Current events thread perhaps?

[Loyal Coug1]

As threatened by the Mighty Loyal One. Current events/issues. I expect few if any replies so don't fret over my tender feelings.... . So:

Gaetz announces that he won't return to Congress. (Good IMHO, if only so that I don't have to see his creepy eyebrows anymore). Probably get some other job in the new administration?

Other Cabinet picks - there will likely be some real theater coming up. Hegseth (link below). So according to the police report at the time, he says the sex was consensual (even though he paid a settlement to her) and admitted that he ejaculated on her stomach. Wouldn't that be an abortion crime in Texas? Just the shit that I would like to read about myself 7 years later.

California police release details of Pete Hegseth sexual assault report

Police released more details from a 2017 investigation into sexual assault allegations tied to Pete Hegseth, tapped to lead the Defense Department.

news.yahoo.com

Linda McMahon (soon to be abolished Dept of Education) - lied about having an education degree? Meh so what. WWE wrestlers vs current students or 51% of Americans? IQ tie......

Tulsi Gabbard - I don't care what others think, she's hot. I really like her "Rogue from X-men" gray streak in her hair. She'll probably be fine.

Pam Bondi, new AG pick - she's also pretty damn good looking for a 59-year-old woman. After Gaetz, she should be confirmed no problem.

Kristi Noem, Homeland Security - again, she is smoking hot for a soon-to-be 53-year-old IMHO. Are we sensing a Cabinet trend here? I read somewhere that her first agenda item will be to deport all tribal members from the country. Starting with South Dakota tribes. Not sure where she will send them. Since they originally migrated from Siberia I guess that's a logical destination (If you don't get the joke, read up on where she is banned from all tribal land in her home state). Oh and dogs? Yeah they will get deported. But killed with shotguns first. Then airdropped over Haiti as relief food supplies.

So riddle me this - if Trump's Cabinet nominees are held up, does that mean the Biden Cabinet stays in place until that time? So could they huddle with JD Vance and invoke the 25th amendment? A couch in every living room! Yes I know, everyone already has a couch.

All that said, I look for a real clusterf*** come January and after. I boldly predict that many of the Trump/Project 2025 agenda items will face pushback from the Republicans after the potential impacts start affecting their constituencies. Further, the promised retributions may have little traction. Who will be left to retribute against other than stripping Dan Newhouse from all committees and moving his office to a latrine?

Ukraine? They will be dead to us. Europe had better already be ramping up missile, ammo, etc. production.

China and North Korea? I don't have a pun or prediction for them. Now we are talking some serious shit. I'm more than a little nervous on this. Although I am kind of cool with tariffs on China. We don't need their plastic shit. Although don't our solar panel components mostly come from there? Well that industry will die anyway under Trump. Don't buy their shit, and don't export any more food after they retaliate. Starve 'em to death. And since our #1 export to China of any kind is soybeans (fun fact, the crop originated in E. Asia), hah hah all you Blue state farmers who grow them! Uhh, wait........let me check that......

What are the top US exports to China?

Soybeans were the nation’s top export to China in 2022, making up 11.6% of overall export value.

usafacts.org

 

[UberCougars]

Federal bureaucrats within the Department of Defense (DoD) delayed the deployment of the National Guard on Jan. 6, 2021 and covered it up, according to a House Republican investigation of government conduct related to the Capitol riot.




Still current, yes?

 

[Cougini5591]

Matt Gaetz is an odd looking dude. I don't like judging by media, but more by a person's votes and actions.

I can't really say Matt Gaetz was good, bad, or indifferent, but when you're pissing a lot of people off... you better have something to show you're right and you know what you're doing.

I swear he could've been on the football team from Revenge of the Nerds

 

[Stretch 74]

Matt Gaetz is an odd looking dude. I don't like judging by media, but more by a person's votes and actions.

I can't really say Matt Gaetz was good, bad, or indifferent, but when you're pissing a lot of people off... you better have something to show you're right and you know what you're doing.

