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Week-end Wrap – Political Economy – January 26, 2025

By Tony Wikrent

The Trump “Litmus Test” 

Scott Ritter [via Naked Capitalism 01-25-2025]

…I’ll take this moment to remind President Trump that one of the “crimes” I was accused of committing by the Ukrainian government which put me on their State Department-funded death lists, was to claim that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was a direct result of NATO expansion.

Which is, of course, the same assessment put forward by President Trump.

If you were an average American citizen, Mr. President, your name would be on that list.

That comment is Elon with his full two months of being a gadfly in Mar-a-Lago wielding influence over a complex health and financial issue he knows nothing about. Yes, the richest man in the world is going to be pushing to take bare subsistence money away from disabled people. We are hearing that Susie Wiles is trying to build some walls between Elon and the Prez and rein in DOGE but who knows? And I don’t know how Trump could mess with SSDI unilaterally but I’m sure they have some ideas. It’s just insane that this idiot has influence on the government in any way. Democrats? Can’t you do something with this? By the way, here’s Elon being cute as always (when he isn’t talking to Nazis and delivering a Sieg Heil at the inauguration:

He literally said he wants to “just clean out Gaza” Trump made some big news last night: President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Saturday that he wants Jordan and Egypt to take Palestinians from Gaza into their territory “temporarily or long term.” Since the start of the war in Gaza, Egypt and Jordan have led the Arab world’s opposition to any forced transfer by Israel of Palestinians from Gaza.  Trump on Saturday spoke on the phone with Jordan’s King Abdullah, who congratulated him on his inauguration. King Abdullah “stressed the pivotal role of the U.S. in pushing all sides to work towards achieving peace, security, and stability for all in the region,” the Jordanian royal court said in a statement. But Trump said the two leaders discussed an entirely different topic — the millions of Palestinians who live in Jordan, and the possibility that more will move there from Gaza.  “I said to him, ‘I’d love you take on more,’ because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess,” Trump said.

Pick a fight For all their sky-is-falling rhetoric about Project 2025 last year, Democrats (with exceptions) have settled into business as usual in D.C. They just chose old and busted over new hotness for a top Oversight Committee post. It’s what they know. It’s their comfort zone, well-worn groove, rut [your preferred metaphor here]. Well, the rest of us will be feeling discomfort beyond serving in the congressional minority for the forseeable future. If Democrats have another gear, they’d damned well better find it now. From December 2016 during the first Trump transition: The biggest challenge Democrats face is not Donald Trump, but constitution. Not the one in the National Archives, but their inner constitution. The Democratic Party as an “establishment” organization is conservative by disposition. When shaken or defeated, or when facing the unknown, like now, such organizations by reflex seek safety in the comfortable and familiar. They shy from risk. Democrats fret about what Republicans might say about them at election time. Inner circles across the country worry about fundraising: regular donors might not support untested, young leaders.

Dark money groups run amok on a dark anniversary and more news from The Lever this week.

Not burning out is key to pushing back This next period of American history is going to be more of slog than the first Trump administration. Pray it isn’t as deadly. We’re all trying to summon an effective response to Trump 2.0, but the angst gets in the way, doesn’t it? Greg Sargent points to recommendations at Civic Texts, the blog website of technology journalist Alexander B. Howard. In the wake of Trump pardoning violent Jan. 6 seditionists and portraying them as victims, Howard offers some suggestions for self-care and safety online. “If you want to hit the trifecta of intolerance, ignorance, and bigotry, however, post online about religion, immigration, and the First Amendment at the same time. (It’s like grabbing a third rail, but less fun.)” Trump and his enablers in the states, in Congress, and in the Supreme Court represent “the worst crisis for the rule of law in my lifetime, paired with a muted response from American society,” Howard writes. “The flood of actions is intentionally designed to overwhelm, intimidate, and flood the zone with cruelty expressly designed to instill hopelessness and fear.

In analysis, it’s helpful to simplify and focus on the core elements of a system. Today, we will identify the essential processes and structures required to create a functional bank, accompanied by diagrams to illustrate these key processes.

