Well... it's Trump... again. #47, here we go.

[ZiprHead]

True?

 

[ZiprHead]

Lawmakers demand answers after a Haitian woman dies at an ICE detention center

A woman from Haiti died after spending over two months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, the agency announced on Tuesday.

Marie Ange Blaise, 44, was pronounced dead on Friday night at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Fla. ICE says her cause of death is under investigation.

Speaking on the House floor Wednesday, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., suggested that Blaise had not been provided adequate medical care.

"Marie had been complaining about chest pain for hours," said Cherfilus-McCormick, who is the only Haitian-American in Congress. "They gave her some pills and told her to go lie down. Unfortunately, Marie never woke up."

 

[Swammerdami]

Much of the zany crap -- "Gulf of America", "I'd be the best Pope ever", "Let's reopen Alcatraz" -- is intended as a distraction to push Trump's blatant larcenies off the front page. Here's a very short (2 minutes) YouTube exposing just one of the Billion dollar grafts with which Trump has been using his office to enrich himself while Americans are distracted by his "amusing" drivel.

 

[ZiprHead]

Much of the zany crap -- "Gulf of America", "I'd be the best Pope ever", "Let's reopen Alcatraz" -- is intended as a distraction to push Trump's blatant larcenies off the front page. Here's a very short (2 minutes) YouTube exposing just one of the Billion dollar grafts with which Trump has been using his office to enrich himself while Americans are distracted by his "amusing" drivel.

Yup. Trump is wiping his ass with the emoluments clause.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[ZiprHead]

Confirmed article in the Financial Times.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Army confirms military parade for its 250th anniversary will be held on Trump's birthday

Until recently, the Army’s birthday festival plans did not include a massive parade, which officials say will cost tens of millions of dollars. But Trump has long wanted a military parade, and discussions with the Pentagon about having one in conjunction with the birthday festival began less...

www.pbs.org

He wants tanks on city streets, which will destroy those streets.

You put blocks (probably metal, I don't know) on the treads so they're flat rather than digging in. They're still fiendishly heavy but not utterly destructive like their normal treads would be.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Does anybody here have enough experience with the movie industry to explain just how one can put a tariff on movies?

It's not like they arrive in America packed in a TEU on a cargo ship..

I was thinking about that too. Movies aren't really a physical thing. Sure there can be a canister of film, that can assign a value of a few hundred dollars to, but a tariff on that won't get much. Films can be digitally streamed from one nation to another. Also what about if movie filmed in say Australia but is then edited in USA? The producer can bring it (a copy) in his suit case when flying from one nation to another.
It seems that the only way can get a decent tariff is at the cinema by doubling the ticket price, and that won't be popular, and seems illegal, because the audience is paying for a service, not a physical object.

His claim that Hollywood was dying is completely laughable. There is more product being produced than you can wave a stick at; that is, it is almost certainly at an all time high.

Not too long ago I ran into a story from the times of old. Were the punched cards programs (goods, taxed) or data (not taxed)? "Data". Data to be fed into a Cobol compiler.

 

[Tigers!]

It remains a mystery how Trump -- criminal con-man, narcissist, ignorant buffoon, psychopath -- got enough votes to win the White House a second time.

The American electorate rejected the left-wing populist W.J. Bryan; rejected the right-wing populist George Wallace; and rejected the right-winger Barry Goldwater, despite that Goldwater had more integrity and displayed more intelligence than almost any Republican today. Ross Perot, with a plan similar to Trump's but an IQ half again as high, was sent home with less than 19% of the vote.

So how can the election of this cretin be explained?

America was once a vibrant melting-pot, with good-spirited people, with communities working together, with mainstream media sending mainstream messages. There were two "big-tent" political parties, often working together. Political discourse featured respect. Will Rogers was a famous political comedian a century ago: Can anyone imagine such a comedian today saying "I never met a man I didn't like"?

So what happened? I suspect it is not all the "conservatives" fault.

