QOTD: Take Starlink Out Of Musk's Hands

The coda to an excellent article by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman writing in Substack about the danger of letting ketamine-addled South African white supremacist dork Elon Musk retain control of a national security asset like Starlink:

"In modern warfare, where communication and real-time information are as important as rockets and artillery, Starlink is as central to national security as Lockheed Martin. Decisions about which countries have full access to Starlink’s capacity are as much a matter of foreign policy and national security as decisions about which countries will be allowed to buy and operate U.S. high-tech weapons.

Such decisions cannot, must not, be left up to private individuals. This would be true even if these individuals were patriots who supported democracy and American values. They definitely shouldn’t be left in the hands of this guy.

Musk will surely, and rightly, be the focus of many investigations if Democrats win the midterms. But don’t expect this to chasten him: His response to the prospect has been to make menacing threats.

Which reinforces the point that control of Starlink must, one way or another, be taken away from Elon Musk. It’s a matter of national security: we cannot let private individuals make foreign and defense policy, and it would be totally irresponsible to leave a crucial military asset in the hands of a racist, authoritarian conspiracy theorist." (our emphasis)

We would go beyond that and find a way of cutting off Musk's access to Government contracts as he poses a national security risk through his support of our foreign adversaries.  SpaceX is overdue for competition, and NASA should be in control of our space efforts and of the hardware to accomplish it, not a megalomaniac zillionaire.  Not, as Krugman puts it, in the hands of "this guy." 

(photo: What you see is what you get)

 

White House Ordered Curbs On Starshield

The decision to restrict Ukraine's use of the Starshield system, which degraded its ability to intercept incoming Russian drones and missiles, came from the "White House" directly (you can read that as Trump).  From the Kyiv Post:

"The order to restrict Ukraine’s military-grade Starshield satellite communications system came directly from inside the White House, according to a Reuters investigation published Thursday, Oct. 15, revealing that Washington moved to limit technology essential to Ukraine’s battlefield operations and defense against Russian drones.

The restrictions disrupted Ukrainian strike missions and slowed interceptor drones used to protect cities from Russian Shahed attacks – at a time when Moscow was launching hundreds of drones and missiles against Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure.

Two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter told Reuters that Pentagon leaders received instructions from within the White House to slow the SpaceX-operated Starshield service used by Ukraine’s military. [snip]

Ukrainian military officials reported that Starshield terminals stopped functioning when mounted on fast-moving platforms, disrupting drone guidance systems operating over Ukrainian territory.

The restrictions affected attacks on Russian military positions and logistics facilities in occupied Ukraine, while also limiting high-speed interceptor drones designed to destroy incoming Shaheds before they reach Ukrainian cities."  (our emphasis)

The loss of speed in the Starshield system resulted in Russian drones penetrating Ukrainian defenses and killing numerous civilians, including women and children.  Their blood is on the corrupt Putin stooge Malignant Fascist's hands, and when the Dems hold the gavel this needs to be investigated.

Earlier it had been suspected that South Afrikaner white supremacist and fascist Elon Musk had ordered the reduction in service, as the Starlink system is owned by his SpaceX company.  Starshield is operated by the Pentagon.  

 

Musk's Conflict Of Interest Heading DOD Project

 

Failed Defense Secretary and testosterone pusher Whiskey Pete Hegseth announced yesterday in a speech that looked more like an evangelical revival that South Afrikaner fascist and megalomaniac Elon Musk would be one of a team of three to review future Pentagon weapons systems and technologies of the future.  Joining the South Afrikan white supremacist is far-right loudmouth and failed Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and tech bro MAGAt Palmer Luckey, brother-in-law of the despicable Matt Gaetz and a virtual reality entrepreneur.  From CNBC:

"The initiative, dubbed Project Meridian, will spend 120 days looking years and decades ahead at how warfare could change and what capabilities the U.S. military will need to maintain a technological edge.

'Project Meridian, the future of warfare, is not about developing new strategies or new policies,' Hegseth said. Instead, he said, its purpose is to 'identify the domains that we must conquer, and capabilities we must master.' [snip]

None of the three co-leads has served in the U.S. military. Musk moved to Canada as a teenager in part, he has said, to avoid compulsory military service in South Africa.

