suomi

Court rules Trump’s firing of labor board official illegal, saying president is not a king Judge orders reinstatement of Gwynne Wilcox to National Labor Relations Board after her removal by US president Gwynne Wilcox was the first member of the National Labor Relations Board to be removed by a US president since the board’s inception in 1935. The framers of the US constitution “made clear that no one in our system of government was meant to be king – the President included – and not just in name only”, the judge Beryl A Howell, wrote in the ruling. Howell presided over the hearing held on Wednesday on a motion for summary judgment in the District of Columbia. “The President does not have the authority to terminate members of the National Labor Relations Board at will, and his attempt to fire plaintiff from her position on the Board was a blatant violation of the law,” she wrote. “A president who touts an image of himself as a ‘king’ or a ‘dictator,’ perhaps as his vision of effective leadership, fundamentally misapprehends the role under Article II of the US Constitution,” wrote Howell. Article II of the US Constitution outlines the executive powers and responsibilities of the president. Howell continued, “in our constitutional order, the president is tasked to be a conscientious custodian of the law, albeit an energetic one, to take care of effectuating his enumerated duties, including the laws enacted by the Congress and as interpreted by the Judiciary”. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/06/trump-labor-board-firing-gwynne-wilcox

Here is my SS tale of woe. In 2002 my mom died on the 26th day of a month with 30 days. On the first day of the following month SS sent a letter informing that total reimbursement of the direct-deposit income for her death month was required. I repaid it immediately but it didn't post in their system for awhile and they made noises about legal measures. My younger sister was born with developmental delay (second trimester chickenpox) and she receives SS survivor benefits under our father's account. My mom was my sister's representative payee, the person who manages SS income when the beneficiary is not capable of doing it themselves. Mom died suddenly (sepsis), sister immediately moved in with me and I was named rep payee. First month, no check was deposited... "give it another month." Second month, no check. Third month, no check. Finally it was revealed that a SS employee had declared my sister deceased in error ("it happens") and a "resurrection" was required. The resurrection process took 10 months so in total there was a 13-month lapse without income. That was one hairy year. Given the offhand manner displayed by the employees who dealt with our situation my impression is that there are numerous escapades like this, and perhaps less fraud than we are led to believe.

I eat chocolate while showering or soaking in a tub. Love, love, love it.

This calendar is from Feb 26, more events are planned but I don't have time right now to look for the update(s). The People’s Union USA website lists boycotts throughout the spring, including: March 7-14: Amazon, including Whole Foods and Prime purchases (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Post). March 21-28: Nestlé, whose brands include Nescafé, Toll House, Stouffer’s and Purina. March 28: A 24-hour economic blackout of all large retailers. April 7 to April 13: Walmart. April 18: A 24-hour economic blackout of all large retailers. April 21-27: General Mills, whose brands include Betty Crocker, Cheerios, Gold Medal and Pillsbury. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/02/26/feb-28-economic-blackout-boycott/

The Ukrainian president has dressed for battle in solidarity with his troops since Russia’s 2022 invasion but Trump questioned his attire even before rebuking him about gratitude. On Sunday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry posted a series of photos on Instagram, labeled “UKRAINIANS HAVE THEIR SUITS.” “Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians changed their smart office attire for military uniforms to protect their homes and families. For others, daily outfits became a symbol of a lifetime mission, sacrifice and saving lives,” the post read. “Amid war, Ukrainian suits may look different, but they are all worn with the ultimate dignity.” The photos showed Ukrainian troops in full gear, a doctor in scrubs covered in blood after a hospital bombing, a fighter pilot, rescue workers carrying a civilian out of a bombed apartment, a combat medic with a first aid kit, firefighters and energy workers at a plant that had just been bombed by Russia. The last photo shows a man and a woman in Ukrainian-designed clothes at a fashion show. The man, a double amputee with two prosthetic legs, holds hands with a woman whose outfit shows off her prosthetic leg as well. Many thousands of Ukrainians have lost limbs in the war. Melaniya Podolyak, whose partner, fighter pilot Andrii “Juice” Pilshchikov, was killed in 2023 in a Soviet-era MiG-29 while waiting for the United States to send F-16 jets, posted a photo of a woman holding a sign that reads: “Will Russia stop killing Ukrainians if we all wear suits?" Ukrainian comedian Anton Tymoshenko posted a photo of Vice President JD Vance, his pants hiked halfway up his calves at the recent CPAC conference, with the caption: “And these guys are talking about suits.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/03/ukraine-zelensky-suit-war-outfits/

Hitler knows what time it is.