I swear he could've been on the football team from Revenge of the Nerds

You are talking about me there, right?

 

[Cougini5591]

You are talking about me there, right?

Oh no Stretch... after having crazy time of running into in San Diego I'd never insult you like that!

 

[Stretch 74]

Oh no Stretch... after having crazy time of running into in San Diego I'd never insult you like that!

You ran into me in San Diego? What, when, who, etc ?

 

[79COUG]

"Current Events Thread" ?
Doesn't every thread on this board turn into one of those eventually?

 

[BSpike76]

Hard pass.

 

[Cougini5591]

You ran into me in San Diego? What, when, who, etc ?

Thank you for the Holiday Bowl Tickets

 

[Stretch 74]

Thank you for the Holiday Bowl Tickets

That was the only thing I could think of. I thought you were using a different alias in the past.

How are you doing? Hope all is well with you and the family! Still in the same location? I see your brother had some good news recently.

Edit: BTW, that comment was supposed to be a joke about myself. It may have missed the mark.

 

[95coug]

As threatened by the Mighty Loyal One. Current events/issues. I expect few if any replies so don't fret over my tender feelings.... . So:

Gaetz announces that he won't return to Congress. (Good IMHO, if only so that I don't have to see his creepy eyebrows anymore). Probably get some other job in the new administration?

Other Cabinet picks - there will likely be some real theater coming up. Hegseth (link below). So according to the police report at the time, he says the sex was consensual (even though he paid a settlement to her) and admitted that he ejaculated on her stomach. Wouldn't that be an abortion crime in Texas? Just the shit that I would like to read about myself 7 years later.

California police release details of Pete Hegseth sexual assault report

Police released more details from a 2017 investigation into sexual assault allegations tied to Pete Hegseth, tapped to lead the Defense Department.

news.yahoo.com

Linda McMahon (soon to be abolished Dept of Education) - lied about having an education degree? Meh so what. WWE wrestlers vs current students or 51% of Americans? IQ tie......

Tulsi Gabbard - I don't care what others think, she's hot. I really like her "Rogue from X-men" gray streak in her hair. She'll probably be fine.

Pam Bondi, new AG pick - she's also pretty damn good looking for a 59-year-old woman. After Gaetz, she should be confirmed no problem.

Kristi Noem, Homeland Security - again, she is smoking hot for a soon-to-be 53-year-old IMHO. Are we sensing a Cabinet trend here? I read somewhere that her first agenda item will be to deport all tribal members from the country. Starting with South Dakota tribes. Not sure where she will send them. Since they originally migrated from Siberia I guess that's a logical destination (If you don't get the joke, read up on where she is banned from all tribal land in her home state). Oh and dogs? Yeah they will get deported. But killed with shotguns first. Then airdropped over Haiti as relief food supplies.

So riddle me this - if Trump's Cabinet nominees are held up, does that mean the Biden Cabinet stays in place until that time? So could they huddle with JD Vance and invoke the 25th amendment? A couch in every living room! Yes I know, everyone already has a couch.

All that said, I look for a real clusterf*** come January and after. I boldly predict that many of the Trump/Project 2025 agenda items will face pushback from the Republicans after the potential impacts start affecting their constituencies. Further, the promised retributions may have little traction. Who will be left to retribute against other than stripping Dan Newhouse from all committees and moving his office to a latrine?

Ukraine? They will be dead to us. Europe had better already be ramping up missile, ammo, etc. production.

China and North Korea? I don't have a pun or prediction for them. Now we are talking some serious shit. I'm more than a little nervous on this. Although I am kind of cool with tariffs on China. We don't need their plastic shit. Although don't our solar panel components mostly come from there? Well that industry will die anyway under Trump. Don't buy their shit, and don't export any more food after they retaliate. Starve 'em to death. And since our #1 export to China of any kind is soybeans (fun fact, the crop originated in E. Asia), hah hah all you Blue state farmers who grow them! Uhh, wait........let me check that......

What are the top US exports to China?