The role puts Musk and Luckey in prime position to help identify the military’s future technology needs while their companies compete for billions in DOD business.

Musk’s SpaceX holds a plethora of Pentagon contracts. In May, the Space Force awarded the company a $4.16 billion contract to build satellites designed to track and target airborne threats, just days after awarding SpaceX another $2.29 billion contract for a military satellite communications network.

Luckey’s Anduril develops autonomous weapons and other military technology. The Marine Corps awarded the company a contract worth up to $642 million in 2025 for counter-drone systems." (our emphasis)

The role of Musk and Luckey in this project reeks of conflict of interest with their Pentagon contracts, and would provide them with advance knowledge of the Pentagon's future plans for weapons development.  Moreover, through this project, they would have the ability to steer technology to be used by the Pentagon toward their business interests.  Gingrich is likely there to be the bloviator for the initiative, accustomed as he is to right-wing media and political figures, but he's also likely to find a way to wet his beak along with the others.

For Musk, at least, this is the reverse of his disastrous DOGE foray into viciously cutting Federal programs, many of which had a role in regulating his businesses, and some for just his white supremacist reasons.  Here, he'll be in a position to feather his own large nest with more Federal funding.  The next Congress should put a halt to the three's participation in this project in the next session by whatever means available.

(photo: Luckey, Gingrich and Musk. What could go wrong? DOD X)

Musk Lost 37% Of His Net Worth In A Month

 

The last month has been brutal to the unstable South Afrikaner white supremacist and ketamine freak Elon "Leon" Musk.  Not only has he been repeatedly confronted with the fact that his "DOGE" cuts to USAID have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths mainly in Africa, his net worth has plummeted from $1.32 trillion to $832 billion. From 247wallst.com:

"Elon Musk has just had the worst month of his financial life. His net worth fell from a peak of roughly $1.32 trillion to about $832 billion over the course of a month, a decline of roughly 37%, or about $500 billion, according to Benzinga’s tracking. [snip]

The primary driver of the wipeout was SpaceX. SpaceX shares fell roughly 41% to 45% over the relevant month, erasing more than $1 trillion in market cap, with an aborted Starship launch accelerating the slide. Tesla did the rest. On July 22, 2026, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction) reported second-quarter revenue of $28.24 billion but adjusted earnings of just $0.33 per share, missing consensus by 38.51%. Free cash flow swung to negative $1.09 billion as capital expenditures more than doubled. The stock closed at $313.03 on July 24, down 17.81% for the week and 30.39% year to date." (our emphasis)

We hope at some point in the not too distant future that this thoroughly despicable creature will be brought down, and held accountable for his looting of investors wallets and his crimes against humanity for slashing food and medical aid to the poorest of the poor. It can't come soon enough for the sick s.o.b.

(photo: Letting his Nazi character show)

 

Musk Hits Senate "BBB" Version

 

Former BFF of the Malignant Fascist, failing car maker and SpaceXplode rocket man Elon "Leon" Musk  rarely has quotable utterances that aren't nutty and/or fascist, but he pegs the MF's "One Big Beautiful Bill" monstrosity, writing on his garbage social media site:

"The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!

Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future."

He's mainly upset that the MF is cutting incentives for electric vehicles and other self-interest matters that will affect the South Afrikaner's bottom line.  The MF is certain to push back, but we'd rather not cover this tiff between two sick minds.  Sad! 

So How'd The Robotaxi Roll Out Go?

 

Monday was the big roll out of South Afrikaner fascist and SpaceXplode rocket man Elon "Leon" Musk's Tesla / Swasticar "Robotaxi" in Austin, TX. From all reports, it was a mess.  From Futurism:

"On Tuesday, the botched Robotaxi launch led Tesla stock to drop more than four percent and nearly $15 in a single day. That falloff came after videos emerged showing the driverless cabs — which also, embarrassingly, still have human 'safety monitors' riding shotgun — breaking traffic laws and driving erratically.

One of the most viral Robotaxi freakouts shows one of the not-exactly-self-driving cabs braking repeatedly when driving near police cars, blowing through an intersection, and swerving into oncoming traffic — all within the brief 20 minutes that the ride was filmed by its backseat passenger.

