#Deputy Assistant Director

[vague-humanoid]

If you're having an issue with communications, Stephanie Whitaker, Communications Director, has an email here stephanie.whitaker@governor.mo.gov. Jonathan Shifletts Deputy Comms/Press Sec, johnathan.shiflett@governor.mo.gov · Phone, work cell: 573-508-4323

Tammy Allee, Executive Assistant, and Evan Rodriguez, General Counsel, for Gov. Mike Parson’s office have disconnected their lines. Kelli Jones, DCS has not. Call 573-751-3222, Press 4 once prompted and key in 56637 53554 to urge them to not execute Marcellus Williams.

[mauricioclavercarone]

Mauricio Claver-Carone served as the Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council. The National Security Council is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters.

[sobbingscripter]

Tags: [mlw][mdni][smidge of angst][boss/subordinate][no nudity][public sex][young cecil][standing sex][oral (f! receiving)][fingering][creampie][standing missionary][he's a lil' bit of a piner]

Cecil thumbs over the smooth surface of an aged picture, pulled out of the safe haven of his wallet. He feels the coolness of the image, weathered blue eyes lowering to his beaming face, dimples deep in his cheeks and the youth is so apparent. Beside him, you're wearing one of those childish plastic tiaras with fluff around the edges, arms crossed over your chest and pretty eyes narrowed into a scowl.

And Cecil swallows, a slender fingered hand moving to tug on the tie around his neck, loosening the loop until it hung lazily and his hand wraps around the crystal tumbler. He keeps his gaze on the picture, eyes softened uncharacteristically and heart panging with a sense of longing.

It's been at least 30 years.

30 years without hearing your snide remarks, without being told that he's a walking, talking advertisement for birth control, without being punched in the throat.

Cecil brings the glass to his lips, ice clinking around in the brown liquid, and he inhales sharply. The bittersweet scent clogging his mind for a minute and for once, he's not holding the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He simply holding your paperwork.

Cecil understood why you were always in such a bad mood. A permanent scowl etched onto your face, the way you'd rub at your temples and bark orders.

Assistant Deputy Director. That was your position.

Forced to do the work of those above you, and receive none of the credit. And Cecil's pure little heart couldn't help but pity you.

"I got that coffee you asked for." Cecil hums softly, setting the paper cup on your dimly lit desk, papers scattered and the sleeves of your shirt rolled up to your elbows, pens tossed haphazardly and you continue working.

"I didn't ask for coffee." You state, gaze remaining glued to the documents in front of you. Documents that were definitely above Cecil's pay grade but you couldn't be bothered to obscure them from his view. Not when he watches you with those pretty blue eyes, silently willing you to meet his gaze. Until you do.

"You didn't have to." He speaks softly and you let out a soft breath, fingers curling around the cup and bringing it towards your lips, palms heating up and you inhale the aroma. Strong and just the way you like it.

And you sigh.

"Oh, Cecilia. Where would I be without you?" You coo sweetly, before taking a sip. The coffee is scorching the inside of your mouth, but your training taught you to never show weakness so instead of 'hashafashasha'-ing your way into cooling the coffee, you simply swallow. Feeling the burn all the way down to your belly before setting the cup down.

"Was it hot?"

"Very."

Idle chatter flows like a river between the two of you, your hands continue to sift through the documents, signing, blacking out what needs to be erased and editting plans for various projects.

And Cecil hums quietly.

"You know, ma'am, I've never seen you do the birthday walk." He rests his chin in the palm of his hand, brilliant blue eyes trained on your features as

"My birthday's on a weekend."

"Which weekend?"

"That's classified." You dismiss him with ease, peeking up at him from beneath your brows and my God, do you wish you didn't.

Pretty blue eyes locked on you like you're the only thing in his world, lips looking so perfectly rosy, and blonde strands fall over his forehead, so messily majestic. And you swallow.

Before begrudgingly admitting the date.

"That's... Today." Blonde brows scrunch into a frown as he straightens up just a bit, his tie hanging limply down the front of where his shirt sits so snugly around his torso, tucked into the front of his pants and sleeves rolled up just enough to expose that classy wristwatch.

Gold. But it was too warm, in your opinion.

"What? No, that's crazy." Your sarcasm is layered on thick enough for him to know you're fucking with him, and if it isn't, the twitch of your lips give you away. And you let out a breath, before glancing at Cecil.

"If you sing, I'm calling you Cecilia for the rest of your life as well as making you clean latrines."

"I'm a high ranking agent."

"And you have arms and a nose. Essential for scrubbing shit stains from porcelain."

And Cecil grimaces. "Why do I need a nose for that?"

"I'd like for you to smell me abusing my power."

God. Cecil wishes he'd sang to you. He imagines the way your lips would've curled into a begrudging smile, the way the corners of your eyes would crinkle and the way your cheeks would flush, becoming heated.

He glances towards the framed picture that he usually keeps tucked in the locked compartment of his desk.

Aged and frayed, folds and disappeared pigment where the picture had been folded up so many times in so many different ways.

Flushed cheeks and hazy eyes stare back at him, kept pretty behind a glossy glass frame. And his fingers absentmindedly twist at the ring on his pinkie.

Your favourite metal, pretty and polished. Not a scuff in sight.

"This is ridiculous."

Carnival lights flicker in the emptiness of the night, the sounds of fun and laughter surrounding the two of you as you continue to walk between the various stands. A plethora of rides, of attractions, of snacks.

"If you can stop your complaining, miss, maybe you'll enjoy it." Cecil grumbles, before he feels the way your hand reaches for his, your pinkie wrapping around his so sweetly. And he glances down towards your interlocked hands.

"You look like the type of guy to get lost." You mumble. "Or touched."

Cecil can taste the cotton candy on his tongue, he can feel the warmth wrapping around his pinkie and he slumps into his seat, staring ahead into the emptiness of his office. He can hear the giggles that would slip past your lips whenever he'd lose at something.

He feets the lush grass beneath his shoes, he feels the cold breeze whipping at the back of his neck. And he swallows, bringing the Scotch back up to his lips, taking a mouthful.

"Win me a teddy bear."

You stare at Cecil with a blank, almost expressionless face. Watching him stare down at you with the sweetest expression and you let out a groan, handing your pretzel before you lick the sugary sweetness from your fingers.

And God, watching you lick your fingers felt like watching sin be born.

Your pink tongue dragging along the pads, lapping and sucking, until you deemed them clean enough and you stepped up.

Readying your eye at the scope, before aiming.

6 faux ducks in a row, and that gave Cecil the pick of the litter. And by natural instinct, he grabs the one that looks the most like you.

A frowning turtle.

"Doesn't it look like you?" Cecil hums, before angling the turtle towards you, allowing you a good look at the shoddy stitching and the mismatched cotton used for the body.

"Why d'you think it does?" You take another bire of your pretzel.

"Because you're turtle-y coming outta your shell."

Cecil smiles at the thought of how you turned to face him. So slowly.

Wind whipping at your hair, tresses framing your face so perfectly that he would've thought he was recalling painting, rather than a person. You were a sight for sore eyes.

The shitty joke had somehow managed to get you to let out a laugh. Melodious, sweet and so, so... Addictive. He'd instantly marked the sound of your laugh as his favourite sound. The cacophony of wheezes and breathless coughs had his heart clutching, even now.

And Cecil takes another swig.

This time, straight from the bottle.

"Shit..." Cecil's voice is breathy, lips pressed against your pulse, one of your thighs hiked around his hips. You remain pushed against the warping mirror, prisms of light dancing over your features and that goofy ass song that plays over the speakers is drowned out by your panted breaths. And he shudders when your manicured fingers sink into the golden strands at the nape of his neck.

His breaths are deep and shaky, hands grasping at your waist and thigh, anything to bring you closer to him.

Fuck, he has your picture tucked into his wallet already. He'd have to be fucking stupid to miss the signs you've been giving him all night.

Calling him 'Cecilia', telling him that he looks like a boyscout with the way his eyes twinkle so prettily at the different attractions. Not to mention the way you fingers slid between his when you pointed out the House of Mirrors.

Cecil's cock strains against the front of his slacks, his hips slotted between your thighs, and he shudders when he feels the way your nails scrape against his scalp. "Well shit..." He breathes out. "I like that..."

Cecil swallows, the back of his neck set aflame wth a deep blush, and he simply inhales through his nose.

And he's surrounded by silence. Delving deeper into memories that threaten to escape him with each visit.

Soon enough, Cecil found himself guiding your thigh to rest on one of his broad shoulders, meaty hands pawing at your thighs, lips pressing haphazard kisses along your hosiery-clad thighs, before he rips a hole into the nylon.

His knees dig into the cool linoleum tiles beneath him, but it does nothing to cool the flame that seems to be scorching just behind his flesh.

