#trump to sign over 200 executive orders

[sports45]

Trump orders all federal DEI workers put on leave

President Donald Trump's administration directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. It also moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting.

Read more

[reality-detective]

Trump has only been President for five days, and already humiliated the World Economic Forum; released the JFK, RFK and Martin Luther King Assassination Files; fired woke DEI employees; designated the Drug, Gun Running and Human Trafficking Cartels as terrorist organizations; unlocked ICE to remove illegal immigrants; restored Freedom of Speech; revoked security clearances for swamp creatures; removed the United States from the WHO and pardoned the January 6th Political Prisoners.

Among the over 200 Executive Orders Trump signed on his first day in office, was an order to have the US adopt the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The organization was developing a Global Tax Deal, which is suspected to be a Flat Sales Tax on new items only that would replace the heavy taxes on The People on their income and in all other forms.

He has also moved toward taking control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, secured one trillion dollars of Saudi Arabian support for the United States, and is on the verge of ending the wars allowed by Biden.

President Trump has also taken down the CDC, FDA, HHS and NIH, which meant that there would be no Digital ID that would monitor your every move and transaction.

Trump’s release of the JFK, RFK and Martin Luther King Assassination Files was likely to add to evidence that would lead to the fall of the CIA, Three Letter Agencies, United Nations, Globalists, Elites and entire Cabal who together, were believed to have stolen the 2020 Election and conspired to kill Trump. 🤔

[darkmaga-returns]

Trump inaugurated as US president. Trump orders US exit from the WHO. Trump To Declare National Energy Emergency . Russia congratulates Trump. Trump's Tariff Playbook. Fauci Pardoned

Lioness of Judah Ministry

Jan 21, 2025

Donald Trump inaugurated as US president: LIVE UPDATES

The Republican is the second US leader ever to be elected for non-consecutive terms

Donald Trump is scheduled to take the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States at the US Capitol on Monday. The event has been moved indoors on account of sub-zero temperatures in Washington, DC. There have also been security concerns, given that Trump barely survived an assassination attempt last July on the campaign trail. Just a week later, President Joe Biden bowed out of the race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump proceeded to win the Electoral College, the popular vote, and all seven swing states in the November 5 election. Trump is only the second US president ever to be sworn in for non-consecutive terms. Grover Cleveland was the 22nd (1885-1889) and the 24th president (1893-1897).

WATCH LIVE: President Trump's 2025 Inauguration Day events

Trump executive orders target climate, immigration policy, federal employees

Jan 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday issued a flurry of executive orders and directives as he sought to put his stamp on his new administration on matters ranging from energy to criminal pardons and immigration.

Here are some of the key executive orders signed on Trump's first day back in office

Watch: Trump Signing J6 Pardons For "A Lot Of People"

Expected at the Oval Office later...

"Tonight, I'm going to be signing on the J6 hostages - pardons - to get them out - and as soon as I leave, we're going to be signing pardons for a lot of people," President Donald Trump said at the Capital One Arena to more than 20,000 supporters. Update (1325 ET): Welcome back, Mr. President. President Trump declared, "America's decline is over," during his second inaugural address delivered in the US Capitol Rotunda. He described the election as a mandate to end "a horrible betrayal" and pledged to prioritize an "America First" agenda. The president also vowed to "rebalance" the scales of justice. "Our sovereignty will be reclaimed, our safety will be restored, the scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end," Trump said.

Trump orders US exit from the World Health Organization

NEW YORK, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The United States will exit the World Health Organization, President Donald Trump said on Monday, saying the global health agency had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

Trump said the WHO had failed to act independently from the "inappropriate political influence of WHO member states" and required "unfairly onerous payments" from the U.S. that are disproportionate to the sums provided by other, larger countries, such as China. "World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It's not going to happen anymore," Trump said at the signing of an executive order on the withdrawal, shortly after his inauguration to a second term.

Trump To Declare National Energy Emergency

"National security is a key issue here."

President-elect Donald Trump is preparing to unleash a flurry of executive orders later this afternoon, reportedly numbering around 200, to reignite his 'America First' agenda. On the energy front, Trump is expected to declare a national energy emergency to ramp up domestic crude oil and natural gas production to reduce power bill costs for all Americans. Later this afternoon, hours after Trump is sworn in, his administration will immediately get to work by declaring a "national energy emergency." According to Bloomberg, citing numerous sources, Trump plans to unleash new oil and gas development on federal lands while reversing the Biden-Harris administration's de-growth climate regulations.