In another unsettling Robotaxi video, the Model Y's self-driving steering wheel jerks back and forth while plowing through another intersection before careening across a double-yellow line." (our emphasis)

Exciting!  Maybe the unhinged mogul should redesign his creation for carnival bumper car use.  Or call in the DOGEbags to fix it!  Media and Austin residents weren't the only ones noticing the Musk Robotaxi isn't ready for prime time, per CNBC:

"Tesla was contacted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday after videos posted on social media showed the company’s robotaxis driving in a chaotic manner on public roads in Austin, Texas.

Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker debuted autonomous trips in Austin on Sunday, opening the service to a limited number of riders by invitation only.

In the videos shared widely online, one Tesla robotaxi was spotted traveling the wrong way down a road, and another was shown braking hard in the middle of traffic, responding to 'stationary police vehicles outside its driving path,' among several other examples.

A spokesperson for NHTSA said in an email that the agency 'is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information.'” (our emphasis)

Too bad for the South Afrikaner that he's on the outs with the MF, or he might have been able to call in some favors with NHTSA.  Pulling strings or not, the public has seen the Robotaxi fail in its big debut (even with a "safety monitor" riding along).  With that, plus competition from Waymo and Amazon's Zoox, Musk's big idea looks increasingly like a dud.  Sad!

(photo: Not hailing a Robotaxi)

 

Musk "Fixing" Grok To Echo His Beliefs

 

Illegal immigrant and South Afrikaner fascist Elon "Leon" Musk has problems beyond his falling Tesla sales and his "rapid unscheduled disassembly" Space X(plode) rockets. His Grok AI was supposed to be serving up racial slurs and misogynist jokes, but has recently been responding with some factual information, running counter to the right-wing mogul's "anti-woke" views.  From Frank Landymore at Futurism:

"When a user on X, Musk's social media platform, suggested that Grok has been 'manipulated by leftist indoctrination,' the world's richest man wholeheartedly agreed without even a hint of irony

'I know,' Musk responded in a tweet on Monday, providing no evidence to back up his belief. 'Working on fixing that this week.'

A few days later, Musk chastised Grok for the mortal sin of citing data which suggested that acts of right-wing political violence had been more frequent and deadly than left-wing violence since 2016, the year that his ex-best-friend Donald Trump was first elected president.

'Major fail, as this is objectively false,'  Musk wrote in a tweet. 'Grok is parroting legacy media.' Then he concluded with his cherished refrain: 'Working on it.'"

One would think he's be more focused on "working on" his ugly reputation and troubled companies, but one would be wrong.  The article continues:

"Musk has repeatedly vowed to correct these thought crimes, and so these recent episodes are far from the first time he's scolded his creation for daring to bring facts to the table and thereby ticking off his MAGA fanbase. 

In May, for example, Musk called Grok's behavior 'embarrassing' after the chatbot gently expressed some mild skepticism when asked to weigh in on the assertion that favored bogeyman of the right wing George Soros and other woke-minded billionaires were using 'DEI' to hijack federal grants."

America's right-wing oligarchs, from Musk to Zuck to Bezos, are trying to reshape reality to their own  -- and the Malignant Fascist's -- liking, spouting false, noxious right-wing views they present to the public as "truth."  Countering their propaganda will take time, resources and perseverance, but a decent society and democratic values are riding on it.

(photo: Going to heil)

Safety Issues Plague Musk's Robotaxi

 

As illegal immigrant and South African fascist and ketamine enthusiast Elon "Leon" Musk prepares to roll out his problem plagued "Robotaxi" gamble, there are regular reminders that the self-driving technology in his Teslas isn't ready for prime time.  For example, in Berks County, PA, a Tesla in self-driving mode stalled on a railroad crossing, and was nicked by a train.  A recent demonstration of a Tesla Model Y's "self-driving" feature by The Dawn Project in Austin, TX, where the Robotaxi is scheduled to launch,  resulted in the car ignoring a stopped school bus and ramming into child-sized dummies. 

