Lies, Insults... brags and taunts... the most disgraceful presentation to Congress ever.

It's going to be ugly, hang on...

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/04/nx-s1-5316230/trump-address-congress-joint-session

The president's speech comes as tensions have escalated with the United States' three largest trading partners. On Tuesday, the U.S. initiated new tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico, which resulted in retaliatory tariffs. The budding trade war is expected to raise costs for consumers, and it sent markets plummeting on Tuesday.

Trump has also said that he would talk about a potential agreement on critical minerals with Ukraine in his speech.

Earlier Tuesday, after Trump announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine for its war against Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X that Ukraine is ready to sign the deal.

Most here already know... but to repeat, Tariffs and Corporate Taxes and Increased Fuel Costs

are all considered "costs of business" and prices to the consumer are adjusted to maintain a profit percentage.

NVDA doesn't pay tariffs... the importer does.

A widget arrives into the USA and the tariff is paid by the importer... like WalMart or Costco.

Someone in Accounting calculates the cost of the widget including cost of the good for sale, labor, transport, taxation, tariffs, marketing, retail store costs and shrinkage.

Yesterdays mystery is confirmed today... Zelenskyy, Trump and Putin.

I gave the TV "side eye" the other day when Trump made some comment about mining cooperation with RUSSIA in Ukraine.

I thought "that's weird"...

Today it makes more sense.

I don't think Trump wants a peace deal right now...

Just my theory...

Trump is going to pull back US support including targeting and weapons from Ukraine and sit back while Putin continues to gobble up the East of Ukraine.

When Russia holds the entire East... Trump will ink a deal for US firms to exploit Ukrainian resources in the East...

Why you ask? He's cutting Ukraine out of the deal.

Simple.

My weekend reading... by a Brookings scholar. POWER POLITICS: Trump and the Assault on American Democracy.

I don't usually read your average run of the mill "reeeeeee" screeds on Trump, fascism or the like... but this sounds great and from a legit author.

It's no secret that the United States faces extraordinary political and societal challenges, even as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Political polarization and extremism are the most apparent symptoms, resulting from long-term economic and social inequities as well as a toxic information ecosystem.

It is easy to blame Donald Trump for the sad state of American democracy. After all, he abused his executive authority, spread false claims, and even incited violence. But Trumpism is almost certain to outlast Trump himself. The grievances he exploited and the aggrieved to whom he appealed existed well before he became president and likely will endure after he is gone from the political scene.

The current political atmosphere is poisonous for those who operate on the basis of facts, reason, and logic. It is time to step back from this dangerous precipice and reflect on the causes of the serious threats to American democracy, procedural justice, and a reason-based society. With polarization now entrenched and authoritarianism gaining strength, no one should assume that facts somehow will triumph over falsehoods and reason will prevail over emotion.

Anyone watching "1923" Season 2? (The Yellowstone prequel) I can't imagine MAGAts like it...

I watched 1883, A++... and Season 1 of 1923. On Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan is taking a really good look at multiple issues of the time including empowered women, interracial couples and a story line following a Native American girl as an involuntary "student" at a "Christian" indoctrination "torture school"

Love that Spencer+Alex story line...

"Get home, Spencer!!"

For those that scan the NEWS looking for aviation accidents/fatalities...

And I KNOW you're out there...

The US AVERAGES around 340 fatalities a year in Civil Aviation accidents...

Or around one a day.

It does a disservice to fellow DU'ers to freak people out about travel.

https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/airplane-crashes/#:~:text=Preliminary%20estimates%20of%20the%20total,in%202023%20were%20onboard%20fatalities.

Preliminary estimates of the total number of accidents involving a U.S. registered civilian aircraft decreased from 1,277 in 2022 to 1,216 in 2023. The number of civil aviation deaths decreased from 358 in 2022 to 327 in 2023. All but 4 of the 327 deaths in 2023 were onboard fatalities.

I haven't been responsible for taking care of "stuff" after death...

Knowing that DU has lots of different stories...

Is it possible for Jethro in Bugs Hollow WV to have Granny die in the cabin at 88 and keep getting SS sent to the house (or acct?)

He had Bobby from the mortuary pick her up and bury her...

For 20 more years?


What controls are there?

If someone dies with no hospital visit... are mortuaries supposed to file death certificates with SS?

How does this work?

In small towns, does the cemetery send out the pine box to the house?

