#Lagos State governor

[jayessentialsblog]

Macaroni writes an open letter to governor Sanwo-Olu over bad roads

Nigerian content creator and activist, Mr Macaroni, has criticized Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the poor condition of Lagos roads. Macaroni urged Sanwo-Olu to fix the roads to prevent further accidents. He called for the governor to take a drive around Lagos roads and address the potholes causing accidents. Macaroni stated in the open letter that he posted on his X handle on…

[touchaheartnews]

Remains of Akeredolu arrives Nigeria

Remains of Akeredolu arrives Nigeria Late former Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu’s body has arrived in Nigeria. Remains of Akeredolu were brought into the country from Germany, where he passed away. The reports indicated that the aircraft carrying the body arrived at approximately 3:39 p.m. on Friday, January 5, 2024. Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the late governor’s wife, along with…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Emily Singer at Daily Kos:

Donald Trump mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling him the "Governor" of the "Great State of Canada" in a late-night post on his corrupt Truth Social platform. "It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada," Trump posted at 12:06 a.m. ET on Tuesday. "I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!"

Trump was referring to a comment he made to Trudeau during a dinner the duo had at Mar-a-Lago—Trump's hideously gaudy Florida club where he improperly stored classified documents in a bathroom—about how Canada should become America's 51st state if the 25% tariff Trump is threatening to impose on Canadian goods were to kill the country's economy. Trump's unhinged Truth Social taunt appears to be a response to a comment Trudeau made on Monday, vowing to retaliate if Trump levies a tariff on Canadian products. “Trump got elected on a commitment to make life better and more affordable for Americans, and I think people south of the border are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive,” Trudeau said, according to the Associated Press. Trump is hell-bent on imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, describing the tariffs as a punishment for the undocumented immigrants and drugs coming into the United States across the borders with the two countries. 

Trump has falsely said that Canada and Mexico would pay the tariffs. However, it’s actually paid by the American companies that import products from those countries. Those companies then pass the added costs they incur from the tariff down to consumers, inflating prices of goods. Trump's tariff plan could have sweeping negative consequences for U.S. consumers, raising the price of critical goods, such as gasoline, canola oil, and beef, Bloomberg reported. 

Donald Trump doing what he does best yet again: spit on our traditional allies, this time Canada.

[simply-ivanka]

Biden Gets Lost in Trump’s Shadow

The president-elect acts as if he’s already in charge. There’s never been a transition like this before.

By Peggy Noonan Wall Street Journal

Like Donald Trump or dislike him, hate him or love him, doesn’t matter: You have to see that what we are witnessing right now is truly remarkable, with no precedent.

He is essentially functioning as the sitting president. In the past, a man was elected and sat in his house, met with potential cabinet members, and courteously, carefully kept out of the news except to make a statement announcing a new nominee. The incumbent was president until Inauguration Day. That’s the way it was even in 2016; Barack Obama was still seen as president after Mr. Trump was elected. All that has changed.

Mr. Trump is the locus of all eyes. He goes to Europe for the opening of Notre-Dame. “The protocols they put in place for his arrival were those of a sitting president, not an incoming one,” a Trump loyalist and former staffer said by phone. He holds formal meetings with Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron. There he is chatting on a couch with Prince William. Why not the prime minister? Because the British know Mr. Trump is enchanted by royalty and doesn’t want to be with some grubby Labour pol. Mr. Trump talks of new tariffs on Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rushes down to Mar-a-Lago. After their meeting, Mr. Trump refers to him, on Truth Social, as “governor” of “the Great State of Canada.” (The Babylon Bee follows up with a headline: “Trump Tells Trudeau He Won’t Annex Canada if They Admit Their Bacon Is Just Ham.”)

The government of Syria suddenly falls and the world turns to America for its stand. Naturally it comes, quickly, from Donald Trump. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. . . . DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” The next day, Joe Biden characterizes the moment as one of “risk and uncertainty” for the region. Was there ever a moment that wasn’t one of risk and uncertainty for the region?

Mr. Trump tells Vladimir Putin that now that he’s abandoned Syria, he should make a deal to end the war in Ukraine. “I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The world is waiting!”

