Trump 47

[Polds4OSU]

State Department removes mention of 'armored Teslas' from its 2025 procurement list, replaces it with 'armored electric vehicles'​

• The State Department said it was planning to buy $400 million worth of armored Teslas this year.
• It now says it will be buying "Armored Electric Vehicles" instead of specifically Teslas.
• Musk's companies have received billions of dollars from government contracts and subsidies.

The State Department has scrubbed mention of armored Teslas from its 2025 procurement forecast.


The procurement document previously contained a line item that read: "Armored Tesla (Production Units)" — a reference to products from Elon Musk's electric vehicle company, Tesla. It was listed as a five-year contract and valued at $400 million, making it the biggest item on the list.

The document was titled "Department of State Procurement Forecast Year 2025 (Revised 12/23/2024)." The Tesla line item had last been revised on December 13.


As of Wednesday night at 9:12 p.m. EST, the line item has been revised. It now reads "Armored Electric Vehicles." It's still listed as a five-year contract worth $400 million.

The document is now called "Department of State Procurement Forecast Year 2025."

The latest version of the document doesn't mention Tesla.


"I'm pretty sure Tesla isn't getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least," Musk wrote on X on Thursday about the department's revised forecast.

News of the $400 million State Department contract with Tesla was reported by Drop Site News on Wednesday.

It's unclear when the procurement list was first released. The State Department updates its forecast in the first quarter of every fiscal year.

When contacted for comment, a State Department spokesperson told Business Insider that no government contract for armored electric vehicles has been awarded to Tesla or any other vehicle manufacturer.

The Biden administration had instructed the State Department to assess if private companies would be interested in producing armored vehicles, the spokesperson added. Only one company responded to the department's request for information, the spokesperson said.

There are no current plans to hold an official bid, the spokesperson said.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the change.

​

 

[mugatu]

Wasn't relevent.
But since you brought it up.

"In total, the Postal Service will invest $9.6 billion for vehicle modernization."

But that $400million contract for armored is just ridiculous, right?

A $400 million no bid contract to the guy investigating corruption... you see the irony, right?

The USPS was a normal contract with multiple bids, meaning they didn't just make a huge purchase from someone close to the administration.

 

[Rob B.]

State Department removes mention of 'armored Teslas' from its 2025 procurement list, replaces it with 'armored electric vehicles'​

• The State Department said it was planning to buy $400 million worth of armored Teslas this year.
• It now says it will be buying "Armored Electric Vehicles" instead of specifically Teslas.
• Musk's companies have received billions of dollars from government contracts and subsidies.

The State Department has scrubbed mention of armored Teslas from its 2025 procurement forecast.


The procurement document previously contained a line item that read: "Armored Tesla (Production Units)" — a reference to products from Elon Musk's electric vehicle company, Tesla. It was listed as a five-year contract and valued at $400 million, making it the biggest item on the list.

The document was titled "Department of State Procurement Forecast Year 2025 (Revised 12/23/2024)." The Tesla line item had last been revised on December 13.


As of Wednesday night at 9:12 p.m. EST, the line item has been revised. It now reads "Armored Electric Vehicles." It's still listed as a five-year contract worth $400 million.

The document is now called "Department of State Procurement Forecast Year 2025."

The latest version of the document doesn't mention Tesla.


"I'm pretty sure Tesla isn't getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least," Musk wrote on X on Thursday about the department's revised forecast.

News of the $400 million State Department contract with Tesla was reported by Drop Site News on Wednesday.

It's unclear when the procurement list was first released. The State Department updates its forecast in the first quarter of every fiscal year.

When contacted for comment, a State Department spokesperson told Business Insider that no government contract for armored electric vehicles has been awarded to Tesla or any other vehicle manufacturer.

The Biden administration had instructed the State Department to assess if private companies would be interested in producing armored vehicles, the spokesperson added. Only one company responded to the department's request for information, the spokesperson said.

There are no current plans to hold an official bid, the spokesperson said.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the change.

​

For all you math challenged sheeple.
$400million <<<<<<<<< $9.6bollion.

But keep falling on that sword. It's comical.

 

[Polds4OSU]

Trump Asks Supreme Court to End Protection of Independent Agencies​

The Trump administration has told Congress they will move to ask the Supreme Court to overrule Humphrey's Executor, a 1935 ruling that protects workers in independent agencies from political retribution.

