“The fact we even have to introduce an amendment that says ICE cannot deport US citizens is batshit crazy. This should not even be a discussion.”

— Rep. Ted Lieu

Rolling Stone shows the way — AGAIN — for how to write an accurate headline

"A federal employee who is helping the Trump administration carry out the drastic downsizing of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau owns stock in companies that could benefit from the agency’s dismantling, a ProPublica investigation has found.

Gavin Kliger, a 25-year-old Department of Government Efficiency aide, disclosed the investments earlier this year in his public financial report, which lists as much as $365,000 worth of shares in four companies that the CFPB can regulate. According to court records and government emails, he later helped oversee the layoffs of more than 1,400 employees at the bureau.

Ethics experts say this constitutes a conflict of interest and that Kliger’s actions are a potential violation of federal ethics laws.

Executive branch employees have long been subject to laws and rules that forbid them from working on matters that “will affect your own personal financial interest.” CFPB employees are also required to divest from dozens of additional, specific companies that engage in financial services and thus either are or could be subject to agency supervision, rulemaking, examination or enforcement.

The CFPB oversees companies that offer a variety of financial services, including mortgage lending, auto financing, credit cards and payment apps."

https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-gavin-kliger-stock

"Mr. Trump is now not only a major crypto dealer; he is also the industry’s top policy maker....President Trump has noted that conflict of interest laws do not apply to him"

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/us/politics/trump-crypto-world-liberty-financial.html

"The Bosses of the Senate", 1889

#Kakistocracy #Oligarchy #Plutocracy #Kleptocracy #Idiocracy #Griftopia #FascistState #BananaRepublic . All of the above! Hacks, Quacks, and Charlatans. 2nd Grade Intellect! Incompetence! Corruption! Anti-Constitutional ! Anti-Rule of Rational Law! ! #Politics

"The right question to ask about Trump’s tariff policy is also financial: How will this enormous change to American trade policy benefit Trump? One answer is already clear. The countries and large companies damaged by these tariffs, some of which could face huge losses or even bankruptcy, will have an enormous incentive to play up to the president, to offer him political donations, and maybe even to offer business deals to him, his family, or his friends in order to get some kind of exception made for themselves or their industry.

In a law-abiding administration, personal finances wouldn’t be an important part of the public debate. But this administration’s leaders have decided that laws and norms of behavior that have held for a century or more don’t apply to them. The Republican-led Congress has so far decided not to enforce them either. It’s now up to the media, to outside organizations, and to whistleblowers to keep reporting the slide into kleptocracy to the public and to the courts, to make sure that remaining laws are enforced. It’s up to the Democratic Party to follow the lead of opposition movements in other kleptocracies and to put corruption at the center of their arguments. Before it’s too late, everyone who can do so must communicate what is happening: American government, American foreign policy, and American trade policy are slowly being transformed, not to benefit Americans but to benefit the president, his family, and his friends. Only voters can stop them."

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/trump-kleptocracy-autocracy-inc/682281/

How how HOW does this drunken jackass still have a job in the federal government?

#idiocracy #kleptocracy #kakistocracy #impeach47 #resist #Ω #DONOTCOMPLY https://mstdn.social/@GottaLaff/114395139842388496

Great article by Anne #Applebaum about the #Trump #Oligarchy and the financial dealings.
#Kleptocracy

#TheAtlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/trump-kleptocracy-autocracy-inc/682281/

The US is stuck in the past. Their language is disconnected with today's role of royals in society.

Kings and queens these days are ceremonial in their role.

What the US voted into Office is not a king in the modern sense. What Trump is aspiring to is a cross of Pinochet, Hitler and Putin — a cruel, murderous, moron, racist dictator.

The big box CEOs flat out told Trump the prices aren't going up, they're steady right now, but they'll go up. & this wasn't about food. But he was told that shelves will be empty" -an admin official. Another official briefed on the meeting said the CEOs told Trump disruptions could become noticeable in 2 weeks.

Trump says the #tariffs on CN will be lower, but only that "they'll be north of zero." His "governing style" is that of a mob boss.
#Extortion #Kleptocracy #USPol
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/23/trump-economy-tariffs-china-powell

A handy list of large crypto donors to Trump’s inauguration fund, which is basically an unregulated pot of money the president can do whatever he wants with. A few translations are in order:

* Circle = world’s 2nd largest stablecoin after Tether (USDC), closely linked to #Coinbase
* Foris Dax = Crypto[.]Com
* Fred Ehrsam = #Paradigm (and co-founder of Coinbase)
* #Payward = #Kraken
* #KyleSamani = #MulticoinCapital
* #HaydenAdams = #Uniswap (more on Uniswap: https://cryptadamus.substack.com/p/of-tech-bros-and-trumpers)
* Charles Cascarilla = #Paxos, the stablecoin issuer behind the #Binance stablecoin #BUSD that was summarily executed by regulators for #moneylaundering
* Yuga Labs = #BoredApeYachtClub (the infamous monkey JPGs)

As the US moves from Democracy to #Kleptocracy and #Kakistocracy it’s effects affect scientific breakthroughs

New images could change cancer diagnostics, but ICE detained the Harvard scientist who analyzes them

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-detain-kseniia-petrova-protest-harvard-cancer-research-rcna202180

For the first time ever, the White House is selling corporate sponsorships for the Easter Egg Roll—Amazon, Meta, and YouTube ranging from $75,000 to $200,000. The move comes amid scrutiny of Trump’s ties to tech billionaires and accusations of pay-to-play influence.

Why It Matters: #Trump is monetizing a children’s holiday, turning the Easter Egg Roll into a corporate cash grab. It’s classic #kleptocracy—where nothing is sacred and everything, even Easter, is for sale.

https://open.substack.com/pub/trumptyrannytracker/p/trump-tyranny-tracker-day-89-91?r=4p9usb&utm_medium=ios

Trump’s halting of data collection could have effects that last far beyond his time in office. The country is losing data on drug use, maternal mortality, climate change…

Even if a future administration seeks to resurrect some of the curtailed efforts, the 2025-29 hiatus will make trends harder to identify and understand.

#Fascsim #Autocracy #Kleptocracy #Data #PublicSafety #Resist #USPol

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-doge-data-collection-hhs-epa-cdc-maternal-mortality

The Trump administration is making space for #Stablecoins. Should CFOs?

With the Trump administration embracing #DigitalAssets, finance leaders need to get educated on the potential risk and reward of #Cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.

https://www.bankingdive.com/news/trump-administration-space-stablecoins-crypto-cfos-paypal/745552/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=BankingDive%2Fmagazine%2FTechnology

CEOs missed: Trump isn't a capitalist, he’s a KLEPTOCRAT.

His rationales for his #tariffs change regularly. At some moments they’re about returning MANU to the US, at others they’re just a bargaining tool. But one justification is constant: they're designed to force bus leaders +other nations alike to deal with Trump *wants to humiliate them in the process.

“These countries are calling us up kissing my ass -dying to make a deal.
#Kleptocracy #Corruption #Resist #USPol https://newrepublic.com/article/194075/trump-tariff-madness-one-man-rule

A clear-eyed & important interview: Anne Applebaum, (Starts at abou 13:00 - 31:00) Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast

The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum examines how our authoritarian rise is actually happening faster than usual.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fast-politics-with-molly-jong-fast/id1645614328?i=1000703823277