Cecil's hands paw at you, fingers tugging your panties to the side and his tongue drags through your sloppy folds, and he just loves the way your belly dips inward at the feel. And he groans. Your hand moves to rest on the crown of his head, nails scraping along his scalp, fingers disappearing between his blonde strands and you sigh.

Your breath stutters, head tipping back against the mirror, your bottom lip wedged between your teeth because sound travels. Especially when it's a high pitched moan because he has those perfect and pouty lips wrapped around your clit, sucking on it like it's a fucking treat.

This is definitely against the rules. This could be seen as an abuse of your power, but you can't really find the urge to give a shit. Not right now when his tongue's dipping into your spasming hole and definitely not when his nose is bumping at your clit so teasingly.

"Such a pretty pussy." He croons, diamond eyes glossy and chin coated in a slick sheen, and he slides one of his hands up your thigh, fingers tracing along your slit when his tongue goes back to lapping between your folds.

Your brain turns to a muddy puddle, threatening to leak out your ears when one of his long fingers are buried in you, all the way to the knuckle. And he curls the digit, a calloused fingertip presses against that gooey spot that makes your knees buckle.

"Holy sh-shit..." Your hands are cradling the back of your head, your lashes fluttering and your chest heaving, kiss swollen lips parted to let hot puffs of air escape your lungs And choked up throat.

Fingers fuck into your cunt, dragging against your insides with a skill that makes your toes curl in your heels, and you're so confused as to how you're even able to stand up.

Your body slumped and your breaths weak and whiny, staring down at him from below fluffy lashes.

There's something so earnest about the way he sucks at your cunt, lips finding purchase around your sloppy folds and eyes so glazed over, you're wondering if he's enjoying this more than you are.

His hips buck into nothing when you come. You spasm around his fingers, breathless gasps slipping from you with the ease that water slips through the cracks in stone.

And his free hand palms at his cock through his slacks, brows scrunching into a cute little frown before he pulls back, gossamers of your wetness clinging to his lips.

His eyes lower to where your slick drips down his palm and he licks his palm clean, pink tongue savouring the taste of you and he smears his saliva-coated palm along your cunt.

Before rising to his feet.

His breath stutters in his withered lungs, face burning a bright red at the memory. The dimness of his office is a weak consolidation, slumping back against Italian leather and he glances towards the ceiling.

He remembers the way you sighed when he pushed into you, clingy pussy immediately wrapping around him so snugly and he remembers the way your arms snaked around his neck.

And he takes another swig. The liquor burns on the way down but it does nothing to quell the fiery pit in his belly.

"Shit..." Cecil groans. "Too tight— m'not goin' anywhere, doll." He lets out a breathy laugh when he watches the way you hide your face in the curve of his neck, nails digging into his broad shoulders and you're barely able to stand up.

You're so warm, slick dripping down your thighs and soaking your pantyhose, your panties tugged to the side and your gooey walls fit him so snugly.

The sounds you make when his hips meet yours with each roll is downright nefarious. Breathing sweet sighs and moans into his ear, your nails leaving scratches along the back of his neck and your thigh hooked around him, bringing him closer.

He's not even pulling out properly, you won't let him. The blonde tufts of his happy trail grinds against your clit teasingly, the sensation making your lips part. Spit-slicked and rosy, and he can't not kiss you.

Cecil's lips press against yours with the kind of desperation no subordinate should have. Ever.

Tongue brushing against yours, and he's kissing you like he's trying to remember you forever. To remember the way you feel.

And he sighs into the kiss when you suck on his tongue.

Cecil's not looking down. He can't afford to. He doesn't wanna look at where your pretty cunt's wrapping around him like a fucking leash, where you're creaming around him and Cecil whines.

Panted breaths escape him and he hides his face in the crook of your neck, hands grasping the fat of your ass beneath your skirt, bringing you closer with each desperate fuck into you.

His flushed tip presses slick and messy kisses against your cervix, a perfect curve that hits that spongy spot with each sloppy thrust and he's damn near embarassed that he's rushing towards his orgasm with the speed of a freight train.

And he swallows. Hard.

"I can't pull out." He pants. "I just— I can't, I don't want to. Shit, 's so good..."

And he babbles. He's embarassed. But he's only been fantasizing about fucking you like this for the last 4 years.

Picturing how your tits would press against his chest in missionary, how he'd inhale that sweet perfume up close rather than just the ghost of it when you walk past him.

"Then don't."

Cecil takes a deep breath to clear his mind. He doesn't need to be painting the inside of his slacks with a load that's been aching to be emptied into you.

He glances longingly at the pictures of you. The expression on your face, the matching smiles you wore for the staff photos. And he glances at the ring on his finger, glinting in the light of his desk lamp.

"Keep this. In case I die." You hum softly, sliding one of your many rings onto his hand instead, picking his pinkie as the chosen digit.

You're supposed to go... Negotiate with some firebreather, Director's orders in hopes of assembling a team of heroes.

"You'll be fine." Cecil reassures, pressing a kiss against your palm, looking down at you with that adoring expression.

"Whatever, Cecilia."

He feels the way his throat burns at the memory. And he glances towards the watch on his wrist.

Roman numerals, silver with a black, leather strap. Worn and frayed, but still visibly well-maintained.

"Found this." Cecil stares down at the box in his hand. A sleek wristwatch, displayed on a tiny pillow. Silver, with black leather straps. And a barely visible 'C.S' engraved on the back.

And a tiny note.

'Always thought you'd look less faggy in silver.'

He remembers the way his body nearly went limp. The way his stomach dropped, the way his throat tightened and the burn that seemed to scorch the back of his eyes.

And Cecil glances towards the watch on his wrist, thumb brushing over the leather.

"You were right." He mumbles. "Silver looks better."

Taglist:

@lucky-beheaded 🌻

@tamaranblaze 🐭

@anesthesia-4rizzle 🎀

@feral010 ✨

@blckbarbiedoll 🌷: All (exc. Damian)

@allycat4458 🪻: All (exc. Kyle)

@custardpuddingprincess ⭐

@couldeatthatgirlforlunch 🦄

@theamazkngskye 🍄

@titchx0 🦆

@starski 🌃

@5lxt4u 🎻

@pariahsparadise 🏝️

@ilove-nsfw 🖇️

@milkstrawburie 🥛

@squigglewigglewoo 🪴

@hhjira 🌬️

@atanukileaf ☘️

@Calicocat-ina-tuxedo 🐱

@maliagurl 🐛

@munji-tunji 🦐

@ruu-bluu 💎

[wheredidthe80sgo]

the west wing is the best show ever because you wouldn’t expect to come out of a hard-hitting, critically acclaimed political drama with the ultimate found family trope, right? and yet the president is a complete nerd, his wife is scary and the top in their relationship, the president and his chief of staff are Dad 1 and Dad 2, the deputy chief of staff and his assistant are in a years-long emotional affair and everyone knows it but them, the communications director is grumpy as hell and you love him so much, the press secretary is tall, hot and awesome, the deputy communications officer is the gay son and the president’s aide is the human personification of a pleasure to have in class. and they’re all family and love each other very much :)

[dostoyevsky-official]

Trump administration disbands taskforce targeting Russian oligarchs

A memo from the attorney general, Pam Bondi, issued during a wave of orders on her first day in office but not previously reported, said the effort, known as Task Force KleptoCapture, will end as part of a shift in focus and funding to combating drug cartels and international gangs. The taskforce brought indictments against the aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska and TV tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev for alleged sanctions busting, and seized yachts belonging to the sanctioned oligarchs Suleiman Kerimov and Viktor Vekselberg. It also secured a guilty plea against a US lawyer who made $3.8m in payments to maintain properties owned by Vekselberg.

Trump Green-Lights Bribery and Corruption With New Executive Order

President Donald Trump has instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to pause prosecutions of companies that bribe foreign government officials to win business. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been “stretched beyond proper bounds and abused in a manner that harms the interests of the United States,” hurting American competitiveness, Trump wrote in an executive order signed Monday. [...] The order’s legality was not immediately clear. Generally, the Constitution requires the president to “take care that the laws” passed by Congress “be faithfully executed.” Presidents do have some enforcement discretion, but they cannot override laws, according to the ACLU. Major companies such as Goldman Sachs, Glencore and Walmart have all come under FCPA scrutiny, according to Reuters.

