Raw Story

Trump’s ethos of expansion came into view this week when his ‘jokes’ about invading Greenland and Panama morphed into serious threats.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a founding member of NATO, and long-term US ally. Panama has controlled the Panama Canal for decades under the terms of a 1979 treaty. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he would not rule out the use of military force against either of them. “The Panama Canal is vital to our country,” he announced, and “We need Greenland for national security purposes.”

Not satisfied with threatening two sovereign allies, Trump turned also to Canada, and promised to use “economic force” to coerce Canada into becoming the 51st state, against the will of Canadians. Canada, like Greenland, is so rich in natural resources Trump wants to grab it non-consensually.

The free world is not amused

Putin likely watched Trump’s unhinged presser threating NATO sovereigns on replay, savoring his disordered words with a cigar and a nice Chianti. Leaders of the free world, not so much.

France warned Trump about threatening the “sovereign borders” of the European Union; the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said, “There is no question of the EU letting other nations in the world, whoever they may be, attack its sovereign borders.”

Panamanian president Mulino responded plainly that the canal is not up for discussion and “will remain” under Panama’s control, as Canada’s outgoing prime minister, Justin Trudeau, wrote, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.” Canadian Lawmaker Elizabeth May turned the tables and offered to annex California, Oregon and Washington. She said at least they’d have free healthcare and stricter gun laws. “We’re not a big nation for braggarts and bullies,” she added. “We actually like to think we’re of service in the world.”

Trump and Musk, global bully wannabes

Trump’s dangerous rhetoric is in goosestep with “first buddy” Elon Musk’s escalating attacks against the entire pro-Western world order. Musk, who has never been elected to any office, jumped into German politics to endorse the far-right, Neo-Nazi party AfD. Musk also weighed in on Italy’s immigration policy, writing, “Do the people of Italy live in a democracy or does an unelected autocracy make the decisions?” Could someone please get this arrogant, unelected autocrat a mirror?

On a tear, Musk also launched juvenile attacks against Great Britain’s government, again advancing fascistic, right-wing politics. He accused the Prime Minister of “raping” Britain, called for a minister to be imprisoned, and suggested that King Charles dissolve parliament.

After a Finnish doctoral student described Musk as an historically dangerous purveyor of disinformation, the president-elect’s right hand man publicly replied, “F U retard.” Lee Greenwood is proud to be an American, where leaders mock the disabled.

Trump’s support for the Ukraine invasion: a primer

If anyone is still scratching their heads about why Trump supported Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, they can stop. Trump and Musk defend Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign neighbor, because they hope to emulate it. Canada, Panama and Greenland (for starters) are as enticing to Trump/Musk as Ukraine is to Putin, their citizens’ wishes equally irrelevant.

Trump/Musk similarly admire China’s Xi, who granted himself power for life with an iron fist over citizens’ communications. Trump said he’d like to give the same thing “a shot some day,” while Musk already silences dissent among X’s 600 million users.

Trump, a dangerous imbecile to half the nation and most of the world, appears to have no acquaintance with the post WWII global order, how it came to be, or America’s pivotal role in it, yet he shows a chilling fondness for Lebensraum, the Nazi concept of expansionism. Lebensraum provided cover for Hitler’s territorial expansion into Central and Eastern Europe because, Hitler said, it was ‘necessary for Germany’s survival.’ To solidify his grip, Hitler also scapegoated minorities, liberals, and Germans who did not support his military aggression.

Because Trump doesn’t understand the sacrifice made by 400,000 American soldiers who died to defeat fascism, or that 60 million people perished in WWII, he is oblivious to the history he’s pissing on. He does, however, appear to grasp- and resent- that support for Ukraine reinforces the sovereignty of all nations, a concept protected by NATO since the Paris Peace Treaties and the conclusion of WWII.

Are Trump’s theatrics meant to distract?

It’s entirely plausible that Trump’s global stunts are a ruse. Taunting our allies to the brink of war is a great way to frighten and distract a gullible public, and he needs something shiny on a rotating basis to entertain his base. Most importantly, if people are busy digging a bunker- figuratively or literally- they’ll pay less attention to what really makes Trump salivate: revenge on his enemies and robbing the till, most likely in reverse order.

Trump seeks to multiply his own wealth, whether by direct payment, as in his unprecedented and unrestricted $170 million “inauguration” fund, or $90 million pay-for-play fees at Mar-a-Lago, cash bribes from foreign actors, or the embarrassing grift of selling gold sneakers, signed bibles and action figures of himself. He won’t likely stop until the Trump family worth reaches the level it should have and would have reached, given Trump’s inheritance, had he possessed transactional competence. His six bankruptcies are glaring totems of the opposite, and yet 49% of the nation believes he was a successful businessman. When his supporters tire of global military scares, Trump will conjure a domestic doozy of a threat for cover; he may not even wait until he’s sworn in to do it.

At some point during his reign, Trump will need to empower a successor. That designee must protect the oligarchy for as long as possible, long enough to deflect legal accountability until Trump dies, family assets are secured in offshore trusts, or his dementia becomes irrefutable.

