MAGA bits: Privatizing the entire federal government; djt's 'compassion'; Reducing court power

The WaPo reports (not paywalled) about MAGA's efforts to  privatize all of the federal government:

DOGE wants businesses to run government services ‘as much as possible’

Mail delivery. Real estate. Foreign aid grants. The Trump administration is moving to privatize a sweeping number of government functions and assets — a long-standing Republican goal that’s being catalyzed by billionaire Elon Musk.

The slash-and-burn approach of Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service is paving the way for a new shift to the private sector, reducing the size and power of the federal bureaucracy in a real-world test of the conservative theory — a version of which is also widely popular in Silicon Valley — that companies are better than government at saving money and responding to people’s needs.

At the DOGE-allied General Services Administration, officials are quietly moving ahead with a push to sell hundreds of publicly owned buildings to private companies — which can then lease them back to the government, theoretically saving maintenance and upkeep costs for taxpayers, according to two people briefed on internal deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.

A Wall Street investor nominated to run the International Development Finance Corporation, a little-known foreign investment agency that works to align the private sector with U.S. foreign policy goals, has suggested redirecting a large portion of the $40 billion budget of the shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development to investors, start-ups and companies that work in developing countries.

The possibilities for corruption on a scale unparalleled in human history are opening up to MAGA elites. The market for running government functions is worth a few trillion per year in sales and who knows what in profits. 

Q: Do you believe the Silicon Valley assertion that companies, especially after MAGA deregulation, are better than government at saving money and responding to people’s needs?

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The BBC reports: Trump says he 'couldn't care less' about higher car prices -- But the US president told NBC News on Saturday that he hoped foreign carmakers will raise prices as it meant "people are gonna buy American-made cars - we have plenty". .... 25% tariffs on cars and car parts entering the US to begin on 2 April. Charges on businesses importing vehicles are expected on 3 April, and taxes on parts are set to start in May or later. When asked about what his message was to car bosses, he said: "The message is congratulations. If you make your car in the United States, you're going to make a lot of money."

Guess what happens when imported product prices increase due to tariffs? This is what happens: Domestic producers have an opportunity to raise their prices without losing competitive position, so that is what they do. The evidence on this point is clear and consistent. Domestic producers raise their prices to match or approach the higher prices of their foreign competitors. That ripples through consumer prices beyond just the imported products to include competing domestic products. djt and MAGA have just imposed a gigantic price hike on consumers and I don't see much public complaining about it, yet. 

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The House is mulling over a proposed law to seriously reduce federal trial court power. The proposed law, the No Rogue Rulings Act of 2025, limits the power of federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions. What prompted this is MAGA's blatant unconstitutionality in its policies and actions. MAGA elites and djt are furious that the courts are stopping their illegal acts by issuing injunctions. If passed into law, this would take power from the courts and give it to djt. Apparently congressional MAGA authoritarians really do support the "unitary executive" concept where djt gets close to true dictator power. The bill is scheduled for a floor vote in the House today.

Presumably the bill would fail in the Senate, unless those authoritarian MAGA elites vote to get rid of the filibuster. The urge to get rid of the filibuster must be intense. MAGA elites really do want to steamroll everything that djt wants to do. As far as I can tell, the filibuster is the last big thing standing in djt's way in congress. If that falls, I think that djt and MAGA will be unstoppable.

MAGA chunks: Energy sector gets payoff, consumers get shafted; Deporting foreign students

Utility Dive reports:

DOE withdraws, postpones multiple appliance energy efficiency rules

“We are returning freedom of choice to the American people,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a statement

DOE has “officially withdrawn four conservation standards, including standards on electric motors, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, and external power supplies,” the agency said in a statement. “This continued commitment to the American people will slash unnecessary red tape and regulations that raise prices, reduce consumer choice, and frustrate the American people.”

The natural gas sector hailed the announcement as a win for consumer choice, while efficiency advocates warn the decision could add billions to utility bills.

While delaying or not finalizing rule updates begun under the previous administration isn’t particularly noteworthy, deLaski said DOE’s decision on electric motors is different. That rule was signed by a DOE official and put out to the public, but was not published in the Federal Register.

“And that’s a big rule … a massive amount of energy consumed in industry and commercial buildings is in electric motors,” deLaski said. The rule was supported by manufacturers and utilities, he added, leading to the fundamental question: “When is a rule final?”

The now-withdrawn rule for electric motors was expected to save American businesses up to $56 billion on utility bills and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 156 million metric tons over 30 years of sales, ASAP said in January, pointing to DOE estimates.

When I hear anything that any MAGA elite says is good for us, I disbelieve it and assume the opposite is closer to the truth. In this case, by fact checking led to a finding that even before the DOE got captured and poisoned by djt and MAGA, it apparently was captured and poisoned by the carbon energy sector and/or manufacturers. 

Research from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found that the DOE historically overestimated the price impacts of efficiency standards. Across nine regulation cases they studied, the DOE projected an average price increase of $148 per appliance, but the actual average change was a $12 decrease in manufacturer's selling price. This directly contradicts the MAGA lie that increased efficiency standards automatically raise consumer prices. A typical household saves about $320 per year due to current standards. That is projected to increase to about $460 annually by 2030. Over the lifetime of efficient appliances, these energy bill savings typically outweigh any initial cost increases by a ratio of 4 to 1.

Also, contrary to claims that regulations reduce consumer choice, evidence suggests that efficiency standards have historically driven innovation and expanded options. For example, modern refrigerators use 75% less energy than 1973 models but afford 20% more storage capacity. Modern clothes washers use 70% less energy than in 1990 with 50% more tub capacity. Those are significant.

