Plainsman
@plainsmanks.bsky.social
The rare post is mine, reposts aren't.
Pinned
Plainsman
@plainsmanks.bsky.social
· Jan 28
If your first instinct when the Republican president does something and the Republican majorities in Congress go along is to criticize Democrats, rather than work to pressure Republicans, you should really just log off and find something else to do with your time because you're not helping.
Reposted by Plainsman
Wall Street Journal Editorial Board comes out swinging against JD Vance.
Indeed, key moment in downward spiral was Vance lashing out in response to Zelenskyy's point on diplomacy with Putin
WSJ: "It is bewildering to see Mr. Trump’s allies defending this debacle as some show of American strength."
Indeed, key moment in downward spiral was Vance lashing out in response to Zelenskyy's point on diplomacy with Putin
WSJ: "It is bewildering to see Mr. Trump’s allies defending this debacle as some show of American strength."
Opinion | Putin Wins the Trump-Zelensky Oval Office Spectacle
Vice President Vance starts a public fight that only helps Russia’s dictator.
www.wsj.com
March 1, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Wall Street Journal Editorial Board comes out swinging against JD Vance.
Indeed, key moment in downward spiral was Vance lashing out in response to Zelenskyy's point on diplomacy with Putin
WSJ: "It is bewildering to see Mr. Trump’s allies defending this debacle as some show of American strength."
Indeed, key moment in downward spiral was Vance lashing out in response to Zelenskyy's point on diplomacy with Putin
WSJ: "It is bewildering to see Mr. Trump’s allies defending this debacle as some show of American strength."
Reposted by Plainsman
"We’re witnessing the self-sabotage of the United States"
from @davidfrum.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
from @davidfrum.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
At Least Now We Know the Truth
It’s ugly, but necessary to face.
www.theatlantic.com
February 28, 2025 at 8:34 PM
"We’re witnessing the self-sabotage of the United States"
from @davidfrum.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
from @davidfrum.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Reposted by Plainsman
EXCLUSIVE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.
On @therecordmedia.bsky.social
therecord.media/hegseth-orde...
On @therecordmedia.bsky.social
therecord.media/hegseth-orde...
Exclusive: Hegseth orders Cyber Command to stand down on Russia planning
The secretary of Defense has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions, sources tell Recorded Future News.
therecord.media
February 28, 2025 at 8:07 PM
EXCLUSIVE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.
On @therecordmedia.bsky.social
therecord.media/hegseth-orde...
On @therecordmedia.bsky.social
therecord.media/hegseth-orde...
Reposted by Plainsman
“Friday, February 28, 2025, will go into the history books as one of the grimmest days in American diplomacy,” writes @radiofreetom.bsky.social.
Now “Putin, along with other dictators around the world, can finally look at Trump with confidence and think: one of us”: theatln.tc/FHJeRVAj
Now “Putin, along with other dictators around the world, can finally look at Trump with confidence and think: one of us”: theatln.tc/FHJeRVAj
One of the Grimmest Days in American Diplomacy
At an Oval Office meeting, the president of the United States ambushed a loyal ally.
theatln.tc
February 28, 2025 at 10:06 PM
“Friday, February 28, 2025, will go into the history books as one of the grimmest days in American diplomacy,” writes @radiofreetom.bsky.social.
Now “Putin, along with other dictators around the world, can finally look at Trump with confidence and think: one of us”: theatln.tc/FHJeRVAj
Now “Putin, along with other dictators around the world, can finally look at Trump with confidence and think: one of us”: theatln.tc/FHJeRVAj
Reposted by Plainsman
First nuclear weapons management, now this. No one - Democrat or Republican - voted for this kind of incompetence.
NEW: The USDA acknowledged that over the weekend, it accidentally fired "several" agency employees who are working on the federal government's response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak.
The agency adds it is trying to quickly reverse the firings.
The agency adds it is trying to quickly reverse the firings.
USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them
In a statement, an Agriculture Department spokesperson told NBC News that officials are "working to swiftly rectify the situation."
www.nbcnews.com
February 19, 2025 at 2:28 AM
First nuclear weapons management, now this. No one - Democrat or Republican - voted for this kind of incompetence.