[head-post]

Trump sworn in, White House releases domestic policy programme

Following the official inauguration of the 47th US President Donald Trump and the swearing-in of Vice President JD Vance, the White House released a programme of domestic policy priorities.

The Trump administration plans to scrap former President Joe Biden’s policy of releasing captured migrants. Instead, the government will reinstate the Remain in Mexico programme introduced by Trump in 2019.

Trump also plans to bring in the Armed Forces and National Guard to secure the borders and combat asylum for criminals. Additionally, cartels, including Tren de Aragua, will be recognised as foreign terrorist organisations.

Among other orders issued on Monday, the president signed a comprehensive executive order on the death penalty that directs the attorney general to “take all necessary and lawful action” to ensure sufficient lethal injection drugs are available for executions. After Biden recently commuted 37 death sentences to life in prison, only three defendants remain on death row.

The Government’s most solemn responsibility is to protect its citizens from abhorrent acts, and my Administration will not tolerate efforts to stymie and eviscerate the laws that authorize capital punishment against those who commit horrible acts of violence against American citizens.

Climate and industry

Trump also signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement, an international climate change treaty in which nearly 200 countries agreed to work together to limit global warming. However, despite the efforts of the signatory countries, scientists have recorded a warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius in 2024.

In addition to abandoning climate goals, the administration laid out a sweeping plan to maximise oil and gas production, including declaring an energy emergency to expedite permits, repealing environmental protections and withdrawing the US from the international climate change pact.

America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have: the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth.

He also signed orders aimed at promoting oil and gas development in Alaska, cancelling Biden’s efforts to protect US Arctic lands and coastal waters from drilling, reversing Biden’s goal to adopt electric vehicles (EVs), suspending wind farm lease sales, and lifting a freeze on LNG export permits.

Censorship and gender

Another executive order signed by Trump ensures that no federal official will facilitate conduct that unconstitutionally restricts the free speech of any American citizen, including online censorship by the government.

After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.

Over the past 4 years, the Biden administration has encroached on free expression by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often putting significant coercive pressure on third parties such as social media companies to moderate, remove from the platform, or otherwise suppress speech that the federal government did not approve of.

Trump also signed executive orders declaring that the US government would recognise only two genders, male and female. The president will thus end “radical and wasteful” diversity, equality and inclusion programmes in federal agencies.

The administrative sphere will see a hiring freeze, except for important positions. Trump promised to “terminate federal staffers implementing DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] policies.”

This week I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.

According to a December 2024 report, the federal government has spent more than $1 billion on DEI grants since 2021.

Read more HERE

[hoursofreading]

The GOP's only policy position is that of 'what will hurt people most?' There is no reason why Republicans even have a chance of taking back the majority. In 2022 alone, Biden and Dems have done the following:

passed the Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest investment in fighting climate change in history

passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the largest investment in infrastructure since Eisenhower

passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, breaking a 30-year streak of federal inaction on gun violence legislation

signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law

took out the leader of al Qaeda

ended America's longest war

reauthorized and strengthened the Violence Against Women Act

signed the PACT Act, a bill to address veteran burn pit exposure

signed the NATO accession protocols for Sweden and Finland

issued executive order to protect reproductive rights

canceled $10,000 of student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 and canceled $20,000 in debt for Pell Grant recipients

canceled billions in student loan debt for borrowers who were defrauded

nominated now-Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace Justice Breyer

brought COVID under control in the U.S. (e.g., COVID deaths down 90% and over 220 million vaccinated)

formed Monkeypox response team to reach communities at highest risk of contracting the virus

unemployment at a 50-year low

on track to cut deficit by $1.3 trillion, largest one-year reduction in U.S. history

limited the release of mercury from coal-burning power plants

$5 billion for electric vehicle chargers- $119 billion budget surplus in January 2022, first in over two years

united world against Russia’s war in Ukraine

ended forced arbitration in workplace sexual assault cases

reinstated California authority to set pollution standards for cars

ended asylum restrictions for children traveling alone

signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, the first federal ban on lynching after 200 failed attempts

