bannork

He's a loony and before too long the men in white coats will be coming to take him away. It's all very well being an attention seeker when you're the average man in the street, but as president of a country it means he always putting himself (look at me!) before the country, and that's plain stupid.

Donald Trump recently gave a wide-ranging NBC interview, and his various answers led to renewed discussion about his purported "cognitive decline." Among other things, Trump was asked, "Your secretary of state says everyone who's here, citizens and noncitizens, deserve due process... Do you agree?" The president then replied, saying, "I don't know... I'm not, I'm not a lawyer. I don't know." Regarding the latest AI images of Trump portrayed as the pope and as a muscle-bound Jedi (or Sith), Democratic House insider Aaron Fritschner commented, "Any one of these from a previous president would have rightly caused widespread open speculation from the press and the public that something was genuinely wrong with their brain," he said on X. 'Huge issue': Trump's new interview spurs growing calls to cover his 'cognitive decline' Apart from the obvious inappropriateness of Trump's AI generated Pope image, fans of the sci-fi film and television franchise Star Wars pointed out in Trump's portrayal of himself as Jedi, Trump’s red light sabre in fact marks him out as the villainous Sith Lord himself! If you're going to be silly , at least get the stupidity right, White House.

My history on AN goes back to 2004. I've posted hundreds of post about Thailand, many about Thai language. I've also had 2 books published about life in Thailand. I love Thai people, Thai politics is another matter, so little can be said. I try to provide assistance, aiding readers to realise the lunacy and danger of Trump.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry criticised UK's invitation of Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen to the upcoming Victory Day military parade in the UK. "Of course, inviting followers of neo-Nazi elements to the Victory Day celebrations is a disrespect to those British veterans who gave their lives during World War II, to put it in Russian terms it is blasphemy," Dmitry remarked. Peskov's remarks regarding "neo-Nazi elements" have been widely dismissed as cynical and misleading, as Ukrainians played a pivotal role in the defeat of Nazism during World War II. Around 7 million Ukrainians fought in the ranks of the Soviet Army, while over 250,000 served in the armies of the Allies, estimates suggest between 5 and 7 million people from Ukraine perished in the war. Kremlin outraged over UK's invitation to Ukrainian troops for Victory Day parade

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham previously introduced a bill that envisions "bone-crushing" sanctions against Russia. According to the text of the document, it proposes imposing a 500% tariff on imports from countries that purchase Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or uranium. Graham stated that the bill is already supported by 72 senators — a majority. US discussing 'hard choices' as Putin obstructs peace, Politico reports

According to three officials and a source familiar with the matter, US officials have completed the development of new economic sanctions against Russia, including banking and energy measures, targeted sectors include the state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom, as well as large companies operating in natural resources and the banking sector, said an administration official on condition of anonymity. At the same time, it is unclear whether Trump will approve the sanctions package, the US National Security Council is “trying to coordinate some set of more punitive actions against Russia,” said the source familiar with the issue. “This will have to be signed off by Trump,” “It’s totally his call,” confirmed a second US official. US completes new sanctions plan against Russia, decision up to Trump

Boz Scaggs when he was with Steve Miller

Posting on X, Greene railed against current government policy: 1. "I campaigned for no more foreign wars, and now we are supposedly on the verge of going to war with Iran; I don't think we should be bombing foreign countries on behalf of other foreign countries especially when they have their own nuclear weapons and massive military strength." 2. Ukraine: "And on top of that, now we are told that we have signed a deal for mineral rights in Ukraine, in order to pay us back for the hundreds of billions of dollars that we gave Ukraine and they used for money laundering, sold the weapons we gave them to our enemies, and their leader is a dictator who cancelled elections, was involved of the first impeachment of Trump, and campaigned for (President Joe) Biden." 3. COVID-19 vaccines: "I also campaigned on accountability for the communist and tyrannical acts made by the government during Covid, yet the Covid vaccine still has FDA approval even though there are millions reported injuries and deaths, and this mRNA vaccine is known to have horrific side effects and DOES NOT STOP PEOPLE FROM CATCHING COVID.'' 'Losing the base': MTG goes on massive rant against Trump

Trump administration displeased with special envoy Witkoff - New York Post Could he be next for the chop? Reuters has reported on Witkoff's mistakes: Witkoff invited Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who is under US sanctions after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to his residence for dinner before a meeting at the White House. Republicans are unhappy that the Trump administration has turned too sharply toward Moscow as Witkoff participates in high-level meetings alone, relaying the Kremlin’s view to Trump but little on Kyiv’s views. That's left to Kellogg whose title was changed from special envoy for Ukraine and Russia to special envoy for Ukraine. The fact that Putin continues to demand four regions of Ukraine in the context of negotiations with the US and Ukraine suggests the ineffectiveness of Witkoff's efforts.