In a letter written by Trump's Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris, she notified the Congressional Judiciary Committee that the Justice Department (DOJ) is looking to overturn this precedent as they see it as an unconstitutional burden on the president's right to fire federal workers.

This comes at the same time that an employee fired by the Trump administration is suing the president for the "illegal removal" of her from her post.

The suit, brought by Gwynne A. Wilcox, who was fired from her position on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), will likely lead to a Supreme Court case and an ultimate ruling on Humphrey's Executor.

She is one of nearly 300 people who have been fired, reassigned, or told they will be laid off by the Trump administration from a swathe of government agencies that are supposed to be protected from firings-at-will by the Executive branch.

Why It Matters​

It is currently illegal, under Humphrey's Executor, to fire workers from independent government agencies without cause. While some people say this ruling gets in the way of Executive power, others say it prevents the president from acting like a sovereign or imposing political retribution on workers.


The Trump administration has been firing hundreds of federal employees since taking office and is now seeking to protect itself legally by asking the Supreme Court to overturn the precedent protecting federal workers.

What is Humphrey's Executor?​

Humphrey's Executor is a 1935 Supreme Court ruling that determined the independence of federal agencies such as the NLRB, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Elections Commission, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Communications Committee (FCC), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and others.

The case arose during the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) administration. President Hoover had hired William E. Humphrey as head of the FTC, however, when the presidency was taken over by FDR, he moved to fire Humphrey for his political views.

Humphrey died shortly after being fired, but his estate executor took FDR's administration to court citing the FTC Act which says a person can only be fired due to "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office," in order to recover Humphrey's lost salary from being fired. The court ruled unanimously in Humphrey's executor's favor and created the precedent that covers all independent government agencies, meaning workers cannot be fired by the president due to their political leanings.

 

[Rob B.]

A $400 million no bid contract to the guy investigating corruption... you see the irony, right?

The USPS was a normal contract with multiple bids, meaning they didn't just make a huge purchase from someone close to the administration.

Let's see how that normal contract worked out.

https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/regulation/another-biden-era-failure-electric-postal-service-trucks/

 

[Polds4OSU]

Mitch McConnell raises red flag in his state about coming Trump damage​

Hours before he became the lone Republican senator to vote against the confirmation of ex-Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence, former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the pages of a major Kentucky paper to bash the president.


In a column for the Courier-Journal. McConnell launched a full-scale attack on the president's plan touse tariffs to solve America's economic woes, with the longtime GOP leader claiming they will have the exact opposite effect.

As McConnell bluntly put it: "No matter our best intentions, tariffs are bad policy."

"Broad-based tariffs could have long-term consequences right in our backyard. Consider our state’s 75,000 family farms that sell their crops around the globe, or the hardworking Kentuckians who craft 95% of the world’s bourbon, or our auto industry that relies on global supply chains to support the livelihoods of thousands of workers in the commonwealth," he wrote before adding, "One estimate suggests the president’s tariffs could cost the average Kentuckian up to $1,200 each year."

McConnell noted that Kentucky's economy is close tied to international trade, explaining, "In Kentucky, over 60% of all counties are home to at least one international business. These are industrial suppliers, auto manufacturers and makers of consumer goods from across the world that support roughly 100,000 jobs in the commonwealth."

Addressing Trump's belligerent attacks on U.S. allies while using trade as a cudgel, the Kentucky senator wrote, "But preserving the long-term prosperity of American industry and workers requires working with our allies, not against them. Trade wars with our partners hurt working people most. And the president has better tools to protect American workers without forcing our families and businesses to absorb higher costs."

 

[GratefulPoke]

Sounds legit. Warzones are famously full of EV charging stations.

 

[mugatu]

Sounds legit. Warzones are famously full of EV charging stations.

I don't have an issue with State Dept using EVs. They are probably going to embassies to drive dignitaries around and can be charged at the embassy.

I do find it odd that the president who claims EV are horrible and i trying to kill every bit of a transition by people to them has a state dept making a large purchase of armored EVs.

 

[mugatu]

Let's see how that normal contract worked out.

https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/regulation/another-biden-era-failure-electric-postal-service-trucks/

Again. Not talking about if EV was right. I'm pointing out that counter to what you claimed, they were pushing towards EV use by the Fed Gov.

Again, does anything in there say that the USPS went to a friend's company and offered the no bid, no compete contract?

You going to move goalposts again since you can't understand how it's still bad that State Dept wants to give a no bid no compete contract worth $400 mil to a friend of POTUS, the same guy they are paying to root out corruption?