Reposted by Plainsman
Executive wants to frame the NIH indirects cut as $4B in savings.
But given that NIH returns $2.5 on every $1 investment, this would actually cost US economy a net $6 BILLION (per year!). Not to mention the human costs of wrecking education and research sectors and the communities they serve.
But given that NIH returns $2.5 on every $1 investment, this would actually cost US economy a net $6 BILLION (per year!). Not to mention the human costs of wrecking education and research sectors and the communities they serve.
Direct Economic Contributions
NIH directly supports the economy through investments in research institutions and job formation.
www.nih.gov
February 8, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Executive wants to frame the NIH indirects cut as $4B in savings.
But given that NIH returns $2.5 on every $1 investment, this would actually cost US economy a net $6 BILLION (per year!). Not to mention the human costs of wrecking education and research sectors and the communities they serve.
But given that NIH returns $2.5 on every $1 investment, this would actually cost US economy a net $6 BILLION (per year!). Not to mention the human costs of wrecking education and research sectors and the communities they serve.
Reposted by Plainsman
New: We spoke to government IT employees/contractors about DOGE. Their warnings were dire. The people who maintain the systems that keep the country working are terrified. "This is the largest data breach and the largest IT security breach in our country’s history—at least that’s publicly known."
The Government’s Computing Experts Say They Are Terrified
Four IT professionals lay out just how destructive Elon Musk’s incursion into the U.S. government could be.
www.theatlantic.com
February 7, 2025 at 2:14 PM
New: We spoke to government IT employees/contractors about DOGE. Their warnings were dire. The people who maintain the systems that keep the country working are terrified. "This is the largest data breach and the largest IT security breach in our country’s history—at least that’s publicly known."
Reposted by Plainsman
NEW: The N.I.H. will cut about $4 Billion from federal research grants that support cancer, virus and heart disease research.
#Project2025 called for the cuts to end subsidies to "leftist" university agendas.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/u...
#Project2025 called for the cuts to end subsidies to "leftist" university agendas.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/u...
Deep Cuts to Medical Research Funds Could Hobble University Budgets
Grants from the National Institutes of Health come with additional money for overhead. Proposed funding cuts would leave colleges with large budget gaps.
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2025 at 2:17 AM
NEW: The N.I.H. will cut about $4 Billion from federal research grants that support cancer, virus and heart disease research.
#Project2025 called for the cuts to end subsidies to "leftist" university agendas.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/u...
#Project2025 called for the cuts to end subsidies to "leftist" university agendas.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/u...
Reposted by Plainsman
This is what amounts to an ILLEGAL & indiscriminate funding cut for research centers everywhere. It will mean shuttering labs across the country, layoffs in red & blue states, and derailing lifesaving research on everything from cancer to opioid addiction.
We all need to speak out to save lives.
We all need to speak out to save lives.
February 8, 2025 at 2:02 AM
This is what amounts to an ILLEGAL & indiscriminate funding cut for research centers everywhere. It will mean shuttering labs across the country, layoffs in red & blue states, and derailing lifesaving research on everything from cancer to opioid addiction.
We all need to speak out to save lives.
We all need to speak out to save lives.
Reposted by Plainsman
“…it's difficult to read this as anything other than an attempt to crush scientific research in the US.” arstechnica.com/science/2025...
National Institutes of Health radically cuts support to universities
Sudden and drastic change will make it hard for researchers to keep the lights on.
arstechnica.com
February 8, 2025 at 3:11 AM
“…it's difficult to read this as anything other than an attempt to crush scientific research in the US.” arstechnica.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Plainsman
Any four Republican Senators could stop this at any time simply by threatening to block all action (or even caucus with the Democrats) if Trump doesn't make certain concessions.
They won't, but that should be a much bigger story than whether the Democrats are doing everything that *they* can.
They won't, but that should be a much bigger story than whether the Democrats are doing everything that *they* can.
February 4, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Any four Republican Senators could stop this at any time simply by threatening to block all action (or even caucus with the Democrats) if Trump doesn't make certain concessions.