Mr. Trump’s cabinet picks—especially the highly questionable ones!—dominate the discourse in a country that hardly ever notices a cabinet nomination below that of secretary of state. His representatives, most famously Elon Musk, are greeted on Capitol Hill with a rapture comparable to past visits by heroic leaders of allied nations.

Donald Trump hasn’t overshadowed Joe Biden; he has eclipsed him. A former senior official in Mr. Trump’s first term told NBC News a few days ago that Mr. Trump “is already basically running things, and he’s not even president yet.”

To some degree the status shift is expected. Mr. Trump is the future, Mr. Biden the past; Mr. Trump wide-awake, Mr. Biden sleepy. The 46th president is a worn tire, the tread soft and indistinct. With the pardon of his son he lost stature. Also, Mr. Trump makes other leaders nervous, as he enjoys pointing out. They can neither predict him nor imitate him, so they can’t take their eyes off him. And Mr. Biden’s been rocked by something he knew in the abstract that’s become all too particular: after 50 years at the center of public life he’s been dropped, cast aside, because it was about power all along, and not about him.

A president, however, still has the machinery—the National Security Council, the State Department, the nuclear football. I can hardly believe our biggest adversaries don’t capitalize on this split presidency, this confusion. For all our woes you sometimes forget what a lucky country we are.

Here I mention a part of the amazing interregnum that I think is important, one that his friends and staffers speak of. Mr. Trump is calmer and more confident than he has been in the past. It is a commonplace to say that his surviving a shooting—that a bullet came within an inch or so of his brain—would change anyone, even a man in his eighth decade, even a man with fairly brittle ingrained views, even Donald Trump. But all of his friends go back to this as they speak of the Trump they’re seeing now. They think it took time for it to be absorbed and settle in. They see him as at least presenting himself in an altered way.

The former staffer said by phone, “Right now he is extremely relaxed.” It isn’t only the assassination attempt. “Everyone thought he was gonna change in a way that would be normal for most people to change—an outward reflection, more humble. I laugh when people say, ‘Normally, a president would—.’ Don’t use ‘normal’ with him.”

But, he said, after the second assassination attempt was thwarted, at Mr. Trump’s golf course, it had real impact. “Trump began to recognize, not in an unappreciative way but in a reality way, that he’d been spared. It gave him a stronger sense of confidence, some extra level of relaxation and of determination. He feels the American people are in trouble and if he can be a small part of fixing that, he must.”

The former staffer said Mr. Trump feels that “this wasn’t an election, it was a vindication.” The court cases, the indictments, the impeachments—“all these things against Donald Trump, and he doesn’t just come back, he roars back in a way that defies logic, reason and history. Few can fathom this.” He meant the history, but also its effect on Mr. Trump.

Something else, he said. When Mr. Trump was elected in 2016, his policy priorities and intentions weren’t fully clear. They are now, and have been popularized. “He knows the mission he laid out to the people—sane border policy, unleash energy, monetize ‘the liquid gold,’ make the tax cuts permanent—there’s an air of confidence about his mission now, and an understanding of the systems in place.” He is living something few get to live: “If I could do it all over again.”

A different observer, who’s seen Mr. Trump up close, said this week, “This is the best version of Donald Trump we will see.”

Back to the former staffer: “The gravity of this historic moment cannot be overstated. He has a level of swagger, a new level. People say, ‘Can I get the policy without the personality?’ No, you need a certain level of ‘I don’t give a damn.’ If you think he had it the first time, Katy bar the door.”

He had a prediction: “This has the potential to be historic in a way that only a handful of administrations have been. We remember some administrations with a level of history-altering moments. This one’s gonna have a lot.”

What about the potential for wrongdoing, such as using government to suppress or abuse foes? “He’s said a million times his revenge is going to be success. When Trump wins, he lets bygones be bygones.”

He paused. “Some of the people he’s hired aren’t that way, so there’s a chance some people may take it upon themselves to do some stuff. I don’t know.”

Repost

[cuprohastes]

The Devil went down to Georgia.

