Nov 2023 Mod notice:
There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.
If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations
and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines before posting here.
Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.
If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules when posting here.
In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.
Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Disasturbator
> ![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
x4 The knowledge that the people who voted for Trump are suffering for it brings a smile to my face.
I take no sanctification in someone else's suffering,and whole it's true they brought it upon themselves by voting for him I pity them for for it was misguided,their judgement blinded by years of brainwashing through fox news and media pundits.The ones who now actively support Trump have my full contempt and scorn though
New theme music also a box
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/05/15/day-846/
https://apnews.com/c61546f081e842f6b5d944ed20a204bc
Skeptical U.S. allies are resisting Trump’s new claims of threats from Iran. The Trump administration is laying the groundwork for major military action against Iran, but it may have a hard time rallying domestic and international support. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/14/world/middleeast/trump-iran-threats.html
The German government has expressed concern about the tensions in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran, warning of a military escalation and saying it supports all measures for a peaceful solution. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said on Wednesday that, “obviously, we are watching the increasing tensions in the region with big concern and welcome any measure that is aimed at a peaceful solution.” (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/c61546f081e842f6b5d944ed20a204bc
2/ Jared Kushner struggled to answer GOP senators’ questions on his immigration plan. In a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser tried to pitch his plan to overhaul legal immigration but failed to win over Republicans, according to GOP officials. (Washington Post)
3/ A federal judge grilled Trump's legal team as Democrats fight for access to Trump's financial records. Amit Mehta, a U.S. District Court judge in Washington, raised pointed doubts Tuesday about arguments by Trump’s legal team that a Democratic effort to subpoena Trump’s financial records was an invalid exercise of congressional power. An early court test for President Trump’s vow to stonewall all subpoenas could be the start of a long fight over congressional oversight. (Politico / New York Times)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/14/trump-subpoena-congress-legal-1318867
4/ Gov. Ron De Santis: Russians hacked voting databases in two Florida counties. The GOP governor said the incidents took place in 2016 and no election results were compromised. (NBC News / Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/a2af9039533b42bba0e4e04af11ecd67
5/ At the NRA, a cash machine sputtering. As the gun rights group lavished pay and perks on its leaders and partners, fueling infighting, it increasingly relied on its own charity for funds. Tax experts have questions. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/14/us/nra-finances-executives-board-members.html
6/ Trump’s tariffs, once seen as leverage, may be here to stay. The president’s latest trade measures have left the United States with the highest tariff rate among the most developed countries, outranking Canada, Germany, Russia and even China. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/14/us/politics/trump-tariffs-china.html
7/ House Democrats are planning a marathon public reading of the Mueller report. The reading of all 448 pages of the redacted report, starting at noon Thursday, will take an estimated 12 to 14 hours. (Washington Post)
8/ Trump Tower is now one of NYC’s least-desirable luxury buildings. Most condo owners who sold since 2016 have recorded a loss. "No one wants in that building," said one former owner. (Bloomberg)
Okay, between China, North Korea, Venezuela, and Iran, has Trump had any success in foreign policy? Am I missing any big triumphs?
Well, according to him, Russia. Hillary would've done soooooooo much worse with them!
Not sure if these have been covered, but...
- Elizabeth Warren called out the chief of the Office of Comptroller of the Currency, Joseph Otting, over his refusal to fully-inform Congress about their oversight findings in regards to Wells-Fargo. After claiming that "no one has been more tougher" (according to The Hill, but "No one has been tougher" according to an ABC Tweet, so not sure if it's a You Make Me Sic instance), she quipped "At the OCC? That's a low bar" and proceeded to say "Good" when he took offense to it. Given that the OCC sat quietly as Wells-Fargo employed their slimy sales tactics (including outright fraud), I can see why she'd be critical of them, especially under Trump.
- The FCC is going to explicitly allow carriers to block robocalls - the problem being, because of fucking course this is the case, that the carriers will be allowed to charge customers for the service. Because it's not like unsolicited robocalls are illegal or anything, right?
Edited by ironballs16 on May 15th 2019 at 2:43:45 PM
"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Stop Killing My Titles
So there was this nonprofit initiative We Build the Wall for Trumpets eager to have The Wall (TM) done and have it keep all those nasty illegals out of their fair country, right? The guy who kickstarted the move managed to accumulate over 20 million dollars on Go Fund Me.