///

"It's going to mean a lot more business for America," Trump told reporters while signing the order in the Oval Office on Monday. Trump wanted to strike down FCPA during his first term in office. He has called it a "horrible law" and said "the world is laughing at us" for enforcing it. Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said FCPA made the United States a leader in addressing global corruption. (x)

///

“It sounds good on paper, but in practicality, it's a disaster,” Trump said. “It means that if an American goes over to a foreign country and starts doing business over there, legally, legitimately or otherwise, it's almost a guaranteed investigation indictment, and nobody wants to do business with the Americans because of it.” [...] Gary Kalman, executive director of Transparency International U.S., said Trump’s order “diminishes—and could pave the way for completely eliminating—the crown jewel in the U.S.’s fight against global corruption.” [...] In one of its most significant victories, the Justice Department announced Oct. 16, three weeks before Trump’s election victory, that mega-defense contractor Raytheon Company of Virginia would pay over $950 million to settle foreign bribery and related charges in a scheme to help foreign governments purchase PATRIOT missile systems and operate and maintain a radar system. In one of the schemes, Raytheon engaged in a campaign from 2012 and 2016 “to bribe a high-level official” within the Qatar government’s military “in order to assist Raytheon in obtaining and retaining business” from it, the DOJ said, citing admissions and court documents filed in the Eastern District of New York. [...] Raytheon’s “criminal schemes to defraud the U.S. government in connection with” the contracts “erodes public trust and harms the DOD, businesses that play by the rules, and American taxpayers,” Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kevin Driscoll of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division also said at the time. (x)

this is the most relentlessly pro-corruption administration in american history. the guiding animus seems to be how much corruption can we do, how can we help others get away with corruption, how can we halt justice, etc

[hollygl125]

@tvarchive TV Appreciation Week 2024: Day 4: Favourite family: THE WEST WING (1999-2006), Found + First: First Season, First Appearances, First Lines (in order of appearance):

Sam Seaborn, Deputy Communications Director;

Leo McGarry, Chief of Staff;

C.J. Cregg, Press Secretary;

Josh Lyman, Deputy Chief of Staff;

Toby Ziegler, Communications Director;

Donna Moss, Assistant to the Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff;

Jed Bartlet, President of the United States;

Charlie Young, Personal Aide to the President;

Zoey Bartlet, (Third) First Daughter of the United States; and

Abbey Bartlet, First Lady of the United States.

“I am the Lord your God. Thou shalt worship no other god before me.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester at ProPublica:

For weeks, some of the federal government’s foremost authorities on global health have repeatedly warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other leaders about the coming death toll if they carried out the Trump administration’s plan to end nearly all U.S. foreign aid around the world. In their clearest accounting yet, top officials have estimated the casualties: One million children will not be treated for severe acute malnutrition. Up to 166,000 people will die from malaria. New cases of tuberculosis will go up by 30%. Two hundred thousand more children will be paralyzed by polio over the next decade. Instead of acting on the repeated warnings, top administration officials, including the State Department’s director of foreign assistance, Peter Marocco, thwarted their own experts’ efforts to keep the U.S. Agency for International Development’s most vital programs up and running, according to internal memos and estimates compiled by global health leaders at the agency and obtained by ProPublica. President Donald Trump’s political appointees, along with billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, pressed ahead with their plan to dismantle USAID by ignoring and impeding staff who tried to protect lifesaving operations — even as the administration publicly insisted that those programs remained online — according to the memos and interviews with government officials.

During exchanges outlined in one of the memos, a DOGE engineer emailed staff and said they were not allowed to review the programs they were canceling. At another point, USAID’s then-deputy chief of staff, Joel Borkert, told agency personnel to take a “draconian” approach to approving waivers. The explosive memos — which include summaries of email exchanges and top-level meetings inside USAID, as well as internal agency research — were sent by Nicholas Enrich, acting assistant administrator for global health. ProPublica also obtained detailed breakdowns of lifesaving programs managed by the bureau and the projected impact of cutting them. Enrich was placed on leave Sunday. Enrich told The New York Times he released the memos, which multiple other officials contributed to, after learning he was being placed on leave, as thousands of others at the agency have been. The memos were circulated to the staff and obtained by ProPublica.

The documents identify several key senior policymakers behind the scenes while also puncturing the administration’s claims of a careful, deliberative review of USAID programming. The records also represent the government’s most explicit concerns to date memorialized by a senior official from inside Trump’s administration. The State Department, USAID and Elon Musk did not respond to questions about this story. Rubio and Marocco did not respond to a request for an interview. Since the inauguration, Rubio, Musk and Marocco have taken dramatic steps to incapacitate USAID, the largest foreign aid donor in the world, by firing its employees and halting operations. The global health bureau was one of the first parts of the agency targeted for mass layoffs. Then, last week, they abruptly cancelled 10,000 foreign aid projects, which account for 90% of USAID’s humanitarian operations and about half of the State Department’s. Lifesaving programs that were still operating around the world were forced to close down immediately. Following a series of lawsuits challenging their constitutional authority to lay off or place on leave thousands of employees and freeze nearly all foreign aid, Rubio and Marocco have defended their actions by arguing that the president has the right to cancel programs, and that they were conducting a careful review of the government’s foreign aid programs to make sure they aligned with Trump’s agenda. The administration says it is rooting out waste and fraud, while Musk has publicly vowed to destroy USAID altogether. [...]

Enrich’s memos offer additional evidence calling into question the administration’s claims in court while projecting the dire consequences that will play out for both the U.S. and vulnerable people around the world. One of the documents said that the sweeping cuts to foreign aid promise to reignite outbreaks of preventable, deadly illnesses; fuel instability in war-torn areas; and put the U.S. at risk for outbreaks of infectious disease. “This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale,” it says. Take tuberculosis, which kills more than 1.25 million people a year and is already the deadliest infectious disease on the planet. New infections are expected to surge by 30% more as a result of the terminations, and disruptions to treatment will cause people to develop drug resistance, making any future treatment options far more difficult and costly, the memo said.

That global surge will inevitably lead to more cases in the U.S. USAID staff forecast there would be around 80 additional cases of multi-drug-resistant TB here each year because of the cuts across USAID, the memo added. Even a few dozen cases would cost the U.S. millions in tax dollars; it takes nearly $500,000 on average to treat someone with the most drug-resistant forms of the illness, the memo notes. Enrich’s bureau also warned that the foreign aid cuts will destabilize entire regions around the globe. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the U.S. withdrawal of aid has led health services to collapse as an ongoing conflict flares, the memos noted. They said more than 400 mpox patients were left stranded and that more than a million people face critical shortages of food and water, supplies the U.S. has promised to provide. Malnutrition, cholera and measles are all projected to increase as well. Across the Sahel, the transition zone between Africa’s northern deserts and southern savannahs, malaria season is fast approaching. The U.S. has already purchased mosquito nets, diagnostic tests and treatments that cannot be delivered, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the programs. Canceled programs there and elsewhere are expected to cause between 12 million and 18 million additional malaria infections over the next year, the document estimates. And those infections are likely to be more deadly. Spread via mosquito, malaria is particularly lethal for children under 5. The U.S. was paying to help roll out drugs that are highly effective at preventing children from getting sick or dying. Those programs have been canceled.

The consequences of the Musk/Trump purge of USAID have come home to roost.

[porterdavis]

Preaching to the choir

Here are quotes from the people who know Donald Trump best:

Mike Pence — Trump's Vice President

“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year.”

Mark Esper — Trump's Secretary of Defense

“Trump is not fit for office because he puts himself first and I think anybody running for office should put the country first.”

James Mattis — Trump's Secretary of Defense

“Trump's use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice. Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people - does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us.”

John Kelly — Trump's Chief of Staff

“Trump is a person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. He's a person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.”

Mick Mulvaney — Trump's Chief of Staff

“I am working hard to make sure that someone else is the nominee.”

Mark Milley — Trump's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

“Trump is a wannabe dictator. We don't take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America - and we're willing to die to protect it.”

John Bolton — Trump's National Security Advisor

“There will be celebrations in the Kremlin if Trump is elected in November. Putin thinks that he is an easy mark. Donald Trump wants Americans to treat him like North Koreans treat Kim Jong Un. Get ready.”

Cassidy Hutchinson — Trump's Assistant to Chief of Staff

“If Trump is elected president again in 2024, I do fear that it will be the last election where we're voting for democracy because, if he is elected again, I don't think we'll be voting under the same Constitution.”

Stephanie Grisham — Chief of Staff to Trump's Wife Melania

“I did not vote for Trump in 2020.”

Sarah Matthews — Trump's Deputy Press Secretary

“Trump has a history of making unhinged comments. He helped incite a deadly insurrection on our nation's Capitol.”

Anthony Scaramucci — Trump's Director of Communications

“Trump's going to make things rougher for people. He has already said he's going after his adversaries using the Department of Justice. When someone's telling you they're going to flex and be a dictator on day one and go after their adversaries, this is against the 200+ year experiment of America.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin — Trump's Director of Strategic Communications

“The reason that I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump this year also has to do with the fact that he is walking away. Not just from keeping faith with the constitution on January 6th, but also from a commitment to fiscal responsibility, a commitment to the sanctity of life, a commitment to American leadership in the world.”

