squistion

I pray that the ICE agents don't murder any more innocent civilians.

Oh, the irony.

Of all your old recycled bumped threads, I agree.

Dude, I wasn't trying to bury your post, lol. The Senate advancing the war powers resolution is the bigger news story (check what's trending on Twitter/X) If you think the emptying of torture centers is as important or more important news, then start a new thread on that and it will perhaps get the attention you think it deserves.

https://x.com/marksatter/status/2009309381985489010 (Todd Young's full statement found at link) New statement from Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., after he voted in favor of the Venezuela war powers resolution. "The President and members of his team have stated that the United States now ‘runs’ Venezuela. It is unclear if that means that an American military presence will be required to stabilize the country. I – along with what I believe to be the vast majority of Hoosiers – am not prepared to commit American troops to that mission."

https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/2009306623609602300 Five Republicans supported the war powers measure: Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young.

Yeah, it's just Frey's rhetoric causing there threats against ICE agents, and nothing to do with the woman who was shot and murdered.

From NYT subscriber content: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/us/politics/trump-interview-venezuela.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20260108&instance_id=168965&nl=breaking-news&regi_id=125207237&segment_id=213277&user_id=14502a7228c5a9b835a15627514bfe28 Trump Says U.S. Oversight of Venezuela Could Last for Years President Trump said on Wednesday evening that he expected the United States would be running Venezuela and extracting oil from its huge reserves for years, and insisted that the interim government of the country — all former loyalists to the now-imprisoned Nicolás Maduro — is “giving us everything that we feel is necessary.” “Only time will tell,” he said, when asked how long the administration will demand direct oversight of the South American nation, with the hovering threat of American military action from an armada just off shore. “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” Mr. Trump said during a nearly two-hour interview. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.” Mr. Trump’s remarks came hours after administration officials said the United States plans to effectively assume control of selling Venezuela’s oil indefinitely, part of a three-phase plan that Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined for members of Congress. While Republican lawmakers have been largely supportive of the administration’s actions, Democrats on Wednesday reiterated their warnings that the United States was headed toward a protracted international intervention without clear legal authority. During the wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, Mr. Trump did not give a precise time range for how long the United States would remain Venezuela’s political overlord. Would it be three months? Six months? A year? Longer? “I would say much longer,” the president replied. [...]

Trump's World is trending on Twitter and I thought it be nice to have a Trump general discussion thread that doesn't call him "Father" Here's the hastag: https://x.com/search?q="TRUMP'S WORLD"&src=trend_click&vertical=trends And I'll do the first post:

No, he isn't. You all can judge for yourself.

From NYT subscriber content: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/hegseth-mark-kelly.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20260105&instance_id=168826&nl=breaking-news&regi_id=125207237&segment_id=213149&user_id=14502a7228c5a9b835a15627514bfe28 Hegseth Starts Proceedings Against Sen. Mark Kelly Over His Remarks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military had started administrative actions against Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, that could result in a reduction in his retirement rank and military pension. In November, Mr. Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers who served in the military or the intelligence community released a video reminding their still-serving counterparts that they were obligated to refuse illegal orders. In a social media message issued on Monday, Mr. Hegseth called the video “seditious” and criticized Mr. Kelly for a “pattern of reckless misconduct” aimed at undermining good order and discipline in the ranks. Mr. Kelly and his lawyers maintained last month that the senator was simply articulating a fundamental principle of military law. They noted that Mr. Hegseth had made similar statements in the past. “If you’re doing something that is just completely unlawful and ruthless, then there is a consequence for that,” Mr. Hegseth said in a speech to the Liberty Forum of Silicon Valley in 2016. “That’s why the military said it won’t follow unlawful orders from their commander in chief.” In the video that prompted Mr. Hegseth and President Trump’s ire, Mr. Kelly said: “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.” Mr. Kelly, who retired from the Navy as a captain, flew 39 combat missions as a naval aviator and four spaceflights as an astronaut. As a retired naval officer, Mr. Kelly is subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and therefore can be recalled to active duty and disciplined. The other Democratic lawmakers in the video did not serve long enough to retire and do not receive a pension or fall under military law. Mr. Hegseth also said he had issued a “formal Letter of Censure” that will be entered into Mr. Kelly’s permanent personnel file. The decision on whether to reduce his retirement rank and pension will be made over the next 45 days, Mr. Hegseth wrote in his message on social media. [...]

He usually only asks us to Guess Dey Color when it is someone Black and it reinforces a negative racial stereotype that he and others hold about Black people. Apparently, if they are White, then their actions have nothing to do with their color.