Though it is not a forgone conclusion that there will even be a successor while Trump is still alive, my money is on a successful Article II challenge. Art. II restricts the presidency to ‘natural born’ US citizens; Musk was born in South Africa. The Roberts court, vanguard of corporate wealth and partisan foe to voting rights, will likely revisit the clause near the end of Trump’s second term, right after they deny a 1st A challenge to weaponized disinformation.

NOW READ: Trump's lies are winning as Democrats fall into a deadly trap

Sabrina Haake is a columnist and 25 year litigator specializing in 1st and 14th Amendment defense. Her Substack, the Haake Take, is free.

Donald Trump's 2024 presidential election win is creating havoc in his hometown of Palm Beach as supporters and supplicants invade the town causing traffic problems for some of the wealthy denizens who don't appreciate the crowds and the traffic they bring.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Trump making his Mar-a-Lago resort his home after he bolted out of New York City has created problems for the beach community that has only grown since he was re-elected.

The report notes the Secret Service shutdowns of main routes about town has riled longtime residents –– in particular some of the wealthier ones who are not used to being inconvenienced.

Also read: 'Bring it on': Defiant Raskin responds to GOP threats of retaliation for J6 investigation

As the Journal's Holly Peterson wrote, "New security measures, introduced after the assassination attempts over the summer, have made travel by air, land and sea in Palm Beach a testing affair whenever Trump’s in town. The president-elect now crosses blockaded bridges like Brezhnev’s Soviet convoys speeding through Moscow’s emptied thoroughfares."

The report adds that some trips that "once took nine minutes can now take an hour, depending on the time of day," with Peterson reporting, "This means the billionaires with estates within this mile-long zone need a special pass to get home. Everyone else living or working on either side of this zone has to drive over a drawbridge to the mainland, then back over another drawbridge onto the island again."

According to Tom Quinn who has maintained a home there for five decades, "The number one topic at any meal is parking and traffic. Wealthy people are used to paying their way out of travel inconveniences. When they can’t, they blow their top.”

The report adds that complaints reached such a fever pitch that "Local officials have threatened to shut down Mar-a-Lago or yank the special agreements that allow for parties there."

That led Palm Beach Mayor Danielle Moore to assert at a town meeting, "In my mind, if the road is closed, the Mar-a-Lago Club is closed.”

You can read more here.

At a time when the always newsworthy Donald Trump is headed back to the White House, the venerable Washington Post should be gearing up to cover his second term but instead is being subjected to an exodus of top reporters and internal strife, reports the Wall Street Journal's Alexandra Bruell.

In her report for the Journal, Bruell notes that Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos, who bought the Post in 2013 for $250 million, just watched his investment lose around $100 million last year as new management has failed to stop the bleeding.

The Journal also reports that top-flight journalists are also fleeing to greener pastures under the management of interim executive editor Matt Murray and publisher William Lewis who has still not righted the ship since his hiring.

ALSO READ: Merrick Garland's last task and the explosive evidence that could save America

Adding to the Post's problems was a decision to spike an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris before the 2024 presidential election that led to a revolt by readers with a reported 250,000 people canceling their subscriptions within days.

According to the Journal, "The changes inside the Post have left many staffers frustrated and confused about the future, the people close to the newsroom said. Journalists across areas from politics to national security, including Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer, Tyler Pager and Hannah Allam, have defected to publications such as the New York Times, the Atlantic and ProPublica. Josh Dawsey, a political investigations and enterprise reporter, is leaving for the Journal, where he worked before the Post," adding, "National editor Philip Rucker, investigations editor Peter Wallsten and senior national investigations editor Rosalind Helderman are in the latest batch of newsroom leaders taking calls from other publications."

Attendant readership has also taken a reported drop, with the Journal reporting, "Post leadership has internally discussed a goal of reaching 200 million users, according to staffers, though some in the newsroom say it isn’t clear how that will be measured and whether the figure includes social media followers. The Post had 54 million digital visitors in November 2024, according to media-measurement firm Comscore, down from 114 million in November 2020."

You can read more here.

Reacting in real-time as Donald Trump's sentencing hearing on 34 felony counts was ongoing, an MSNBC legal analyst admitted she was "legally shocked" at how the president-elect conducted himself.

With Trump appearing in Judge Juan Merchan's courtroom via video feed, the hosts on MSNBC read texts from producers in the courtroom and related that Trump chose to challenge his convictions that now make him a felon when he was already notified he would face no penalties.

According to former prosecutor Kristin Gibbons Feden, she could understand why the convicted Trump would want to push back, but was nonetheless still surprised he did.

ALSO READ: Revealed: The secret Republican plot to disenfranchise millions of voters

"Actually what stands out to me is, while I am legally shocked, I'm personally not surprised," she admitted. "I'm surprised that Donald Trump exercised his right of allocution. The right of allocution is a right that is promised to every single criminal defendant, right before they are sentenced by a judge to offer some type of self-advocacy, contrition, something to say, 'Hey, I'm remorseful for what I did.'"

"Doesn't sound like that's what happened today," MSNBC host Ana Cabrera interjected.