Bill Barr — Trump's Attorney General

“I have made clear that I strongly oppose Trump for the nomination and will not endorse Trump. One of the reasons I'm against Trump as the nominee is I don't think he's going to move the country forward.”

HR McMaster — Trump's National Security Advisor

“It would be terribly divisive for our country for Trump to run again.”

Take it from those who know him best!

[darkeagleruins]

JUST IN: The FBI official who just briefed America about the latest Trump assassination investigation, Jeffrey Veltri, is a notorious Trump hater.

Veltri, the head of FBI Miami Field Office, was so outspoken about his Trump-deranged Facebook posts that agents were ordered to scrub them before he could be promoted to head the Miami field office.

The whistleblower told the House Judiciary Committee that Mr. Veltri was “adamantly and vocally anti-Trump."

The whistleblower added that FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, Deputy Director Paul Abbate and Executive Assistant Director Jennifer Moore were all involved in directing Veltri to disinfect his social media.

This is who Americans are being asked to trust for reliable information about the Trump assassination attempt and the security failures leading up to it.

Maybe the FBI should stop promoting hyper-partisan extremists to head field offices.

[neysaadept]

Prometheus Chapter 2

Emily Prentiss x Female CIA Reader

Tags: Limited use of y/n but established last name. Swearing, mentions of the pandemic and human and sex trafficking. Minors DNI.

Summary: You are an old acquaintance of Rebecca Wilson. She calls in a favor to help the BAU out of a financial debacle. This also means that the current CIA employed Reader has to consult with the BAU to make this work, and not just on paper. This has to be official, which means working with a disgruntled Section Chief Emily Prentiss. A lot.

First time writing like this, so any feedback is appreciated!

AO3

Chapter 1

Word Count: 3.4k

Chapter 2 - Why Do I Even Bother?

Emily stares blankly at you, digesting this ironic twist of fate that has landed in her lap.

Someone was joining the unit that she didn’t authorize. She could have laughed at the absurdity of it all if she wasn’t so angry right now.

And now, I know how Hotch felt …

When she joined the BAU, there was so much work drama after Greenaway left that the section chief at the time approved her transfer without letting Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner know. Emily had unknowingly become a potential pawn of Strauss to spy on the BAU.

Which didn’t improve her opinion of you. You said all the right words and felt genuine, but this wasn’t sitting right with Emily. What was in it for you? A CIA special agent had more important things to do than moonlight with the FBI. She didn’t even know what skills you had to assist the team in their line of work. Hell, she didn’t even know you existed until today and here Rebecca was vouching for you or you wouldn’t be here. Tara trusted Rebecca and Rebecca trusted you. Should Emily?

In her head, Emily wants to convince herself that both of your odd recruitments into the BAU are different. That you both wanted to be in the BAU and there was no malicious intent. But Emily only knew her motivation. Not yours.

She was trying to make sense of it. The drama in the BAU was not as earth shattering as the fallout with Greenaway. She was dealing with post pandemic political shakes up and Rossi’s mental state.

At least I got my office back and Dave’s back home…

Instead of Strauss, she has a Bailey and Rebecca and you are adamant that there was no issue in making the deputy director upset. Both of you had come to her to explain the situation so she wouldn’t be blindsided by you consulting for the BAU. It isn’t like the AG just made it happen. She just approved of the plan to start the tricky process of how the money gets into the BAU budget. Which makes sense having you on the team. It is the easiest way on paper to expedite the resources instead of having you fill out all the paperwork needed to be granted your funds – which could take weeks considering the sum required. You certainly couldn’t just Zelle the money or cut the BAU a personal check since any government official or agency couldn’t accept gifts.

Ugh!

Emily’s silence was deafening. If she could kill you with the look of contempt she was directing your way, you would burst into flames and become a pile of ash that the section chief could happily walk over without a second thought.

“Look, I know you’re not happy,” you begin to say and Prentiss’ eyes narrow as if you were a child stating the obvious. That did not go over well with you but sniping back would only escalate the situation. And you really weren’t in the mood to go head to head with the unit chief in a verbal spar. Plus, it would make Rebecca mad. You didn’t want to ruin your friend’s reputation. “I’m not that happy either since I’m supposed to be on leave.”

Rebecca shot you an incredulous look you ignore. She was not buying for a second that you weren’t happy working with the FBI instead of taking the leave the CIA was forcing upon you. Prentiss certainly took notice of the reaction.

“And I wouldn’t like it either if someone was forced onto my team without my input. So,” you relax your stance and hold up your hands gesturing to Prentiss, “you make the call.”

“Hey!” Rebecca says, wondering what got into you. “Davis won’t like this if we wasted her time.”

You look at Rebecca and lightly shrug. She scoffs at you being nonchalant about the backlash.  “Seriously?”

“It’s Prentiss’ call,” you answer, looking back at her. Prentiss remains silent in thought, studying you. Her only movement was her right thumb and index finger toying with a knuckle on the other hand.

“Look, you can approve of me being here and getting the money. I’ll even sign whatever you want to make good on this. Rebecca can whip that up quick,” you say with a flourish of your hand towards her.

“Gee. Thanks for volunteering me.”

“You’re welcome,” you respond cheekily, but your eyes were still on Prentiss. “I’m sure you two can figure out a reasonable amount of time I’ll need to be on staff to make everyone happy on paper. Or …”

You shove your hands down your front jean pockets as you scrunch your shoulders. “… say the word, and I’m back on vacation. And … hopefully no hard feelings for this whole thing?”

The smile that you give her reaches your eyes, truly accepting either decision.

Emily opens her mouth to answer, her jaw slightly off center, momentarily taken aback with how yielding you were …

“And now I get to spend the rest of my night working on your damn contract,” grumbles Rebecca as you both walk down the stairs away from Prentiss’ office. She had her phone out, furiously typing away to let Tara know she was going to be late.

“Yeah, sorry about your plans.” The smile gave away your amusement. “But think about how happy your girlfriend will be that you saved the BAU’s ass.” You hip check her as you sing song. “I’m thinking you’re gonna get thank you sex for saving the BAU …”

She looks at you, eyes shifting slowly from irritation to delight. “Now that’s a good point.” She fires off another text to Tara and pockets her phone. “And what about you?”

You furrow your brows at the question. “What about me what? I’m not having sex with your girlfriend.”

“God! What is wrong with you?”

You laugh. “There are many theories.”

She can’t help laughing at that. “Fair point. But is there any special someone to celebrate with or you still flying solo?”

Now you throw your head back with a sharper laugh in response. “Yeah, no. Still very much a solo gig. Not like I’ve got time for it anyway. And don’t!” You playfully shove Rebecca when you scold her. “I hear your mind wind working overtime already. Don’t get any fucking ideas.”

“I’d never!” she replies with a shrewd wink as you both exit the bullpen to leave.

Emily watches both of you walk away with a familiar camaraderie from her office door, already beginning to regret her decision to sign you on as a consultant. Were you always going to be this loud and obnoxious? Much of your behavior had been superficial until you realized you had angered her with crack about her fake death. Of course, you behaved long enough for her to take you on and offer a quick, thank you ma’am before degrading into a joke again. She watched as you wiped your brow and breathed a sigh of relief at Rebecca, announcing you were worried Emily was going to say no for sec.

She closes the door as your laughter echoes through the empty bullpen along with Rebecca’s, wondering if she should consider reneging the offer a second time in the last thirty minutes. Silently she imagines a scenario that she follows after you and rips you to shreds for being so passionless to the plight of the BAU and caring only about fulfilling a debt.

Sitting down with a sigh, Emily rakes a hand through her silver locks before taking a healthy swallow of wine to settle herself. You irritated her, probably heightened by her mistrust of you. To combat this feeling to ensure the BAU runs smoothly, she will treat you like the asset you were. All activities of yours will be approved only through Emily as indicated by the contract Wilson would write up. Emily will be watching everything you do to make sure the team is protected and that means you will be working with her. Nothing will be authorized unless she was right there by your side. There will be no wildcards fucking up the fragile autonomy the BAU still has.

Which means I gotta get this clearance confirmation done …

She switches tabs to get to her email and starts drafting an official inquiry to confirm your credentials with CIA HR and clearance with the DCSA*.

Time to find out who you are Special Agent Whitlock.

The next morning Penelope Garcia was fully back to work with the BAU with boundaries. Lovely boundaries that kept her happy to help catch the bad guys without all the gruesome visuals and knowing she would do everything by the book. The team knew they couldn’t find this sicko without her, and she couldn’t let the team down, or know that more people would die because she wasn’t there to stop him. Or heaven forbid, her beautiful BAU babies disbanded by that meanie deputy director.

