The All Things Political Topic - In politics stupidity is not a handicap

[rjshae]

10 hours ago, Malcador said:

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/02/03/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-china-sheinbaum-responds.html

As expected, they reached a deal which doesn't seem to be that much of a change, but gives the US a decisive victory or something.  Guess Canada may get the same later today.

Strange to punch then want to talk, but oh well.

Yep, so after threatening a trade war, DJT negotiated what Biden already got in 2021. 

[BruceVC]

5 hours ago, Malcador said:

And Canada evaded tariffs,  huzzah. By essentially doing what they were already doing, except creating a fentanyl czar (US likes these czars).

Although our premier cancelled a Starlink contract, who knows if that'll cost us. 

****ing Americans.

So there isnt going to be a war between Canada and the US ????

You mean to say after all this drama Trump didnt implement tariffs on  Mexico OR Canada

I tell you, I just cant understand it. SM  has lied to me again  

Like I said before its going to be a long 4 years and the biggest risk is outrage exhaustion, try to avoid that 

 

[Malcador]

1 hour ago, BruceVC said:

So there isnt going to be a war between Canada and the US ????

You mean to say after all this drama Trump didnt implement tariffs on  Mexico OR Canada

I tell you, I just cant understand it. SM  has lied to me again  

Like I said before its going to be a long 4 years and the biggest risk is outrage exhaustion, try to avoid that 

 

You can tell the Mexican and Canadian governments, as they took it seriously enough.

[BruceVC]

2 minutes ago, Malcador said:

You can tell the Mexican and Canadian governments, as they took it seriously enough.

True

But governments often do the same thing as people when it comes to Trumps comments. In South Africa the media is almost entirely talking about Trumps comments around aid being cut and the expropriation bill

Heres the thing about Trump to understand what motivates him. His image is everything to him and he is obsessed with claiming credit for things that he said he would do. There is nothing he loves better than standing up at a rally and saying " I told you I would get x or y done " and then all his MAGA supporters start cheering

And sometimes he should get credit, like the part he played in ending the latest Israeli vs Palestinian conflict, and sometimes he will claim credit for things that he hasnt solved or he didnt do much to solve. For example he claimed he defeated ISIS in the ME

So the tariffs threat on both Mexico and Canada were largely about the Fentanyl crisis and how Trump had committed to resolving it 

Now he can claim  " I have done something about the dugs and Fentanyl" but IMO it wont make much of a difference

When has the war on drugs ever been won, Reagan tried this and  failed. Its almost impossible to stop the reality of drug smuggling when you have the reality of supply and demand 

But Trump will claim victory because both Mexico and Canada have agreed to make additional steps to combat  Fentanyl smuggling 

Whats much more significant to me is Panama agreeing to not renew its involvement in the  Chinese  Belt and Road initiative. This was an achievable and understandable goal for Trump considering the geographical and economic importance of the Panama canal to the USA

https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/rubio-calls-chinese-influence-over-panama-canal-unacceptable

" Mulino also said his country would not renew its participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, making Panama the first Latin American country to do so. He added that his government will evaluate whether to pull out before its current agreement ends in 2026. "

 

 

 

[BruceVC]

@Malcador

I thought you would find this funny 

 

[Elerond]

3 hours ago, BruceVC said:

So the tariffs threat on both Mexico and Canada were largely about the Fentanyl crisis and how Trump had committed to resolving it 

But nothing was done to it? Mexico and Canada promised to do what they already promised for Biden and US only postponed tariffs start day not redacted them.

This theater seem more like distraction from Musk taking over USAID and US treasury and at the end tariffs will put in place because new republicans like them because they think they worked in 1800s 

[BruceVC]

13 minutes ago, Elerond said:

But nothing was done to it? Mexico and Canada promised to do what they already promised for Biden and US only postponed tariffs start day not redacted them.

This theater seem more like distraction from Musk taking over USAID and US treasury and at the end tariffs will put in place because new republicans like them because they think they worked in 1800s 

Thats not true, Canada is now appointing a Fentanyl Tzar

But this is now what Canada has agreed on and yes some of this was already agreed on but some of it will be new?

" Trudeau said Canada was implementing a $1.3bn (£1bn) border plan that included nearly 10,000 frontline workers and more resources to halt the flow of fentanyl, a synthetic drug 50 times stronger than heroin, which Trump has cited as a major concern.