In my recent post I should have stressed that the race AWAY from sensible centrism is NOT the only cause of our dysfunction.
Indeed media may be most to blame. Extremist views are promoted by Facebook algorithms, by politics being controlled by big money donors, and by successful trolling from enemies like Russia. When I blame media, I'm not pointing fingers at specific personalities, but blaming the unfortunate SYSTEM that technology has evolved. What optimists hoped would be a revolution of information has instead become a revolution of DISINFORMATION.

I think many voters chose Trump less because they liked what they were hearing from the right and more from disgust at what they heard (or thought they heard) from the left. Bill Maher has been warning about this.

... as Bill Maher once said. "I'd vote for Biden's head in a jar full of blue water before I'd vote for Trump."

Despite dining with the Orange Buffoon, Maher is NOT a Trumpist. I found this video about an "unwoke" man being jilted at the altar both amusing AND instructive.

I've had opinions about political issues all my life but throughout my 20's, 30's and even 40's I was focused on career and other personal matters. I could name very few top officials and seldom read a newspaper. At this message-board we're now mostly "news junkies" but many Americans are as apathetic about politics as I was when I was young.

Your lack of voting (as a nation) suggests that is true.

Yes. I have always been a fan of compulsory voting. IIUC, non-voters aren't handcuffed in compulsive countries; penalties are so weak the compulsion is more a gentle moral effort. Australia?

Works a treat in Oz mate.

Thailand has "compulsory voting" but many ignore the minor penalties. For my daughter to vote in Chiang Mai she'd need to change her "house registration" which would tend to forfeit her property rights in her birth province.

There must be a better way to get through to some Trump voters than screaming at them about how stupid they are.

Perhaps you could tell your friends that then? It might be a good start.

What friends? Expats here in the Kingdom don't vote, aren't from swing states, and/or are VERY set in their prejudices. I HAVE wasted hours in an effort to sway RVonse towards rational thought. This effort has been spectacularly unsuccessful. Focus must be on apathetic "Undecideds" -- are there any such here at IIDB? -- MAGATs just double-down on their ignorance. @RVonse -- Do you agree that Trump would make the best Pope ever? Are you thrilled that it will soon be uneconomic to show foreign-filmed movies and TV in the USA?

 

[Tigers!]

100% tariff on movies.

"I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands," Trump said late Sunday in a post on his Truth Social platform. "WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"

The United States generally owns global movie industry. Apparently, that isn't enough now. Trump says the movie industry is dying in the US.

So there will be no more shooting on location??

Runner, with Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, has been shooting in Brisbane since March 31st. There were a load of road closures in the CBD (and on the Storey Bridge) on Saturday.

David Walliams's Fing is also currently shooting here.

The latest version of Liam Neeson's 'Taken' was being filmed only 5km from my house in Altona, Victoria. Went and had a look.

 

[WAB]

100% tariff on movies.

"I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands," Trump said late Sunday in a post on his Truth Social platform. "WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"

The United States generally owns global movie industry. Apparently, that isn't enough now. Trump says the movie industry is dying in the US.

So there will be no more shooting on location??

Runner, with Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, has been shooting in Brisbane since March 31st. There were a load of road closures in the CBD (and on the Storey Bridge) on Saturday.

David Walliams's Fing is also currently shooting here.

The latest version of Liam Neeson's 'Taken' was being filmed only 5km from my house in Altona, Victoria. Went and had a look.

Did you challenge him to a fight?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

With no accomplishments on trade policies to speak of, despite working on sabotaging the American economy... Trump needs to pretend progress is completion.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a "full and comprehensive" trade agreement with Britain, which would be the first such deal since he launched his global tariffs blitz.

....

The 78-year-old Republican called it a "very big and exciting day" and was due to speak further about the agreement at a news conference in the White House scheduled for 10:00 am (1400 GMT).

"The agreement with the United Kingdom is a full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come," the president posted on his Truth Social platform.

Yea!!! A trade deal. Wait... what was that?

A UK government official likened the deal to a "general terms document" which will set out agreements but also lay out a framework where further discussion are needed.

