Politics

[Wheels]

thats a pretty high bar to get over.. he can only be terminated for cause.. and "for cause" is limited to just a couple of reasons such as malfeasance or neglect.. those sort of accusations are only going to result in a court case, which would take longer to resolve than the amount of time Powell has left in his term... (his term ends May of next year)... unless he steps down (doubtful), I think Powell is just going to ride things out..in 1935 the SCOTUS determined that the chair cannot be fired "at will" like other government officials can be.. and policy disputes with POTUS have already been determined to not qualify as a "for cause" argument for termination..

The larger issue with Powell is when he leaves the Chair position, he still has term left on his board of governors position (he doesnt expire there until 2028)... My guess is he will leave the board of governors as soon as his chair time is up.. the new Chair (whoever that might be) will be hand selected and will go out of their way to hammer Powell at every juncture.. if he wants any reputation left intact, he'll just step down and go sit on the board of directors of a handful of fortune 500 companies for the rest of his days..

That said, Powell has a monster ego and is also stoic.. he may just stick around out of what he believes is principle and do everything in his power to evoke his will if for no other reason than spite.. hes made it pretty clear that he doesnt really care what people like Bessent, Lutnick, or Trump think or want.. hes going to do his own thing.. and they can kiss his ass if they dont like it..

From things mentioned by the administration in the past week, it looks like they are targeting Powell for the boondoggle that is the 2.5b upgrade of the Federal Reserve building that is lavish and way over budget.

Not sure if it will work as malfeasance but that seems to be the test flag they are raising currently.

 

[Wheels]

DOD seems to be fast tracking the acquisition of this counter drone system. It is being deployed in the Pacific AOR initially for a series of field tests with the Marine Corps and Army, and assuming it passes will go into full rate production and fielding as early as 2027. Drones can be shielded against against micro-waves, but that takes them out of the realm of cheap off the shelf tech.

Epirus Leonidas High-Power Microwave: Directed Energy for cUAS, cUAS Swarms, Counter Electronics

Our Leonidas family of High-Power Microwave products utilizes solid-state, software-defined, long-pulse high-power microwave (HPM) technology for unmatched counter-electronics effects for a range of use cases. Counter-UAS will be the first mission application of our systems, but our technology...

www.epirusinc.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1944887484631965821

I heard a podcast that Joe Lonsdale/palantir was on in the past year that was interesting. He said they could knock out 100 or so drones and in less than a second knock out another hundred if I recall correctly. Not sure if it was microwave or not.

Technology is certainly changing the battlefield quickly. Small Drones go from being the new hot topic to potentially antiquated before some countries get them into production.

 

[Wheels]

“Show me the man. I’ll show you the crime” Beria

Looks like that is what DOJ and the FBI did with Trump during the Biden term from the emails released by Grassley.

It has already come out that DOJ is looking at Wray and Brennan. There are probably a number of people squirming right now.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1945123758844322023

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Member of the Somali community in Minneapolis now running for mayor of that city. Spouting (most) of the same ideas as Mamdani is in NYC

 

[spike.t]

Seems all the strikes on the bouthis weren't too long lasting.....ready to go again

Iran shipments to Houthis a masterclass in AIS manipulation

The Houthis have a robust weapons supply chain and there are limited options for interrupting these networks

www.lloydslist.com

 

[Red Leg]

I dont disagree with any of what youve pointed out here....

that said, I also dont think Trump cares.. hes on his final term.. and while Putin and the management of the relationship with Russia, management of the US involvement in Ukraine, etc is clearly a very big issue... he's getting very easy "wins" in other places (lower courts, economy, trade relationships with other countries, getting NATO to increase spending, etc..etc..)..

20 years from now no one is going to be talking about how Trump mishandled Putin.. but they may well be talking about how the economy was the best it had been in decades during his second term..

And, while he is proving to be just as bombastic this time as the last time, its pretty clear that the American people at large have become much more accepting of it this time around.. they really dont care for the most part as long as the results keep coming in... even his cabinet and senior officials have taken a much more Trump like approach in dealing with the media, leftists, and others.. Tom Holman went nuclear at Turning Point just 2 days ago telling a guy in the audience he was a "moron" and a "loser", described him on national TV as someone that lives in his mothers basement, said he was surprised he didnt have "purple hair and a nose ring" and then challenged him to a physical confrontation in 19 minutes after his speech was supposed to end.. he also used statements like "you dont have the balls", etc.... Look at how aggressive and how hard other cabinet members have turned to social media.. Trump isnt the only "mean" tweeter anymore.. many of them are now doing it.. and the right (not just the hard right "MAGA" types) are eating it up..

if he were eligible for a third term and elections were scheduled for a year from today, I feel pretty certain he'd win by even bigger numbers than he did back in November..