The launch date has been slipped a couple of time to fix the issues in the autopilot system.  It's most recently been moved from June 12 to June 22, but who knows if that date will be met.  Musk has long claimed that his "big idea" of a self-driving taxi would be his biggest venture yet, despite mounting resistance to his products for not only safety reasons, but due to his vile political and social positions. Would we hail a Musk Robotaxi?  Hail no.

(photo: "Look out kids! It's a Musk Robotaxi!" The Dawn Project)

 

Has Musk Worn Out His Welcome? (A: Yes)

 

Co-President South Afrikaner albatross Elon "Leon" Musk seems to be setting the stage for an exit from his historically destructive stint in government:

Elon Musk is reportedly set to leave his government role because he’s tired of the what he sees as a litany of vicious and unethical attacks from the left, according to a report from The Washington Post. [Ed.: "vicious and unethical": truthful]

It remains unclear when Musk will depart as head of the Department of Government Efficiency; his special government employee status will expire at the end of next month. A person familiar with his thinking told The Post that Musk thinks that his work at DOGE won’t be diminished because of his departure, noting that staffers have already established themselves across a slew of federal agencies.

But speculation of Musk’s possible departure comes as his influence in the administration appears to wane. The New York Times reported last week that the acting commissioner of the IRS was being replaced after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent complained that Musk had his preferred candidate installed without Bessent’s support. Musk has also annoyed other cabinet members by failing to coordinate with them in cost-cutting moves. 

Meanwhile, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives has said that Musk should leave his government role and once again focus his efforts on Tesla, arguing that the company is facing a “code red” moment.  

“Musk needs to leave the government, take a major step back on DOGE, and get back to being CEO of Tesla full-time,” Ives wrote to clients on Sunday, according to Bloomberg. “Tesla is Musk and Musk is Tesla....and anyone that thinks the brand damage Musk has inflicted is not a real thing, spend some time speaking to car buyers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. You will think differently after those discussions.”

“Tesla has unfortunately become a political symbol globally of the Trump Administration/DOGE,” Ives added, going on to argue that the company faces “potentially 15 percent—20 percent permanent demand destruction for future Tesla buyers due to the brand damage Musk has created with DOGE.”...

The ketamine-fueled fascist with dreams of populating the Earth with his spawn can go back to running Tesla into the ground for all we care, just as he left Twitter a smoking ruin.  The brand, as long as "Leon" is involved, is in a death spiral, thanks to his embrace of the Malignant Fascist, his bizarre ideas and lack of empathy, and his destruction of government programs promoting health, science, and the general welfare.  His 100 day reign of terror has permanently altered the functioning of government, and not for the better.  He's another example, like the Malignant Fascist and his Clown Cabinet, of a completely unqualified and incompetent person with far more power than sense.

Tesla Sued For Sytemic Odometer Fraud

 

Co-President Elon "Leon" Musk's crashing / exploding car company committing odometer fraud?   Our faith in non- empathetic fascist South Afrikaner crackpots has been completely shattered:

A Tesla owner in California is seeking a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all other Tesla owners in the state after he says the company has been systematically altering odometers so their warranties expire faster.

Lead plaintiff Nyree Hinton said he bought a used Model Y in December 2022 with 36,772 miles on it.

But after several visits to Tesla for repairs completed under warranty, he said, he began to notice odd quirks with the odometer, which regularly overestimated his mileage by at least 15% but sometimes as much as 117%.

From March 2023 to June 2023, for instance, Hinton said, his car logged 72.35 miles per day despite him having a consistent driving routine of just 20 miles per day.

After the vehicle’s 50,000-mile basic warranty expired in July 2023, Hinton said, the odometer then began to underreport his daily usage. In April 2024, the lawsuit alleges, the Model Y reported around 50 average daily miles, despite Hinton driving a 100-mile commute two to three days a week.

The lawsuit points to similar tales shared by other Tesla owners online as the basis for class-action status.

According to the lawsuit, Tesla’s odometer system isn’t physically linked to the number of miles the vehicle has traveled, instead relying on data like energy consumption, driving behavior and predictive algorithms to estimate distance traveled.

“By tying warranty limits and lease mileage caps to inflated ‘odometer’ readings, Tesla increases repair revenue, reduces warranty obligations, and compels consumers to purchase extended warranties prematurely,” the suit said.

