Jay--Any insight about how to stop Musk and his Musketeers who seem to be hacking government spending databases at warp speed. Congress is speaking up, thank God, but Musk's illegal coup might be happening too fast to stop with the normal judicial and legislative tools. Any suggestions about how to stop him?
I thought someone was already on that, and that the strategy was to cancel large contracts with Musk's companies - in other words, to hit him straight in the pocketbook.
I believe that is what one other country is doing. Maybe Norway but I'm not sure.
No, the Republicans are all in with Musk. They won't stop him. They want him to destroy the federal government. It's what they have wanted for decades.
I'm not sure how easy such a strategy would be to pull off. Those large contracts would be with the Trump government, and even if it wasn't, there currently is no alternative to SpaceX. It is also going to be hard to get California to get rid of Tesla Superchargers.
Congress also can't easily act because the Constitution explicitly bans laws targeted at one person (or company).
I can say that blinking or not this administration has caused Canadians to come together according to my FB feed from family and friends. Canadians are pissed and boycotting products not made in Canada. Americans are still going to feel a pinch even without the tariffs.
I kind of think that Mexico and Canada should just raise prices on goods going into the US just for the annoyance value of having to deal with this insanity.
The tiff over the tariffs is merely a distraction, a smokescreen behind which Musk, along with his goons, can stage a coup. Drumph cares no more about governing than he does about actually improving the lives of the “little people.” Co-president Musk is the poster child for oligarchy.
He's also the poster child for the GOP idea of good DEI. White guy with no real experience or expertise plopped into a position he is unqualified for. That is the DEI that they like. Sort of like all of trump's cabinet picks. When you see Marco Rubio as the only sane one and he's not exactly tightly wrapped.....
But.... I'm worried it won't be only four years. And that all the appointees are going to do actual damage while he postures. Or that the next person is going to be smarter and just as evil. If this term doesn't rip the GOP apart, we're screwed for much longer than 4 years.
Absolutely. I even wrote my Republican senators and representative and told them their jobs were at risk if they didn't stand up to this. Of course, I'm sure it fell on deaf ears.
I also wrote and I called and spoke to my republican reps and they simply thanked me for contacting us. The republicans don't care what trump does. My Senator, Rick Scott, is independently wealthy and doesn't need his paycheck.
Here's a quoted reaction from him on the Musk takeover, from NOTUS.org: “He’s doing exactly what he should be doing,” Florida Sen. Rick Scott said Monday night. “He’s going through every agency and looking at how to make sure the money’s spent right.”
The Republicans are either too lazy or too cowardly to do their own dirty work. They vote for the budgets every year. They can change what it's those bills. It's a huge part of their jobs. But it's unpopular because they will be taking money away from programs that some of their constituents depend on. So having musk do it, keeps their hands clean. Cowards, the lot of them.
It's still definitely worth writing and calling Katie! Way to go! We have to push back as hard as we can from every angle. Sending love and strength from California!!!💙💙
I did the same. But I made it clear that it had nothing to do with not being re-elected and everything to do with whether or not we would still be living in a democracy. We are having a constitutional crisis. It should not be partisan for GOD'S SAKE!!!
I am writing to you as a deeply concerned citizen who values the principles of democracy, justice, and the rule of law. I urge you to take a firm and unequivocal stand against any and all executive orders issued by President Donald Trump that undermine these principles. Many of these orders are not only illegal and inhumane but also represent a blatant attempt to consolidate power and erode the foundations of our democratic system.
The executive orders issued during Trump’s presidency have repeatedly targeted vulnerable communities, violated constitutional rights, and bypassed the checks and balances that are essential to our government’s integrity. From the cruel and inhumane family separation policies at the border to the attempts to suppress voting rights and undermine environmental protections, these actions have consistently placed partisan interests above the well-being of the American people.
As an elected official, you have a sacred duty to uphold the Constitution and protect the institutions that safeguard our democracy. Failure to resist these abuses of power not only jeopardizes your role in government but also places you on the wrong side of history. Future generations will judge this moment harshly, and those who stood by silently or enabled such actions will bear responsibility for the destruction of democratic America.
