The Political Thread

[Grim]

But of course he doesn't want Puerto Rico to be a state because that means more brown people get represented.

 

[Comrade Khan]

You even have a hefty chunk of the population that are MAGAheads too, it doesn't make sense. Maybe he thinks it'll be them joining to his side and wanting to be Americans

Alberta n Sask.premiers are already bending over fwiw. Ontario premier calling an early election off his anti Trump.rhetoric. he's a grifty populist as well but just a regular crony. He doesn't do identity politics at all. He's the brother of a famous mayor crackhead

 

[Chris]

Hegseth told senator he paid $50,000 to woman who accused him of 2017 sex assault

News of the payment came as the Senate advanced Hegseth’s nomination along party lines, with a final vote on his confirmation expected Friday.

apnews.com

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, paid $50,000 to the woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017, according to answers he provided to a senator during his confirmation process that The Associated Press has obtained.

The written answers were provided to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren in response to additional questions she had for Hegseth as part of the vetting process.

His attorney, Timothy Parlatore, declined to comment Thursday on the dollar figure, which was previously unknown. In November, Parlatore confirmed that the settlement payment had been made, and Hegseth told senators during his confirmation hearing last week that he was “falsely accused” and completely cleared.

 

[Chris]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/24/trump-recommends-ending-fema-ahead-of-california-fire-site-visit.html

President Donald Trump on Friday said he plans to take executive action to overhaul — or possibly end — the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, slamming the agency for its response to historic floods in North Carolina.

“I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away,” Trump said at a briefing in Asheville, North Carolina, which was devastated in September by Hurricane Helene.

The president later Friday is set to travel to Los Angeles, which continues to battle wildfires that have ravaged large swaths of the city.

 

[Samoa Looch]

https://news.wttw.com/2025/01/24/ice-agents-turned-away-back-yards-elementary-school-officials

Part two:

 

[Samoa Looch]

On another note... apparently they've taken down the DOJ's list of January 6 Capitol breach cases.



They truly gonna (try to) sweep the whole thing under the rug...

 

[Samoa Looch]

Saudi Arabia announces that it will invest US$600 billion in the United States economy.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2025/01/24/saudi-economy-minister-says-600-bln-package-with-us-includes-investments-procurement

Why continue buying sports leagues and competitions to sportswash, when you can just buy governments instead?

 

[Grim]

https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesota/s/Z1IVVO60c7

Minnesota Supreme Court declares House of Rep must have 68 members for a Quorum. Massive defeat for house Republicans.

 

[Grim]

State Supreme Court rules 68 members constitutes a House quorum - Session Daily - Minnesota House of Representatives

www.house.mn.gov

The TL/DR basically:

The DFL had a slight lead and since two seats were under contention, this lead to a 67-67 split between the DFL and Repubs. Republicans took this as a victory and tried to strong-arm the House by voting in their own speaker, which the DFL did not take kindly to, and so every DFL member walked out, making it so the House of Representatives did not meet the proper Quorum. This went before the Minnesota Supreme Court, who ruled that the Republicans violated proper procedure because they did not meet the Quorum of 68 members.

The DFL currently has two seats under contention, one of which was won by less than 20 votes, and another voided by the SCOMN due to residential issues. So the Republicans tried to claim because both seats were technically vacant, the Quorum was less than 68, thus meeting the qualified number of members.

So it's a huge win for Minnesota to buckle Republican attempts at strong-arming the House for their own ends.

Minnesota thus maintains their trifecta government for now.

 

[Chris]

And they don't even wait a week

Idaho Lawmakers Want Supreme Court to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage Decision

A state legislative committee has advanced a resolution asking that the power to regulate marriage be returned to the states.

www.nytimes.com

Since 1793, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined a request by President George Washington to offer legal guidance on foreign relations, the court’s justices have steered away from weighing in outside the context of a formal lawsuit.

That has not deterred lawmakers in Idaho, however. This week, a State House committee overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on the Supreme Court to undo Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 decision that gave same-sex couples the right to marry, and to hand the power to regulate marriage back to the states.

The resolution would still need approval by the full House and the Idaho Senate before any request could be sent to the Supreme Court. Both chambers in Idaho are controlled by Republicans.

 

[Grim]

Who the fuck was it in this thread that said that Trump wasn't gonna use any of the Project 2025 stuff, huh?

Fucking clowns.

 

[Lethal]

I think it's absolutely absurd that for the "land of the free," you are being faced with the complete nonsense removal of immigrants. Is it even ethical? Immigration helps create diversity. If it's done legally (I'm not sure of context here cos our media have shite reporting of US politics), then I see no reason why people cannot stay and live as they have been doing. Illegal is a very large can of worms that I don't even try and get into because it's beyond my capacities mentally.

We unfortunately have an election coming up this year. I hate both options and unlike in the US, we're forced to vote. I really dislike our system.

 

[Chris]

I'm not justifying it but canceling approvals for people who aren't yet here is one thing, that seems like normal political bullshit. Kicking people out that went through legal channels in the first place and had an agreement to be here for a certain amount of time is absurd. This is not a battle against illegal immigration, it's a battle against legal immigration to force as much of it as possible to be deemed illegal

 

[Chris]

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5106541-donald-trump-inspectors-general-ousters/

President Trump on Friday ousted several inspectors general within government agencies overnight, shaking up federal oversight just days after returning to the White House, an administration official confirmed to NewsNation.

Trump fired around 17 watchdogs at various agencies within the Defense Department, State Department, Energy Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and others. Those within the Pentagon, State Department and Transportation Department were notified of the termination over email, according to the Washington Post, which was the first to report on the firings.

 

[Butters]

IDK if this is true but I read that Trump visited the hurricane helene victims and told them to name drop the insurance companies that wouldn't cover them. IF that's true that's good as much as I don't wanna give Trump any credit.