Odometer fraud constitutes a federal crime, with cumulative penalties that can be applied for every instance of odometer tampering.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. [Ed.:  they were too busy fiddling with their predictive algorithms.]

Tesla's sales were down another 13% in the first quarter of 2025.  This is a company that needs to crash, along with "Leon."

(Image:  via CarToq.com)

Trump's Billionaire Buds Bleeding Big Bucks

 

Pity the boys of the billionaire's club who flocked to the Malignant Fascist (our emphasis):

As Donald Trump took the oath of office on Jan 20, he was flanked by some of the world’s wealthiest people. The billionaires present that day – including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg – had never been richer, flush with big gains from frothy stock markets.

Seven weeks later, it’s a different story. The start of Trump’s second term has delivered a stunning reversal for many of those billionaires sitting behind Trump in the Capitol Rotunda, with five having lost a combined US $209 billion in wealth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. [snip]

But any expectations that the start of Trump’s new term would continue to fuel market returns have been upended. The S&P 500 has lost 6.4 per cent since he took office, as mass layoffs of government employees and the president’s back-and-forth on tariffs have roiled equities, with the benchmark index tumbling 2.7 per cent on Monday (Mar 10).  

The companies behind the inauguration attendees’ fortunes have been some of the biggest losers, dropping a combined US $1.39 trillion in market value since Jan 17, the last trading day before the inauguration.

Here’s a look at some of those fortunes:

Elon Musk (down US $148 billion) ...

Jeff Bezos (down US $29 billion) ...

Mark Zuckerberg (down US $5 billion) ...

Bernard Arnault (down US $5 billion).

Sad!  But, when you elect a moron, you can expect these results. Of course, we won't be entirely happy until these parasitic chuds (let's also include the likes of Trumpers Peter Thiel, Sundar Pichai, and Larry Ellison, too) are walking around wearing a barrel asking for spare change, but things are heading in the right direction on the FAFO scale.

BONUS:  Paul Krugman writes about the emerging "Economic Excuse Industry."

(Photo: l. to r., Lady Zuck, Zuck, Lady Bezos, Bezos, Pinchai, "Chainsaw" Musk / Al Jazeera)

(h/t Silver Spring Bureau Chief)

Another "Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly" For Musk's SpaceX

 

Fresh off of his reckless and lawless destruction of Federal jobs and agencies, illegal South African immigrant and fascist skipping dipshit Elon "Kaboom" Musk can rack up another explosive failure: that of his SpaceX Starship, after yesterday's "rapid unscheduled disassembly" of its Starship over the Caribbean. CNBC has the story:

"SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft tumbled and exploded in space on Thursday minutes after lifting off from Texas, dooming an attempt to deploy mock satellites in the second consecutive failure this year for Elon Musk’s Mars rocket program.

Several videos on social media showed fiery debris streaking through the dusk skies near south Florida and the Bahamas after Starship’s breakup in space, which occurred shortly after it began to spin uncontrollably with its engines cutoff, a SpaceX live stream of the mission showed.

The failure comes just over a month after the company’s seventh Starship flight also ended in an explosive failure. The back-to-back mishaps occurred in early mission phases that SpaceX has easily surpassed previously, indicating serious setbacks for a program Musk has sought to speed up this year." (our emphasis)

Looking at earlier failures with his absurd Cybertruck / WankPanzer, Tesla stock tanking, X / Twitter losing 80% of its value, and now this, it's obvious that Musk's reputation for technical, entrepreneurial genius has been vastly overstated. To make matters worse, the tech schmuck has pocketed some $38 billion in taxpayer-funded contracts, loans, and subsidies since 2003. He's still planning to continue feeding at the Federal trough with new contracts, while his DOGEbag operation kills thousands of Federal jobs and programs that impact veterans, public education, consumer financial protection, and aid to sick and hungry people abroad. You can be assured that few, if any, cuts will be made to the selfish and delusional oligarch's pet projects that benefit from Federal largesse.

(photo: SpaceX Starship disintegrates over Bahamas. @ericloosen_ Via Reuters)

Man-Baby Musk To Federal Workers: Respond Or Else!