Turns out he's not really building anything, as far as anyone can tell, and has been involved in scams before. I wish I could express how terribly not sorry I feel for those who donated to the oh so righteous cause.
Damn, that was my idea. It's like that guy who ran a crowdfunding project to build a homemade rocket to prove the Earth is flat. And it just turned out that building rockets is his hobby and he found out a way to get idiots to pay for it.
The difference being, by the sound of it, the Flat Earth guy was actually doing what he was paid to do.
Eh, taking money from hateful idiots is a win in my book either way.
They already voted for and practically worship a guy who does that to them anyway, I'm sure they're all for that kind of thing now.
x3 My thoughts exactly
Edited by Reflextion on May 15th 2019 at 4:10:19 AM
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
These services include providing solutions for a lost or stolen passport, and offering travel assistance, according to the post. A Memorandum of Agreement was signed on Friday, and the new arrangement came into force on Wednesday.
Some Facebook users were supportive of the move, while others were less enthusiastic. "Because apparently we are too incompetent to look up the us embassy online??" wrote one, while another asked if the Mc Donald's partnership would replace a staffed embassy. "Certainly not. Our Embassy is fully staffed and ready to assist American citizens in need," responded the embassy account.
"This partnership is only one extra way for Americans to connect to the Embassy when they are in an emergency situation." CNN has attempted to contact both Mc Donald's Austria and the US Embassy in Vienna for comment.
Well, it wouldn't be the first time that a Kickstarter funding drive resulted in criminal fraud charges against the person(s) that started it.
In fairness, the employees aren't acting as ambassadors, they're just being told that, if a US citizen comes in requesting help from the US Embassy, they should help them out. Kind of a novel idea, albeit a very odd one.
And as yet another complete surprise, the White house is refusing to sign onto an international agreement to combat online extremism, citing freedom of speech concerns.
Edited by ironballs16 on May 15th 2019 at 4:22:41 AM
"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
I can see the logic behind it. Seek out something familiar for help.
Hell, it worked for Drew Carey that time Mimi sent him to China.
Welp, fuck Lindsey Graham right in the ear with a rusty spork.
He's got a proposal for dealing with the border situation - namely, they should stop coming here.
Graham’s proposal would change current law by prohibiting asylum claims at the U.S. border and requiring asylum applicants from Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to apply for asylum in their respective countries.
“Word is out on the streets in Central America that if you bring a child with you – regardless of whether or not it is actually your child – America’s laws can be manipulated to allow you to stay in the United States,” Graham said.
His legislation would also modify U.S. law to allow families to be held together up to 100 days in the U.S. while making their asylum claims, while the current limit is 20 days.
His legislation would require unaccompanied minors from Central America to be returned to their home countries of origin.
It would also add an addition 500 new immigration judges to reduce the backlog of cases.
The only part of that I like is that last bit - the rest is fucking heinous.
Edited by ironballs16 on May 15th 2019 at 4:33:00 AM
"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Exxon Mobile are evacuating from Basra Oil Fields: https://twitter.com/ELINTNews/status/1128654721726783490
Immediate thought: What did they do?
Three-way question, really. Is it something Iraq is about to do, something the US is about to do to Iraq, or something Exxon did themselves?
How odd; that was my thought, too. 
Well, more specifically, mine was... "Exactly how big is the contamination problem this time?"
Edited by Euodiachloris on May 15th 2019 at 10:40:10 AM
Maybe they're pulling out because of an imminent Iranian invasion.
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Or a fear of being caught in the crossfire if the US/Israel/Saudi Arabia/etc launch raids.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
That's what most people are thinking it is.
Edited by CookingCat on May 15th 2019 at 2:48:55 AM
There's a bunch of immigrant shit going on that this is just one nasty bit of it.
- The above is that Border Patrol and police are destroying humanitarian supplies left for border crossers in hopes they'll die.
- Trump is trying to get the citizenship of LGBT children removed as its "out of wedlock"
- Trump wants to close down all immigration offices.
For me is just a shurg, feeling good they are suffering is pointless and eventually it was going to happen, let sure they learn their lession well.
"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"