The stakes could not be higher. If these executive orders are allowed to stand or serve as a precedent, they will embolden future leaders to bypass Congress, ignore the judiciary, and govern by decree. This is not the America we cherish, nor is it the legacy we should leave for our children.
I implore you to take immediate action to oppose these executive orders, support efforts to repeal or nullify them, and work to strengthen the systems of accountability that prevent such abuses of power. Your leadership in this critical moment will determine whether our democracy endures or crumbles under the weight of authoritarianism.
The time to act is now. The future of our nation depends on your courage and commitment to the values we hold dear. Please do not let history remember you as someone who stood by while democracy was dismantled or worse, actively supported it.
That's what I'm thinking especially since so many gop'ers are wealthy and don't really need their Congressional paycheck. Musk and trump have gone completely around Congress (with no problem from the gop'ers) and are wiping out the federal agencies first. This is why it doesn't matter one scintilla what kind of creatures the gop senate approves, their agency personnel are being fired. Poor rfk, jr, he sold his soul for a chance to finally gain some regularly occurring publicity for his stubborn and scarry opinions. I think trump will use the "savings" from collapsing to be deposited into his "Sovereign Wealth Account" to be used as a slush fund. He's still got those huge civil judgements against him with the NY state civil fraud case (with NY AG Leticia James) still accruing interest at an eye-popping $114,000 a DAY: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-new-york-fraud-case-502-million-inauguration/
Trump can't win in the courts and he's sooo crooked I know he's going to trip himself up royally. We know he backs down when there's lots of bad publicity. It just isn't going to come from the republican legislators. We'll figure this out...
I don't think the next person will be smarter, even if he is GOP. Bullying is a skill that only Trump has, and in fact he has specifically selected his minions to be at each other's throats (think Stephen Miller vs. Elon Musk on immigration, for instance) and to be feeble wannabees. It is a standard strategy dictators use, and why so many dictatorships collapse.
Exception: the worst case scenario might be that a Trump family member takes over and turns this into a North-Korea-Style dynasty. Donald Jr., and then Barron, could possibly pull this off.
People with Trump's personality would be acutely aware of and see as a major risk; somebody subtle and covert would get purged quickly. Exceptions can be if that person is a family member.
None of his kids have the brains or charisma to pull off anything but canned "wildlife" hunting. The kids are more like the goats staked out to tempt the lions.
But other than that, I like your take on this.
Say trump dies (natural causes, could very well happen but let's not lower the flags!) Vance is going to be too busy trying to fight a power war within the GOP to do much of anything that can't be undone. He's a bit smarter than trump but he doesn't have the weird pull that trump has. Sofa King is disappointing to everyone (even his wife most likely.)
So, basically, The Felon is what he's always been: A lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. I hope other world leaders take a page from the Sheinbaum-Trudeau playbook and learn the Art of the Roll.
On the other hand, it looks like some real damage is being done by private citizen Elon Musk and his team of twenty-something gamer bros who've gotten access to the financial and personal information of every American who has interactions with the federal government. Worse yet, it's been reported they're downloading this information on private servers. Now where was it we heard a ruckus about government personnel using private servers for sensitive information. I seem to recall that being a BFD, to quote our non-felon President. What can we do about this ginormous data breach? I hope you address that one next, Jay!
I've been very impressed by Sheinbaum. But it also makes me sad because I think Harris would have been an excellent president in that sort of mold. Smart and doesn't take shit from idiots.
I read that musk brought in another server because the one that OPM had couldn't send out an all federal agency-wide email blast. The various gov't agencies weren't connected, for security reasons, I'll bet. Amazing, no security considerations at all to take care of our stored info by the goons. There are lawsuits being filed by so many different gov't workers as well as retired Americans (Alliance for Retired Americans, see link below) and other US agency payment recipients. It's odd, though, that I haven't seen the flagship retired person's group, AARP, make any kind of statement anywhere on their website about the breach to the federal payment system, which they're really advertise themselves as being strong on protecting Social Security and Medicare". The litigation section of their website is also silent about it, despite this breach being all over the national news for days now and how concerning it is for everyone for musk & goons to have freely accessed and transferred all of our personal info: https://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/legal-advocacy/afl-docket-recent-litigation-cases/
This is the link to the lawsuit filed against Bessent, et al, by the Alliance for Retired Americans, et al, for the DOGE privacy breach, which speaks for many of us:
Weird thing about AARP - the right considers them leftist pinko commies etc. A few years ago they started their own conservative group to fight AARP. I just found that out last year and my mind was kind of blown that this group is a controversy.
