With all this Greenland chat, I'm guessing the utter incompetence of the "Signal" chat has been successfully pushed out of the new cycle headlines?
With all this Greenland chat, I'm guessing the utter incompetence of the "Signal" chat has been successfully pushed out of the new cycle headlines?
Are you suggesting smoke and mirrors? 😉
I did wonder what the troops at the US base would say to Vance regarding his role in sharing real time combat information on the Signal chat....
I'm guessing the utter incompetence of the "Signal" chat has been successfully pushed out of the new cycle headlines?
yes and no. If there are some further hearings it might be reappear but ultimately there doesnt seem to be a lot which can currently be done if they decide to do nothing.
The question would be can it be brought up in future campaigning. Trump did withdraw Elise Stefanik nomination as UN ambassador on Thursday because "I don't want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise's seat,".
She currently sits in the house which has a 218-213 republican majority so wouldnt take much to flip it. Considering the votes during the presidential elections its interesting they are so nervous about it.
Considering the votes during the presidential elections its interesting they are so nervous about it.
Despite Trump still having an impossible to understand personal approval rating, both Houses are only held with relatively small majorities and from reports I'm seeing Republican Senators and Representatives are taking quite a kicking at local level regarding the DOGE cuts, Musks influence, upending the world order and now the Signal debacle. It wouldn't take many Republican voters to switch or not vote to put those majorities at risk, and some of those Senators and Representatives are not diehard Trumpists either if he tries to force through anything completely batshit or ignore the SCOTUS if it comes to it.
It wouldn't take many Republican voters to switch or not vote to put those majorities at risk,
...and then of course there are the mid-terms.
...and then of course there are the mid-terms.
I read an comment suggesting chances were whoever replaced her would have won but if their majority had been hammered then it would have been making all those up for mid-terms rather nervous and hence more likely to start going against the trumpists.
The unhappy response from constituents can be somewhat ignored but seeing it reflected in a bad result would make those with narrow margins very nervous.
With all this Greenland chat, I'm guessing the utter incompetence of the "Signal" chat has been successfully pushed out of the new cycle headlines?
I don’t think he cares, if he gives up one of his own the other side have scored points.
IMHO we haven’t yet seen just how off the rails this season is going to to all play out, but considering the last season ended on an attempted coup(not forgetting the gallows for Mike Pence) and this one is starting with extortion of Ukraine,tariffs on all allies, takeover of Gaza,Canada and Greenland, sacking of thousands and pretty much all of the social media bending the knee to him and the constant push of the president not being accountable to the courts and the constant attack against the legal system and news channels by Trump.
I think your looking at it logically and assuming the checks and balances of the old ‘Merica still count 🙁
Problem is the average redneck MAGA only really cares about grocery prices. Everything else is cost or tax.
Problem is the average redneck MAGA only really cares about grocery prices. Everything else is cost or tax.
Well, he's failed to deliver his election promise to bring prices down from Day 1 of his term in office
An interesting article which sees things from a more American perspective and one which might at least help to explain why Trump's policies are not less popular in the United States
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c04z0ydvql2o
Given the vast sums of money American corporations extract from foreign markets without paying any tax someone better pass the very small violin. Ireland went to court so that apple didn't have to pay them tax FFS. The US seem to think that things are only fair if they're trading at a considerable advantage to everyone else. Netflix air BnB etc aren't being singled out because they're American, its because they're extracting money from foreign markets and their dominant position, particularly in the tech sphere allows them to get away with it.
Ingredients list for American jam:
Sugar, colouring, flavouring, preservatives.
It's the hypocrisy of the whole USA! CONSTITUTION! GUNS! argument whilst kids are being shot in schools, yet when the bestliest orange trumpet tears up the constitution to his advantage "the people" don't seem to notice.
Its frankly incredible watching a nation as large as the USA dismantle itself in real time. I have no idea of the scale of damage done so far though - if the state structures and regulators etc are represented as a mountain have some trees been ripped out or has one flank of it collapsed?
Ingredients list for American jam:
Sugar, colouring, flavouring, preservatives.
Isn't that the same list for all American processed food?
I laughed the other day when I saw a recipe in an American magazine for frosted cupcakes.
1 pack of cake mix
1 pack of frosting mix
Mix up the cake mix according to the packet and bake. Mix up the frosting according to the packet and pipe on top of the cakes.
Abridged slightly but I kid you not this is a genuine recipe for "home baked" food and very much not unusual.
It's the hypocrisy of the whole USA! CONSTITUTION! GUNS! argument whilst kids are being shot in schools, yet when the bestliest orange trumpet tears up the constitution to his advantage "the people" don't seem to notice.
Hypocrisy is pretty rife across politics in general but it really comes to the fore in the US. How can goons like Rubio and hegseth keep a straight face when defending the Signal cluster xxxx, when all over social media there are videos of them berating Clinton for her emails.
If it wasn't so tragic it would be comical...
Ingredients list for American jam:
Sugar, colouring, flavouring, preservatives.
That doesn't sound like much competition for Bonne Maman jams, so why the need for a 24% plus import tax on fruit spreads from the United States?