 

The chaotic, destructive mis-rule of ketamine-fueled, chainsaw-wielding, multi-billionaire co-President Elon "Harry Bolz" Musk has reached a new low:

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been given little more than 48 hours to explain what they accomplished over the last week, sparking confusion across key agencies as billionaire Elon Musk expands his crusade to slash the size of federal government.

Musk, who serves as President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting chief, telegraphed the extraordinary request on his social media network on Saturday.

“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted on X, which he owns. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

Shortly afterward, federal employees — including some judges, court staff and federal prison officials — received a three-line email with this instruction: “Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager.”

The deadline to reply was listed as Monday at 11:59 p.m., although the email did not include Musk’s social media threat about those who fail to respond.

The latest unusual directive from Musk’s team injects a new sense of chaos across beleaguered multiple agencies, including the National Weather Service, the State Department and the federal court system, as senior officials worked to verify the message’s authenticity Saturday night and in some cases, instructed their employees not to respond...

The hundreds of thousands of people who work for the federal government don't need this level of puerile threat and aggravation from an un-elected, clueless, "on the spectrum" (Musk's description) multi- billionaire raised in apartheid South Africa.  This is in no way practical or helpful (can you imagine the time and effort needed for Musk and his Muskrats to sift through and absorb hundreds of thousands of email responses?).  Rather, this has the odor of an impetuous whim that, given a second thought, should have been nipped in the bud.

Oh, and what did Musk get done last week, in addition to sending out this useless, morale-busting email?  He showed up at NutPac with a chainsaw to symbolize his carefully thought out approach to government (and btw his personal life).  The idea that this "idiot" (his father's one time assessment) is chaotically chainsawing government-- and through the lives of countless Americans -- as the deranged Malignant Fascist's (a.k.a., "FSB Agent Krasnov"?) un-elected co-President is one of the biggest disgraces, and most dangerous acts, so far in this nascent klepto-kakistocratic coup.

BONUS:  Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) has the proper "GFY" response:

This is a good opportunity for mass civil disobedience. Musk has no authority to do this. Encourage all federal employees to report to work, prepare GFY letters and continue to demonstrate the public service and patriotism he lacks. https://t.co/ftIsk6lKzL

— Sean Casten (@SeanCasten) February 22, 2025

BONUS II:  LGM's Paul Campos notes --

Elon Musk is still trying to get a Delaware court to approve a $100 billion — that’s billion, not million — compensation package for what he does at Tesla, which appears to be quite literally “nothing.”

(Photo:  Harry Bolz at CPAC NutPac, with Argentina's Trump, Javier Milei, cheering him on.)

Bannon Again Vows To "Break" Musk

 

In "even a stopped clock is right twice a day" news, MAGAt human/pig hybrid Steve Bannon comes to the correct assessment about skipping dipshit Elon "Harry Bolz" Musk (and his oligarch parasite country- destroyers) in his on-going feud with the un-elected President:

Former White House chief adviser turned conservative commentator Steve Bannon blasted billionaire Elon Musk over his efforts to reduce the size of the federal government and gain more power in the U.S.

“Musk is a parasitic illegal immigrant,” he said during an interview with the website UnHerd. “He wants to impose his freak experiment and play-act as God without any respect for the country’s history, tradition or values.”

Bannon, a staunch populist who has used his widely followed “War Room” podcast to rail against the “elites” in society, has sharpened his attacks on Musk as the tech billionaire has grown closer to President Trump.

He has told Trump’s supporters Musk is not to be trusted and has argued there is a “fundamental chasm” between the billionaires who have aligned themselves with the president and his “Make America Great Again” movement.

“We will break these guys,” Bannon said during a recent episode of his podcast centered on Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other leading tech moguls...

We wish both parties much success in cutting each other down, because it can only be good for us (and U.S.).

QOTD -- Streamlining America's Collapse

 

Tom Ellison at the satire site McSweeney's writes in the voice of unelected President and man- baby Elon "Harry Bolz" Musk that "Here At DOGE, We've Streamlined Every Aspect Of America's Collapse."  Here's the conclusion:

Americans cry out for speed and efficiency!

For too long, our authoritarianism has been “creeping.”