Initiated “use it or lose it" policy for drilling on public lands to force oil companies to increase production

released 1 million barrels of oil a day for 6 months from strategic reserves to ease gas prices

rescinded Trump-era policy allowing rapid expulsion of migrants

expunged student loan defaults

overhauled USPS finances to allow the agency to modernize its service

required federal dollars spent on infrastructure to use materials made in America

restored environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects

Launched $6 billion effort to save distressed nuclear plants

provided $385 million to help families and individuals with home energy costs through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. (This is in addition to $4.5 billion provided in the American Rescue Plan.)

national registry of police officers who are fired for misconduct

tightened restrictions on chokeholds, no-knock warrants, and transfer of military equipment to police departments

required all federal law enforcement officers to wear body cameras

$265 million for South Florida reservoir, key component of Everglades restoration

major wind farm project off West coast to provide electricity for 1.5 million homes

continued Obama administration's practice of posting log records of visitors to White House

devoted $2.1 billion to strengthen US food supply chain

invoked Defense Production Act to rapidly expand domestic production of critical clean energy technologies

enacted two-year pause of anti-circumvention tariffs on solar

allocated funds to federal agencies to counter 300-plus anti-LGBTQ laws by state lawmakers in 2022

relaunched cancer 'moonshot' initiative to help cut death rate

expanded access to emergency contraception and long-acting reversible contraception

prevented states from banning Mifepristone, a medication used to end early pregnancy that has FDA approval

21 executive actions to reduce gun violence

Climate Smart Buildings Initiative: Creates public-private partnerships to modernize Federal buildings to meet agencies’ missions, create good-paying jobs, and cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

Paying for today’s needed renovations with tomorrow’s energy savings without requiring upfront taxpayer funding

ended Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy

Operation Fly-Formula, bringing needed baby formula (19 missions to date)

executive order protecting travel for abortion

invested more in crime control and prevention than any president in history

provided death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers and survivors who are killed or injured in the line of duty

Reunited 500 migrant families separated under Trump

$1.66 billion in grants to transit agencies, territories, and states to invest in 150 bus fleets and facilities

brokered joint US/Mexico infrastructure project; Mexico to pay $1.5 billion for US border security

blocked 4 hospital mergers that would've driven up prices and is poised to thwart more anti-competition consolidation attempts

10 million jobs—more than ever created before at this point of a presidency

record small business creation

banned paywalls on taxpayer-funded research

best economic growth record since Clinton

struck deal between major U.S. railroads and unions representing tens of thousands of workers after about 20 hours of talks, averting rail strike

eliminated civil statute of limitations for child abuse victims

announced $156 million for America's first-of-its-kind critical minerals refinery, demonstrating the commercial viability of turning mine waste into clean energy technology.

started process of reclassifying Marijuana away from being a Schedule 1 substance and pardoning all federal prisoners with possession offenses

Note: This list only reflects 2022 accomplishments. Click here for 2021 accomplishments.

[cupboardgods]

Hi former grants person here again. Reblogging this so that my previous post above about US arts grants sits at the top the notes. Hopefully it helps some artists in these trying times.

Furthermore!!!!

The status quo has shifted. This week, the current administration just tried to put a freeze on all federal grants. Universities, healthcare, and welfare programs were all discussed in the aftermath as potential victims of the freeze--in the handful of articles I read, arts funding was not mentioned, but it's absolutely still at risk. IMO everyone should be concerned.

The National Endowment for the Arts, the largest funding entity for art in the US, gets barely 0.003% of the annual budget (about $200 million). 80% of that gets regranted out all over the country, including a significant portion in rural areas. It's not even close to being enough money and the annual increases are meager. Regardless, that funding has a huge amount of impact.

Conservative administrations have tried to get rid of the NEA for decades under the guise of "budget cuts" (again, it gets ONLY 0.003% of the annual budget). But really it's because an NEA grant has the potential to fund art that doesn't align with their ideologies.

The freedom to create art without restriction or subjugation is symptom of and important for maintaining a healthy populace and functioning society.

Post is still long...continues under the cut

Publicly funded art might not be higher priority than [insert program here], that doesn't mean it isn't important at all. It's closely tied to the wellbeing and values of the people in this country. Fascism and nationalism intentionally attack freedom of expression and aesthetics for this reason.

Alsoooo, Trump just reinstated his 2020 executive order demanding all new federal buildings must be designed in the neo-classical architecture style. That's straight up Nazi shit. And he reinstated this EO on his second day in office. Obviously they know the power in controlling aesthetics. This order was controversial when it first came about--it has a lot to do with enforcing regressive and "traditional values."

