Originally posted by downtownv: how did these people think this would never come out? Paper trails everywhere.
Trump was never supposed to be President. They didn’t need to hide anything.
Comey was going to put DT in a trailer in a prison yard.
March 03, 2026, 08:01 AM
BRL
quote:
Originally posted by Fenris: Trump is the great liberator. First Panama, then Venezuela. Now Iran.
Who's next? Great Britain?
Greenland baby.
This is the next link in controlling and cutting off minerals / rare earth metal, oil supply and land/sea dominance over China.
I am not BIPOLAR. I don't even like bears.
March 03, 2026, 08:59 AM
Fly-Sig
quote:
Originally posted by Graniteguy: The other part is that they didn't care. If by some chance they got caught - there would be no significant repercussions. (in their minds)
Because, in their minds, they were on a righteous crusade against the most despicable human ever, who was supported by hateful people (us), who needed to be stopped. Thus they would be protected from consequences.
In the wake of sweeping U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran and the dramatic capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, allies of President Donald Trump say the administration is preparing for its next major foreign-policy target: Cuba.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., declared over the weekend that "Cuba's next," arguing that the island's communist government is on the brink of collapse.
"This communist dictatorship in Cuba? Their days are numbered," he said, praising Trump's foreign policy as surpassing even that of former President Ronald Reagan.
Inside the administration, officials are casting the moment as a historic opportunity to achieve what 12 presidents before Trump failed to accomplish: ending the 67-year-old communist regime founded by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Trump himself has fueled speculation.
Speaking outside the White House last week, Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was engaged in high-level talks with Cuban leaders and floated the possibility of a "friendly takeover of Cuba."
"The Cuban government is talking with us," Trump said.
"They have no money. They have no anything right now."
"But they're talking to us, and maybe we'll have a friendly takeover," he added.
Administration officials describe a dual-track strategy: intensifying economic pressure while holding open the door to negotiations that would allow American businesses into the Cuban market in exchange for political reforms.
According to reports cited by Axios and echoed in columns in The Atlantic, Rubio has been involved in quiet discussions with members of the Castro family.
Rather than negotiating directly with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Rubio is said to be reaching out to figures close to Raul Castro, including his grandson, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro.
For Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who rose to prominence in Florida politics championing anti-Castro causes, the negotiations carry deep personal resonance.
One source close to the State Department told Newsmax that Rubio is in search of a "Delcy Rodriguez" — referring to Venezuela's acting president who is working with the U.S. to ensure a smooth transition to democratic elections.
For the moment, the administration's strategy relies heavily on Cuba's dire economic condition.
After the U.S. takeover of Venezuela's oil industry in January, shipments of subsidized Venezuelan crude to Cuba — long a lifeline for the island — were cut off.
A subsequent executive order threatened tariffs on countries that supply oil to Havana, squeezing alternative sources.
The result has been cascading blackouts, shuttered factories, food shortages, and hospital disruptions.
Airlines from Canada and Russia have reportedly suspended flights due to jet fuel shortages, further crippling tourism — one of Cuba's few sources of foreign currency.
Trump recently labeled Cuba "an unusual and extraordinary threat," though he did not elaborate on the claim.
Critics note that Russia, China, and Iran are not currently positioning missiles in Havana, and Cuba's military equipment largely dates to the Soviet era.
Still, administration officials argue that economic collapse could trigger either internal reform or a negotiated transition.
"I think it's just going to fall," Trump said when asked whether military action was imminent. "Looks like it's going down for the count."
On the ground in Cuba, anxiety is mounting.
Following the U.S. strikes in Venezuela and Iran, Cuban counterintelligence agents have reportedly visited neighborhoods near military sites in Havana, gathering names and preparing evacuation contingencies.
Independent outlet 14ymedio has reported nighttime military patrols, while Diaz-Canel has increased exercises despite Cuba's aging arsenal.
The recent killing of Iran's supreme leader has intensified fears in Havana that the U.S. might pursue decapitation-style regime change.
