17 thoughts on “Friday Open Thread”

1. Yesterday

   But on Thursday, Apple and Google received a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi informing the companies that the Trump administration will not prosecute them for supporting TikTok

   I expected Trump to not care about Biden's signature on the law.  But the bipartisan majorities in both chambers and the Supreme Court decision?  I thought that might trigger a bit more cautious approach, giving some attention to the "exemption" already built into the law. 

   But no … "Trump’s executive order simply told the Department of Justice not to enforce the law’s extensive financial penalties on technology companies."  And now, it has become official policy of the Justice Department. 

   His reasoning:  "“Remember, TikTok is largely about kids. Young kids. If China is going to get information about young kids, I don’t know ― to be honest with you, I think we have bigger problems than that,” Trump said at the White House."

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2. Another day, another completely false NaziTechBro tweet completely dismantled by Nathan Tankus:

   I asked Former Bureau of the Fiscal Service Employees to Interpret An Elon Musk Tweet. Here’s What they Told me

   (The entire article is complex and worthy of a serious read, so distilling down to a few paragraphs is a disservice. However, this is the money quote:)

   In the meantime, it is exhausting how much effort is required to deconstruct one Elon Musk tweet. He can lie about very complex and technical systems much faster than he can be answered, but nevertheless it's important to periodically critically assess what the richest man in the world is saying as he continually tries to justify chopping the government up and selling it for parts like this is a private equity takeover. 

   https://www.crisesnotes.com/i-asked-former-bureau-of-the-fiscal-service-employees-to-interpret-an-elon-musk-tweet/

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3. I Never Intended to be a Cassandra

   I had assumed Colorado's Energy Policy was well thought out

   Also, sat through 6-1/2 hours of testimony on a bill at the legislature. The fact that legislators can do this day after day after day – kudos to them.

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4. Fourteen States sue in support of fraud and waste in the Federal Government. Majority of citizens want the waste eliminated that the fraudsters prosecuted. Where does Colorado Pols stan?

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   1. Dunno… Maybe with Ollie?

      BA-DUMP-WOMP! 

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   2. The correct question is "WHO does Colorado Pols stan," if you're hip and with it.

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      1. Maybe what he is saying sounds better in the original German.  

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   3. Please specifically name the "fraud and waste" the Democrat AG's are supporting. If you cannot do so, you have not point. Right?

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      1. Exactly the problem with PP.  He's breathing in wayyy too much musk and thinks that 20 something coders are forensic accountants.  

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   4. Thanks … I'll believe *resident Trump and the actual decision-makers are serious about "waste and fraud" when they have Senate-confirmed Inspectors General back in place. 

      And just for the record … I disagree that "waste" includes the salaries of some federal workers —

      • Trump officials fired nuclear staff not realizing they oversee the country’s weapons stockpile, sources say

      • and last night, I heard from a friend working with the Veteran's Administration that DESPITE the VA Secretary assuring everyone that the probationary workers being laid off would not impact those providing care, one known personally was one of the team of "caring, qualified Veterans Crisis Line responders for confidential help. Many of them are Veterans themselves."

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5. Trump Supporters who didn't take him at his word. Atlantic.

   All of this was foreseeable. In a 2015 tweet that remains depressingly relevant a decade later, Adrian Bott joked: “‘I never thought leopards would eat MY face,’ sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party.” But I don’t want to single out ordinary citizens. Even Republican members of Congress are doing the same dance—cheering on Trump cuts in general but scrambling to protect their own states from losing any federal money. They ran for office with the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party, but they never expected the leopards to eat their faces too.

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6. But her emails, Project 2025 version, from Huffington Post of all places:

   WASHINGTON — Elon Musk’s team at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency has posted classified information about the size and staff of a U.S. intelligence agency on its new website, raising bigger concerns about where Musk’s programmers got this information and what they are doing with it.

   Unfortunately, the news feels kind of par for the course these days, but I was glad HuffPo called DOGE "so-called."

    

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7. After many resignations in the NY US Attorney’s office, Acting (pretending?) Deputy AG Emil Bove is reduced to pleading/threatening/bribing anyone left to do his dirty work.

   On Friday, he summoned the remaining members of the public integrity section, telling them to figure out who would be willing to file the motion to dismiss in federal court in New York. Bove suggested that people not willing to do so could be fired, and those who were willing could be promoted, according to three people who have been in communication with those at the meeting and spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose what was said.

   Calling all Suckophants!

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   1. What a great word! We're looking at you Pitiful Pear.

      Since merit has gone out the window, why don't you apply to be the Big Suckophant in the New York prosecutors office.

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      1. Might not even need a law degree.   Since the only requirements is being able to suck Trump.

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   2. Maddow did a segment this evening on this mess and the guy who did as they asked. He’s retiring imminently, so he took one for the team: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/doj-s-eric-adams-drama-may-enter-new-chapter-as-judge-considers-attempt-to-dismiss-case-232080453848

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      1. As a number of people are pointing out, those putting their names on a court motion (Sullivan and Bacon) to "protect" others appear willing to 

         • do something they KNOW is the wrong thing to do,
         • set an example for future ethical calculations that are almost certainly coming. .

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