I think a lot of organizations are waiting for the dust to settle. AARP is technically non-partisan and basically to sell insurance and defend old people rights. And I'm not sure that there is a place yet for them to take a stand.
IMO, taking a stand about having the private information of folks on Social Security and Medicare now in the hands of what republicans used to call 'unelected bureaucrats' is something AARP would weigh in on.
Yes, now that they are into the payment system, it does seem like something AARP should be involved with. But they mainly do lobbying. So unless they can convince Republican legislators that the old voting population is going to revolt, they don't have much chance. And remember that conservatives have their own AARP that is likely telling them that this is all a good thing. Because of the competing organizations, it's harder to AARP to say it has the votes of the old people.
1. Call your credit cards, banks, financial institutions and ask them what they are doing to protect your data given this massive Musk- Trump data breach of SSNs and other personal information. We need corporate America to get involved now and start making demands on Republicans who are doing nothing to protect us.
It's super smart to call it the Trump-Musk Data Breach, just like it is correct to say the Trump Abortion Bans which Harris had rightfully identified.
We should all post it as advice to friends on our social platforms: "Call your credit card companies, banks, and financial institutions and ask them what they are doing to protect your data from the Musk-Trump Data Breach of SSNs and other personal information."
What would that accomplish? Musk went straight to the source of the information; credit cards, banks etc. had nothing to do with it.
Generally, though, it is a good idea to pay everything in cash, and avoid businesses that don't take cash. That's generally good data hygiene, though, not specific to Trump/Musk.
I disagree with “Let Trump take his silly victory laps, soak in the praise from his followers, and waste his time on political theatre. That means a lot less time for him to do active harm to the country and the world.” vehemently. That will simply encourage him and he will keep doing stupid stuff until he really breaks things. We need to beat him down, pummel him until he gives up. Whatever we do don’t encourage him!
Unfortunately, trump doesn't have to do anything to actively harm us - this is what he allows musk to do all day everyday. It has become musk's new hobby.
My observation is that Trump lets someone else — in this case Musk — do his dirty work. Trump vacillates and tosses out various extreme measures such as his tariffs and his government personnel attacks and then recoils when large scale or high level opposition shows up. He leaves his stalking horses hanging out to dry. This is a complete gangster mob tactic. Musk is exposed out in front while Trumphuk 1) golfs and 2) fulminates.
I was pretty sure Justin was just gonna move a few Mounties around.
In the grand scheme of things, this was a pretty minor volley among lots of other shots fired by the Project 2025 team, and it did a pretty damn good job of distracting the media from bigger issues, like teenage tech trolls accessing data and payment systems, among others.
Zelensky has figured out how to play Trump as well and, at the same time, put Putin in a corner. Trading aid for rare earth minerals access is like catnip for Trump, he’s lapping it up and Ukraine - for the first time since the 2022 counteroffensive - has a real chance for a total victory.
Still a lot to play out here, but things are looking up in Kyiv.
I get the distinct feeling we are dealing with our elderly grandfather who is in dementia and we're trying to keep him from hurting himself and others.
He reminds me a cousin of mine that we can't figure out if he's just garden variety weird or if he's a serial killer. I wouldn't be surprised either way..............
Well if anything it goy us Canadians to band together and fight this. It is hard for us to buy strictly Canadian groceries, because we are to close with the US on trade. But people are starting to do just that. There are lists being generated for shoppers show US made groceries and the Canadian equivalent. One thing that does piss me off though, is why does Canada have to patrol our boarders to make sure people do not cross into the US. Isn't that the job of the US boarder patrol? I don't see USboarder patrol stopping people from entering Canada at controlled boarder crossings. It is not Canadian Boarder Guards letting drugs into the US. They are going in through controlled boarding crossings.
I would think that drugs going INTO Canada from the U.S. is a much larger problem. My first thought when I heard this becoming an "issue" was, "What? That's ludicrous." And now, it's been repeated so often, that the ludicrous has become accepted fact by the American jokeamedia.