Peanut: America is governed with scientific ignorance, religious bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia and racism, and you expect them to get electric motors right? So much for "choice", which ranks right up there with "waste, fraud, and abuse" as things that don't mean what they say.

So once again, not surprisingly, corrupt MAGA elites are lying to us about what is good for us. They shamelessly tell us that something actually bad for us and the environment is good for both. I agree with Peanut. 

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The Times of India reports about targeted foreign students being asked by MAGA to self-deport:

Hundreds of international students wake up to an email 

asking them to self deport for campus activism

Hundreds of international students in the US are getting an email from the US Department of State (DOS) asking them to self-deport owing to campus activism. Immigration attorneys’ contacted by TOI affirmed this development and added a few Indian students may also be at the receiving end of such emails – for something as innocuous as sharing a social media post. It is not just international students who physically participated in campus activism but also those who shared or liked ‘anti-national’ posts that are the target of these emails, said an immigration attorney.

.... new student applications be it for an F (academic study visa), M (vocational study visa) or J (exchange visa) will also come under such social media scrutiny. Applicants will be denied the opportunity to study in the US.

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, has launched an AI-fuelled ‘Catch and Revoke’ effort to cancel the visas of foreign nationals who appear to support Hamas or other designated terror groups. Axios further reports that more than 300 foreign students have had their student visas revoked in the three weeks that ‘Catch and Revoke’ has been in operation ....

[The DOS email includes these comments:] "Remaining in the United States without a lawful immigration status can result in fines, detention, and/or deportation. It may also make you ineligible for a future U.S. visa. Please note that deportation can take place at a time that does not allow the person being deported to secure possessions or conclude affairs in the United States. Persons being deported may be sent to countries other than their countries of origin."

"Given the gravity of this situation, individuals whose visa was revoked may wish to demonstrate their intent to depart the United States using the CBP Home App."

"As soon as you depart the United States, you must personally present your passport to the U.S. embassy or consulate which issued your visa so your visa can be physically cancelled. You must not attempt to use your visa as it has been revoked. If you intend to travel to the United States in the future, you must apply for another U.S. visa and a determination on your eligibility for a visa will be made at that time."

They may be sent to countries other than their countries of origin? Given the gravity of this situation? WTF is going on here? What is MAGA blithering about? Other than MAGA constantly lying to us and killing our democracy, civil liberties and rule of law, there is no grave situation. This looks like MAGA racism and bigotry. That's the only explanation that makes at least some sense to me. I wonder if this is legal. It seems to violate due process law and procedural steps in deportations, such as a hearing notification at least 14 days before proceedings, and an opportunity to contest grounds of deportability.

 

To MAGA, the rule of law is crap to be ignored if it gets in the way, or distorted and weaponized if it is useful. What an effing mess.

The history of US involvement in the Ukraine war: The killing machine

The NYT describes its investigation (not paywalled) of the US-Ukraine alliance in a very long and detailed history of US involvement. The investigation shows a deep, secretive partnership, centered at a US Army base in Wiesbaden, Germany. Key points:

• For nearly three years before President Trump's return to power, the US and Ukraine were in a clandestine collaboration involving intelligence, strategy, planning, and technology. This partnership was largely unknown to most American and allied officials.

• The U.S. established an operation called Task Force Dragon to assist Ukraine in using advanced weaponry effectively. This task force was pivotal in providing targeting information to Ukrainian forces.

• American and coalition intelligence analysts at Wiesbaden would daily prioritize targets, identifying Russian military units, equipment, or infrastructure. They used satellite data, radio signals, and intercepted communications to locate Russian forces, then transmitted the coordinates to Ukraine.

• There were tensions due to differing strategic views. Ukrainian leaders were sometimes seen as overly ambitious, while US officials were considered too cautious. This led to disagreements, particularly during Ukraine's counteroffensive in the summer of 2023.

• Ukraine's ability to strike significant Russian targets, like the cruiser Moskva, without prior US knowledge, caused surprise and anger among US officials. This highlighted a gap in expectations and communication between the two nations.

• NATO established a new command in Wiesbaden to coordinate training and equipment donations to Ukraine, aiming to increase interoperability between Ukrainian forces and NATO.

• Despite the change in US administration, NATO and European allies have pledged long-term security assistance to Ukraine, with significant financial commitments to support Ukraine's defense efforts.

• This partnership was instrumental in Ukraine's military operations against Russia, providing not just material support but also strategic and intelligence assistance.

• By US count, the killing machine has killed or wounded more than 700,000 Russian soldiers. Ukraine puts its casualty toll at 435,000.

• In his last weeks in office, Biden made moves to support the Ukraine. He crossed his own final red line by expanding the ops box to allow ATACMS and British Storm Shadow strikes into Russia. That was prompted by North Korea sending thousands of troops to help the Russians dislodge the Ukrainians from Kursk.

• Growing distrust between the US and Ukraine poisoned the collaboration, and djt eventually made it worse. 

With the djt and MAGA elites now openly supporting Russia and backing away from supporting the Ukraine, and with NATO and the EU unable to get their act together, it looks like the Ukraine is toast. The question is, how horrendous will the end be?

MAGA builds an American totalitarian state

In a 2019 post I wrote about how Hannah Arendt describes totalitarianism, Adam made two detailed comments. Adam is intimately familiar with Arendt's 1951 book, The Origins of Totalitarianism. I copied both comments and fed them to Pxy to summarize. I then asked Pxy if what djt and MAGA elites are doing fits at least reasonably well with the structure an power flow of totalitarianism. Pxy said yes, it fits.

