#Trump Transition

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Edward Helmore at The Guardian:

A senior official on Donald Trump’s campaign has said any appointees in a second Trump administration would need to prove “fidelity and loyalty”. The official also sought to distance the former president from Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation plan calling for a far-right federal government in the event of a Trump victory at the voting polls in November. Howard Lutnick, the chief executive officer of Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald and co-chairperson of the former president’s transition team, told the Financial Times that appointees to any second Trump administration are “all going to be on the same side, and they’re all going to understand the policies, and we’re going to give people the role based on their capacity – and their fidelity and loyalty to the policy, as well as to” Trump. The comments come as the Trump team are trying to dispel concerns that a second Trump government would be as chaotic as the first, marked in part by infighting and a staff turnover calculated at 92% as of the day Joe Biden took office as president in 2021. “Those people were not pure to his vision,” Lutnick told the outlet.

It is unlikely Lutnick’s comments will calm concerns among those who believe government officials should place American democracy above Trump or any other president. Lutnick joined Trump’s transition team in August along with Linda McMahon, the head of the Small Business Association under the former president and wife of the ex-World Wrestling Entertainment boss Vince McMahon in August. He maintained that Project 2025 was “radioactive”, though its authors openly support Trump and his running mate, JD Vance. “Project 2025 is an absolute zero for the Trump-Vance transition,” the billionaire said. “You can use another term – radioactive.” Democrats have made the controversial document part of their campaign, describing it as a blueprint for a fast-tracked program to increase presidential power and “strip away our freedoms – by forcing states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions, cutting Social Security and Medicare, and eliminating the Department of Education”.

Potential 2nd Trump Administration appointees must prove their “fidelity and loyalty” to the MAGA agenda, according to Trump Transition Team co-chair Howard Lutnick.

[makingdonalddrumpfagain]

⚠️

[uncanny-tranny]

Social transition being seen (by some) as this super easy thing that isn't as hard as real transitioning (medical) is bullshit. Be critical of the idea that there are some trans people who just "have it easy" because they are trans or because they are trans in ways you may not be.

Social transition is just as difficult, hard, and rewarding as medical transition. Maybe it is not as hard for some, sure, but that is not the same as thinking that social transition is inherently easier or lesser. If you're socially transitioning, your voice still matters.

[seven-stars-in-his-palm]

You wake up after a terrible accident. The doctor says i’m sorry we’ve had to transplant your brain into a celebrity’s body. Which celeb do you choose?

gosh this is difficult. i'll have to transition and come out all over again, which, depending on who i choose, can have insurmountable consequences. keeping this in mind, i'll take one donald j trump please

[teaandinanity]

I would just like to reiterate that Kamala Harris is not and was never a cop.

She was a district attorney.

DAs can and have done a lot of good, occasionally up to and including refusing to enforce laws they think are evil bullshit.

In her case, she used the position to help start a program that literally said 'this nonviolent drug offender should go to school instead of prison, actually.' Which reduced recidivism and is EXACTLY the kind of thing I would like to see more of from our justice system.

She's not a cop.

[theatrekidenergy]

The trans FTM experience of not knowing how to feel about your detachment from femininity and growing up a woman

[pannn-cakesss]

Women's + Trans Rights = Human Rights <3

I meant to post this yesterday :(

[midwestemokilledmygrandma]

idk ... it is shocking to me that anyone is surprised by what kamala Harris said about trans ppl.. like in an election where she is so on the verge of losing anyway taking a really pro trans stance rn would be political suicide as... shock horror.. trans people are quite unpopular 😨

in this political climate there is no situation where she would ever be a #bigally bcs she cannot win with that stance ... she didn't even say anything anti trans or throw trans ppl under the bus lol she was just a bit obfuscating and vague about it.

idk why ppl r upset/surprised lol, who was expecting kamala Harris, notorious former cop (not cop but.. yknow), to be the face of wokeness in a political climate and country where that would be GUARANTEED to lose her the election. an election she is alr disadvantaged in due to her association w the Biden administration, her being a WOC and her not having a cult of personality like some ppl lol. I think she said the best thing she could've possibly said and more left wing (further left.. she is not left wing) politicians have said worse, more harmful shit about trans ppl.

I don't think anyone except neoliberal freak weirdos have ever claimed she was perfect but all u fucking performative one issue voter weirdos who won't vote for her bcs she's not perfect and instead will waste ur vote on 3rd party ... trump will win and you'll be more fucked.

I do think ppl r forgetting that no matter what kamala says the alternative is TRUMP and any vote not for kamala harris is a vote for trump and no one is really in a position to be all that picky rn bcs Harris will never be as evil as trump is.

[hale-nathan]

Trump Weird News - Project 2025 - Really, Still in Denial?

[nando161mando]

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Trump advisers propose jeopardizing national security by giving out security clearances without FBI vetting for Donald's appointees if elected again

Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan, and Charlie Savage at NYT:

A memo circulating among at least half a dozen advisers to former President Donald J. Trump recommends that if he is elected, he bypass traditional background checks by law enforcement officials and immediately grant security clearances to a large number of his appointees after being sworn in, according to three people briefed on the matter. The proposal is being promoted by a small group including Boris Epshteyn, a top legal adviser to Mr. Trump who was influential in its development, according to the three people. It is not clear whether Mr. Trump has seen the proposal or whether he is inclined to adopt it if he takes office.