Soybeans were the nation’s top export to China in 2022, making up 11.6% of overall export value.

usafacts.org

Gaetz will probably land a position in the DOGE with Musk and Ramaswamy. That will probably have more influence than any cabinet position, without concerns over pesky issues like ethics, public records, or oversight of any kind.

 

[dgibbons]

As threatened by the Mighty Loyal One. Current events/issues. I expect few if any replies so don't fret over my tender feelings.... . So:

Gaetz announces that he won't return to Congress. (Good IMHO, if only so that I don't have to see his creepy eyebrows anymore). Probably get some other job in the new administration?

Other Cabinet picks - there will likely be some real theater coming up. Hegseth (link below). So according to the police report at the time, he says the sex was consensual (even though he paid a settlement to her) and admitted that he ejaculated on her stomach. Wouldn't that be an abortion crime in Texas? Just the shit that I would like to read about myself 7 years later.

California police release details of Pete Hegseth sexual assault report

Police released more details from a 2017 investigation into sexual assault allegations tied to Pete Hegseth, tapped to lead the Defense Department.

news.yahoo.com

Linda McMahon (soon to be abolished Dept of Education) - lied about having an education degree? Meh so what. WWE wrestlers vs current students or 51% of Americans? IQ tie......

Tulsi Gabbard - I don't care what others think, she's hot. I really like her "Rogue from X-men" gray streak in her hair. She'll probably be fine.

Pam Bondi, new AG pick - she's also pretty damn good looking for a 59-year-old woman. After Gaetz, she should be confirmed no problem.

Kristi Noem, Homeland Security - again, she is smoking hot for a soon-to-be 53-year-old IMHO. Are we sensing a Cabinet trend here? I read somewhere that her first agenda item will be to deport all tribal members from the country. Starting with South Dakota tribes. Not sure where she will send them. Since they originally migrated from Siberia I guess that's a logical destination (If you don't get the joke, read up on where she is banned from all tribal land in her home state). Oh and dogs? Yeah they will get deported. But killed with shotguns first. Then airdropped over Haiti as relief food supplies.

So riddle me this - if Trump's Cabinet nominees are held up, does that mean the Biden Cabinet stays in place until that time? So could they huddle with JD Vance and invoke the 25th amendment? A couch in every living room! Yes I know, everyone already has a couch.

All that said, I look for a real clusterf*** come January and after. I boldly predict that many of the Trump/Project 2025 agenda items will face pushback from the Republicans after the potential impacts start affecting their constituencies. Further, the promised retributions may have little traction. Who will be left to retribute against other than stripping Dan Newhouse from all committees and moving his office to a latrine?

Ukraine? They will be dead to us. Europe had better already be ramping up missile, ammo, etc. production.

China and North Korea? I don't have a pun or prediction for them. Now we are talking some serious shit. I'm more than a little nervous on this. Although I am kind of cool with tariffs on China. We don't need their plastic shit. Although don't our solar panel components mostly come from there? Well that industry will die anyway under Trump. Don't buy their shit, and don't export any more food after they retaliate. Starve 'em to death. And since our #1 export to China of any kind is soybeans (fun fact, the crop originated in E. Asia), hah hah all you Blue state farmers who grow them! Uhh, wait........let me check that......

What are the top US exports to China?

Soybeans were the nation’s top export to China in 2022, making up 11.6% of overall export value.

usafacts.org

Trump has been talking to Senators about recess appointments. Mostly to manufacture momentum to get his appointments through, but those or acting appointments will be utilized if there is any problem.

The terrible result of Ukrainians getting to live might be accomplished no matter how much Ed and little Willie want them to die.

 

[dgibbons]

Gaetz will probably land a position in the DOGE with Musk and Ramaswamy. That will probably have more influence than any cabinet position, without concerns over pesky issues like ethics, public records, or oversight of any kind.

I’m not sure about more influence. More sound bites on TV for sure.