Apparently, the unease and sense of dread I started feeling rather acutely in the last few weeks may be due to a more more malicious and cruel vision of what MAGA elites are planning, whether djt is aware of it or not. I thought they were intent on building a somewhat benign kleptocratic dictatorship tinged with kleptocratic plutocracy for the elites and bigoted kleptocratic theocracy for the Christian nationalists. 

I now think our situation is a lot worse than barely tolerable lust for wealth and power. I now see MAGA as forcing a vicious, cruel, intolerable wealth and power state. In essence, djt is setting himself up as an American variant of Hitler or Stalin. I suspect he does not know it yet and probably never will. I still think he is too stupid and self-centered to see this. In my opinion, that's in large part because his arrogance and narcissism blinds him to what MAGA elites really want. They see djt as expendable.

Here is part of Adam's 1st comment:

Probably the best example of this, if you were looking at the Trump Administration, is how someone like Elon Musk is considered over someone like Linda McMahon. Ms. McMahon's office gives her far more formal power than Elon Musk. And yet, it seems clear that Elon Musk is far more on the "inside" than Linda McMahon, who seems very much on the "outside" of power. Marco Rubio has a lot of formal power accorded to him by the Constitution. But he strikes me as very much outside of power compared to someone like Tom Homan, who technically works under Rubio. I could be completely wrong about these relationships, because it is in the nature of totalitarianism to be rather opaque about its internal structure when seen from the outside. And by "outside," this is the relative outside, compared to the next layer of the "inside" you are adjacent to.

At the heart of this structure is, as rightly described, the Leader. But I think it is important to understand that the Leader, for Arendt, is both the most important figure of the totalitarian regime and the least important. He can be replaced at any time. In fact, it almost becomes necessary at some point that he be replaced. Because when the contradictions mount up, and the reality becomes too intolerable, the best way to keep everything moving is to install a new leader, and blame the problems on the old leader.

Here is the Pxy analysis:

PERPLEXITY

Q1: Summarize Adam's comments, copied from the blog post. (Too long to post both comments here)

A1: Understanding Arendt's Totalitarian Structure: A Summary of Commentary on Chapters 10-11 of "The Origins of Totalitarianism"

The commentary [Adam's comments] provides an insightful analysis of Hannah Arendt's conceptualization of totalitarian structure and propaganda as described in chapters 10 and 11 of "The Origins of Totalitarianism." This summary examines the key elements of this interpretation and connects them to Arendt's theoretical framework.

The Spherical Structure of Totalitarianism

The commentator emphasizes that understanding Arendt's description of totalitarian structure in Chapter 10 is essential before grasping her analysis of propaganda in Chapter 11. Unlike traditional political systems with hierarchical pyramidal structures, Arendt conceptualizes totalitarianism as spherical, with power flowing from inside to outside rather than top to bottom^[1][2]. This organizational model resembles an onion with multiple layers rather than a flowchart, where one's proximity to the center determines real power regardless of formal position.

In this spherical model, a cabinet secretary might hold high formal office but remain on the "outside" of actual power. The commentator illustrates this with contemporary examples, suggesting how figures like Elon Musk might be closer to the "inside" of power than officials with greater constitutional authority like Linda McMahon or Marco Rubio.

The Leader's Paradoxical Position

At the center of this spherical structure sits the Leader, whom the commentator describes as simultaneously the most and least important figure. While the Leader projects an aura of infallibility while in power, they can be replaced when "contradictions mount up" with the new leader often blaming all problems on the predecessor^[2]. The example of Stalin illustrates this dynamic—revered during his lifetime but denounced by Khrushchev immediately after his death.

Propaganda and Front Organizations

The commentary clarifies a significant aspect of Arendt's theory: propaganda in totalitarian systems operates unidirectionally from inside to outside^[2]. It targets "the nontotalitarian strata of the population at home or the nontotalitarian countries at home." Rather than providing internal coherence as Orwell suggested, propaganda primarily serves to communicate with external audiences.

Totalitarianism creates demarcations between "in" and "out" groups, starting with the distinction between party members and sympathizers. The commentator explains how front organizations function as protective layers, each insulating the one inside from external scrutiny while normalizing it to the layer outside^[3].

The Dual Dynamic: Propaganda and Terror

The commentary identifies the dual mechanisms that maintain totalitarian control:

1. Propaganda flow: Moving from inside to outside, propaganda makes each layer appear normal to those in the outer rings

2. Terror dynamic: Operating in the opposite direction, terror keeps each layer in line through fear of those in the inner circles^[2][4]

The Nazi Example

To illustrate this structure, the commentator provides a detailed example using Nazi Germany, tracing relationships from Karl (a German-American in Chicago) to Fritz (a Nazi party member) to Otto (an SA member) to Konrad (an SS officer). Each layer protects those inside it while being controlled by them through terror. The example demonstrates how the front organizations work—each layer insulates the inner core while making it seem normal to those outside, creating a system where propaganda flows outward while terror flows inward.

Conclusion

This commentary offers valuable insight into Arendt's conception of totalitarian structure and its mechanisms of control. By emphasizing the spherical rather than hierarchical nature of totalitarianism, it helps explain how such regimes maintain power through the dual dynamics of propaganda and terror^[2][3]. The analysis highlights why traditional understanding of political hierarchy fails to capture the true nature of totalitarian power and provides a framework for recognizing similar patterns in contemporary political contexts.

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Q2: Is what Trump and MAGA elites are doing in conformance with building a totalitarian state more or less in accord with how Arendt describes totalitarianism? Is it possible that Project 2025 and the 180 Day Transition Plan are a roadmap to a modern American totalitarianism?

