The Alien Enemies Act: What to know about a 1798 law that Trump has invoked for deportations
^{— Tim Sullivan, Elliot Spagat, Regina Garcia Cano · AP · Mar 17, 2025}

Consolidating more powers? (With his flock cheering in the background?)

The power’s gone to his head now. Looks like it’s going to crash and burn.
https://bsky.app/profile/50501movement.bsky.social/post/3lkkkrvu5as2r — Punshhh

Yeah. Kind of what you might expect from a petulant child. His followers apparently don't care.

No evidence for Trump claim about 'void' Biden pardons and autopen
^{— Lucy Gilder, Tamara Kovacevic, Shayan Sardarizadeh · BBC · Mar 17, 2025}

Trump White House has asked U.S. military to develop options for the Panama Canal, officials say
^{— Courtney Kube, Gordon Lubold, Carol E Lee · NBC · Mar 13, 2025}

Given that you say some of the stupidest things on this forum, and can barely keep up in this conversation without making up diversions, I’d be weary of accusing anyone of stupidity. — Mikie

?

, some protests in the US also:

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2025/03/14/va-veterans-cuts-doge/82418660007/

None reported in Russia, though. That'd be dangerous or illegal.

We simply can't be outsourcing all of our metals production overseas because it's just too big of a national security risk. There must be some amount of domestic production. — BitconnectCarlos

A great opportunity for Trump to build some plants. In the name of National Security. :up: For that matter, there's a crowd of very rich folks right behind him.

A couple of months old:

Musk examines how to oust Starmer as UK prime minister before next election
^{— Anna Gross, Joe Miller, Lucy Fisher · Financial Times · Jan 9, 2025}

Yet, kind of telling. Seems like Musk's efforts haven't paid off.

On another note, in late Feb, Macron and Starmer gently corrected Trump in public on separate occasions. I guess no one really cares any longer.

Shouldn't come as a surprise:

Russia is conducting ‘state-sponsored terrorism’ against Europe, EU chief diplomat warns
^{— Antoaneta Roussi, Laurens Cerulus · POLITICO · Mar 12, 2025}

Furthermore, European diversity makes it easier to attack.

Impact?

, you believe so?

Trump's trade war timeline 2.0: An up-to-date guide (PIIE)

An overview of the lot suggests differently.
There goes the AUSFTA as well...

https://www.youtube.com/live/nNJOUy_luDM?si=Fl5VVUb-z_XgFcFN — Mikie

Lavrov is just trotting out the same old bυllshιt that everyone has heard and taken into consideration already, more than once.
Right, so, Russia is a fine democracy, and he tops it off with the old Ukraine is ruled by the Nazi Kyiv regime.
Maybe an old dog can't be taught new tricks? :) He should catch up on Shevchenko, ol' influential Ukrainian symbol or folk hero.
Stalin killed the most Slavs in the 20th century. Putin has killed the most Slavs in the 21st century. :death:

By the way, my impression is that the invasion of Iraq doesn't have many defenders, maybe I'm wrong.
Notably after the nuclear weapons threat was shown false?
One of Bush's supposed rationales was plain bυllshιt.

Markov and Kosachev comments:

Russia's answer to the proposal for a truce may not be "No", but "Yes, But". That is, to agree to the proposal for a truce for 30 days, on the condition that an arms embargo on arms supplies to Ukraine will be introduced for the same period. Moreover, the embargo must be signed by all 52 countries members of the Ramstein group. And first of all, by the countries of Europe.
Europe must support the truce in Ukraine not with words, but with deeds - an embargo on arms supplies to the conflict zone is a well-known formula in diplomacy.
More energy is needed! — Sergei Markov · Mar 11, 2025

The results of the American-Ukrainian talks in Jeddah show only one thing: the "tail wags the dog" plot performed by Zelenskyy with Trump, unlike Biden, definitely does not work.
The conditions are American, not Ukrainian. The Ukrainians agree to what they are told. And at the same time they bow and fawn - what is the formula alone worth "we will sign an agreement on resources when it is convenient for Washington"! Zelensky is in deep defense. Or, as the State Department representative put it, "Trump put Zelensky in his place."
Russia is advancing, and therefore it will be different with Russia. Any agreements (with all the understanding of the need for compromise) - on our terms, not American. And this is not boasting, but an understanding that real agreements are still being written there, on the front. Which should be understood in Washington too.
In the meantime, the most important thing is not to interfere with Russian-American negotiations with third-party comments. Let the negotiators do their job. Victory will be ours. — Konstantin Kosachev · Mar 11, 2025

If the U.S. has other agenda in mind and if war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end. — Lin Jian · Mar 4, 2025

Hate to admit it, but the Chinese foreign ministry seems to be more or less right about the fentanyl accusations. They did take the opportunity to raise threats.