“Hey, President Trump – open eyes, please,” Usyk said in a forthcoming interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored. “[What] Russia is do[ing], the whole world knows is bulls**t. Why [do] you take my country?” “This is my territory, the territory of my country, it’s my people, of course.” Boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk urges Trump to ‘open his eyes’ over the war in Ukraine

The White House expressed sharp criticism of online trader Amazon on Tuesday for plans to show the contribution of US-imposed tariffs when displaying its prices. "This is a hostile and political act by Amazon," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Asked whether Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was still a supporter of the president, Leavitt said she would not comment on relations between the two men, but repeated that Amazon's decision was hostile and politically motivated. White House slams Amazon over plans to show US tariffs in prices

Deceased general Moskalik oversaw Ukraine war monitoring for Putin Moskalik, according to his obituary, also prepared reports for the minister of defense and Putin. The 59-year-old general died on the spot after a car explosion near his home in Moscow. Deceased general Moskalik oversaw Ukraine war monitoring for Putin

Jessica Riedl, a senior fellow at the arch-conservative Manhattan Institute, has pointed out six ways Trump's policies are self-contradictory and doomed to fail. 'Fiscal nonsense': Conservative economist reveals 6 reasons Trump’s policies don’t work Here is my summary: 1. Trump is creating uncertainty Flipflopping on tariff rates reveals their sense of being temporary measures. This is no way to attract permanent investment, for businesses abhor uncertainty. 2. Contradiction between tariffs, economic activity and efficiency As tariffs increase, along with revenue from tariffs, import demand reduces, slowing down economic growth. The less competitive a market, the less efficient and less inclination to reduce prices for consumers. 3. Cuts to popular programmes inevitable if the elimination of the federal deficit is to be realised Trump will be unable to reduce the federal deficit whilst also safeguarding programmes such as Medicaid, Medicare, veterans' benefits and Social Security. This is because mandatory spending programmes take up 75% of the budget whilst Trump aims to reduce the federal budget by 27% ( essential if the aim is to remove the $1.87 trillion federal deficit). 4. Illogical Maths It would be impossible for Trump to eradicate the budget deficit whilst also extending his 2017 tax cut package as the latter would lead to a sharp fall in tax revenue. 5. DOGE - the cure is worse than the disease Ironically, DOGE's work will probably increase the federal deficit rather than reduce it due to the dismissal of IRS workers employed to collect tax revenue. 6. Contradiction between support for policies that increase national debt whilst simultaneously trying to reduce it It's impossible to ignore the cost on the national debt of extending Trump's tax cuts, approximately $4.6 trillion over 10 years.

Kavalle continued, “Moves to slash Medicaid funding, shutter rural hospitals, restrict access to reproductive healthcare, and gut maternal health programs are not just technical shifts, they are decisions that will cost lives.'' She mentioned the erosion of barriers to infectious diseases created by the cuts by Doge. “Meanwhile, rural healthcare infrastructure is collapsing, investments in infectious disease preparedness are being abandoned and the United States, already home to the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy countries, is sliding even further backward.''

The World Food Programme pleads for Israel to lift its blockade and allow food deliveries into Gaza Food stocks run out in Gaza prompting famine warnings | Watch

Kavelle Christie, CEO of Orion 360 Health, said Trump’s “deliberately cruel choices” over his first 100 days in office were “a masterclass in public health demolition: ” We are watching trusted institutions be hollowed out, hospitals shut their doors, maternal deaths rise, and critical healthcare coverage be stripped away, and none of it is by accident,'' she remarked. “It sent a clear message when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed to lead Health and Human Services, and Dr. Mehmet Oz was tapped to oversee Medicare and Medicaid. Public health is not the priority, privatization, disinformation, and the dismantling of protections are.” 'Cruel' Donald Trump's decisions 'will cost lives' as he 'walks away from responsibility'

Never mind. Columbus Day will soon be on us.

Good point, rd. There seems to be no historical link at all; and then there's Vance's recent remarks that in his opinion the strikes on the Houthis were “a mistake,” saying that only 3 percent of U.S. trade moves through the Suez Canal compared to 40 percent of European trade. I guess Donald wants to rule the world.

President Donald Trump called for “free of charge” passage of American ships through the Panama and Suez canals, renewing his focus of expanding US influence over critical commercial and naval waterways. Trump’s focus has been on Chinese commercial shipping and shipbuilding, with the ultimate goal of promoting a revival of US shipbuilding, as the US government argues that China’s dominance in ship construction was achieved unfairly and harms US interests. US commercial shipbuilding, once a global leader, has shrivelled since the 1980s due to subsidy cuts and foreign competition. Trump says US ships need free travel through Panama, Suez Canals

This one is for Sleepy Donald fans, at the Pope's funeral.