Her conscious had to remain clean.  Mr. Clean clean.

With her assertive demands understood by the unit, it made for a happy place in Penelope’s mind and heart as she works on compiling data from the unsubs phones in the Sicarius case. She bobbed her head to Bad Blood, by Taylor Swift, as her screens flashed with scrolling code.

There was a knock at her door.

“Enter plebian!” she calls out with a flourish of her hand.

“I think I’m a bit higher up than that, Pen.”

“Oh, Emily!” Penelope gasps as she turns around in her chair. Even with her boss smiling, she couldn’t help grimacing “I apologize, my liege, for besmirching your good name.”

“It’s fine. I assume you thought I was Luke?”

“Yes. He was supposed to bring me my smoothie! Big fail.”

“I’ll get on him for that, but I need a favor …”

“Favor may be granted if it aligns with my virtue,”

“Yes, it’s completely legal.” She leans against the desk as Garcia relaxes back in her chair. “I’m waiting on confirmation for a consultant I’m bringing on …”

Garcia’s eyes immediately lit up. and she squeals so loudly it echoes in the lair. “Eee! New blood! Who is it?!”

“Special Agent in the CIA.”

This perplexes Garcia. “Is Sicarius international now? I haven’t seen any data to suggest that he likes to play in foreign lands. So far, he’s a domesticated jerk.”

“No, nothing like that. She’s a friend of Wilson’s who’s helping out the BAU and keeping Bailey off my back, in a sense,” Emily admits.

“In a sense?” She looks Emily down the rim of her glasses, eyes widening with intrigue. “What aren’t you telling me oh fearless leader?”

Emily purses her lips as she points a finger at Penelope. “You’ll be briefed with the entire time when I’m ready? Ah!” she points a finger up to stop the woman’s inquiry. “Not a minute sooner. But I do have some fact finding I want done. “ 

She smiles knowingly and with promise. “You’ll get firsthand knowledge on our consultant before the team does.”

“Ah, Section Chief Emily Prentiss doesn’t want to wait for the official information to come through and wants moi to enlighten her.” She pouts, thinking, before looking serious. She points her pink fuzzy topped pen at Emily.  “I’ll only use official channels and regular back doors that happen to remain open for me.”

Emily holds her hands up in concession. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Penelope puts her pen down, satisfied with the answer and opens a new inquiry on the name Emily provide: Special Agent Y/N Whitlock.

Your feet pound the dirt surface adjacent to the C&O Canal for your morning run today. You had your hair pulled back in a loose bun, deciding to forgo the football cap. The trail has plenty of trees to provide shade, even on a sunny day.

The canal water reflects stone and tree in a still frame as the wind was barely a light breeze disturbing the surface. The only indication were water bugs dancing along the surface to disrupt the moment, small circles overlaying through one another as they ripple from middle to either side.

You are glad you opted for a light training jacket to keep protected against the morning chill despite wearing shorts. It gave you a comfortable warmth as you kept working up a sweat. Running helps to keep wandering thoughts at bay. Your mind focused on the impact of your sneakers against the soft ground, the chilly air you inhale and how it changes to a visible warm mist as you exhale. Breathing and moving. A rhythmic pattern for grounding body and mind.

Your phone was safely secured by a strap around your left upper arm as you listen to Flyleaf blasting away in your earbuds. Without thinking, your speed matches the beat of the drum and you almost forget where you were. Lost in the present. A rare gift for someone like you.

Which came to an unnerving halt when a call came through. You had set your phone to vibrate and bring your arm around to see who was calling. It was Brian.

You immediately stop running and tap your earbud to take the call

 “Hey,” you pant out in greeting.

“Catch you at a bad time?” You could hear his amusement.

“Nothing … exciting. Jus’ … running. Or … was.”

You take note of your surroundings and see one civilian sitting on the edge of the canal path gazing into the water. There was another one walking their dog.

“Oh good. Here I thought you’d be getting ready for work.”

You wince, hearing his disappointment as you walk over to a bench. “Word … travels fast.”

You inhale and exhale with purpose, catching your breath. “I’m surprised you found out this quickly since you got better things to do then babysitting me.”

“A consulting job with the BAU?” A pause. “Really? Of all the things you could be doing …”

“There’s nothing wrong with helping them out.”

“Of course not. Unless you’re supposed to be on leave.”

“Wilson called in a favor,” you explain as you sit. “I wanted to help her and the unit out. Bailey’s being a dick.”

“As the director of the CIA, I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Still doesn’t change he’s being a dick.”

“Anyway … the FBI asking for your clearance confirmation is what flagged your mischief. Why can’t you just take time for yourself? You didn’t have to repay the favor like this.”

‘I know,” you admit as a squirrel scurries along the trail, looking around for anything edible. “But, I just …” You sigh, heart pounding as you try to find your words. You focus on the squirrel to ground you, watching its tail snap back and forth while its head darts around trying to keep an eye on potential danger. “Come on, Brian. Sitting still’s hard. I need … something to do. This at least keeps me in the country for a while. That practically counts as a vacation.” You could hear how childly petulant you sound.

“With the AG backing this plan you’ve agreed to, I’d have to personally override it to force you take it easy. And that would cause suspicion. And clear favoritism. We can’t have that again. So, I’ll expedite the process on getting your official credentialing approved as requested. I will say I’m happy you’re using your stipend since you barely do. This is a creative use, I must say.”

“Hey, that’s all Wilson. Make sure she gets the credit for this one.”

He laughs. “Fair enough, but you need to be careful. You haven’t been integrated in such a public team in a very long time.”

“Yeah, I get that. I know what to say and not say. Mostly not say. You worry too much old man.”

I probably shouldn’t have said anything about the whole AWOL matter in front of Prentiss …Oops!

“Long as we understand each other.”

“Affirmative, Director Korogoth.”

Yeah, Brian didn’t need to know about her first slip up.

Emily couldn’t make a dent in her paperwork later in the afternoon as reports from all levels of the FBI lab were coming in from the shipping container. Repeated authorizations were needed to keep escalating the DNA testing of the victims, whose families of missing persona were rising in numbers at Quantico. She had sent Tara there to speak with them and provide as much comfort as possible with such uncertainty. They needed time and patience before they could release any information, and Lewis was the best agent for the job of explaining this.

“Knock, knock!”

She looks up and sees Garcia standing in her doorway with tablet in hand and a grimace. “What’s wrong?” she warily asks.

“Nothing Sicarius bad, but I come bringing lackluster news of our dear consultant.” Garcia comes in and sits down, turning the tablet around so Prentiss could see. “There’s like, nothing out there about her. And I tried everything. The FBI, CIA, DOJ, INTERPOL, and O M G nothing,” she finishes with a whine. “I even tried all the backdoors that I happen to know but still … nothing! I never find nothing besides the basic info that they …” she flourishes her hands out in the air at the invisible government, “… want us to see!”

“Hold on, Pen,” Emily says gently as Garcia was on the verge of hyperventilating. She always took it as a personal failure when she couldn’t come through for the team. “Why can’t you find anything?”

Penelope pulls her lips together and inhales deeply in and out through her nose a few times while closing her eyes. With a quick flex of her fingers, she opens her eyes and calmly starts. ‘Because apparently I don’t have clearance.”

“How the hell do you not have clearance?” Emily is stunned, unable to comprehend what Garcia admitted. “You have all the clearances …”

Her eyes ran through the information on the tablet that was able to be pulled: basic physical data and skill sets that a field operative would have with the CIA, list of languages spoken that overlapped with her own, and current status as active but on leave. Clearly the request for consulting with the BAU has not been approved yet. Scrolling further, there were glaring omissions of how long you were in the CIA, recruitment date and where, notable missions that were declassified, and specializations. There was no date of birth nor place listed.

What the hell do you do for them that so much is hidden? Emily wondered as Penelope spoke up.

“Yes, but I don’t have the need to know clearance about Ms. Whitlock. All my contacts said the same thing – the BAU doesn’t need to have anymore information on her except what you have in your hands right there.” She was exasperated, still, from hitting one dead end after another and huffed, crossing her arms. “They also said nothing negative about her, but why the secrecy?”

“Why indeed …” Emily trails off in thought.

Who the fuck are you?

“Is it … ah, worth it to have someone like this on the BAU, Emily?” she asks nervously. “I mean, with Bailey and all. It’s super nice that Tara’s girlfriend thinks this woman can help, but it’s really, really, weird to find next to nothing. I don’t even know where she lives! Her salary! Not even her phone number!” She steadies her hands that started to lightly shake, clearly bothered by this unknown variable.

“At this juncture?” she sets the tablet down and sighs. “Yes.”