If they need $400mil in armored EVs, ok. But bid it out like they are supposed to. Dont go no compete with POTUS's buddy

 

[Polds4OSU]

Judge John McConnell Jr Faces Impeachment for Obstructing Trump​

The judge who said that Donald Trump's administration had ignored his court order to restart the flow of federal funds, has had articles of impeachment drafted against him.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr., told the White House that it must abide by the preliminary injunction to halt its funding freeze.

Representative Andrew Clyne, a Republican, has announced on X (formerly Twitter) is drafting articles of impeachment, accusing the judge of being a "partisan activist."

Clyne and McConnell have been contacted for comment via email.

Why It Matters​

Clyne said McConnell should be impeached because he is a "partisan activist." Federal judges, who are appointed for life, can only be impeached if they are accused of "treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors."

If he McConnell is successfully impeached and then convicted by the Senate, it will set a precedent that blocking the President's actions in court is akin to treason.

What To Know​

In January, 23 Democratic state attorneys general (AGs) sued the Trump administration over its federal funding freeze.

Although the White House has said it is going to appeal the ruling which went in favor of the state AGs who said that the freeze was unconstitutional, it does have to obey it by returning federal funding to its pre-Trump levels.

McConnell, who was the presiding judge in the original funding case, found that the administration had not been complying with his order on Monday, despite the president saying that he would comply with court orders.

The judge did not say the government was in contempt of court, nor did he issue a fine, the BBC reported.

The language used by Clyne reflects an X post by Elon Musk which read: "There needs to be an immediate wave of judicial impeachments, not just one."


Musk made the post a little under two hours before Clyne shared the news on X about him issuing articles of impeachment against McConnell. The Tesla CEO reposted it, saying: "Yes."

What People Are Saying​

Representative Clyne: "I'm drafting articles of impeachment for U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. He's a partisan activist weaponizing our judicial system to stop President Trump's funding freeze on woke and wasteful government spending. We must end this abusive overreach. Stay tuned."

What Happens Next​

The articles of impeachment will be brought to the House. If passed by a simple majority, then the judge will have to go before the Senate, where two thirds of its members will be needed to pass a conviction against him.

Only 15 federal judges have ever been impeached, and eight of those have been convicted by the Senate.



The last judge to be convicted by the Senate was Judge Thomas Porteous in 2010, who was unanimously convicted under corruption charges for having a financial relationship with a law firm that was involved in a case which he did not recuse himself from.

 

[Rob B.]

Again. Not talking about if EV was right. I'm pointing out that counter to what you claimed, they were pushing towards EV use by the Fed Gov.

Again, does anything in there say that the USPS went to a friend's company and offered the no bid, no compete contract?

You going to move goalposts again since you can't understand how it's still bad that State Dept wants to give a no bid no compete contract worth $400 mil to a friend of POTUS, the same guy they are paying to root out corruption?

If they need $400mil in armored EVs, ok. But bid it out like they are supposed to. Dont go no compete with POTUS's buddy

Yes, give it to low bid like USPS did for Oshkosh.

None of you had a problem with Tesla until Musk switched sides much to the chagrin of your overlords.

The whole conversation started with some of you assuming the contract was for military vehicles. It was you who keep moving the goalposts.

 

[Polds4OSU]

Donald Trump is going to impose reciprocal tariffs on Thursday afternoon, the U.S. president said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“NEWS CONFERENCE ON RECIPROCAL TARIFFS TODAY, 1:00 P.M., THE OVAL OFFICE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump said in the post.

He posted earlier in the day, saying it was going to be a “big one."

“THREE GREAT WEEKS, PERHAPS THE BEST EVER, BUT TODAY IS THE BIG ONE: RECIPROCAL TARIFFS!!! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

 

[cowboyinexile]

Yes, give it to low bid like USPS did for Oshkosh.

None of you had a problem with Tesla until Musk switched sides much to the chagrin of your overlords.

The whole conversation started with some of you assuming the contract was for military vehicles. It was you who keep moving the goalposts.

I had a problem with Tesla (and electric cars in general) prior to the election.

The environment benefits are overrated and I dont see how people manage with them in a rural environment during the winter. The charging time makes long trips more difficult and we lack the infrastructure in general for most of the policy mandates the previous administration to be realistic.