As a visitor to Canada whose grandparents emigrated to the US in 1890’s I think more people try to go to Canada than come here. Seriously who would want to come here.
I thunk what's really going to happen is that Canada will stop the flow of American-made guns into Canada, and the gun manufacturers will quietly tell Dumpy to leave Canada alone.
My theory, both Mexico and Canada want to tighten their borders to keep Americans out. We have not been sending our best... As well as the iron pipelines of guns from the US, would be great (and a little funny) if the enhanced patrols keep finding more and more guns coming from the US and stopping them at the borders.
At most non-adversarial borders in the world, the two border forces will collaborate all the time. In part for practical reasons, to protect Canadians from doing something stupid. For instance, on the BC/Washington border at Point Roberts, an elderly Canadian accidentally walked into the US. Canadian border patrol could have prevented that incident (in that case, they didn't. Apparently, he was arrested in the US, and released after a couple of hours).
I think it's a ploy, Walter. trump promised he'd "seal" the borders, plural, which by default means Mexico and Canada. trump has to give the appearance of taking care of all the borders even if the Canadian border hasn't ever been a problem. But Canada and Mexico aren't going to have to really do anything additional, they agreed to something that they were already going to do - trump and his followers don't know the difference and the idiotic trump tariffs were avoided. Canada and Mexico got the better of trump. That's a win to enjoy. Now trump's followers are satisfied that he's tended to the border and I think he and his people will become way too busy to care about a border replay.
THIS is the major story! Government computer systems are falling like dominoes to Musk. This is a coup hurtling forward at blitzkrieg pace. Will our leaders PLEASE do something?
Wellll …. We’re starting to see folks rise up and protest this crap. Protests today at Treasury and Fed employee unions standing up. This will go on until Trumphuk and Mushrat and minions cave or are drug out into the street and tar and feathered. If you can GET OUT THERE AND STAND UP TO THESE TYRANTS.
Are these actions just distractions though? The 'look here!' that offers cover to more dangerous things? While we all focussed on tariffs this weekend criminal Musk and his band of teenagers were sneaking in the back door and doing even more dangerous things
Trump two days ago: "Who in the Hell made these (past) trade deals?"
Trump, after signing the NAFTA deal with Canada and Mexico during his first term: "This is the most modern, balanced and up-to-date Agreement in our history."
Jay--Any insight about how to stop Musk and his Musketeers who seem to be hacking government spending databases at warp speed. Congress is speaking up, thank God, but Musk's illegal coup might be happening too fast to stop with the normal judicial and legislative tools. Any suggestions about how to stop him?
I wrote a long piece about this in the Status Kuo on Monday. I’d start there.
I thought someone was already on that, and that the strategy was to cancel large contracts with Musk's companies - in other words, to hit him straight in the pocketbook.
I believe that is what one other country is doing. Maybe Norway but I'm not sure.
No, the Republicans are all in with Musk. They won't stop him. They want him to destroy the federal government. It's what they have wanted for decades.
I'm not sure how easy such a strategy would be to pull off. Those large contracts would be with the Trump government, and even if it wasn't, there currently is no alternative to SpaceX. It is also going to be hard to get California to get rid of Tesla Superchargers.
Congress also can't easily act because the Constitution explicitly bans laws targeted at one person (or company).
I recall hearing that Starlink in particular was being targeted. Quite possibly by other countries.
Musk is my worry.
I have a suggestion...
Does it involve guillotines?
Have you noticed how certain people got SO slack, ever since guillotines have been abolished? You might be onto something there. ;-)
My resolve against capital punishment has been tempered a bit recently...
All I can say is, if Musk pulled this shit in Russia, he'd have already fallen out of a window.
Do tell!
P. S. If you need an alibi, we were at my place having a LOTR marathon and eating potato cakes.
See, that wouldn't work because people know I'm into Marvel... :(
I would like to know more about these potato cakes....
I can say that blinking or not this administration has caused Canadians to come together according to my FB feed from family and friends. Canadians are pissed and boycotting products not made in Canada. Americans are still going to feel a pinch even without the tariffs.
Good! Well, as long I can still afford my maple syrup ....