A2: The alignment between Trump/MAGA initiatives and Hannah Arendt's analysis of totalitarianism reveals significant parallels in structure and methodology, though important distinctions remain. Drawing from Arendt's framework and current developments:

Structural Parallels with Totalitarian Systems

1. Spherical Power Structure
Project 2025's plan to replace up to 50,000 nonpartisan civil servants with political loyalists^[5][6][7] mirrors Arendt's concept of concentric power circles. This creates an "onion-like" structure where proximity to the leader—not formal titles—determines influence, insulating decision-making from institutional accountability.

2. Propaganda Dynamics
The Trump administration's reliance on disinformation (e.g., election fraud claims)^[8][9] and MAGA's media ecosystem exemplify Arendt's observation that totalitarian propaganda flows outward to non-core supporters. This external-facing narrative management aims to normalize radical policies to broader audiences while maintaining ideological purity within inner circles.

3. Terror Mechanisms
Plans to weaponize the DOJ against political opponents^[5][7] and deploy the Insurrection Act against dissent^[5][9] align with Arendt's "terror dynamic," where fear of inner-circle retribution enforces loyalty. The proposed "Election Crimes Branch"^[7] could institutionalize this terror by criminalizing routine political activity.

Key Components of Project 2025 as Totalitarian Roadmap

Arendtian Feature	Project 2025 Implementation	Source
Leader-centric hierarchy	Unitary executive theory expansion	[5][10]
Institutional capture	Replacement of 50,000 civil servants	[5][7]
Legal system subversion	DOJ politicization plans	[5][6]
Paramilitary integration	Insurrection Act deployment proposals	[5][9]
Reality distortion	Preemptive election fraud narratives	[8][9]

Critical Divergences from Classical Totalitarianism

1. Institutional Resilience: While seeking to dismantle checks and balances^[5][10], U.S. institutions like an independent judiciary and free press still exist—for now. Arendt emphasized totalitarianism's requirement to destroy all mediating institutions.

2. Ideological Coherence: MAGA's mix of Christian nationalism, corporatism, and personal loyalty to Trump^[11][12][13] lacks the unified worldview Arendt identified in Nazi or Soviet ideologies. However, the Heritage Foundation's systematization through Project 2025^[6][14] suggests movement toward doctrinal consolidation.

3. Violence Scale: Current paramilitary collaboration (e.g., Proud Boys)^[8][9] remains less institutionalized than Hitler's SA or Stalin's NKVD, though the 180-Day Plan's security proposals^[6][7] indicate escalatory intent.

Modern Totalitarian Trajectory

The 920-page Mandate for Leadership and 180-Day Transition Playbook^[5][6] constitute a blueprint for what Arendt called "the substitution of the real will of the leader for the will of the people." Key risk factors include:

• Bureaucratic Inversion: Converting civil service into a patronage system^[5][7], mirroring Nazi Gleichschaltung (coordination)

• Legal Nullification: Proposed Schedule F executive order^[6] would enable rule-by-decree tendencies

• Information Control: Plans to weaken independent media^[5] align with totalitarianism's requirement for reality domination

While full totalitarianism remains unrealized, the project's architects explicitly reference authoritarian models like Orban's Hungary and Erdogan's Turkey^[5][12]—regimes exhibiting what Arendt termed "totalitarian elements within non-totalitarian systems." The combination of spherical power structures, propagandistic reality-building, and institutional demolition creates conditions matching Arendt's warning: "The most important qualification of a mass leader has become unending infallibility; he can never admit an error."^[8][9]

In conclusion, Project 2025 operationalizes several core Arendtian totalitarian mechanisms through modern governance tools. While lacking the explicit mass violence of 20th-century regimes, its systemic dismantling of constitutional safeguards and institutional capture strategies follow the pattern Arendt identified—transforming democracy through gradual "coordination" rather than sudden revolution^[8][5][10]. Whether this constitutes full totalitarianism depends on implementation rigor, but the structural parallels and stated intentions suggest it represents the most comprehensive attempt at authoritarian transformation in modern U.S. history.

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1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Totalitarianism

2. https://rozenbergquarterly.com/hannah-arendts-theory-of-totalitarianism-part-two/

3. https://philpapers.org/archive/TSATTP.pdf

4. https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/arendt_originsoftotalitarianism.pdf

5. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-would-destroy-the-u-s-system-of-checks-and-balances-and-create-an-imperial-presidency/

6. https://www.thenation.com/article/society/project-2025-trump-heritage-foundation-maga/

7. https://www.commoncause.org/actions/stop-trumps-anti-democracy-project-2025-agenda-2/

8. https://undsoc.org/2020/12/30/trumpism-and-hannah-arendts-reflections-on-totalitarianism/

9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_and_fascism

10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpism

11. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/21521958/what-is-fascism-signs-donald-trump

12. https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/project-2025-agenda-47

13. https://convergencemag.com/articles/maga-authoritarian-rule-or-third-reconstruction/

14. https://www.aft.org/column/project-2025-institutionalizing-trumpism

MAGA bits: Anti-vaxx killers; MAGA encryption tech; Pro-Russia propagandist gets access

The NYT reports that a vaccine official resigned because RFK Jr. is a liar who does not care about truth or public safety:

The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official, Dr. Peter Marks, resigned under pressure Friday and said that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s aggressive stance on vaccines was irresponsible and posed a danger to the public.

“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” Dr. Marks wrote to Sara Brenner, the agency’s acting commissioner. He reiterated the sentiments in an interview, saying: “This man doesn’t care about the truth. He cares about what is making him followers.”

Q: Is it fair to call MAGA people like djt and RFK Jr. killers due to them deceiving people into not getting vaccinated, and they die from an infection or pass an infection to someone else who then dies?

