# The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [December 1, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298 "2025-12-01T20:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 407
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8121 "2026-08-19T12:16:19Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > is a serial killer now, or at least a mass murderer He’s a _serial mass-murderer_. > **Mass murder** is the [violent crime](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violent_crime "Violent crime") of [killing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder "Murder") a certain amount of people, usually at least 3 or 4 Each of those boats he bombed carried around that many people. And then you can add in a whole lot of other, even mass-er murders in Iran. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8122 "2026-08-19T12:40:39Z")
Is there any US president who is not a mass murderer by that metric? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8123 "2026-08-19T12:50:48Z")
I would also add his gross mishandling of COVID and the past and future deaths due to the destruction of USAID. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8124 "2026-08-19T13:34:18Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Still above the metaphorical fold here. > > [U.S. businessowners don't want to leave their Canadian suppliers, but 50% tariffs might leave them no choice | CBC News](https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-tariffs-impact-on-american-business-owners-9.7310238) No reason to worry. Trump _always chickens out_ > **[Trump pauses new tariffs on Canada for three days, saying deal close](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy9wz79ze29o)** > > The US president says the two sides are finalising documents to avert import taxes targeting a range of Canadian goods. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8125 "2026-08-19T14:06:03Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I have faith in the Navy’s ability to drag their feet on this until after Trump finally snuffs it. I wish they had the balls to just say “Fuck off you moron” ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8126 "2026-08-19T17:01:31Z")
Now that Trump has TACO’ed again, I hope Canadian negotiators are putting the screws to their counterparts. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8127 "2026-08-19T17:10:54Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > > [@Smapti](#): > > > > To quote Mara Wilson on Bluesky, “I feel like there’s an alternate universe in which Natalie Harp started dyeing her hair black instead of platinum blonde and ended up being the kind of girl who wrote letters to famous serial killers in prison”. > > To be fair, the object of her desire is a serial killer now, or at least a mass murderer. Yeah, but he, unfortunately, is not in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8128 "2026-08-19T17:12:25Z")
Negotiations like this always come down the the eleventh hour. The issue isn’t that the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement: there are a lot of irritants on both sides of long standing, but the negotiators are used to them. It’s the unhelpful micromanaging bombshells like the “okay, now THREE DAYS UNTIL TARIFFS!” — how can anyone productively negotiate with random, rotating threats that probably won’t be implemented unless they are? In the meantime, business and the economy, which prefer stability, and behaving in ways that will inevitably make the economy worse, which makes negotiations more difficult. If he could just stay out of the way and let the grown-ups handle it, we’d be fine, but you could say that for every aspect of this dysadministration. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8129 "2026-08-19T18:16:33Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > If he could just stay out of the way and let the grown-ups handle it, we’d be fine, You are, of course, absolutely correct. But given he can’t stay out of the way, my hope is that the negotiators on the northern side are using this to their advantage. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8130 "2026-08-19T18:21:53Z")
If he hadn’t started throwing tariffs around like confetti he wouldn’t have to stay out of the way 'cause there wouldn’t be a reason for negotiations. A circular argument, but so very indicative of trump. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8131 "2026-08-19T20:23:55Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > They are interviewing Harp’s brother on CNN right now. He’s kinda goofy, but he ain’t doing her any favors. He making her sound like a nut. I saw that. He was like a Central Casting “stoner” brought to life. As you say, he didn’t do her any favors—kind of a family drama story, with very right-wing parents raising a brainwashed daughter and a son who opted out, going in a very different direction. A viewer might be pardoned for thinking there’s at least a tendency toward mental flakiness in that family. > [@Alessan](#): > > There’s a biblical character that comes to mind: Along with Abishag, there’s the real-life saga of 95-year-old Rupert Murdoch, who has certainly gone through a number of wives. Whether there are also youthful “handmaidens” in the