Basically, Trump is saying that if Ukraine gives us half of their rare earth minerals, they will “earn the right to keep fighting.”
What the hell?? An independent nation is invaded by a neighboring country that wants their land, and they have to “EARN” the right to fight against that?? Our president is completely delusional and has no understanding at all of what really goes into international relations. He’s already alienating all of our allies while he bows down to Putin. But giving permission for another country to defend themselves when attacked?? That’s a whole other level of stupidity and egotism!
But is anyone really surprised?
It’s the mindset of a bully: “Give us your valuables and we’ll let you live.” šš¤¬
A.P. News reports that the Trump administration’s cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency, led by an unelected billionaire who has millions in government contracts and was not even vetted by Congress, often result in NO SAVINGS AT ALL!
Nearly 40% of the DOGE cuts, according to their own data, will not result in saving any money.
So why make these cuts? To prove that they’re in control and to traumatize federal workers. Oh, and to prove that the USA is better than everyone else by STOPPING giving aid to the poorest people in the world!
āItās like confiscating used ammunition after itās been shot when thereās nothing left in it. It doesnāt accomplish any policy objective,ā said Charles Tiefer, a retired University of Baltimore law professor and expert on government contracting law. āTheir terminating so many contracts pointlessly obviously doesnāt accomplish anything for saving money.ā
The AP article, linked below, explains some of the cuts and how the money has already been spent, so no savings can result.
“Receiving routine vaccinations against common infections like tetanus, shingles, and pneumonia may offer an unexpected benefit: a reduced risk of developing Alzheimerās disease later in life.
“A study published in theĀ Journal of Alzheimerās DiseaseĀ in 2023 found that older adults who received these vaccines were less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimerās disease compared to their unvaccinated peers over an eight-year period.
“This research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that vaccinations could play a role in protecting against this devastating brain disease.”
A description of the actual research study and more links are available at the article below:
Iowa is rushing the HF 274 bill through quickly. It will criminalize librarians and prohibit minors from using any library that has “obscene material” in its collection.
This bill is being rushed through the process so the public does not have much opportunity to comment.
Ultra-conservatives want to block access to any library by people under 18 years old if the library contains anything that the far right considers “obscene.” Including materials about same-sex relationships or transgender people. This law would block all minors from access if the library owned a book like this.
For the record: “There are no obscene materials in public or public school libraries in the United States. This is a moral panic brought forth by the right over books they donāt like and that represent voices, stories, and perspectives outside of the rigid white, straight, able-bodied, cis gender, Christian boundaries.”
To get the votes he needed for confirmation, RFK Jr. promised that he would not change the children’s vaccine schedule.
Now, in his first speech to the Health & Human Services employees (the ones who are still left after he fired thousands of them last weekend), this anti-vax leader of our country’s public health promised that he WOULD investigate the children’s vaccine schedule! āNothing is going to be off limits!”
And, of course, this statement was made while West Texas is having a measles outbreak among unvaccinated people. š
Last night he posted this: āHe who saves his country does not violate any Law.”
That’s quoting Napoleon Bonaparte, who staged a coup and declared himself emperor of France.
Whatever he claims is “saving his country” is, in his eyes, automatically above the law. Just imagine how the right would have been howling if Biden had said something like this! Republicans claim to be the party of “law and order,” but when their cult leader sets that aside, we hear nothing.
Brian Tyler Cohen explains just how dangerous this is:
This is why no qualifications were necessary for this professional wrestling performer to become the Secretary for the Department of Education.
Her job is to dismantle it.
His first task for her: āI want Linda to put herself out of a job,ā Trump said.
That’s because our misguided idiot president thinks the Dept. of Education has been infiltrated by āradicals, zealots, and Marxists.ā When, really, it’s the radicals and zealots that want to close it.