And I interviewed him about it.

The Devil takes a long drag on his cigarette. When he exhales, a long sigh, there’s no smoke. he looks at it thoughtfully and puts it out.

"The thing about the fiddle…” he says “The thing that people don’t get, is that I was never going to win.”

He looks at the stump of his ciggy and grinds it out.

“That wasn’t the plan. The plan was to lose. I mean… a golden fiddle? I wish you could have heard it, it sounded like…” he waves a hand. He’s oddly reticent to swear.

“It was awful. Flat, screechy. And I mean, I made it sound good as it could get, y’know? But it was never going to be as good as a real fiddle.”

He laughs. It’s a warm, indulgent laugh, plummy and full of amusement. “No the plan was to lose it. You know how much a golden fiddle you won from the devil is worth? It’s worth… well more than gold.”

He pauses. “The smart thing would have been to take a hammer to it and melt it down, but who’s going to do that? That’s uh… just under 17 kilograms of gold. More than half a million these days.”

He takes another cigarette out and taps it, put it between his lips, takes a long suck that reduces a third of it to ash. I almost don’t notice that he never lit it, because I’m making a note that the prince of lies apparently favours Metric. Or thinks I do.

“It’s worth more with provenance, though. It’s rarer than a Strad - if you could get people to believe it was my actual fiddle, you could sell it for around twenty… thirty million, easily. But that’s the thing.”

And this is where the ol’ devil grins. It’s a brilliant happy smile, the smile of someone who pulled a caper off.

“… Some dumb farmboy goes out, comes back with a solid gold fiddle and a crazy story? Everyone wants the damn thing, for the gold, even if they don’t believe anything else. Family, friends, then the landlord and the Mayor, pretty soon everyone from the governor down was trying to levy taxes on this thing, or confiscate it - That kid killed two guys who broke in before one of them got him. The family started a vendetta against the people they thought they’d taken it. Both of them got beggared by taxes for something they never had…” he chuckles.

“The girl who stole it tried to pawn it, and the guy running the place took her in the back and garotted her with a handful of bootlaces. Bootlaces!” he stops to chuckle. “And then - He got robbed and there’s been at least four heists and ten lawsuits over it. Even I’m not sure where it is.”

He pauses again and stares into the distance, eyes unfocussed.

“Oh the Mar-a-Lago” he states. “Huh. Actually, I think I need to make a call about a certain hidden vault…”

[mariacallous]

After president-elect Donald Trump announced Lee Zeldin as his nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, the former Republican representative from Long Island, New York, phoned into Fox News from Mar-a-Lago.

“You know, the EPA has been in some ways an enemy to a lot of these businesses across America, because they’ve had a long arm,” the Fox News presenter said after congratulating Zeldin on his nomination. “What do you plan to do at the EPA?”

Zeldin proceeded to talk vaguely about reversing a slate of regulations that “are forcing businesses to struggle” and sending American jobs overseas. “We have the ability to pursue energy dominance, to be able to make the United States the artificial intelligence capital of the world,” he said. “President Trump cares about conserving the environment,” Zeldin added. “It’s a top priority.”

And then he returned to what seemed to be his main point: “So I’m excited to get to work to implement President Trump’s economic agenda.”

The second half of the six-minute interview was spent discussing other matters—New York governor Kathy Hochul’s recent phone call with Trump and the indictment against the former president still making its way through New York’s Supreme Court.

The whole conversation offered an indication of what to reasonably expect from the EPA over the next four years: regulatory rollbacks for fossil fuel industries justified as boosts for the economy and platitudes about the importance of clean air and water, without any mention of how those things will be achieved simultaneously. In a similar rhetorical tact, Trump said that Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.”

Without saying it directly, Zeldin signaled a tough road ahead for the thousands of community advocates who have spent years pushing for stronger regulations in the nation’s “sacrifice zones”—towns like Port Arthur, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, where a concentration of fossil fuel infrastructure and petrochemical plants dump cancer-causing pollutants into the air and water.