More than 2 million Cubans have left the island in the past five years.
Those who remain face daily power outages, scarce gasoline, and rising food prices. "The only thing they have there is hunger," one Havana resident said of a nearby military installation.
Yet public opinion appears divided.
Some religious and civic leaders urge a negotiated settlement to prevent civilian casualties. Others openly say that U.S. intervention may be the only path to ending decades of repression.
Cuba has long occupied an outsized place in the American imagination, from Hollywood depictions in films like "The Godfather Part II" and "Scarface" to Cold War flash points such as the Bay of Pigs invasion and the missile crisis.
Previous presidents tried varying strategies.
Former President John F. Kennedy authorized the ill-fated Bay of Pigs operation.
Former President Barack Obama pursued rapprochement, shaking Raul Castro's hand at Nelson Mandela's funeral and reopening travel and diplomatic channels in 2015.
Obama signaled that exposure to American commerce and ideas would encourage gradual liberalization.
That thaw stalled, and Trump reversed many of Obama's policies during his first term.
Now, with Venezuela destabilized and Iran reeling, the administration believes the geopolitical landscape has shifted decisively.
Cuban officials have expressed willingness to engage in dialogue — but only "without pressure or preconditions."
Cuba, long a symbol of Cold War rivalry, has reemerged at the center of Washington's ambitions — and the Trump administration appears determined to write the final act.
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March 03, 2026, 01:24 PM
slosig
quote:
Originally posted by Graniteguy: Part of it was this. The other part is that they didn't care. If by some chance they got caught - there would be no significant repercussions. (in their minds)
You are probably correct. For the good of the country, I hope that they were wrong. Very, very wrong. Ideally, breaking big rocks into little rocks 12 hours a day wrong.
March 03, 2026, 01:32 PM
oddball
Trump slams the door on Spain.
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
March 03, 2026, 04:20 PM
chellim1
Trump Accepts White House Correspondents' Dinner Invitation For First Time
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will attend the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner for the first time as president, after declining to attend during his initial term in office due to his view that the majority of the media is unfairly biased against him. The president also did not attend in 2025, the first year of his second presidential term.
“The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner, a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“In honor of our Nation’s 250th Birthday, and the fact that these ‘Correspondents’ now admit that I am truly one of the Greatest Presidents in the History of our Country, the G.O.A.T., according to many, it will be my Honor to accept their invitation, and work to make it the GREATEST, HOTTEST, and MOST SPECTACULAR DINNER, OF ANY KIND, EVER!”
Trump criticized the press and its coverage of him in his acceptance, pointing to it as a reason for his absence from past events.
“Because the Press was extraordinarily bad to me, FAKE NEWS ALL, right from the beginning of my First Term, I boycotted the event, and never went as Honoree,” he wrote. “However, I look forward to being with everyone this year. Hopefully, it will be something very special.”
The annual dinner, which celebrates the First Amendment, is set to take place on April 25 at the Washington Hilton, outside of which John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Trump was the first president to skip the event since Ronald Reagan in 1981, who was recovering from the assassination attempt at the time.
"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." -- Justice Janice Rogers Brown
"The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth." -rduckwor
March 03, 2026, 04:49 PM
12131
That’s just too much. Rubbing their collective nose in the sand while accepting the invitation. Love it!
Q
March 03, 2026, 05:33 PM
SpinZone
I bet they made the invite fully expecting him to decline again.
Let the boycotting begin.
“We truly live in a wondrous age of stupid.” - 83v45magna
"I think it's important that people understand free speech doesn't mean free from consequences societally or politically or culturally." -Pranjit Kalita, founder and CIO of Birkoa Capital Management
March 03, 2026, 06:20 PM
6guns
^^^ That's what I'm thinking. Called their bluff.
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March 03, 2026, 06:40 PM
TigerDore
quote:
Originally posted by oddball: Trump slams the door on Spain.