I kind of think that Mexico and Canada should just raise prices on goods going into the US just for the annoyance value of having to deal with this insanity.
The tiff over the tariffs is merely a distraction, a smokescreen behind which Musk, along with his goons, can stage a coup. Drumph cares no more about governing than he does about actually improving the lives of the “little people.” Co-president Musk is the poster child for oligarchy.
He's also the poster child for the GOP idea of good DEI. White guy with no real experience or expertise plopped into a position he is unqualified for. That is the DEI that they like. Sort of like all of trump's cabinet picks. When you see Marco Rubio as the only sane one and he's not exactly tightly wrapped.....
But.... I'm worried it won't be only four years. And that all the appointees are going to do actual damage while he postures. Or that the next person is going to be smarter and just as evil. If this term doesn't rip the GOP apart, we're screwed for much longer than 4 years.
If things continue on their current path, parties and Congress itself will become irrelevant.
Absolutely. I even wrote my Republican senators and representative and told them their jobs were at risk if they didn't stand up to this. Of course, I'm sure it fell on deaf ears.
I also wrote and I called and spoke to my republican reps and they simply thanked me for contacting us. The republicans don't care what trump does. My Senator, Rick Scott, is independently wealthy and doesn't need his paycheck.
Here's a quoted reaction from him on the Musk takeover, from NOTUS.org: “He’s doing exactly what he should be doing,” Florida Sen. Rick Scott said Monday night. “He’s going through every agency and looking at how to make sure the money’s spent right.”
Wait, isn’t that explicitly the role of Congress?
“It doesn’t look like Congress is doing their job,” Scott answered simply. https://www.notus.org/congress/trump-musk-treasury-spending
No wonder we aren't getting any responses. They surely figured out in advance that only Dems would be calling to object.
The Republicans are either too lazy or too cowardly to do their own dirty work. They vote for the budgets every year. They can change what it's those bills. It's a huge part of their jobs. But it's unpopular because they will be taking money away from programs that some of their constituents depend on. So having musk do it, keeps their hands clean. Cowards, the lot of them.
It’s also already being done. No need for Musk.
Ugh. Yikes.
I wrote my Republican senators and posted on their FB.
It's still definitely worth writing and calling Katie! Way to go! We have to push back as hard as we can from every angle. Sending love and strength from California!!!💙💙
I did the same. But I made it clear that it had nothing to do with not being re-elected and everything to do with whether or not we would still be living in a democracy. We are having a constitutional crisis. It should not be partisan for GOD'S SAKE!!!
Yes! Me too actually. My full communication read:
Dear [Recipient's Name],
I am writing to you as a deeply concerned citizen who values the principles of democracy, justice, and the rule of law. I urge you to take a firm and unequivocal stand against any and all executive orders issued by President Donald Trump that undermine these principles. Many of these orders are not only illegal and inhumane but also represent a blatant attempt to consolidate power and erode the foundations of our democratic system.
The executive orders issued during Trump’s presidency have repeatedly targeted vulnerable communities, violated constitutional rights, and bypassed the checks and balances that are essential to our government’s integrity. From the cruel and inhumane family separation policies at the border to the attempts to suppress voting rights and undermine environmental protections, these actions have consistently placed partisan interests above the well-being of the American people.
As an elected official, you have a sacred duty to uphold the Constitution and protect the institutions that safeguard our democracy. Failure to resist these abuses of power not only jeopardizes your role in government but also places you on the wrong side of history. Future generations will judge this moment harshly, and those who stood by silently or enabled such actions will bear responsibility for the destruction of democratic America.
The stakes could not be higher. If these executive orders are allowed to stand or serve as a precedent, they will embolden future leaders to bypass Congress, ignore the judiciary, and govern by decree. This is not the America we cherish, nor is it the legacy we should leave for our children.
I implore you to take immediate action to oppose these executive orders, support efforts to repeal or nullify them, and work to strengthen the systems of accountability that prevent such abuses of power. Your leadership in this critical moment will determine whether our democracy endures or crumbles under the weight of authoritarianism.
The time to act is now. The future of our nation depends on your courage and commitment to the values we hold dear. Please do not let history remember you as someone who stood by while democracy was dismantled or worse, actively supported it.
