#trump power grab

[tomorrowusa]

One of Trump's unconstitutional gambits may be to try to usurp Congress's authority over the federal budget. Trump just can't resist an opportunity to be grabby.

One sign that he may be going in that direction is that he named the odious Russell Vought to return to his old position as head of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought is one of the architects of Project 2025.

How Trump Plans to Seize the Power of the Purse From Congress

[spotlightstory]

Trump says he will “fire” America’s military generals and replace them with MAGA loyalists, echoing Project 2025

Link to Reddit video Best Comment: "Just going to remind everyone that, after Trump lost the election, General Milley and the Joint Chiefs of Staffs were concerned that Trump was attempting a military coup and took steps to prevent it.

They were joined in this concern by all living former defense Secretaries, Republican and Democrat, who flouted two hundred years of military tradition by posting an open letter announcing that the election was over, and warning military people everywhere not to obey any orders aimed at preventing the peaceful transfer of power.

Just in case people don't realize this -- these are, you know. Pentagon people. THE Pentagon people.  These people know things that we don't know.

So, let's be really clear here. Trump is promising an old-fashioned Praetorian guard COUP here. That's what's happening right in front of our eyes. I don't understand why anyone is talking about anything else."

[gwydionmisha]

Meanwhile, Elon Musk is illegally accessing essential government systems at places like the treasury department. Nothing good can come of it.

[thumbdrivethoughts]

MMW: The U.S. and Russia Are Combining Forces For A Global Power Grab

They will specifically focus on Western European democratic states that provide for their populations and recognize workers and human rights. No nation that provides superior public access to education, healthcare, decent housing, quality workers compensation, benefits, etc will go unpunished.

As both Putin and Trump have aligned themselves with exploitative capitalist oligarchs, the plan is to bully and dismantle states with governments that serve their public and protect workers. That means, Canada, the Scandinavian countries, France, Germany, etc.

Trump and Putin want to enslave everyone to them.

All the soon former allies of the United States are in the crosshairs. Brexit was a plan to weaken Europe ahead of time. The U.K. needs to realign with the European Union.

No doubt, Putin is in Trump's ear questioning America's alliances with states, I'm sure, he claims feed off American economic and military generosity.

Trump, no doubt, doesn't know the history or understand the broader importance behind these western alliances. Putin does and wants to get Trump to dismantle them. Trump only sees individual relationships with other nations and deals. What's a good deal? What's a bad deal? Putin looks strong to Trump and Russia has nukes so in his mind it makes sense to cut deals and align with the strong nations and bully weaker nations that offer seemingly "bad deals" and don't have nuclear arsenals as deterrents.

But like the brief peace between Russia and Germany just before Operation Barbarossa, Russia and the United States won't remain allied for long. One is certain to betray the other, as Hitler betrayed Stalin and as Trump is betraying our allies, in their quest to be the greater super power.

[sjerzgirl]

More in depth than the Vox article.

[kazifatagar]

Trump and Musk vs. the Courts: Executive Power Grab Sparks Constitutional Crisis

In a escalating power struggle, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are pushing sweeping executive actions to overhaul federal operations, slash jobs, and redirect funds, claiming a voter mandate for reform. However, federal judges have repeatedly blocked these moves, citing constitutional and legal violations. The administration’s…

[garudabluffs]

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[misfitwashere]

November 24, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

NOV 25

Since the night of the November 5, election, Trump and his allies have insisted that he won what Trump called “an unprecedented and powerful mandate.” But as the numbers have continued to come in, it’s clear that such a declaration is both an attempt to encourage donations— fundraising emails refer to Trump’s “LANDSLIDE VICTORY”—and an attempt to create the illusion of power to push his agenda. 

The reality is that Trump’s margin over Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris will likely end up around 1.5 points. According to James M. Lindsay, writing for the Council of Foreign Relations, it is the fifth smallest since 1900, which covers 32 presidential races. Exit polls showed that Trump’s favorability rating was just 48% and that more voters chose someone other than Trump. And, as Lindsay points out, Trump fell 4 million votes short of President Joe Biden in 2020. 

