Friday, February 21, 2025

2-20-2025


 

DOGE Has 'God Mode' Access to Government Data




The Trump administration has fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government.


Does Putin Own Trump?

Trump Admin lays off 400 FAA workers: Despite a recent spate of incidents making headlines, the Federal Aviation Administration is slimming down its workforce in line with the Department of Government Efficiency’s directive to cut government spending.


Gold is a Hoax; US Treasury Is Buying More Silver From UK


Trump can’t end birthright citizenship, appeals court says, setting up Supreme Court showdown



USDS Engineering Director Resigns: ‘This Is Not the Mission I Came to Serve’

Trump claims employees working from home 'aren't working' as he golfs at lavish Florida resort for fourth day in a row

MAGA Cheers on ‘King’ Trump Dropping Pretense of Democracy

Judge doubts Trump’s trans military ban amounts to ‘anything other than total discrimination’

Donald Trump death penalty order sparks huge Luigi Mangione donation



Elon: We've found TONS of fraud! Dems: Can we see proof? Elon: NO...but trust me it's there! Dems: Ok? Thats weird...We think your department should have some bipartisan oversight. Elon: You're corrupt!

TRUMP LIVES INSIDE OF A RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA ECHO CHAMBER.




Google and Meta do not meet the requirements to partner with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the organisation has said, after the two tech giants ended their official involvement and ditched diversity obligations in the US.

Judge orders Mississippi newspaper to delete editorial criticizing public officials...

PUTIN ON BRINK OF VICTORY
UKRAINE TO 'BE CARVED UP'
EUROPE BACK TO 1938
WORRIED NATO HOLDS DRILLS
TRUMP CALLS ZELENSKY 'DICTATOR'





Drop Your Gloves! Team USA and Canada Delivering Hockey Showdown of Decade?

Set to Face Off in Politically-Charged Final...

Relations on thin ice...

DOGE Says It's Saved $55 Billion; Data Show Far Less...

Big swings, big misses...

Growing Republican revolt over cuts...

Officials will not restart most foreign aid despite court order...

Struggle Over Americans' Personal Data Plays Out...

Incompetence Botching Deregulation Spree...

SPACEX Engineers Already Working Inside FAA...

Pentagon plans sweeping budget cuts...

Ebola scare in NYC health clinic...

Fetterman staffers quit as senator carves own lane...

LEWIS: Conservatism used to mean something. Now it's just whatever Trump says...

TRUMP CALLS HIMSELF 'KING'...

APPROVAL DOWN TO 44%...

DEPORTATIONS WEAK...

WHITE HOUSE STOPS PUBLISHING DAILY NUMBERS...

'INFLATION IS BACK'...

Don has gone golfing 7 out of 29 days in office...

Despite DOGE, agenda calls for adding TRILLIONS MORE to debt...

NYU College Republicans president resigns after saying Barron 'an oddity'...

'Mute who sits in back of class'...

UPDATE: Don Jr. Under Criminal Investigation for Illegal Duck Hunt in Italy...

The Man Who Could Become NYC's Emergency Mayor...

Judge delays dismissing Adams' corruption case...

MICROSOFT Claims Quantum Computing Breakthrough by Creating New State of Matter...

America about to enter apartment crunch...

Measles cases grow in TX; Outbreak in NM...

YALE scientists link Covid jab to alarming new syndrome...

Causing 'distinct biological changes' to body...

Digital Detox: Young Adults Flock To 'Offline' Nights...

New epicenter of jihadist activity...

The Redheaded Bibas Children, Youngest Hostages in Gaza, Aren't Coming Home Alive...

USA Labels Latin American Criminal Groups as Terror Orgs...

Opens door for military action...

SHOCK REPORT: Bolsonaro signed off on plan to poison Lula...

Trump Media Group Sues Judge Weighing Jair's Arrest...

Lifestyle Beats Genetics on Path to Premature Death, Study Finds...

We're in short-sightedness epidemic -- and we never saw it coming...

Ailing Pope's Obstinacy A Blessing Or Curse?

Funeral 'being rehearsed'...

Why more prison officers having relationships with inmates...