 

[Loyal Coug1]

Trump has been talking to Senators about recess appointments. Mostly to manufacture momentum to get his appointments through, but those or acting appointments will be utilized if there is any problem.

The terrible result of Ukrainians getting to live might be accomplished no matter how much Ed and little Willie want them to die.

As usual, I had to read up on recess appointments. Fairly instructive article link below. Trump will no doubt wield or try to wield this power if needed. With R's controlling both houses, it is certainly possible. On the other hand, IMHO, given that midterms already have a history of swinging the other way, moderate House members in swing districts and Senators in swing districts up for reelection in 2 years may decide to locate their testicles when it comes to a couple of the really controversial ones like Gaetz and RFK Jr. It will be a ride for sure. And as you know these recess appointments can and have been thrown out subsequently.

I also see that recess appointments don't get paid until they are confirmed by the Senate, and only last until the end of the next Senate session. No problem at all for the rich potential appointees, but anyone who currently has a job (and benefits?) and kind of need it is likely not going to be too interested in a recess appointment.

MSN

Edit - oh and correction from my initial post about Pam Bondi's good looks. The initial pictures I saw must have been at least 10 years old. Saw a recent one - she's not ugly for 59, still doable, but not the level I initially described. Now Trump's new Chief of Staff looks more like a partner for Biggs.

 

[95coug]

As usual, I had to read up on recess appointments. Fairly instructive article link below. Trump will no doubt wield or try to wield this power if needed. With R's controlling both houses, it is certainly possible. On the other hand, IMHO, given that midterms already have a history of swinging the other way, moderate House members in swing districts and Senators in swing districts up for reelection in 2 years may decide to locate their testicles when it comes to a couple of the really controversial ones like Gaetz and RFK Jr. It will be a ride for sure. And as you know these recess appointments can and have been thrown out subsequently.

I also see that recess appointments don't get paid until they are confirmed by the Senate, and only last until the end of the next Senate session. No problem at all for the rich potential appointees, but anyone who currently has a job (and benefits?) and kind of need it is likely not going to be too interested in a recess appointment.

MSN

Trump has a long history of not paying people, so that won’t be a concern for him.

 

[UberCougars]

I’m hearing Gaetz will be confirmed as special prosecutor prior to running for and taking away the Florida Governorship from Desantis.

Bondi’s experience will make her a better fit at AG and eliminates all of the “hates women” silly narrative.

Looks to me as if all of the cabinet picks so far won’t miss having their 10 grand a month deferred. For tax purposes, probably relieved.

Are cabinet members allowed to day-trade on insider information, too? Or, is that limited to Schumer, Pelosi, AOC and their congressional pals? If so, the obvious work around is to just make 1 or 2 extra trades per month.

I read a poll today saying Trumps approval rating on his cabinet picks and pre-transition planning are now above 62%. If true, it means Trump is still winning.

 

[dgibbons]

I’m hearing Gaetz will be confirmed as special prosecutor prior to running for and taking away the Florida Governorship from Desantis.

Bondi’s experience will make her a better fit at AG and eliminates all of the “hates women” silly narrative.

Looks to me as if all of the cabinet picks so far won’t miss having their 10 grand a month deferred. For tax purposes, probably relieved.

Are cabinet members allowed to day-trade on insider information, too? Or, is that limited to Schumer, Pelosi, AOC and their congressional pals? If so, the obvious work around is to just make 1 or 2 extra trades per month.

I read a poll today saying Trumps approval rating on his cabinet picks and pre-transition planning are now above 62%. If true, it means Trump is still winning.

Desantis is done in 2026. He’s termed out.

 

[UberCougars]

Desantis is done in 2026. He’s termed out.

How does Desantis intend to stay relevant going into 2028?

 

[UberCougars]

 

[dgibbons]

How does Desantis intend to stay relevant going into 2028?

He may not have to. Nixon and Reagan seemed to be out of the game for awhile.

A cabinet position is almost certain to open. So Secretary of Whatever is a possibility.

