The Political Thread

[Comrade Khan]

Yeah and this doesn't mean everyone will be "poor" you can still live a mostly comfortable lifestyle if you can stay ahead on a low income but it's the lack of protection from the inevitable costs of life that come up that people don't realize when they have their safety nets

thats the thing, if we roll the clock back, even adjusting for inflation etc, my wage would buy a lot more. houses were also like 7 times cheaper

it mostly means middle class wont be owning houses, theyll be renting till they die. and thats bad for the generation after because we will have nothing for them

 

[Chris]

thats the thing, if we roll the clock back, even adjusting for inflation etc, my wage would buy a lot more. houses were also like 7 times cheaper

it mostly means middle class wont be owning houses, theyll be renting till they die. and thats bad for the generation after because we will have nothing for them

And then you can get into the whole issue of how more houses will be bought for the purposes of renting so then even the people that are ready to buy a home won't have any on the market for reasonable prices

 

[Chris]

Trump Is Sentenced in N.Y. Hush-Money Case and Will Avoid Jail: Live Updates

The president-elect’s sentence on 34 counts of falsifying business records formalizes his status as a felon and makes him the first to carry that distinction into the White House. He had fought to avoid the proceeding at every turn.

www.nytimes.com

After months of delay, President-elect Donald J. Trump on Friday became the first American president to be criminally sentenced.

He avoided jail or any other substantive punishment, but the proceeding carried symbolic importance: It formalized Mr. Trump’s status as a felon, making him the first to carry that dubious designation into the presidency.

“Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” said the judge overseeing the case, Juan M. Merchan. “This has been truly an extraordinary case.”

The judge then imposed a so-called unconditional discharge of Mr. Trump’s sentence, a rare and lenient alternative to jail or probation. Explaining the leniency, Justice Merchan acknowledged Mr. Trump’s inauguration 10 days hence.

 

[Comrade Khan]

fucking pussies

 

[Chris]

fucking pussies

Symbolic pussies?

 

[Comrade Khan]

Symbolic pussies?

yeah

patting themselves on the back for doing the bare fucking minimum

actually less than minimum

 

[Chris]

TikTok Ban Live Updates: Supreme Court Seems Poised to Uphold Law That Could Shut Down App

Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress see a threat to the nation’s security from the app’s Chinese ownership and passed a law requiring it to be sold or effectively shut down in the United States.

www.nytimes.com

The Supreme Court seemed inclined on Friday to uphold a law requiring TikTok be sold or effectively be shut down in the United States.

Even as several justices expressed concerns that the law was in tension with the First Amendment, a majority appeared satisfied that it was aimed at TikTok’s ownership rather than its speech.

 

[Comrade Khan]

they already used it successfully so they don't need anymore. they'll control your info with FB and X

 

[Brandon Blaze]

One of the things that actually brings me peace of mind. Sad.

 

[Chris]

Biden Issues Sweeping Deportation Protections Before Trump Takes Office

The move allows hundreds of thousands of people from Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela to stay in the country temporarily.

www.nytimes.com

The Biden administration on Friday issued sweeping extensions of deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of people from Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela in a move that makes it almost impossible for President-elect Donald J. Trump to swiftly strip the benefit when he takes office.

The extension of Temporary Protected Status, as the program is called, allows the immigrants to remain in the country with work permits and a shield from deportation for another 18 months from the expiration of their current protection in the spring. Late last year, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken recommended the protections be extended in a series of letters.

For decades, Democratic and Republican administrations have designated the protection for citizens of countries that are in upheaval and deemed unsafe to return to. President Biden has expanded who could receive the status, as war erupted in Ukraine and instability gripped countries like Venezuela and Haiti.

 

[Jimmy King]

 

[Chris]

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5080025-giuliani-contempt-georgia-election-workers/

A federal judge on Friday held Rudy Giuliani in civil contempt for skirting an agreement not to make new false claims about two Georgia election workers he was ordered to pay $146 million for defaming.

It was the second time in less than a week a judge found Giuliani in contempt in matters involving the case.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell granted the request from Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, whom Giuliani has falsely claimed for years engaged in mass election fraud while working in Atlanta on election night in 2020.

 

[Chris]

Inside Trump’s Search for a Health Threat to Justify His Immigration Crackdown

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s advisers have spent months trying to identify a disease that will help them build their case for closing the border.

www.nytimes.com

President-elect Donald J. Trump is likely to justify his plans to seal off the border with Mexico by citing a public health emergency from immigrants bringing disease into the United States.

Now he just has to find one.

Mr. Trump last invoked public health restrictions, known as Title 42, in the early days of the pandemic in 2020, when the coronavirus was tearing across the globe. As he prepares to enter office again, Mr. Trump has no such public health disaster to point to.

Still, his advisers have spent recent months trying to find the right disease to build their case, according to four people familiar with the discussions. They have looked at tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases as options and have asked allies inside the Border Patrol for examples of illnesses that are being detected among migrants.

They also have considered trying to rationalize Title 42 by arguing broadly that migrants at the border come from various countries and may carry unfamiliar disease — an assertion that echoes a racist notion with a long history in the United States that minorities transmit infections. Mr. Trump’s team did not respond to a request for comment.

 

[Chris]

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/11/jack-smith-resigns-justice-department-trump-criminal-investigation-00197694

Special counsel Jack Smith has completed his work on two criminal investigations of President-elect Donald Trump and resigned Friday from the Justice Department.

Word of Smith’s departure came in a footnote to a court filing Justice Department officials submitted to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon Saturday afternoon, urging her not to extend a court order she issued last week temporarily blocking the release of the final report Smith submitted to department leaders on Tuesday.

Justice Department officials say Cannon’s order overstepped her authority and that she has no power to block Attorney General Merrick Garland from releasing Smith’s findings. Her ban on disclosure of Smith’s report currently runs through Monday.

 

[Boomhauer]

You act in total opposition to your stated values because there are gay Republicans? What?

The Catholic Church has gay people in their clergy. So?