Zeldin, a 44-year-old attorney and former Army lieutenant, does not have a background in environmental policy. He made his foray into politics through the New York State Senate in 2011, serving until 2014. That year, he was elected to be the US representative for the state’s 1st Congressional District, which encompasses much of Long Island.

As a congressman, Zeldin did not serve on any subcommittees overseeing environmental policy. He regularly voted against progressive climate and environment policies, earning him a lifetime score of just 14 percent from the League of Conservation Voters, an advocacy group that tracks congressmembers’ positions on environmental legislation. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020, he voted against an amendment to block the EPA from finalizing a Trump-era soot standard that would expose communities of color to additional air pollution that studies have linked to increased Covid mortality. The amendment ultimately passed.

In 2021, Zeldin voted against a bill that would require public companies to disclose information about the climate risks of their business models. That bill passed as well. The following year, he supported a failed bill that would have rescinded US participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a process that encourages international coordination on climate policy and includes participation in the annual UN climate conference.

Notably, Zeldin voted in favor of a bill that would require the EPA to set a drinking water standard for PFAS and PFOA, the so-called “forever chemicals” that accumulate in the environment and have been linked to a range of cancers and other serious health issues. Last year, a local news station found that 33 of Long Island’s 48 water districts have traces of these chemicals in their drinking water.

In 2022, Zeldin ran for governor of New York and lost to Hochul.

Zeldin’s appointment marks a departure from current EPA administrator Michael Regan, whose term will expire when Trump assumes office in January. Unlike Zeldin, Regan has a background in environmental science, and before being nominated as administrator served as secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality and worked as an air quality specialist in the EPA. As EPA administrator, he has overseen the Biden administration’s historic push toward environmental justice, which has included community engagement sessions, the strengthening of national standards for particulate matter, and the overhaul of regulations for many chemical plants.

It remains to be seen whether and to what extent Regan’s initiatives and regulations will persist over the years of a second Trump administration. Zeldin’s nomination will have to be confirmed with a vote from the Senate, which gained a Republican majority in the elections earlier this month.

If confirmed, Zeldin will have considerable power to shape the national direction of climate and environment policy. In addition to overseeing the enforcement of current environmental laws and regulations, he will be tasked with preparing the EPA’s annual budget, which determines how much funding will be allocated toward efforts like state oversight and air monitoring. A more fossil fuel-inclined administrator might choose to gut these parts of the agency, enabling industry-friendly state agencies like the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to regulate in the dark.

Trump ran on a platform that prioritized minimizing regulatory oversight and maximizing fossil fuel production. Zeldin’s appointment would be key for seeing that through.

[ridenwithbiden]

Lock up your dogs ��cause Kristi Noem is back.

2 people familiar with the deliberations currently ongoing at Mar-a-Lago told CNN on Tuesday the South Dakota governor will serve as Homeland Security secretary in Donald Trump’s upcoming administration.

Noem will be joined by 2 other anti-immigration firebrands–former ICE chief Tom Homan and alleged white supremacist Stephen Miller–serving in senior positions within the department.

It’s something of a return from the cold for the South Dakota rancher and farmer after her admission in an autobiography published earlier this year to having once killed a family dog saw her sidelined from the Republican shortlist for Trump’s running mate.

In fairness, she’s not the only right-wing figure to have recently been outed over a penchant for animal cruelty. There’s also Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, who’s accused of once having delivered his neighbor’s dog to a similar fate, and the revelations over new NRA chief Doug Hamlin’s role in the 1980 torture-slaying of a frathouse cat.

Nor is it the only bizarre claim to have come out of her 2024 memoir No Going Back, which features a fairly unhinged anti-seatbelt crusade and a passage implying she allowed motorcycle gangs to break COVID-19 laws in South Dakota as an F-you to the ‘nanny state.’

...

[darkmaga-returns]

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said that the new US administration presents “a major new uncertainty.” The markets had already priced in rate cuts ahead of the tariff threats, especially as inflation has allegedly reached the 2% target. This is the fifth time the Bank of Canada has cut rates in only six months after shedding 175 bps total. Yet, the central bank is not taking these tariff threats lightly because they could have a major impact on trade and the overall GDP. Macklem believes the bank can now take a “more gradual approach to monetary policy IF the economy evolves broadly as expected.”

