[Boiler]

And I am sure it'll reflect Donald's exquisite taste... it'll probably have TRUMP in gold bricks somewhere.

And where's Congress in all this? Where are the fucking Democrats, or have they sunk to being completely fucking irrelevant?

[Abernathy]

If Trump’s second term as president has demonstrated anything, it is what, in myriad ways, is wrong with the USA’s political system and constitutional arrangements that needs fixing urgently.

No president should be permitted on a whim to wreck a huge part of the presidential residence in order to build a fucking outsized gold ballroom.

No president should be elected via the absurd, anachronistic electoral college system.

No president should be able to issue presidential executive orders and pardons like fucking birthday party invitations.

No president should be presiding over the continuance of the second amendment to the constitution that directly enables the mass murder of mostly students and school kids with assault weapons almost weekly in that country.

No president should be permitted to run for office who is a convicted felon that incited a violent coup against the USA’s seat of government and sought to overturn the result of a free and fair election.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

The core issue is the political appointment of the judges who are intended to oversee the 'checks and balances' and the election of those who should be appointed on merit and experience, not political allegiance to administer justice.

That and the fetishisation of an 18th century constitution.

[Boiler]

I wonder what the Septics have in store for next year - the 250th anniversary of their independence?

[davidjay]

I wonder what the Septics have in store for next year - the 250th anniversary of their independence?

Has the guarantee run out?

[Youngian]

If Trump’s second term as president has demonstrated anything, it is what, in myriad ways, is wrong with the USA’s political system and constitutional arrangements that needs fixing urgently.

No president should be permitted on a whim to wreck a huge part of the presidential residence in order to build a fucking outsized gold ballroom.

No president should be elected via the absurd, anachronistic electoral college system.

No president should be able to issue presidential executive orders and pardons like fucking birthday party invitations.

No president should be presiding over the continuance of the second amendment to the constitution that directly enables the mass murder of mostly students and school kids with assault weapons almost weekly in that country.

No president should be permitted to run for office who is a convicted felon that incited a violent coup against the USA’s seat of government and sought to overturn the result of a free and fair election.

The United States is founded on legal constitutional checks and balances but a nation can never be fully protected against a would be tyrant with a popular democratic mandate.
How long before Britain slides into 'managed democracy' if Farage becomes PM with a convincing majority?
And there isn't even a rump of good chaps in Reform who will place democratic norms and conventions before the dear leader.

[Bones McCoy]

I wonder what the Septics have in store for next year - the 250th anniversary of their independence?

A squeaky tank and lynchings?

[Andy McDandy]

So far the only official things I've seen planned are MMA cage fights on the White House lawn.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The Argentina bailout, which seems to have no conditions attached to it, isn't going very well. At some point, a bailout will work. $20 billion dollars for a country the size of Argentina isn't that much money in terms of transforming the economy. Wouldn't be surprised if they got more.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He's sorting out The Swamp.

[Youngian]

Argentina has a lot of cards to play to shake down Washington, natural resources including lithium, a rare ally in the region and the threat of the Peronists returning to power and realigning with the BRICS. Milei being an unhinged shouty man of course plays well with Trump.

[Tubby Isaacs]

It's not Argentina that's the political problem. It's America, and how this can be plausibly made to fit with "America First", which is one of the few things Trump says that anyone remembers.

[The Weeping Angel]

Soybean farmers won't appreciate Trump bailing out Argentina.

[Youngian]

Farmers are still going to vote for him.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Soybean farmers won't appreciate Trump bailing out Argentina.

Or beef farmers.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This wouldn't normally be a good thing. But it's necessary.

[Youngian]

Japan's new hardball PM has told Trump to stick his deal (in his words but really a memorandum yet to be finalised). Yet another important strategic US ally he's managed to piss off.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Free speech latest. The ad isn't even from the Canadian Government, it's from the Government of Ontario (Conservative).

Donald Trump has said he is ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada after the release of a television ad opposing US tariffs. The US president accused Canada of “egregious behavior” aimed at influencing US court decisions.

The Thursday night post on Trump’s social media site came after Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said he aims to double his country’s exports to countries outside the US because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs.

Trump posted: “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is fake, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs.”

It already feels like he's been there about 10 years, with this constant pissing about on tariffs, with Canada FFS, not Iran.

[Boiler]

Speaking of free speech:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/af ... r-AA1OZWVQ

The new Pentagon press corps will include the Gateway Pundit, the National Pulse, Human Events, podcaster Tim Pool, the Just the News website founded by journalist John Solomon, Frontlines by Turning Point USA and LindellTV, run by “MyPillow” CEO Mike Lindell.

Also:

https://apnews.com/article/alaska-arcti ... 849ae6716b

How about instead of "drill baby, drill" we just go for "die bastards, die?"

[Andy McDandy]

Regarding the press corps, it reminds me of the following (from Hutton's "Romps, Tots and Boffins").

Newspapers are champions of free speech, but we accept that it has its limits. Those limits are, broadly, the Internet, pop songs, films, and the BBC.