#PrivateEquity is responsible for the exorbitant prices of fire trucks & disrepair issues, that’ve likely caused injuries & deaths nationwide. PE’s focus on profits, rather than the quality of their wares, led to shortage of fire trucks during the #LAFires.

“A private equity roll-up of fire trucks is why >1/2 the fire trucks in LA were out of service during the catastrophic wildfires in the Palisades & Eaton.”
-M Stoller

#USPol #CorporateGreed #Plutocracy

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/did-a-private-equity-fire-truck-roll

"Trump fires 17 independent watchdogs at US government agencies" in "apparent violation of federal law".

"Apparent violation of federal law" makes me a bit uneasy. Yes, the end result of "you're fired" or "enjoy your new office in the roomy janitorial closet next to the bathroom in the basement or a tool shed in Alaska" is the same.

Still...take a breath before you write, please.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/25/trump-fires-17-independent-watchdogs-government-agencies

#media #uspol

1. Don't focus on #TFG but on the fascists who do his dirty work for him.
2. Gather reliable information about the potential impact of their policies on your community.
3. Find creative ways to disseminate the information in your community.
4. Identity good opposition candidates to run against them.

#uspol #uspolitics #opposition #resist #resistance

https://newrepublic.com/article/190574/trump-second-resistance-playbook

Jeff Bezos, when America is done with him.

#JeffBezos #WashingtonPost #WaPo #Journalism #FreePress #BoycottAmazon #BoycottWholeFoods #EatTheBillionaires #USPol

...The Constitution gave Congress the power of the purse, and that power precludes the President from unilaterally deciding not to spend money that Congress has provided...

So...now we should ask, when did Congress hold a vote to eliminate predetermined funding for the institutions and programs that Trump is unilaterally withholding funds.

They didn't. So, where is the money going? Into whose pockets? I'll give you one guess.

#Impoundment #Corruption #USPOL

https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/faqs-on-impoundment-presidential-actions-are-constrained-by-long-standing#:~:text=Presidential%20Action...-,FAQs%20on%20Impoundment%3A%20Presidential%20Actions%20Are%20Constrained%20by%20Long%2DStanding,Congress%20has%20provided%20in%20legislation.

Watch the enablers, the collaborators, and the normalizers. They are legion and they must be vociferously condemned.

If there was ever a group in need of haters it's them.

#RaiseTheBar #DemandMore #uspol #USPolitics #Pelosi #Schumer #Jeffries #VichyDems #Impeachment #Resist #Resistance #FascistAppeasers #FascistEnablers #FascistTakeover #PrimaryThemAll #MakeThemFight

@mekkaokereke has talked about how Black people have knowledge that white people don’t, often relevant to the coming #uspol years. I realized I was ignorant of Black activist writing from the 70s. I’d only read up through early civil rights.

Just finished “Assata”, by Assata Shakur and holy shit. There is SO much in there relevant to today’s world. And I’m sad to realize I’d never heard of her before. Highly recommend reading it if she’s new to you.

What should be next, I wonder. (1/?)

Leaving aside how awful it is for the USA that #PeteHegseth has been confirmed, it's probably going to destroy Pete Hegseth, right? He's been put into an incredibly stressful job which he can't do, where he'll be surrounded by people who hate, fear and distrust him, and he has very little self-control and serious substance abuse issues.

#USPol #Hegseth

Hey Schumer,
Appeasement is NOT an option. If you can't get that thru your skull in the next 24 hours just resign and go away now.

#RaiseTheBar #DemandMore #uspol #USPolitics #Schumer #VichyDems #Integrity #Values #Honor #Collaborator #SellOut #Unamerican #Impeachment #Resist #Resistance #FascistAppeasers #FascistEnablers #FascistTakeover #PrimaryThemAll #MakeThemFight

Inhaltswarnung: US politics, positive Zum Öffnen/Schließen klicken

Told ya they were coming for the gays once they’d nuked abortion. #USpol https://masto.ai/@Nonilex/113887141108576702

@pluralistic on conservatism:

What binds "white nationalists, American imperialists, misogynists, Christian fundamentalists, and finance bros" together? Conservatives believe that some people are born to rule and others to be ruled. Progressives believe nobody was born to rule others.