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 The Daily Beast reports that djt has added a pro-Russia propagandist to the White House press pool: "A right-wing influencer who was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to spread Russian propaganda during the 2024 presidential election has been added to the White House press pool. On Friday, someone from Tim Pool’s “Timcast” YouTube channel will be part of the press pool covering President Donald Trump, said Will Sommer, a journalist with The Bulwark, in a social media post on X."

We can reasonably expect mostly lies and slanders from this MAGA slug. But I won't be paying any attention to anything he says.

Russian propagandist Tim Pool is in the pool

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Election subversion update: djt's EO that could lead to massive election subversion starting with the 2026 elections seeks voter information from states in return for federal money to help fund elections. Talking Points Memo writes:

“There is this kind of extensive command for the attorney general not only to search out prosecution of election crimes, but to engage in all this information sharing to try to basically supplant states in their role,” Danielle Lang, Campaign Legal Center’s Senior Director of Voting Rights, explained in an interview with TPM. “But there is this kind of attempt to really force the Department of Justice to be front and center and demand all this information from the states and penalize the states that do not engage in this kind of joint weaponization of prosecution.”

The scope of the information that the EO is directing states to share with the DOJ is broad. If implemented, this “information sharing agreement” would require states to share information on people who have committed amorphous “election fraud,” as well as information on people who registered to vote more than once.

Registering to vote more than once, which more often than not happens because a voter’s old registration was never cancelled, is not actually a crime and is a common mistake that is cleaned up as part of state election officials’ routine voter roll maintenance duties.

This look like a MAGA attempt to conduct massive purges of democrats from voter rolls. As usual with MAG, there in no evidence. MAGA claims of voter fraud and election integrity are lies and smoke screens, to subvert the 2026 elections.

Intention economy update: Musk sells X to Musk AI

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Musk sold X to Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI:

X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, has been sold.

Elon Musk said Friday that xAI, his artificial intelligence company, had acquired X in an all-stock transaction that values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45 billion, his original take-private price, minus $12 billion in debt).

That’s $1 billion more than the take-private price of $44 billion in 2022.

“xAI and X’s futures are intertwined. Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent,” Musk wrote on X. “This combination will unlock immense potential by blending xAI’s advanced AI capability and expertise with X’s massive reach. The combined company will deliver smarter, more meaningful experiences to billions of people while staying true to our core mission of seeking truth and advancing knowledge. This will allow us to build a platform that doesn’t just reflect the world but actively accelerates human progress.”

The sales pitch: The intention economy is sold as something benign and wonderful for consumers. It is a marketing paradigm that is claimed to focus on empowering customers by prioritizing their expressed intentions and needs, rather than relying on traditional seller-driven methods. The concept envisions a shift where buyers actively shape markets by signaling their specific demands, and businesses compete to fulfill them.

Here’s the reality: Musk intends to ramp up the sales and persuasion power of X. He is using AI in pursuit of a lead and dominance in the intention economy. The intention economy focuses on capturing, analyzing and manipulating human motivations and desires to drive sales and manipulate reality. In other words, the goal is to commodify and conquer the human mind using AI. Accumulating evidence indicates that the intention economy’s AI infrastructure coupled with hyper-targeted data collection creates a ton of opportunity for manipulation and abuse. The intention economy can be weaponized to exploit consumers, undermine personal autonomy, distort markets, and threaten democratic processes. 

LLMs (large language models) like ChatGPT analyze conversational data, search histories, and behavioral patterns to infer desires, creating a marketplace where personal intentions are bought and sold. Generative AI tools process "hundreds of words of rich, contextual data" from users, moving beyond keyword-based targeting to proactively anticipate needs and desires. For instance, Meta’s Cicero model demonstrated the ability to infer human intentions in strategy games, a capability extendable to commerce and politics.

Human cognitive vulnerabilities are targeted to boost sales. The intention economy’s reliance on behavioral data allows people like Musk to identify and target moments of psychological weakness. Precedents in digital advertising, such as targeting beauty products to women during “prime vulnerability moments” like Monday mornings, illustrate how intent-driven systems can boost sales by  amplifying AI’s ability to manipulate people. Digital signals of intent, such as search queries, voice assistant interactions, and social media activity, are collected and auctioned to advertisers. This creates a feedback loop where users’ expressed desires are not merely observed but actively shaped and sold.

The intention economy’s arguably most insidious effect is the erosion of free will. By embedding suggestions into seemingly neutral interactions such as chatbot chats or search results, AI systems bypasses conscious decision-making. Users perceive choices as self-directed, unaware of algorithmic curation or manipulation. This “soft coercion” mirrors techniques described by Shoshana Zuboff in Surveillance Capitalism, where autonomy is traded for convenience. Marginalized groups face heightened risks. Low-income users, often reliant on AI-driven services for essential needs, are disproportionately targeted by predatory practices. For example, AI can steer subprime loan offers to individuals expressing financial stress in chat logs. 

To protect consumers, tech firms could adopt human-centric design  (HCD) principles that prioritize user welfare over engagement metrics like sales, profits and false beliefs instilled in people’s minds. How likely is that to happen? 

In my opinion, very unlikely for at least the next ~5 years, based on current American politics and political conditions. In Pxy’s analysis: While profit-driven firms resist systemic change, the rising costs of reputational damage and regulatory non-compliance make HCD adoption increasingly pragmatic. As Stanford’s Makridis notes, the question is not if HCD will prevail, but how many users must be harmed before industry-wide reckoning occurs? 

Q1: How likely is it that (1) intention economy billionaires will voluntarily adopt HCD to protect consumers, or (2) government will impose regulations to use HCD to protect consumers from intention economy abuses?

