US politics (5 Viewers)

[nuke terrorist]

US to deny visas, green cards over social media posts

US immigration authorities said they will look at social media accounts and deny visas or residence permits to people who post content considered anti-Semitic by President Donald Trump's administration

www.rte.ie

Fuck Israel, Fuck the USA.
Is that good enough for you Donnie?
I wouldn't go to America if you paid me.

 

[egg_]

Eek. I better delete the thumped app off my phone before I go next time

 

[pete]

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[therealjohnny]

AI really is going to take over everything

 

[therealjohnny]

I know this because I'm using it to create a mood board right now and am amazed at the results

sorry, planet earth

 

[ann post]

Further to what @GO was saying, i'm annoyed it's been baked into google etc.
Like i'll do a clearout and turn it off on most platforms, but the majority of people wont and the extra carbons for every single search become default. fucking stupid.

 

[pete]

well it's not going to be *every single* search since they'll be caching the responses to everything for some indeterminate amount of time, but yes. It's stupid.

 

[ann post]

I got extra annoyed this morning because i was *searching a slow cooker recipie and it gave me half a page of fucking robot emo-thoughts before the result.

*it wasn't really even a search, it was one i did before and just had 80% of the name right, so the 'most visited' one below the robot emotions was actually what i needed.

 

[flashback]

Eek. I better delete the thumped app off my phone before I go next time

if you go to the US you should probably find a burner phone.

 

[egg_]

I heard that was not recommended cos it arouses suspicion

 

[ernesto]

I heard that was not recommended cos it arouses suspicion

Everything arouses their suspicions

Having a dumb phone instead of being detained because of what you said about Yankee land on the internet seems preferable

 

[pete]

I had no idea that the people I've known that have those nautical star tattoos were in a Venezuelan gang. Cool cool cool

British man's tattoo wrongly linked to Venezuelan gang in US government document

A tattoo belonging to a man from Derbyshire has appeared in a US government document used to identify members of Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan gang, despite the man having no connection to the group.

www.bbc.com

 

[pete]

$70 Million in 60 Seconds: How Insider Information Helped Someone 28x Their Money

On April 9, 2025, someone risked $2.5 million on SPY call options—and walked away with $70+ million in under an hour. The trade was placed at 1:01 pm. At 1:30 pm, Trump announced tariff pauses. The market exploded upward. These options that cost 85 cents were suddenly worth more than $25.

data-and-politics.ghost.io

 

[flashback]

I heard that was not recommended cos it arouses suspicion

One of the reasons I left the US was that security forces viewed the public as the enemy. This idea that cooperating with them is somehow helping you is a mistake. Your objective while dealing with them is to minimize the amount of information you provide, and you do this in every way possible. They already are suspicious, if they are taking your phone they already have the worst possible intentions, they already view you as the enemy. You're not going to win them over with being warm, or helpful, you're going to make matters worse, always.
When I was interacting with them I'd play a game where I'd imagine each word I spoke cost me 5 dollars. If you have to say something, and there's cases where you do, consider the words you use in that way. Also, understand their tactics. They will inject pauses, because you'll typically get a bit uncomfortable with pauses in the conversation and will try to fill them. They'll make false statements, they'll threaten, they're effectively a pain *paid criminal gang who are above the law. Treat them this way.

 

[flashback]

$70 Million in 60 Seconds: How Insider Information Helped Someone 28x Their Money

On April 9, 2025, someone risked $2.5 million on SPY call options—and walked away with $70+ million in under an hour. The trade was placed at 1:01 pm. At 1:30 pm, Trump announced tariff pauses. The market exploded upward. These options that cost 85 cents were suddenly worth more than $25.

data-and-politics.ghost.io

yeah, at this point they're openly telling the public: yes, we're commit fraud, we're telling you we're committing fraud, what are you going to do?

That's right. Nothing. You cunts. Now fuck off with your whining.

Being aggressively open in their corruption and disregard for the law is the intention. It's demonstrating what waits for you, once you join their team. This is how Putin keeps his oligarchs in check, you swear fealty to me, you too become above the law. It's a demonstration of power, and method of control.

 

[nuke terrorist]

Remember there was deep suspicion about unforeseen agendas of the internet in the mid 90's and social media in the mid 2000's.
There was huge concern that signing over our communication / data to corporations would lead to major malevolence.
We shouldn't be surprised where we are now

 

[GO]

AI really is going to take over everything

NOT FUCKING US

NO way.Not a chance, I'm rejecting it

 

[Kermit McDermott]

Paul Simon predicted all this in the 80's with his song You can call me AI.

 

[Cormcolash]

Pete is actually just an AI, has been for years, ever since he disappeared after the last Thumped Christmas Party

 

[therealjohnny]

Interesting
"Let’s talk about the moment Donald Trump blinked. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t a tweetstorm or a rally rant. When the tariff threats that had the world on edge — 125% on China, 25% on Canada’s autos, a global trade war in the making — suddenly softened. A 'pause,' he called it. A complete turnaround from the chest-thumping of the past week. And the reason? Mark Carney and a slow, deliberate financial maneuver that most people didn’t even notice: the coordinated Treasury bond slow bleed.

This wasn’t about bravado. It was about leverage. Cold, calculated, and devastatingly effective.

Trump’s pause wasn’t because people were getting yippy…

Rewind a bit. While Trump was gearing up his trade war machine, Carney, Canada’s Prime Minister, wasn’t just sitting in Ottawa twiddling his thumbs. He’d been quietly increasing Canada’s holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds—over $350 billion worth by early 2025, part of the $8.53 trillion foreign countries hold in U.S. debt. On the surface, it looked like a safe play, a hedge against economic chaos. But it wasn’t just defense. It was a loaded gun.