The prime minister also said Canada would appoint a "fentanyl czar" and launch a joint strike force with the US to combat crime, fentanyl and money laundering.

Much of the border security plan had already been announced by Canada in December.

It includes enhanced co-ordination with US law enforcement, increased information sharing, limiting traffic at the border, and the deployment of drones and Black Hawk helicopters for surveillance." 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87d5rlee52o

 

[BruceVC]

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/03/americas/el-salvador-migrant-deal-marco-rubio-intl-hnk/index.html

Heres an interesting development,  El Salvador  has offered to incarcerate criminals who are either US citizens or illegal migrants if they paid 

" In an act of extraordinary friendship to our country … (El Salvador) has agreed to the most unprecedented and extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world,” Rubio told reporters Monday.

The country will continue accepting Salvadoran deportees who illegally entered the US, he said. It will also “accept for deportation any illegal alien in the United States who is a criminal from any nationality, be they MS-13 or Tren de Aragua and house them in his jails,” he said – referring to two notorious transnational gangs with members from El Salvador and Venezuela.

In addition, Bukele “has offered to house in his jails dangerous American criminals in custody in our country, including those of US citizenship and legal residents,” Rubio said." 

 

[Elerond]

35 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

Thats not true, Canada is now appointing a Fentanyl Tzar

But this is now what Canada has agreed on and yes some of this was already agreed on but some of it will be new?

" Trudeau said Canada was implementing a $1.3bn (£1bn) border plan that included nearly 10,000 frontline workers and more resources to halt the flow of fentanyl, a synthetic drug 50 times stronger than heroin, which Trump has cited as a major concern.

The prime minister also said Canada would appoint a "fentanyl czar" and launch a joint strike force with the US to combat crime, fentanyl and money laundering.

Much of the border security plan had already been announced by Canada in December.

It includes enhanced co-ordination with US law enforcement, increased information sharing, limiting traffic at the border, and the deployment of drones and Black Hawk helicopters for surveillance." 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87d5rlee52o

 

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2024/12/the-government-of-canadas-border-plan-significant-investments-to-strengthen-border-security-and-our-immigration-system.html

Maybe calling head of new task force as fentanyl czar was what US needed more from Canada so that they know that they are serious in their commitment

Quote

Canada is investing $1.3 billion to bolster security at the border and strengthen the immigration system, all while keeping Canadians safe. This includes $667.5M for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, $355.4M for the Canada Border Services Agency, $180M over 6 years for the Communications Security Establishment, $77.7M for Health Canada, and $20M over five years for Public Safety Canada.

Detecting and disrupting the fentanyl trade

• Adding new and expanded detection capacity to better detect illegal drugs and other threats such as guns and gun parts at border entries, which will also contribute to cutting cargo container processing time.
• Creating a new Canadian Drug Profiling Centre to support 2,000 investigations a year and expand capacity at regional labs. CBSA will deploy new chemical detection tools at high-risk ports of entry.
• Deploying new canine teams to intercept illegal drugs.
• Accelerating the regulatory process for banning precursor chemicals so that border and law enforcement can take swift action to prevent their illegal importation and use.
• Launching a new Chemical Precursor Risk Management Unit to increase oversight over precursor chemicals and monitor emerging illegal drug trends, enhance monitoring and surveillance, and enable timely law enforcement action.
• Expanding powers to strengthen law enforcement to act against illegal drugs and precursors under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

 

Introducing Significant New Tools for Law Enforcement

• Investing in new crewed and non-crewed (drones) air-based intelligence and surveillance platforms to support live operational response and monitoring of border events and patterns. This will be complimented by mobile surveillance towers, supporting artificial intelligence (AI) tools and counter-drone technology intended to provide more comprehensive surveillance between ports of entry.
• Develop a better picture of illegal drug supply chains by expanding capacity for intelligence collection by the RCMP and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), to target transnational organized crime and fentanyl trafficking more effectively.
• Bring in a legislative requirement to expressly obligate port owners and operators to provide CBSA, free of charge, with the space and facilities it needs to conduct export inspections, just as they do for imports.
• Punish serious criminal non-compliance of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act by: increasing limits for all criminal fines by 10 times and all undefined prison terms to up to 1 year; and introducing a new offence for the provision of false information to FINTRAC. 
• Strengthen the anti-money laundering/anti-terrorist financing framework, advance the global fight on financial crime, and support a positive upcoming Mutual Evaluation of Canada by the Financial Action Task Force by: requiring reporting entities, not already registered, to enroll with FINTRAC; enabling FINTRAC disclosures to the Office of the Commission of Canada Elections to detect and deter illicit financing and foreign interference in Canadian elections; and making technical amendments.  