Q2: Is it time for mandatory universal public school education in defense against the dark arts like authoritarian lies and demagoguery, intention economy-implanted false beliefs, and intention economy-driven sales to consumers? 

Q3: Is it too late to either implement mandatory universal public school education in defense against the dark arts, or to rely on it even if it is implemented? 

MAGA's poison bombs: MAGA's attacks force Canada to respond; Totalitarianism revisited

TNR writes that Canada is shifting from the status of an ally and cooperating friend to a nation that  will distance itself from the US:

Canada Announces Bombshell Break With U.S. Over Trump

The new Canadian prime minister announced the two countries’ relationship is “over”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney officially broke things off with the United States Thursday, marking a seismic shift in relations between the longtime allies.

“The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over,” Carney said during a press conference, following a meeting in Ottawa with his ministers to “discuss trade options” in response to Donald Trump’s “permanent” 25 percent tariffs on all imported vehicles and auto parts.

“What exactly the United States does next is unclear, but what is clear, what is clear is that we as Canadians have agency. We have power. We are masters in our own home,” Carney said.

“We can control our destiny. We can give ourselves much more than any foreign government, including the United States, can ever take away. We can deal with this crisis best by building our own strength right here at home.”  

“We will need to dramatically reduce our reliance on the United States. We will need to pivot our trade relationships elsewhere. And we will need to do things previously thought impossible at speeds we haven’t seen in generations,” Carney said.

Well there we have it. djt and his morally rotted MAGA wealth and power movement have needlessly alienated a precious, long-time friend and ally. How long will it be until the MAGA rank and file wake the hell up? Or will they never be able to see the vast damage that morally rotted djt and his morally rotted MAGA bullshit is needlessly causing to the US and its interests? The US is needlessly losing friends, power and moral authority. At this point, there seems to be little or no American moral authority left.

Analysis: What are the final djt/MAGA elite goals? What is the end game?

In the last few weeks, my assessment of both djt and MAGA elites has shifted some. I previously thought that djt and MAGA elites were only focused on wealth and power to set up an old-fashioned corrupt dictatorship. Now I believe it is worse than that. In my opinion, djt and MAGA elites are focused on wealth, power by way of destruction. It's not clear to  me yet if the destruction component is squarely directed at just killing democracy and establishing an old-fashioned kleptocratic dictatorship, or if the destruction aims to for something a lot worse, namely establishing an modern American totalitarianism.

The post that PD put up earlier today raised the question of totalitarianism. After reading, actually, trying to read, Hannah Arendt's 1951 book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, I dismissed the idea of djt having either the intelligence or the work ethic needed to be a contender for totalitarian status on a par with Hitler or Stalin. djt struck me as too lazy and too stupid to even come close to pulling off a Hitler or Stalin move. Now I am not so sure, but for a reason I did not foresee until now. 

What I did not see coming was Project 2025 and it's secret 180 day attack plan, the 180-Day Transition Playbook. To my knowledge, the Playbook still has not been leajed to tghe public, indicating to me how critically important it is to MAGA elites' planning and operations. The people behind those initiatives are neither lazy like djt nor stupid like him. I now think that what they are driving to establish probably is an American totalitarianism or something fairly close. As one can appreciate, the difference between a kleptocratic dictatorship and a totalitarian state can be hard to tell because the differences tend to be opaque and obscured by relentless demagoguery. 

In the wake of the Hedgseth/djt national security breach fiasco, the relentless lying by djt and the MAGA elites involved cannot be clearer proof that demagogic lying to the public to disinform, divide and distract is a core moral value. Arendt commented about the role of propaganda (demagoguery) coupled with terror in a totalitarian state:

The essential point is that the necessities for propaganda are always dictated by the outside world and that the movements themselves do not actually propagate but indoctrinate. Conversely, indoctrination, inevitably coupled with terror, increases the strength of the movements or the totalitarian government’s isolation and security from outside interference. Propaganda is indeed part and parcel of “psychological warfare”; but terror is more. . . . . Where the rule of terror is brought to perfection, as in concentration camps, propaganda disappears entirely; it was even expressly prohibited in Nazi Germany. Propaganda, in other words, is one, and possibly the most important, instrument of totalitarianism for dealing with the nontotalitarian world; terror, on the other hand, is the very essence of its form of government.

So the question is, is Arendt right that terror (mass murder) is always needed for totalitarianism to exist? Or can there be such a thing as a modern day totalitarian state without the brutal murdering terror that Hitler and Stalin used? I look to China for an answer. There, the power elites have established a highly sophisticated digital dictatorship. It strikes me as almost impossible for a society to oppose even mildly, much less overthrow. Social media is deeply entwined with China's digital dictatorship. It is heavily dependent on cell phones and digital commerce propagated through cell phones. No one goes anywhere, associates with anyone else or buys much of anything without all of it being tracked and scored for threats to the communist party. In my opinion, that is what makes China's dictatorship so powerful and seemingly indestructible. MAGA elites are 100% aware of what China is doing and why they are doing it. Again, MAGA elites are not stupid or lazy. But they absolutely want unfettered access to wealth and power. 

Arendt wrote about what she and the world knew in 1951. She did not know about social media or cell phones, or their power to literally influence human brain wiring. Social science is clear that social media influence can and usually (always?) does affect how people see reality, think about it and act on those beliefs. When beliefs are based on authoritarian demagoguery in the realm of politics (and everything else?), they are often, probably usually, acting on a non-trivial basis of lies, slanders and irrational emotional manipulation. 

Q: What strikes you as the most likely goal the 180-Day Transition Playbook has in mind, old-fashioned kleptocratic dictatorship (with plutocracy and Christian nationalist theocracy), true Hitler/Stalin-style totalitarianism, or something in between without the mass murder of true totalitarianism, e.g., totalitarianism-lite or semi-totalitarianism?