They won't, but that should be a much bigger story than whether the Democrats are doing everything that *they* can.
They won't, but that should be a much bigger story than whether the Democrats are doing everything that *they* can.
Reposted by Plainsman
I wrote about Musk and this bureaucratic coup as plainly as I could. There's reporting in here & the particulars are overwhelming but what's happening is so clear: He's not trying to run the federal govt like a software company He's trying to turn it into a political weapon. (gift link)
Elon Musk’s Bureaucratic Coup
Welcome to the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” of the United States government.
www.theatlantic.com
February 3, 2025 at 11:22 PM
I wrote about Musk and this bureaucratic coup as plainly as I could. There's reporting in here & the particulars are overwhelming but what's happening is so clear: He's not trying to run the federal govt like a software company He's trying to turn it into a political weapon. (gift link)
Reposted by Plainsman
You say: they shutdown USAID.
You mean: they illegally broke in to a secure facility over a weekend, hijacked sensitive data on vulnerable people and US businesses, destroyed property Americans paid for, cut off resources for sick and hungry families, and fired Americans across the country.
You mean: they illegally broke in to a secure facility over a weekend, hijacked sensitive data on vulnerable people and US businesses, destroyed property Americans paid for, cut off resources for sick and hungry families, and fired Americans across the country.
February 3, 2025 at 12:46 PM
You say: they shutdown USAID.
You mean: they illegally broke in to a secure facility over a weekend, hijacked sensitive data on vulnerable people and US businesses, destroyed property Americans paid for, cut off resources for sick and hungry families, and fired Americans across the country.
You mean: they illegally broke in to a secure facility over a weekend, hijacked sensitive data on vulnerable people and US businesses, destroyed property Americans paid for, cut off resources for sick and hungry families, and fired Americans across the country.
Reposted by Plainsman
An unelected billionaire gleefully shutting down the world’s largest provider of food assistance, an agency started 60 years ago by JFK with 10,000 employees in 100 countries www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump moves to wrest control of USAID as Musk says ‘we’re shutting it down’
Billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk said early Monday that his DOGE team is in the process of closing USAID, the world’s largest provider of food assistance.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2025 at 12:11 PM
An unelected billionaire gleefully shutting down the world’s largest provider of food assistance, an agency started 60 years ago by JFK with 10,000 employees in 100 countries www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Plainsman
I'm not saying this is a coup. But if you *were* going to do a coup, how would things look different from recent events -- seizing the federal payments system, federal purging law enforcement, threatening to sic armed US Marshals on civil servants guarding classified data
Musk's cronies tried to to gain access to classified USAID data. USAID Director of Security John Voorhees security said no. The Musk people threatened to call in the US Marshals and take the data at gunpoint. They still said no.
edition.cnn.com/2025/02/02/p...
edition.cnn.com/2025/02/02/p...
Senior USAID security officials put on leave after refusing Musk’s DOGE access to agency systems | CNN Politics
Two top security officials at the US Agency for International Development were put on administrative leave Saturday night after refusing to allow officials from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Ef...
edition.cnn.com
February 2, 2025 at 6:34 PM
I'm not saying this is a coup. But if you *were* going to do a coup, how would things look different from recent events -- seizing the federal payments system, federal purging law enforcement, threatening to sic armed US Marshals on civil servants guarding classified data
Reposted by Plainsman
Leopard: I will eat your face
Bank analysts: Our baseline assumes no face-eating
Leopard: Chomp chomp chomp
Bank analysts: Our baseline assumes no face-eating
Leopard: Chomp chomp chomp
J.P. Morgan econs on Trump’s latest are “increasingly concerned that the policy mix may tilt into an unintentionally far less business-friendly stance. The sustained 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico set to start this weekend is materially different than the tariff increases built into our baseline.”