 

[Polds4OSU]

‘Haven’t Been Paying Attention’: Missouri Farmer Who Used Online Quiz to Vote for President Now Faces Losing Family Farm After Funding Freeze​

First-generation Missouri farmer Skylar Holden said he wishes he’d been more careful with his vote now that he faces financial ruin due to a freeze instituted by President Donald Trump on funding for key conservation programs.

The father of three says he is dependent on that funding to keep his cattle farm afloat, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture has put a hold on the funds pending a federal review of all spending programs.

Holden had signed a $240,000 contract with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to improve water lines, fencing, and wells on his farm.


USDA officials recently notified him that his contract was frozen — after Holden had already spent $80,000 on materials and labor. It’s unclear when or if those funds will be made available.

“I’ve already done a bunch of the work, already paid for the material and the labor, so I’m out all that cost,” he said. “We are possibly going to lose our farm if NRCS doesn’t hold up their contract with us.”


Holden recently took his case to TikTok, and his video quickly went viral. But he’s found little sympathy from the left or the right.

Anti-Trumpers told Holden he “got exactly what he voted for.” Many have lampooned his claim that he relied on a 25-question online quiz to tell him how to vote rather than researching the candidate’s policies himself.

Missouri Republican Rep. Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, agreed the freeze shouldn’t have come as a surprise, saying the president is merely following through on his promises

“I would say is Congress that the government needs to do a better job at working for the American people. Too often it seems like the American people is working for the government,” Smith said. “It’s unfortunate that this is the case. I’ve been talking with several farmers that have been experiencing this and trying to help guide them through this process, but it’s all going to work out. Right now, it’s a little bit disruptive, but that’s what this administration promised whenever they were coming to Washington—that they would be disruptive.”


Hoden isn’t the only farmer to take his case to the public.

“A lot of rural people, over 70 percent of rural farmers and ranchers, only believe the Fox News and the talk radio,” said Will Westmoreland, a southwest Missouri farmer and political consultant, in a video on TikTok. “And when they came to you and told you that Trump wasn’t going to implement Project 2025 and that he didn’t have anything to do with it, you believe that, and you’re not alone.”

Project 2025, the conservative policy blueprint that Trump disavowed during the campaign, aims to reshape federal agencies by limiting regulatory oversight and restructuring funding mechanisms.

According to the policy guide book “Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise,” the USDA should scale back regulatory interventions and focus on removing barriers to agricultural production. The book attacks policies that prioritize climate change and equity, advocating instead for a USDA that prioritizes efficiency, free-market principles and reducing environmental regulations that could hinder farm productivity, Newsweek reports.


Holden defended his thought process in trusting the quiz and voting for Trump, saying 17-hour workdays leave no time for political research. He argued that neither party fully aligns with farmers’ interests, pointing out that while Democrats push for electronic ID tags for cattle, Republicans generally oppose farm subsidies.

 

[Polds4OSU]

Does He Understand Money?’: Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal Slams Donald Trump’s Intellect​

Rupert Murdoch’s editorial writing team at the Wall Street Journal says America’s gold decor-loving, cash-carrying billionaire president doesn’t understand how money actually works.

On Tuesday, U.S. consumer price inflation unexpectedly rose to 3 percent, prompting an excitable post from Donald Trump on his social media platform Truth Social saying that interest rates should be lowered and that this would go “hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!!”


“Does President Trump understand money? ... the answer would appear to be no,” the WSJ editorial board replied, going on to explain why doing such a thing might cause inflation to soar—and Trump’s approval ratings to plunge.

“Perhaps the president wants the public to look elsewhere when assigning blame for rising prices,” it said.

Under the headline “Trumponomics and Rising Inflation,” the WSJ team went on to systematically dismantle Trump’s mental abilities. “The layers of intellectual confusion here are hard to parse,” it wrote, before reluctantly going on to try and parse them anyway.

“Rising inflation means the Fed must be more cautious in cutting rates,” it said, in a similar tone to that you might find in an eighth grade economics class.

“He has the analysis backward,” they continued, “if he’s trying to blame the Federal Reserve.”

“Someone should tell him,” about what was actually to blame for the potential for a pause in rate cuts (the Fed’s “premature” half percentage point cut in September, apparently.)


Trump has previously signaled that he would like to assert control over the independent Federal Reserve, telling Bloomberg in July 2024 that he wouldn’t fire Fed chair Jerome Powell, “especially if I thought he was doing the right thing.”

“The Powell Fed is likely to ignore Mr. Trump, and well it should,” it said.

Despite the patronising tone, the article makes it clear that the Journal is on Trump’s side and wants him to succeed.

