bannork

All of British politics will move towards the centre if Trump really does shaft Ukraine and Europe.

Back in the 90s and early 10s, it was great to sit in the buffet car on the night train with open windows, enjoy a meal with beers and morlam in the background. A very civilised way to travel at night to Udon. Back then the non- air con trains were noisy as they swished and clattered along, so a few drunks staggering back to their bunks weren't too annoying for sleeping passengers, at least on the north- east line. But now all the sleeper trains are air-con, it's quiet in the carriages, drunk passengers returning would be disruptive, waking the others. There is a solution, however. Have one sleeper carriage or two solely for drinkers. Have it next to the buffet car so not far to stagger to bed.

US farmers in America’s Maga heartlands are reeling from the impact of President Donald Trump’s various funding freezes according to the daily digest.com 1. On his first day Trump signed an executive order requiring the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to freeze funds for farmers investing in infrastructure and environmental measures based on IRA associated initiatives under the Biden admin. 2. Funds were also frozen for programs such as research into climate-smart crops. Despite the fact the freeze on funds for the sector has since been reversed by the Department of Management and Budget after a federal judge blocked its implementation, farmers say their funding remain frozen, the Washington Post reports. 3. In 2020, the US government bought more than $2.1 billion in food aid from US farmers. Now $340 million worth of food assistance is on hold in US ports due to Trump's freeze on USAid. In Kansas, where USAid was the main market for farmers’ grain, Nick Levendofsky, executive director of Kansas Farmer’s Union, told CNN that the ability of farmers to sell their grain has come to “a screeching halt.” 4. In addition, the introduction of the steel tariff drives up the cost of already very pricey farming equipment.

Every day Trump shows his utter moral bankruptcy ( apart from his financial ones). From the violent insurrectionists of Jan 6th, through the corrupt NY Mayor to the evil and mass murderer, Putin, all can be forgiven and rewarded if they help Trump

Musk's nose picking kid could have added some dignity to the occasion by asking Donald if he could sit in his chair whilst he was mining his bogies.

Rockin in the young generation

Oslo will be presenting him with the following photo for his Ukraine efforts.

Most modern tattoos are as ugly as hell but you're unlikely to get a tattoo wearer to agree. Who's going to own up to deliberately disfiguring him/herself?

Trumpflation, a beautiful word. “Consumer prices roared higher in January, driving inflation up to 3%,” CNN reported, calling it “the fastest monthly pace since September 2023.” Economists had expected inflation to come in at an annual rate of 2.9%. “Egg prices shot up 15.2% from December to January, the fastest increase that index has seen since 2015, according to the report,” CNN added. “They’re up 53% year over year.” The jump in inflation makes it far less likely the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates, which remain high as they try to battle inflation. The Associated Press reported on Wednesday, “the cost of groceries, gasoline and rents rose, a disappointment for families and businesses struggling with higher costs and likely underscoring the Federal Reserve’s resolve to delay further interest rate cuts.” . Trump has bragged that he won the election on his promise to lower the cost of “groceries.” “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one,” Trump said, as multiple news outlets, including The New York Post and CNN, have reported. But Trump appears to have done little to even try to bring down prices, including the cost of food. On social media, critics were quick to blame and blast the President. “Meat prices up 0.6 percent in January, egg prices up 15.2 percent. Too bad Trump is so busy doing corrupt deals with Musk and planning to take over Greenland and Gaza that he can’t pay attention to food prices,” remarked Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “Trump took office and inflation immediately went UP. But instead of fixing the economy, he spent his time banning DEI, renaming water, going to the Super Bowl and trying to put hotels on the Gaza strip,” observed frequent commentator Alex Cole, who has nearly 275,000 followers on X. “They’re calling it TRUMPFLATION. Beautiful word, maybe the best word. The most luxurious inflation—nobody does inflation better than me!” Cole also wrote, mocking Trump and his speaking style.

For gawd's sake, don't mention the war.

Who lies more: Trump or Musk? Elon Musk admitted “we all make mistakes” when he was pressed about claims made on X and by the White House about condoms being sent to Gaza. The father-of-12 made his comments in front of his young son X, who joined him in the Oval Office alongside president Donald Trump. Musk told reporters: “Well, first of all, some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected. So nobody’s going to bat a thousand. I mean, any, you know, we will make mistakes but will act quickly to correct any mistakes.”

