools from screwing up too.
ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows
ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows
More than a third of the roughly 220,000 people arrested by ICE officers in the first nine months of the Trump administration had no criminal histories.Laura Strickler (NBC News)
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I don't think that's true. I believe there was one guy who stole a truck and went across state boundaries?
There are probably a few that have been arrested so far, and I wish the media would report in this. The narrative should make it clear that they're criminals, yet the efforts to stop their activities are lacking
With Hollywood strapped for cash, Saudi Arabia is re-emerging as a key financial backer
Hollywood is feeling the lure of Saudi Arabian money (...)Saudi money is also behind a portion of Paramount Skydance’s more than $60 billion bid this week for Warner Bros Discovery, according to Variety, which cites multiple sources, and Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the discussions. A spokesperson for Paramount declined to comment.
Additionally, the kingdom is backing a $1 billion new independent content studio called Arena SNK launched in October by former Lionsgate executive Erik Feig, and a $55 billion deal for video game maker Electronic Arts announced in September. A representative for Feig declined to comment.
Executives from Sony traveled to Saudi Arabia this fall for meetings, a spokesperson confirmed. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts also traveled to the country this fall to attend a conference and view a potential theme park site in Qiddiya, a tourism megaproject in Riyadh province, according to a source with knowledge of Roberts’ trip who was not authorized to speak on the record about it. (Comcast owns NBCUniversal, which is the parent company of NBC News.)
The Red Sea Film Festival 2025 is going on right now (Dec 4-13). The glitterati are partying with Saudi royalty & following the money while blithely ignoring Saudi human rights abuses
With Hollywood strapped for cash, Saudi Arabia is re-emerging as a key financial backer
Hollywood is feeling the lure of Saudi Arabian money.Rebecca Keegan (NBC News)
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And nostalgia for Liquor Prohibition. Alcohol is bad you know.
Ooooh and tradwife heroines! Stay home, modest God-fearing womenfolks.
Hollywood strapped for cash
Have they tried making good movies again?
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Me thinks the problem is that very few people go to the movies unless there's some kind of hook, e.g. their favorite actor or a known franchise.
Direct to streaming movies seldom make Hollywood money.
Well the real problem is that what you're saying does exist to some extent, and it's a very easily controlled variable
So when execs and investors look at marvel, they learn the wrong lesson. Endgame threw in an insane number of expensive actors and made an insane amount of money
Instead of looking at the years of setup and buildup of characters in this grand artistic vision, they're working with spreadsheets to try to min-max the actor to box office numbers
It's why everything just keeping getting worse. The finance brained people are running the world, and you can always count on them to learn the wrong lesson
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How fucking dare you try to get in the way of millionaires making millions?
If we didn't pay them that much, then we literally wouldn't have movies or art.
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Oh my god, so many possibilities!
A slapstick comedy about accidentally killing a journalist in an embassy and desperately trying to get rid of the body by dismembering it and taking it out in suitcases.
Alien invasion movie, it turns out the only thing that kills the aliens is crude oil.
Historical drama about prophet Mohammad: first ever movie where the main character is always just out of frame.
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I thought it was funny how it was some magical conglomerate of Iran and Russia, and how the plot literally included the exact nuclear refinery target that was bombed earlier this year.
Ignoring all the insane air fight stupidity, the only thing I could think about during the whole movie was the WKUK Nerf Nuke spoof.
Hostile powers sending spies to west’s universities, says former security chief
Canadian expert David Vigneault warns of China’s ‘industrial-strength’ attempts to steal new technologies
Hostile spy agencies are now as focused on infiltrating western universities and companies as they are on doing so to governments, according to the former head of Canada’s intelligence service.
David Vigneault warned that a recent “industrial-scale” attempt by China to steal new technologies showed the need for increased vigilance from academics.
“The frontline has moved, from being focused on government information to private sector innovation, research innovation and universities,” he told the Guardian in his first interview since leaving the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which is part of the “Five Eyes” intelligence sharing alliance with the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Hundreds of works in the Louvre damaged by flooding
Hundreds of works in the Louvre damaged by flooding
Hundreds of works were damaged at the Louvre in Paris when a pipe burst because of flooding, the museum’s deputy general administrator saidMarlene Lenthang (NBC News)
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NBC's AI can't write worth a hoot:
Hundreds of works were damaged at the Louvre in Paris when a pipe burst because of flooding, the museum’s deputy general administrator said.The flooding led to a burst pipe and affected one of the three rooms of the library in the Egyptian antiquities department, he said.