"The FBl is giving the president his property back that was taken during the unlawful and illegal raids. We are taking possession of the boxes today and loading them on to Air Force One,” Cheung said in a statement to reporters chosen by the White House to report on the journey. Documents seized by FBI in Mar-a-Lago raid returned to Trump, White House says – live https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/feb/28/donald-trump-doge-labor-unions-volodymyr-zelenskyy-us-politics-live-news?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-67c23e028f08707b9b404db5#block-67c23e028f08707b9b404db5

Diplomacy dies on live TV as Trump and Vance gang up to bully Ukraine leader Never has a US president bullied and berated an adversary, still less an ally, in such a public way. Of course the reality TV star and wrestling fan turned US president had it all play out on television for the benefit of his populist support base – and a certain bare-chested chum in the Kremlin. There was a minor wrinkle over how much Europe support has given Ukraine, which ended with smiles, a playful but pointed tap on Zelenskyy, and ominous words from Trump: “Don’t argue with me.” There was a hint of trouble to come when Zelenskyy arrived at the West Wing wearing a dark, long-sleeved shirt – not a suit – and Trump greeted him with a handshake and sarcasm: “Wow, look, you’re all dressed up!” But the last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute meeting devolved into acrimony and chaos. Zelenskyy found himself ambushed by Trump and his serpentine vice-president, JD Vance. He was expected to sit back and take a beating from Nurse Ratched and Miss Trunchbull. He refused. Exuding preternatural obnoxiousness, Vance said Joe Biden’s approach had failed and that diplomacy was the way forward. Noting Russia’s betrayals of trust in the past, Zelenskyy challenged: “What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/28/trump-zelenskyy-shouting-match-oval-office

The Trump administration has publicly and privately signaled that it does not believe Russia represents a cyber threat against US national security or critical infrastructure, marking a radical departure from longstanding intelligence assessments. The shift in policy could make the US vulnerable to hacking attacks by Russia, experts warned, and appeared to reflect the warming of relations between Donald Trump and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. Two recent incidents indicate the US is no longer characterizing Russia as a cyber security threat. Liesyl Franz, deputy assistant secretary for international cybersecurity at the state department, said in a speech last week before a United Nations working group on cyber security that the US was concerned by threats perpetrated by some states but only named China and Iran, with no mention of Russia in her remarks. Franz also did not mention the Russia-based LockBit ransomware group, which the US has previously said is the most prolific ransomware group in the world and has been called out in UN forums in the past. The treasury last year said LockBit operates on a ransomeware-as-service model, in which the group licenses its ransomware software to criminals in exchange for a portion of the paid ransoms. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/28/trump-russia-hacking-cyber-security

The Trump/Vance apologists are desperately attempting to earn their keep since that embarrassing scene in the Oval. I'm listening to talk radio and their shaky voices reveal what they're actually thinking. If you think it, say it! C'mon!

Trump and Vance Loudly Rebuke Zelensky in Oval Office President Trump and Vice President JD Vance loudly berated President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Friday in an explosive televised shouting match unlike any seen in the Oval Office between an American president and foreign leader in modern times. Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance castigated Mr. Zelensky for not being grateful enough for U.S. support in its war with Russia and sought to strong-arm him into making a peace deal on whatever terms the Americans dictate. With voices raised and tempers flaring, Mr. Trump threatened to abandon Ukraine altogether if Mr. Zelensky did not go along. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/28/us/trump-news Zelenskyy 'disrespected the US' and 'not ready for peace,' Trump says https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/28/volodymyr-zelenskyy-donald-trump-us-minerals-deal-russia-ukraine-live-news

Found this website when I was rummaging around looking for info about the 24-hour no spending boycott tomorrow. I didn't use the app. The Blue Notebook On How To Fight Back With Your Dollars The U.S. Supreme Court has said that corporations have a constitutional right to political speech. We want everyone to hear what they’re saying! https://www.goodsuniteus.com/

The New York Times identified 45 people within the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a group formed by Elon Musk that in a short few weeks has radically upended federal agencies. Few members have formal Washington experience. Many are software engineers. All seem to have a clear mandate: Shrink and disrupt the federal government. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02/27/us/politics/doge-staff-list.html

Using the Marine Corps hymn, no less. He deserves it.

DOGE Quietly Deletes the 5 Biggest Spending Cuts It Celebrated Last Week The cuts, highlighted on an earlier version of the “wall of receipts” posted by Elon Musk’s team, contained mistakes that vastly inflated the amount of money saved. The last of the original top five disappeared from the site in the early hours of Tuesday, even as the group claimed in its latest update that its savings to date had increased to $65 billion. The website offered no explanation for why it removed some items or how it arrived at the higher total. Neither the U.S. DOGE Service nor the White House responded to questions Tuesday morning. The “wall of receipts” is the only public ledger the organization has produced to document its work. The scale of that ledger’s errors — and the misunderstandings and poor quality control that seemed to underlie them — has raised questions about the effort’s broader work, which has led to mass firings and cutbacks across the federal government. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/upshot/doge-spending-cuts-changed.html