 

[95coug]

I read a poll today saying Trumps approval rating on his cabinet picks and pre-transition planning are now above 62%. If true, it means Trump is still winning.

Provide a source or it didn’t happen.

Searching for poll results on his picks gives a lot of results that show favorability ratings in the 40s among the general population. Considerably higher among registered republicans, not surprisingly.

 

[Loyal Coug1]

In keeping with my topic, and in my eternal quest for even more knowledge, I did some reading on RFK Jr. This is really interesting. And for those who poo-poo Wikipedia, there are plenty of footnoted source articles beyond the synopses. He really should be up for EPA Director given his career as mostly an environmental lawyer. All I had ever heard about him was his anti-vax crusade(s).

Highlights for you lazy ones:
Arrested for cannabis at 16. Convicted of Heroin possession at 29. Failed the NY Bar exam (attn: Gibby!) the first time. For many years pursued lawsuits against polluters. Argued against nuclear power, fought against dams, offshore wind farms and coal, among other things. Also railed against Big Oil. Lots more here.

"Kennedy has advocated for a global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy,[167][168] but has opposed hydropower from dams.[127][128][129][130][131][132] He has argued that switching to solar and wind energy reduces costs and greenhouse gases"

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[UberCougars]

Provide a source or it didn’t happen.

Searching for poll results on his picks gives a lot of results that show favorability ratings in the 40s among the general population. Considerably higher among registered republicans, not surprisingly.

So you’re saying you can’t back up your chit? Got it. Thanks for clearing that up.

I posted the cbs poll in another thread that says 59%. Margin of error on the other poll I read

Did you see the landslide of voters for Trump 18-40 in those results you’ve searched? Do you need my help to find it?

 

[95coug]

In keeping with my topic, and in my eternal quest for even more knowledge, I did some reading on RFK Jr. This is really interesting. And for those who poo-poo Wikipedia, there are plenty of footnoted source articles beyond the synopses. He really should be up for EPA Director given his career as mostly an environmental lawyer. All I had ever heard about him was his anti-vax crusade(s).

Highlights for you lazy ones:
Arrested for cannabis at 16. Convicted of Heroin possession at 29. Failed the NY Bar exam (attn: Gibby!) the first time. For many years pursued lawsuits against polluters. Argued against nuclear power, fought against dams, offshore wind farms and coal, among other things. Also railed against Big Oil. Lots more here.

"Kennedy has advocated for a global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy,[167][168] but has opposed hydropower from dams.[127][128][129][130][131][132] He has argued that switching to solar and wind energy reduces costs and greenhouse gases"

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

OK, you’ve triggered me twice in this post, and may just provoke the longest response I’ve ever authored…and it’s not really even about RFK (even though he’s a lunatic).

Moving to renewables over fossil fuels is a no-brainer simply because they’re renewable and fossil fuels aren’t sustainable. But….wind and solar are not viable alternatives, and you can only call them renewable if you ignore all of their production inputs, their relatively short lifespan, their production inefficiencies, and the massive footprint and infrastructure they require. If you look at carbon footprint per megawatt produced, hydropower can only be challenged by nuclear…and both beat the hell out of wind, solar, geothermal, and any fossil fuel source.

Dams are the most efficient way to generate hydro though, which lets the tree huggers lament the poor salmon (by the way, I’ve got a MS in environmental science, and I still think those greenies are wrong). Sure, dams aren’t great for fish, but they don’t cause the wholesale slaughter that the greenies say they do. In fact, the greenies have forced operators to maximize the operations that are worst for salmon. Increasing spill at the dams results in huge fish kills. If you want proof, go visit a dam twice - once in the summer/fall when the spillways are closed, and again in the spring when they’re open. Look at where the seagulls are. In the fall, when salmon are forced through the turbines and the bypass systems, you’ll be lucky if you can find a seagull. They’re somewhere else, looking for food. In the spring, when the spillways are open, there will be hundreds of gulls at the spillways, gorging themselves on the salmon fry stunned by their passage through the spillways and laying on or near the surface. The birds will be so completely stuffed that they just sit on the water surface because they are too full to fly. This is the situation created by the greenies, who insist that the turbines are like blenders that kill fish (They spin at max 90 RPM, with the big, rounded blunt edge first - blade effects are not killing a lot of fish). They ignore the objective and observable biological reality to push that narrative. They also ignore the historical fact that the salmon runs - particularly on west coast rivers - were decimated to the point of not being economically viable decades before the first dam was built.