Above are paragraphs 1 and 3 from the referenced article.
A simple but logical reading of both states that "a flood occurred (first), and the flood is what caused the pipe to burst (second)". Extremely disappointed in this level of journalistic competence.
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Well, there's nothing we can do.
How about paying a living wage for human writers who actually give a damn about the integrity of the end product?
Like I said, there is nothing whatsoever that we could possibly do about this...
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Fire any remaining people then take that money and run! /s
I don't think it's AI. It looks like bad human writing. An AI wouldn't use clunky non-idiomatic phrases like this:
He noted that the area of the pipe break is part of museum spaces that will undergo a major renovation...
Also, A LLM would be unlikely to say a flood led to a burst pipe when it has lots of examples of writing where the causation is the other way round. A human having a brain fart might make that mistake though.
I suspect this article was written in a hurry by someone whose English isn't great.
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Good gravy! I was giving NBC at least a little credit for trying to do mediocre journalism.
I know English is not everyone's first (or even second) language, but if your job is writing for a living in English at least get some help.
P.S. I only know one language myself and couldn't read/write/speak/understand any other to save my soul, so I think people that can are really gifted. It's just that NBC obviously didn't care about this article in the least.
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X axes European Commission’s ad account after €120M EU fine
X axes European Commission’s ad account after €120M EU fine
Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, accused the EU executive of trying to amplify its own social media post about the fine on X by trying “to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer.”Bjarke Smith-Meyer (POLITICO)
European Commission has an active account on their own instance
@EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu
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Because they fucking suck.
It just floors me the kind of excuses they come up with.
Same with leftists still buying Tesla. Which is still a fucking lot.
Every time I said this, I get downvoted.
People on here get really weird about and start downvoting and insulting people who call it X, because they refuse to accept the stupid new name... What are you clinging on to? Twitter is DEAD.
Yes, the new name, X is stupid. It's now the Nazi platform X, accept that and stop using the Nazi platform. Your line in the sand is way further back than it should be, you can't keep using the platform and insist you're giving the finger to Elon by calling it Twitter.
Stop using Twitter, accept that Twitter is dead. Stop using the Nazi platform.
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No it's not... They kept the domain because it costs $8/year and it would be incredibly stupid to let it go, even for Elon.
But it forwards to x.com
blueribbonsports.com
I've gotten pushback from places I really wouldn't have imagined for saying that we all need to kill our social media, starting with Twitter.
I do not care if you keep a facebook account open just to talk to your dear aunt Ethel over the holidays but PLEASE, Lemmy lefties... speaking directly at you right now.
DO NOT KEEP USING TWITTER.
When you use twitter you generate views for other things, those views translate into monetary rewards for people in other countries who have been paid to destabilize your country. You are not saving anyone, you're not helping anyone. It's a half-dead platform that empowers some of the worst people in the world.
"But people use it in other countries to organize resistance and several other excuses that make me sound addicted!"
I do not care. They have other means. You're not a revolutionary. Just put it away and spend that scrolling time walking and meeting people and reading about local progressive candidates in your area you can back and support and actually make a fucking difference instead of trying to get your twitter arguments clipped and shared on reddit.
I do not care if you keep a facebook account open just to talk to your dear aunt Ethel over the holidays
I do care. Aunt ethel got used to twitter, she got used to facebook, she got used to messenger when they forced that switch... she can get used to signal/matrix/xmpp or whatever else you desire.
"I'm addicted to being an online asshole" is a tricky one for me to muster sympathy for in the cockles of my heart.
It may very well be that I'm not cut out for the role of cult deprogrammer.
For many the choices are paying for their patreon or following them on twitter or instagram, both of which are ass.
Great, so now any ad from the EC we know is either a scam or propaganda.
Makes it quite obvious.
Cool, then fuckjng get some balls and block Twitter altogether.
See how quickly they rolled over when Brazil blocked them and they realized everyone was moving to Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon, giving lots of other people the same idea.
I assure you, this is not an irrational fear.
A year or so ago, the only German political party with a major presence on tik tok was the afd, a far-right to extremist party.
They still dominate an enormous share of political discourse on this platform. Arguably thanks to help from the platforms creator, but also because they were uncontested. The platform most teenagers use.