Political science professor Lynn Vavreck of the University of California, Los Angeles, told Peter Baker of the New York Times: “If the definition of landslide is you win both the popular vote and Electoral College vote, that’s a new definition” On the other hand, she added, “Nobody gains any kind of influence by going out and saying, ‘I barely won, and now I want to do these big things.’”

Trump’s allies are indeed setting out to do big things, and they are big things that are unpopular. 

Trump ran away from Project 2025 during the campaign because it was so unpopular. He denied he knew anything about it, calling it “ridiculous and abysmal,” and on September 16 the leader of Trump’s transition team, Howard Lutnick, said there were “Absolutely zero. No connection. Zero” ties between the team and Project 2025. Now, though, Trump has done an about-face and has said he will nominate at least five people associated with Project 2025 to his administration. 

Those nominees include Russell Vought, one of the project's key authors, who calls for dramatically increasing the powers of the president; Tom Homan, who as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) oversaw the separation of children from their parents; John Ratcliffe, whom the Senate refused in 2019 to confirm as Director of National Intelligence because he had no experience in intelligence; Brendan Carr, whom Trump wants to put at the head of the Federal Communications Commission and who is already trying to silence critics by warning he will punish broadcasters who Trump feels have been unfair to him; and Stephen Miller, the fervently anti-immigrant ideologue.

Project 2025 calls for the creation of an extraordinarily strong president who will gut the civil service and replace its nonpartisan officials with those who are loyal to the president. It calls for filling the military and the Department of Justice with those loyal to the president. And then, the project plans that with his new power, the president will impose Christian nationalism on the United States of America, ending immigration, and curtailing rights for LGBTQ+ individuals as well as women and racial and ethnic minorities.

Project 2025 was unpopular when people learned about it. 

And then there is the threat of dramatic cuts to the U.S. government, suggested by the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, headed by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. They are calling for cuts of $2 trillion to the items in the national budget that provide a safety net for ordinary Americans at the same time that Trump is promising additional tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. Musk, meanwhile, is posturing as if he is the actual president, threatening on Saturday, for example: “Those who break the law will be arrested and that includes mayors.”  

On Meet the Press today, current representative and senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA) reacted to the “dictator talk,” with which Trump is threatening his political opponents, pointing out that "[t]he American people…voted on the basis of the economy—they wanted change to the economy—they weren’t voting for dictatorship. So I think he is going to misread his mandate if that’s what he thinks voters chose him for.”

That Trump and his team are trying desperately to portray a marginal victory as a landslide in order to put an extremist unpopular agenda into place suggests another dynamic at work. 

For all Trump’s claims of power, he is a 78-year-old man who is declining mentally and who neither commands a majority of voters nor has shown signs of being able to transfer his voters to a leader in waiting. 

Trump’s team deployed Vice President–elect J.D. Vance to the Senate to drum up votes for the confirmation of Florida representative Matt Gaetz to become the United States attorney general. But Vance has only been in the Senate since 2022 and is not noticeably popular. He—and therefore Trump—was unable to find the votes the wildly unqualified Gaetz needed for confirmation, forcing him to withdraw his name from consideration. 

The next day, Gaetz began to advertise on Cameo, an app that allows patrons to commission a personalized video for fans, asking a minimum of $550.00 for a recording. Gaetz went from United States representative to Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney general to making videos for Cameo in a little over a week. 

It is a truism in studying politics that it’s far more important to follow power than it is to follow people. Right now, there is a lot of power sloshing around in Washington, D.C. 

Trump is trying to convince the country that he has scooped up all that power. But in fact, he has won reelection by less than 50% of the vote, and his vice president is not popular. The policies Trump is embracing are so unpopular that he himself ran away from them when he was campaigning. And now he has proposed filling his administration with a number of highly unqualified figures who, knowing the only reason they have been elevated is that they are loyal to Trump, will go along with his worst instincts. With that baggage, it is not clear he will be able to cement enough power to bring his plans to life.

If power remains loose, it could get scooped up by cabinet officials, as it was during a similarly chaotic period in the 1920s. In that era, voters elected to the presidency former newspaperman and Republican backbencher Warren G. Harding of Ohio, who promised to return the country to “normalcy” after eight years of the presidency of Democrat Woodrow Wilson and the nation’s engagement in World War I. That election really was a landslide, with Harding and his running mate, Calvin Coolidge, winning more than 60% of the popular vote in 1920.

