Sorry for the non sequitur, but does anyone remember Tara Reade? She was last mentioned on this site back in 2020 in relation to some sexual assault allegations she made against Joe Biden.
As for Tara Reade, I don't think there is anything to be gained from destroying this woman's credibility. I did post some stuff earlier in response to @Arethosemyfeet saying something like they saw no reason to doubt Reade's veracity. But I have become convinced that there is no point. There is simply no way to establish the truth, even on the balance of probabilities, without conducting a criminal trial. It is just too long ago. Americans are going to have to vote without certainty on this point.
I think her credibility can be assessed a little better with this context.
Scott Horton
After receiving a commendation for exceptional services to the Russian state from President Putin, Biden accuser Tara Reade — seen here in her luxury Moscow condo — has now become a citizen of the Russian Federation... молодец!
For those who don't want to take the word of some rando posting on Bluesky, The Hill has an account of Reade's citizenship change. The frustrating thing here is that there there will be no self-examination in the American media of their complicity in promoting a Russian attempt to ratfuck the 2020 presidential election.
Whilst I take your point, didn’t someone who leaked a truck load of military stuff end up in Russia ? Could have been a set-up or it could have been an actual event that was then seized upon by the Russian state as an opportunity.
Whilst I take your point, didn’t someone who leaked a truck load of military stuff end up in Russia ? Could have been a set-up or it could have been an actual event that was then seized upon by the Russian state as an opportunity.
Edward Snowden was probably(?) an opportunistic post facto acquisition by Russia. The fact that, according to The Hill, Reade is so chummy with convicted Russian spy Maria Butina (last mentioned on the Ship here) suggests deeper Russian involvement with Reade.
Is the above non sequitur supposed to be related to Trump and the Epstein Files? There is a big difference between the women who say they were abused by Epstein and associates and Tara Reade in that the women who were abused through Epstein have, for the most part, remained in the US unless they were nationals from another country.
There is still nothing definitive about Trump's involvement with the Epstein scandal other than they were once friends and it is now known Trump had flown on Epstein's plane a few times.
If anything, the Venezuela actions (discussed elsewhere) have taken the news about the Epstein files off the news cycle, though.
Is the above non sequitur supposed to be related to Trump and the Epstein Files?
It's related to the fact that the Russian government seems to have taken some pretty big steps to help Donald Trump become president and the American political media's amazing incuriousity about that fact. Even if we stipulate that there was no collusion between Trump and Russian intelligence, the fact of Russia's actions alone would seem to be worthy of a lot more scrutiny than has been devoted to the subject.
The American political media has been failing us badly for over a decade. They didn't know how to cover Trump when he announced his campaign in 2015, and they don't appear to have learned a damn thing since then.
People have been noting the president nodding off while at briefings and cabinet meetings. He has gotten two new nick names: The Nod Father, or the Sleeper in Chief. Personally, I like the Nod Father.
Yesterday, I witnessed one of the most disgusting reports on TV. It was on the people who had been convicted, now pardoned, marching again in Washington DC. Turns out the Trump administration is attempting to rewrite the incident of January 6, 2021. They are now blaming the Capitol police for causing the riot. Story here..
Congress had mandated a plaque commemorating the police who defended the Capitol on that day. It is nowhere to be found. Rumor has it Speaker Micheal Johnson has hidden it somewhere in storage. Nevertheless, 100 members of Congress have displayed replicas of it outside their offices.
A fine example of "the mutability of history."
"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."
"There are facts, and there are alternative facts."--Kellyanne Conway
FWIW, Our Place's FatherInCharge has added 'peace in Venezuela and Greenland' to the list of places (on his weekly news-sheet) to be prayed for...
He could perhaps usefully add 'the people of America', I suppose, but he is at least showing some sense of realising what is going on in the world outside his parish.