Scientists unveil battle plans to save Earth from killer asteroid...

Tomb of ancient Egyptian King unearthed in 'remarkable' discovery...

Nicole Kidman's Home Ransacked as Theft Rings Target A-Listers...

Gang busted for Kelce and Mahomes burglaries...

Meet Germany's Far-Right Leader, a Study in Contradictions...

Ancient Rome Was So Polluted With Lead That IQs Dropped...

Why Some People Remember Their Dreams (And Others Don't)...

NIKOLA, Once Darling of Green Investment, Files for Bankruptcy...

Gruesome murder rocked NorCal. Then came CIA psychic army...

Pastor: If we "publicly execute a few women," false rape allegations would end


Steve Bannon Warns Republicans the ‘Oligarchs’ Will Abandon Them: ‘They’re With Us – But Only Temporarily’


Trump's Jan. 6 pardons don't cover Capitol rioter who plotted to kill FBI agents, DOJ says

Trump is pulling a Czechoslovakia. 


Parallels in Power: Is the United States Heading Towards an Authoritarian Regime? Trump v. Putin

The Trump administration’s recent executive actions, foreign policy maneuvers, and rhetoric reveal striking parallels with Vladimir Putin’s consolidation of authoritarian control in Russia. While the United States retains stronger institutional safeguards, President Donald Trump’s efforts to centralize authority, undermine democratic norms, and align with autocratic regimes mirror tactics long employed by Putin to suppress dissent and entrench power. This report analyzes these parallels through five dimensions: institutional capture, media manipulation, judicial coercion, foreign policy realignment, and the cultivation of personalist rule.

  1. Centralizing Executive Power: From Regulatory Capture to Constitutional Revisionism

Trump’s Assault on Independent Agencies:

The February 18, 2025, executive order mandating White House oversight of independent federal agencies—including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—represents a pivotal escalation in Trump’s efforts to dismantle institutional checks on presidential authority. By requiring these agencies to appoint White House liaisons, align regulatory agendas with Trump’s priorities, and submit budgets to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the order effectively nullifies the statutory independence Congress granted these bodies.

Legal scholars note this mirrors Putin’s early moves to subordinate Russia’s Central Bank and antitrust authorities to Kremlin control.

The order invokes the “unitary executive theory,” a once-fringe legal doctrine asserting absolute presidential authority over the executive branch. This theory aligns with Putin’s 2020 constitutional amendments, which redefined Russia’s separation of powers to grant the presidency supremacy over the judiciary and legislature.

Putin’s Constitutional Overhaul as a Blueprint Putin’s 2020 constitutional reforms—extending term limits, empowering the Federal Security Service (FSB), and enshrining “traditional values” as state ideology—provided a roadmap for institutionalizing one-party rule. Similarly, Trump’s Project 2025 agenda, developed by the Heritage Foundation, seeks to purge nonpartisan civil servants under Schedule F and replace them with political loyalists.

2. Weaponizing the Judiciary and Subverting Rule of Law

Judicial Intimidation Tactics:

The Trump administration’s use of the U.S. Marshals Service to pressure federal judges overseeing cases against his policies—including immigration crackdowns and environmental deregulation—recalls Putin’s deployment of Russia’s National Guard to suppress judicial independence.

Legalistic Authoritarianism:

Both leaders exploit legal frameworks to legitimize repression. Putin’s “foreign agent” laws and anti-LGBTQ+ statutes provide veneers of legality for silencing dissent. Similarly, Trump’s proposed “Truth and Reconciliation Commission”—tasked with investigating perceived political enemies in the FBI and Justice Department—seeks to codify retribution under the guise of accountability.

3. Media Manipulation and Information Warfare Controlling the Narrative

Trump’s escalating rhetoric against mainstream media as “enemies of the people” aligns with Putin’s systematic dismantling of independent Russian outlets. The administration’s FCC probe into revoking broadcast licenses for networks critical of Trump parallels the Kremlin’s 2023 seizure of Novaya Gazeta and expulsion of BBC Russia.

Weaponizing Disinformation:

Trump’s repetition of Kremlin talking points on Ukraine—blaming Volodymyr Zelenskyy for Russia’s invasion and echoing Putin’s “NATO expansion” justification—demonstrates convergence in information warfare.