"Not. At. All," Gibbons Feden replied. "And again, most defendants who have made clear that they intend to appeal any conviction don't really exercise that right of allocution, and here Donald Trump did."

"The reason why I'm legally shocked is because he really didn't need to," she elaborated. "Judge Merchan already stated that he intended to not really give him a sentence, that unconditional discharge, which means you have the conviction, but you have no jail time, you have no parole, you have no probation, you have no fine. You essentially get to walk home, unlike most other criminal defendants."

Watch below or at the link right here.

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by Beiyi SEOW

U.S. job gains soared past expectations in December, according to government data released Friday, in a sign the labor market remains healthy shortly before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration this month.

Hiring in the world's biggest economy was 256,000 last month, up from a revised 212,000 in November, the Labor Department said.

The December figure was significantly above the market consensus estimate of 154,000, according to Briefing.com.

The jobless rate meanwhile crept down to 4.1 percent from 4.2 percent.

The latest report marks a solid end to 2024 for the jobs market, which has held up in the face of elevated interest rates, allowing consumers to continue spending.

Outgoing President Joe Biden lauded his administration's performance, saying: "Although I inherited the worst economic crisis in decades with unemployment above six percent when I took office, we've had the lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in 50 years with unemployment at 4.1 percent as I leave."

"This has been a hard-fought recovery," he added in a statement.

Trump's return to the White House this month could bring uncertainty.

He has pledged to cut taxes, raise tariffs on imports and deport undocumented immigrants -- many of whom make up a significant part of the US labor force in sectors such as agriculture.

- Interest rates steady? -

"This is a good report, but not a blockbuster one as it seems at first glance," said Robert Frick, corporate economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union.

"A big chunk of the headline number is from post-hurricane recovery, and the range of hiring remains narrow," he noted.

Yet, a surge in job growth could lead the Federal Reserve to be slower in cutting interest rates this year, as officials work to bring down inflation sustainably.

Such expectations sent Treasury yields higher early Friday.

"Strength in the labor market, recent stalling in the disinflationary trend in inflation, and the prospect of changes in tariff and immigration policies that could push inflation higher will keep the Fed cautious and patient," said Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic.

"We foresee them keeping rates steady throughout the first half of the year," she added.

For now, average hourly earnings picked up 0.3 percent from the month before in December to $35.69.

From a year ago, wages were up 3.9 percent.

Among sectors, the Labor Department said "employment trended up in health care, government, and social assistance."

Retail trade also added jobs in December after a loss in November.

"These data make at least a pause in cuts much more likely, which will push mortgage rates higher in the near term," said Mike Fratantoni, chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

But Samuel Tombs, chief US economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, believes that Fed officials are likely to conclude that monetary policy is still restrictive.

"Labor market data are so volatile and confidence intervals so wide that trends are best determined from at least six months of data," he said in a note.

© Agence France-Presse

Last year set a record for high temperatures across the mainland United States, with the nation also pummeled by a barrage of tornadoes and destructive hurricanes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report Friday.

The announcement came as Europe's climate monitor confirmed 2024 was the hottest year globally, with temperatures so extreme that the planet breached a critical climate threshold for the first time ever.

President-elect Donald Trump, a vocal climate skeptic, is just days away from taking office and has pledged to expand fossil fuel production -- the main driver of human-caused warming -- while rolling back the green policies of his predecessor, Joe Biden.

According to NOAA, the average annual temperature across the lower 48 states and Washington was 55.5 degrees Fahrenheit (13.1 degrees Celsius) -- 3.5F above average and the highest in the agency's 130-year records.

It was also the third-wettest year since 1895 and saw the second-highest number of tornadoes on record, trailing only 2004.

Annual precipitation totaled 31.6 inches (802.1 millimeters) -- 1.7 inches above average -- while 1,735 tornadoes struck amid a punishing Atlantic hurricane season that included Hurricane Helene, the second deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland in more than half-a-century.

Wildfires scorched 8.8 million acres, 26 percent above the 20-year average. These included the devastating Park Fire in California, the state's fourth-largest on record, which consumed nearly 430,000 acres and destroyed over 600 structures.

In total, the United States experienced 27 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, second only to the 28 recorded in 2023.

Weather extremes battered the country from all sides, with heavy rainfall mid-year and drought conditions covering 54 percent of the nation by October 29.

The last two years exceeded on average a critical warming limit for the first time as global temperatures soar "beyond what modern humans have ever experienced," the European Commission's Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed Friday.

This does not mean the internationally-agreed target of holding warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels has been permanently breached, but it is drawing dangerously near.

Copernicus also confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record, surpassing 2023 and extending a streak of extraordinary heat that fuelled climate extremes on all continents.

A repeat in 2025 is considered less likely, with the onset of a La Nina weather system expected to offer slight relief.

China remains the world's largest current emitter, but the United States is historically the biggest polluter, underscoring its responsibility to confront the climate crisis, according to environmental advocates.

But progress remains tepid, with US greenhouse gas emissions dipping just 0.2 percent last year, according to a study by the Rhodium Group -- leaving the country dangerously off track to meet its climate goals under the Paris agreement.

© Agence France-Presse