After Venezuela, Greenland looks like his next target. From NYT subscriber content: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/us/politics/rubio-trump-greenland.html Rubio Tells Lawmakers Trump Wants to Buy Greenland Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told lawmakers that President Trump plans to buy Greenland rather than invade it, while Mr. Trump has asked aides to give him an updated plan for acquiring the territory, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Mr. Rubio made his remarks in a briefing on Monday with lawmakers from the main armed services and foreign policy committees in both chambers of Congress. The same day, Mr. Trump told aides to deliver an updated plan. The congressional briefing was focused on Venezuela, but lawmakers raised concerns about Mr. Trump’s intentions on Greenland given aggressive remarks this week by the American president and a top aide, Stephen Miller, two officials said. Mr. Rubio did not go into detail on what he meant by buying Greenland. Mr. Trump spent decades in New York as a real estate developer, and one of his top diplomatic envoys, Steve Witkoff, comes from the same background. Mr. Trump has coveted Greenland since his first term. Greenland is a sparsely populated, autonomous territory that falls under the sovereign boundaries of Denmark, a member of NATO. Denmark established colonial control over Greenland in the 18th century, and allowed it to become autonomous in the 20th century. On Tuesday, leaders of six NATO nations joined with Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, to issue a remarkable joint statement pushing back against Mr. Trump’s assertions that the United States should take over Greenland. The nations that aligned with Denmark were Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland, all of which are close allies of the United States. “Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the U.N. Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” they said. “These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.” “Greenland belongs to its people,” they added. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Mr. Trump had not ruled out a U.S. invasion of Greenland .“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” she said in a statement. “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”

From NYT subscriber content: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/walz-governor-fraud-klobuchar.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20260105&instance_id=168822&nl=breaking-news&regi_id=125207237&segment_id=213128&user_id=14502a7228c5a9b835a15627514bfe28 Tim Walz Drops Bid for Third Term and Amy Klobuchar May Run Instead Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota said on Monday that he was abandoning his bid for re-election to a third term, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, a fellow Democrat, is considering seeking the office, two people briefed on conversations between the two politicians said. Mr. Walz and Ms. Klobuchar met on Sunday in Minnesota, where he informed her of his plans and she confirmed her interest in running to succeed him. For Mr. Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president in the 2024 election, the departure caps a brief rise in national politics. Mr. Walz said a widening scandal over fraud in social services programs in Minnesota had persuaded him to drop out of the race. Mr. Walz had been criticized for his administration’s oversight of the programs, and its failure to prevent widespread fraud. “I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,” Mr. Walz said in a statement. “Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.” Mr. Walz has scheduled a news conference on Monday where he is expected to discuss his decision. Ms. Klobuchar did not respond to requests for comment on Monday morning.

AI Overview In 2019, the Trump administration imposed severe sanctions on Venezuela with the goal of forcing Nicolás Maduro to step down from power The sanctions were part of a "maximum pressure" campaign to support the opposition-led National Assembly and its leader, Juan Guaidó, whom the U.S. and over 50 other countries recognized as the legitimate interim president.

To set the record straight: AI Overview It is not true that drug users are no longer prosecuted in Seattle. Possession and public use of controlled substances remain a gross misdemeanor offense in Washington state and Seattle, with the potential for prosecution. However, the current policy, reinforced by a new City Attorney's Office directive in January 2026, emphasizes diverting individuals into treatment and services through the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program whenever possible, particularly for user-quantity cases.

This should not be a surprise to anyone. From NYT subscriber content: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/07/world/venezuela-us-trump?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20260107&instance_id=168919&nl=breaking-news&regi_id=125207237&segment_id=213240&user_id=14502a7228c5a9b835a15627514bfe28 The U.S. will control Venezuela oil sales ‘indefinitely,’ the energy secretary says. The energy secretary, Chris Wright, said on Wednesday that the United States intended to maintain significant control over Venezuela’s oil industry, including by overseeing the sale of the country’s production “indefinitely.” “Going forward we will sell the production that comes out of Venezuela into the marketplace,” Mr. Wright said at a Goldman Sachs energy conference near Miami. Mr. Wright’s remarks came after President Trump said late Tuesday that Venezuela would soon hand over tens of millions of barrels of oil to the United States. Venezuela would send 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil, or up to two months’ worth of daily production, to the United States, Mr. Trump said in a social media post, adding that he would control the profits from those sales. “We need to have that leverage and that control of those oil sales to drive the changes that simply must happen in Venezuela,” said Mr. Wright, a former oil industry executive. He added that the money “can flow back into Venezuela to benefit the Venezuelan people.” If implemented, the Trump administration’s plans would amount to a sharp reversal in U.S. policy on Venezuela. The nation’s oil production and exports have been severely restricted since 2019, when Mr. Trump imposed tough sanctions on the country, including Venezuela’s state-owned oil company.

1 Seattle + 7 Venezuela = 8 Political