The 25% tariff would send shockwaves through the Canadian economy. Around 77% of Canada’s exports are sent to the US, totaling $548 billion in 2023. The auto ($82 billion), energy ($166 billion), and manufacturing sectors would be particularly vulnerable due to the large cross-border trade. Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and New Brunswick send over 70% of their exports to the US. Reports state that up to 2.4 million jobs tied to these industries, or 12% of the Canadian workforce, could be at risk.

Trump mocked Trudeau last month during a Mar-a-Lago dinner party after suggesting Canada could become the 51st state if it insisted on relying so heavily on the US. This week, Trump reiterated the now ongoing joke on Truth Social. “It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada. I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!” Trump said in a social media post. While it may be humorous to mock Trudeau, these tariffs are a serious matter.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he believes Canada should retaliate with tariffs if appropriate. “But hopefully we’ll never go down that road. It’s not worth it and we’re so much stronger together. The last country the president should be worrying about is its closest ally and friend, Canada,” he said.

No one will win when using world trade as a political tool. The US economy will also feel the burden of these tariffs, and the supply chain will face disruptions. Unsettling trade with a key partner is not the way to solve the migration or illegal drug trade crises.

[sussex-newswire]

"The Duchess of Sussex, 42, was spotted donning the yellow maxi gown – which she paired with nude slingback heels – at a reception at the State Governor House in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday.

"[The Duchess], who pinned her hair up for the occasion, dazzled in the flowy dress as she walked hand-in-hand with her husband, Prince Harry.

"She accessorized with gold jewelry consisting of earrings, bracelets and a chained necklace, which appeared similar to one her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, once wore while visiting the same country in 1991."

[defenderoftruth]

President Donald J. Trump is the heart and soul of the MAGA movement, he will need to be surrounded by a group of warriors in Congress who share his devotion to strict America First principles.

The next Congress is poised to have some of the strongest and most patriotic America First candidates to date.  This will be a freshman class like no other, equipping President Trump with the firepower – and much-needed backup – that he mostly lacked in his first term in office to advocate for some of his bolder agenda items in Congress – including mass deportations, and returning law and order to towns and cities across the land.

Each one of the following candidates are MAGA firebrands – steadfastly devoted to President Trump and his agenda of securing our borders, ending the weaponization of our justice system, and eliminating election fraud.

None of these patriots would have certified the illegitimate results of the 2020 presidential election if it were up to them.  They all will go beyond what any current member of Congress has done to fight for the release of the January 6th hostages currently being imprisoned by the Biden regime.

They all love President Trump, and readily understand that his cause represents America’s hope.  For that reason, they heard the call and feel dutybound to enter the storm – and do whatever it takes to help President Trump come next January in his second administration to give him all the support he needs to Make America First Again:

Combat Veteran JR Majewski (OH-09)

The people of Ohio deserve much better than their current leadership, both Democrat and Republican, and Majewski’s election to Congress will benefit MAGA patriots nationwide, giving them a trusted voice and proven fighter who will prioritize America First values, over Mitch McConnell and the DC Swamp now bringing this country to ruin.

Make America Dominant Again!

J6 Patriot Derrick Evans (WV-01)

Derrick Evans arguably paid the greatest price for standing up for this country. Evans was one of thousands of Americans who peacefully demonstrated at the Capitol on January 6th – as a result, he had his liberties stripped away and was forced to serve three months in prison, including over a week of agonizing solitary confinement.

Derrick Evans has never wavered in his support for President Trump and America First principles.  In fact, last August, when President Trump’s mugshot was released, Evans posted it alongside his own mugshot in a display of solidarity with the 45th President, which the President later ReTruthed.

Trump Soldier Anthony Sabatini (FL-11)

Anthony Sabatini was the most outspoken Trump supporter while serving in the Florida House of Representatives, and was the only legislator to really hold then-Governor Ron DeSantis’ feet to the fire, pushing him to the right on policies ranging from gun rights to immigration.