What Im hoping we see happen in the next 12-18 months is both Trump and the R party start to move toward positioning the next candidate for a win (whoever thats going to be).. My fear is that Trumps ego and desire to remain in the limelight and be the most important guy in the room at all times prohibits him from starting to convince the American people that Rubio or Vance or DeSantis or whoever is the next person in line to carry on the America First agenda and continue to push the country in the right direction..

Even CNN is reporting regularly about how the majority of Americans support Trump on the majority of undertakings so far.. they do it reluctantly, and they try desperately to demonstrate flaws or question the how and why of the numbers.. but.. when CNN is telling us pretty much nightly that most Americans want more of what theyre currently getting... that is a huge statement..

He has several times very publicly side-stepped a ringing endorsement of Vance - or anyone else for that matter. I frankly would prefer DeSantis or Rubio. Vance seems very comfortable in ideologically leading the neo-isolationist wing of the MAGA movement. The other two seem to have a far stronger grasp of our international interests.

 

[Wheels]

Member of the Somali community in Minneapolis now running for mayor of that city. Spouting (most) of the same ideas as Mamdani is in NYC

Same guy?

 

[mdwest]

He has several times very publicly side-stepped a ringing endorsement of Vance - or anyone else for that matter. I frankly would prefer DeSantis or Rubio. Vance seems very comfortable in ideologically leading the neo-isolationist wing of the MAGA movement. The other two seem to have a far stronger grasp of our international interests.

Concur.

2 years ago I would have only really considered DeSantis to be "ready".. I barely knew who Vance was, and Rubio just didnt appear to be "there" yet..

Rubio has grown on me quite a bit since taking on the SECSTATE role though. He handles the media well, appears to be executing the missions assigned to him extremely well despite an outrageous amount of pressure being put on him by his former colleagues on the hill (left side only), and he most importantly (to me) appears to be LEADING a very difficult agency to lead exceptionally well.. pushing them down roads they absolutely dont want to go down, but convincing them to do it, and do it to standard (for the most part)..

I think in another few months, barring any unexpected nonsense or scandals appearing, Rubio might be my personal favorite for the POTUS role..

 

[spike.t]

'We still hate it' - Trump's Nato weapons deal for Ukraine sparks MAGA anger

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a key Trump ally, and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon have criticised the move.

www.bbc.com

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

'We still hate it' - Trump's Nato weapons deal for Ukraine sparks MAGA anger

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a key Trump ally, and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon have criticised the move.

www.bbc.com

Jokers.

 

[Brent in Az]

Hopefully they can get some payback on the little swamp weasel.

 

[barryk]

Supreme Court allows Trump to continue effort to gut Education Department

The Supreme Court on Monday lifted an injunction against the Trump administration's efforts to gut the Department of Education.

abcnews.go.com

another huge win for the Trump administration and its fight against the lower courts...

personally, I think the Dept of Education is a travesty... not only does it deeply infringe on states rights as a matter of routine, its also been incredibly poorly managed since its inception...

sadly, I think the Dept of Ed will just become another time and money suck again the next time a D takes office.. they'll ramp it back up as rapidly as Trump is going to tear it down...

the executive branch can cut staffing, reduce spend, etc.. but cannot abolish the agency since the agency was created by the legislative branch... and there arent enough votes in either the house or senate to get any real momentum there.. so while it will be largely defunct for the next few years.. it wont actually go away..

Agree......and the NEA will continue to add fuel to any changes for improvement in education.

 

[wesheltonj]

Concur.

2 years ago I would have only really considered DeSantis to be "ready".. I barely knew who Vance was, and Rubio just didnt appear to be "there" yet..

Rubio has grown on me quite a bit since taking on the SECSTATE role though. He handles the media well, appears to be executing the missions assigned to him extremely well despite an outrageous amount of pressure being put on him by his former colleagues on the hill (left side only), and he most importantly (to me) appears to be LEADING a very difficult agency to lead exceptionally well.. pushing them down roads they absolutely dont want to go down, but convincing them to do it, and do it to standard (for the most part)..

I think in another few months, barring any unexpected nonsense or scandals appearing, Rubio might be my personal favorite for the POTUS role..

Vance has the advantage as VP. Sure there will be challengers, but doubtful they get any traction. DeSantis and Rubio will be fighting for out for VP. I would give the advantage to DeSantis. However, Rubio has performed better then I expected, but as Governor, DeSantis gets more press then Rubio.

 

[HuntingGold]

My wife and I were debating this very topic while driving home from our camp trip, and likely while the topic was brought up here on AH.

My vote: I believe Rubio's stock has skyrocketed these last few months, while Vance has been put in a timeout since the Zelensky matter.

My wife's vote: She's heavy on a Vance and DeSantis both.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

And they think the same about yours. So realize that no ones right and no ones wrong.