If you think the presence of other groups would have changed that, you don't understand how the algorithms of commercial social networks work. Twitter is actively promoting far-right content, and believing that occupying that space will change it is absurd; it only legitimizes it through institutional accounts.
It's as if in the 1930s the communist party had actively participated in radio stations or newspapers affiliated with the Nazi party.
- YouTube
Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.www.youtube.com
A law is a law, a ban is a ban. JFC.
And no they won't go away if all they can do is post ads JFC.
JFC I have to be more specific? A law that defines allowable products is a law. A ban is a ban. If you want to ban a COMPANY that's a ban on the COMPANY. not a LAW that defines allowable products.
Do you seriously think a company that has to adjust something just throws their arms up and says "Oh I guess we're banned"? When the EU required USB-C ports did Apple just say "fuck I guess we're banned, we'll withdraw from the EU and lose all that revenue" or did they just put in a USB-C port. JFC. That law did not ban Apple the COMPANY.
JFC I'm leaving this conversation.
This by itself should be enough to have Twitter banned, at least temporarily.
You don't just get to retaliate for getting fined for breaking the law. That's how you upgrade a fine to a prison sentence if you're a regular person.
Feds forcibly yank woman in medical scrubs from car as she screams she's a US citizen
Feds forcibly yank woman in medical scrubs from car as she screams she's a US citizen
Federal authorities conducting immigration enforcement in Florida were seen pulling a woman wearing medical scrubs from her vehicle as she shouted that she was a U.S. citizen.David Edwards (Raw Story)
I'm a massage therapist 😄
The preceding conversation taught me that scrub-wearing people who work in hospitals don't wear their scrubs outside the facility & don't have to wash them themselves, they leave their scrubs at work and there's a separate crew responsible for scrubs laundry.
My life is not like that.
The worst filth my scrubs ever encounter are my own body sweat & occasional massage lotion mishaps.
If I'm being honest, yes, I think I do feel that $1,200,000 a year is a lot of money to be making as a massage therapist. Even after taxes. Heck, it's a lot of money to be making as a CEO of a company. You could retire very early with a salary like that.
Don't get me wrong, people feel good after getting a massage, but it's not like it's necessary to survive.
I understand you work hard and feel like work effort should equate financial reward, but ultimately it's the usefulness or utility or result/feeling of the service that's being paid for, not the effort it took to provide it.
If we're talking about the cost to you of providing the service, that's different. If the cost is super high for you to be able to give massages, then you have expenses that need to be paid, and massages become a premium luxury service. But even I can afford a massage now and again because it "only" takes human labour. (I'm just guessing what it "takes". No offense! Again, I understand you work your ass off, don't get me wrong here.)
But yeah, sadly, prices are determined by the demand, I guess. What are people willing to pay for a thing, you know.
We all feel like we "deserve" to make a billion dollars before 35 and retire early and live our best life in our best years. But ultimately nobody deserves anything but a chance at happiness and a healthy life. Just a chance, mind you. That's my opinion. 😅
I'm a software developer helping big, big companies save millions of dollars probably every year. Do I get a cut off those savings? No. The company I consult for does. But I don't know if I deserve to either. I get paid what I need to have a good life. I can properly support my family, eat proper, healthy, homemade food, have a nice car, etc.
But do I deserve more? Why would I be worth more than someone else? It doesn't take a lot of physical effort. But a lot of mental effort! Is that worth less? Mental stress? Ruining my body and life expectancy by sitting for hours every single day? Is that something that's worth more than other types of work?
I don't know if I have answers to these questions. I don't know if I can just put a number on what I'm really "worth". All I know is what I want.
Anyway, this is long and wandering into philosophical land, so I'll cut it here for now. 😅
I work to complete exhaustion of my body & mind & soul EVERY FUCKING DAY. People drain my very SOUL and ALL my muscles. Do you think there should not be a high value placed on that?? I give my absolute ALL to appreciative repeat customers, and you think that's not worth a living wage?
What is your opinion of massage therapists?
Maybe you think massage therapists are only worth pennies because perhaps you have some stereotypical perception of submissive Asian ladies who you can't communicate with due to language barrier, so they don't talk and they were raised with a slave work ethic mindset. Hell they might even be trafficking slaves who barely get paid because they're illegally massaging without licences.