Testing my memory but… Trump put a 25% tariff on EU jam in season 1. I don’t remember a reciprocal tariff, and I don’t think there’s one now, but it wouldn’t be surprising. I thought it was just jams from China with a 24% tariff into the EU, but if there’s something similar for the USA… well that’s probably a hangover from Trump’s last trade war. The EU tend to fight back.
Is anyone else finding it hard to fathom why the mass protests and social unrest just are not happening.
When the black lives matter movement went into full effect ( under good cause) the place went nuts now the whole country is sliding into the pits of hell and KKK and Nazis all on pubic display people going missing off the streets of all colour.
And they have Burnie sanders the 80 odd year old banging the drum.
Yes it's surprising how USA appear to be sliding into the abyss, pretty much like 1930's Germany did, and either embracing it or trying to ignore it.
Nazi Germany made pacts taking neighbours land with Russia early on back then too. Trump is too old to be seeing his plan through - but the concern is you have Vance waiting in the wings like the evil Chuckie doll he resembles.
Ingredients list for American jam:
Sugar, colouring, flavouring, preservatives.
Marvellous, another chance to refer STW to my favourite piece of legislation ever, the very wonderful
Jam and Similar Products Regulations
It's a horrid thing to think, but it might have been better if one of the F/A18 Hornets was shot down. In this shitty world we now inhabit (where anything that weakens Trump is a good thing), a US pilot as a guest of the Houthis as a result of those assholes and their group chat, would cause big ructions in middle America.
I hate Trump and what he represents on a cellular level.
It's a horrid thing to think, but it might have been better if one of the F/A18 Hornets was shot down. In this shitty world we now inhabit (where anything that weakens Trump is a good thing), a US pilot as a guest of the Houthis as a result of those assholes and their group chat, would cause big ructions in middle America.
I hate Trump and what he represents on a cellular level.
I thought the same thing, and then felt bad.
Americans are not seeing real world unpleasant consequences to their government's actions yet. It's all distant or minor enough to be "worth it" for the cause.
Until they see hostages or coffins, it's just a minor blip.
Trump is too old to be seeing his plan through
This makes me think they will pull the coup off earlier in this term than they did at the end of the last one.
It appears US politics has been turned on its head - only a few years back Obama could have probably sweet talked Greenland into begging to become a US state. Now, the thought of becoming part of the US is probably as appealing as becoming part of Russia or N Korea.
Is anyone else finding it hard to fathom why the mass protests and social unrest just are not happening.
The (probably unreliable) Book of Face informs me that there have been protests from students at US bases in Germany. Maybe Americans with wider experience of the world are more aware of what's at stake.
Much like my colleagues and I saw the disaster of Brexit for us in our business ahead of the referendum, our colleagues in the USA could see what tarrifs would mean immediately. Fast forward a few weeks and someone placed an order for a piece of kit from China costing $21k and it attracted fees of $16k on importation.
a US pilot as a guest of the Houthis as a result of those assholes and their group chat, would cause big ructions in middle America.
Trump would probably blame the pilot, and publically smear them and their family on live TV. That's what he did to Sen. John McCain - he 'preferred people who didn't get captured'.
Much like my colleagues and I saw the disaster of Brexit for us in our business ahead of the referendum, our colleagues in the USA could see what tarrifs would mean immediately.
At least tariffs are a little easier to reverse, even if the loss of goodwill and business confidence remains.
So, apparently Donald is now "pissed off" with Putin for attacking Zelenskys credibility. Which is ironic.
BBC News - Trump 'very angry' with Putin over ceasefire negotiations
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20x7z36d56o
This is just for show and perhaps as a way to set up the next attack on Ukraine.
I am not sure what Oakwood was suggesting but I don't think that the Houthis necessarily torture and execute their prisoners.
In fact they have a track record of releasing prisoners of war.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/25/yemens-houthi-rebels-release-153-prisoners-of-war
The Red Cross has previously helped with prisoner releases, including one that saw some 1,000 prisoners swapped in 2020. Another exchange saw some 800 detainees released in 2023, with more than 100 freed last May.
So they have released over 2,000 prisoners in the last 5 years.
I would expect an American pow to be quite valuable to the Houthis for all sorts of reasons and that should guarantee they would be reasonably well looked after.
Edit :Re :
"had received regular visits by the ICRC as part of detention work to ensure humane treatment of war-related prisoners, according to the organisation"
I am actually really surprised that the Houthis go as far as allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross access to the prisoners they hold.
didn't the houthis have a rep for torture in the Yemen civil war?
not sure they are a model of ethical prisoner treatment
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45639276
and theyve been indiscriminatly killing crew & attacking shipping (and British naval vessels) in the red sea for the last couple of years
anyway, agree that Trump's 'anger' at Putin is performative nonsense
not sure they are a model of ethical prisoner treatment
No I'm not sure of that either. And going by the well documented the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse I also wouldn't necessarily hold up the US as an example.
theyve been indiscriminatly killing crew & attacking shipping (and British naval vessels) in the red sea for the last couple of years
How is attacking shipping in any way similar to torture? And I am not aware of the Houthis indiscriminately killing shipping crews. How many have they killed?
