BoycottUnitedStates

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/43154448

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cross-posted from: https://metawire.eu/post/61363

The right-wing billionaire’s platform has recently lost about 10 percent of its European user base.

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cross-posted from: https://metawire.eu/post/55971

The unfavorable poll comes as Musk prepares to step back from the Trump administration to devote more time to his businesses

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cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/post/701061

The US wants central and eastern European countries to join its path of “energy freedom” instead of following the wider region’s transition to a net zero economy, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in Warsaw.

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“Central Europe faces a time for choosing,” Wright told conference participants. “We warmly welcome you to join us on Team Energy Freedom and Prosperity for Citizens.”

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“In fact, the clarion conclusion from economic studies of climate change is that net zero 2050 is absolutely the wrong goal,” he said. “Not only is it unachievable, but the blind pursuit of it will cause, is causing far more human damage than climate change itself.”

President Trump has repeatedly called on Europe to buy more American energy products if the bloc wants to avoid tariffs.


Extra context:

Climate Crisis Deniers Explain Why They Like U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright - DeSmog

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28815530

Summary

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, during his first visit to Denmark since taking office in March, rejected Donald Trump’s push to annex Greenland, stating the island "will never be a piece of property that can be bought."

Standing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, he added, “We are in a foreign policy situation which means we have to move closer together.”

Frederiksen said Denmark was ready to invest more in Greenland as part of a “modernisation” of the two countries relationship.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28715622

Summary

Tesla reported its worst quarterly results in four years, with Q1 income down 71% and EV sales falling 13%.

Elon Musk vowed to refocus on Tesla amid backlash over his political role in the Trump Administration’s DOGE program, but analysts doubt his return will fix worsening issues.

Tesla faces eroding market share, failed products like the Cybertruck, and a coming 145% tariff on imported Chinese battery cells set to hammer the company’s battery pack business, one of the only bright spots last quarter.

Musk’s pivot to robotaxis and humanoid robots lacks credibility, and critics say Tesla has no compelling new EVs to revive growth.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28729671

Summary

A genuine backlash to Trump’s ethno-nationalist authoritarianism may be starting to take shape on its own terms.

The Washington Post-ABC News poll shows “Trump slipping underwater on immigration, which has been his best issue,” with 56% of independents disapproving of his handling.

Only 21% of independents want wrongfully deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia to remain imprisoned. These policies “raise basic issues of fundamental fairness, due process, and the rule of law.”

Trump’s lawlessness across the board is clearly a problem, reinforcing the view he’s engaged in rampant extralegal abuses of power.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28700613

From their own internal metrics, tech giants have long known what independent research now continuously validates: that the content that is most likely to go viral is that which induces strong feelings such as outrage and disgust, regardless of its underlying veracity. Moreover, they also know that such content is heavily engaged with and most profitable. Far from acting against false, harmful content, they placed profits above its staggering—and damaging—social impact to implicitly encourage it while downplaying the massive costs.

Social media titans embrace essentially the same hypocrisy the tobacco industry embodied when they feigned concern over harm reduction while covertly pushing their product ever more aggressively. With the reelection of Trump, our tech giants now no longer even pretend to care.

Engagement is their business model, and doubt about the harms they cause is their product. Tobacco executives, and their bought-off scientists, once proclaimed uncertainty over links between cigarettes and lung cancer. Zuckerberg has likewise testified to Congress, “The existing body of scientific work has not shown a causal link between using social media and young people having worse mental health, ” even while studies find self-harm, eating disorder and misogynistic material spreads on these platform unimpeded. This equivocation echoes protestations of tobacco companies that there was no causal evidence of smoking harms, even as incontrovertible evidence to the contrary rapidly amassed.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/42908924

The US has been bombing Yemen using two aircraft carriers in the region and B-2 bombers stationed at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Pentagon has shared virtually no details about its war, which has not been authorized by Congress, but it's likely the bombing campaign has already cost billions in just over one month.