Grants programs still exist in this country at local, state, and national levels, for now*. Arts grants also often have DEIA missions attached to them, which should be an incentive for pretty much anyone to apply**. In my experience, until extremely recently, having DEIA criteria in your grants program was an almost necessary way to grow your regranting budget! It was one way to prove you were worthy of donations or taxpayer dollars. Grants also have the potential to fund more artists outside of the mainstream, particularly if there's no for-profit component.

So what can you do? (other than vote or talk to your representatives)

We want to demonstrate that artists of any discipline are plentiful, diverse, and deserve to be paid like any other worker. We want to prove that there is need for arts grants.

Artists/Dancers/Singers/etc.:

Make contact with your local arts councils and tell them what you need

Participate in the programs that might be available right now to you as an arts professional, like webinars and meet and greets

Participate in surveys that gather data about artists

Apply for shows, residencies, and open calls at arts organizations

Apply for grants! Make sure you go to information sessions if they have them! There's usually a friendly grants manager or associate who can answer your questions over phone/email too.

Follow grantmaking orgs on social media for job openings and application info. Sign up for their newsletters too.

Everyone:

Visit publicly funded cultural festivals, galleries, concerts, shows, etc. Especially if they're being offered for free.

Use your library. Go to parks. Enjoy the public art there.

Consider donating to grantmaking organizations or buying a membership to your arts council if they offer it

Follow arts orgs on social media

Go to small public events too, like community choir recitals or children's theater

*There are also nonprofits and foundations that will give grants that aren't entirely reliant on public money. But if the government starts cutting things, private/corporate sponsors will too.

**DEI initiatives put just as much emphasis on a person's gender or veteran status than it does on race/ethnicity. They might also consider other demographics like age, economic status, sexuality, professional background...it can be a long list. Read paperwork carefully and use it to your advantage when applying.

Tl;dr: The government will absolutely try to take away arts funding, but if you apply for grants and go to publicly funded arts venues/classes/events it will be much harder for them to make cuts.

[deepartnature]

BSA Images Of The Week: 01.19.25

"New York is gearing up for a deep freeze from the weather and Donald Trump’s inauguration this weekend. With 100 Executive Orders reportedly queued up for him to sign, the forecast for the next four years includes ACA repeals, immigration crackdowns, Medicaid cuts, trade wars, inflation spikes, elimination of laws that corporations find restrictive, and civil rights rollbacks. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the timing feels bitterly ironic. But hey, maybe it’ll be sunshine and puppies, and everyone who is worried is just overreacting. 'Poorer Voters Flocked to Trump,' said the Financial Times, so perhaps those petrified of the next four years are misreading the situation.  ... The West Chelsea Arts Building in Manhattan, a longtime hub for artists and galleries, is on the market for $170 million, raising concerns about potential rent hikes or evictions for its 200 tenants. Over the years, notable artists like Ross Bleckner, Louise Fishman, and Hiroshi Sugimoto have called it home. ... Here’s our weekly conversation with the street, this week featuring Stikman, Homesick, ERRE, Cody James, Hops Art, BK Ackler, Denis Ouch, Jenna Morello, WGE, QUES, Real Wrek, Kyle, AKSone, and 974MC. ..."

Brooklyn Street Art

Untitled. Brooklyn. Manhattan. Jersey City. 

[cyberbenb]

Zelensky looks to domestic, EU funders for key projects amid US aid freeze

President Volodymyr Zelensky has directed the government to identify domestic and European funding sources for key projects in energy infrastructure, veterans' affairs, and border checkpoints during the 90-day freeze on U.S. foreign aid.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his inauguration day suspending foreign assistance programs for 90 days, jeopardizing many critical humanitarian aid projects in Ukraine.

“I have already instructed some key things to be done at our own expense, as well as to talk to the Europeans,” Zelensky said on Jan. 29, following an initial report on suspended U.S.-funded programs in Ukraine.

The president on Jan. 28 ordered government officials to review and report on the state of these programs.

Following the initial report, Zelensky said the government was prioritizing programs concerning the energy sector, military veterans, and border crossings. The president also mentioned issues with the Health Ministry and cybersecurity.

“We are dealing with all this,” he said.

Trump’s foreign aid freeze stranded independent media in Ukraine. Here’s how you can help

It probably made sense on paper. In his first week in office, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a 90–day freeze on U.S. foreign aid to review whether the distribution aligned with his foreign policy. I can see how Trump supporters and his team might have considered it

The Kyiv IndependentOlga Rudenko

According to Zelensky, U.S. funding supports many energy “resilience programs” in Ukrainian cities and villages. Ukraine’s energy sector is struggling to rebuild in the face of targeted Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.