Our oligarchy: “quasi.”

Our Nazis: “neo.”

But now, Americans will get what they want: a stripped-down, streamlined speed run of 1920s Germany meets Ex Machina.

I promise, America will soon be the Cybertruck of countries—uglier than you could have imagined, built for rich chuds, borderline inoperable, and on fire.

Please read the whole piece.  Once again, the humorists and comedians cut to the bone of what's happening to our country.

Musk Set To Get $400 Million For Exploding Trucks Nobody's Buying

 

Hey, you DOGE tech tots!  Look over here!  Here's some (potential) waste, fraud and abuse in the gummint:

The US Department of State is planning to spend $400m buying new Tesla armoured vehicles, even as the carmaker’s boss, Elon Musk, leads efforts to slash government spending under Donald Trump.

A procurement forecast produced by the department showed the $400m (£320m) proposed spending on “armoured Tesla (production units)”. They are likely to be Cybertrucks, the newest model of the company’s electric pickup, given Musk’s claims that the vehicle is bulletproof.

The revelation raises the possibility of more conflicts of interest for Musk, who is one of the biggest beneficiaries of US government contracts through the companies he controls.

Musk’s stake in Tesla accounts for the bulk of his $383bn wealth, but his rocket company, SpaceX, is the most important contractor providing space launch services to the US government.

Yet Trump has also put Musk in charge of the so-called department of government efficiency, or Doge, named after an internet dog meme. Musk has set about gutting government departments he has accused – without providing substantiated evidence – of huge amounts of fraud and waste. Doge’s efforts have been criticised as illegal by many experts, who have said it is part of a string of actions by the Trump administration that appear to disregard the US constitution.

The Department of State forecast document suggests the Tesla contract will be awarded at the end of September...

An armored, brake- failing, exploding Cybertruck (a.k.a., WankPanzer);  what could possibly be wrong with that?  Good of the US taxpayer to buy up Cybertrucks that no one is buying in order to cushion Musk's losses!

We linked to this news yesterday in "Skeets" but thought it was worthy of more exposure, since it highlights the grotesque nature of what unelected President "Harry Bolz" Musk is up to:  a government that no longer works for the common welfare, but rather is one that's being set up to enrich the Malignant Fascist's billionaire oligarch bootlickers like Musk, Zuckerberg, and Bezos.  

And this potential atrocity isn't the only payday Musk is receiving from the US taxpayer:

Elon Musk prompted yet another heavy backlash online after it was revealed that his rocket company SpaceX was still receiving multi-million dollar contracts from the U.S. government amid his crusade to slash trillions of federal funding.

“You'll never believe who is still getting new government contracts while all the contracts at the Department of Education and USAID and other agencies are being nuked from orbit,” attorney and researcher Will Stancil wrote on X.

Stancil shared a screenshot that appeared to confirm that Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) was awarded a NASA contract worth just shy of $39 million on Tuesday...

But, after all, this is the regime of the most lawless, corrupt, sociopathic, unethical, autocratic, megalomanic moron ever to occupy the Oval Office.  So, Americans need to get used to having their tax dollars sucked up by the likes of Musk to pay for tax cuts going for billionaires while their freedoms, social safety net, and quality of life go in the MF/ Musk wood chipper.

(Photo:  saluting all the way to your bank / Angela Weiss/ AFP/ Getty Images)

The Destruction Of America's Soft Power

 

When South African fascist, megalomaniac and unelected President Elon "Kekius Maximus / Maximus Anus" Musk had his software sociopaths barge into the offices of USAID and illegally order its shutdown (or "feeding USAID into the wood chipper"), he signaled a determination by the Malignant Fascist's regime to undo 70 years of our foreign policy which has served to advance our international interests -- and counter those of our adversaries. "Soft power," the provision of food and medical aid, cultural and diplomatic exchanges, has been a major factor in spreading democratic ideals and burnishing our reputation as a humanitarian super power. That's is in crisis now, as Nobel Prize winning Paul Krugman writes in today's Substack posting:

"Elon Musk — with Donald Trump’s acquiescence, but clearly Musk was calling the shots — has effectively destroyed USAID, the aid agency that was, aside from its humanitarian role, a major pillar of US foreign policy. This move was clearly illegal, and a court has already put a hold on some of Musk’s actions.

