There’s been so much going on in the world so I wanted to take the time to say that the threat of Trump’s cabinet is looming closer and closer each day.

There is something you can do about this and it only takes a few minutes. Call your senator and ask that they oppose Trump’s radical cabinet picks.

Say no to Russian-asset Tulsi Gabbard, xenophobic Pete Hegseth, Qtard Kash Patel, nutjob quack RFK Jr.

Assets owned by Rupert Murdoch or Fox News are not committed to journalist integrity and not committed to reporting of facts. This is why it's important to avoid supporting those websites if possible.

Often times websites like nypost just summarize articles written by other people. If you are about to share a link from one of these websites it's better to find another source.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Fox_Corporation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_News_Corp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:News_Corporation_subsidiaries

Also if someone has a Reddit account could you try to advocate for this on Reddit too please?

Here is a possible message you could use to advocate for this. I would recommend personalizing your message before sending. In a comment I will show an example how I tweaked my message. In fact this was the message I was about to send to the moderators of [email protected] but then I read their rules and realized I could update my message to make the message more personal.

According to Wikipedia "Many of [Rupert] Murdoch's papers and television channels have been accused of biased and misleading coverage to support his business interests and political allies". For this reason I'm calling for Murdoch and Fox websites to be considered "B"-tier sources, that is to say other websites that have a better reputation should be preferred. Often times articles on websites such as the New York Post (nypost) and Fox News are nothing more than summaries of articles from other reporters with added bias. A New York Times article (archive link) has mentioned this practice.

I see the following possible actions that could be taking on the Politics community.

• The automoderator can reply to any link to a Murdoch owned website and issue a warning. The warning could be something like this:

The following website is owned by Rupert Murdoch. Assets owned by Murdoch have a reputation for bias and misleading coverage to support Murdoch's business and political interests. Please use caution when reading and sharing the article and seek out more reputable sources. Consider using an adblocker such as uBlock Origin when visiting the link or use the archive link instead of visiting directly.

In the future note that it's recommended when posting to Politics to use reputable sources. We discourage the linking of this website unless the reporting on the specific article you posted was original and verified.

• People should be encouraged to seek another more reliable source if possible unless the link offers unique and verified reporting.
• People visiting the link should be encouraged to use an adblocker such as uBlock Origin
• Instead of linking directly to the website an archive link should be visited.
• If the article contains misinformation or disinformation it should be removed. (I'm thinking you all already do this but perhaps articles on these website should get more scrutiny or be removed if a better source exists)

Wikipedia has a list of entities that are ultimately owned by Rupert Murdoch:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Fox_Corporation
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_News_Corp
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:News_Corporation_subsidiaries

I hope you will consider taking a stand for journalistic integrity and truth and consider deprioritizing Murdoch owned assets. Thank you so much for your time!

When you use Twitter/X what you see is controlled by Elon Musk. Elon has already interfered in our politics by using X to boost Republicans and himself. There is no reason to believe he is going to stop at doing this in the US. Elon is already moving on to trying to influence politics in other countries as made evident by wanting to donate to £78,000,000 to Nigel Farage.

Basically no matter what country you live, if you use Twitter/X you are not safe from Elon Musk. He has your data and he can use it to send you micro targeted messages just as he's done to help Trump win.

That is why I'm calling on everyone to work towards getting people who use Twitter/X to move to different platforms. Bluesky is a great drop in replacement for Twitter. Also there's Mastodon which is great and of course I would love to see your friends from Twitter come here to Lemmy!

It doesn't take a lot of your time. The most simple and effective thing to do is create a post saying you'll no longer use Twitter and you are now on Bluesky or whatever replacement app you choose. You can also consider deleting your account. I've read conflicting reports on if your username could be used by someone else if you delete your account so take note of that if you decide to delete your account.

In addition you can tell your friends and family why it's important to stop using Twitter/X. Also it would be great if you can convince them to spread the message farther! Use your own words to describe why it's important to you such as maybe your mental health got better after you stopped using it or you feel you don't want Elon Musk interfering with your country's politics.

Another thing is if you see an advertisement on Twitter/X try contacting the company and demand they stop advertising on Twitter/X. We should not fund disinformation.

If you work at Twitter/X maybe you can consider quitting your job and organizing a mass resignation.

Let's work together and defeat X and Elon Musk's extreme agenda and make the world a better place.

It's only ~5 minutes long, and very worth a watch imho.