Investors spy the dawn of a tectonic shift away from US markets
^{— Dhara Ranasinghe, Amanda Cooper, Yoruk Bahceli, Tom Westbrook, Samuel Shen, Elisa Martinuzzi, Richard Chang · Reuters · Mar 6, 2025}

I suppose something like this might happen. Who would Trump blame, then?

To Republicans, Conservatives, and all great Americans, Elon Musk is “putting it on the line” in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s “baby,” in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for. They tried to do it to me at the 2024 Presidential Ballot Box, but how did that work out? In any event, I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American. Why should he be punished for putting his tremendous skills to work in order to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN??? — Donald J. Trump · Mar 11, 2025

How many in his audience will buy that one can boycott illegally? When someone in his position rants like so, there will be people who buy it (sort of seeding/feeding the crap), so maybe a better question is what effects it will have.

As far as I can tell, Putin switched Russia to a wartime economy some time ago, in part anyway.
Maybe someone can correct/confirm or offer insights?


Russia’s War Economy
^{— András Rácz, Ole Spillner, Guntram Wolff · DGAP · Feb 14, 2023}
The Russian economy on a war footing: A new reality financed by commodity exports
^{— Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Iikka Korhonen, Elina Ribakova · CEPR · May 2, 2024}
Russia’s Wartime Economy isn’t as Weak as it Looks
^{— Richard Connolly · RUSI · Jan 22, 2025}
Exclusive: Putin growing concerned by Russia’s economy, as Trump pushes for Ukraine deal
^{— Darya Korsunskaya, Guy Faulconbridge, Gleb Stolyarov, Andrea Shalal, Frank Jack Daniel · Reuters · Jan 23, 2025}
Economic impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
^{— Wikipedia}

Just FYI, someone summarized Trump's Canada talk. Feb 24, 2025 remains a favorite among readers.

Is this Project 2025 Tracker legit? Anyone know the details?

, well, you know what they say: "Don't like the USA? Leave." ;)

, did you copy that from a meme? :D

A new trend?

Russian Deputy Proposes Renaming Black Sea to ‘Russian Sea’ (— UNITED24 Media · Jan 21, 2025)
Russia discusses renaming the Black Sea (— ФАКТИ·БГ · Jan 22, 2025)

The path Putin's Russia has taken is decidedly unfavorable, it's been covered, domestic and foreign regress both.
Something analogous could be said for Trump's US recently.
Trust gone or eroding.

I suspect this is a Johnson or Vance thing, or from someone in those circles:

Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias
^{— The White House · Feb 6, 2025}

The title might as well be read as "Promoting Christianity".

Project 2025 (Wikipedia)
Who are the Dominionists backing conservative candidates? (Northeastern University · Nov 15, 2022)

, the youtube isn't accessible from here ("The uploader has not made this video available in your country").

FYI, this one is:

Watchdogs fired by Trump raise alarms over future of independent government oversight (— Scott Pelley, Aliza Chasan, Maria Gavrilovic, Alex Ortiz · CBS · Mar 9, 2025)

Reportedly, flights from Pearson airport (Toronto, Canada) to the US were more or less empty on the weekend; they're usually bustling with students and such around this time.
Vacations canceled, refundable or not.
American liquor taken off shelves here and there (voluntarily).
Canadians have been putting properties in the US up for sale.
Seems like a trend; don't know the effects, or how easy/difficult it'll be to recover the relationship.

First, we have not given everything that Ukraine has needed, the effort hasn't been to support Ukraine so much that it could destroy Russian capability so much that Russia would accept a negotiated peace, it was give only so much, that Ukraine doesn't lose. That has been the error here. If everything would have been given then immediately, the F-16s, the long range artillery missiles, things would have been different. Biden opted not to do that. And now Trump is effectively hampering down the capabilities of Ukraine to defend itself, which just helps Russia to improve it's stance. — ssu

I'd go a bit further: there should have been a much stronger response in 2014, enough to be a deterrent. Putin took a risk, the Ukrainians were hesitant/unprepared, everyone was caught by surprise. Of course that's easy to say in retrospect; things looked different back then. (Say, what might happen if unidentified/unmarked soldiers showed up on St Lawrence Island (Alaska) or something...?)

if we can't take back territory — ChatteringMonkey

Why keep assuming so? Sure it can be taken back, and the Ukrainians are eager to. They don't want to march on Moscow, they want to throw the invaders out of Ukraine. And Hungary ain't helpin'.