“Why?” Penelope asks in disbelief. “This … this isn’t a good idea, Emily!”

“She’s the solution to our budget,” she reveals. “The only one I’ve got.”

“So, what? We’ve handled worse before. We can do it again. Why are you okay with this?”

“I never said I was okay with it. Just that this is the solution I’ve got to give the BAU some breathing room that we really need right now. Soon as we capture Sicarius.” She points to your face on the tablet, “she’s gone.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I’ll be personally overseeing her as I’ll explain to the team once this all gets cleared and approved.” She looks gravely at her friend. “And that means keeping this quiet until then. Understood?”

Garcia scowls.

“Garcia ….” Emily begins to warn.

“Fine!” Penelope huffs as she rises, snatching the tablet. “I certainly hope you’re hiring Black Widow and not some Skrull that takes us down, boss.”

Emily watches as Garcia storms out of her office with furrowing brows and murmurs. “What in the hell’s a Skrull?”

*Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.

Chapter 3

[thissying]

The FIA has finalised its structure for the running of Formula 1 races this year with a new deputy race director. Rui Marques took over as race director towards the end of last season, when he was drafted in as a replacement for Niels Wittich, who departed on the eve of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Portuguese presided over the final three F1 races of the year and The Race can reveal that he will continue to oversee the running of events for the 2025 campaign. He'll be joined permanently by new deputy race director, the FIA F1’s sporting manager Claire Dubbelman, who has been with the governing body since 2017. She previously held a championship manager role – where she helped oversee a total of 26 series including F2 and F3 - and also assisted in the deputy race director role before. Dubbelman (below) is a product of the FIA’s High Performance Programme (HPP) for Officials, which is being ramped up as part of an effort by the governing body to deliver the talented race directors and stewards of the future.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from The Desert Sun:

All of America's national monuments must be reviewed for potential oil and gas drilling and mining reserves, critics say, per bureaucratic language tucked deep in a sweeping order issued on Monday by newly sworn-in Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

His order 3418, “Unleashing American Energy,” mandates that the Interior Department finish its initial monument review by Feb. 18.

That means 157 locations in 33 states and several national territories — including the freshly designated Chuckwalla National Monument and Sattitla National Monument in California — could be subjected to the expedited 15-day review, and attempts could be made to "revise" their boundaries.

Monuments protect cultural and historic resources and the lands that contain them, and are created by Congress or U.S. presidents. California has more monuments than any other state, with more than 4 million acres likely under review, one expert said, from popular desert off-roading trails to massive coastal redwoods. They include Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow, Carrizo Plain, Muir Woods, Devils Postpile, Cabrillo, Lava Beds, California Coastal, Sequoia NF, Cesar Chavez, Fort Ord, San Gabriel Mountains, Berryessa Snow Mountain and Castle Mountains.

The relevant portion of Burgrum's order includes “actions to review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands, consistent with existing law, including 54 U.S.C. 320301 and 43 U.S.C. 1714."

Although not spelled out in plain English, those sections of code govern the Antiquities Act of 1906, under which 20 U.S. presidents have set aside millions acres of land and historic sites, from Alaska to Florida.

[Additional information from a story from Inside Climate News:

The order calls on the Interior’s assistant secretaries to identify in their action plans how to accomplish “actions to review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands” under the Antiquities Act of 1906, the law that allows presidents to create national monuments, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, which outlines how federal lands can be used and allows for the establishment of national wildlife refuges and more. ]

Many Republican lawmakers have criticized presidents' use of the Antiquities Act to block mining, fossil fuels and other industrial development on federal monument lands.

But myriad environmental, hunting and fishing groups sharply condemned Burgum's actions, once the meaning became clear.

"Burgum knows that attacking monuments is incredibly unpopular, which is why he won't even use the words 'national monuments' or 'Antiquities Act' in his orders. He's trying to operate in secret here, and definitely does not want any public input," said Aaron Weiss, deputy director of Center for Western Priorities.

"This is a sneaky, unpatriotic attack that strikes at the very foundation of the country’s beloved public lands," a coalition of groups said in a news release condemning the order. "These national treasures are broadly beloved. They safeguard our water, buoy the outdoor recreation economy, protect our trails, and preserve a national heritage rich in culture and natural beauty. Attacks on the outdoors, such as this order from Secretary Burgum, threaten the $640-billion recreation economy, putting millions of jobs at risk."

The statement added that "the order fails to recognize that oil production hit record highs under the Biden administration. This isn’t about energy dominance. Washington politicians and their billionaire advisors have an unpatriotic anti-public lands agenda that aims to dismantle our national monuments for corporate polluters."

And here's a statement from the Conservation Lands Foundation:

These orders also willfully ignore the rural residents and communities whose personal and local incomes rely on these lands being protected from privatization. Outdoor recreation on BLM lands contributes more than $11 billion to the economy and substantial income to individuals, small and large businesses, and rural communities through hunting, fishing, camping, climbing, riding off-highway vehicles, and many other activities. 

With roughly 85% of BLM lands already available for energy production–and roughly half of existing oil and gas leases not being used–it's crystal clear that these recent orders targeting the 15% of public lands that are protected for the public’s use have nothing to do with the nation’s energy portfolio.  

There’s really no explanation other than this administration is trying to sneakily and greedily sell off the 15% of protected public lands to the wealthy and well-connected, thereby blocking access for everyone else. It’s an attack that flies in the face of America’s ideals and the Conservation Lands Foundation will be unrelenting in our fight on the side of the people–85% of voters in the west–who support keeping public lands in the public’s hands.

More information from the story from Inside Climate News:

Secretary Burgum’s order would also weaken protections for migratory birds, whose numbers are declining because of climate change, disease, changes in land use and habitat loss. 

In North America, there are 3 billion fewer birds now than in 1970, according to federal documents. The populations of many of the 1,093 species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act are also declining.

The intention of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is to curb those losses by prohibiting the accidental killing and incidental takes—killings that are unintentional but not unexpected—of protected birds.  

In his first term, President Trump weakened the MBTA to prohibit only deliberate killings of migratory birds, not incidental takes. The rule benefited business, development and energy companies because it “significantly reduced the activities that would result in liability,” according to the National Law Review. For instance, ponds of toxic waste that accidentally poison birds were no longer subject to the act’s restrictions.

The Biden administration rescinded the Trump rule and restored some protections for migratory birds while granting several exemptions for incidental takes.

The latest order would reinstate the rules implemented during the first Trump administration.]

[uhhhyaenbyjade]

How I Would Change Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (if i was smart enough to direct and write movies)

DISCLAIMER: I loved GxK, and I believe it is an entertaining movie! This is just my take on how I would've liked to see things happen, with it connecting to the previous installments more, as well as tweaking some minor details here and there.

SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT! DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE

So, the biggest change I am adding is that Madison Russell from Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong. I was honestly surprised when I heard that Millie Bobby Brown wasn't involved in the project at all, and I feel like Maddie's presence could have really helped flesh out some of the human aspects of the movie.

The only other thing I am really changing from the movie is adding cameos that link the movies together better, as well as making some minor attempts at making the science less... fantastical. I am not deleting any scenes from the movie, just altering them and adding a few more. Hopefully, this keeps a good balance between the human aspect versus the Titan aspect. So, the movie would probably turn out to be approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes in length, compared to the 1 hour 55 minute run time. I am only going to have bullet points for the parts I am altering/adding, so anything I leave out from the movie is otherwise unchanged or doesn't have enough of a difference to warrant a bullet point.

During the scene where we see updates of MONARCH over the past few years, we don't just see Dr. Ilene Andrews in interviews, but also cameos from Dr. Ilene Chen and Dr. Ling Chen, and possibly some other cameos like Sam Coleman or Mark Russell. Less emphasis on being thankful for Godzilla's help (because yeah he's helping, but also thousands of people are dying directly from him), but more emphasis is placed on MONARCH helping with relief efforts, and the usage of the Titan Warning System we saw in MONARCH: Legacy of Monsters. Also, instead of the other MONARCH person we see in charge (who I think is Hampton, Rachel House's character?) we see Deputy Director Verdugo.

Another small change is that MONARCH isn't trying to "stay ahead of DC" here. I understand why they did that, but from my understanding of the previous iterations in the Monsterverse series, MONARCH was supposed to be considered trustworthy and the top Titan research group after King of the Monsters, especially after the fall of APEX. So, instead, MONARCH is just trying to find what answers they can give to the United Nations as soon as possible.

When Godzilla kills Scylla, we get an explanation of how Scylla was causing problems to the natural world, as well as directly challenging Godzilla for Alpha status, which was explored in Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted.

