When Trump first announced his disastrous "liberation day" tariffs, I posted that they would lead the USA back into the notorious 'stagflation' of the 1970's, a period when a combination of persistent high inflation AND persistent unemployment prevailed.
That's where we are headed.
In other words, Trump is offering foreign billionaire shipping magnates US taxpayer-subsidized insurance rates.
So much for "America first."
Trump wastes yet more US taxpayer dollars to insure ships owned by other countries that are threatened by his pointless war of choice in the Middle East.
"Some believe the Trump administration is sacrificing technical expertise in the name of ideology..."?
That's like saying "some believe in reality."
Hegseth is destroying operational readiness and undermining long-term defense capabilities by focusing on culture wars rather than defense needs.
The Stasi never had mass surveillance tools like Palantir's face recognition software. DHS is recording the faces of anyone who opposes Trump's policies or DHS's cruelty and adding them to a database. People have already been kicked off trusted flyer lists for peaceful protest.
True, but in reality there are.
Most ports around the world no longer accept them. They were banned in 1990 with a grace period until 2015 to allow existing ships to serve out their useful lives.
Much of Russia's "shadow fleet," however, consists of old single-hulled tankers.
Trump's boss, Putin, is letting his underling know that he is unhappy.
Absolutely! Back during the 'tanker war' (which took place during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980's), drones were not really a thing. Iran choked off the Strait of Hormuz with a combination of old fashioned mines and inflatable boats armed with RPG's.
Drones have changed everything.
Trump only believes in Trump First. He was never in favor of America first.
Job losses continue.
Unemployment up.
Labor force participation rate at lowest level since pandemic.
Energy prices skyrocketing.
Average gas prices higher than when Biden was in office.
Stock market in freefall.
US ensnared in massive war of choice in Middle East.
This is Trump's America.
School closures spread across the country in March - May 2020 -- all under Trump's watch. He kept schools closed until June. Also under Trump, over 1,000,000 Americans died.
Under Biden, schools, restaurants, and businesses opened.
So, what are these "Biden" CoVid rules of which you speak?
FYI from reality:
The Trump Administration, not the Biden Administration, implemented the vast majority of CoVid rules. On Jan 31, 2020, Trump implemented a mandatory 14-day quarantine. He implemented the travel ban in January. Trump claimed credit for developing the CoVid vaccine.
In my mind, loving your country means looking at it critically and working to make it better. If we don't work to change what is wrong or weak, our countries will never progress.
To me, your attitude is one of a true patriot.
When an oil tanker is holed, it can seal off the bays around the damage and the ship can keep sailing.
What the US Navy provided to oil tankers was "on deck" escorts by sharp-shooters who watched for and detonated mines as well as air support. Navy ships followed in the wake of the giant tankers.
It's not that warships are not build strongly. The reality is that they are single-hulled ships, generally with with fairly open cavernous interiors. Modern oil tankers are double-hulled ships with interiors split into numerous individual holding tanks that can be sealed off independently.
I was serving in the Persian Gulf during the 'tanker war' in the Strait of Hormuz.
While US press reported that American warships were "escorting" tankers, that wasn't quite accurate. Warships are MUCH more susceptible to being sunk by mines and torpedoes than are double-walled tankers.
Incinerated 175 children using a precision guided munition designed to penetrate the building and then explode inside for maximum destruction and death?
US Congress formally abdicates its responsibilities under the US Constitution.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
I missed an important point in my original post: The US is relying heavily on THAAD interceptor missiles in the war with Iran. THAADs cost $12.5+ million. Worse yet, less than 100 are produced each year.
Several years worth of production has already been launched. There aren't many left.
RFK Jr will cave.
When there is a choice between betraying his MAHA base or upsetting billionaires, RFK Jr will betray the base every time.
Remember his campaign against glyphosates and other carcinogenic pesticides? How about his campaign against fast food? Chemical food dyes?
More on-brand decisions from Trump:
Trump gave a full and complete pardon to January 6 rioter Andrew Paul Johnson. Johnson then used his gift of freedom to go out and rape multiple children.
GOP really does stand for "Guardians Of Pedophiles."
As Trump complains that having to refund $130 billion in revenues from unconstitutional tariffs will "bankrupt the country," he is spending $200 billion on a war with no rationale, no end date, and no benefit for Americans.
Under Trump, the USA doesn't have money to fix our crumbling roads and bridges. We don't have money for child care or schools. The VA has eliminated over 10,000 health care positions due to lack of funding.
But $1 billion a day for Trump's war of choice is no problem.
From LIberal Jane
The US Court of International Trade has issued the (obvious) decision that the Trump Administration must refund the hundreds of billions of dollars in illegal import taxes (tariffs) that the Supreme Court found to be illegal.
We now know the law; what remains is to see what Trump does.
NPR has a tendency to over-think and to pretend that absolute nonsense from the White House somehow 'deserves' serious analysis.
"Operation Epic Fury" is an obvious substitute for "Operation Epstein Files."
The reason for the deaths of American service members and Iranians is to protect Trump.
A more truthful headline would read:
"GOP-dominated Senate votes that the legislature no longer has any role in Trump's dictatorship"
You are correct. Up till now, total Patriot production has hovered around 600 to 700 per year. Trump recently mandated that they increase that to 2,000 per year, but it is not yet clear if that goal is attainable in the short term.
Nonetheless, I used the 2,000 figure to avoid a longer explanation.
It was $400,000,000, not $400,000.
NOPE