But Harding was badly out of his depth in the presidency and spent his time with cronies playing bridge and drinking upstairs at the White House—despite Prohibition—while corrupt members of his administration grabbed all they could. 

With such a void in the executive branch, power could have flowed to Congress. But after twenty years of opposing first Theodore Roosevelt, and then William Howard Taft, and then Woodrow Wilson, Congress had become adept at opposing presidents but had split into factions that made it unable to transition to using power, rather than opposing its use.

And so power in that era flowed to members of Harding’s Cabinet, primarily to Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, who put into place a fervently pro-business government that continued after Harding’s untimely death into the presidency of Calvin Coolidge, who made little effort to recover the power Harding had abandoned. After Hoover became president and their system fell to ruin in the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt took their lost power and used it to create a new type of government. 

In this moment, Trump’s people are working hard to convince Americans that they have gathered up all the power in Washington, D.C., but that power is actually still sloshing around. Trump is trying to force through the Senate a number of unqualified and dangerous nominees for high-level positions, threatening Republican senators that if they don’t bow to him, Elon Musk will fund primary challengers, or suggesting he will push them into recess so he can appoint his nominees without their constitutionally-mandated advice and consent. 

But Trump and his people do not, in fact, have a mandate. Trump is old and weak, and power is up for grabs. It is possible that MAGA Republicans will, in the end, force Republican senators into their camp, permitting Trump and his cronies to do whatever they wish. 

It is also possible that Republican senators will themselves take back for Congress the power that has lately concentrated in presidents, check the most dangerous and unpopular of Trump’s plans, and begin the process of restoring the balance of the three branches of government.

—

[fourdiagnosesinatrenchcoat]

I think my recent and ongoing obsession with Leverage is helping me shift to the perspective that I don't especially care that what Trump and Musk are doing is illegal and unconstitutional (which it is), I care that it is cruel and causing excessive suffering for millions of people, or even dozens of people. I'm glad that people like Tish James and my college friend who works for her are fighting the good legal fight, but the law does not really seem to matter to the people grabbing power so why should it matter to me?

Also I just finally read The Dispossessed and the basics of anarchism are bubbling in my brain.

[beauty-funny-trippy]

A new national day of protest is set to sweep across all 50 states on Saturday, April 5, with demonstrations organized under the banner "Hands Off" targeting threats to democracy, bodily autonomy, and climate justice. Organizers say the protests are a direct response to figures like President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, accusing them of undermining key democratic principles and freedoms.

"Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. They’re grabbing everything they can, and it’s up to us to push back. On April 5th, we’ll take to the streets with a clear message: Hands off!" ~ ThirdAct.org

A map published by the event's website, HandsOff2025.com, shows protests stretching from Anchorage, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. Some of the largest gatherings are expected in cities like Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Philadelphia, while smaller events are planned for college campuses and public squares nationwide.

"Across the country, grassroots activists, workers, community leaders and everyday people are coming together to say that it's time for billionaires and extreme lawmakers to take their hands off our healthcare, our wages, our safety, and our rights," the spokesperson said. "Trump and his billionaire allies are openly planning a power grab to roll back our rights, strip workers of protections, and dismantle the foundations of democracy in service of tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. The stakes couldn't be higher."

Find an event near you here.

[wilwheaton]

There's little chance that impeachment articles won't get drawn up, articles that declare that Trump has committed a high crime in freeing those who attempted a coup at his own direction. There will likely be another set drawn up the first time Trump orders the military into U.S. cities on pretenses of maintaining order, and another when Trump orders the military to shoot those who protest against him—both are, like his promise to release his coup allies, threats he has long vowed to make real. If Republicanism stands for all of that, and not against it, then it is a terrorist movement, not a political one. It exists to supplant laws with political violence. It exists so that the craven sycophants of America, spineless creatures like Lindsey Graham, can grab for whatever scraps of power Trump might dole out during each new crime and betrayal.

The Criminal commits his (first) impeachable act

Hitler had his Brownshirts, and now Trump has his.

It is only a matter of time before he activates them against Americans.

[reality-detective]

Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to finally withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization...