Perfect!
That's what I'm thinking especially since so many gop'ers are wealthy and don't really need their Congressional paycheck. Musk and trump have gone completely around Congress (with no problem from the gop'ers) and are wiping out the federal agencies first. This is why it doesn't matter one scintilla what kind of creatures the gop senate approves, their agency personnel are being fired. Poor rfk, jr, he sold his soul for a chance to finally gain some regularly occurring publicity for his stubborn and scarry opinions. I think trump will use the "savings" from collapsing to be deposited into his "Sovereign Wealth Account" to be used as a slush fund. He's still got those huge civil judgements against him with the NY state civil fraud case (with NY AG Leticia James) still accruing interest at an eye-popping $114,000 a DAY: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-new-york-fraud-case-502-million-inauguration/
. He also still owes $88.3 million to E. Jean Carroll from the two NY cases, which he appeals but just can't win. His latest loss was on Dec 30th, 2024: https://www.npr.org/2024/12/30/nx-s1-5243228/federal-appeal-trump-e-jean-carroll
Trump can't win in the courts and he's sooo crooked I know he's going to trip himself up royally. We know he backs down when there's lots of bad publicity. It just isn't going to come from the republican legislators. We'll figure this out...
I don’t believe he has the balls to try this bulls**t against an evil dictator.
I don't think the next person will be smarter, even if he is GOP. Bullying is a skill that only Trump has, and in fact he has specifically selected his minions to be at each other's throats (think Stephen Miller vs. Elon Musk on immigration, for instance) and to be feeble wannabees. It is a standard strategy dictators use, and why so many dictatorships collapse.
Exception: the worst case scenario might be that a Trump family member takes over and turns this into a North-Korea-Style dynasty. Donald Jr., and then Barron, could possibly pull this off.
I hope you're right. I worry that there's somebody coming up behind him that's just as evil but more subtle and covert.
People with Trump's personality would be acutely aware of and see as a major risk; somebody subtle and covert would get purged quickly. Exceptions can be if that person is a family member.
None of his kids have the brains or charisma to pull off anything but canned "wildlife" hunting. The kids are more like the goats staked out to tempt the lions.
But other than that, I like your take on this.
Say trump dies (natural causes, could very well happen but let's not lower the flags!) Vance is going to be too busy trying to fight a power war within the GOP to do much of anything that can't be undone. He's a bit smarter than trump but he doesn't have the weird pull that trump has. Sofa King is disappointing to everyone (even his wife most likely.)
So, basically, The Felon is what he's always been: A lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. I hope other world leaders take a page from the Sheinbaum-Trudeau playbook and learn the Art of the Roll.
On the other hand, it looks like some real damage is being done by private citizen Elon Musk and his team of twenty-something gamer bros who've gotten access to the financial and personal information of every American who has interactions with the federal government. Worse yet, it's been reported they're downloading this information on private servers. Now where was it we heard a ruckus about government personnel using private servers for sensitive information. I seem to recall that being a BFD, to quote our non-felon President. What can we do about this ginormous data breach? I hope you address that one next, Jay!
I’ve been posting a lot about this on my FB and bluesky feeds. My piece on Wed on the Status Kuo also addresses Musk
Thanks, Jay.
Ha ha! The art of the roll. Love that!!!
Justin and Claudia just gave a master class!
I've been very impressed by Sheinbaum. But it also makes me sad because I think Harris would have been an excellent president in that sort of mold. Smart and doesn't take shit from idiots.
Couldn't agree more, Margaret.
I read that musk brought in another server because the one that OPM had couldn't send out an all federal agency-wide email blast. The various gov't agencies weren't connected, for security reasons, I'll bet. Amazing, no security considerations at all to take care of our stored info by the goons. There are lawsuits being filed by so many different gov't workers as well as retired Americans (Alliance for Retired Americans, see link below) and other US agency payment recipients. It's odd, though, that I haven't seen the flagship retired person's group, AARP, make any kind of statement anywhere on their website about the breach to the federal payment system, which they're really advertise themselves as being strong on protecting Social Security and Medicare". The litigation section of their website is also silent about it, despite this breach being all over the national news for days now and how concerning it is for everyone for musk & goons to have freely accessed and transferred all of our personal info: https://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/legal-advocacy/afl-docket-recent-litigation-cases/
This is the link to the lawsuit filed against Bessent, et al, by the Alliance for Retired Americans, et al, for the DOGE privacy breach, which speaks for many of us:
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69607077/1/alliance-for-retired-americans-v-bessent/
Weird thing about AARP - the right considers them leftist pinko commies etc. A few years ago they started their own conservative group to fight AARP. I just found that out last year and my mind was kind of blown that this group is a controversy.