From his book #TheLostCause.

#uspol #cdnpoli

Imagine if world leaders (& some U.S. politicians) gave #Trump a reality check & said to his face, “Fuck off you deluded fool!” the next time he threatened them.

#auspol #USPol

I can’t really get over how much the US ultra-rich are relishing being out-and-out, mask-off heels.

Previously they’d pretend to be philanthropists and so on but now it’s just “fuck you, I’m a Nazi, all my friends are Nazis, I’m so rich I could do whatever the fuck I want and it turns out what I fucking want to do is donate money to this Nazi Presidency and kick the shit out of minorities and women and workers because that’s allowed now, and I fucking love it”.

#uspol

"Jared Kushner raised $2B from the Saudi govt & is now funneling the money to his father-in-law, partnering with the Trump Org. to build Trump Tower Belgrade It is one of the most corrupt deals in political history And it has been virtually ignored by large media outlets.

Number of stories about or mentioning Trump Tower Belgrade, more than a week after it was announced:
All major news outlets: Zero."

Compliant #Media #Journalists #Trump #Corrption #Lies #Grift #USPol

https://popular.info/p/a-new-trump-tower-of-corruption

I'm not gonna lie, I think all the maudlin hand-wringing about political violence, injured murderpigs, and "eroding democracy" in a rigged oligarchy owned and operated by rich fascists regardless of which party they claim to support, is a bit much. Despite their borderline fanatical adherence to polite fictions however, the media *is* correct in pointing out that Trump's January 6th pardons are a very ominous sign; they just lack either the language, or the courage to properly explain why.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/jan-6-pardons

'Rewarding Political Violence,' Felon Trump Pardons Jan. 6 Insurrectionists

"This move not only erases accountability for one of the darkest days in our nation's history but also emboldens far-right extremists and grants them free license to continue their ideological reign of terror."

"These are not patriots, these are traitors who will now be free to recruit others into what Trump views as his own personal militia," he asserted. "By granting clemency to these individuals, who sought to overturn the peaceful transfer of power, Trump is signaling that political violence and the rejection of democratic norms are acceptable tactics in service to his authoritarian agenda. This is a direct threat to the foundations of our democracy and the safety of our communities."

Although it's not properly taught in Pig Empire history class, the reality is that every single "successful" fascist movement in history has relied on the violence of "irregulars" or "Brownshirts" to maintain control and further a fascist political and social agenda that is invariably unpopular and would be resisted by the populace at large, without the threat of force to keep them in line. It's literally "how to install a fascist dictatorship 101." What Trump is doing here is making it 100% clear to fascists that the ruling party is totally fine with whatever violent crimes they commit as long as they serve the purposes of the larger American fascist movement. And he's not the only one; racialized fascist violence has already received strong support and similar pardons in places like Texas, New York, and even at one point California (although that was ultimately unsuccessful and cost a judge his position on the bench.)

If you want Brownshirts, this is how you create them; and for all the whining about a democracy that isn't real and murderpigs who side with the nazis the vast majority of the time, that's the real danger here. Letting 1,500 fascist rioters go for their part in a coup attempt isn't about the rule of law - it's an open signal that Trump WANTS these freaks to commit violence on his behalf, and will prevent the American police state from doing anything about that if necessary. This doesn't end here.

#Fascism #Trump #Coup #January6th #Pardons #USPol

Wernher von Braun, a parent of the US space program key in getting the US to the moon, was once an actual member of the n*zi party in Germany during the 3rd reich. He supported and eloquently expresses the value of the equal opportunity employment initiatives President Dumpster removed this week. When the guy you voted for is bad according to an actual n*zi you have truly strayed from morality.