Official Testimony Bill Gates was behind the World Health Organization global power grab

The WHO also involved in “WHO sex crime scandal, where 83 WHO staff has sexually exploited girls and women — including rape — victims as young as 13”

“Gates bought the WHO, and they now recommend his products. It is that simple. WHO's current sugar daddy is Bill Gates, who has made billions out of his investment in the same vaccines that WHO promotes.”

This official testimony is absolutely INSANE🤔

[srldesigns6277]

Here it is. Trump signed an executive order stating that the only individuals who should have opinions on the Rule of Law are himself, as President and the Attorney General.

This is an Authoritarian power grab.

This goes against the Constitution.

MAKE SURE EVERYONE SEES THIS! WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO BECOME LAW!

[globalnewscollective]

Trump’s Purge of the FTC: The Dismantling of Consumer Protections and the Rule of Law

What’s at Stake?

In a shocking and blatantly illegal move, Donald Trump has fired Democratic-appointed officials from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), violating longstanding norms and potentially breaching federal law. By unlawfully purging the agency of opposition, Trump is not only undermining consumer rights but also attacking the very foundation of democratic governance. This unprecedented action sets a dangerous precedent for the executive branch to override legal safeguards and seize unchecked power.

Why This Should Terrify You

The FTC is a regulatory body designed to operate independently, ensuring that corporate power does not override consumer protection. By illegally dismissing commissioners who were lawfully appointed, Trump is gutting the agency’s ability to function fairly. Here’s why this is a direct threat to democracy:

It’s a Violation of the Law – FTC commissioners serve fixed terms and cannot be removed without cause. Trump’s move is a blatant disregard for legal norms and an unconstitutional power grab.

Big Business Gets Free Reign – Without an independent FTC, corporations can exploit consumers without fear of regulation.

Silencing Opposition – Removing officials based on political affiliation erodes democratic checks and balances, turning regulatory agencies into authoritarian tools.

Monopolies Will Thrive – Tech giants and corporate behemoths will have fewer checks on their power, leading to price hikes, reduced competition, and worse conditions for workers and consumers alike.

Why This Matters to You

This isn’t just about Washington politics; it’s about your everyday life. If Trump gets away with this illegal power grab, it sets a precedent for him—or any future president��to ignore the law whenever it suits them. If the FTC becomes a rubber-stamp agency for corporate greed, you will feel the impact:

Higher Prices – Without regulation, companies can increase costs on everything from groceries to healthcare.

Fewer Consumer Protections – Companies engaging in fraud or deceptive practices will face little accountability.

More Surveillance and Data Exploitation – Tech companies will have fewer restrictions on how they use and sell your personal data.

This is particularly dangerous for young people and low-income communities, who rely on regulatory protections to ensure fair economic opportunities and prevent corporate abuse.

The Bigger Picture

Trump’s move isn’t just about the FTC—it’s part of a broader effort to dismantle democratic institutions and consolidate power. This echoes tactics used in authoritarian regimes, where leaders remove independent oversight and install loyalists to control every aspect of governance. If left unchecked, this could extend to other agencies, eroding the very fabric of American democracy.

By blatantly disregarding the law to fire FTC officials, Trump is signaling that he believes he is above legal constraints. If he can ignore these rules without consequences, what stops him from undermining election results, bypassing Congress, or silencing dissenting voices in the judiciary?

What Can You Do?

Stay Informed – Follow news on regulatory agencies and corporate influence.

Support Consumer Advocacy Groups – Organizations fighting for fair trade and consumer rights need public support.

Vote for Leaders Who Defend the Rule of Law – Elections determine who has the power to hold corporations—and presidents—accountable.

Raise Awareness – The more people know about this illegal power grab, the harder it will be for Trump to get away with it.

Demand Accountability – Pressure lawmakers to challenge Trump’s unlawful actions and take legal action if necessary.

Trump’s purge of the FTC is not just a direct assault on consumer protections—it is a brazen attack on democracy itself. If we don’t act now, the consequences will be felt for generations to come.

[stellarsecrets86]

Random Synastry Observations

Grab Your Valentine's Astro Reading -Here

1. Venus conjunct Mars lights the fire for hot attraction and passion.

Example: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

2. Mercury trine Uranus brings up peculiar ideas and stimulates conversation between two people.

Example: Probably shared between Elon Musk and Grimes to account for such an unconventional collaboration.