It says he’s not responsible for price rises since he’s only been in office for three weeks, and warns that failing to get inflation under control was one of the main reasons why President Joe Biden lost the election.

“The last thing Mr. Trump should be doing now is demanding that Mr. Powell cut rates further,” it says, because “an inflation revival may be the biggest threat to the Trump presidency.”

“Real average earnings are flat over the last three months,” it says.

“If this persists, Mr. Trump won’t have a 53% job approval rating for long.”

 

[mugatu]

Yes, give it to low bid like USPS did for Oshkosh.

None of you had a problem with Tesla until Musk switched sides much to the chagrin of your overlords.

The whole conversation started with some of you assuming the contract was for military vehicles. It was you who keep moving the goalposts.

I never thought it was military, I just have issue with how the bidding seemed to go.

I had an issue with Musk when he started doing things like stock manipulation with Telsa (talk of buying back all the stock to go private in order to drive up stock prices) and then buying out X and cutting all fact checking and allowing/ encouraging racists and threatening posts.

So, yeah, I didn't have a problem with a random CEO until he became very public and very publicly provided opinions that go counter to my point of view and what qualities i value in people.

 

[Polds4OSU]

STATES RIGHTS AND STATE LAWS...right MAGA????? RIGHTTT??????​

At the end of the day they must abide by Federal Law??!!???......So Voters in States that Pass State Laws Mean NOTHING???

Voters have Lost ALL POWER at the State Level then!!

​

Trump Education Department launches Title IX probes into 2 blue states who said they have State Laws that Protect Trans Athletes and they could NOT violate State Law to comply with Trump trans athlete order​

"The Minnesota State High School League and the California Interscholastic Federation are free to engage in all the meaningless virtue-signaling that they want, but at the end of the day they must abide by federal law," said Craig Trainor, Trump's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.



The United States Department of Education has launched Title IX investigations into athletic associations in California and Minnesota after they said they would ignore President Donald Trump's executive order to keep transgender athletes out of girls and women's sports.

The Minnesota State High School League announced Thursday it will continue to allow transgender athletes to compete against girls despite Trump's executive order to probibit them from doing so.

That came just days after the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said it will continue to follow the state's law that allows athletes to participate as whichever gender they identify as.

 

[mugatu]

STATES RIGHTS AND STATE LAWS...right MAGA????? RIGHTTT??????​

At the end of the day they must abide by Federal Law??!!???......So Voters in States that Pass State Laws Mean NOTHING???

Voters have Lost ALL POWER at the State Level then!!

​

Trump Education Department launches Title IX probes into 2 blue states who said they have State Laws that Protect Trans Athletes and they could NOT violate State Law to comply with Trump trans athlete order​

"The Minnesota State High School League and the California Interscholastic Federation are free to engage in all the meaningless virtue-signaling that they want, but at the end of the day they must abide by federal law," said Craig Trainor, Trump's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.



The United States Department of Education has launched Title IX investigations into athletic associations in California and Minnesota after they said they would ignore President Donald Trump's executive order to keep transgender athletes out of girls and women's sports.

The Minnesota State High School League announced Thursday it will continue to allow transgender athletes to compete against girls despite Trump's executive order to probibit them from doing so.

That came just days after the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said it will continue to follow the state's law that allows athletes to participate as whichever gender they identify as.

You miss understood. It's RED states rights and RED state laws that matter.

 

[GratefulPoke]

I had a problem with Tesla (and electric cars in general) prior to the election.

The environment benefits are overrated and I dont see how people manage with them in a rural environment during the winter. The charging time makes long trips more difficult and we lack the infrastructure in general for most of the policy mandates the previous administration to be realistic.

Electric vehicles are less safe and completely dependent on rare earth mineral is, that have to be mined.

Add that to a power grid that is primarily powered by coal, and yeah, marginal at best environmental impacts.

 

[CowboyJD]

So you don't want the government to switch to EV's where possible?

I'm guessing it was a very low market since the government who tried to urge everyone to go electric didn't do so themselves.

Nice strawman argument you're attributing to me which I never made.

I thought you were better than that.....maybe I was wrong.

The point....as you are well aware of and consequently trying to dodge....is twofold:

-The appropriateness of armored electric vehicles at all, and more importantly
-The appropriateness of your DOGE hero self-dealing 100s of millions of dollars in a clear conflict of interests.

It's comical how deeply you've fall for this Tech Bro grifter.