But it would allow him to quickly install loyalists in major positions without subjecting them to the risk of long-running and intrusive F.B.I. background checks, potentially increasing the risks of people with problematic histories or ties to other nations being given influential White House roles. Such checks hung up clearances for a number of aides during Mr. Trump’s presidency, including Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Mr. Epshteyn himself. The proposal suggests using private-sector investigators and researchers to perform background checks on Mr. Trump’s intended appointees during the transition, cutting out the role traditionally played by F.B.I. agents, the three people said. Once Mr. Trump took the oath, he would then summarily approve a large group for access to classified secrets, they said. Asked about the proposal, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, responded with an attack on Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she and Democrats “have weaponized the Department of Justice to attack President Trump and his supporters” and that Mr. Trump would use “the full powers of the presidency” to build his administration starting on Inauguration Day.

A number of Mr. Trump’s advisers — and the former president himself — have long viewed background checks for security clearances with deep suspicion. They believe that the process is designed to make challenges to outcomes difficult, and that personal pieces of information submitted during the vetting can be disseminated later for damaging results. Mr. Trump has long railed about the F.B.I. being part of a “deep state” conspiracy to undermine him. But a change that would allow a president with a record of flouting norms and rules for the handling of classified material to further sidestep existing guardrails would raise new questions about the adequacy of the system protecting national security secrets. It is not clear what positions the altered system would cover, but the people familiar with the proposal said it appeared to apply to a large number of potential Trump appointees in a second administration.

Mr. Epshteyn, who was indicted earlier this year in Arizona in connection with a so-called fake electors scheme to upend Mr. Trump’s 2020 loss and has two prior arrests in that state, speaks with Mr. Trump multiple times a day and is one of his most influential aides. He is a lawyer and consultant who has helped recruit and manage the legal team that has been defending Mr. Trump in the four criminal cases filed against him since he left office. (Mr. Epshteyn reached a plea deal after a 2014 arrest, and in the other case, in 2021, three charges were dismissed and he pleaded guilty to one charge. Both convictions were later set aside.)

[...]

Traditional federal background investigations for security clearances carry risks for potential appointees. Lying on official application materials could lead to a criminal charge for making a false statement. Seeking a clearance also invites scrutiny that could turn up some other cause to open a criminal investigation. Potential Trump appointees would reduce or avoid those risks under the proposal, in which the privately assembled dossiers would apparently be seen only by the White House.

According to certain advisers in Trumpworld, Donald Trump seeks to jeopardize national security by giving security clearances to large chunks of his potential appointees without proper vetting and background checks if he elected again.

[makingdonalddrumpfagain]

[tomorrowusa]

« Robert Kennedy, Jr., the Jeffrey Dahmer of the animal kingdom, has horrified his family almost as much as Jeffrey Dahmer horrified his family by endorsing the most horrifying Republican presidential nominee in history. »

— Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC earlier this week commenting on RFK Jr.'s endorsement of adjudicated sex offender Donald Trump.

Like Trump, RFK Jr. is WEIRD. So it was just a matter of time before the two found common ground.

Lawrence O'Donnell's reference to Jeffrey Dahmer was likely sparked by RFK Jr.'s latest disturbing incident involving animals.

Environmental group calls for investigation of RFK Jr. chainsawing whale head

Here's an excerpt from an article at NJ.com.

Because if you thought that Central Park bear story was strange, or that photo of him with a barbecued carcass of a dog — or was it a goat? — was weird, or his brainworm affliction explained a lot ... well, it seems we all missed another RFK Jr. adventure from the wild kingdom, revealed in a profile of his daughter Kick, in 2012, and it’s a whale of a tale:

The latest on RFK Jr.'s political degeneration is that he's been appointed to Weird Donald's "transition team".

Trump Fills His Transition Team With Moronic Conspiracy Theorists

Of course Trump's actual transition team consists of the authors of Project 2025.

It's up to us to make sure that Trump doesn't need a transition team.

It's only 69 days until Election Day. If you have moved since the last time you voted then you need to register at your new address. Voter registration is tied to location; even if you just moved across the street you need to register at your new address. Don't give GOP vote-suppressors an excuse to challenge your right to vote.

Pass this message about the need to update voter registration to people you know to have moved in the past couple of years. That includes people you know online on other platforms.

Whatever the polls say, remember that polls don't vote – individual people vote. Getting people to make voting a high priority eliminates the possibility of an unpleasant surprise on November 5th.

[astrosouldivinity]

Additional Astrological Factors-Why Kamala Lost the Election:

Transiting Kamala’s 10th house, Saturn symbolizes karma, while the 10th house is associated with public image and career. Meanwhile, Neptune, also transiting her 10th house, represents illusions and deception. I would think that these astrological influences created barriers for her public image and career trajectory. While there are many other factors in both Kamala and Trump’s charts that explain his victory, it appears that, at an energetic level, this outcome was meant to unfold.

Energy is always shifting, and nothing is set in stone within this matrix. There can still be various external influences at play. However, it’s been quite educational analyzing the patterns.

-Kiki

Part 1

[asgardian--angels]

Just wanted to thank you for taking the time and effort to put together the long climate/environment post, especially the online resources. I've wanted to replace the neglected/dead non-native plants at my place with native plants for months, but didn't know where to start my search for species except to walk around my local nature preserve trying to find something that isn't invasive lol. I'll be able to start (re)introducing native plants this month because of you :-)

Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad the post has been helpful and inspiring. If you'd like more directed guidance on native plants, I can probably point you in the right direction if you can give me a general area to work with (state would suffice!). In general, go for keystone species- those that are common in your area and support many kinds of insects- or pollinator favorites, or host plants for rare/imperiled butterflies/bees/moths.

[asclexe]

we’re really in the midnight realm now