Politics Random, Random

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

Exclusive: German ambassador warns of Trump plan to redefine constitutional order, document shows
By Sabine Siebold and Friederike Heine
January 18, 20256:22 PM EST Updated a day ago

Summary
Briefing document describes 'maximum disruption' agenda
Forecasts democratic principles 'will be largely undermined'
German foreign ministry vows to work closely with new US administration

BERLIN, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Germany's ambassador to the United States has warned that the incoming Trump administration will rob U.S. law enforcement and the media of their independence and hand big tech companies "co-governing power", according to a confidential document seen by Reuters.

The briefing document, dated Jan. 14 and signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, describes Donald Trump's agenda for his second White House term as one of "maximum disruption" that will bring about "a redefinition of the constitutional order - maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states."

"Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be largely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be robbed of their independence and misused as a political arm, Big Tech will be given co-governing power," it says.

Trump's transition team had no immediate comment on the ambassador's assessment.

The German foreign ministry said U.S. voters chose Trump in a democratic election, and it would "work closely with the new U.S. administration in the interests of Germany and Europe."

The outgoing government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has largely refrained from direct public criticism of Trump since the election, but the ambassador's confidential assessment offers a blunt view from a senior German official.

Ambassadors are not replaced automatically with the formation of a new government, unless a change is deemed necessary for diplomatic or other reasons.

The document cites the judiciary, and especially the U.S. Supreme Court, as central to Trump's attempts to further his agenda, but says that despite the court's recent decision to expand presidential powers, "even the biggest critics assume that it will prevent the worst from happening."

Michaelis sees control of the Justice Department and FBI as key to Trump reaching his political and personal goals, including mass deportations, retribution against perceived enemies and legal impunity.

He says Trump has broad legal options to force his agenda on the states, saying "even military deployment within the country for police activities would be possible in the event of declared 'insurrection' and 'invasion'."

The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act bars the federal military from participating in domestic law enforcement, with some exceptions.

Michaelis also foresees a "redefinition of the First Amendment," saying Trump and billionaire X owner Elon Musk are already taking actions against critics and non-cooperating media companies.

"One is using lawsuits, threatening criminal prosecution and licence revocation, the other is having algorithms manipulated and accounts blocked," he says in the document.

Musk's repeated endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of the Feb. 23 national election has drawn ire in Berlin, but the government has stopped short of unanimously leaving his platform.
Berlin endured a particularly difficult relationship with the United States during the first Trump administration, facing costly tariffs and criticism over its failure to meet the NATO target on defence expenditure.

Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Friederike Heine; Editing by Daniel Wallis

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/german ... 025-01-18/

[ti-amie]

Why is Snoop attending that event tomorrow?

Snoop Dogg Thanks Trump for Pardoning Death Row Records Co-Founder
Michael 'Harry O' Harris, who was serving time on attempted murder and cocaine trafficking charges, gave Suge Knight $1.5 million to help start the seminal hip-hop label

By Jon Blistein

January 20, 2021

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... n-1116872/

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

Trump’s Cryptocurrency Surges to Become One of the World’s Most Valuable
The new business venture by the Trump family is generating intensifying criticism, even as it has turned into an overnight phenomenon, generating a windfall on paper.

By Eric Lipton and David Yaffe-Bellany
Eric Lipton and David Yaffe-Bellany have been writing about the cryptocurrency industry for the last three years out of Washington and San Francisco.

Jan. 19, 2025
Updated 4:17 p.m. ET
The Trump family’s new crypto token surged in just two days to become one of the most valuable forms of digital currency in the world, creating the potential for a multibillion-dollar payout to the family but also generating a storm of questions about the conflicts of interest the new venture creates.

President-elect Donald J. Trump announced the launch of the new token, $Trump, on Friday night as hundreds gathered for a crypto-inspired inauguration ball not far from the White House.

The venture won praise by some as a sign of how digital currencies are now going mainstream in the United States.

But economists and even some longtime crypto investors said the new digital coin, known as a memecoin, might also emerge as a landmark moment in the speculative history of crypto trading and the potential dangers it poses to the financial system. Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency tied to an online joke or a celebrity mascot.

“If people want to gamble, I don’t really care,” said Lee Reiners, a former Federal Reserve economist who is now a lecturer for a center studying global economic markets at Duke University. “What I care about is when this crypto bubble bursts — and it will burst — it will end up impacting people across the economy even if they don’t have direct investment in crypto. And this new coin is making it worse.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/19/us/p ... urges.html

[patrick]

And the fighting continues

[patrick]

Why is Snoop attending that event tomorrow?