At the MONARCH school (which I really hope is a school for children of MONARCH employees, or at least a school funded by MONARCH, and not an indoctrination school), we see that Jia is a student at the school, and Maddie is there as well (I don't know what year this movie takes place in, but it takes place sometime after GvK in 2024. Timeline-wise, Maddie was 17 in 2024, and probably a junior/senior in high school, so depending on how long it's been since GvK, she could be a teaching assistant of some kind, or a senior in high school) and friends of each other. They both have visions as the Hollow Earth signal is received; Jia has flashbacks of her past on Skull Island and of her time in Hollow Earth, and Maddie has flashbacks of her encounter with Mothra, Godzilla, as well as when she faced Ghidorah and MechaGodzilla. Both of them also have the same quick flashing vision of the future events of the movie.

When Ilene comes to check on Jia after the incident of her drawing on the desk, Maddie is there, and there's a new scene where all three of them talk about what is going on. Maddie says that MONARCH is too rigid in their thinking, and mentions that there's someone who could help them.

In Miami, Maddie and Ilene meet up with Bernie, and Maddie is integral in helping Ilene convince Bernie to help.

During Trapper's introduction scene where he gives Kong his new tooth, we also have Nathan Lind and Mark Russell show up to witness the event. They are both there to say goodbye to the Hollow Earth transport team, and Maddie joins Trapper, Ilene, Jia, Bernie, and a MONARCH military member (instead of the asshole Mikael, it would be one of the G-Team members from Godzilla KOTM to add more emphasis on their death; either Jackson Barnes or Anthony Martinez would probably be the most recognizable ones)

Instead of Godzilla going to France's nuclear power plant and destroying the place to absorb the radiation, and therefore attacking the humans who attacked him (which kind of went against the whole "the Titans are the guardians of nature" thing and the previous characterizations of Godzilla in the Monsterverse), he goes to some abandoned nuclear site. I would say Chernobyl, but I doubt they'd put that in the movie due to Russia's Invasion right now. But just some abandoned nuclear plant somewhere would work.

Inside Hollow Earth, there are issues with the HEAV due to the signal disrupting the systems, but they are quickly able to figure out the best way to traverse the land; when Jia and Maddie sense the pulse, the HEAV lands until it is over, and then repeat. On their first landing, the G-Team member dies. After they find the Mothra temple, it is Maddie who approaches the glowing dragonfly and presses the button on the wall, allowing them to find the Iwi civilization.

In the scene where we first see Shimo, there is more emphasis and origin on the crystal that Skar King uses to control her; perhaps the crystal is a part of Shimo's ice crystals that we see on her back, and has strange properties due to the Hollow Earth's radiation? We also give Shimo more of a personality. When she first appears, Shimo would be curious about Kong, but flinch at sharp movements from anyone. And then when she is forced to attack, it'd be obvious that she doesn't want to, but Skar King forces her to with the crystal.

I want Shimo to have more characterization in the movie. I've seen people complain that she was just... kinda there. Like, her whole purpose was to keep Skar King from getting bullied too badly. So, by really showing that Shimo is being forced into this and that her natural state is curiosity and warmth (as opposed to her icy nature ;D ), it provides more depth to her character, making the viewers want to see her freed.

When Godzilla arrives at Tiamat's lair, they fight again, but instead of killing Tiamat, Godzilla is able to force Tiamat out like he did in Godzilla: Dominion. Again, too much unnecessary (although insanely badass) murder for a "guardian of nature". He goes into the hibernation to evolve himself.

In the Iwi civilization, we get a more scientific look at the Iwi culture. I don't understand the gravity thing the movie tried to go for, so instead I want to focus on the cultural aspect; they are similar in most aspects to what was seen in Kong: Skull Island, but there are clear differences in dress, the markings they wear, and their ceremonies. This would also be where we go into more detail about how essential Mothra is to this group of Iwi people, instead of her being shoehorned in when all we've seen previously was the Iwi and Kong's species. We see Jia figuring this out and clearly being happy at this. I would also go into them using crystals more, like how we saw with the guard's spears, instead of the gravity-based science. These crystals would be seen to have a mystic quality, explained by Mothra's radiation, perhaps.

When Kong arrives at the Iwi civilization with Suko, that's when Trapper leaves to go back to the Outpost to retrieve the gauntlet for Kong, THEN we go into seeing the lore behind Skar King and Shimo at the temple. This provides a better sense of time between Kong's arrival and his getting the gauntlet since it honestly felt way too fast.

Inside the crystal temple itself, we see the history of the war between Skar King and his ape versus Godzilla and Mothra. I'd love to have Shimo seen more as a threat, with them explicitly saying and having a longer conversation that Shimo was the one who started the last Ice Age, and that before she was captured by Skar King, she had frozen Ghidorah in Antarctica. There is perhaps slightly more exposition here, with the prophecy including not only the "Iwi from Skull Island", but "a girl touched by Mothra".

In this scene, I want to explore Maddie's connection to Mothra. In the Godzilla: King of the Monsters Official Novelization, it is implied that there is some connection between Mothra and Maddie after the scene in the Temple of the Moth. It is hinted at when Maddie has a vision of Mothra while she is unconscious during the Boston battle. I would love to explore that more, and there'd be a deeper explanation in the Official Novelization, something with Mothra bonding with Maddie since there weren't any twin priestesses like there usually is, perhaps.

This is when Trapper returns and gives Kong the gauntlet, and when Jia sends the latter up to bring Godzilla down to help.

Maddie and Jia both go up the crystal temple to the top, where they find that Mothra has a cocoon up there; Maddie realizes that this is what Mothra must have been doing before she arrived in Boston to help Godzilla (I remember reading somewhere that the director said that Mothra was likely off laying an egg during her absence between showing MONARCH where to find Godzilla and her arrival in Boston. This would work really well in my opinion, and a lot better than her materializing out of magic crystal dust.

When Kong arrives on the surface to summon Godzilla, they still fight a bit. However, it becomes clear early on that Godzilla really isn't into the fight; he has obviously been sensing the signal the whole time, so he knows that something is happening with Skar King and Shimo. With previous movies (and especially MONARCH: Legacy of Monsters) trying to convey Godzilla's intelligence, it isn't a far stretch to suggest that Godzilla would figure out that Kong is trying to get his help. Still, the fight goes on for long enough that Mothra arrives to keep them from beating each other up too much. We see Jia and Maddie reach out to Kong and Godzilla respectively.

When Skar King arrives at the Iwi civilization, the Iwi tribe uses their knowledge of the region's radioactive properties (again, nothing gravity-based science-wise because that was all confusing and likely very bad science) to try and send energy through the crystals, messing with the portals from Hollow Earth.

There is no more anti-gravity fight scene. Although I enjoyed it a lot (seeing Godzilla swim through the air and the apes use the rocks to climb around were honestly so cool), it doesn't fit with the "improved" science I am attempting to do. Another ground fight, but they go around the tunnel so they're all still fighting on different planes.

Due to the close proximity to the surface, Ilene is able to warn MONARCH, and they work with the United Nations to evacuate Rio de Janeiro, since there is a tunnel appearing there. This brings us back to the beginning, where I wanted to do away with the "be grateful for Godzilla even though he destroys thousands of people's lives every time he's on the news" thing at the start.

When Skar King and Shimo arrive in Rio de Janeiro, since Kong, Godzilla, and Mothra are unable to stop them due to the immense amount of apes in Skar King's army, there is a lot of destruction. We see Skar King force Shimo into starting another Ice Age, though again, we see that she really doesn't want to do what he says. She starts freezing the city, and the MONARCH evacuation teams there panic as they get closer to their position, before Godzilla, Kong, Jia, Maddie, Trapper, and Bernie (the humans are in the HEAV, with a brief exposition that Mothra was staying back to stop all of Skar King's apes from destroying the Iwi civilization).

This fight is pretty much the same, but the civilians are barely present, and we only see them evacuating a few people away in the HEAV. The final battle still focuses mainly on the Titans, with a heavy amount of emphasis on the crystal from Skar King's whip. I'd keep the absolute bullying that Skar King got the same, but the explanation for this is that Skar King is much older now, and his opponents over-leveled themselves expecting him in his prime.

Mothra arrives from the tunnel, and this is what distracts Skar King long enough for Suko to use Kong's axe to break the crystal that controls Shimo. Once this happens, we see that Shimo can feel it, and she immediately stops attacking Godzilla and looks around in curiosity and amazement. She flinches when Skar King is trying to order her around while he is being bullied by Kong, but with a trill from Mothra and a growl from Godzilla, she joins in bullying her tormentor.