In December 2024, Russia carried out one of its largest assaults on Ukraine’s electric grid, launching 90 missiles and 200 drones against the country’s thermal power plants. The announcement of Trump’s aid freeze sparked fears that it would help Russia’s efforts to destroy the power grid.

“Does that mean that we will abandon Ukraine in the middle of winter? Because USAID has been providing critical funding for the rebuilding of their electric grid every time Russia attacks it,” U.S. Senator Chris Coons said in response to the order.

Regarding veterans, Zelensky said U.S. aid funded veteran hubs, support lines, and other projects, including a program that helped veterans start their own businesses. U.S. funding also contributed to the modernization of border crossings in Ukraine.

“New modern checkpoints are built to make economic activity faster and the work of customs officers more transparent,” the president said.

Zelensky said that Ukraine and European partners needed to work together to cover the funding gaps over the next 90 days. The announcement comes as Ukrainian lawmakers say they are consulting with European counterparts on temporarily replacing U.S. aid.

"(T)here should be more of our and European activity in the humanitarian, security, and social areas," Zelensky said.

“We need to support people now, while a new American policy is being developed."

The pause on foreign aid does not apply to military assistance to Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also signed a waiver on Jan. 28 that grants “life-saving humanitarian assistance” an exception to the pause.

The exception applies to “core life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance,” according to the waiver.

Trump’s stance on Ukraine, Russia — what we know from his first week in office

For those with a vested interest in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump’s first week in office was a bit of a rollercoaster. His inauguration speech on Jan. 21 made no explicit mention of Ukraine or Russia’s full-scale invasion, prompting some to question if either was anywhere near a priority

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Triumphant Trump returns to White House, launching new era of upheaval (Reuters/AP) Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, ushering in another turbulent four-year term with promises to push the limits of executive power, deport millions of immigrants, secure retribution against his political enemies and transform the role of the U.S. on the world stage. Trump’s inauguration completes a triumphant comeback for a political disruptor who survived two impeachment trials, a felony conviction, two assassination attempts and an indictment for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump is the first U.S. president since the 19th century to win a second term after losing the White House, and he planned to act swiftly after the ceremony. Dozens of executive orders were prepared for his signature to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development and end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government. Trump said he would lead a government that “expands our territory,” a reference to his goals of acquiring Greenland from Denmark and restoring U.S. control of the Panama Canal. He also said he would “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars” by launching American astronauts to Mars. Democrats who once formed a “resistance” are now divided over whether to work with Trump or defy him. Billionaires have lined up to meet with Trump as they acknowledge his unrivaled power in Washington and his ability to wield the levers of government to help or hurt their interests.

Why are lone homes left standing after the fires? It’s not entirely luck (AP) Emails and videos of burned buildings in Los Angeles next to those left standing have been flying back and forth among architects, builders and fire safety specialists around the world. For many homeowners, the sometimes scattershot nature of the carnage can seem like random chance. Many experts say luck does play a part. After all, wind can shift 180 degrees in a split second, pushing fire away from your house and towards a neighbor’s. But they also say there are many ways that homes can be made less vulnerable to fire. “Because there are, say, 50 ways a fire can burn your house,” said Greg Faulkner of Faulkner Architects in California, who has focused on less combustible home exteriors for more than a decade. “If you eliminate half of those, or three-quarters of them, that’s not luck, that’s increasing your odds.”

Solar farms are booming in the US and putting thousands of hungry sheep to work (AP) On rural Texas farmland, beneath hundreds of rows of solar panels, a troop of stocky sheep rummage through pasture, casually bumping into one another as they remain committed to a single task: chewing grass. The booming solar industry has found an unlikely mascot in sheep as large-scale solar farms crop up across the U.S. and in the plain fields of Texas. In Milam County, outside Austin, SB Energy operates the fifth-largest solar project in the country, capable of generating 900 megawatts of power across 4,000 acres. How do they manage all that grass? With the help of about 3,000 sheep, which are better suited than lawnmowers to fit between small crevices and chew away rain or shine. The proliferation of sheep on solar farms is part of a broader trend—solar grazing—that has exploded alongside the solar industry.