@4:31: "liberal democracy has been marked by its emphasis on procedures, not outcomes - we honor the process, even when we dislike the outcome; the drive to quickly get what we want even at the cost of bypassing procedures and undermining institutions is deeply dangerous"

LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — A Lakeland woman was charged Tuesday after police said she ended a call to an insurance company with the words, “Delay, Deny, Depose.”

In an arrest affidavit, the Lakeland Police Department said officers were contacted by the FBI on Tuesday, Dec. 10 regarding an alleged threat made over the phone.

Briana Boston, 42, had reportedly placed a call to BlueCross BlueShield regarding recent medical insurance claims she was denied. The entire phone call was recorded, according to the affidavit.

Near the end of the call, investigators said Boston could be heard stating, “Delay, Deny, Depose. You people are next.” The first three words are similar to those written on the ammunition that a gunman used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week.

The affidavit noted the similarities between the incidents, stating that those words have become nationally recognized as a phrase “directed against insurance companies.”

Police made contact with Boston at her home in Lakeland, where she reportedly admitted to using those words during the call, telling detectives that “healthcare companies played games and deserved karma from the world because they are evil.”

Boston reportedly told detectives she used the phrase “because it’s what is in the news right now,” and that she had learned of the phrase due to the UnitedHealthcare homicide.

However, Boston added that she does not own any firearms and “was not a danger to anyone,” police said.

Based on Boston’s statements, investigators said they believed she meant to threaten the insurance company “by using the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s homicide to her advantage.”

Boston was charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, according to the affidavit.

A judge set her bond at $100,000, stating, “I do find that the bond of $100,000 is appropriate considering the status of our country at this point.”

Preface

1. I am not an economist, and likely another victim of Dunning-Krueger.
2. This is not an endorsement of the incoming Trump administration's proposed tariff 'plan'.

The Manufacturing Trident

The discourse around tariffs has made it clear that they will raise prices for consumers. Full stop. However, if they were surgically implemented to target nations that US corporations have been strip mining for cheap labor, combined with federal corrections to the minimum wage, and followed by a small business grants program for new US-based manufacturers, it could be the jump start we need.

Tariffs for Labor Protection

For decades, US companies have been taking advantage of the labor force in developing nations. The consequence of this practice that is relevant to this topic is that is has resulted in a race to the bottom to produce the cheapest product possible. Many a frugal consumer will always choose the cheapest option available, so the market for locally produced goods that cost 2-3x as much rapidly evaporated.

Tariffs that raised the cost of these goods to match the price of what domestic manufacturers would be able to compete with could open the door for a new era of American made goods, but uh-oh, prices have gone up so how can anyone afford anything? Let's look at wage corrections.

Federal Minimum Wage Correction

It's no secret that the minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation. In order to implement tariffs, citizens would need to make enough money to afford American goods, so the first step would be correcting the embarrassing federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr, with annual adjustments thereafter to keep pace with inflation. To what extent would the minimum wage need to be raised? I have no clue. Maybe $20/hr? Whether that would be implemented immediately, or with a rev-up period, I will leave to those more educated on that topic than I.

Will raising the minimum wage also increase prices? Almost certainly, but a secret many business don't like to talk about is that while employee wages have not kept up with inflation, the prices of their goods and services certainly have. Since employee wages have not been raised in parity, the business gets a nice little boost to their profit margins each time this cycle takes place, at the direct expense of their labor.

So yes, prices will go up, but I suspect businesses will begrudgingly compete to limit 'sticker-shock' and be forced to cut into their inflated profit margins, restoring a bit of equilibrium.

Federal Grants for Small Manufacturing

Finally, to plant something into this ground we prepared, I would propose a slew of federal grants that would unleash the budding entrepreneurs across our country to go out and build shit. In my fantasy land, this would all be funded by a war chest filled by raising taxes on corporate profits.

The End

Am I an ignorant fool, or does this concept have some merit? Odds are good that it's the former, but it's nice to dream of simple solutions to complex problems. If you made it this far, thanks for joining me for the ride!

Democratic strategist James Carville heavily criticized Kamala Harris' 2024 campaign, focusing on its extraordinary spending and potential financial mismanagement.

Key points include:

1. Campaign Spending: Harris' campaign reportedly spent $1.5 billion during its brief 15-week run, which Carville described as causing "almost unfathomable" damage to the Democratic brand.