Edit : This doesn't sound like the indiscriminate killing of shipping crews :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9d5q0jn067o
where did i say attacking shipping was similar to torture?
and yes theyve been killing crew
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68490695
my brother in law spent almost a year away in the red sea shooting down houthi drones and missiles aimed at ships , killing people is usually the aim of launching missiles at their ships...
It's a horrid thing to think, but it might have been better if one of the F/A18 Hornets was shot down. In this shitty world we now inhabit (where anything that weakens Trump is a good thing), a US pilot as a guest of the Houthis as a result of those assholes and their group chat, would cause big ructions in middle America.
I hate Trump and what he represents on a cellular level.
So glad you think the torture and most likely summary execution of a service member is so easily justified and 'a good thing' as you so eloquently put it.
To say I think you're a ****ing disgusting piece of shit would be an understatement.
sommeones very triggered by a forumn. Comment
where did i say attacking shipping was similar to torture?
Why are you mentioning attacking shipping at all? And yes I was aware that crew members had died, I was referring to the indiscriminate killing comment, my link suggests otherwise.
Anyway this has very little to do with Donald Trump. And I don't actually agree with Oakwood's comment, mostly because I don't think it would have the desired effect.
Trump cannot defeat the Houthis, Saudi Arabia has been trying to for years with the very best equipment the United States can provide them with. I have no idea what Trump hopes to achieve.
your link clearly they've been pretty indiscriminate
Over the past 14 months, the Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. As well as seizing the Galaxy Leader, they have sunk two vessels and killed four crew members.
They have said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed - often falsely - that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK.
how do they know whether the cargo ships they're attacking are linked to Israel?
they're an Iranian proxy deliberately targeting shipping with the aim of disrupting supplies to Europe
and i agree that the houthis wont be defeated easily by trump or anyone else , unless he wants to launch a proper land war and pound the country to rubble israel style,
realistically the only way he could do it is via pressuring Iran , theyve also apparently been buying weapons from Russia as well as supplying mercenaries to fight for Russia in Ukraine
all of these American airstrikes certainly haven't stopped them launching missiles at Israel
your link clearly they've been pretty indiscriminate
Allegedly in what shipping they have been attacking. You claimed that they have been "indiscriminately killing crews". There is no evidence of that and my link doesn't suggest that they have.
*just a reminder - nobody suggested they wanted to see a pilot tortured and killed. It was just the typical snidey nonsensical rubbish we come to expect from relapsed_mandolin.
I am not sure what Oakwood was suggesting but I don't think that the Houthis necessarily torture and execute their prisoners.
In fact they have a track record of releasing prisoners of war.
I was suggesting that if a F/A 18 had gone down as a direct result of Trump's polyps and their group chat, the impact for the rest of the world may have been a net positive. I did describe it as a 'shitty' world for that to even be a thing. But we are where we are. Of course the fact of the leaks and their substance should be all that matters - but electorates have repeatedly shown themselves to be extremely stupid. So Trump et al getting away with this one will just be accepted by a lot of people as just one of those things.
It was Trump's inner circle putting their service personnel in harm's way and Trump's inner circle breaching their security and endangering them with an insecure group chat bragging on social ****ing media. Not me.
To say I think you're a ****ing disgusting piece of shit would be an understatement.
OK. I don't like you either, I'm just not as crude about it. So the scores are level on that front and we're no further forward.
Getting back on track with the latest and greatest, Donald T is reiterating that he may do a third term and is not ‘joking’ and they are working on it and have ways for him to do a third term.
Oh, and as martinhutch put it above - if a US pilot had been shot down, Trump would have probably tried to smear them. Maybe he could have one of his looser associates suggest they were a DEI hire or something similar.
You have a draft-dodging crook who mocked the likes of McCain sending US personnel into harm's way and his staff (taking his lead) bragging and boasting about it on an insecure group chat. An insecure group chat that they also shared sensitive operational details that definitely did increase the risk to those personnel.
And you're angry at a forum post.
Getting back on track with the latest and greatest, Donald T is reiterating that he may do a third term and is not ‘joking’ and they are working on it and have ways for him to do a third term.
This is the really worrying thing. He/they will be trying to engineer a situation where the gullible can be convinced it is "necessary".
And I think it will start sooner than I expected. The mid terms are likely to go badly for him, potentially losing one or both Houses. He won't want this being used as an issue in the mid terms so it has to be done before then?
Can't share the link but saw a powerful speech this morning by a Columbia nursing student who was Jewish calling out Trump for using supposedly antisemitic comments to clamp down on free speech and academic freedoms.
And you're angry at a forum post.
Seriously, let it go. Of all the folk on here to be lecturing about how they should feel about anything military, RM is not the person. He made a mistake overreacted to a post. Move on.
Seriously, let it go. Of all the folk on here to be lecturing about how they should feel about anything military, RM is not the person. He made a mistake overreacted to a post. Move on.
Consider it gone.