Among his many accolades, Sabatini was the first Republican County chairman in the state of Florida to endorse President Trump.

He has been an unwavering backer of the 45th President’s, stating repeatedly on record that he would not have certified the results of the illegitimate 2020 election, while also calling on Governor DeSantis’ office to permanently cut ties with Biden’s DOJ in the aftermath of the unlawful raid on Mar-a-Lago in August of 2022.

Sabatini has represented J6 defendants as part of his legal practice and continues to be a stalwart advocate for the most vulnerable members of our society – the J6 victims and their families.

He is the most loyal and patriotic Florida legislator, bar none, and is a terrific addition to the next Congress.

America needs more great Patriots like Anthony Sabatini!

America First Patriot Blake Masters (AZ-08)

America First is here to stay, thanks to leaders like Blake Masters. He will support President Trump to solve the border crises and restore law and order in America.

Together with President Trump, Masters will bring illegal immigration to an end. He will protect our right to own and use firearms, so our streets safe again.

Vote for Blake Masters AZ

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Badash at NCRM:

President-elect Donald Trump, in a wide-ranging press conference from Mar-a-Lago on Monday, declared he doesn’t like vaccine mandates for childhood diseases, blamed Democrats for them, and appeared to be unaware that every state in the nation has childhood vaccine mandates that include many if not most or all of the CDC’s recommended vaccination schedule of 15 immunizations from birth to age 16. These vaccines protect children and the general population from serious and often contagious and deadly diseases, including polio, smallpox, measles, mumps, rubella, seasonal flu, and COVID-19.

While declaring he supports the polio vaccine, Trump appeared to veer off into discussing school closings when asked about childhood vaccine mandates, which first started in the United States in 1855. Responding to a reporter, Trump declared he is “a big believer” in the polio vaccine, but cautioned, “I think everything should be looked at.” Asked, “Do you think schools should mandate vaccines?” Trump replied, “I don’t like mandates.” “I’m not a big mandate person, so, you know, I was against mandates, uh, mostly Democrat governors did the mandates and, uh, they they did a very poor thing. It was, you know, in retrospect, they made a big mistake. Uh, having to do with the education of children. You know, they lost like a year or two years of their lives. The mandate was a bad thing. I was against the mandate.”

Trump, on the campaign trail, repeatedly stated he would defund any school that requires childhood vaccines. “I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate,” he said in June, PBS reported at the time.

[...] Trump, appearing to side with RFK Jr.’s stated yet false claim there are no vaccines that are safe and effective, also appeared to say there are nations that have a lower infectious disease rate than the U.S. and do not use vaccines, which is false. “No,” Trump replied, “I think he’s gonna be much less radical than you would think. I think he’s got a very open mind, or I wouldn’t have put him there. He’s gonna be very much less radical. But there are problems. I mean, we don’t do as well as a lot of other nations, and those nations use nothing. And uh we’re gonna find out what those problems are.”

Last week, saying he—and not the infectious disease scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—would be the one to decide, in consultation with anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which vaccines the federal government should cut, Trump had again invoked the false and widely debunked conspiracy theory that links autism to the life-saving drugs. The President-elect’s remarks were met with concern and condemnation.

Orange Cuckoo pandering to anti-vaxxer nutbars once again, as he called for the removal of vaccine mandates in schools for all vaccines that protect against diseases, including polio, measles, and smallpox.

Trump has also given credence to the debunked vaccines-autism connection.

[ifreakingloveroyals]

Through the Years → Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (224/∞) 12 May 2024 | Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive at the State Governor House in Lagos as they visit Nigeria as part of celebrations of Invictus Games anniversary. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images)

[thatssosussex]

Day 3- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex outside the Lagos House Marina, on a Courtesy Visit to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. They also met with Toke Benson-Awoyinka, Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture. They also met the four kings. (5/12/24)

[mightyflamethrower]

PALM BEACH, FL — In his most impactful promise yet in the lead-up to being inaugurated in January, President-elect Donald Trump announced an ambitious plan to annex the nation of Canada and rename it "Gay North Dakota."