Whether you call it corruption or conflict of interest, the U.S. government agreeing to spend $400 million on Musk’s Tesla vehicles is clearly inappropriate. All the more since he CLAIMS to be trying to root out corruption! š
“The Trump administration is expected to purchase $400 million worth of armored Tesla vehicles, according to a new State Department document detailing procurement for fiscal year 2025.
“After reports circulated Wednesday night of the State Department’s intent to purchase Tesla vehicles, the document was edited, at 9:12 p.m., and now says the federal contract is for $400 million worth of “armored electric vehicles,” but the word “Tesla” was removed.”
Google services include the search engine, web browser, email, Google Drive (docs/sheets/forms/etc.), Android, financial services, and more.
But many people are getting tired of the monopoly and the questionable algorithms and privacy, and are considering other free alternatives. I am at the point where I am considering alternatives now, especially free, open-source software.
Below are some reasons why people are ending their relationships with Google and what alternatives they are choosing. (Click the links to read more about them.)
Google donated $1 million to Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration, and its CEO, Sundar Pichai, was in attendance at the ceremony with other technocrat wannabes.
Google Calendar also removed Holocaust Remembrance Day, Black History Month, Pride Month, and more from the calendar. And rushed to rename the Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps. More examples of bowing to Trump and his right-wing extremists.
Here are just a few recommendations for alternatives.
Web Browsers
Firefox – open source browser that emphasizes privacy along with a high level of customization with extensions and add-ons. Generally considered to be a fast and efficient browser with good memory management.
Brave – faster browser that blocks most ads and trackers, has a built-in VPN, and uses the same open-source Chromium engine as Chrome. It uses “fingerprint randomization,” making your browser appear unique each time you start, so sites can’t link your behavior.
Opera – built-in features include a free VPN, ad blocker, and a focus on privacy and security. It uses less system resources while offering extensive customization options.
DuckDuckGo – does not track your search history, IP address, or any other personal information. Automatically blocks tracking cookies and other trackers.
Search Engines
DuckDuckGo – best for privacy and has a simple interface. DDG lets you search for images, videos, news, maps, and shopping results. DDG also adds more header options depending on the search term, such as Definition, Meanings, Nutrition, and Recipes. While Google tracks your search history and purchase history and bases its ads on that, DDG doesn’t track anything, so the ads are actually based on the search results you are viewing at the time.”Just duck it!” š
Brave – often considered one of the most private search engines that offers independent results. Completely open source and now offers a choice of AI-powered or standard web results which are free from bias or political agendas. Brave search engine is powered by its own independent index, free from “big tech,” while DDG’s index is powered by Bing.
Tor – uses relays to protect privacy & anonymity, hiding IP addresses and blocking tracking, and can access the dark web because it can find websites that might be blocked in your region. Monitored more heavily because of the potential for illegal use.
Bing – has more serious and academic results than Chrome, includes AI CoPilot, and is great for searching news, images, videos, and maps
Email
GMX – one of the most secure free email platforms. Offers 65 GB of email storage and attachments up to 50MB. Includes calendars, online office, and some additional cloud storage on top of the email storage.
Protonmail – Offers zero-access encryption: even ProtonMail cannot access the content of your emails. Also zero ads and includes calendar, 1GB mail storage, and 5GB ProtonDrive storage, but only 3 email folders. More storage and apps with a paid subscription.
Yahoo mail – 1 TB of free email/attachment storage. Lets you make 3 free disposable email addresses that redirect to your mail account without revealing your actual address. Attachments are organized and easier to find.
Outlook.com (was HotMail) – integrates with other Microsoft products.
Online Office
GMX – free open-source platform compatible with Word/Excel/PowerPoint that is totally cloud-based and connected with GMX email.
OpenOffice – free open-source platform compatible with Word/Excel/PowerPoint and more. Must be downloaded to use.
LibreOffice – free open-source platform compatible with Word/Excel/PowerPoint and Access. Online version is available, but they emphasize downloading the free app and using it on your computer.
File Storage
Mega – 20 GB for free with no file size limit. Privacy encryption means even THEY cannot give you your password. Don’t lose it! Free version may have slower download speeds.