mix, I don’t know. And I didn’t see the fictionalized story of the Murdochs (_Succession_) in full, so don’t know if they depicted any such situations for their version of Rupert (the character played by Brian Cox). > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > [@Sherrerd](#): > > > > A story of a US President discarding a hot young aide for one even hotter or younger…I > > I didn’t mean something that literal. But a myth, or a Victorian novel–a Dickensian character maybe? There are certainly ‘discarded women’ throughout literature. But for the nuance of ‘gross old man is tended by young girl’----that is unlikely to be the focus of a published book or greenlit movie, because the gatekeepers of those industries tend to be men. Men who may well think that being a rich old guy tended by a young girl is …pretty cool. So they aren’t going to smile on any treatment of such a situation that would raise questions or criticize the practice. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8132 "2026-08-19T20:51:28Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Is there any US president who is not a mass murderer by that metric? Most Presidents are a bit more judicious about lobbing missiles about. Nations do sometimes have problems that can only be solved by military action. But Trump is doing this shit just to look tough and try to distract people from his shitty policies. Even his own generals tried to tell him this shit wasn’t justified or necessary, but he did it anyways. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8133 "2026-08-19T21:24:32Z")
Respectfully, Secretary of Idiocy, Marco Rubio, You have a problem with the International Criminal Court seeking arrest of “alleged” was criminal, Darth Putin. Oh the irony when the US goes in and kidnaps the Venezuelan president but also screams about an “assault on state sovereignty”! Please, can someone explain the logic of this? > ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8134 "2026-08-19T21:37:14Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > You have a problem with the International Criminal Court seeking arrest of “alleged” was criminal, Darth Putin That’s more of a cherry. It’s pretty much known the ICC thing is mostly about Netanyahu ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8135 "2026-08-19T23:07:29Z")
“Every time I hear our country is doing well, I say, that’s too bad.” > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mthifx34gi2s)** > > Trump: "Every time I hear our country is doing well, I say, that's too bad." “I almost like to hear bad numbers. I’m saying, ‘I hope we had bad numbers so the interest rates will go down.’” > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mthih7khst27)** > > Trump: "I almost like to hear bad numbers. I'm saying, 'I hope we had bad numbers so the interest rates will go down.'" "We’re also in the very beginning of a revolution in fictional and financial – you take a look at some of the things that are being done on a financial basis … " > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mthgvnhyo62p)** > > Trump: "We're also in the very beginning of a revolution in fictional and financial -- you take a look at some of the things that are being done on a financial basis ... " “I signed the Genius Act. I named it after myself.” > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mthgohfjsc2c)** > > Trump: "I signed the Genius Act. I named it after myself." “I get along with [Kim Jong-Un] great. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. He’s gonna be fine.” > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mth2iqrcz62j)** > > Q: Are you exchanging written letters with Kim Jong Un? > > > TRUMP: I can't tell you that. But I get along with him great. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. He's gonna be fine. “It was given free of charge by Scotts Miracle-Gro. Scotts. A great company. They actually contributed to my campaign … I want to thank Scotts.” > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mth2dbazyh2g)** > > Trump: "It was given free of charge by Scotts Miracle-Gro. Scotts. A great company. They actually contributed to my campaign ... I want to thank Scotts." ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8136 "2026-08-20T04:05:08Z")
[The convict-in-chief has another similiarity with his loverboy dictator: the wife is missing.](https://www.aol.com/articles/melania-trump-public-eye-month-090823000.html) > [@](#): > > First lady [Melania Trump](https://www.usatoday.com/news/melania-trump/) has not made an official public appearance for a month as of Aug. 19. > > Unlike President [Donald Trump](https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/donald-trump/), the first lady has often limited her public appearances and stayed out of the spotlight. After their son [Barron Trump](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/07/20/barron-trump-donald-melania-world-cup-final/90980031007/), who has only joined his parents and half-siblings at a few events since his father returned to the White House, [Melania Trump](https://www.usatoday.com/news/melania-trump/) is one of the more private people of the sprawling, famous family. > > An analysis of her schedule by [NBC News published Aug. 