Yesterday I had to renew my bi-annual massage license which cost $330 which is 2-3 days of net pay for me. That hurt a lot because I'm still trying to pay off my credit card after getting new belts on my vehicle & rear differential service & brake fluid exchange & coolant flushing & pinion seal repair & new key fob all at once which cost $4700, and I fucking LIVE in this car because my job doesn't pay me enough to afford rent or mortgage anywhere.
I'm a Caucasian American girl who grew up surrounded by millionaires and I paid $10k out of my own pocket to graduate from an accredited massage school in Falls Church Virginia near where the Kennedy family lived during Kennedy's presidency. I eat clean & exercise hard & painstakingly maintain my mesomorphic 104 lb tiny frame. Jaws drop & heads turn whenever I walk by people, and they know I work hard for all this. And I know my value.
I give my all to my job, my body-mind-soul yet they do not pay me enough to live comfortably. They pay me enough to live in my car and buy enough food to survive.
I work to complete exhaustion of my body & mind & soul EVERY FUCKING DAY. People drain my very SOUL and ALL my muscles. Do you think there should not be a high value placed on that?? I give my absolute ALL to appreciative repeat customers, and you think that's not worth a living wage?
Okay, that's not what I said. Of course you should be paid a living wage for the work that you do. Especially the time that you put in. Time is the most valuable thing IMO, because we only have a certain amount of it in life. And I have two kids I'd like to spend as much time with as I can before they grow up, so I can definitely feel the time-is-money aspect.
To me, it sounds like you don't really like this work very much? If it drains you as much as you vehemently expressed, and it doesn't pay you enough to even have a home to live in, why do you do it? I wouldn't do it. 😐
What is your opinion of massage therapists?
I have no opinion one way or another regarding massage therapists, specifically. I've never gone and had a massage before. My sister-in-law is a certified massage therapist, but works as a district nurse. She's nice. I like her. 🤷♂️🙂
Maybe you think massage therapists are only worth pennies because perhaps you have some stereotypical perception of submissive Asian ladies who you can't communicate with due to language barrier, so they don't talk and they were raised with a slave work ethic mindset.
Wow. What? No. Let's pump the brakes here. That didn't even cross my mind. I was very positive about your profession from the start, remember?
Hell they might even be trafficking slaves who barely get paid because they're illegally massaging without licences.
Holy hell. I hope not.
Yesterday I had to renew my bi-annual massage license which cost $330 which is 2-3 days of net pay for me. That hurt a lot because I'm still trying to pay off my credit card after getting new belts on my vehicle & rear differential service & brake fluid exchange & coolant flushing & pinion seal repair & new key fob all at once which cost $4700, and I fucking LIVE in this car because my job doesn't pay me enough to afford rent or mortgage anywhere.
Yeah, that is awful. What is it they say? Everyone is one medical issue or car repair away from financial ruin? It's an awful situation. Especially when your workplace or clients don't pay you enough to make a living. I'm really sorry you are in that predicament. ❤️
$330 which is 2-3 days of net pay for me
I did some fast math on that, and that got me to about $27 per client on average? Is that about right? That sounds absolutely disgustingly low. A massage where I live is like $50–70 for 30 minutes, I believe. You'd have around $950–1,000 a day with that kind of price. That's more than what I make as a software developer consultant, which are notoriously more expensive than regular employees. So that should be a very good salary to aim for, IMO. You could buy a house in the city by yourself with that kind of money where I live.
But like. You want $1,000 per client. Which would be $5,000 a day. That's a lot. A lot lot. Realistically. I understand housing prices can be ridiculous in some cities around the world. Are you maybe in one of those types of places where you need $5,000 a day to live in a small apartment and eat proper meals? Maybe somewhere in LA or something? 😬
I'm a Caucasian American girl who grew up surrounded by millionaires and I paid $10k out of my own pocket to graduate from an accredited massage school in Falls Church Virginia near where the Kennedy family lived during Kennedy's presidency. I eat clean & exercise hard & painstakingly maintain my mesomorphic 104 lb tiny frame. Jaws drop & heads turn whenever I walk by people, and they know I work hard for all this. And I know my value.
I— I don't know the relevancy of all those details, especially your race. Are you saying that because you're Caucasian and have a mesomorphic body type, and that you're tiny, that you are worth more? I hope that's not what you're saying.
What I do imagine is that growing up "surrounded by millionaires" might not grant someone with the best perception of the value of a dollar? So maybe since all the people around you had millions of dollars you also expect to be paid in the millions every year? As a massage therapist?