Following a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago, Trump worked with his inner circle to devise the plan to have the U.S. absorb Canada as the 51st state of the union while changing its name to something that better describes its people and culture.

"It'll be a wonderful addition to our country, Gay North Dakota," Trump told reporters when revealing the plan. "It's large. Very large. A lot of trees and moose there, they tell me. We knew we would need to give it another name so everyone would know it's part of the United States. We thought about ‘Gay California,' but Canada is too cold and California is already Gay California. So we picked ‘Gay North Dakota.' It's just like North Dakota, only much larger and very, very gay. We're going to love our new state, aren't we, folks?"

Though the monumental change took Canadians by surprise, experts predicted they would be far too polite to raise any opposition to the idea. "They'll go along with it," said one Trump transition team insider. "We're offering them the opportunity to finally become Americans, which is what they have always wanted. They'll be nice about it, because they're Canadians. Sorry, I mean Gay North Dakotans."

At publishing time, rumors persisted that Trump would also name Justin Trudeau the first female governor of Gay North Dakota

[stylestream]

Meghan Markle with Prince Harry | Carolina Herrera dress | Lagos State Governor House Visit | 2024

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

David Rowe, Australia Financial Review

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 27, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Aug 28, 2024

Sam Stein of The Bulwark reported yesterday that the Trump campaign is about to start running ads in the area around Mar-a-Lago. Trump insiders say the campaign has paid almost $50,000 to run ads to make Trump and local donors feel good. On August 14, Kevin Cate, former spokesperson for President Barack Obama, predicted that Trump would spend his first television dollars “in Florida (for his ego and against his team’s advice). And that’s how you’ll know we’re in landslide territory.” 

Predictions about future elections and an average of $3.08 will get you a cup of coffee these days, but there are some interesting signs out there today. Pollster Tom Bonier noted what he called “the Harris Effect”: the 13 states that have updated their voters files since July 21—when Biden said he would not accept the Democratic nomination for president—have seen “incredible surges in voter registration relative to the same time period in 2020, driven by women, voters of color, and young voters.”

The registrations of young Black women have almost tripled compared with the same period in 2020. The registrations of young Hispanic women are up by 150%. “Black women overall have almost doubled their registration numbers from 2020,” Bonier wrote. 

These changes benefit Democrats, Bonier noted. “Democratic registration has increased by over 50%, as compared to only 7% for Republicans. These new registrants are modeled as +20 pts Dem, as compared to +6 during the same week in 2020.”

The Cook Political Report today moved the electoral votes of Minnesota, New Hampshire, and North Carolina, and the governor's races in North Carolina and Washington, toward the Democrats. Minnesota, New Hampshire, and the Washington governor have gone from leaning Democratic to likely Democratic wins; the North Carolina governor’s race has gone from Toss Up to Lean Democratic; North Carolina has gone from Lean Republican to Toss Up. 

Meanwhile, Trump began the day by posting an advertisement for the fourth “series of Trump digital trading cards,” or NFTs (which are unique digital tokens) featuring heroic images of Trump. People who buy 15 or more of them—at $99 apiece—get a physical trading card as well. Trump said that the physical card has a piece of the suit he wore at the presidential debate, and Trump promises to sign five of them, randomly. Up to 25 people who buy $25,750 worth of the cards with cryptocurrency will be invited to a gala next month at his Jupiter, Florida, golf club.

In the ad, Trump made it a point to emphasize his enthusiasm for cryptocurrency, an emphasis that dovetails with Trump’s recent promotion of an “official” cryptocurrency project. He linked to a Telegram channel run by his sons Don Jr. and Eric that, at the time, was called “The DeFiant Ones” but has been renamed “World Liberty Financial.” While there is little public information about the project, the channel has almost 50,000 subscribers.  

Hawking merchandise was an odd move for a presidential candidate, and it suggested his focus is elsewhere than on the election. Also today, Trump announced that he plans to make former Democrats Robert Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, both of whom have endorsed him, honorary members of his transition team. Kennedy told right-wing personality Tucker Carlson that he would “help pick the people who will be running the government.” 