17](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/melania-trump-lower-public-profile-second-term-first-lady-rcna589849) shows she has made even fewer appearances in this term compared to her husband’s first term. > > Her last public appearance was at the [2026 World Cup final on July 19.](https://www.usatoday.com/story/shopping/entertainment/celebrity/2026/07/20/shop-melania-trump-world-cup-final-outfit/90980589007/) Since then, she has opted out of joining Trump at events like the [Patriot Games](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/11/trump-ohio-youth-sports-patriot-games-freedom-250/91248332007/) and [Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/07/28/lindsey-graham-funeral-live-updates--live/91062645007/). Last summer, she also went under the radar for several weeks between July and September. [I love the new conspiracy theory connected with the Felon in the Oval!](https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-kennedy-center-finally-reveals-154022000.html) (The **bolding** is mine.) > [@](#): > > In June, construction workers [erected tall scaffolding](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-name-off-kennedy-center-lawsuit-b2994934.html) at the [Kennedy Center](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kennedy-center-trump-name-vote-building-b3032777.html)’s entrance and covered their work with a massive white tarp as they chipped Donald Trump’s heavy metal name plates from the building’s marble facade. > > But the scaffolding and tarp were kept in place [even after the work was done](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-name-kennedy-center-tarp-scaffolding-b3002416.html). They have now been there for more than two months, **fueling speculation that the construction crew never actually** [**removed the president’s name**](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-name-off-kennedy-center-lawsuit-b2994934.html) from the performing arts venue — or have been told to keep the scaffolding in place while the venue’s Trump-dominated board[fights to put his name back.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kennedy-center-trump-name-vote-building-b3032777.html) [And this one, too!](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/zapper-trump-oval-office-nap-210431812.html) > [@](#): > > As Donald Trump appeared to doze off in the Oval Office, a young woman was standing behind him with her hand placed on her midriff. > > She tapped her hand against her stomach and, at the same time, [Mr Trump](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/14/how-healthy-really-donald-trump/) seemed to jolt awake. > > The moment on Aug 10, which was caught on camera, has gone viral and has led online sleuths to give the woman – Jayme Franklin – a new name: “The Zapper”. > > They speculate that Ms Franklin, a 26-year-old Maga influencer, had been entrusted with the task of subtly delivering an electric shock to Mr Trump if he fell asleep. They claim Ms Franklin is concealing a remote control on her stomach. I like the idea but zapping him might cause him to “let loose” diaperwise. “The Zapper”'s response to the CT: > [@](#): > > The staffer had a more straightforward explanation: “I’m just pregnant you weirdos,” she wrote on X last week. [Republican representative doesn’t care about reports about the Lincoln.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/house-republican-uss-abraham-lincoln-163030674.html) (The **bolding** is mine.) > [@](#): > > Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) said Monday he does not “make much” of reports that allege crew members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are suffering from declining mental health and supply shortages due to its long deployment. > > In an appearance on Fox Business’s “Mornings with Maria” anchored by Cheryl Casone, Fallon, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, responded to the reports and calls for congressional oversight into the physical and mental state of crew members on the ship. > > “These reports are just that. I haven’t heard anything personally from our office, and I trust the Navy to do this as well. So, I don’t make much of it, to be honest,” he said. > > **Casone confirmed the congressman was not concerned about the reports** but cited the aircraft carrier’s deployment, saying “260 days is a long time, you know, for a deployment.” [Yep, the Felon in the Oval is turning the place into _The Beverly Hillbillies_’ mansion.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-unveils-another-construction-project-165606648.html) > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump unveiled a new White House construction project Wednesday, issuing an impromptu invitation to reporters to join him on the South Lawn and tour the replacement of the White House driveway as well as progress made on his new helipad. > > During the tour, an animated Trump highlighted his personal investment in the projects with painstaking attention to details theoretically far below his pay grade: the placement of stanchions, the radial cut of granite, the elimination of potholes. The tour concluded with him signing a giant slab of granite that he said would be “flipped” and laid into the helipad. > > But first, he detailed another project — previously unannounced — that was already finished. > > “This was always asphalt, which is very basic, not appropriate for a great house — for a great place like the White House,” Trump said over the clanging noise of construction, gesturing at the surface he was walking on. The driveway has been redone, he added, with a California-mined white granite he described as a “very special stone.” > > Trump also suggested he had been involved in the decision earlier this month to disassemble progress made on his helipad. [The war on LEGAL immigration continues.