9 votes

Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of November 18

Automatically posted
Tags: politics, usa, recurring.weekly

This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

16 comments

  1. [3]
    vord
    (edited )
    Link
    Musk and Ramaswamy detail their plans for DoGE. It does not sound pretty. Especially coming from the horse's mouth. My personal headline would be "That idiot who ruined Twitter by doing this seeks...

    Musk and Ramaswamy detail their plans for DoGE.

    It does not sound pretty. Especially coming from the horse's mouth. My personal headline would be "That idiot who ruined Twitter by doing this seeks to do the same with the entire federal government. Aided by AI of course."

    Archive because writings relevant to pending government action by private entities shouldn't be paywalled.

    Specifically on the chopping block:

    • Corporation for Public Broadcasting
    • Planned Parenthood funding
    • Hybrid and remote work for feds
    • The Impoundment Control Act, which prevents president from cutting Congress a approved funding.
    8 votes
    1. [2]
      Bet
      Link Parent
      Emphasis mine. And no further comment, lol. Moving on: Our new leaders are quite the skilled contortionists, it would seem.

      DOGE will work with legal experts embedded in government agencies, aided by advanced technology, to apply these rulings to federal regulations enacted by such agencies. DOGE will present this list of regulations to President Trump, who can, by executive action, immediately pause the enforcement of those regulations and initiate the process for review and rescission. This would liberate individuals and businesses from illicit regulations never passed by Congress and stimulate the U.S. economy.

      Emphasis mine. And no further comment, lol. Moving on:

      When the president nullifies thousands of such regulations, critics will allege executive overreach. In fact, it will be correcting the executive overreach of thousands of regulations promulgated by administrative fiat that were never authorized by Congress. The president owes lawmaking deference to Congress, not to bureaucrats deep within federal agencies. The use of executive orders to substitute for lawmaking by adding burdensome new rules is a constitutional affront, but the use of executive orders to roll back regulations that wrongly bypassed Congress is legitimate and necessary to comply with the Supreme Court’s recent mandates.

      Our new leaders are quite the skilled contortionists, it would seem.

      4 votes
      1. papasquat
        Link Parent
        Also some really nice dissonance here: Most edicts are not enacted by elected officials, which is apparently bad. To fix that, we've created an organization where two unelected people not even...

        Also some really nice dissonance here:

        Most legal edicts aren’t laws enacted by Congress but “rules and regulations” promulgated by unelected bureaucrats—tens of thousands of them each year.

        We will serve as outside volunteers, not federal officials or employees.

        Most edicts are not enacted by elected officials, which is apparently bad. To fix that, we've created an organization where two unelected people not even affiliated with the government will enact edicts.

        1 vote
  2. [7]
    NoPants
    Link
    Undocumented migrants hope Trump mass deportations only 'for criminals'

    Undocumented migrants hope Trump mass deportations only 'for criminals'

    "A lot of Latinos, those who can vote, did so because they think he [Trump] can improve the economy. That would be very good for us too," said Carlos, an undocumented Mexican who lives in New York City. His son is a US citizen.

    Carlos says he is "a little" worried about getting swept up in immigration raids. But that fear is tempered by the possibility of an improved economy under Trump and more work.

    "Things may be a bit tense right in our communities right now, but being worried isn't a solution," he said. "The best thing to do is avoid problems and not commit any crimes."

    7 votes
    1. [6]
      Hobofarmer
      Link Parent
      Ah yes, the "they certainly won't come for me" head-in-the-sand approach. A bold move Cotton, let's see how that plays out for him. I understand people are worried about the economy and how it...

      Ah yes, the "they certainly won't come for me" head-in-the-sand approach.

      A bold move Cotton, let's see how that plays out for him.

      I understand people are worried about the economy and how it impacts them, but I haven't seen any actual numbers, evidence, measures, statistics, anything from the Trump team to back up his bluster. It seems everyone is going based off of feelings. It's... Disappointing isn't a strong enough word.

      10 votes
      1. [5]
        NoPants
        Link Parent
        Krugman's take is Trump will be bad for the economy. Paul Krugman on How Badly Trump Voters Have Been Scammed Krugman is very good at explaining complex concepts, but is also partisan. While no...

        Krugman's take is Trump will be bad for the economy.