"No ones right and no ones wrong."

I spent 22 years working in prisons. Wrong, as well as evil, do exist. The Nazis of the last century, as well as this one believe they are right. They aren't. The radicalized Muslims that rape and kill Israeli women and children in the name of Allah are wrong. There is a truth to be found and just saying everyone is right in their own way doesn't cut it.

 

[barryk]

It was never about like or dislike.. it was about the majority of the members not meeting their obligations, and doing it 100% willingly.. letting their military capability fall into absolute tatters, and then counting on the US to bail them out if/when something happened..

Now that there is a 5% commitment I think he's likely ok with things.. the commitment will allow the countries that have fallen WAY BEHIND to catch up pretty quickly, modernize their forces, re-equip their forces, etc..

What I question (and only time will tell) is whether they will keep their commitment...

There was a 2% commitment that was unilaterally made before.. Even as recently as 2024 (well after the Russian invasion of Ukraine) Canada, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Croatia, and Portugal all still fall short of the 2% mark.. In 2023, 21 countries fell short... in 2022 24 countries fell short, etc..etc..

So what makes us really believe that theyre not going to commit to 5% now, and continue to just lie, cheat, and steal their way through the agreement?

I think perhaps the "bombing run" decision convinced NATA the U.S. was a security leader in the world again...strong leadership can encourage willing, committed followers.

 

[barryk]

DOD seems to be fast tracking the acquisition of this counter drone system. It is being deployed in the Pacific AOR initially for a series of field tests with the Marine Corps and Army, and assuming it passes will go into full rate production and fielding as early as 2027. Drones can be shielded against against micro-waves, but that takes them out of the realm of cheap off the shelf tech.

Epirus Leonidas High-Power Microwave: Directed Energy for cUAS, cUAS Swarms, Counter Electronics

Our Leonidas family of High-Power Microwave products utilizes solid-state, software-defined, long-pulse high-power microwave (HPM) technology for unmatched counter-electronics effects for a range of use cases. Counter-UAS will be the first mission application of our systems, but our technology...

www.epirusinc.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1944887484631965821

Better send lots of pictures with those anti-drone directions when they send them to the Marines. Very impressive system!

 

[Red Leg]

I was hoping @Brent in Az would post this Truth Social from Trump as well. I am not sure this is the best approach to use with that hard core 25% that has invested themselves in something that looks to have been vastly overblown if not an absolute real time conspiracy fantasy. (To paraphrase the President - If you believe this, you are no better than those who pushed the Russia hoax and I want nothing to do with you.) Charlie Kirk, Tucker Carlson, and Alex Jones seem incapable of resolving this in their own minds, much less offering clarity to their followers.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

The Radical Left Democrats have hit pay dirt, again! Just like with the FAKE and fully discredited Steele Dossier, the lying 51 “Intelligence” Agents, the Laptop from Hell, which the Dems swore had come from Russia (No, it came from Hunter Biden’s bathroom!), and even the Russia, Russia, Russia...

truthsocial.com

Again, I think Ben Shapiro has offered the most rational perspective on this issue of any one I have yet heard in his dialogue with Megyn Kelley two days ago. Below is that short clip from their longer conversation.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I was hoping @Brent in Az would post this Truth Social from Trump as well. I am not sure this is the best approach to use with that hard core 25% that has invested themselves in something that looks to have been vastly overblown if not an absolute real time conspiracy fantasy. (To paraphrase - If you believe this, you are no better than those who pushed the Russia hoax and I want nothing to do with you.) Charlie Kirk, Tucker Carlson, and Alex Jones seem incapable of resolving this in their own minds, much less offer clarity to their followers.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

The Radical Left Democrats have hit pay dirt, again! Just like with the FAKE and fully discredited Steele Dossier, the lying 51 “Intelligence” Agents, the Laptop from Hell, which the Dems swore had come from Russia (No, it came from Hunter Biden’s bathroom!), and even the Russia, Russia, Russia...

truthsocial.com

Again, I think Ben Shapiro has offered the most rational perspective on this issue of any one I have yet heard in his dialogue with Megyn Kelley two days ago. Below is that short clip from their longer conversation.

I’m truly disappointed in Charlie Kirk. IMO he’s too scared to lose his followers/fame, showing a distinct lack of backbone. Or worse, he is a true believer. College kids want to believe all the outrageous stuff. I’m a huge Shapiro fan. I don’t agree with him on everything but darn close to everything. He’s shown his fortitude and common sense in all this (no surprise).

 

[wesheltonj]

I will add to the conspiracy theory. This would not be the first time that the State/Feds have withheld evidence, if they did. I suspect, Ms Bondi misspoke. I also suspect there is a list or lists. It's not uncommon for there to be a "customer" list.