I grew up with my single mom, we didn't have much. I wanted something, I'd have to save up, or wait for Christmas and maybe get that thing. Maybe a birthday. We lived small. My mom managed to move us to a house that's like two houses/homes in one shared building, kind of half-half split down the middle with an internal wall. That's when I had already spent half my time living with her before moving out. Anyway. I grew up knowing the value of money. I'm very frugal. Keeping close tabs on all my expenses compared to my income. Knowing the value of money, yadda yadda.
I give my all to my job, my body-mind-soul yet they do not pay me enough to live comfortably. They pay me enough to live in my car and buy enough food to survive.
On this, I am fully on your side. They need to pay you enough for you to be able to live in an apartment at least. That is completely unacceptable. At least if you work full-time with this. That's crazy, and I would definitely find other work if I were you. That's nonsense salary, in all honesty. I hope it works out better for you, because you do deserve to have a home and a life.
Maybe open up your own place, if possible? 🥲
I'm really glad you took it in this way. I'm happy to have given you something to think about and to bring something positive to you, if that's what happened. ❤️
Hey, I have smaller problems than you and I'm stressed af too, so I can only imagine. You never know what people are going through.
Take care!
[US Sen. Patty] Murray: ICE dog attack on WA man ‘should shock the conscience’
from Seattle Times
Dec. 6, 2025
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is calling for the immediate release of a Clark County man whose attorneys say was mauled by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement dog despite not resisting arrest.Undercover immigration officials detained Wilmer Toledo-Martinez, of Vancouver, Wash., outside his home on Nov. 14. An ICE agent pretended to be a construction worker, claiming he had hit Toledo-Martinez’s vehicle and needed to exchange insurance, luring the family out of their home, according to the senator.
Another agent was waiting for Toledo-Martinez outside, releasing a dog that then mauled him, according to his attorney. As of Saturday, Toledo-Martinez, was being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.
[US Sen. Patty] Murray: ICE dog attack on WA man ‘should shock the conscience’
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/40006019
from Seattle Times
Dec. 6, 2025
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is calling for the immediate release of a Clark County man whose attorneys say was mauled by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement dog despite not resisting arrest.Undercover immigration officials detained Wilmer Toledo-Martinez, of Vancouver, Wash., outside his home on Nov. 14. An ICE agent pretended to be a construction worker, claiming he had hit Toledo-Martinez’s vehicle and needed to exchange insurance, luring the family out of their home, according to the senator.
Another agent was waiting for Toledo-Martinez outside, releasing a dog that then mauled him, according to his attorney. As of Saturday, Toledo-Martinez, was being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.
[US Sen. Patty] Murray: ICE dog attack on WA man ‘should shock the conscience’
from Seattle Times
Dec. 6, 2025U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is calling for the immediate release of a Clark County man whose attorneys say was mauled by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement dog despite not resisting arrest.Undercover immigration officials detained Wilmer Toledo-Martinez, of Vancouver, Wash., outside his home on Nov. 14. An ICE agent pretended to be a construction worker, claiming he had hit Toledo-Martinez’s vehicle and needed to exchange insurance, luring the family out of their home, according to the senator.
Another agent was waiting for Toledo-Martinez outside, releasing a dog that then mauled him, according to his attorney. As of Saturday, Toledo-Martinez, was being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.
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This is America. We have no conscience left to shock.
Everyone is waiting for the aha moment where we'll finally arouse the long dormant inner decency of the masses of this country and we'll all rise up against the evil that has made its home here but it never comes.
It will not keep going forever. A few decades longer at best.
The climate will end all other plans. Be sure of it.
Those plans may change to something worse, but the status quo of people being weak and complacent will end, by by force of nature. Will that mean revolution? Who cares. It will be too late. It is too late.
They've been convinced that their suffering is the result of minorities and not rich people.
Kind of like how Democrats have been convinced that their suffering is the result of racists and not rich people.
The Alleged Drug Boat Wasn’t Even Heading to the U.S.: Report
A new, disturbing detail in the “drug boat” controversy that has enveloped Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the past week calls the purpose of the entire operation into question.
According to an exclusive report from CNN, the alleged narco-trafficking boat that the U.S. military targeted on September 2 in a “double tap” strike, which killed 11 people, wasn’t even heading to the U.S.
