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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
In fairness to Yang, his plan isn't cutting for the sake of cutting, a la Rick Perry. He wants to reduce jobs he thinks can be handled by computers now as federal employees age out, and then he wants to also hire younger, more tech savvy federal employees.
He doesn't specify which jobs or from where in the government they'd be phased out, so the plan's headline is a gimmick to attract the small government crowd. He's not really planning to reduce the role of the government. The second part practically guarantees he'd expand it.
The last 3 days worth of What the Fuck Just Happened Today. I held off on them from a combination of being busy with other things and letting the debate discussion run its course for the most part:
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/07/30/day-922/
2/ Trump's pick for director of national intelligence promoted the now-debunked conspiracy theory of an anti-Trump "secret society" operating within the FBI. John Ratcliffe claimed that the text messages between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok before the 2016 election were proof that the FBI was working against Trump, which fell apart when the exchange became public. Ratcliffe also misrepresented his role in an anti-terrorism case, claiming he had been appointed as a "special prosecutor" in 2008 to secure convictions for funneling money to Hamas, which is a designated terrorist organization. Court records and lawyers involved in the case suggest he had no direct role in the prosecution. (Daily Beast / ABC News)
3/ One of Trump's billionaire friends tried to buy the only U.S. manufacturer of large nuclear reactors while he was lobbying Trump to become a special envoy and promote his company's nuclear work in Saudi Arabia, according to a new congressional report. Thomas Barrack failed in both efforts, but his attempts raised "serious questions about whether the White House is willing to place the potential profits of the President's friends above the national security of the American people and the universal objective of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons." The report shows Barrack negotiated with Trump and other White House officials to seek "powerful positions" like special Middle East envoy while he was also attempting to purchase Westinghouse Electric Company, the sole American manufacturer of large-scale nuclear reactors — partly with capital from Saudi Arabia or its close ally, the United Arab Emirates. (The Guardian / New York Times)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/29/tom-barrack-saudi-arabia-nuclear-deal-envoy
4/ Barrack also provided a draft of Trump's energy speeches in 2016 to senior officials from the United Arab Emirates for edits, according to emails and text messages uncovered by a House Oversight Committee investigation. Two weeks before Trump was scheduled to give the speech, Barrack provided a former business associate inside the UAE with an advance copy of the speech, which the associate then shared with UAE and Saudi government officials. Later, Barrack arranged for the edits requested by the UAE officials to be added to the speech with the help of Paul Manafort. "This is the most likely final version of the speech. It has the language you want," Manafort confirmed in an email to Barrack on the day of the speech. (ABC News)
5/ The Senate failed to override Trump's veto of three resolutions to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The resolutions were passed by Congress with bipartisan support in June, but the three votes to override Trump's vetoes failed, 45-40, 45-39 and 46-41. A two-thirds vote was needed in each case. (Politico / CBS News / CNN)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/29/senate-trump-saudi-arabia-arms-sales-1439593
6/ White House adviser Stephen Miller wants to use Border Patrol agents as asylum screeners in order to reduce asylum approvals. Miller believes Border Patrol agents would be tougher critics of asylum seekers and is interested in the rate of approval for migrants interviewed by Border Patrol agents versus asylum officers. On average, asylum officers approve about 90% of "credible fear" screenings – the first thing migrants must do when seeking asylum is to convince officers that they have a credible fear for their safety in their home country. (NBC News)
7/ California now requires all presidential candidates to submit five years of income tax filings in order to be on the state's presidential primary ballot. Trump will be ineligible for California's primary ballot next year unless he discloses his tax returns. (Los Angeles Times / New York Times)
8/ More than half of the Trump administration's trade-war aid for farmers went to just one-tenth of the recipients in the program. The Trump administration announced a $16 billion round of trade aid for farmers this year as the trade dispute with China continues. (Bloomberg)
9/ For the fourth consecutive day, Trump attacked Elijah Cummings and asserted – without evidence – that black Baltimoreans "really appreciate what I'm doing." Trump added that "Cummings should take his oversight committee and start doing oversight on Baltimore." Hours later, Trump marked the 400th anniversary of the birth of democracy in America in a speech at the Jamestown Settlement Museum. Virginia's African-American state lawmakers boycotted the speech, calling Trump an "emblem of hate" and accused those who chose to attend and remain silent of being complicit in Trump's racism. During his speech, Trump made no reference to his attacks on Cummings and his majority black, Baltimore-based district, which Trump previously called "rat and rodent infested" where "no human being would want to live," nor mentioned the four congresswomen of color he recently told to "go back" to where they came from. Instead, Trump highlighted that this year is also the 400th anniversary of the first slaves brought to America. (Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / USA Today)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/30/trump-baltimore-elijah-cummings-1440793
