Trumps appointments.

[UltraBudgie]

I like this pick https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bk6XzMVhc...ture=share

You know that guy speaks fluent Mandarin and spent time as a foreign-exchange student in China, right? What's that tell you? Just kidding. You can read his complaint here, starting on page 118 (from his Congressional testimony).

[727Sky]

You know that guy speaks fluent Mandarin and spent time as a foreign-exchange student in China, right? What's that tell you? Just kidding. You can read his complaint here, starting on page 118 (from his Congressional testimony).

My hats off to anyone (non-native) who can speak fluent Mandarin as to my ears it is an ugly and hard language... In a discussion they always sound like they are pissed until they break out laughing !
I had a Chinese girlfriend who spoke German, French, Cantonese, Mandarin, and English better than me at times... Smartest person I have ever known especially when it came to math done in her head. She had an abacus she used mentally in her brain and it worked as she could and would point out errors people made even with their calculators..  She was fun come tax season !!!

[Karl12]

UPDATE: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Personally think this is great news.

Hopefully he has the integrity to go after these lying bastards.


Video


The utter corruption of regulatory agencies via the mechanism of 'regulatory capture' also needs to be urgently addressed.

[jaded]

One thing I think getting lost in all this is, OMG are we learning truckloads about how govt works and how different agencies were started along with their original purposes!!! What President did what, when & sub sequentially how it went pear shaped over the decades. 

Watched Russ Voight from the OMB run thru so much info on Tucker Carlson, Erik Prince on Flag Officers lack of any historical military strategy education, plus a ton of other interviews scattered all over YT. Just about any pick of the litter by Trump results in deep dives by people explaining firstly our own governmental history in all three branches before getting into why Trumps pick might be appropriate. 

This I don't think was intentional but it's a amazing side effect of the process!
Just sayin' all this is both new & fascinating!!

Completely unexpected as well.
This is probably the first time in decades we're hearing intelligent & relevant conversation on American Civics. (hope I got that right?) It's definately the first time we're having the Constitution front & center along with the Founding Fathers. Have to thank Vivek Ramaswamy for his lecture over on Lex Fridman for just how many of the Founding Fathers were inventors, not just Ben Franklin. 

An yes, I'm sure there are more than a few folk here eye-rolling my complete ignorance!
(huge smiles!!)

[Maxmars]

One thing I think getting lost in all this is, OMG are we learning truckloads about how govt works and how different agencies were started along with their original purposes!!! What President did what, when & sub sequentially how it went pear shaped over the decades. 

....

An yes, I'm sure there are more than a few folk here eye-rolling my complete ignorance!
(huge smiles!!)

Not at all.  There is no step like the first step... as a new administration "leaps into action" one cannot help but see an opportunity to learn.

Political alignments are highlighted, old grudges spot-lighted, "personal" matters become clear....  any ignorance you might find in yourself is shared between many, many more... it's good to be able to laugh at it... because it's not like these folks are ever keen to explain the real "why" they take the positions they do.

[Karl12]

Have to thank Vivek Ramaswamy for his lecture over on Lex Fridman for just how many of the Founding Fathers were inventors, not just Ben Franklin.

Your founding fathers were also very well read on history mate.

As for Trumpton it looks like he's just announced an independent Presidential commission to go after Big Pharma.


4:00

[UltraBudgie]

Ooh fancy -- a new "Countdown to Inauguration" forum. Well, I suppose I should contribute.

I heard Trump met with the CEO of Ikea at Mar-a-Lago.

He's going to help him assemble his new cabinet.

[SideEyeEverything]

My take on this may be a little hot, but throughout all of the conversations I've had over the past few days, my views are shared by nearly everyone I spoke with who was under the age of 50. The over 50 crowd....not so much.

Everyone is on the lookout for neocons but there's a beast that's equally as bad : the Israel first candidates.

Pete Hegseth.
Marco Rubio.
Kristi Noem.
Elisa Stefanik.
Mike Waltz.
Mike Huckabee.

All of these idiots value Israel's prosperity over American prosperity. And they've all proudly declared it many times. Occasionally you'll see a random Twitter post from any of these phonies joyfully announcing that Israel is our greatest ally ( but never declaring exactly why .) When I was younger I used to imagine they'd be tweeting this with a gun held to their head. Then I realized that it's actually just their assigned AIPAC agent making sure they pay their penance.

Ironically the 2 actual Jews in Trump's cabinet seem to represent American interests much more than the listed fools above. Stephen Miller and Lee Zeldin have show a strong record of supporting America first and Trump policies.

But the Israeli loyalty is a cancer in American politics. They're not exceptional as a nation. If any other nation had an AIPAC style lobby, they'd be registered as foreign agents.

Again some of Gen X, but much of the millenials and Gen Z completely understand this. The Zionist Christian boomers have a major blind spot on this issue.

I'll leave you with a quote from our incoming Secretary of Defense, U.S military veteran Pete Hegseth:

""anyone who wants to talk about dual loyalty is dead wrong. Zionism and Americanism are intertwined as "the front lines of Western civilization and freedom in our world today,"

No sir, Zionism and Americanism are certainly not intertwined. You serve one nation. Pick it

I am not a Zionist, nor a Boomer. Zionist is a slur, and when I hear it, I know what comes next is probably going to be anti-Semitic. David Duke just loved that word!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_as_a_pejorative
(don't know how to create links here on DI yet)

Politically speaking, Israel has a right to exist as a nation and people. As the only free, Westernized nation in the ME, politically I support Israel. Not to the point of putting it before my own nation. And I have no evidence that any politician is doing such. But they are an ally in a hostile territory. A tiny nation, surrounded on all sides by political and cultural enemies.

My hot take: Religion. That's what sets it apart. We are tied to Israel as part of the "Judeo-Christian" foundation of our nation. Like it or not, religious or not. Jews and Christians are spiritually connected.

Israel is used as a political pawn by some politicians who just want the Christian votes. Some politicians are Christians who actually feel a spiritual responsibility to support Israel. Spiritual, adopted siblings as we are.

As a Christian, I have a more spiritual/Biblical worldview and believe Israel has spiritual significance. What I see happening in America and the world at large is viewed through more of a spiritual lens than most, I'd say, based on my own conversations.

America and Israel are just about all that's left who stand in the way of a OWG, which is inevitable, Biblically speaking.

ETA: I'm GenX FWIW

[727Sky]

Pam Bondi IMO a really well qualified person for the job

[727Sky]

Title: Tom Homan’s Plan to Destroy the Cartel Empire, End Child Trafficking, and Secure the Border for Good....I wish him and the new team much luck
Chapters: 0:00 Tom Homan’s Detailed Plan to Fix the Border 8:24 How to End the Cartel Drug Empire 23:21 Biden Auctioning Off the Border Wall 24:42 The Corruption of Alejandro Mayorkas 30:51 The Prioritization of Illegal Immigrants Over Americans 41:20 What Happened to Mayor Eric Adams? 47:15 The Drone Sightings 48:45 How Many Deportations Are Coming? 56:11 The Cartel’s Satanic Religion 59:54 Illegals Coming From China and Russia 1:06:53 Is There a Military Purpose for This Mass Immigration? 1:07:42 Child Trafficking 1:12:10 Why Tom Homan Came Out of Retirement for This Job

[video=youtube]Plan to Destroy the Cartel Empire, End Child Trafficking, and Secure the Border[/video]