How a LIE grows legs and makes it to social media and multiple OP's on DU

So I see this OP today.

Target has lost 15.7 Billion in market value since tanking their D.E.I.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220041549




Problem is... it's a LIE.

Come on, DU... get pissed off about these people on Twitter, reddit, YouTube or BlueSky that LIE to you.

The worst thing about lying... is the propaganda angle. When someone lies to you , they're saying "You're too stupid to know the truth"



So let's debunk this crap.

I'm a daily stock trader so the first thing I did was think "Hmmm... I don't recall that kind of a drop. So i opened up my WeBull Desktop App and opened a couple windows and drew some trend lines.

So I googled the day that Target released the Press Release that announced they were trashing DEI. That was January 24.

TGT closed the day at 137.89 per share.

Today it's 129.05 per share.

That's around a 6% drop since the DEI announcement, not the 22% claimed by the lying liars online.

So where did they get the 22% number?

Well... it just so happens that on November 20, 2024... Target reported Earnings

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/business/target-earnings-holiday-shopping.html

Target’s Stock Plunges 21% on Weak Sales Ahead of Holiday Season

Ya know... I spent 3 actual minutes and didn't see a whisper about DEI in the Earnings Report.




So back to the lying liars who start these catnip stories to draw in Democrats...

Was it an accident? Did they see the 21% dip from November and assume it had something to do with the 1/24/2025 announcement? Maybe time travel?

Or did they know they were lying and simply run the false meme for clicks, views and such?

No. They just thought 22% sounded better than 6%

A few examples of the lying liars:








https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/target-ends-its-3-year-diversity-equity-inclusion-initiatives-2025-01-24/

Trump term countdown clock... I'm going to minimize it and put on my desktop...

Next thing you know it'll be 1200 days then 1100... break below 1000 days.

https://logwork.com/countdown-h5o4

I know many, especially here... are upset about the situation in Ukraine.

But it's the ending it was always going to be.

The Ukraine War is the largest war in Europe in 80 years.

After WW2, the global map changed extensively.

After ANY major war, across the globe... borders change.

After WW2, families who lives for multiple generations in Eastern Germany, the "Sudatenland" were moved out by the Soviets and sent to Russian work camps. Non-combatants, moved to camps... unreal.




Here's the actual summary of the Ukraine War. No puffery from Ukraine or Russian sources or online "experts" wishcasting about the war.

1) Russia surprised many by actually launching the invasion. Time will tell why the negotiations happening pre-war failed.

2) Russia badly miscalculated the resolve to fight from the AFU. Early combat mauled the Russians.

3) Ukraine telegraphed their Fall 2022 counter offensive too far in advance. They waited for heavy Western reinforcements to arrive including German and American main battle tanks and IFV's like the Bradley. The counter offensive failed because the Russians had ample time to reinforce and dig in. They built extensive defensive positions that the AFU was unable to bypass or destroy.

4) Since the failure of the counter offensive in the winter of 22... Russia has gained territory almost monthly.

5) Everything that the West has done to help Ukraine has made the war more bloody but hasn't changed the front lines.

6) Ukraine is running out of soldiers.

7) Russia has caught up with Ukraine and surpassed them in their use of drones, including the new fiber optic controlled drones that can't be jammed.

8) The AFU incursion into Kursk was a Pyrrhic victory at best. They took their best, most effective combat units from the front lines in Luhansk and Donetsk and moved them to the invasion force. Today, they've been mostly pushed out of the region, holding less than half the territory they once did.

9) The war is already over. The only question now is how many more will die and what will negotiations produce/




That's reality. Many won't like it. The neocons certainly don't like it. The MIC certainly doesn't like it and those illicitly profiting in theater don't like it either.

Reality is, the borders of the world are shaped by war. Want to look at the border of the USA? Anywhere in Europe?

At this point, Zelenskyy will negotiate. He's looking for a deal that leaves Ukraine in better shape than before the war.

He's going to have to give territory... because Ukraine lost the war to this point. That's the way of the world.

Here's what he's thinking. If he can end up with a Ukraine that's 30% smaller but 3x more wealthy and independent... there will be statues of him in the City Square, but there are sticking points.

Putin wants Ukraine to be unarmed and without security guarantees.

I think this is crucial. Negotiations MUST include security guarantees from European allies and the US.

Negotiations must include financial involvement from the West to help rebuild.

With time... I think Ukraine will be successful like the EU