4. Foreign Policy Alignment

The Ukraine Proxy:

Trump’s abrupt shift toward Russia-friendly Ukraine policies—excluding Kyiv from peace talks and threatening to withhold military aid—aligns with Putin’s strategic objectives. The administration’s leaked proposal to trade sanctions relief for Russian cooperation against China mirrors Putin’s own attempts to exploit U.S.-China tensions.

5. Cultivating Personality-Driven Regimes

The Cult of the Strongman:

Trump’s rallies—featuring QAnon symbology and vows to “punish” enemies—cultivate a personality cult comparable to Putin’s staged call-in shows. Both leaders frame themselves as lone defenders of traditional values against cosmopolitan elites.

Key Differences:

•	U.S. retains judicial pushback (e.g., February    2025 injunction against agency order)
•	Russia’s rubber-stamp Duma vs. U.S. Senate resistance to Schedule F
•	Active U.S. civil society groups like ACLU challenging authoritarian measures

TLDR: The Trump administration’s actions follow a trajectory aligned with Putin’s consolidation of power, but structural differences in U.S. institutions and civic engagement complicate direct comparisons. America’s republican safeguards—though strained—remain more robust than Russia’s system.








Mohamad Safa
@mhdksafa
Slavery was legal. Segregation was legal. Never use legality as a guide to morality.

The haves will do anything to have more!

Submission statement: The people in power, the rich, the rule makers will make sure they stay that way. They have set the system up so that even when they get caught doing something wrong or make a mistake, they still come out on top.

I think there are a few in this sub that are familiar with how U.S. financial markets work. If anyone remembers a certain red kiosk that rented DVD's, BluRay's, and console games a while back, have I got a story for you!

Redbox(RDBX), fka RAR, was privately owned by Apollo Global when it went public via SPAC on October 22, 2021. There is a shit ton of shady DD that wasn't ever really talked about, but I'll try to keep this simple. Post merger, there were about 12.6 million class A shares issued and outstanding. Roughly half (6.2 million) were held by insiders or holders >10%.

Covid and competition from streaming services hit Redbox's business model hard. Revenue was down around 50% from the year before which was down 40% from the year before that. Additionally, Apollo had left it drowning in debt by using $285 million of loan proceeds to pay dividends to private equity shareholders!

Just 7 months after going public, on May 10, 2022, RDBX announced a merger deal with CCSE in an all stock transaction. Each RDBX share would be exchanged for 0.087 shares of CCSE, which closed that day at $7.92 while RDBX closed at $5.60! This was a gross haircut from where RDBX was trading to a value of about $0.69!

Well, you can imagine the amount of short selling that took place next! On top of that, RDBX had calls and puts newly listed for trading that week! Options exchanges and market-makers wanted their slice of the pie too! Exchange fees can be anywhere between $0.10-$1.25 for every contract traded!

However, for a ticker to be eligible for options trading, the issuer must have at least 7 million shares held by those not required to report ownership subject to section 16(a) of the Act. 16(a) refers to insiders, such as officers and directors, and beneficial ownership greater than 10%. There's supposed to be a form or application for listing that gets filled out at the exchange level and submitted to the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) for approval. The OCC is the counter party to all options contracts and they oversee settlement.

Keep in mind that this is happening in mid 2022; a period of peak meme stock mania! Because the merger agreement had lock-up provisions, the public float was only about 6.5MM. However, at the time, there was a lot of bad data and also confusing data circulating and nobody was reporting an accurate number. Regardless, the squeeze was on and it became an epic battle of short squeezers vs short sellers!

With a relatively small float, the cost to borrow shares for shorting jumped to over 1000%! For about a month, no fee was even listed as there were absolutely zero shares to borrow! Volume went from 325k daily to 30MM average and up to 160MM at one point. Failure-to-deliver's (ftd's) were crazy! RDBX was trading at 30x what the merger with CCSE had it valued at, closing the week of 06/10/22 at $13.20 with about 18,000 calls in-the-money.