#eeoc #eo10925 #EqualOpportunity #EqualOpportunityEmployment #equality #employment #USpol

US House of representatives voted 263-156 to pass the Laken Riley Act—which will enable Trump’s ICE to put migrants in detention without due process & empower states to block visa programs & federal immigration policy.

46 Democrats voted with Republicans.
12 Senate Democrats did the same.
Will be first bill Trump signs.

Stop acting like Democrats are any different than Republicans!

PS. I am usually not post US internal politics, but the current rapid jump toward fascism is too important to ignore!

#Dumbfuckistan #Trumpistan #USPol #Imigration #Fascism #Inhumanity #Politics #ICE #HumanRights

If you had any doubts about #ADL being anything other than front for Israeli propaganda, then this should be your final moment (I am sure it will not change the minds of most "liberals" out there).

#Fascism #Hypocrisy #Trump #ApartheidChild #MuskIsANazi #NaziSalute #USPol #Israel

Reality check.

"As Elon Musk salutes his way into political power, not even rich people are relaxed about wealth any more. On the first day of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, the pro-tax campaign group Patriotic Millionaires released survey results from 2,000 high net-worth individuals across the G20: more than half of them thought extreme wealth was a threat to democracy, and over two-thirds agreed that the visible influence of the wealthy was leading to a decline in trust of the media, the justice system and democracy."

#USpol https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/23/davos-world-economic-forum-rich-fed-up-with-super-rich?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Trump Will Bulldoze Separation of Church & State
https://progressive.org/op-eds/trump-will-bulldoze-church-state-separation-gaylor-20250121

* Trump2 will exploit religion, pander to white evangelical base

#USpol #USlaw #GOP #Trump2 #fascism #HeritageFoundation #Project2025
#ChristianRight #Catholicism #OpusDei #theocracy #whiteSupremacism #DominionTheocracy
#antiLGBT #ParentalRightsMovement #transphobia
#Christofascism #transgenocide
#FamilyResearchCouncil #FRC #LibsOfTikTok #MomsForLiberty #AcPEDs
#WomensRights #misogyny
#ACLU #GLAAD #HRC #EgaleCanada #PFLAG

U.S. lawmakers want Christianity in classrooms
https://apnews.com/article/trump-religion-school-ten-commandments-9159f412c4f47ad421551885093a4a22

* Trump/GOP support school choice
* expand taxpayer-funded vouchers for parents to send children to religious schools

Charter schools
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/110608529417350253
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/113153575049972534

#USpol #Trump2 #GOP #fascism #authoritarianism #Project2025
#billionaires #BetsyDeVos
#PublicEducation #SchoolChoice #SchoolVouchers #PrivateSchools #CharterSchools #HillsdaleCollege
#ChristianRight #antiLGBT #Chistofascism #transgenocide

"I don't need to apologize" -- Bishop Mariann Budde
https://www.salon.com/2025/01/22/i-dont-need-to-apologize-bishop-angered-with-sermon-speaks-out
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/22/nx-s1-5270918/bishop-mariann-edgar-budde-trump-interview

#MariannBudde #courage #honor
#USpol #USlaw #Trump2 #GOP #fascism #authoritarianism #extremism #Project2025
#xenophobia #racism #ChristianRight #Catholicism #whiteSupremacism #hatred
#antiLGBT #TitleIX #transphobia
#Christofascism #transgenocide #theocracy #DominionTheocracy
#sexism #paternalism #HegemonicMasculinity #ToxicMasculinity
#WomensRights #ReproductiveRights #abortion #SelfDetermination

carry on as you were
https://atmos.earth/advice-from-climate-experts-as-trump-is-sworn-in/
#politics #climate #climatechange #environment #climateaction
“State & local action is where meaningful change will blossom. Pressure progressive state politicians to take action on ending fossil fuel projects & making polluters pay… take on corporate energy utilities”
#government #auspol #uspol
raise “the collective appetite for change in people’s everyday lives and livelihoods… the messaging has to get better, get good at organizing our message”
#justice
build visible, relatable campaigns of sustained nonviolent civil disobedience (think Rising Tide #australia)

American scientists & public health officials have been ordered by Presidential decree to stop communicating public health information. If you are a scientist, researcher, or a public health official in #Canada, please get in touch with your American counterparts. And visa versa for #Americans. We can help communicate what they are unable to, don’t let him win

🇨🇦 ❤️ 🇺🇸

#STEM #publichealth #uspol #cdnpoli

“Eighty-eight percent of us identify as women. Seventy-nine percent of us are people of color. We don’t get any sick leave. We have no health care benefits, and so this is the population of workers that we’re talking about. This is definitely a woman’s issue.”