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/07/31/day-923/
2/ The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point – the first rate cut in more than a decade. The move is meant to protect the U.S. economy against the effects of an economic slowdown in China and Europe and the uncertainty from Trump's trade war. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the rate cut was a precautionary, "midcycle adjustment" to provide "insurance" against "downside risks." Trump, who has called in recent months for the Fed to cut interest rates by a full percentage point, tweeted that the interest rate cut was "not enough" and that Powell had "let us down" "as usual."(New York Times / Politico / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Washington Post)
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/31/fed-chief-powell-says-rate-cut-was-a-mid-cycle-adjustment.html
💡What the interest rate cut means for you. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/31/your-money/fed-interest-rates.html
3/ Two of Mitch Mc Connell's former staffers lobbied Congress and the Treasury Department on the development of a $200 million investment in a Kentucky aluminum mill backed by a Russian aluminum company. Rusal could only make the investment after winning sanctions relief from the Treasury Department initially imposed in April 2018 on Rusal and other companies owned by Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch and Putin ally. (Politico)
4/ A former congressional staffer who tried to discredit Robert Mueller's investigation has been promoted on the National Security Council staff. Kash Patel spearheaded the efforts with Devin Nunes to call the court-approved surveillance of former Trump adviser Carter Page into question. Now, Patel has been promoted to a leadership position focused on counterterrorism at the NSC's Directorate of International Organizations and Alliances. (Daily Beast)
5/ A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Democratic National Committee against Trump's presidential campaign related to Russian hacking of Democratic party computers and the release of material stolen by the hackers. The ruling terminated the DNC's claims against the Trump campaign, individual members of the campaign, including Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner, Wiki Leaks and Julian Assange. (CNBC)
6/ Osama bin Laden's son is reportedly dead. U.S. officials did not provide details of where or when Hamza bin Laden died, or the role the U.S. played in his death. (NBC News / New York Times)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/u-s-has-intel-osama-bin-laden-s-son-heir-n1037236
7/ The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Iran's top diplomat, following Tehran's recent missile-test launch, seizure of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and the downing of a U.S. military drone. The sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were delayed after State Department officials argued that would close the door to diplomacy. (Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)
🐊 Swamp things.
The Department of Justice is investigating whether former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke used personal email accounts for official government business. The investigation is part of a larger probe into Zinke, who has been criticized for mixing his personal, political, and official business while in Trump's cabinet. Zinke resigned in 2018 following scrutiny of his participation in a land deal with the chairman of Halliburton. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/30/zinke-email-justice-energy-1627744
A Democratic senator temporarily blocked a Trump nominee from serving as the top lawyer for the Interior over concerns that Daniel Jorjani possibly lied to lawmakers during his confirmation hearing about his role in reviewing public information requests submitted to the agency. (The Hill / Huff Post)
The Senate Armed Services Committee advanced Air Force Gen. John Hyten to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, despite allegations of sexual assault by a former subordinate. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/31/senate-john-hyten-joint-chiefs-1629781
Energy Secretary Rick Perry contradicted Trump on climate change, saying "The climate is changing. Are we part of the reason? Yeah, it is." Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the role humans play in climate change. (CNBC)
Trump sent the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs to Sweden to monitor the court proceedings for rapper A$AP Rocky. The Harlem rapper is accused of beating a 19-year-old man in Stockholm on June 30th. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Robert O'Brien's job is to advise the government on hostage issues. (The Independent)
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/08/01/day-924/
https://apnews.com/431f4cf54078434f81d5af519ac82c44
2/ The Senate passed a two-year bipartisan budget deal that raises spending $320 billion over current levels and lifts the debt ceiling until after the 2020 election. The legislation now goes to Trump, who is expected to sign it despite complaints from conservatives that it would fuel the nation's debt. Under the Trump administration, the annual federal deficit is set to reach $1 trillion a year. (Politico / Associated Press / CNBC / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg)