Monday, 6/13/22, reached a peak of $18.20. The number of in-the-money calls would require delivery of half the float if exercised! The gamma ramp was full on! On Wednesday, 06/15/22, the options exchanges reported that all contracts would be position-close-only effective at market open the following day. This crushed options prices and began the final demise of the share price.

Business-as-usual was becoming more expensive than usual, so those in charge had to put a stop to it. The exchanges that previously let options get listed now realized their mistake and claimed RDBX never qualified for options trading because there weren't enough "publicly held" shares to meet the 7MM initial listing requirement.

So, fucked again, because the listing rules state that once an issuer is approved for calls and puts, it only needs to maintain 6.3MM publicly held shares for continued listing. Well, RDBX had increased its float by 1MM through warrant exercises. Now it's public float was about 7.4MM. Enough to satisfy both requirements, however there is no way to challenge, appeal or anything. Send an email to someone who doesn't care who works at a self regulated entity that is indemnified against any liability anyway.

Tl;Dr: if you're winning the game, expect a rule change!


GOP the party of disinformation, Democrats the woke party. 

if woke means informed and caring anti-woke means uninformed asshole.

Science is woke, Jesus was woke.

Why is there so much evil in the world today?




IRS to fire 6,700 staff weeks before deadline to file taxes

Judge Refuses to Block DOGE – Snowflakes Fail To Justify Hyperbole

Musk Talks Over Trump as Hannity Blanks President in Awkward Fox Interview

Ukrainian female POWs tortured and paraded naked through the snow by Russian troops

Elon Musk Is Faking DOGE Results To Hide His Incompetence

Mexico has the opportunity to do the funniest thing.





AMERICANS HEADING FOR THE EXITS
POLL: TRUMP ACTIONS UNPOPULAR

TONIGHT: USA and Canada Face Off in Politically-Charged Hockey Final...

Relations on thin ice...

Ukrainian female POWs tortured and paraded naked through snow...

The American Who Went Undercover for Moscow...

RUSSIA REJOICES AS TRUMP GOES FULL KREMLIN...

WALLS CLOSE IN ON ZELENSKY...

EUROPE RALLIES BEHIND UKRAINE...

Xi Risks Becoming Top US Threat...

Fetterman staffers quit as senator carves own lane...

Judge orders paper to delete editorial criticizing public officials...

Supreme Court tackles straight woman's 'reverse' discrimination case...

How chunk of SPACEX rocket wound up behind Polish warehouse...

AGAIN: Two planes collide at Arizona airport leaving 2 dead...

'ZERO DAY' Review: De Niro Political Thriller Fights To Make America Function Again...

Bannon Warns Republicans 'Oligarchs' Will Abandon Them...

The Don Floats DOGE Dividend. That Could Reignite Inflation...

Narcissists feel more excluded and experience 'social pain,' scientists say...

TRUMP CALLS HIMSELF 'KING'...

APPROVAL DOWN TO 44%...

LULA: He Wants To Be 'Emperor Of The World'...

Dolly Parton Calls Out Indiana Gov Over Plan to Dump Her Imagination Library | The country singer started the “Imagination Library” nearly 30 years ago to encourage early literacy.

‘Dictator' Zelensky told to “move fast” or he will “lose Ukraine” | Pentagon issues ultimatum to EU: Greenlight our peace deal or we withdraw from Europe

Trump/Elon Cutting 9/11 Survivor’s Fund- will this awaken Jon?






We’re about to learn just how eager the Supreme Court is to help Trump

Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.

Elon Musk Talks Over Trump in Humiliating Sean Hannity Interview



‘Transatlantic relations are over’ as Trump sides with Putin, says top German MP



Ukraine rallies around Zelenskyy after Trump’s vicious attack

IRS Laid Off Several Thousand People Today

It has been confirmed that almost all probationary employees across all the divisions will be let go tomorrow. There is going to be a lot of accountants looking for new jobs over the next months. Good luck to everyone out there!

If anyone knows of employers looking for people in major metros, please comment. No severance is being paid out...

Republicans Happily Roll Over as Trump Declares Himself King












































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2-20-2025

  DOGE Has 'God Mode' Access to Government Data The Trump administration has fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service emp...