The deal was focused on specific sectors rather than being a fully-fledged free trade agreement sought by the UK following its 2020 departure from the European Union, the official said on condition of anonymity.

As well as dealing with steel and car tariffs, it would lay out positions for discussions over possible future tariffs in the key pharmaceuticals sector.

"There will be further negotiations to come," the source added.

So it seems like the 25% tariff goes down to 10%... to a country (region?) that we have a trade surplus with.

Funny... I was looking at soccer jerseys... and realized that I'd need to pay an import fee to get them into the country. Me... personally. Not England, not China. Right now, it'd be a sales tax of 10%.

 

[crazyfingers]

So this is a head-scratcher. Trump appointed Cameron Hamilton to acting head of FEMA. Hamilton says that he does not think that FEMA should be dismantled and Trump fires him.

I believe that FEMA should not be dismantled but what kind of vetting went on that Trump would hire someone and then nearly immediately fire him for not agreeing with Trump.

And what's this bullshit spewed from the Trump mouth?

Trump and Noem have repeatedly criticized FEMA as partisan, inefficient, and unnecessary. The administration has claimed FEMA uses “woke” ideologies to appropriate funds.

They are such shits.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/08/politics/fema-administrator-acting-fired-cameron-hamilton

 

[Tigers!]

100% tariff on movies.

"I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands," Trump said late Sunday in a post on his Truth Social platform. "WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"

The United States generally owns global movie industry. Apparently, that isn't enough now. Trump says the movie industry is dying in the US.

So there will be no more shooting on location??

Runner, with Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, has been shooting in Brisbane since March 31st. There were a load of road closures in the CBD (and on the Storey Bridge) on Saturday.

David Walliams's Fing is also currently shooting here.

The latest version of Liam Neeson's 'Taken' was being filmed only 5km from my house in Altona, Victoria. Went and had a look.

Did you challenge him to a fight?

No. I seen the movies.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Today he said Mattel is a country.

 

[crazyfingers]

Today he said Mattel is a country.

The toy company? Could he have meant company?

 

[TV and credit cards]

Today he said Mattel is a country.

Did he recommend they go to Pandora?

 

[TomC]

Today he said Mattel is a country.

The toy company? Could he have meant company?

Who knows what he actually said, but I don't think it was that.
What he did make clear though is that he's targeting Mattel. It's a huge company that imports a zillion bucks worth of Chinese made products and is pushing back against Trump's dumbass consumer taxes.

Remember when he casually mentioned that maybe this year a kid expecting 30 dolls for Christmas might only get 2? Who do you think he was talking about? Mattel.
Tom

 

[WAB]

100% tariff on movies.

"I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands," Trump said late Sunday in a post on his Truth Social platform. "WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"

The United States generally owns global movie industry. Apparently, that isn't enough now. Trump says the movie industry is dying in the US.

So there will be no more shooting on location??

Runner, with Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, has been shooting in Brisbane since March 31st. There were a load of road closures in the CBD (and on the Storey Bridge) on Saturday.

David Walliams's Fing is also currently shooting here.

The latest version of Liam Neeson's 'Taken' was being filmed only 5km from my house in Altona, Victoria. Went and had a look.

Did you challenge him to a fight?

No. I seen the movies.

Peter Griffin challenged Neeson to a fight. Paid dearly for it.

 

[TomC]

Peter Griffin challenged Neeson to a fight. Paid dearly for it.

I pay zero attention to that sort of crap.
But, I'd put my partner Doug up against a movie actor any day. At least back in the day, he's in his 60s now.
He grew up with after school fights as a sport. He was a tough little fucker. He kicked the asses of several dudes much bigger than he, sometimes a couple at once.

Back in the mid 90s, he'd go back to his small, redneck, hometown. Sometimes wearing his "How dare you assume I'm straight?" T-shirt. More than one person commented, "Only you could get away with wearing that shirt here." It's because he'd beaten up most of the bullies in town at some point.
Tom