China on the border? (Washington Post) Over the years, a “mini-Detroit” blossomed in these desert highlands 200 miles south of the Texas border. General Motors, Stellantis and Daimler Trucks set up sprawling plants to churn out vehicles for export. Around them, a constellation of factories sprung up, with names like Detroit Diesel and Liberty Steel. But a peek into the massive Alianza industrial park here shows a novel development. Trucks are smoothing the pale dirt for a Chinese tire factory. Workers are building a Chinese car-part plant the size of four football fields. These companies are a sign of China’s increasing presence in Mexico—a trend that’s worrying the incoming Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump fears that Chinese companies could start pumping out cheap electric vehicles in Mexico and sending them over the border. That could “destroy every automobile manufacturer” in America, he said recently on the PBD Podcast. Yet there’s only one tiny Chinese auto manufacturer in Mexico—and it opened during Trump’s first term. Those increasing Chinese imports? Many are items ordered by American and other foreign companies in Mexico. “It fits into a very good narrative, about these things that come in through the southern border—immigrants, fentanyl and now Chinese goods,” said Jorge Guajardo, Mexico’s former ambassador to China. “It’s a narrative that lacks substance.”

At least 80 people killed in northeast Colombia as peace talks fail, official says (AP) More than 80 people were killed in the country’s northeast over the weekend following the government’s failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said. Twenty others were injured in the violence that has forced thousands to flee as Colombia’s army scrambled to evacuate people on Sunday, according to William Villamizar, governor of North Santander, where many of the killings took place. Officials said the attacks happened in several towns located in the Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, with at least three people who were part of the peace talks being kidnapped. Thousands of people are fleeing the area, with some hiding in the nearby lush mountains or seeking help at government shelters.

Oxfam report finds billionaires' wealth soared in 2024 as global elite prepare for Davos (AFP) Billionaires saw their wealth grow by $5.7 billion per day in 2024—three times faster than 2023—according to an Oxfam report ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The group predicts that unchecked wealth accumulation could produce five trillionaires within a decade, five times the number they predicted just a year ago. Meanwhile, global poverty rates have remained largely stagnant since 1990, with billions living on less than $6.85 a day.

Economic grievances fuel support for hostile actions, Edelman global survey shows (Reuters) Economic fears have escalated into grievances among 60% of people, with many believing hostile actions such as violence can be necessary to bring about change, according to a global poll by communications firm Edelman. The survey of the 33,000 respondents across 28 countries showed severe levels of distrust in government and business, with many respondents viewing them as serving the narrow interests of the wealthy while regular people struggle. Four in 10 respondents approved of hostile acts to bring about change, including violence or threats, online attacks, intentionally spreading disinformation and damaging property, the survey showed. Among respondents aged 18 to 34, support for hostile actions was even higher at 53%. The results are "profound," said the firm's CEO Richard Edelman. "We've now seen a slide over a 10-year period from fears, to polarization to grievance," as the public becomes more anxious about the cost of living and job security tied to artificial intelligence, he said.

Accidents, not Russian sabotage, behind undersea cable damage, officials say (Washington Post) Ruptures of undersea cables that have rattled European security officials in recent months were likely the result of maritime accidents rather than Russian sabotage, according to several U.S. and European intelligence officials. The determination reflects an emerging consensus among U.S. and European security services, according to senior officials from three countries involved in ongoing investigations of a string of incidents in which critical seabed energy and communications lines have been severed. So far, officials said, investigations involving the United States and a half-dozen European security services have turned up no indication that commercial ships suspected of dragging anchors across seabed systems did so intentionally or at the direction of Moscow. Instead, U.S. and European officials said that the evidence gathered points to accidents caused by inexperienced crews serving aboard poorly maintained vessels.

Ukraine Braces for Trump’s Return, Eager for Peace, but Wary of the Terms (NYT) Could this be the year, as President-elect Donald J. Trump has promised, when Russia’s war against Ukraine is brought to an end? The possibility of peace brings “tears to my eyes,” said Valeria, 30, an English teacher from eastern Ukraine. As Mr. Trump prepares to return to the White House on Monday, he is promising peace in Ukraine, but publicly offering no strategy for how to achieve it—aside from his stated desire to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. So Ukrainians can only guess at what the coming months will bring. No one, Valeria said, wants peace more than Ukrainians. But having suffered so much loss, with hundreds of thousands killed and injured, Ukrainians will not accept peace at any price, she said. “Europe and America must remember that any cease-fire or negotiations will only be legitimate if they respect the sacrifices made by Ukrainians and ensure a just, secure and independent future for Ukraine,” she said.