Navy Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who was in charge of the operation, reported to lawmakers that the boat they struck was actually en route to link up with a larger boat that was heading to Suriname, a country east of Venezuela, two sources with direct knowledge of his remarks said.
Bradley also said that it was still possible that the alleged drug shipment could have eventually ended up in the U.S., the sources told CNN—rather dubious justification for a strike that left several people dead.
The Alleged Drug Boat Wasn’t Even Heading to the U.S.: Report
This new detail eviscerates Pete Hegseth’s argument.The New Republic
We are all upset but ww have no political mechanism in place that gives the people a voice in government.
Oh, the senate and house of gerrymandered districts? That represents the people who gerrymandered the districts. The president? He represents the randos who pick him the "electoral college". And he has dementia. The judicial? They just want a big boat or their religious views to be the ones we follow, they represent themselves.
I feel like "we the people" should vote daily by phone so we could actually have a voice. Who should see the votes? Everyone. Us, them, the world.
If the idiots in charge destroy a boat and the people's vote immediately turns negative, then they should not do that. If we go to war and our vote is positive, then yeah let's keep going to war.
Sick comeback. I'd forgotten about that.
First-past-the-post needs to go
This is a bad position to hold. You're basing your stance on something that most people won't believe, and is probably wrong, when it doesn't even matter. It being a drug smuggling boat does not make it legal, so don't even discuss that.
It does look exactly like what a drug smuggling boat would look like though, and this statement seems to corroborate that. It's likely it is a drug boat, so you're just going to be dismissed by everyone. It's illegal either way. Argue that point.
No, there is a specific type of boat that's used. They are long thin boats usually with multiple motors (sometimes four or five). They will have containers, usually drums, in the middle section. They are built for maximum speed.
Technically a civilian could be using one of these perfectly legally. They are not fishing boats or anything like that though. The fuel would cost far too much to be worth it. They could be speed boats I guess for fun, but you still have to explain the cargo. I don't know what else it could be, and, again, it doesn't matter. It's illegal to destroy them (especially killing the shipwrecked) no matter what.
Yeah, who likes going fast anyways? I would bet everything in my pockets that most of the drugs in this country come in on regular container ships with the rest of the freight, and long skinny ass-haulers with multiple outboards are the default toy of wealthy Floridians since time immemorial. I can extrapolate that to Venezuela a lot easier than I can dream up a scenario where it makes sense to ship fent precursors over from China and run a bunch of pills up the coast on speedboats. Talk to a cop or a junkie, whichever fits your politics. Either one will tell you that's just not how it works
edited to leave this completely unrelated pic here, no reason
Yeah, who likes going fast anyways?
If you like going fast you don't build a vessel like this. You dint need to carry cargo if you're just going fast. You need to explain what the cargo is if you want to pretend like they aren't drug boats. They aren't fishing boats, and other cargo doesn't need to be transported like this, and it isn't fuel efficient so it must be something that can't take other routes.
I would bet everything in my pockets that most of the drugs in this country come in on regular container ships with the rest of the freight...
I'm not making any claim about where most of the drugs come in. How does that have anything to do with the conversation. Even if it is true, it doesn't mean these aren't drug boats.
I can extrapolate that to Venezuela a lot easier than I can dream up a scenario where it makes sense to ship fent precursors over from China and run a bunch of pills up the coast on speedboats.
It's not fentanyl. IIRC, most of that comes in through Mexico, but I might be wrong about that. I believe it's mostly cocaine coming through Venezuela.
Again, this doesn't matter. The fact we're having this discussion proves my point. It's better to just talk about the legality. It being a drug boat doesn't make it a legal target. Why even bring that into the discussion. All it'll ever do is distract from the actual crimes being committed.
Just to be clear, I'm a leftist (anarchist). I'm very against this administration, and I'm also generally pro legalization of any drug. That doesn't mean I need to be stupid and pretend drugs aren't being smuggled. There's a hell of a lot of evidence ships like these, and others, have been used to smuggle drugs. Technically all of that could have been staged, but I doubt it. There are drugs being smuggled through Venezuela and you'd have to be very ignorant to think that isn't happening. Hell, there are drugs being smuggled through the US. None of that has anything to do with these acts being illegal though, so don't shoot yourself in the foot by arguing about it.