King Abdullah of Jordan has rejected Donald Trump's plan to resettle Palestinians in the kingdom. Following a meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, Abdullah wrote on X that Jordan remained "steadfast" against "the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position." Jordan, a key US ally in the Middle East, is already home to millions of Palestinians. While the King volunteered to accept up to 2,000 Palestinian children from Gaza in need of medical care, he stressed that rebuilding Gaza and addressing its humanitarian crisis should take precedence over relocation efforts.

Move over USA. Chinese officials have already informed Nepal’s government — a strategically significant country for Beijing, located on the southern slopes of the Himalayas between India and China — that China is ready to replace USAID programs with its own development projects. Meanwhile, a delegation from the Cook Islands, a Pacific archipelago, led by Prime Minister Mark Brown, will visit China this week to sign an agreement on deepening trade and economic cooperation, including increased Chinese investment in the nation’s infrastructure. In Colombia, non-governmental organizations report that China is showing interest in stepping in to replace USAID programs that were frozen. Last year, Colombia received approximately $385 million from USAID. These moves indicate China’s intent to capitalize on the situation and quickly expand its influence in regions crucial to its global ambitions, potentially displacing the United States from key strategic areas. .

Here's a loony, and a baby one at that. Donald Trump has banned reporters who do not use the term 'Gulf of America' from entering the White House. The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday after demanding the news agency alter its style on the Gulf of Mexico, which President Trump has bizarrely renamed the Gulf of America. The reporter tried to enter the White House event as usual Tuesday afternoon and was turned away. A second reporter from the agency was also barred from an event in the White House Diplomatic Room later that evening. Julie Pace, senior vice president and executive editor at the Associated Press, described the move as "alarming", adding in a statement: "Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP's speech not only severely impedes the public's access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment."

Good advice. Lie down Donald and never wake up.

An interesting video regarding aluminium and steel exports and imports.

Meanwhile, disquieting news for Americans regarding medical care. President Donald Trump’s broad 10 percent tariff on China could drive up the cost, or cause shortages, of popular generic medicines such as antibiotics or cancer treatment drugs for consumers in the United States, experts have warned. Ordinary painkillers, psychoactive medications, blood thinners, heart medications, antihistamines, antibiotics and diuretics are just some of the essential medications that the U.S. relies on China to manufacture. In 2023, the U.S. spent more than $2.02 billion on these kinds of imports from China alone, according to the U.S. Trade Commission. Trump’s additional 10 percent tax on Chinese imports, without an exemption for this, could disrupt the pharmaceutical and medical supply chain, which could lead to shortages or force companies to increase the cost of generic drugs to consumers. In a letter to Trump, the American Hospital Association pleaded with the president to exempt medical equipment and pharmaceuticals from his tariffs, saying the possibility of shortages could put patients “at significant risk of harm, including death.” “Tariffs, as well as any reaction of the countries on whom such tariffs are imposed, could reduce the availability of these life-saving medications and supplies in the U.S,” the group wrote. “For example, U.S. providers import many cancer and cardiovascular medications, immunosuppressives, antibiotics and combination antibiotics from China.” China supplies the U.S. with approximately 30 percent of its active pharmaceutical ingredients, the raw ingredients found in medicines that make them function, according to the American Hospital Association. China also is one of the U.S.’s main source of medical equipment and devices such as single-use blood pressure cuffs, stethoscope covers, anesthesia instruments and more. Nearly one-third of disposable face masks and almost all plastic gloves come from China. “For many patients, even a temporary disruption in their access to these needed medications could put them at significant risk of harm, including death. Carefully planned chemotherapy treatments and antibiotic schedules are essential to giving patients the best chance of overcoming their disease. Similarly, the provision of necessary cardiovascular medications must be continuous to preserve their cardiovascular health,” the American Hospital Association said. For the last 10 years, the U.S. has become increasingly reliant on foreign countries for pharmaceuticals or medical equipment because it is less expensive to manufacture overseas. /

Donald certainly can't, being a teetotaller. I don't trust a man who never drinks. Presumably he never drinks because he knows it would increase his obnoxious behaviour 100%, if that's at all possible.

But Biden didn't whine.