NBC reports: "Trump targets 'IMPROPER IDEOLOGY' at Smithsonian Museums"

Okay, this is the one of the  weirdest and sickest headlines I've seen yet in America. Apparently we are entering Stalinist territory-- Trump's latest EO takes aim at "Improper Ideology"-- apparently a legal determination that some ART AND HISTORY PROGRAMS/EXHIBITIONS at the renowned Smithsonian Museums constitute "IMPROPER, DIVISIVE OR ANTI-AMERICAN IDEOLOGY," which must  be eliminated and/or defunded, and with it (of course) DEI employees and any others that offend the sensibilities of Trump and his new Minister of Propaganda, JD (Goebbels) Vance.  Now I criticized the 1619 Project years ago-- before Smithsonian incorporated it, but criticism is one thing and censorship in the name of political orthodoxies another entirely. Unbelievable stuff! When, if ever will the people of this country reject this obvious bid for something that reeks not just of autocracy, but good old fashioned 20th century Totalitarianism with tropes like "Correct/Incorrect Ideology?!?"  If people take this language and outlandish use of executive power lying down they are signing onto something we've never seen at the federal level in this country. Emerging Totalitarianism.  It is truly disgusting. Here's the report NBC  filed this AM. Truly Orwellian.

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Trump targets 'improper ideology' at Smithsonian museums in new executive order

 

 President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday taking aim at the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers.
 

Trump directed Vice President JD Vance to eliminate “improper, divisive, or anti-American” ideology from programs at the Smithsonian Institution, which receives federal funding. [Note: This is on the heels of several arbitrary measures stripping research universities illegally of millions of dollars including Columbia U and others on grounds of "antisemitism" -- so it is happening quickly across multiple institutions in education, media and the arts as the story on PBS by Germaine today shows]
 

“Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology," the order reads. "This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
 

In the order, Trump accuses the Biden administration of advancing “corrosive ideology” at the museums, singling out certain entities, like the National Museum of African American History and Culture that he said perpetuated “divisive” and “race-centered” ideas.
 

Representatives for the Smithsonian Institution did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday night.
 

Vance, who is a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, will also be tasked with working with congressional leaders to appoint board members who are “committed to advancing the celebration of America’s extraordinary heritage and progress.”
 

Trump’s order further directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to restore federal parks and monuments that have been “improperly removed or changed” in the last five years to perpetuate “a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events.”
 

The order is in line with Trump's rationale for reverting the name of Alaska’s Mount Denali to Mount McKinley, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's explanation for reversing a Biden administration decision to rename military bases honoring Confederate leaders. [Note: "Proper Ideology" must emphasize Lost Cause Civil War tropes honoring the Old South, and its full out White Supremacy. Robert Lee and Confederate flags = "proper;" DEI = "Improper, divisive, Anti-American" -- swallow hard and believe it true.]

The order comes as the Trump administration presses forward in its war on diversity, equity and inclusion, a widely used label applied to efforts to improve workplace culture and create more opportunities for disadvantaged groups.
 

Trump has issued directives placing all federal employees in DEI roles on administrative leave, closing all DEI-related offices and programs and removing mentions to the framework from all federal websites and social media accounts.
 

Similarly, the Education Department this month announced investigations into more than 50 universities it accused of “engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”
 

And the Defense Department this month deleted thousands of pages honoring contributions by women, Black, Native American and other minority groups as part of an effort to ensure it did not promote any DEI concepts. Some of the pages were restored after public backlash.
 

The Smithsonian Institution was created by Congress in 1846 to serve as an "establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men."
 

It consists of 21 museums, 14 education and research centers and the National Zoo, all maintained by more than 6,500 employees and more than 3,800 onsite volunteers. More than 17 million people visit the collection of museums annually.
 

The Smithsonian has two sources of funding: federal appropriations and income generated from gifts, revenue-generating activities and investments. In its most recent budget request, the institution asked Congress for more than $1 billion to fund "essential operating expenses."
 

"Donors tend to be attracted to museum openings and exhibitions, not the prosaic annual budgetary requirements of staffing, maintenance, and operations that we rely on the federal Government for help to meet. For all our collaborations and ancillary sources of funding, the U.S. Congress remains our most important partner," Lonnie G. Bunch, the secretary for the Smithsonian said in the request.
 

Trump's order directs his administration to work with Congress to ensure that future Smithsonian funding does not go to exhibits or programs that "degrade shared American values, divide Americans by race, or promote ideologies inconsistent with Federal law" or "recognize men as women."

Rule of law collapse update: Devon Archer's pardon

In another sign that djt holds the rule of law in cynical contempt he pardoned Devon Archer, a former associate of Hunter Biden. Archer was convicted in 2018 for his role in a fraudulent scheme that defrauded a Native American tribe. Archer scammed the Wakpamni Lake Community Corp., a business arm of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The scheme involved fraudulent issuance and sale of over $60 million in tribal bonds. 

In his comments yesterday, djt said that Archer was "treated very unfairly" and considered him "a victim of a crime." He did not specify what crime Archer was allegedly a victim of. Archer claimed he was the target of "a convoluted lawfare effort" and had been "subjected to a complex legal campaign aimed at destroying and silencing" him. So Archer and djt are both lying liars about this.

So why did djt pardon a friend of Hunter Biden? Because Archer provided key testimony in 2023 to congressional Republicans investigating the Biden family's business dealings. He claimed that Hunter Biden sold "the illusion of access" to his father, Joe Biden.