Carney didn’t stop there. He took his case to Europe. Not for photo ops, but for closed-door meetings with the EU’s heavy hitters — Germany, France, the Netherlands. Japan was in the room too, listening closely. The pitch was simple: if Trump went too far with tariffs, Canada wouldn’t just retaliate with duties on American cars or steel. It would start offloading those Treasury bonds. Not a fire sale — nothing so crude. A slow, steady bleed. A signal to the markets that the U.S. dollar’s perch wasn’t so secure.

Here’s a brief explainer about Treasury Bonds and why Carney encouraged other countries to follow Canada’s lead, and why it worked:

How Treasury Bonds Work and Why a Global Sell-Off Could Tank the U.S.

What Are Treasury Bonds?

They’re IOUs the U.S. government issues to borrow money.

Countries, banks, and investors buy them, lending cash to the U.S.

The U.S. promises to pay back the loan with interest over time (e.g., 10 years).

Who Owns Them?

Foreign countries hold $8.5 trillion of U.S. debt (as of 2025).

Big players: Japan ($1 trillion+), Canada ($350 billion), EU nations ($1.5 trillion combined).

They buy bonds to park money safely and earn steady interest.

How Do They Affect the U.S.?

The U.S. uses this borrowed cash to fund everything—military, Social Security, tax cuts.

Cheap borrowing keeps the economy humming; the government spends more than it collects in taxes.

What Happens in a Coordinated Sell-Off?

If countries like Canada, Japan, and the EU start selling bonds together (even slowly):

Flood of Bonds: Too many bonds hit the market at once.

Prices Drop: More supply than demand pushes bond prices down.

Interest Rates Spike: When bond prices fall, yields (interest rates) rise to attract buyers.

Why Does This Hurt the U.S.?

Borrowing Gets Expensive: Higher interest rates mean the U.S. pays more to borrow.

Debt Snowballs: The U.S. owes $34 trillion already; pricier loans make it harder to manage.

Dollar Weakens: Selling bonds means dumping dollars, so the currency’s value drops.

How Does This Cause a Depression?

Spending Dries Up: Government cuts back as borrowing costs soar—fewer jobs, less aid.

Businesses Tank: Higher rates choke loans; companies can’t expand or hire.

Imports Cost More: A weaker dollar makes foreign goods (oil, tech) pricier, jacking up inflation.

Markets Crash: Panic hits stocks and banks as confidence in U.S. debt fades.

The Domino Effect:

Jobs vanish, prices spike, savings erode—classic depression triggers.

A slow, coordinated sell-off isn’t a bluff; it’s a quiet gut punch that would take the US YEARS to recover from.

And here’s the kicker: Canada wasn’t alone. Japan, holding over $1 trillion in U.S. debt, signed on and started to sell those US Treasury bonds which scared Trump shitless. Key EU countries — collectively sitting on another $1.5 trillion — nodded in agreement. This wasn’t a bluff. It was a silent pact. A coordinated move to remind Trump that the free world doesn’t just roll over when he swings his tariff bat. Hurt us, Carney said, and we’ll hurt you — right where it counts.

The U.S. Treasury market is the backbone of the global economy. Foreign holders like Canada, Japan, and the EU keep it humming, financing everything from America’s military to its tax cuts. Start selling those bonds in unison, even gradually, and the yields spike. The dollar wobbles. Borrowing costs climb. Suddenly, Trump’s 'beautiful' bond market — he bragged about it just yesterday — looks like a house of cards in a stiff breeze.

That’s the message Carney delivered in his call with Trump last week. No leaks on the exact words, but the outcome speaks volumes. Trump didn’t just pause the tariffs; he backpedaled hard. China’s still in the crosshairs — 125% duties are no joke — but Canada? The EU? Japan? They’re off the hit list. For now, at least. Why? Because Carney’s play wasn’t noise. It was power.

Let’s be real: Trump’s spent years calling Canada a freeloader — remember his 2019 NATO jabs? — while ignoring the inconvenient truth. Canada’s $350 billion in U.S. debt isn’t charity. It’s a lifeline. Japan’s trillion-plus? Same deal. The EU’s pile? Ditto. These countries aren’t just buying bonds to be nice; they’re bankrolling the U.S. government. And when they threaten to pull the plug, even slowly, Washington listens.

This was the determining factor in Trump’s surrender. Not the public spats, not the retaliatory tariffs Canada slapped on U.S. autos (though those stung). It was the quiet, coordinated threat of a Treasury bond unwind that bent Trump’s knee. Carney didn’t need to shout. He didn’t need to posture. He lined up the free world — Japan, the EU, Canada in lockstep — and showed Trump the cliff’s edge. Strategic brilliance doesn’t get louder than that.

Carney also issued Canadian Treasury bonds in USD which was another brilliant way to strengthen Canada’s position and financial reputation. Little triggers and strategies you get when the world’s most respected economist is your PM…

When Trump announced his tariff 'pause,' it wasn’t a victory lap. It was a concession. Carney moved markets without firing a shot. He gave Canada a seat at the power table and proved that global respect isn’t won with bluster — it’s earned with moves that hit where it hurts. Trump talks tough. Carney plays chess. And right now, the board’s his.

Want the raw data? Check the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s 'Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities' report. Look at Canada’s holdings. Japan’s. The EU’s. Then ask yourself: who’s really holding 'the cards.'

OH, and will Canada’s tariffs and countermeasures remain in place until after the election on April 28th? Yup.

Carney made sure to tell the world that despite Trump kissing our northern ring, we’re not negotiating shit until after the election. He also said we’re still moving away from our relationship with the US for greener, saner pastures."

- Dean Blundell