Trump is now going after Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. The DOJ has launched an investigation as to whether Powell has misappropriated federal funds in the remodel of the Federal Reserve Building. There is some cost overruns, Powell admits the Reserve underestimated the costs to renovate the building. However, the Fed is self funded, so it is not a misappropriation of funds, per se. Looks like another one of Trump's revenge attacks. Trump, of course, claims he knows nothing about the probe. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-jerome-powell-federal-reserve-investigation-b2898507.html
The Fed, despite its name, is also not owned by the US Government, it is owned by participating member banks, though without the right to appoint management.
The Fed, despite its name, is also not owned by the US Government, it is owned by participating member banks, though without the right to appoint management.
Yeah, I think basically the Fed's contract with the US government gives the government the sole right to appoint the managers.
In talking to people who are confused about the way the connection between the Federal Reserve and the government, I've sometimes compared it to a privately-owned with a state-granted monopoly. I think that's close enough, but am open to tweaking of the analogy.
The Fed, despite its name, is also not owned by the US Government, it is owned by participating member banks, though without the right to appoint management.
Yeah, I think basically the Fed's contract with the US government gives the government the sole right to appoint the managers.
Federal law, not contract, provides the president with power to appoint, with Senate confirmation, members of the Federal Reserve Board. The Fed is a creation of Congress, and per its Board of Governors, “[t]he Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., is an agency of the federal government and reports to and is directly accountable to the Congress.”
Also per the Board (same site):
This central banking “system” has three important features: (1) a central governing board—the Federal Reserve Board of Governors; (2) a decentralized operating structure of 12 Federal Reserve Banks; and (3) a blend of public and private characteristics. . . . .
Some observers mistakenly consider the Federal Reserve to be a private entity because the Reserve Banks are organized similarly to private corporations. For instance, each of the 12 Reserve Banks operates within its own particular geographic area, or District, of the United States, and each is separately incorporated and has its own board of directors. Commercial banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System hold stock in their District's Reserve Bank. However, owning Reserve Bank stock is quite different from owning stock in a private company. The Reserve Banks are not operated for profit, and ownership of a certain amount of stock is, by law, a condition of membership in the System. In fact, the Reserve Banks are required by law to transfer net earnings to the U.S. Treasury, after providing for all necessary expenses of the Reserve Banks, legally required dividend payments, and maintaining a limited balance in a surplus fund.
Meanwhile, in May 2025, the Supreme Court described the Fed as “quasi-private”: “The Federal Reserve is a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity that follows in the distinct history tradition of the First and Second Banks of the United States.”
The Fed, despite its name, is also not owned by the US Government, it is owned by participating member banks, though without the right to appoint management.
Yeah, I think basically the Fed's contract with the US government gives the government the sole right to appoint the managers.
Federal law, not contract, provides the president with power to appoint, with Senate confirmation, members of the Federal Reserve Board. The Fed is a creation of Congress, and per its Board of Governors, “[t]he Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., is an agency of the federal government and reports to and is directly accountable to the Congress.”
Also per the Board (same site):
This central banking “system” has three important features: (1) a central governing board—the Federal Reserve Board of Governors; (2) a decentralized operating structure of 12 Federal Reserve Banks; and (3) a blend of public and private characteristics. . . . .
Some observers mistakenly consider the Federal Reserve to be a private entity because the Reserve Banks are organized similarly to private corporations. For instance, each of the 12 Reserve Banks operates within its own particular geographic area, or District, of the United States, and each is separately incorporated and has its own board of directors. Commercial banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System hold stock in their District's Reserve Bank. However, owning Reserve Bank stock is quite different from owning stock in a private company. The Reserve Banks are not operated for profit, and ownership of a certain amount of stock is, by law, a condition of membership in the System. In fact, the Reserve Banks are required by law to transfer net earnings to the U.S. Treasury, after providing for all necessary expenses of the Reserve Banks, legally required dividend payments, and maintaining a limited balance in a surplus fund.
Meanwhile, in May 2025, the Supreme Court described the Fed as “quasi-private”: “The Federal Reserve is a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity that follows in the distinct history tradition of the First and Second Banks of the United States.”
I am wondering if FIFA is beginning to regret giving Trump a "Peace Prize." Reports are FIFA's World Cup is being thrown into chaos because trump is refusing to issue visas for fans from fifteen countries.