If anyone was serious about renewable energy, they’d be putting research money into more efficient run-of-river turbines. Wind and solar are fine for headlines, but as practical solutions they’re idiotic. Not only that, but they aren’t even economically viable without massive government subsidies on construction and operation. Run-of-river hydro would also be more salmon-friendly, although there are other solutions that would provide much greater benefit to salmon that have nothing to do with power production dams. I’m fairly convinced that nobody’s actually interested in helping salmon though, or at least they’re more interested in making them a political issue than they are in fixing it.

I could rant on vax and fluoride too, but I’ll save that for the moment.

 

[95coug]

So you’re saying you can’t back up your chit? Got it. Thanks for clearing that up.

I posted the cbs poll in another thread that says 59%. Margin of error on the other poll I read

Did you see the landslide of voters for Trump 18-40 in those results you’ve searched? Do you need my help to find it?

Actually, that’s not what I said at all. I said back up your shit, since you didn’t, and nothing I can find supports it.

Since you’ve now connected the 59% approval to a CBS poll, I’ll just say that you misrepresented what it says…not that that’s a surprise.

It’s actually that 59% approve of his handling of the transition so far - not just about his cabinet picks. If you look at the polls regarding his actual cabinet picks, none of them are above 50% approval among the general respondents. Rubio as SecState is the highest at 47%. Results among republican voters are, of course, higher. I find it odd that they didn’t do the partisan breakdown of responses about his handling of the transition, although the results are probably predictable.

I haven’t looked at the election results by demographic groups because I don’t care and it doesn’t really matter. I’m not a democrat and I won’t be running as one, so I don’t need to know what demographics they need to improve.

 

[Stretch 74]

I’m hearing Gaetz will be confirmed as special prosecutor prior to running for and taking away the Florida Governorship from Desantis.

Bondi’s experience will make her a better fit at AG and eliminates all of the “hates women” silly narrative.

Looks to me as if all of the cabinet picks so far won’t miss having their 10 grand a month deferred. For tax purposes, probably relieved.

Are cabinet members allowed to day-trade on insider information, too? Or, is that limited to Schumer, Pelosi, AOC and their congressional pals? If so, the obvious work around is to just make 1 or 2 extra trades per month.

I read a poll today saying Trumps approval rating on his cabinet picks and pre-transition planning are now above 62%. If true, it means Trump is still winning.

One of Trump's picks for cabinet that is getting the most incoming is Pete Hegseth, much of it related to the supposed sexual attack several years ago. I saw a link the other day to an analysis of the police report that was done by Megyn Kelly on her podcast. I thought i would check it out for a few minutes, but it was so interesting that I ended up watching it for the entire ~60 minutes! She really tore into the report, going point by point, providing analysis and then some speculation on how some of the points tied together. In case you are willing to write it off as simply a typical partisan attack piece, it is far from that.

Her full disclosure was that Pete had worked at Fox years back when she was there, and considered him a friend then. She immediately followed that up with talking about how she was not at all a fan of some of the things that he has done. I thought that part was quite fair.

I won't spoil the "ending of the movie" for you, but just encourage you to watch it. To me it is exactly the kind of actual journalism that we desperately need more of. I will say that it does put the "All women must be believed" meme from Crazy Mazie Hirano into serious jeopardy. Rather like "All votes must be counted". Nope, the proper procedure is "All LEGAL votes must be counted". So in that line, "All women must be listened to" when they come forward with allegations like this, and then the allegations are to be investigated in order to prove or disprove their validity.

Good job, Megyn!