Edit: On the image you posted, in case this makes you think I'm more reasonable, this is a comment I made a while back: lemmy.zip/comment/23085761
I agree with you it's bad. However, drugs are being smuggled. This isn't really something that can be denied. It's happening everywhere all the time. It just isn't relevant. It's illegal no matter what, even if these are drug smugglers or not.
the country holds the world’s largest proven oil reservesYeah, just like that time, the excuse given is almost certainly bullshit.
Venezuela has the world’s most oil: Why doesn’t it earn more from exports?
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, more than five times more than the United States.Mohammed Haddad (Al Jazeera)
That's not what they looked like. Here's some of these boats:
Notice it's not really built for comfort. There's no cover for the pilot or passengers, and there's a large cargo area. It's very different than what a civilian boat looks like.
Anyway, I don't know how many times I have to say this. It being a drug boat or not doesn't make it legal to destroy. It doesn't justify anything whether it's a drug boat or not. It's just a lot easier to convince people of the right thing if you don't start from crazy conspiracies. There are drugs being smuggled. This isn't a secret. Arguing that there aren't drugs being smuggled makes you sound equally as reasonable as someone saying that aliens actually blew up those boats. There's a lot of evidence to the contrary that needs to be explained.
Fine, keep arguing these aren't. Whatever. How they fuck do you explain narco subs? It's either cartels building them to smuggle drugs, or nations building them and filling them with drugs as some massive conspiracy to manufacture consent against drug cartels, and no one has spoken out yet. It's much more likely the former.
It's not an attack on America. It's just people making money. No shit there's no excuse. That's literally what I've been saying. Drug boats or not, it isn't legal or moral.
Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia as Trump’s peace agreement hangs in balance
Thailand launched airstrikes against Cambodia on Monday as a new wave of fighting erupted between the southeast Asian neighbors, marking the potential collapse of a peace plan presided over by Donald Trump just two months ago.
Both sides accused the other of launching strikes along their disputed border Monday morning, after weeks of simmering tension and the earlier suspension of progress on the ceasefire agreement by Thailand.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/07/asia/thailand-cambodia-border-clashes-december-intl-hnk
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That seems like an awfully biased headline for what they’re reporting as essentially “he said she said”.
A Thai military official said that the airstrikes were retaliation for an attack earlier on Monday that killed a Thai soldier.Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense denied the RTAF allegations, calling it “false information” in a statement on X.
I’m admittedly biased here but one of these statements feels awfully familiar
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The Cambodians have a history of claiming thai historical sites as Cambodian and generally claiming everything to be theirs. They have been sending civilians to the border to cause problems and try to cross illegally
I believe Thailand here.
Incoming volley of Truth Social rants tonight!
He will RAGEPOST UNTIL THEY MAKE! PEACE!! COVFEFE
The countries were at peace before something caused them to escalate into a war. You can't just declare that a war has ended by having a representative from each side sign a piece of paper and expect it to remain this way without addressing the root causes that lead to said war to begin with.
But trying to understand the situation and finding ways to address those root causes requires far more work than Trump can be bothered with. He only cares about giving the impression that he did something.
As usual, Trump has an overly simplistic view of the problem to match his abysmal level of understanding of it, and proposes equally simplistic solutions to it. He then declares he fixed it because of how much of a genius he is and then ignores the evidence that it didn't work.
Pro-Israel candidate Kast, son of Nazi official, wins Chilean presidential elections
Far-right, pro-Israel candidate José Antonio Kast will become the next president of Chile after winning the second-round voting on Sunday with 60% of the votes.
Son of a former Nazi official, Kast will replace a Chilean administration led by Gabriel Boric, a vocal critic of Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to the point of stopping diplomatic relations months after the October 7 attacks.
Kast was one of the main opponents of Boric’s foreign affairs policy, and promised during his campaign that he “would rectify the mistakes made by Boric,” which he called “whims” and “tantrums” on more than one occasion.
“Chile's foreign relations are too relevant to prioritize the whims of a President over the interests of the Nation. Boric, once again, evidences his antisemitism by leaving Israel out of FIDAE [Santiago’s international air show], in an irresponsible and markedly ideological decision,” he posted on X in March 2024.
Pro-Israel candidate Kast is new president of Chile | The Jerusalem Post
Son of a Nazi official, Kast will replace a Chilean administration led by Gabriel Boric, a vocal critic of Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com
monitor update
An Apple fan says they lost '20 years of digital life' after using an Apple gift card
An Apple fan who has spent “nearly 30 years as a loyal customer” says they’ve been “permanently” locked out of their Apple Account due to what might be the overzealous actions of Apple’s automated anti-fraud system. It’s left them locked out of “20 years of digital life,” and it all started with the seemingly straightforward purchase of an Apple gift card.