But it may already be too late. The destruction of USAID is a prime example of what Dan Drezner calls Humpty Dumpty foreign policy, as in, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put him back together again. By furloughing the agency’s employees, ordering those working abroad to come home and canceling crucial programs and grants, the Musk/Trump administration undermined decades’ worth of relationship-building. Even if the courts eventually order everything the wreckers did reversed, it will be hard if not impossible to put the structure back together again."

The wrecking extends to the MF's tariffs on our neighbors and allies, including those covered like Mexico and Canada with trade agreements signed by the MF in his chaotic first term, as Krugman notes. Trust is the basis for any international agreement, and the MF is proceeding to undermine that with his reckless threats and actions. Krugman concludes his posting:

"So this is a really bad time to be alienating democracies around the world and destroying America’s reputation as a trustworthy partner.

I mean, what we’re seeing is what you’d expect if China and Russia had somehow managed to install people who wanted to sabotage America’s international position at the highest levels of the U.S. government." (our emphasis)

We wonder even more what those telephone conversations were about between Musk, the MF and Russian war criminal Vladimir Putin. 

 

President Musk Rampages Through Your Government

 

It's time to give Seth Meyers a closer look as he masterfully summarizes the events of the past few days, as we experienced more of that Musk-y smell than we ever imagined we would.  Better, more insightful coverage than you'll see in the news media for damn sure.

Musk's Government Cyber Coup Is Expanding

 

South African fascist co- President Elon Musk (a.k.a., Kekius Maximus, Maximus Anus) is bullying his way into the cyber and data nexus of the federal government, and no one is stopping him.  On Bluesky, Josh Marshall is reporting that, in addition to the previously exposed hijacking of the Treasury Department payments system and other government computer networks,

There also seems to be a significant amount of downloading government data onto private servers, etc, totally outside any cybersecurity regime. Additionally it’s unclear to the people inside whether the people doing these things actually work for the US govt…

who they are, whether they’re even American citizens. They all seem to be [German immigrant fascist billionaire Peter] Thiel and Musk protégés. And I’ve had multiple references to their refusing to identify themselves by anything but first name. The rationale given is that they could be doxed. One additional point and to be clear this latter stuff isn’t from my reporting just pieced together other reports and what musk is saying himself. They’re into th ex treasury payment system and claiming they’ve already found like $4B in “savings” a day.

It’s important to know what this means. This is simple his DOGE team reviewing the US federal budget, law of the land and deciding which parts aren’t necessary. It sounds like they’re saying they will unilaterally cut these funds with control over the check writing at Treasury.

They’re not saying that last part explicitly but that’s certainly the logic of what they’re saying. (Go look at his tweets over thd last two days). So a group of Musk protégés seem to be overruling the US federal budget. Impoundment by the president is illegal. It’s hard to think through the levels of illegality having a group of people who don’t even seem to be US government employees doing it.

The national security threat and illegality is certainly broad and breathtaking, but when you have a lawless Malignant Fascist who has been given immunity by his Republican Supreme Court for "official acts," who can then pardon anyone he wishes, the cyber rats clearly have no fear of legal ramifications.  Having an unelected fascist slug like Musk and his legion of dweebs sabotaging the dispersal of appropriated funds (and who knows what the hell else they're up to) is perhaps one of the worst abuses so far from this abusive regime.  One can only wonder what's next, and more importantly, WTF is being done to stop this in its tracks.

BONUS:  A start?  Pressure coming from outside DC on cautious sclerotic careerists.

(Photo: Illegal immigrant Maximus Anus/  Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

 

Pic Of The Day: The Star Of The Neo-Nazi Show

 

South African fascist megalomaniac and anti-Semite Elon "Kekius Maximus / Maximus Anus" Musk appearing by video at a neo-Nazi Alternative for Germany party rally, where Musk said "there is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that" two days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

In response to AfD's far-right extremism, thousands marched in Germany on Saturday to denounce the party, which is strongly supported by Musk. 

(photo: Go on, use the Nazi salute Elon, you're among friends. Sebastian Willnow/dpa/AP)