        Paul Krugman on How Badly Trump Voters Have Been Scammed

        His two big policy goals, policy obsessions, are deporting immigrants and tariffs. Both of those are going to do a lot to raise prices of food and some other things, but the most immediate flashpoint is going to be grocery prices.

        Krugman is very good at explaining complex concepts, but is also partisan. While no one knows what exactly Trump will do or how exactly it will impact the markets, there is definitely a non-zero percent chance that Trump could do something that at least temporarily upsets all markets. There is also definitely a non zero percent chance that Trump tanks the worldwide economy.

        I'm looking to Trumps treasury secretary, and the stock market reaction to that. Currently the markets don't seem all that concerned, but markets reaction to this key decision may be informative to figure out what the markets think of those underlying probabilities.

        6 votes
        1. [4]
          ButteredToast
          Link Parent
          I agree that grocery prices will be where impacts are seen most quickly, assuming that the administration does as it’s promised. It will effectively knock out the load-bearing pillars of the US...

          I agree that grocery prices will be where impacts are seen most quickly, assuming that the administration does as it’s promised. It will effectively knock out the load-bearing pillars of the US agriculture industry which will curb availability of domestically produced foods. Tariffs will of course raise the price of imported food, and induced demand for imported food caused by domestic food shortages will push those prices even higher.

          There seems to be increasing acknowledgement of this possibility within conservative spaces online, but rather than admonishing the policies that will drive this outcome members of these communities are instead taking the opportunity to paint opponents of these policies as complicit with the abuses of the agriculture industry. This is a gross mischaracterization in my mind; I doubt that many who vote blue want to perpetuate the current situation any more than anybody else, but would rather see the issue resolved in a manner that’s graceful and does not risk plunging the nation into food scarcity.

          5 votes
          1. [3]
            NoPants
            Link Parent
            Dang, Bessent is a solid pick. Maybe prediction markets are correct in assuming the chance of large tariffs is low.

            Dang, Bessent is a solid pick. Maybe prediction markets are correct in assuming the chance of large tariffs is low.

            1. [2]
              stu2b50
              Link Parent
              Yeah, Bessent is shockingly competent. Probably the most competent so far. You can really see a pattern between departments and things he cares about, and ones he doesn’t. There’s such a gulf...

              Yeah, Bessent is shockingly competent. Probably the most competent so far.

              You can really see a pattern between departments and things he cares about, and ones he doesn’t. There’s such a gulf between Bessent or Rubio and, uh, Robert F Kennedy and Doctor Oz.

              1 vote
              1. NoPants
                Link Parent
                He is blatantly choosing to disrupt the social welfare branches of government, and choosing stability for those parts of the government that benefit the very rich. Where most republicans tried a...

                He is blatantly choosing to disrupt the social welfare branches of government, and choosing stability for those parts of the government that benefit the very rich.

                Where most republicans tried a more subtle approach, I think Trump will try to destroy those arms of government that benefit the poor, to beyond the point where they can all be put back together again.

                We have billionaires controlling the media, now billionaires are controlling the government. This does not end well.

                3 votes
  3. [2]
    KapteinB
    Link
    Neo-Nazi Pulls Off Surprise Victory In Long-Held KKK District | Onion News Network

    Neo-Nazi Pulls Off Surprise Victory In Long-Held KKK District | Onion News Network

    ONN projects that Neo-Nazi candidate Lucas Brennan has defeated three-term KKK incumbent William Kent in Alabama's 4th congressional district, flipping a House seat that has been occupied by the Klan for more than five decades.

    7 votes
    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      It's not even a joke. I hate when the onion hits that hard

      It's not even a joke. I hate when the onion hits that hard

      4 votes
  4. [3]
    NoPants
    Link
    Donald Trump's Deportation Plan Causes 'Panic' Among Farmers I know it is heartless to measure actual human suffering in economic terms, but it is all Trump cares about, and frankly I suspect that...

    Donald Trump's Deportation Plan Causes 'Panic' Among Farmers

    Agricultural output will fall between $30 and $60 billion if Trump's flagship policy is carried out, according to the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC).

    I know it is heartless to measure actual human suffering in economic terms, but it is all Trump cares about, and frankly I suspect that and safety are all most voters care about.

    1 vote
    2. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      I really wish they'd ask those business owners who they voted for.

      I really wish they'd ask those business owners who they voted for.

      1 vote