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in reply to Random_Character_A • • •comrade_twisty
in reply to Random_Character_A • • •WanderingThoughts
in reply to comrade_twisty • • •Tollana1234567
in reply to WanderingThoughts • • •AshMan85
in reply to comrade_twisty • • •comrade_twisty
in reply to AshMan85 • • •JeeBaiChow
in reply to comrade_twisty • • •comrade_twisty
in reply to JeeBaiChow • • •ramble81
in reply to MicroWave • • •Tollana1234567
in reply to ramble81 • • •Zephorah
in reply to ramble81 • • •Tollana1234567
in reply to Zephorah • • •☂️-
in reply to ramble81 • • •Random_Character_A
in reply to MicroWave • • •Tryenjer
in reply to Random_Character_A • • •FatVegan
in reply to Tryenjer • • •Tryenjer
in reply to FatVegan • • •MBech
in reply to FatVegan • • •lowleekun
in reply to FatVegan • • •JeeBaiChow
in reply to MicroWave • • •ameancow
in reply to JeeBaiChow • • •Literally. They are collecting Russian kickbacks on one side, and collecting ransom payout on the other.
Meanwhile Ukrainian citizens are being murdered by an expansionist aggressor and our own nation is trying to twist the narrative so that it's a "war between two leaders" so that it seems petty and pointless to US citizens.
And the worst part is our collective attention spans are so low, that this actually works. We have a collective attention span of only a couple years, anything past that is now forgotten in the endless haze of scrolling and sensationalism.
Exit polling after Trump was elected to his second term revealed this basically. People said they didn't know if there was a meaningful difference between the candidates and many people just voted for whoever seemed "more genuine" and while they weren't necessarily wrong that Trump is a more "genuine" person than Harris, it still meant that most people had forgotten what Trump's first administration was like, just four years prior.
In fact, in conversations with people, I'm more and more baffled and
... show moreLiterally. They are collecting Russian kickbacks on one side, and collecting ransom payout on the other.
Meanwhile Ukrainian citizens are being murdered by an expansionist aggressor and our own nation is trying to twist the narrative so that it's a "war between two leaders" so that it seems petty and pointless to US citizens.
And the worst part is our collective attention spans are so low, that this actually works. We have a collective attention span of only a couple years, anything past that is now forgotten in the endless haze of scrolling and sensationalism.
Exit polling after Trump was elected to his second term revealed this basically. People said they didn't know if there was a meaningful difference between the candidates and many people just voted for whoever seemed "more genuine" and while they weren't necessarily wrong that Trump is a more "genuine" person than Harris, it still meant that most people had forgotten what Trump's first administration was like, just four years prior.
In fact, in conversations with people, I'm more and more baffled and horrified how many people don't have strong memory anymore. Things we did a year ago together have become fuzzy and lost, anything before that seems to be almost non-existent unless it made a huge impact. The epidemic of scrolling for dopamine hits is impacting our shared memory of reality.
melsaskca
in reply to MicroWave • • •lechekaflan
in reply to MicroWave • • •boaratio
in reply to lechekaflan • • •Gates9
in reply to lechekaflan • • •AngryCommieKender
in reply to Gates9 • • •samus12345
in reply to Gates9 • • •[deleted]
in reply to MicroWave • • •If this was true (it isn't) he is saying that the US should stop supporting the less we'll off because the corrupt people left. He is saying we should only support a country while the corrupt wealthy people are still there.
Empricorn
in reply to [deleted] • • •widowdoll
in reply to [deleted] • • •It actually is true.
Rich people never fight in wars.
[deleted]
in reply to widowdoll • • •It is false because the stated cause, "corrupt rich people leaving", is not true so it would not lead to the "peasant class" being left behind to do the fighting.
Yes, the "peasant class" always fights the wars, but not because of something that didn't happen.
widowdoll
in reply to [deleted] • • •Rich people are leaving, though. They could literally bribe recruiters to avoid serving in the war.
theguardian.com/world/2023/aug…
The only people who are stuck are the ones who can't afford to leave.
Bribes and hiding at home: the Ukrainian men trying to avoid conscription
Shaun Walker (The Guardian)SabinStargem
in reply to MicroWave • • •