So how what else did this get for Archer? He got out of his 1 year and 1 day jail sentence because he had not yet started serving time for his crime. The pardon also relieved Archer of paying $43,427,436 in restitution and an additional obligation to forfeit $15,700,513 was nullified. In total, the pardon erased Archer's financial obligations worth about $59,127,949 related to his criminal conviction.

This is how djt and MAGA elites treat the rule of law. For them, the law is there to serve them and their interests and to punish opposition and criticism. The day after the 2024 election, I predicted the rule of law would collapse with djt and MAGA elites being above the law. It looks like that is coming true or already is true.

MAGA poison: NPR and PBS in the crosshairs; Attacking another law firm; Europe and democracy

As I expected and predicted, MAGA elites would get around to targeting NPR and PBS sooner or later. The NYT writes: Live Updates: NPR and PBS Facing Tough Questions From Congress -- The chief executives of the biggest public media networks in the United States are expected to defend their funding and push back against accusations of media bias. Congressional Republicans are casting a harsh spotlight on PBS and NPR, America’s biggest public media networks, on Wednesday in a government hearing, lobbing accusations of media bias against the media organizations. 

One of the speakers, Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow of the conservative Heritage Foundation, is accusing public media groups of “egregious bias.” His recent book is “BLM: The Making of a New Marxist Revolution”, so we all know where this crackpot, radical right authoritarian shitshow is going. 

As would might guess from the hearing title “Anti-American Airwaves” and its organizer the radical crackpot MAGA thug Marjorie Taylor Greene, there is a ton of MAHA hostility toward NPR and PBS. Why? Because they broadcast far too much inconvenient fact, truth and sound reasoning. Seeing MAGA wanting to attack and kill NPR and PBS was brain-dead easy -- MAGA has hated both for years.

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djt has issued another mindless, authoritarian vengeance EO that attacks another law firm that pissed him off. The NYT writes: Trump’s Old Grudge Fuels Swipe at a New Law Firm -- An executive order underscored the extent to which the president, who faced four indictments after he left office, aims to exact a price from anyone associated with past investigations of him. The order underscored the extent to which the president, who faced four criminal indictments after he left office in 2021, now aims to exact a steep price from anyone associated with past investigations of him.

The EO against the law firm Jenner & Block 1) suspends and reviews all security clearances held by J&B employees, deeming their access to classified information inconsistent with "national interest", a concept that is not defined, but means anything that can impair J&B's business, 2) directs agencies to terminate existing contracts with the firm and bars future contracting, and 3) prohibits hiring Jenner & Block attorneys for federal roles without explicit waivers. 

The EO singled out a former Robert Mueller prosecutor, Andrew Weissmann (who left the firm in 2021), as an example of J&B’s alleged "unjustified" hiring practices. Clearly, djt is going after anything with ties to investigations against him. djt continues to lie by falsely claiming that all prosecutions of him were politically motivated.

The EO lies by claiming it is based on policy disagreements and procedural concerns. The order’s timing, focus on individuals like Weissmann, and similarity to previously law firms attacked by EOs strongly indicate that this EO is for vengeance and nothing else. djt's fee-fees were hurt. The sanctions are squarely aimed at penalizing J&B for legal work that hindered Trump’s agenda and for employing attorneys linked to investigations he disfavors. As a thug dictator, he has no qualm about abusing his power to impose massive damage on those who enraged him. 

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One of the things that was apparent to me long before the 2024 elections was that if djt got re-elected it could be catastrophic for all democracies everywhere. My Nov. 6, 2024 post included this prediction:

All global democracies will be under increasingly intense pressure to go authoritarian. The last stand for global democracy will be Europe's democracies, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and little or nothing else.

The NYT reports about increasing pressure on democracy in Europe: "Europe Talks Tough on Military Spending, but Unity Is Fracturing -- European leaders are struggling to find the money and the political will to replace the bulk of the U.S. contribution to Ukraine and to their own defense. There is an inevitable gap between talk and action, and unity is fracturing already, especially when it comes to spending and borrowing money in a period of low growth and high debt. The Dutch and others are not fans of raising collective debt for defense. Keeping Hungary on board is ever more difficult. [Former prime minister of Estonia, now the chief foreign and security official for the European Union, Kaja Kallas'] effort to get the E.U. to provide up to 40 billion euros (more than $43 billion) to Ukraine through a small, fixed percentage levy on each country’s national income has gone nowhere."

So there we have it. The EU can't even come up with a paltry $43 billion for the Ukraine. The Ukraine is screwed, which was another of my 11/6/24 predictions: There will be hideous genocide in Gaza, Lebanon and the Ukraine. The Ukraine will fall to Putin and his brutal vengeance. The slaughter will be savage.

Euro-sentiment - not good for Ukraine

Worse yet, Hungary is a dictatorship led by Viktor Orbán. He is a thug that MAGA elites and djt love and admire. He can easily extort the EU by threatening to toss sand in the gears of EU efforts to defend itself and the Ukraine. On March 8, 2024 djt hosted Orbán, praising him as "fantastic" and "the boss." djt cited Orbán as a character witness (😱) during a televised debate, quoting Orbán's support for his potential return to the presidency. Orbán has spoken at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a gathering of MAGA elites. MAGA politicians, including senators and representatives, have attended CPAC events in Budapest, showing alignment with Orbán's policies.

Orbán at CPAC teaching MAGA

elites how to kill democracy

MAGA elites loved the lessons!

Meanwhile, authoritarian political parties are in the rise in other EU nations. It is not clear that the EU can defend itself absent kicking out a dictatorship like Hungary. Russia is slowly but surely rebuilding the old Soviet Union. Both djt and MAGA elites are in Putin's side. Traitors.