https://apnews.com/9a70f20290db4bd593d4051c84c547e5
3/ The Inspector General of the Intelligence Community won't investigate how the White House handled the security clearances for Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and other officials unless Trump asks him. Michael Atkinson declined the request to investigate the security clearance process by four top Senate Democrats, saying "The authority over access to classified information ultimately rests with the President of the United States." In response, the senators wrote a letter to Trump, asking him to order the investigation. The White House did not respond to a request for comment and has previously declined to comment on the security clearances. (NBC News)
4/ Justice Department won't prosecute James Comey over the leak of his memos that the FBI later determined contained classified information. The inspector general's office had referred Comey for prosecution. After Trump fired Comey, the former FBI Director asked a friend to leak the memos, which detailed his conversations with Trump about the FBI's probe of Russian election interference. The Justice Department prosecutors declined to prosecute Comey, because they didn't believe there was evidence to show Comey knew and intended to violate laws regarding the handling of classified information. (NBC News / CNN)
5/ The White House instructed Trump's newly appointed Secretary of Defense to reexamine the military's $10 billion cloud computing contract because of concerns it would be awarded to Amazon. The Pentagon planned to award the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract to either Amazon or Microsoft this month. Mark Esper, who assumed his post on July 23rd, is now reviewing accusations of unfairness that pre-dates Trump's involvement, including allegations by rival companies that the competition unfairly favored Amazon because of perceived conflicts of interest. Despite a court ruling that the competition was fair, Trump asked officials to review the contracting process after companies competing against Amazon lodged "tremendous complaints." Trump has often made false and misleading attacks against Amazon and the Washington Post, conflating the two as the "Amazon Washington Post" because they're both owned by Jeff Bezos. (Washington Post / Politico / CNBC)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/01/pentagon-amazon-contract-1630381
6/ Trump ordered the military to punish the prosecutors who tried the case of a Navy SEAL charged and acquitted of war crimes in the death of a captured ISIS fighter in Iraq. Trump complained that the prosecutors who tried the case against Eddie Gallagher "were ridiculously given a Navy Achievement Medal" and demanded that the military "immediately withdraw and rescind the awards." (New York Times / Washington Post)
7/ More than half of House Democrats support launching impeachment proceedings against Trump with 118 out of 235 members now supporting the effort. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has argued that impeachment would alienate too many voters. (Politico / New York Times / Buzz Feed News)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/01/majority-house-democrats-support-impeachment-1440799
Rep. Elijah Cummings' Baltimore Home Burglarized, Police Say – Baltimore Police are investigating after the home of Rep. Elijah Cummings was broken into early Saturday morning
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/08/01/break-in-reported-at-rep-elijah-cummings-house/
Edited by sgamer82 on Aug 1st 2019 at 11:17:51 AM
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/how-three-conspiracy-theorists-took-q-sparked-qanon-n900531
I completely missed the exposure of Qanon and its creators (who did it for money, obviously).
Year old info but fascinating to me.
Edited by CharlesPhipps on Aug 1st 2019 at 11:12:38 AM
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Basically he elaborates on his UBI plan, the "Freedom Dividend", where Americans would get one grand every month, explaining that the money would come from big tech giants like Amazon sales and Google searches, and bemoaning the increasing automation, saying that at the current rate, retail workers and truck drivers would be replaced with robots/AI.
Personally, as someone who's scraping by on >$700 a month,I don't see how an extra $300 is supposed to make some big difference.
Edited by PhysicalStamina on Aug 2nd 2019 at 9:34:46 AM
i'm tired, my friendSo how is he planning to make the tech giants pay?(here's a hint,they won't if their lobbing arm isn't broken)
Also a Luddite argument against automation?Pass
But $1000 though,you've got me interested,never mind its probably not enough,I could have $1000!
have a listen and have a link to my discord server
He claims that we only assume so because nobody's asked them, and that "half of them are on board with it".
Whether or not you wanna believe that is up to you.
To be fair, though, he's not against automation per se, he just wants to make sure Americans benefit from said automation (which, good luck with that).
Edited by PhysicalStamina on Aug 2nd 2019 at 9:54:50 AM
i'm tired, my friend
Which I think is what Yang is trying to address with his "$1000/month to every American" thing.
Which still is barely enough to get by on, but, you know, it's the thought that counts.
i'm tired, my friend

I agree that we should have one, so I've made one, but accidentally misspelled Nuclear.
Listening to some clips of the debate, no one popped out. The Democrats have a problem when the only person who popped out in this whole thing is a literal crazy person. I suspect the real fight is going to be Warren vs Biden with Sanders playing kingmaker. If Sanders stays in, Biden wins, if Sanders gets out Warren wins.