I think a lot of organizations are waiting for the dust to settle. AARP is technically non-partisan and basically to sell insurance and defend old people rights. And I'm not sure that there is a place yet for them to take a stand.
IMO, taking a stand about having the private information of folks on Social Security and Medicare now in the hands of what republicans used to call 'unelected bureaucrats' is something AARP would weigh in on.
Yes, now that they are into the payment system, it does seem like something AARP should be involved with. But they mainly do lobbying. So unless they can convince Republican legislators that the old voting population is going to revolt, they don't have much chance. And remember that conservatives have their own AARP that is likely telling them that this is all a good thing. Because of the competing organizations, it's harder to AARP to say it has the votes of the old people.
But it would be nice if they chimed in.
Thank you so much for the links!
So good. Two suggestions to everyone:
1. Call your credit cards, banks, financial institutions and ask them what they are doing to protect your data given this massive Musk- Trump data breach of SSNs and other personal information. We need corporate America to get involved now and start making demands on Republicans who are doing nothing to protect us.
2. Follow NerdWallet’s advice today and freeze your credit. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-freeze-credit?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2peLYmXMZcBrBZog6eZYP76D1_Mdi37CqEacz5Au6RGnHLmmcZ-I3TIh0_aem_3uEpLMwUmXds82E5AwGj2w
It's super smart to call it the Trump-Musk Data Breach, just like it is correct to say the Trump Abortion Bans which Harris had rightfully identified.
We should all post it as advice to friends on our social platforms: "Call your credit card companies, banks, and financial institutions and ask them what they are doing to protect your data from the Musk-Trump Data Breach of SSNs and other personal information."
The Musk-Trump Data Breach
No other comment. Just getting into the habit.
What would that accomplish? Musk went straight to the source of the information; credit cards, banks etc. had nothing to do with it.
Generally, though, it is a good idea to pay everything in cash, and avoid businesses that don't take cash. That's generally good data hygiene, though, not specific to Trump/Musk.
I disagree with “Let Trump take his silly victory laps, soak in the praise from his followers, and waste his time on political theatre. That means a lot less time for him to do active harm to the country and the world.” vehemently. That will simply encourage him and he will keep doing stupid stuff until he really breaks things. We need to beat him down, pummel him until he gives up. Whatever we do don’t encourage him!
Unfortunately, trump doesn't have to do anything to actively harm us - this is what he allows musk to do all day everyday. It has become musk's new hobby.
My observation is that Trump lets someone else — in this case Musk — do his dirty work. Trump vacillates and tosses out various extreme measures such as his tariffs and his government personnel attacks and then recoils when large scale or high level opposition shows up. He leaves his stalking horses hanging out to dry. This is a complete gangster mob tactic. Musk is exposed out in front while Trumphuk 1) golfs and 2) fulminates.
I was pretty sure Justin was just gonna move a few Mounties around.
In the grand scheme of things, this was a pretty minor volley among lots of other shots fired by the Project 2025 team, and it did a pretty damn good job of distracting the media from bigger issues, like teenage tech trolls accessing data and payment systems, among others.
Zelensky has figured out how to play Trump as well and, at the same time, put Putin in a corner. Trading aid for rare earth minerals access is like catnip for Trump, he’s lapping it up and Ukraine - for the first time since the 2022 counteroffensive - has a real chance for a total victory.
Still a lot to play out here, but things are looking up in Kyiv.
I get the distinct feeling we are dealing with our elderly grandfather who is in dementia and we're trying to keep him from hurting himself and others.
Meanwhile, the stepson nobody knew about has secured power of attorney to run his affairs behind everybody's back.
Yeah, that ornery kid who nobody could tolerate bc he was so spoiled.