Snoop Dogg Thanks Trump for Pardoning Death Row Records Co-Founder
Michael 'Harry O' Harris, who was serving time on attempted murder and cocaine trafficking charges, gave Suge Knight $1.5 million to help start the seminal hip-hop label

By Jon Blistein

January 20, 2021

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... n-1116872/

Read like Snoop is possibly forgetting where he came from or was last year very profitable for him between The Voice, Olympics and TMobile after getting with Martha Stewart a few years ago

[Owendonovan]

Exclusive: German ambassador warns of Trump plan to redefine constitutional order, document shows
By Sabine Siebold and Friederike Heine
January 18, 20256:22 PM EST Updated a day ago

Summary
Briefing document describes 'maximum disruption' agenda
Forecasts democratic principles 'will be largely undermined'
German foreign ministry vows to work closely with new US administration

BERLIN, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Germany's ambassador to the United States has warned that the incoming Trump administration will rob U.S. law enforcement and the media of their independence and hand big tech companies "co-governing power", according to a confidential document seen by Reuters.

The briefing document, dated Jan. 14 and signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, describes Donald Trump's agenda for his second White House term as one of "maximum disruption" that will bring about "a redefinition of the constitutional order - maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states."

"Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be largely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be robbed of their independence and misused as a political arm, Big Tech will be given co-governing power," it says.

Trump's transition team had no immediate comment on the ambassador's assessment.

The German foreign ministry said U.S. voters chose Trump in a democratic election, and it would "work closely with the new U.S. administration in the interests of Germany and Europe."

The outgoing government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has largely refrained from direct public criticism of Trump since the election, but the ambassador's confidential assessment offers a blunt view from a senior German official.

Ambassadors are not replaced automatically with the formation of a new government, unless a change is deemed necessary for diplomatic or other reasons.

The document cites the judiciary, and especially the U.S. Supreme Court, as central to Trump's attempts to further his agenda, but says that despite the court's recent decision to expand presidential powers, "even the biggest critics assume that it will prevent the worst from happening."

Michaelis sees control of the Justice Department and FBI as key to Trump reaching his political and personal goals, including mass deportations, retribution against perceived enemies and legal impunity.

He says Trump has broad legal options to force his agenda on the states, saying "even military deployment within the country for police activities would be possible in the event of declared 'insurrection' and 'invasion'."

The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act bars the federal military from participating in domestic law enforcement, with some exceptions.

Michaelis also foresees a "redefinition of the First Amendment," saying Trump and billionaire X owner Elon Musk are already taking actions against critics and non-cooperating media companies.

"One is using lawsuits, threatening criminal prosecution and licence revocation, the other is having algorithms manipulated and accounts blocked," he says in the document.

Musk's repeated endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of the Feb. 23 national election has drawn ire in Berlin, but the government has stopped short of unanimously leaving his platform.
Berlin endured a particularly difficult relationship with the United States during the first Trump administration, facing costly tariffs and criticism over its failure to meet the NATO target on defence expenditure.

Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Friederike Heine; Editing by Daniel Wallis

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/german ... 025-01-18/

This is where the 2nd amendment comes into play. I wouldn't serve this country under the felon, too much risk of being used as a tool.

[patrick]

Mr Delay significant other could have dressed better

Also, Mr Delay just declared a national emergency on the southern border. Abbott is probably doing flips

[Owendonovan]

I wouldn't watch. Anything out of his mouth makes me sick. Gonna be tough to ignore his face and sound of his voice for the next 4 years.

[texasniteowl]

I wouldn't watch. Anything out of his mouth makes me sick. Gonna be tough to ignore his face and sound of his voice for the next 4 years.

Yeah, my days of having a news channel on as background noise are over for the next 4 years.

[ti-amie]

Not once but twice.

[ti-amie]

Trump envoy floats plan to relocate Gaza civilians to Indonesia - report
As the Israel-Hamas ceasefire takes effect, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff considers on-ground presence in Gaza while exploring controversial population relocation proposals.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
JANUARY 20, 2025 02:35

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-838293
Updated: JANUARY 20, 2025 06:32

[ti-amie]

Did Trump confess to using Elon to rig the election during the pre inauguration rally?
US Elections
Trump said: “[Elon] journeyed to Pensilvania where he spent like a month and a half campaigning for me in Pensilvania. And [Elon] is a popular guy, and he was very effective. And he knows those computers better than anybody, all those computers, those vote-counting computers. And we ended up winning Pensilvania like in a landslide so it was pretty good. It was pretty good. So thank you to Elon!”

This was said at the pre inauguration. Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/vy1xRUBTe1 ... Dj-nq4FQct Timestamp: 03:02:40

[ti-amie]

Surprised about the Cubans...