Improving Operational Coordination

• Creating regional hubs to coordinate national, regional, and local law enforcement activities against organized crime and illegal drugs.
• Propose to the United States the creation of a new North American Joint Strike Force to target transnational organized crime, including operational surges, dedicated synthetic drug units, expanded Combined Forces Special Enforcement Units, Binational Integrated Border Enforcement Teams, and new technical operations capacity and infrastructure.

Expanding Information Sharing

• Enhancing and expanding information and intelligence sharing arrangements between federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous authorities to manage the border, with a focus on fentanyl, human smuggling and organized crime.
• Enhancing vetting with the United States of all eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) applicants to screen for high-risk individuals.
• Improving disclosure to the United States through the Sex Offender Information Registration Act and the High-Risk Child Sex Offender Database Act to ensure border officials have access to information on high-risk individuals who are attempting to travel.

Minimizing unnecessary border volumes

Steps taken to date:

• Introduced an Additional Protocol to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) to extend the application of the STCA to the entire Canada-U.S. land border, including internal waterways. The number of asylum claims from people crossing illegally has dropped from an average of 165 per day in March 2023 to 12 per day since then.
• Cancelled the visitor-to-worker public policy, which has been used by nefarious actors to mislead and mistreat foreign nationals.
• Implemented a partial visa requirement for Mexican nationals in February 2024 to reduce the high number of asylum claims, most of which were refused, withdrawn or abandoned. This change has significantly reduced claims from Mexican citizens at airports across the country.
• Put in place measures to manage the volume of temporary resident arrivals and uphold the integrity of our immigration system, including:
  • 1. reforming the International Student Program by ending post-graduation work permit ‘flagpoling’,
    2. introducing new measures to address fraud in Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program,
    3. tightening eligibility requirements for temporary foreign workers, post-graduation work permits, and spouses of international students work permits
• Continue to heighten screening and enhanced tools to detect fraud and reduce the number of non-genuine visitors to Canada, while re-examining and taking action on visas already in circulation when fraud is suspected.

Proposed measures:

• Improve the rate of removals of inadmissible people from Canada, and reduce existing immigration enforcement inventories.
• Introduce new legislation to strengthen authorities to:
  • 1. cancel, change or suspend immigration documents, including visas, or
    2. cancel or suspend applications in our inventory, or
    3. pause the acceptance of new applications.
    • This would be done for groups of immigration documents or applications when determined to be in the public interest, or on an individual case-by-case basis.
    • These authorities would be used when warranted to prevent people outside of Canada who may pose a risk from entering the country, in turn leading to a decrease in irregular southbound migration.
• We will also impose new costs and restrictions on recalcitrant countries that do not rapidly facilitate the return of their citizens in the event of fraudulent entry or removal order.
• We will put an to end to the practice of ‘flagpoling’, which happens when a temporary resident leaves Canada and immediately returns to a port of entry to get immigration services. This practice uses significant resources at the border, distracts border officers from enforcement activities and slows cross-border traffic. 
  • As this change takes effect, temporary residents would need to apply for all necessary immigration services online, removing the option to apply at a port of entry. To reduce border congestion and allow officers to focus on security, we will stop processing most immigration applications at ports of entry from flagpolers.

Initiatives outlined in the 2024 Fall Economic Statement (FES)

Protecting the Integrity of Canada’s Visa System

• In FES 2024, the government proposes to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to secure and extend legislative authorities to cancel, suspend, or vary immigration documents for reasons deemed in the public interest.

Strengthening Information Disclosures from Sex Offender Registries

• In FES 2024, the government proposes to amend the Sex Offender Information Registration Act to enhance the ability of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to share information collected under the Act with domestic and international partners.