3. Moon square Saturn can make them emotionally cold or feel the relationship as a responsibility.

Example: Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

4. Mars opposite Pluto - Power struggles, intense chemistry.

Example: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

5. Venus trine Jupiter brings joy, generosity, and expansion in love at early stage of relationship.

Example: Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.

6. Mercury conjunct Venus brings beautiful, harmonious communication.

Example: Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

7. Saturn conjunct Sun-One person acts as a guide or mentor for the other.

Example: Steve Jobs and Tim Cook.

8. Mars square Moon brings emotional frustration and passion collides.

Example: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian had intense emotional ups and downs.

9. Pluto trine Venus is a fated love which brings transformation.

Example: Beyoncé and Jay-Z

10. Jupiter square Mercury,Exaggerative or overly optimistic communication-the politicians like Donald Trump and his cohorts could be a good example.

11. Neptune conjunct Venus, an idealistic romance-these people are susceptible to illusions; for instance, the dreamy, complicated relationship of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio.

12. Moon trine Mars, Emotional harmony with passionate action.

Example: Serena and Venus Williams.

13. Uranus square Sun-Excitement but instability.

Example: Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth.

14. Mars trine Jupiter- Big projects need collaborative energy.

Example: Serena Williams and her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou.

15. Mercury opposite Pluto brings intense and probing conversations. Investigative journalists or courtroom rivalries are often made of this aspect.

16. Venus sextile Neptune, Creative, romantic lovers .

17. Mars conjunct Saturn-Relationship Dynamic - Ambitious, frustrating.

Example: Thomas Edison versus Nikola Tesla's competitive professional relationship.

18. Pluto opposition Mercury can built a collaboration of power through communication.

19. Moon conjunct Uranus, Life is a rollercoaster of emotions.

Example: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky.

20. Saturn square Venus, love is restricted or delayed and painful.

21. Sun trine Neptune - inspirational to each other, spiritual connection.

22. Dynamic between two people is very energized with sharp conversations if they have Mars sextile Mercury in their synastry.

Example: Comedy duos Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

23. Pluto sextile Venus makes a partnership transformational, a love that fosters growth.

Example: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

24. Venus square Moon - There can be a clash between emotional needs and how one expresses their romantic self.

Example: The famous Princess Diana and Prince Charles couple.

25. Mercury trine Saturn, Communication is practical, realistic, and constructive with this aspect.

Example: Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger's decades-long business partnership.

26. Moon opposite Pluto makes two people emotionally intense & vulnerable in relationship.

Example: Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown.

27. If someone's Sun sextile other person’s Jupiter, it is an expansive, optimistic partnership. They are very supportive of each other.

Example: Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

28. Uranus conjunct Mars brings sudden sparks of action or attraction and instant chemistry between 2 people.

Example: Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson.

29. Venus square Neptune makes romantic illusions or unfulfilled ideals between two people. Both of the people see this relationship in rose tinted glass. This is a very dreamy yet short-lived relationship.

Example: Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

30. Saturn trine Moon in synastry brings emotional support and stability in relationship. In the couples chart, this aspect makes the relationship very grounded and long lasting

Example: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

✨🐝

[dostoyevsky-official]

Elon Musk Suggests Getting Rid Of All Regulations In Midnight Call

President Donald Trump’s “government efficiency” cheerleader Elon Musk proposed simply ignoring all federal regulations during a public call shortly after midnight Monday morning. Musk, whose newly formed “Department of Government Efficiency” team has in recent days executed a dramatic power grab at several government agencies, called for “wholesale removal of regulations.” “Regulations, basically, should be default gone,” Musk said. “Not default there, default gone. And if it turns out that we missed the mark on a regulation, we can always add it back in.” “These regulations are added willy-nilly all the time. So we’ve just got to do a wholesale, spring cleaning of regulation and get the government off the backs of everyday Americans so people can get things done,” Musk said, adding later: “If the government has millions of regulations holding everyone back, well, it’s not freedom. We’ve got to restore freedom.” Musk replied, “If it’s not possible now, it’ll never be possible. This is our shot. This is the best hand of cards we’re ever going to have. And if we don’t take advantage of this best hand of cards, it’s never going to happen, so we’re going to do it.”