He reminds me a cousin of mine that we can't figure out if he's just garden variety weird or if he's a serial killer. I wouldn't be surprised either way..............
We discussed this awhile back and it unfortunately still holds true.
https://thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p/john-gartner-trump-cognitive-decline
Well if anything it goy us Canadians to band together and fight this. It is hard for us to buy strictly Canadian groceries, because we are to close with the US on trade. But people are starting to do just that. There are lists being generated for shoppers show US made groceries and the Canadian equivalent. One thing that does piss me off though, is why does Canada have to patrol our boarders to make sure people do not cross into the US. Isn't that the job of the US boarder patrol? I don't see USboarder patrol stopping people from entering Canada at controlled boarder crossings. It is not Canadian Boarder Guards letting drugs into the US. They are going in through controlled boarding crossings.
I would think that drugs going INTO Canada from the U.S. is a much larger problem. My first thought when I heard this becoming an "issue" was, "What? That's ludicrous." And now, it's been repeated so often, that the ludicrous has become accepted fact by the American jokeamedia.
As a visitor to Canada whose grandparents emigrated to the US in 1890’s I think more people try to go to Canada than come here. Seriously who would want to come here.
I thunk what's really going to happen is that Canada will stop the flow of American-made guns into Canada, and the gun manufacturers will quietly tell Dumpy to leave Canada alone.
That's a good one!! I love it.
My theory, both Mexico and Canada want to tighten their borders to keep Americans out. We have not been sending our best... As well as the iron pipelines of guns from the US, would be great (and a little funny) if the enhanced patrols keep finding more and more guns coming from the US and stopping them at the borders.
At most non-adversarial borders in the world, the two border forces will collaborate all the time. In part for practical reasons, to protect Canadians from doing something stupid. For instance, on the BC/Washington border at Point Roberts, an elderly Canadian accidentally walked into the US. Canadian border patrol could have prevented that incident (in that case, they didn't. Apparently, he was arrested in the US, and released after a couple of hours).
I think it's a ploy, Walter. trump promised he'd "seal" the borders, plural, which by default means Mexico and Canada. trump has to give the appearance of taking care of all the borders even if the Canadian border hasn't ever been a problem. But Canada and Mexico aren't going to have to really do anything additional, they agreed to something that they were already going to do - trump and his followers don't know the difference and the idiotic trump tariffs were avoided. Canada and Mexico got the better of trump. That's a win to enjoy. Now trump's followers are satisfied that he's tended to the border and I think he and his people will become way too busy to care about a border replay.
I would like to Diaper Donny get rid of all the Appointees. That would save a lot of money.
It's not like any of them are qualified.
Meanwhile, Muskrat and his merry band of basement dwellers are doing real damage in the governments computers. No on is stopping them.
It is untrue that no one is trying to stop them. I’ve written about this in The Status Kuo on Monday and will address it again on Wednesday
THIS is the major story! Government computer systems are falling like dominoes to Musk. This is a coup hurtling forward at blitzkrieg pace. Will our leaders PLEASE do something?
It’s my understanding that many State AG’s have filed lawsuits and others are to follow.
I wonder if criminal charges will follow, probably once Trump is out of office.
It would be delicious if the DOJ arrested the musk minions. I do not believe they have the requisite security clearances to do what they are doing.
Wellll …. We’re starting to see folks rise up and protest this crap. Protests today at Treasury and Fed employee unions standing up. This will go on until Trumphuk and Mushrat and minions cave or are drug out into the street and tar and feathered. If you can GET OUT THERE AND STAND UP TO THESE TYRANTS.
Tarred and feathered! I like that. Such a spectacle for two who deserve whatever comes their way.
Are these actions just distractions though? The 'look here!' that offers cover to more dangerous things? While we all focussed on tariffs this weekend criminal Musk and his band of teenagers were sneaking in the back door and doing even more dangerous things
Canada calling a position “Fentanyl Czar”. Great move! Trump probably loved that. Lol feed into his ego.
Trump two days ago: "Who in the Hell made these (past) trade deals?"
Trump, after signing the NAFTA deal with Canada and Mexico during his first term: "This is the most modern, balanced and up-to-date Agreement in our history."