"Friedrich Merz" -so Fred, Fred Merz.
Was Ethel with him?
.
March 03, 2026, 07:14 PM
oddball
^^^^^
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
March 03, 2026, 07:44 PM
pbslinger
DT knew the threat was imminent when the warheads were sent out for gold plating.This message has been edited. Last edited by: pbslinger,
March 04, 2026, 12:10 AM
KMitch200
quote:
Originally posted by 12131: That’s just too much. Rubbing their collective nose in the sand while accepting the invitation. Love it!
“In honor of our Nation’s 250th Birthday, and the fact that these ‘Correspondents’ now admit that I am truly one of the Greatest Presidents in the History of our Country, the G.O.A.T., according to many, it will be my Honor to accept their invitation, and work to make it the GREATEST, HOTTEST, and MOST SPECTACULAR DINNER, OF ANY KIND, EVER!”
This will really get the commie press going! He trolls them, they take the bait and he sets the hook. This might be the only time I actually watch the WHCA dinner. It should be hilarious!
-------- After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box.
March 04, 2026, 05:08 AM
downtownv
Trump Says US Will Cut Trade Ties With Spain After Being Denied Use of Spanish Bases The U.S. president expressed frustration after Spain and the UK blocked U.S. forces from using their bases to strike Iran.
I'm sure in the absence of press, the English and Spanish probably told Trump they are fearful of reprisals from their new mooslim peoples.
Trump said sure but I gotta punish you, and it's gonna hurt.
March 04, 2026, 07:56 AM
PHPaul
I'm pretty sure it's unrealistic, but just for the sake of discussion, what would happen if we dumped NATO and pulled ALL our shit out of ALL of Europe?
How much would it impact our defense posture?
(If this is inappropriate for this thread, apologies and please delete or move it.)
Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
WATCH THIS: Peter Schweizer just nailed it on Ingraham - Trump's Iran strikes have turned China's massive proxy investment into a flaming wreck!
Beijing armed the mullahs with their most advanced air defense systems and poured over $100 billion into the regime, thinking it would secure their interests forever, but those defenses were wiped out in minutes by U.S. and Israeli precision strikes with almost no fight.
Trump has now severed Beijing's cheap oil pipeline from sanctioned Iran and Venezuela, forcing China back into dollar-based markets and crushing their long-term scheme to undermine America's currency dominance - this is America First power making enemies pay the price.
WATCH THIS: Peter Schweizer just nailed it on Ingraham - Trump's Iran strikes have turned China's massive proxy investment into a flaming wreck!
Beijing armed the mullahs with their most advanced air defense systems and poured over $100 billion into the regime, thinking it would secure their interests forever, but those defenses were wiped out in minutes by U.S. and Israeli precision strikes with almost no fight.
Trump has now severed Beijing's cheap oil pipeline from sanctioned Iran and Venezuela, forcing China back into dollar-based markets and crushing their long-term scheme to undermine America's currency dominance - this is America First power making enemies pay the price.
And to think that China will ever be at war with the USA, is as laughable as Russia was in Iraq. MADE IN CHINA. it won't work or last very long.
Bessent: 15 Percent Global Tariff Starts This Week
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that an increase in President Donald Trump's new temporary global import tariff to 15% from 10% was likely to be implemented sometime this week.
The new tariff rate was announced by Trump in late February after the Supreme Court struck down his previous global tariffs under a national emergencies law. He initially imposed the 150-day tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 at a lower 10% rate.
"That's likely sometime this week," Bessent said on CNBC of the 15% rate order from Trump.
"During the 150 days, we will see studies from USTR on Section 301, tariffs from Commerce on Section 232," he said, referring to other tariff authorities that have withstood court challenges.
He said the effort to rebuild Trump's tariff program under these authorities would bring U.S. duty rates back to their prior levels within five months.
"They are slow moving, but they are more robust," Bessent said of the Section 232 national security-based tariffs and the Section 301 unfair trade practices tariffs.
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