This afternoon, Trump announced that the terms for the September 10 presidential debate had been set, but the fact it came from him alone suggested he was trying to get his way by simply declaring he had won. Indeed, the Harris campaign said the issue hadn’t been settled, and ABC News, which is holding the debate, did not comment. 

Late this afternoon, special counsel Jack Smith filed a superseding indictment against Trump in the federal criminal case concerning Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. After the Supreme Court decided on July 1, 2024, in the aptly-named case of Donald J. Trump v. United States, that Trump cannot be charged with crimes committed as part of his official duties, the criminal case Smith had filed against him for his attempt to steal the election had to be reworked to eliminate those actions the court deemed official. 

A new grand jury heard the evidence for this indictment, avoiding concerns that the previous grand jury might be swayed by evidence that they had heard before but was no longer admissible. The new indictment removes those matters but retains the four original charges and clarifies that they concern actions that are not official duties. Legal analyst Joyce White Vance of Civil Discourse notes that while the old indictment referred to Trump as a former president, this one refers to him as “a candidate for president.” 

Trump greeted the announcement with a long, unhinged rant on his social media company, saying that “[t]he people of our country will see what is happening with all of these corrupt lawsuits against me, and will REJECT them by giving me an overwhelming Victory on November 5th for President of the United States….”

“For those counting,” legal analyst Andrew Weismann wrote, “FIVE separate grand juries (scores of citizens) have now found probable cause that Trump committed multiple felonies.” 

And then, this evening, Quil Lawrence and Tom Bowman of NPR explained the story behind the surprising photos of Trump on Monday giving a thumbs-up over a grave in Arlington National Cemetery. The reporters wrote that “[t]wo members of Donald Trump's campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation Monday with an official” at the cemetery, where “[f]ederal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities.” When a cemetery official tried to prevent Trump campaign staff from entering the section where the grave was located, “campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside.” A Trump campaign spokesperson said the official who tried to prevent the staff from holding a political event in the cemetery was “clearly suffering from a mental health episode.” 

The elephant in the room these days is that most Republicans, along with many pundits, are pretending that Trump is a normal presidential candidate. They are ignoring his mental lapses, calls for authoritarianism, grifting, lack of grasp on any sort of policy, and criminality, even as he has hollowed out the once grand Republican Party and threatens American democracy itself.

It’s hard to look away from the reality that the Republican senators could have stopped this catastrophe at many points in Trump’s term, at the very least by voting to convict Trump at his first impeachment trial. At the time, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said, “Out of one hundred senators, you have zero who believe you that there was no quid pro quo. None. There’s not a single one.” Republican senators nonetheless stood behind Trump. “This is not about this president. It’s not about anything he’s been accused of doing,” then–majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told his colleagues. “It has always been about November 3, 2020. It’s about flipping the Senate.”

When the Framers wrote the Constitution, they did not foresee senators abandoning the principles of the country in order to support a president they thought would enhance their own careers. Assuming that lawmakers would jealously guard their own power, the Framers gave to the members of the House of Representatives the power to impeach a president. To the members of the Senate they gave the sole power to try impeachments. They assumed that lawmakers, who had just fought a war to break free of a monarch, would understand that their own interests would always require stopping the rise of an authoritarian leader. 

But the Framers did not foresee the rise of political partisanship. 

In the modern era, extreme partisanship has led to voter suppression to keep Republicans in power, the weaponization of the filibuster to stop Democratic legislation, and gerrymandering to enable Republicans to take far more legislative seats than they have earned. The demands of this extreme partisanship also mean that members of one of the nation’s major political parties have lined up behind a man whom, were he running this sort of a campaign even ten years ago, they would have dismissed with derision. 

Finally, devastatingly, the partisanship that made senators keep Trump in office enabled him to name to the Supreme Court three justices. Those three justices were key to making up the majority that overturned the nation’s fundamental principle that all people must be equal before the law. In July 2024 they ruled that unlike anyone else, a president is above it.  

In May 2016, South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham famously observed: “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.......and we will deserve it.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON