I'll answer for Putin/Kremlin. Y-E-S! That's exactly what Reagan did to them, and they deserved it for locking all those people behind an Iron Curtain and a Berlin Wall. Otherwise, I despised him and all his liars.
Some economic hit jobs are better than others. We paid then and we are paying right now. Vote, legislate, regulate and tax. No more wars---cold or hot.
Trump has created a Board of Peace, with himself as Chair, Kushner, Major donors, even Tony Blair, and foreign nations can join if they pay up $1 billion, which of course will go into his Qatar account. This is real mafia shit
In just the past 10 days Trump and his minions invaded Venezuela, killed and covered up the killing of Renee Good, refused to comply with the Epstein transparency law, threatened to invade Greenland and destroy NATO, carried out retaliatory, political and military actions against citizens exercising their freedom of speech, and commit committed FRAUD, FRAUD, FRAUD.
Republican politicians, congress people and Supreme Court “Conservative” Justices: what will it take to get you to defend the sacred oath you swore to on your Bibles to defend the US Constitution?
Have you read Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter for today.
Here is the problem, with all of the bad news, with his polls sliding, with 65% of the country against him, he is not remediating his behavior, he is actually doubling down and getting worse.
And SCOTUS is putting off ruling on his tariffs. And odds are he will ignore the ruling if, and that is a big if, SCOTUS rules against him.
META and Tesla are going to have to lose more than 8 and 7% for them to take notice, they will need to go bankrupt, And at that Musk won't listen he has SpaceX with all of it's heft government contracts and Starlink, which evidently the world can't do without now.
The real question is what will it take to have Trump's base, rise up against him, that is the base of his power, they maybe be a minority, but as you know an organized minority can control a disorganized and fragmented majority.
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Saturday slammed President Trump’s new 10 percent tariffs on Denmark and European allies, saying the tariffs will hurt the U.S. and divide NATO if the president takes Greenland by military force.
So you have a couple of Repblicans that slam or deviate from Trump, Until you have a majority of Republicans doing the same, you have nothing
A Repuglican congressman or Senator here and there, does not affect what Trump is going to do
What is needed is Democratic control of House and a 60 vote majority in the senate, without that there is nothing.
17 Republicans joined with Democraats on extending ACA subsidies for three years, thus depriving the Democrats of a campaign issue, they are also the 17 most vulnerable Republicans, but not without assurances that the bill wouldn't pass the Republican controllled Senate.
If you want to see those 17 Congressmen as hopeful cross overs, be my guest, but they knew that the Senate would not pass the bill, and they have deprived Democrats of an issue in their re election campaign.
I would thionk that a man as wise, experience, mature as you would not take things at face value.
Not just me but Michael Sellers, and millions of others,
But back to your idea.
Which congress can hold hearings? The congress controlled by Republicans.
Which congress is going to defund him? The Republican Congress, and I am sure (sarcasm) that Trump will sign a bill that defunds him, and I am quite sure that a Republican controlled senate won't overturn his veto..
So tell us Daniel, about hearings and defunding.
nd contempt of congress? Who is going to enforce the contempt, or even subpoena's, Pam Bondi? Give me a break.
I live in the real world, what world do you live in?
Only going to quibble that it is NOT off-topic. Everything Thom wrote about is being done to pave the way for TRump, Musk, and the Tech Bros to grift and control the Western Hemisphere, a billion people, and to get all the wealth they can. Everybody that joins is looking for a cut of that.
Move fast and break stuff is the mantra the Tech Bros choose. They have a plan for us/US and the Western Hemisphere to fill the vacuum left by our government they plan to destroy. It doesn't include democracy. It is a system that promises Utopia, but delivers one big corporation run by them for them. As a bonus, Musk & TRump don't get put in jail where they belong.
They would give you The Technate of America. Greenland/Canada down through Venezuela/Columbia. Please read the notes under this map that is in the archives of Cornell University:
The RICHEST man in the world is a Technocrat-White Supremacist-Nazi. So was his grandfather, who was involved in the Technocracy movement of the 1930s. Joshua N. Haldeman was his name-WIKI that. Trump, Musk, the Tech Bros and Crypto Creeps are criminals and psychopaths. They like hurting people. They are keeping score and having fun---WHILE WE PAY THEM WITH CONTRACTS. See you in the streets.
Musk had both criminal and civil exposure as long as the Dems were in control. There is not enough money in the world to pay for his exposure. That's most probably why he supported Trump.
IMHO the model for how to deal with this is Fox. Dominion filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox over false on-air claims that its voting machines were used to steal the election. Fox settled the case for $787.5 million on April 18, 2023, just as the jury trial was set to begin in Delaware.
Smartmatic sued Fox News and its parent corporation in February 2021 for $2.7 billion, alleging that the network engaged in a "disinformation campaign" by repeatedly airing false claims that its technology rigged the 2020 election.
A major Fox shareholder derivative lawsuit, led by NYC pension funds and Oregon, accuses Fox Corp. directors and officers (including Rupert & Lachlan Murdoch) of breaching fiduciary duties by allowing Fox News to spread false 2020 election claims, leading to the massive Dominion settlement, and failing to implement proper risk controls for defamation. The case argues the board prioritized profit and ratings over truth, knowingly risking massive liability, and a Delaware court recently ruled the suit can proceed, finding potential director lack of independence from Rupert Murdoch.
AI As of January 2026, Elon Musk is involved in several high-stakes legal battles, with the most significant being a massive lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft heading to a jury trial.
Key Litigation Against Musk (as of Jan 18, 2026)
OpenAI/Microsoft Fraud Lawsuit (Jury Trial): A U.S. federal judge in Northern California has allowed Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman, and Microsoft to proceed to a jury trial, currently set for April 27, 2026.
Claims: Musk alleges OpenAI abandoned its original non-profit mission to become a for-profit entity heavily tied to Microsoft, defrauding him of his initial $38 million+ investment.
Damages: Musk is seeking between $79 billion and $134 billion in damages, arguing he is entitled to a portion of OpenAI's estimated $500 billion valuation.
Status: The court denied requests to dismiss the case, with the judge noting "plenty of evidence" of misleading assurances.
X (Twitter) Advertiser Lawsuit: In August 2024, Musk's X filed a lawsuit against the World Federation of Advertisers and several companies (including Unilever, Mars, and CVS), alleging an unlawful advertising boycott that reduced revenue.
Government Efficiency (DOGE) Lawsuits: Following the 2024 U.S. election, Musk’s role in the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) triggered numerous lawsuits in early 2025.
1. USAID Suit: A federal judge ruled that efforts by Musk and DOGE to shut down USAID were likely unconstitutional.
2. Data Access Block: A judge partially blocked DOGE from accessing a Treasury Department payment system, citing risks to confidential information.
Shareholder and SEC Litigation:
SEC Lawsuit: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is continuing a $150 million lawsuit against Musk related to his 2022 Twitter acquisition and disclosure failures.
Tesla Compensation: While a Delaware court previously rescinded a massive 2018 compensation package, the Delaware Supreme Court reversed this in late 2025.
Other Legal Disputes:
xAI/Grok Lawsuit: In January 2026, a mother of one of Musk's children sued xAI, alleging that the Grok chatbot produced sexually explicit deepfake images of her.
Severance Lawsuit: A former Twitter executive sued Musk in 2024 for "cheating" employees out of $200 million in severance.
What have all of these "massive" lawsuits amounted to? I guess I read all the above but missed where the losing entity actually paid up. Aside, did Giuliani ever pay those two women who won in court against him? Did E Jean Carroll ever get paid by Trump? All these court cases seem to amount to - so "we" lost, who cares, we're not paying anyone - so bring it on. And if any entity actually "paid up" has that stopped them?
During my 45-year career in federal service (uniformed and civilian), I observed that it takes about 7 years to master most civil service jobs. That is due in part to the complex regulations and laws that affect one's duties, as well as the complex interactions between your office and that of other federal agency offices to promote mutual mission achievement - teamwork. It is self-validating when you see a policy or practice recommendation you made appear on the cover of the Washington Post or NY Times later in the week. Of course, Trump refers to this as the evil "deep state" or the "DC swamp."
Because federal service is always underpaid, maintaining a competent workforce depends on attracting aspirational staff who stay on the job, not because of high pay, but because of the gratification derived from their work. When I hear citizens challenge my assertion that Feds are underpaid, my only counter is pointing out that during my career, I was periodically offered private-sector jobs at more than double my salary. The reaction to my offer rejection was always dismay. That is because the private sector measures achievement in money and power, rather than simply making life better for everybody.
When a clueless billionaire, who hates being told what to do, is gifted a chainsaw to tear down the government that he loathes, restoring competent government is almost never an overnight affair. The chainsaw method of organizational change creates unintended negative consequences - like increased climate-related injuries and deaths, disease spread, or entire industries disappearing. As Nobelist Paul Krugman said this morning, it is nearly impossible to repair the damage when you have an administration made up entirely of unqualified baboons who find it hard to listen over their own hooting, and even if they did hear you, they would be clueless as to how to implement restoration.
I teach part-time at a university and am involved in rewriting one of its courses. During the orientation I was told not to add as a student resource any site with ".gov". Material from the federal government is no longer considered to be either stable or trustworthy. And that's pretty darn sad.
There was an end run of this in the agency I worked for in 2008. We had no idea when the new director was hired what his ideology was. It soon became apparent. Everything Musk did had its precursor in how this guy worked over our non-profit, then gaslit me and my past work to justify my firing. It is selfish but in some ways I finally feel some comfort over being able to relate to those that have suddenly lost their jobs. Now I am no longer alone in the trauma. Of course none of this should have happened. and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But it was clear to me then and ever more clear to me now, this was never about cost savings or for the good of the agency, which folded a few years later. Again, in a selfish way I feel vindicated. This was about ideology and exploiting a functioning and vital non profit to enforce this ideology against people who were not interested, and in a way that would never work. They were doing a practice run.
Jeffery Epstein didn't kill himself - BUT - Minneapolis, Greenland, Venezuela and all of the above listed in Thom's article are working TO KILL HIM AGAIN AND BURY HIM FOREVER. Silently and preferably in some foreign country. Is Venezuela far enough or maybe the farthest northern tip of Greenland?
The Real query I have for the effing Kremlin is just:
WHY are you doing this [i.e., Krasnov's antics] to US? . . .
Did we ever do this to YOU?
Jesus!!!
Vote these Red Tools, these Commie Pinko Rats off The Hill and outta the WH !!!
I'll answer for Putin/Kremlin. Y-E-S! That's exactly what Reagan did to them, and they deserved it for locking all those people behind an Iron Curtain and a Berlin Wall. Otherwise, I despised him and all his liars.
Some economic hit jobs are better than others. We paid then and we are paying right now. Vote, legislate, regulate and tax. No more wars---cold or hot.
Sorry Folks, but got to go off topic again to something very hot and relevant
From Salty Politics: https://saltypolitics.substack.com/p/trumps-latest-shakedown
Trump has created a Board of Peace, with himself as Chair, Kushner, Major donors, even Tony Blair, and foreign nations can join if they pay up $1 billion, which of course will go into his Qatar account. This is real mafia shit
Like I said yesterday, most of the Trump major donors fared poorly in the fourth quarter. Tesla, Meta, Microsoft and even Nividia were down.
Contrast that with Canada, which increased 5 .95. % . Trump is making Canada great again.
Meta lost almost 8%, Tesla almost 7%.
Trump and his family and close associates may be benefitting from extortion, but by now it's obvious that he's losing support.
Whether that transfers into political support is up to us. Greenland may be one step too far.
In just the past 10 days Trump and his minions invaded Venezuela, killed and covered up the killing of Renee Good, refused to comply with the Epstein transparency law, threatened to invade Greenland and destroy NATO, carried out retaliatory, political and military actions against citizens exercising their freedom of speech, and commit committed FRAUD, FRAUD, FRAUD.
Republican politicians, congress people and Supreme Court “Conservative” Justices: what will it take to get you to defend the sacred oath you swore to on your Bibles to defend the US Constitution?
Have you read Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter for today.
Here is the problem, with all of the bad news, with his polls sliding, with 65% of the country against him, he is not remediating his behavior, he is actually doubling down and getting worse.
And SCOTUS is putting off ruling on his tariffs. And odds are he will ignore the ruling if, and that is a big if, SCOTUS rules against him.
META and Tesla are going to have to lose more than 8 and 7% for them to take notice, they will need to go bankrupt, And at that Musk won't listen he has SpaceX with all of it's heft government contracts and Starlink, which evidently the world can't do without now.
The real question is what will it take to have Trump's base, rise up against him, that is the base of his power, they maybe be a minority, but as you know an organized minority can control a disorganized and fragmented majority.
The REAL issue is Congress.
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Saturday slammed President Trump’s new 10 percent tariffs on Denmark and European allies, saying the tariffs will hurt the U.S. and divide NATO if the president takes Greenland by military force.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5694271-tillis-murkowski-trump-tariffs-greenland/
GOP congressman splits with Trump over Greenland, calls it 'buffoonery'
Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/15/don-bacon-trump-greenland-impeachment/88195826007/
It only takes 3 Republican House members to stop this cold.
So you have a couple of Repblicans that slam or deviate from Trump, Until you have a majority of Republicans doing the same, you have nothing
A Repuglican congressman or Senator here and there, does not affect what Trump is going to do
What is needed is Democratic control of House and a 60 vote majority in the senate, without that there is nothing.
17 Republicans joined with Democraats on extending ACA subsidies for three years, thus depriving the Democrats of a campaign issue, they are also the 17 most vulnerable Republicans, but not without assurances that the bill wouldn't pass the Republican controllled Senate.
If you want to see those 17 Congressmen as hopeful cross overs, be my guest, but they knew that the Senate would not pass the bill, and they have deprived Democrats of an issue in their re election campaign.
I would thionk that a man as wise, experience, mature as you would not take things at face value.
Change of subject, but none the less relevant
It seems that HR 4505, the EFTA or Epstein Files Transparency Act will net no results, and Bondi will not release the files
Read this for explanation' Massie and Ro will have to amend the legislation and this time I doubt that it will pass.
https://michaeldsellers.substack.com/p/doj-filing-claims-courts-cant-enforce
You are sooooo negative. Congress can hold hearings defund him ...and what this guy misses is inherent contempt power of Congress.
Not just me but Michael Sellers, and millions of others,
But back to your idea.
Which congress can hold hearings? The congress controlled by Republicans.
Which congress is going to defund him? The Republican Congress, and I am sure (sarcasm) that Trump will sign a bill that defunds him, and I am quite sure that a Republican controlled senate won't overturn his veto..
So tell us Daniel, about hearings and defunding.
nd contempt of congress? Who is going to enforce the contempt, or even subpoena's, Pam Bondi? Give me a break.
I live in the real world, what world do you live in?
Only going to quibble that it is NOT off-topic. Everything Thom wrote about is being done to pave the way for TRump, Musk, and the Tech Bros to grift and control the Western Hemisphere, a billion people, and to get all the wealth they can. Everybody that joins is looking for a cut of that.
The war on windmills, people, and efficiency.....
Move fast and break stuff is the mantra the Tech Bros choose. They have a plan for us/US and the Western Hemisphere to fill the vacuum left by our government they plan to destroy. It doesn't include democracy. It is a system that promises Utopia, but delivers one big corporation run by them for them. As a bonus, Musk & TRump don't get put in jail where they belong.
They would give you The Technate of America. Greenland/Canada down through Venezuela/Columbia. Please read the notes under this map that is in the archives of Cornell University:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:34227574
The RICHEST man in the world is a Technocrat-White Supremacist-Nazi. So was his grandfather, who was involved in the Technocracy movement of the 1930s. Joshua N. Haldeman was his name-WIKI that. Trump, Musk, the Tech Bros and Crypto Creeps are criminals and psychopaths. They like hurting people. They are keeping score and having fun---WHILE WE PAY THEM WITH CONTRACTS. See you in the streets.
Musk had both criminal and civil exposure as long as the Dems were in control. There is not enough money in the world to pay for his exposure. That's most probably why he supported Trump.
IMHO the model for how to deal with this is Fox. Dominion filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox over false on-air claims that its voting machines were used to steal the election. Fox settled the case for $787.5 million on April 18, 2023, just as the jury trial was set to begin in Delaware.
Smartmatic sued Fox News and its parent corporation in February 2021 for $2.7 billion, alleging that the network engaged in a "disinformation campaign" by repeatedly airing false claims that its technology rigged the 2020 election.
A major Fox shareholder derivative lawsuit, led by NYC pension funds and Oregon, accuses Fox Corp. directors and officers (including Rupert & Lachlan Murdoch) of breaching fiduciary duties by allowing Fox News to spread false 2020 election claims, leading to the massive Dominion settlement, and failing to implement proper risk controls for defamation. The case argues the board prioritized profit and ratings over truth, knowingly risking massive liability, and a Delaware court recently ruled the suit can proceed, finding potential director lack of independence from Rupert Murdoch.
Key Details of the Lawsuit
Musk is highly litigious. He has exposure internationally. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_affairs_of_Elon_Musk
AI As of January 2026, Elon Musk is involved in several high-stakes legal battles, with the most significant being a massive lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft heading to a jury trial.
Key Litigation Against Musk (as of Jan 18, 2026)
OpenAI/Microsoft Fraud Lawsuit (Jury Trial): A U.S. federal judge in Northern California has allowed Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman, and Microsoft to proceed to a jury trial, currently set for April 27, 2026.
Claims: Musk alleges OpenAI abandoned its original non-profit mission to become a for-profit entity heavily tied to Microsoft, defrauding him of his initial $38 million+ investment.
Damages: Musk is seeking between $79 billion and $134 billion in damages, arguing he is entitled to a portion of OpenAI's estimated $500 billion valuation.
Status: The court denied requests to dismiss the case, with the judge noting "plenty of evidence" of misleading assurances.
X (Twitter) Advertiser Lawsuit: In August 2024, Musk's X filed a lawsuit against the World Federation of Advertisers and several companies (including Unilever, Mars, and CVS), alleging an unlawful advertising boycott that reduced revenue.
Government Efficiency (DOGE) Lawsuits: Following the 2024 U.S. election, Musk’s role in the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) triggered numerous lawsuits in early 2025.
1. USAID Suit: A federal judge ruled that efforts by Musk and DOGE to shut down USAID were likely unconstitutional.
2. Data Access Block: A judge partially blocked DOGE from accessing a Treasury Department payment system, citing risks to confidential information.
Shareholder and SEC Litigation:
SEC Lawsuit: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is continuing a $150 million lawsuit against Musk related to his 2022 Twitter acquisition and disclosure failures.
Tesla Compensation: While a Delaware court previously rescinded a massive 2018 compensation package, the Delaware Supreme Court reversed this in late 2025.
Other Legal Disputes:
xAI/Grok Lawsuit: In January 2026, a mother of one of Musk's children sued xAI, alleging that the Grok chatbot produced sexually explicit deepfake images of her.
Severance Lawsuit: A former Twitter executive sued Musk in 2024 for "cheating" employees out of $200 million in severance.
Agreed. That's quite a pathetic list.
Have to add that all the money in the world apparently doesn't make you happy or healthy. Hope we show folks it doesn't keep you out of jail either.
What have all of these "massive" lawsuits amounted to? I guess I read all the above but missed where the losing entity actually paid up. Aside, did Giuliani ever pay those two women who won in court against him? Did E Jean Carroll ever get paid by Trump? All these court cases seem to amount to - so "we" lost, who cares, we're not paying anyone - so bring it on. And if any entity actually "paid up" has that stopped them?
During my 45-year career in federal service (uniformed and civilian), I observed that it takes about 7 years to master most civil service jobs. That is due in part to the complex regulations and laws that affect one's duties, as well as the complex interactions between your office and that of other federal agency offices to promote mutual mission achievement - teamwork. It is self-validating when you see a policy or practice recommendation you made appear on the cover of the Washington Post or NY Times later in the week. Of course, Trump refers to this as the evil "deep state" or the "DC swamp."
Because federal service is always underpaid, maintaining a competent workforce depends on attracting aspirational staff who stay on the job, not because of high pay, but because of the gratification derived from their work. When I hear citizens challenge my assertion that Feds are underpaid, my only counter is pointing out that during my career, I was periodically offered private-sector jobs at more than double my salary. The reaction to my offer rejection was always dismay. That is because the private sector measures achievement in money and power, rather than simply making life better for everybody.
When a clueless billionaire, who hates being told what to do, is gifted a chainsaw to tear down the government that he loathes, restoring competent government is almost never an overnight affair. The chainsaw method of organizational change creates unintended negative consequences - like increased climate-related injuries and deaths, disease spread, or entire industries disappearing. As Nobelist Paul Krugman said this morning, it is nearly impossible to repair the damage when you have an administration made up entirely of unqualified baboons who find it hard to listen over their own hooting, and even if they did hear you, they would be clueless as to how to implement restoration.
Don't resist - Respond.
I teach part-time at a university and am involved in rewriting one of its courses. During the orientation I was told not to add as a student resource any site with ".gov". Material from the federal government is no longer considered to be either stable or trustworthy. And that's pretty darn sad.
There was an end run of this in the agency I worked for in 2008. We had no idea when the new director was hired what his ideology was. It soon became apparent. Everything Musk did had its precursor in how this guy worked over our non-profit, then gaslit me and my past work to justify my firing. It is selfish but in some ways I finally feel some comfort over being able to relate to those that have suddenly lost their jobs. Now I am no longer alone in the trauma. Of course none of this should have happened. and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But it was clear to me then and ever more clear to me now, this was never about cost savings or for the good of the agency, which folded a few years later. Again, in a selfish way I feel vindicated. This was about ideology and exploiting a functioning and vital non profit to enforce this ideology against people who were not interested, and in a way that would never work. They were doing a practice run.
My new thought -
Jeffery Epstein didn't kill himself - BUT - Minneapolis, Greenland, Venezuela and all of the above listed in Thom's article are working TO KILL HIM AGAIN AND BURY HIM FOREVER. Silently and preferably in some foreign country. Is Venezuela far enough or maybe the farthest northern tip of Greenland?