Cracking Down on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing

• In FES 2024, the government proposes to amend the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) to strengthen Canada’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing (AML/ATF) framework by introducing universal enrollment for reporting entities, permitting disclosures to the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections, as well as making technical amendments.

Stronger Penalties for Financial Crimes 

• In FES 2024, the government proposes to amend the PCMLTFA, with small, targeted and consequential amendments to regulations under the PCMLTFA, to strengthen AML/ATF penalties and support compliance with PCMLTFA requirements.

Amendments to the Customs Act 

• In FES 2024, the government proposes to amend the Customs Act to compel carriers and sufferance warehouse operators to grant access to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers to examine goods destined for export, as well as obligate owners and operators to provide adequate facilities for these officers to carry out the CBSA’s mandate.

Asylum Integrity and Processing 

• In FES 2024, the government proposes to introduce legislative amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that would uphold the integrity and fairness of the asylum system, including by streamlining the intake, processing, and adjudication of claims.

Date modified:

2024-12-18

 

Edited February 4 by Elerond

[Malcador]

https://apnews.com/article/migration-rubio-panama-colombia-venezuela-237f06b7d4bdd9ff1396baf9c45a2c0b

I assume the courts will get involved here if they start exporting citizens to foreign prisons, hah .

Edited February 4 by Malcador

[Pidesco]

9 hours ago, BruceVC said:

And sometimes he should get credit, like the part he played in ending the latest Israeli vs Palestinian conflict,

Lolno

[Pidesco]

5 hours ago, BruceVC said:

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/03/americas/el-salvador-migrant-deal-marco-rubio-intl-hnk/index.html

Heres an interesting development,  El Salvador  has offered to incarcerate criminals who are either US citizens or illegal migrants if they paid 

" In an act of extraordinary friendship to our country … (El Salvador) has agreed to the most unprecedented and extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world,” Rubio told reporters Monday.

The country will continue accepting Salvadoran deportees who illegally entered the US, he said. It will also “accept for deportation any illegal alien in the United States who is a criminal from any nationality, be they MS-13 or Tren de Aragua and house them in his jails,” he said – referring to two notorious transnational gangs with members from El Salvador and Venezuela.

In addition, Bukele “has offered to house in his jails dangerous American criminals in custody in our country, including those of US citizenship and legal residents,” Rubio said." 

 

That's an interesting spelling of horrific.

[BruceVC]

8 minutes ago, Pidesco said:

Lolno

Why wouldnt you give Trump credit for that?

He has influence on Netanyahu and the ceasefire has maintained. Biden simply  didnt have the same influence as Trump in the ME  

Trump made ending that conflict one of his campaign commitments and it mattered to him that it ended 

 

[Malcador]

https://www.timesofisrael.com/asked-about-west-bank-annexation-trump-says-israel-a-small-country-in-terms-of-land/

Note Trump says the ceasefire won't last.

Lol really now

https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-washington-ceasefire-1c8deec4dd46177e08e07d669d595ed3

 

Edited February 5 by Malcador

[BruceVC]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/5/trump-says-us-will-take-over-and-own-gaza-in-redevelopment-plan

Trumps going to solve the decades long Palestinian conflict by the US taking control of Gaza and turning it into the  " the Riviera of the Middle East”.

Definitely the  dumbest and most unrealistic solution  I have ever heard about a permanent solution to peace 

 

[rjshae]

4 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/5/trump-says-us-will-take-over-and-own-gaza-in-redevelopment-plan

Trumps going to solve the decades long Palestinian conflict by the US taking control of Gaza and turning it into the  " the Riviera of the Middle East”.

Definitely the  dumbest and most unrealistic solution  I have ever heard about a permanent solution to peace 

Yep, today in dumb. I'm sure the Palestinians will have "reservations" about relocated

[BruceVC]

5 minutes ago, rjshae said:

Yep, today in dumb. I'm sure the Palestinians will have "reservations" about relocated

But I assume this is classic Trump classic " distraction tactics " so he can get the media focusing on this so he can push through his appointments or other policies 

This Gaza idea makes no sense for many reasons that include 

• the Palestinians wont agree to it 
• The entire ME wont agree to it except for Israel
• who is going to invest in Gaza and build hotels when there is so much instability around security 

Worst idea I have ever heard, maybe Trumps age is showing with this type of delusional suggestion 

[BruceVC]

13 hours ago, Malcador said:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/asked-about-west-bank-annexation-trump-says-israel-a-small-country-in-terms-of-land/

Note Trump says the ceasefire won't last.