He has a Purple Heart too, remember? A besotted veteran handed his own medal to trump at a public event several years ago, and he accepted it as his own.
Comments
This would be great, but it's a long-term thing, not something that can be implemented quickly.
I think her credibility can be assessed a little better with this context.
For those who don't want to take the word of some rando posting on Bluesky, The Hill has an account of Reade's citizenship change. The frustrating thing here is that there there will be no self-examination in the American media of their complicity in promoting a Russian attempt to ratfuck the 2020 presidential election.
Edward Snowden was probably(?) an opportunistic post facto acquisition by Russia. The fact that, according to The Hill, Reade is so chummy with convicted Russian spy Maria Butina (last mentioned on the Ship here) suggests deeper Russian involvement with Reade.
There is still nothing definitive about Trump's involvement with the Epstein scandal other than they were once friends and it is now known Trump had flown on Epstein's plane a few times.
If anything, the Venezuela actions (discussed elsewhere) have taken the news about the Epstein files off the news cycle, though.
It's related to the fact that the Russian government seems to have taken some pretty big steps to help Donald Trump become president and the American political media's amazing incuriousity about that fact. Even if we stipulate that there was no collusion between Trump and Russian intelligence, the fact of Russia's actions alone would seem to be worthy of a lot more scrutiny than has been devoted to the subject.
Congress had mandated a plaque commemorating the police who defended the Capitol on that day. It is nowhere to be found. Rumor has it Speaker Micheal Johnson has hidden it somewhere in storage. Nevertheless, 100 members of Congress have displayed replicas of it outside their offices.
A fine example of "the mutability of history."
"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."
"There are facts, and there are alternative facts."--Kellyanne Conway
Filed under "if I get killed in such a fashion, please feel free to politicize the hell out of my senseless death."
He could perhaps usefully add 'the people of America', I suppose, but he is at least showing some sense of realising what is going on in the world outside his parish.
Encourage FiC to include the situation in Minneapolis too.
Yes. Even if he doesn't, I can include a mention on Our Place's website (I'm the editor).
ETA: It is done - 'pray for the people of Minneapolis', and for those suffering 'government cruelty'.
Your pain in the US is not unnoticed here, though there's not much we can do to help.
Moral support helps a lot! Thank you.
In this though, FWIW I do express moral support. You don't 'need' it I know but it's there.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/08/trump-power-international-law
He forgets that the higher he jumps, the further he has to fall.
Be assured that he will get his come-uppance ( having the morality of an amoeba)
But yes - he will get his due reward, sooner rather than later. The darkness of Sheol awaits him...
Us Brits still managed to get Boris Johnson - another Alien - as PM, though...
Yeah, I think basically the Fed's contract with the US government gives the government the sole right to appoint the managers.
In talking to people who are confused about the way the connection between the Federal Reserve and the government, I've sometimes compared it to a privately-owned with a state-granted monopoly. I think that's close enough, but am open to tweaking of the analogy.
Also per the Board (same site): Meanwhile, in May 2025, the Supreme Court described the Fed as “quasi-private”: “The Federal Reserve is a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity that follows in the distinct history tradition of the First and Second Banks of the United States.”
Thanks.
He just doesn't think things through.
This is a thread about Trump and his damned decisions. I do not think the chaos around FIFA is worth a separate thread, do you?
@Nick Tamen Happy Birthday. Might want to get a cognitive test at your yearly wellness check.
Copy to trump, please.
White House after offering to share her Nobel Peace Prize with him.
Thank you! Yes, it works - an interesting scenario, and one can only hope that Machado achieves what she wants...
Well, she got a lunch with the Don and some facetime with some congressmen.
I understand the Nobel committee has said the prize cannot be shared with anyone else.
He'll grab the shiny knick-knack, I expect, and add it to the pile of tawdry trophies to be buried with him in his tomb.
And he will likely want something like a great pyramid for his tomb.
Indeed. One would fit nicely on top of his new ballroom...