Those who watched silently as reactionary tech bosses seized power in the US must now wake up and fight back, argues Johan Farkas and Aurelien Mondon

A few weeks back, I rounded up a few 2024 Blu-ray reissues of note that I hadn’t got around to reviewing last year (I’m a lazy bastard). Perusing my collection, I’ve found a few more leftovers of interest, plus a January 2025 reissue that I’m pretty excited about. Let’s dig in! Let’s Get Lost (Kino Classics) – The life of horn player/vocalist Chet Baker is a tragedian’s dream; a classic tale of a talented artist who peaked early, then promptly set about self-destructing. Sort of the Montgomery Clift of jazz, he was graced by the gods with an otherworldly physical beauty and a gift for expressing his art. By age 24 he had already gigged with Stan Getz, Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan. He began chasing the dragon in the 1950s, leading to jail time and a career slide. There are conflicting versions of the circumstances that led to a brutal beating in 1968, but the resultant injuries to his mouth impaired his playing abilities. While he never kicked the substance abuse, he eventually got his mojo back, and enjoyed a resurgence of his career in his final decade (he was only 58 when he died).

Source - Patreon

Just don’t call it a cult We’re hearing this an awful lot these days. But I do appreciate old Mel making it clear that the Daddy cult is an explicitly violent, abusive one.

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

He’s talking about taking over Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory and Denmark is our long time ally. He doesn’t give a damn. He will do it whether they like it or not just to prove his shriveled manhood is still working. He is drunk with power and out of his mind. Donald Trump had a fiery phone call with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen over his demands to buy Greenland, according to senior European officials. Speaking to the Financial Times, officials said that Trump, then still president-elect, spoke with Frederiksen for 45 minutes last week, during which he was described to be aggressive and confrontational about Frederiksen’s refusal to sell Greenland to the US. The Financial Times reports that according to five current and former senior European officials who were briefed on the call, the conversation “was horrendous”. One person said: “He was very firm. It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious and potentially very dangerous.” Another person who was briefed on the call told the outlet: “The intent was very clear. They want it.

If they are smart enough to run with it I wish I knew why the Democrats are acting like they just lost in a huge landslide so they must find ways to appeal to the huge majority of MAGA acolytes or stay out in the cold for a generation. It just ain’t true. However, one of the real lessons of the election, indeed the last several elections probably going back to Occupy Wall Street, is that the country is in a populist phase and it’s up for grabs which party will be able to meet the moment. The Democrats passed big pieces of legislation aimed at working people while Trump and the Republicans have used typical right wing xenophobic and “anti-elite” populist sentiments neither of which has brought either party a real majority. However, if you want real populism, the GOP has given the Democrats an opening they couldn’t have dreamed of. Josh Marshall wrote about it today: I’ve mentioned a few times that Donald Trump is giving Democrats a big, big opening by so conspicuously surrounding himself and seeking the counsel of almost all of the country’s super-billionaires.

The War Between the Land and the Sea star Russell Tovey (Feud) had some interesting insights to share about the Doctor Who spinoff series.

Germany should be proud of its past history, I guess. Well, there was that little blip in the last century but who’s counting? There is no doubt in my mind that Elon was doing a Nazi salute. I will accept that he was probably high and lost control what with the excitement and all. But that’s what he was doing. Sort of like this: Update: By the way, Elon’s speaking at the Afd rally today. In Germany. After the Nazi salute thing.

WOOLGOOLGA and Northern Beaches Chamber of Commerce is celebrating the end of summer with a fun social event across the town’s bars. “Sundown on Summer – Stroll and Sip” will have a party atmosphere while including a treasure hunt quiz. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us....

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COFFS City Rotary Exchange Student Madeleine Hardaker of Korara, has returned from her year-long exchange in France. Maddy is a student of the Coffs Harbour Community School. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Selected by Coffs...

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President Donald Trump made clear during his campaign that he wanted little to do with Project 2025, the sweeping and controversial conservative policy blueprint created by the Heritage Foundation. But just days into his second term, many of Trump’s early actions align with the Project 2025 agenda. An analysis by TIME found that nearly two-thirds of the executive actions Trump has issued so far mirror or partially mirror proposals from the 900-page document, ranging from sweeping deregulation measures to aggressive immigration reform.  Democrats had seized on Trump’s connection to Project 2025 during the campaign, pointing out that many of the playbook’s contributors previously worked for Trump or had connections to his orbit.

VINNIES op shop staff and neighbours in Scarba Street Coffs Harbour met Monday morning, 13 January, to begin the task of clearing up piles of rain-soaked clothes and household goods that had been dumped on-site. Over the weekend, residents saw bags of goods getting picked over and food being scattered, with the rain adding to...

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Human societies are setting themselves on a collision course with climate-induced catastrophes. Lithium-ion batteries will soon be facing competition. How to deal with x and the conflicts it creates? Collision course with climate disaster and societal collapse I am sorry to be starting the new year with depressing news but for anyone wanting a readable, Continue reading »