China's frugal young adults accelerate saving (Reuters) The frugal trend that began in China during the economic disruption of the pandemic and deepened amid the crisis in the property market is intensifying as Gen Z shuns government calls to spend, spend, spend and doubles down on saving. On China's Instagram-like Xiaohongshu, or RedNote as it is known in the West, many under-30s are swapping notes on how to spend less on office lunches and shop on the cheap. Influencers are also sharing tips on turning financial discipline into a lifestyle. Posts on how to save money total more than 1.5 million with more than 130 million views. "I feel that the economy is quite bad, and it seems like it's hard for everyone to make money, so I think it's important to protect my own wallet," said Ava Su, who joined Alibaba after graduating just over six months ago and earns a relatively comfortable salary. The situation is a stark contrast to the free-spending attitudes of the so-called "moonlight" generation, a term used to describe those born in the 1980s and 1990s.

Gaza rebuild will take 'a lot of time', says UN official (BBC) The rebuilding process in the devastated Palestinian territory will "take an awful lot of time" despite the promised surge in humanitarian deliveries, a UN official in Gaza has warned. After a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas took effect on Sunday, more than 630 aid lorries have crossed into Gaza, with at least 300 going to the north. The lorries brought in desperately needed food, tents, blankets, mattresses and clothes for the winter which had been stuck outside Gaza for months. The ceasefire deal reportedly requires 600 aid lorries, including 50 carrying fuel, to be allowed into Gaza every day during the first phase lasting six weeks, during which Hamas should release 33 Israeli hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. On Sunday night, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned that the humanitarian needs of Palestinians in Gaza were "staggering".

Stores clear shelves in January. Dumpster divers have never been happier. (Washington Post) Melanie Diaz was excited to stock up on January clearance items at her favorite stores in Tampa this month, so she put her usual battle plan into action. First, she slipped into a pair of old sweatpants and her dirtiest sneakers. Then around 10 a.m., she headed to T.J. Maxx—the first store on her list—and drove around to the back to case the area and make sure nobody was watching. Satisfied that she could make a clean getaway, Diaz put on a pair of rubber gloves and climbed into the store’s dumpster to begin her free shopping spree. Everything from hand soap to puzzles and Christmas ornaments had been tossed out, most of it in original packaging. Diaz figures the store wanted to clear shelves of old merchandise and didn’t or couldn’t send it back from where it came. “January is my favorite time to go dumpster diving,” she said. “It’s the time when the stores are throwing out all the Christmas stuff and gearing up for spring. But I usually find all kinds of treasures, seven days a week.” She estimated that she’s found more than $20,000 in after-Christmas merchandise since she started dumpster diving two years ago.

[dragonfruit-daydreams]

He signed into law the Postal Service Reform Act, which ended the Postal Services' requirement that they prefund their retirees' health benefits far in advance instead of when they're due, something that no other federal agency has to do. (Remember when everyone was talking about this problem?) He also signed into law the first gun control legislation in 30 years, the biggest expansion in veterans' healthcare in 30 years, the American Rescue Plan, an infrastructure repair bill (which our country's aging infrastructure desperately needed) and the Inflation Reduction Act, or the biggest investment in fighting climate change in our nation's history. It also includes several provisions to lower out of pocket drug costs for Medicare patients, including capping insulin prices for some patients at $35, which caused three pharmaceutical companies that control almost the entire insulin market to cap their monthly insulin copays to $35 for many patients.

The Biden administration has provided nearly $132 billion in student loan debt relief for more than 3.6 million borrowers. This includes people who have been paying on their student loans for at least 10 years, those whose accounts were mismanaged, and public servants. He created the SAVE income driven repayment plan, a very generous and forgiving plan that is the most affordable option for a lot of people. Including me! It's the one I'm on. The administration also rolled out the Fresh Start program to help the nearly 7 million borrowers experiencing default improve their credit and immediately access SAVE.

The Social Security Administration issued a rule preventing food assistance from reducing payments to people who recieve Supplemental Security Income. SSI is for low-income people aged 65 or older or living with a disability. Before the rule, people who recieved it could see their SSI payments cut by as much as a third because friends or family provided meals or bought them groceries. People who recieve SSI are also one of the most food insecure groups in the US, so this change matters a lot.

He pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of simple possession of marijuana on federal lands in 2022 and then did it again for use and simple possession in 2023, making it easier for those folks to rent a home, find a job, or travel.