Lol really now

https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-washington-ceasefire-1c8deec4dd46177e08e07d669d595ed3

 

The APNEWS article summarizes nicely  all the issues and legitimate concerns around this latest " idea" from Trump 

Good read 

 

[Lexx]

So is anything happening in America now, to deal with the Trump/Musk situation? All I read is stuff about taxes and tariffs. People write that what's going on is madness, but it seems nobody on the government side is really doing anything against it? Thus it actually can't be that bad? What's going on? It's been half a week now and it feels to me like the media is barely reporting this stuff, if at all... instead everyone jumps on the tariffs, as if it's a very nice distraction.

Edited Wednesday at 07:58 AM by Lexx

[uuuhhii]

21 minutes ago, Lexx said:

So is anything happening in America now, to deal with the Trump/Musk situation? All I read is stuff about taxes and tariffs. People write that what's going on is madness, but it seems nobody on the government side is really doing anything against it? Thus it actually can't be that bad? What's going on? It's been half a week now and it feels to me like the media is barely reporting this stuff, if at all... instead everyone jumps on the tariffs, as if it's a very nice distraction.

 

too many goverment employee are being fired or being asked very nicely to resign

one must understand damage to any barely functional part of usa is permanent

there is no appetite for rebuilding anything in the last 4 decade

tax cut for the rich always come before that

[Lexx]

So basically everyone is in shock right now and we'll see where its at in a month or so?

Would love to hear from people like Gromnir now, who always said that something like this would never ever happen because this or that.

Edited Wednesday at 08:41 AM by Lexx

[Zoraptor]

In the end, this is what the American people voted for. Not like anyone can say we aren't getting exactly what was expected from a Trump/ Republican clean sweep*.

The first question is whether anything they're doing is illegal, or just against precedent. Seems at least some of it is, since stuff like deporting citizens has been blocked. But for stuff that isn't actually illegal there probably isn't any avenue for stopping it.

*which means the media is rather stuck. At least last time they could burble on about the popular vote; this time it's clear cut, and was so after the experience of 2017-20.

[Lexx]

Dunno. Apparently there were reports a 2 months back about the votes being rigged. Trump even almost admitted to it (unless he was just talking out of his ass again, who knows). Can't find the reports about it right now, but I guess nobody really cares anyways, since this did almost zero waves back then.

 

In other news https://archive.ph/RSwyh (german article)

Quote

They covered exhaust pipes with construction foam and windows with Robert Habeck stickers: what looked like the work of radical climate activists is said to be the work of Russian clients, according to SPIEGEL research.

Russian propaganda war continues, and it works.

The supposedly left-green protest action soon had an effect: "Climate radicals attack cars with construction foam," was the headline in "Bild." Meanwhile, on Facebook, the public's anger against Habeck and his party erupted. With the construction foam attacks, the "Green sect wanted to force its ideology on those who think differently," wrote one user. Another demanded that "radical action be taken against the Greens."

Edited Wednesday at 09:47 AM by Lexx

[Elerond]

2 hours ago, Lexx said:

So is anything happening in America now, to deal with the Trump/Musk situation? All I read is stuff about taxes and tariffs. People write that what's going on is madness, but it seems nobody on the government side is really doing anything against it? Thus it actually can't be that bad? What's going on? It's been half a week now and it feels to me like the media is barely reporting this stuff, if at all... instead everyone jumps on the tariffs, as if it's a very nice distraction.

Even though things are credited for Trump, truth is that whole republican party supports them and as republicans control both senate and house, majority of state governments, and federal courts are full of republican picked judges, there is wide support for everything that is happening. Republicans just like to hide behind Trump's back.

[Azdeus]

9 minutes ago, Elerond said:

Even though things are credited for Trump, truth is that whole republican party supports them and as republicans control both senate and house, majority of state governments, and federal courts are full of republican picked judges, there is wide support for everything that is happening. Republicans just like to hide behind Trump's back.

And the Democrat party are, frankly, quite dickless. They think playing nice and cordial is going to help them in some way.

Edited Wednesday at 10:17 AM by Azdeus