, they're talking about Russia circumventing sanctions.
Trump came into the picture because he appears to want to remove sanctions.

We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country - So that we don’t end up like Europe! — Donald J. Trump (Mar 2, 2025)

To the point:

US Senator Jeff Merkley, "Is President Trump a Russian asset?"
^{— Jeff Merkley · Mar 8, 2025 · 3m:56s}

"Asset" might be a bit vague. Not that he must be, yet there's more evidence than what Merkley brings up. There seems to be enough to warrant an independent investigation.

Business as usual I guess

How spy ring did Russia's dirty work from the UK
^{— Chris Bell, Tom Beal, Daniel De Simone · BBC · Mar 6, 2025}

America vetoes G7 proposal to combat Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers
^{— David Connett · Guardian · Mar 8, 2025}

For what it's worth:

In the KGB, control wasn't about force.

It was about influence.

The ability to walk into a room, say nothing, and still dominate the conversation.
The power to make someone believe your idea was theirs.
The skill to get exactly what you want - without them ever realising you played a role.
Successful CEOs and elite operators? They use the same tools:

• Psychological triggers
• Behavioural conditioning
• Subconscious persuasion

Most people? They don't even realise they're being played.
Senior staff meetings at the boardroom is just another battlefield.

High-stakes deals.
Mergers.
Negotiations.

Every executive move is a psychological game.
The best? They don't out-muscle their competition.

They out-think them.

They see through deception, break down resistance, and ethically shape outcomes.
This isn't theory. It's field-tested, real-world influence.
I spent years mastering human behaviour where mistakes could have had life-or-death consequences.

Now, I teach leaders how to ethically use the same strategies.

• To close billion-dollar deals.
• To command respect without demanding it.
• To turn resistance into buy-in.

The secret? Influence isn't about talking louder.

It's about understanding what moves people.

Those who master it? They rarely lose. — Jack Barsky

, if we're doing jokes, I'll just relay this one :D

Oddly though, there's been no bullying of Russia at all. Russia seems to stand apart, with no demands made of them at all. — Echarmion

I haven't come across any examples of Trump criticizing Putin. Anyone?

Busy news recently...

Russian top diplomat Lavrov praises Trump on US president’s dealings with Ukraine
^{— Lucy Leeson · The Independent · Mar 2, 2025}
Trump's stunning string of Putin-friendly moves
^{— Dave Lawler · Axios · Mar 4, 2025}
Hegseth dismisses as "garbage" critique of US stance on Russia
^{— Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Sachin Ravikumar, Diane Craft · Reuters · Mar 6, 2025}
Russia launches huge strikes across Ukraine as US halts intelligence-sharing
^{— Luke Harding · Guardian · Mar 7, 2025}

Someone mentioned rebranding "surrender" as "peace".
"Trump's peace" is "Putin's peace"?
It's clear enough that this would be a major victory for Putin, who otherwise could have ended up facing some (harsh) problems at home.
The Kremlin circle's responses to the Oval Office incident (Feb 28, 2025) are telling.
None of this would make the Kremlin peaceful or deterred.

, presumably in their Overton window. Can't speak for though.

We Finns understand Ukraine’s struggle for freedom and independence. Ukraine’s cause is ours. (— Alexander Stubb · Feb 25, 2025 · 8m:30s)

Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants
^{— Max Kozlov, Smriti Mallapaty · Nature · Mar 6, 2025}

Some parts of the current US government want a cultural revolution (by imposition).
Maybe revolution isn't the right word.
I'm guessing they intend not to stop with putting Bibles back in schools and getting rid of homosexual marriage.

What's up with that?

Pam Bondi ends FBI effort to combat foreign influence in U.S. politics
^{— Ken Dilanian · NBC · Feb 6, 2025}

I guess the Russian Reset (2009-2013) was forgotten already?
There were smiles and handshakes and button-presses and such, four US administrations ago, roughly the same Russian administration as now, that decidedly ended with the invasion of the Little Green Men and what followed.

, another factor is that the non-MAGA'ers tend to be those that respect democracy (+ are less susceptible to conspiracy theories), and Trump did win the election after all.

:up:

Trump threatens to cut funding for schools that permit ‘illegal protests’ and vows to arrest ‘agitators’
^{— Yelena Mandenberg, Steve Frank · Irish Star · Mar 4, 2025}

, I wasn't quoting Trump, but rather you. Ya' know, parroting old Kremlin crap is kind of telling, not the best (but you did manage to attract a confirmation of sorts). ;) Anyway, nevermind, since this is now shifting to mere mudslinging.

being ethnically-cleansed — NOS4A2

Cute when echoing old Kremlin lines (again). ;)