February 1, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Leopard: I will eat your face
Bank analysts: Our baseline assumes no face-eating
Leopard: Chomp chomp chomp
Bank analysts: Our baseline assumes no face-eating
Leopard: Chomp chomp chomp
Reposted by Plainsman
I just want to say for the record that when the history books are written centuries from now, I believe the election of Donald Trump in a free and fair election in 2024 will go down as one of the most senseless and self-destructive own goals in human history
January 31, 2025 at 10:37 PM
I just want to say for the record that when the history books are written centuries from now, I believe the election of Donald Trump in a free and fair election in 2024 will go down as one of the most senseless and self-destructive own goals in human history
Reposted by Plainsman
Drought-struck California farmers will have Trump to thank this summer when their crops wilt. The silver lining is there will be no one to pick the crops anyway
Confirmed, it was the idiot wind blowing from Washington that caused this water to be wasted. sjvwater.org/trumps-emerg...
Trump’s emergency water order responsible for water dump from Tulare County lakes – SJV Water
The sudden announcement Thursday by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that Kaweah and Success lakes would immediately begin dumping water was in response Trump’s emergency water order responsible for w...
sjvwater.org
February 1, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Drought-struck California farmers will have Trump to thank this summer when their crops wilt. The silver lining is there will be no one to pick the crops anyway
Reposted by Plainsman
"DOGE does not have power over established government agencies, and Musk has no role in government. It does not matter that he is an ally of the President. Musk is a private citizen taking control of established government offices. That is not efficiency; that is a coup."
February 1, 2025 at 3:29 AM
"DOGE does not have power over established government agencies, and Musk has no role in government. It does not matter that he is an ally of the President. Musk is a private citizen taking control of established government offices. That is not efficiency; that is a coup."
Reposted by Plainsman
This is a hostile takeover of the federal government by a private citizen of unlimited means with no restrictions and no transparency. Welcome to the Deep State www.reuters.com/world/us/mus...
Exclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say
Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.
www.reuters.com
January 31, 2025 at 8:43 PM
This is a hostile takeover of the federal government by a private citizen of unlimited means with no restrictions and no transparency. Welcome to the Deep State www.reuters.com/world/us/mus...
Reposted by Plainsman
Cutting back federal employment is potentially a lot more dangerous than cutting back X/Twitter employment. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Control tower at National Airport understaffed before deadly collision
Two of Reagan National Airport’s air traffic controllers were doing double duty Wednesday night, according to a government report.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 31, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Cutting back federal employment is potentially a lot more dangerous than cutting back X/Twitter employment. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Reposted by Plainsman
WASHPOST: Trump launched air controller diversity program that he now decries wapo.st/3Cy3Pc6
Analysis | Trump launched air controller diversity program that he now decries
At a news conference, Trump read a list of conditions he called disqualifying, but his administration started such hiring in 2019.
wapo.st
January 31, 2025 at 3:02 AM
WASHPOST: Trump launched air controller diversity program that he now decries wapo.st/3Cy3Pc6
Reposted by Plainsman
New, from me: Looking closer at the effort to induce mass civil servant resignations.
*The offers are not real buyouts
*Feds should read the fine print
*If mass resignations occur, it is really bad for the rest of us
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/compelling...
*The offers are not real buyouts
*Feds should read the fine print
*If mass resignations occur, it is really bad for the rest of us
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/compelling...
Compelling Mass Civil Servant Resignations Will Create Chaos
Twitter is not a model for government reform
donmoynihan.substack.com
January 29, 2025 at 5:31 AM
New, from me: Looking closer at the effort to induce mass civil servant resignations.
*The offers are not real buyouts
*Feds should read the fine print
*If mass resignations occur, it is really bad for the rest of us
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/compelling...
*The offers are not real buyouts
*Feds should read the fine print
*If mass resignations occur, it is really bad for the rest of us
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/compelling...
Reposted by Plainsman
My jaw hit the floor here.
January 29, 2025 at 1:37 AM
My jaw hit the floor here.
If your first instinct when the Republican president does something and the Republican majorities in Congress go along is to criticize Democrats, rather than work to pressure Republicans, you should really just log off and find something else to do with your time because you're not helping.
January 28, 2025 at 1:51 PM
If your first instinct when the Republican president does something and the Republican majorities in Congress go along is to criticize Democrats, rather than work to pressure Republicans, you should really just log off and find something else to do with your time because you're not helping.