2. Financial Controversies:

• The campaign spent $900,000 advertising on the Las Vegas Sphere
• Sources claim the campaign was $20 million in debt after the election (though the campaign denies this)
• A related super PAC, Future Forward, reportedly raised over $900 million

3. Carville's Recommendations:

• Called for a comprehensive audit of the campaign
• Wants to audit the campaign, Future Forward, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC)
• Expressed frustration about the lack of transparency regarding where the money was spent

4. Broader Impact: Carville suggested the campaign's financial practices have disillusioned Democratic fundraisers, who are now "burnt" and "really pissed."

The strategist is known for his work on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.

“That’s two and a half frickin’ billion dollars. Do you have any idea where this money went? Does anybody have any idea where that money went?” said Carville, while looping in his $1 billion figure to the reported $1.5 billion in spending.

Archive

For years, Hezbollah told the Lebanese that it alone could defend them from Israel. It boasted of powerful weapons and hardened commandos who would unleash deadly “surprises” if war broke out. And it assured its followers that a regional alliance of militias supported by Iran would jump in to support it in battle.

Those myths have now been shattered.

Need a few additional mods to aid in occasionally removing posts or comments that violate the rules in the sidebar, mostly incivility.

As things are more likely to fall back to the states and local government, make sure yours is willing to fight for their rights. Don’t give in to despair. Grieving is natural, but don’t let it consume you completely. When you build back up that energy, put your fury into change

Power tends to flow upwards in the party over time. The local leaders tend to be flow into higher and higher office, so lets make the party's pool of people as progressive as we can

Some helpful links:

Run for Something, a group that supports progressives running for any downballot positions. They've helped elect around a thousand progressive into office

Where Can I Run?

No concern whatsoever for qualifications, only loyalty. The Empire is rising.

Who decides what policies the DNC chooses for their national platform? Obviously corporate donors effect the bottom line of the organization, but who are the power brokers internally at the DNC that make the decisions to create those policies that favor corporations over people?

This is their leadership team, but something tells me they're not the ones making the decisions to not advocate for Medicare for all, or other widely popular left wing policies.

I'm a bit confused why capitalists support Trump when he plans on doing stuff that I think would destroy the economy. Thinking of mass deportations and high, broad tarrifs.

I'm not sure if:

1. They just don't care because they have enough wealth to weather anything.
2. They don't think Trump will actually do these things.
3. They're dumb and think it won't hurt the economy.
4. They plan on trading wealth for more direct power. I.e. becoming oligarchs.
5. They have other ideologies (racism, Ayn Rand-ism, accelerationism, Dark Enlightenment, etc) that they prioritize higher than obtaining as much wealth as possible.

Or maybe some combination of the above, or something else entirely.

Edit: by "capitalists," I mean the "elite" like Musk and his other billionaire donors. But I guess it's a good question for smaller donors as well.

If you’re concerned about Trump’s nominations, the most impactful thing you can do is to reach out to your US Senators and voice your opposition. A large volume of brief phone calls do make a difference at strategic times. Immediately after a nomination announcement is one of those strategic times, because they are figuring out how/whether to respond publicly. Democracy must be fought for even after elections have ended.

Contacting Senators from both parties also matters right now. The prevailing message in the media is that Dems need to cater even more to Republicans to win the next election, they need to hear your voice if you disagree with that.

The most effective phone calls take less than a minute: say your name, your city or ZIP code, and what you support/oppose, maybe a sentence on why. You’ll be marked down on a spread sheet that is discussed at the daily office strategy meeting.

Other actions like brief emails, meeting in-person at the district office, meeting in-person at the DC office, can also be effective, but take more time and energy. Emails aren’t always read right away like a phone call must be answered for example. And you generally need to make an appointment for an in-person meeting.

Mass phone calls are a tactic used by the NRA and other powerful lobby groups. Getting a lot of their group’s members to voice their opinion is the key to their success…perhaps to the point of making an office fearful of the backlash via phone calls for going against them.

Relevant John Oliver segment

Find your Senators' contact info

"Secret" is tongue in cheek.

We know people flash the white power hand sign when having their picture taken, as if it isn't a racist dog whistle.

The Bloods have a hand sign. I'm impressed that one can spell the entire word with one's hands.

Jeep drivers have a cutesy hand wave that signals a common identity with other Jeep drivers.

AFAIK there's no hand sign that espouses the Eat The Rich sentiment. There's an opportunity to create something new where one doesn't yet exist.

If "Eat the Rich" produced a secret hand gesture, what would/should it look like?

I understand the argument of "This doesn't help; instead write to your congressman or volunteer to burp newborns." I get that, but this is independent of that.

This truly belongs in AskLemmy but their (justified) temporary ban on US politics seems to discourage this question.