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cross-posted from: https://feddit.nl/post/32912225

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cross-posted from: https://infosec.pub/post/27183289

This executive order makes sweeping changes to Civil Rights. This is the document that the EO is referencing 28 C.F.R. 42.104


Things that the regime hopes to do:

  1. Centralize Power by Eliminating Checks and Balances

    • Meritocracy as a Smokescreen:
      • By framing the order as "restoring meritocracy," the regime could dismantle diversity initiatives that promote independent oversight (e.g., civil rights offices, diversity committees).
      • This weakens institutional resistance to authoritarianism by removing advocates for accountability.
    • Loyalty Over Competence:
      • In practice, "merit" could be redefined to prioritize political loyalty rather than objective qualifications.
      • Federal agencies could be purged of dissenting voices and replaced with loyalists, as seen in historical fascist regimes (e.g., Nazi Germany’s Gleichschaltung—coordination of institutions under party control).
  2. Suppress Opposition and Marginalized Groups

    • Roll Back Protections for Minorities:
      • By eliminating race or gender-conscious policies, the regime could systematically exclude minority groups from federal employment and contracting.
      • This aligns with fascist tactics of scapegoating certain demographics (e.g., Jews in Nazi Germany, immigrants in other regimes).
    • Legalizing Discrimination:
      • The changes to 28 CFR § 42.104 could make it harder to challenge discriminatory practices in court, as "affirmative action" remedies are restricted.
      • This creates a legal veneer for exclusionary policies.
  3. Control the Bureaucracy and Economy

    • Patronage Networks:
      • A fascist regime thrives on patronage—rewarding loyalists with jobs and contracts.
      • By removing diversity requirements, the government could funnel contracts to politically connected allies (e.g., corporate supporters of the regime).
    • Weaken Labor Protections:
      • Merit-based hiring could be used to break unions or activist groups by labeling them as "non-merit" influences.
      • This mirrors historical fascist suppression of labor movements (e.g., Mussolini’s corporatist state).
  4. Propaganda and Ideological Control

    • Manufacture a "Pure" National Identity:
      • Fascist regimes often promote myths of national purity (e.g., Nazi "Aryan supremacy").
      • The executive order could be spun as "ending divisive identity politics" and promoting a homogenized national workforce.
    • Scapegoating "Elites" and "Diversity Advocates":
      • The regime might frame diversity initiatives as corrupt or anti-American, rallying supporters against perceived enemies.
      • This is a classic fascist tactic (e.g., Hitler’s attacks on "cultural Marxists").
  5. Legal and Institutional Erosion

    • Undermine the Rule of Law:
      • The changes to 28 CFR § 42.104 weaken legal tools to fight discrimination, making it harder to prove systemic bias in court.
      • By altering regulations like 28 CFR § 42.104, the regime could normalize executive overreach—gradually eroding legal protections.
      • This paves the way for more extreme measures (e.g., suspending elections, militarizing law enforcement).
    • Preventing Future Resistance:
      • A workforce stripped of diversity and dissent is easier to control.
      • This aligns with historical fascist strategies of eliminating opposition within institutions (e.g., Nazi purges of "disloyal" civil servants).

Comparison to Historical Fascist Regimes

  • Nazi Germany (1930s):
    • Hitler’s Civil Service Law (1933) banned Jews and political opponents from government jobs, framing it as "restoring professionalism."
    • The Enabling Act (1933) allowed Hitler to bypass the legislature—similar to how executive orders can bypass Congress.
  • Mussolini’s Italy (1920s-30s):
    • The fascist syndicates replaced independent unions, ensuring loyalty to the state.
    • The Acerbo Law (1923) rigged elections to guarantee fascist dominance.
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cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/62370804

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cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/62256846

“The one thing that we have to watch is to make sure we don’t see more countries in a similar boat as where we are with China. We’re watching the EU,” Boeing CEO and President Kelly Ortberg said.

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They should fuck off!

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/62263647

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/42836393

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