After the fight, there is more of a delay before the ending; we see Bernie on the news talking about his podcast, achieving his movie-long wish to be believed; we see Maddie saying goodbye to Mothra as she leaves and Maddie reunites with her dad and also Josh from GvK; Jia stays with Ilene, but she has a newfound connection to the Iwi sister tribe in the Hollow Earth; Mothra flies across the ocean while Godzilla swims below her to emphasize the symbiotic relationship, and they both take a nap in the coliseum (Godzilla is considerably more careful as he steps through the city this time); Kong returns to the Hollow Earth with Suko and Shimo, and he leads the apes out of their imprisoned area and to the main area of Hollow Earth, where his kingdom is.

For an end credits scene, it'd be Ilene and Jia in the Iwi civilization, where they get permission from the priest lady to see a special part of the temple, where it reveals prophecy-art of Kong, Mothra, and Godzilla fighting against their next enemy.

Obviously, without anything known about future projects, we don't have any end credits scene for this movie. If there is another movie (I thought I saw somewhere that Adam Wingard wanted to direct a trilogy of Monsterverse movies, which means another GxK installment could be in the future, perhaps?), I don't think they'd do what many people want and bring back a Toho villain. Based on the trend of what they've done in the series so far, the next installment would include an original villain with some connection to both of them. So I'll list out some options of what I'd like to see, of both Toho villains and original villains:

Toho: Hedorah, Biollante, Destoroyah, and my personal choice; Battra.

Original: Methuselah, Leviathan, another threat from space (not SpaceGodzilla, since that'd be difficult to work out in this series I think, but maybe something along the lines of Ghidorah's family, since I think they were briefly mentioned in the King of the Monsters Official Novelization), or another threat that goes against Hollow Earth and the surface. Maybe a giant worm-like creature or burrowing Titan could be a good idea, since it'd be able to go back and forth between the two worlds. It'd provide a nice background for how the portals are made.

So, there it is! I hope you guys enjoyed it and like my ideas for how Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire could have been improved. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[dostoyevsky-official]

WASHINGTON, February 1, 2025. The American Petroleum Institute issued the following statement from President and CEO Mike Sommers on the Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on U.S. imports from Canada, Mexico and China. “Energy markets are highly integrated, and free and fair trade across our borders is critical for delivering affordable, reliable energy to U.S. consumers. We will continue to work with the Trump administration on full exclusions that protect energy affordability for consumers, expand the nation’s energy advantage and support American jobs.” The U.S. is by far the world's largest oil producer, but U.S. refineries—primarily in the Midwest—rely on Canadian crude to produce the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel that's critical for transportation, agriculture and American consumers. The U.S. is the largest market for Canadian crude oil exports and Mexico is the No. 1 destination for U.S. refined product exports. U.S. oil and natural gas exports to China totaled more than $14.4 billion in 2023 and are critical to reducing our trade deficit. (x)

///

Sommers has been a top aide to former House Speaker John Boehner. He previously worked as Boehner’s deputy chief of staff, policy director, legislative director, and press secretary. In 2005, Sommers left the Hill to work as a special assistant to President George W. Bush at the National Economic Council where he advised Bush on agriculture and trade policy. He returned to work for Boehner at Capitol Hill in early 2006. Bloomberg reported Sommers played a large role in fighting for the carried interest tax rule that worked to benefit large hedge fund managers. On the Trump Presidency, Sommers told Politico: “This administration has been defined so far by historic legislative, regulatory and foreign policy accomplishments interrupted by unfortunate distractions.” (x)

play stupid games, win stupid prizes

[darkmaga-returns]

Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director, has released a list of 60 “deep state” adversaries he plans to target immediately when he begins his role next year.

The list, which includes President Joe Biden and network analysts, is detailed in his 2022 book Government Gangsters.

In the book’s appendix, titled “Members of the Executive Branch Deep State,” Patel lists those names alphabetically but acknowledges that the list is not exhaustive.

Patel said other “corrupt actors” could include Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA), ex-congressman Paul Ryan, author of the Trump-Russia Steele Dossier Christopher Steele.

Patel also reassures the public he will be going after “the entire fake news mafia press corp.”

Here’s the list:

Michael Atkinson – Former inspector general of the intelligence community Lloyd Austin – Secretary of Defense under President Joe Biden Brian Auten – Supervisory intelligence analyst, FBI James Baker – Former general counsel for the FBI and Twitter executive Bill Barr – Former attorney general under Trump John Bolton – Former national security adviser under Trump Stephen Boyd – Former chief of legislative affairs, FBI Joe Biden – President of the United States John Brennan – Former CIA director under President Obama John Carlin – Former DOJ national security division head under Trump Eric Ciaramella – Former National Security Council staffer Pat Cipollone – Former White House counsel under Trump James Clapper – Former director of national intelligence under Obama Hillary Clinton – Former Secretary of State and presidential candidate James Comey – Former FBI director Elizabeth Dibble – Former deputy chief of mission, U.S. Embassy, London Mark Esper – Former Secretary of Defense under Trump Alyssa Farah – Former strategic communications director under Trump Evelyn Farkas – Former Pentagon official under Obama Sarah Isgur Flores – Former DOJ communications head under Trump Merrick Garland – Attorney General under Biden Stephanie Grisham – Former White House press secretary under Trump Kamala Harris – Vice President and former presidential candidate Gina Haspel – Former CIA director under Trump Fiona Hill – Former National Security Council staffer Curtis Heide – FBI agent Eric Holder – Former attorney general under Obama Robert Hur – Special counsel for Biden document investigation Cassidy Hutchinson – Former assistant to Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Nina Jankowicz – Former head of Biden’s Disinformation Governance Board Lois Lerner – Former IRS official under Obama Loretta Lynch – Former attorney general under Obama Charles Kupperman – Former deputy national security adviser under Trump Gen. Kenneth McKenzie (Ret.) – Former CENTCOM commander Andrew McCabe – Former FBI deputy director Ryan McCarthy – Former Secretary of the Army under Trump Mary McCord – Former DOJ national security division head Denis McDonough – Former Obama chief of staff, current VA secretary Gen. Mark Milley (Ret.) – Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lisa Monaco – Deputy attorney general under Biden Robert Mueller – Former FBI director and Russiagate special counsel Bruce Ohr – Former DOJ official under Obama and Trump Nellie Ohr – Former CIA employee Lisa Page – Former FBI counsel Pat Philbin – Former deputy White House counsel under Trump John Podesta – Former Obama adviser, current Biden climate adviser Samantha Power – Former U.N. ambassador under Obama, current USAID administrator Bill Priestap – Former FBI counterintelligence chief Susan Rice – Former Obama national security adviser Rod Rosenstein – Former deputy attorney general under Trump Peter Strzok – Former FBI counterintelligence agent Jake Sullivan – National Security Adviser under Biden Michael Sussman – Former DNC lawyer Miles Taylor – Former DHS official under Trump Timothy Thibault – Former FBI agent Andrew Weissman – Mueller’s Russiagate deputy Alexander Vindman – Former National Security Council official Christopher Wray – Current FBI director under Trump and Biden Sally Yates – Former deputy attorney general under Obama Adam Schiff – Senator-elect and former House Intelligence Committee chairman

Earlier this month, Patel announced the “massive declassification” of troves of information ranging from the Jeffrey Epstein files to the “P Diddy” list.

Patel told Conservative podcast host Benny Johnson that releasing documents that implicate the Department of Justice and FBI for their illegal surveillance of over 250,000 Americans.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Michael Sainato at The Guardian:

Donald Trump’s administration could rack up a “monumental” bill and is breaking the law by firing government workers on spurious grounds, according to a top labor lawyer. Officials have cited “poor performance” when terminating thousands of federal workers. In many cases it’s not true, according to employees embroiled in the blitz, many of whom are now seeking legal advice. Jacob Malcom was acting deputy assistant secretary for policy and environmental management, and director of the office of policy analysis at the US Department of the Interior – until this week, when he resigned in protest against the mass firings of probationary employees. “This is being done under the guise of ‘poor performance’ or ‘skills not aligned with needs’ but neither are true,” he told the Guardian. “First, no evidence was provided that would suggest that poor performance; in fact, I know some of the individuals that were down my chain of supervision and know they were among the best performers. “Second, [there has been] no evidence or analysis of a lack of alignment with needs. Some of the people terminated in my chain actually work on performance and efficiency, so they literally work on the public argument of the Doge.” The so-called “department of government efficiency”, a unit led by billionaire tycoon Elon Musk, has been permitted by Trump to conduct a wide-ranging blitz across the federal government in the name of improving efficiency. But Suzanne Summerlin, a labor attorney, said an “astounding” level of “fraud, waste and abuse” had been occurring as the Trump administration sought to overhaul a string of departments and agencies. “These firings they’re conducting without following the law will result in hundreds of thousands of former federal employees being owed back pay, plus interest, plus benefits, plus attorneys fees,” said Summerlin. “When the bill comes it will be monumental.”

The Trump-Musk-Vought mass purges from federal government could be very costly.