Under him, the FDA approved the first ever over the counter birth control pill, making the drug more accessible and hopefully affordable. Similarly, the FDA approved over the counter hearing aids for the first time, meaning people no longer have to have expensive hearing exams to access them. He's taken a number of steps on reproductive rights, including issuing an executive order to protect abortion access. He allowed retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone.

The EPA banned 6 kinds of PFAs from drinking water. These chemicals have been linked to a variety of adverse health effects. The agency also published rules requiring more than 200 chemical plants to reduce toxic emissions that are likely to cause cancer, as well as rules requiring coal-fired power plants to reduce pollution and dramatically slash greenhouse gas emissions or shut down.

The Biden administration finalized rules that bring back protections for animals classified as "threatened" with extinction, clarify that decisions must be made about whether to list species without considering economic factors, and make it easier to designate areas as crucial for a species' survival, even if it is no longer found in those areas. The USDA finalized protections for Tongass National Park, the government halted Trump-era plans to allow logging in Northern Spotted Owl habitat, an endangered bird, and passed the first updated washer and dryer efficiency standards in over 10 years, saving Americans $2.2 billion a year on their utility bills and eliminating 71 million tons of carbon dioxide over 30 years. This is in addition to new standards for stoves, fridges, and freezers, and dishwashers and wine coolers are up next.

His administration also expanded Title IX to prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in federally funded schools and give survivors more legal rights, and the Department of Health and Human Services passed rules that prohibit health providers and insurers that recieve federal funding from discriminating against LGBT people.

He released the first ever national plan to combat anti-semitism, which includes over 100 steps that federal agencies have committed to taking within a year. A rule that went into effect in December could make it easier for workers to unionize. He's appointed 175 federal judges, most of whom are women or people of color, and plans to appoint more. It's crucial that Democrats retake the federal judiciary when judges make crucial decisions about our laws. And this is just the stuff I know of off the top of my head. It may go under-discussed, but he's done a lot of things that have helped a lot of people. No, he's not a good person. Yes, we need to hold him accountable for heinous acts. But voting is harm reduction and it matters.

I really think people have forgotten just how bad things were under the Trump Administration. Literally every day there was news about some service being cut or someone terrible appointed somewhere they shouldn’t be or what have you. He constantly flirted with WW3 and military dictatorship. It was such a blur of badness that there aren’t big standouts for people to point to to make him “the XYZ president.” it was everything. all the time. Why do we not remember this.

[hybridmindthoughtsreloaded]

An entire stadium of people are cheering on the signing of over 200 Executive Orders, the most any President has signed on day one in history. America is dead and it's idiots like that crowd that killed it. It's seriously surreal to see this shit happening. Trump said he was going to be a Dictator for a day. It's pathetic that so many people are cheering this shit on. This country is fucked.

HybridMindThoughtsReloaded

[garythingsworld]

HISTORIC! Trump Team Sets Up Desk — Will Sign Executive Orders at Capital One Rally Today in Front of 20,000 Screaming Supporters! | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft

[darkmaga-returns]

Trump is outpacing me—along with most everyone else. In fairness, he seems to have been preparing for this for the past four years, while the rest of us were worrying about things. However, here are four links to stories covered/republished by Zerohedge:

China Reportedly Preparing Trade Talks With Trump After Weekend Tariff Shock

The article quotes the WSJ:

As part of its effort to prepare for negotiations, according to the people, China's initial proposal will center on restoring a trade agreement Beijing signed in early 2020 with the first Trump administration but didn't implement. The so-called Phase One deal required China to increase purchases of American goods and services by $200 billion over a two-year period. While Trump himself has described Phase One as the "greatest deal" ever made, many trade experts and business executives called it unrealistic to begin with. Having failed to deliver on its pledge under the deal to increase US purchases, Beijing now is preparing to talk to the Trump administration about areas where China can buy more from the US, the people said. Other parts of China's plan, the people said, include an offer to make more investments in the US—in sectors such as batteries for electric cars, a renewed pledge by Beijing not to devalue the yuan to gain competitive advantage, and a commitment to reduce exports of fentanyl precursors.

Putin: Trump Will Restore Order; Elites Will "Stand At The Master's Feet And Gently Wag Their Tails" Russian leader Vladimir Putin has commented on President Trump’s first weeks in office and the effect it will have on Europe, declaring that political elites will fall into line at Trump’s feet.