Over at @deceleration, I interviewed an organizer with a caretakers' and personal attendants' group who are demanding fair wages for their often physically demanding work caring for the #disabled. Also included was legendary #disability rights organizer Bob Kafka of ADAPT of #Texas. Together, they discussed how they're preparing for #Trump and the Texas lege: https://deceleration.news/disability-rights-texas-bob-kafka/

#TXlege #HumanRights #politics #USpol #news #activism #TXlege #DonaldTrump #GregAbbott #workers #labor #accessibility

"As the ceasefire in #Gaza goes into effect, the Israeli army has launched widespread attacks against the #WestBank. In this episode of 'This is #Palestine,' host #DianaButtu speaks with #IMEU’s #SarahAbuAlrob about the ceasefire agreement breaking down what is means for #Palestinians. The episode also delves into the Trump’s administration’s actions giving #Israel the green light to fully illegally annex the West Bank."

https://this-is-palestine.simplecast.com/episodes/ceasefire-in-gaza-israel-continues-to-kill-palestinians
#USpol #oPt #GazaCeasefire @palestine @israel

A lot of folks are going to learn a lot in the next few weeks and months about how much their communities rely on functioning federal agencies. The chaos is intentional, but I really don't think people realize the scope of it or how local it is to them yet.
#uspol

Trump's freeze on foreign aid for 90 days will not include aid to #Israel, #Jordan and #Egypt, also known as the 'Jewish Crescent'

#Trumpistan #uspol @palestine group @israel group

“It’s especially egregious that this order defines ‘sex’ as starting ‘at conception,’ which is impossible,” says Ash Lazarus Orr, press relations manager at Advocates for Trans Equality. “While it’s possible to know chromosomal information, human embryos don’t show sexual differentiation at that stage — and all embryos initially develop along ‘female’ lines until later in development.”
- @RollingStone

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-trans-ban-executive-order-1235243876/

#Science #Politics #Trump #LGBTQ #US #USA #News #USPol #USNews

This is what the situation looks like:

"75% of immigrant farms workers didn’t show up yesterday in Bakersfield because of fears of ICE raids under the new presidency.

American’s rural and agricultural regions will be the hardest hit from Trump’s immigration policies. Food prices are going to skyrocket."

So wait... what does this mean for "the cost of eggs"?

#uspol

"My new essay comic, Antisemitism in a Time of Genocide, is now up at Le Monde Diplomatique in France.

"I’ll thread the 8 panels in English here, and link to the French at the end."

🧵 par le dessinateur #EliValley

https://skyview.social/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbsky.app%2Fprofile%2Felivalley.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3lge6jaxy2k2s&viewtype=unroll

#dessin #bd #Gaza #GénocideÀGaza #SolidaritéAvecGaza #SolidaritéAvecLaPalestine #Palestine #Israël #USpol @palestine @israel

Earlier: Jaeson Jones is trained as a cop—not a journalist. Yet the 51-year-old holds a lucrative correspondent contract at one of the country’s most prominent MAGA-aligned television networks. https://www.texasobserver.org/the-border-propagandist/

#media #politics #USpol #police #CriminalJustice #border #MAGA #Trump #DonaldTrump #Texas #news

So Trump can fire Government employees at the drop of a hat but the Biden Administration ached and ooed for years about firing off the Trumpists

Centrists are an expressway to Fascism

#USPOL #Trump #Centrism #Fascism