Internxt – 10 GB for free. Separate area for photos. Free version may have slower download speeds.
pCloud – 10 GB for free. Share files with others using links. Free version may have slower download speeds.
OneDrive – 5 GB of cloud storage, 15 GB of mailbox storage. Interfaces with other Microsoft products. Free version may have slower download speeds.
Maps
OpenStreetMap – privacy-focused and open data and community contributions makes it a more flexible and customizable platform. It’s open-source, created by volunteers, and is constantly updated. Also customizable and includes data about roads, buildings, trails, points of interest, and more.
Maps.me – for offline navigation, turn-by-turn directions, and finding points of interest, especially when traveling without cell service. Open source on GitHub. Allows custom labeling and following trails for hiking & biking.
MapQuest – online mapping service that includes routes, traffic, accident rerouting, parking, and gas prices, with a progress bar, ETA, and compass.
MapBox – makes beautiful customized maps. Can save maps offline. Offers real-time data on traffic, weather, and other location-based information. The free tier includes 50,000 map loads per month.
News Apps
While Google News is pretty reliable and unbiased, if you’re trying to get away from everything Google, here are some other free aggregator options:
AP News – if you had to just pick one news source that is the most reliable, fact-based, and unbiased, that would be AP News!
BBC News – another reliable, fact-based news source that focuses on
Flipboard – has a magazine-style layout with diverse sources and you can personalize it based on your interests
Digg – a social news aggregator where users can submit stories and up/downvote them, which results in the main feed focusing on popular and trending stories that may not be covered by mainstream media
SmartNews – focuses on top trending stories around the world. Less customization is available, but you can choose topics and publishers
Thursday night, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Russell Vought to lead the U.S. Office of Management & Budget. He was one of the primary architects of Project 2025, and he is now in charge of White House budget!
If you haven’t been paying attention, “Project 2025 is a White Christian Nationalist federal policy agenda and blueprint for a radical restructuring of the executive branch authored and published by former Trump administration officials in partnership with The Heritage Foundation, a longstanding conservative think tank that opposes abortion and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigrantsā rights, and racial equity. Project 2025ās largest publication, ‘Mandate For Leadership,’ is a 900-page manual for reorganizing the entire federal government agency by agency to serve a conservative agenda.
“Project 2025 includes a long list of extreme policy recommendations touching on nearly every aspect of American life, from immigration and abortion rights, to free speech and racial justice. A number of its recommendations rely on support from the executive branch and from Congress. Many other initiatives are outright unconstitutional.”
Democrat senators called Vought “Trump’s most dangerous nominee” because he helped craft this radical agenda and now will be in a place to control and implement it.
Democracy Forward read through it and broke it all down in May 2024, well before the election. Here is their explanation:
“What we discovered was a systemic, ruthless plan to undermine the quality of life of millions of Americans, remove critical protections and dismantle programs for communities across the nation, and prioritize special interests and ideological extremism over people.
From attacking overtime pay, student loans, and reproductive rights, to allowing more discrimination, pollution, and price gouging, those behind Project 2025 are preparing to go to incredible lengths to create a country only for some, not for all of us. Project 2025 is among the most profound threats to the American people.
If these plans are enacted, even without congressional approval, 4.3 million people could lose overtime protections, 40 million people could have their food assistance reduced, 220,000 American jobs could be lost, and much, much, more. The stakes are higher than ever for democracy and for people.
These threats arenāt hypothetical. These are their real plans.
The Heritage Foundation and the 100+ organizations that make up the Project 2025 Advisory Board have mapped out exactly how they will achieve their extreme ends. They aim to carry out many of the most troubling proposals through an anti-democratic president and political loyalists installed in the executive branch, without waiting for congressional action. And, while many of these plans are unlawful, winning in court is not guaranteed given that the same far-right movement that is behind Project 2025 has shaped our current court system.”