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-officials-now-restricting-legal-134347228.html) > [@](#): > > The Trump administration is restricting all legal immigration categories in an effort to reduce the flow of immigrants to America. The restrictions include freezes by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and State Department officials refusing to process applications abroad. The policies affect U.S. citizens sponsoring spouses, children and other family members to join them in America, as well as employers seeking workers. Analysts note the U.S. economy requires more workers to grow, but the administration’s actions reduce the labor supply. [Add the American Bar Association to the organizations the Felon in the Oval is thumbing is nose at.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/white-house-lawyer-declares-aba-202625715.html) > [@](#): > > The [DOJ](https://lawandcrime.com/?s=DOJ) submitted a declaration from a [White House](https://lawandcrime.com/?s=White+House) lawyer on Monday to swat away the [American Bar Association’s](https://lawandcrime.com/?s=American+Bar+Association) discovery demands, claiming they threaten to “produce information identifying” senior advisers who authored President Donald Trump’s “permanently enjoined” law firm executive orders. > > In a notice, the DOJ said that the Executive Office of the President “strongly object[s]” to U.S. District Judge Amir Ali’s Aug. 3 order, which attempted to “narrow” the existing discovery “[impasse](https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/another-impasse-in-discovery-has-white-house-communications-about-trumps-uniquely-dangerous-executive-orders-under-the-microscope/)” between the ABA and the government by opening the door to naming names “at issue” for two specific requests. > > The ABA is suing to uncover the origins of Trump’s “unprecedented and uniquely dangerous” executive orders, [which targeted Big Law](https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/argument-is-unsound-trump-admin-fails-to-derail-first-amendment-lawsuit-challenging-attacks-on-big-law-firms-judge-finds-aba-has-standing-to-sue-for-its-members/) with the threat of tearing up government contracts and security clearances. [More proof he never forgets someone who stands up to his nonsense.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-celebrates-florida-loss-treasonous-170507848.html) > [@](#): > > President Trump on Wednesday celebrated the [loss of Alex Vindman](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6036864-nixon-vindman-moody-florida-senate/) in the Senate Democratic primary in Florida. > > “The most gratifying loss last night was that of a real treasonous creep, Alexander Vindman, to a Radical Left Lunatic, who can’t speak or think properly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon (D), who defeated Vindman [by more than 12 points](https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/races/2026-08-18/florida-us-senate-democratic-special-election-primary) on Tuesday. > > Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and former director of European affairs for the National Security Council, rose to national prominence as a witness during Trump’s first impeachment trial. > > Vindman testified to Congress about his concerns regarding Trump pressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former President Biden. Trump claimed his request to Zelensky was part of a “perfect” call, a defense he again brought up on Wednesday. [Let’s talk the Felon in the Oval’s numbers, as in running them.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/most-americans-believe-trump-inappropriately-100345205.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - A majority of Americans believe President Donald Trump and his family have inappropriately profited from cryptocurrency since his return to power and that his policy decisions are influenced by his private business dealings, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found. > > The four-day poll, completed ‌on Monday, found that half of Trump’s own Republicans believe the president allows considerations for his business interests to influence his decisions, a striking finding for ‌a leader who pledged to clean up corruption in Washington. [Question of the Day: Did the Felon in the Oval _really_ speak with Kim Jong Un lately?](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/kim-jong-un-powerful-sister-172136699.html) > [@](#): > > Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said she is “completely unaware” whether her brother communicated with US President Donald Trump, as Trump claimed this week. > > Kim, one of North Korea’s top officials, acknowledged that her brother has a [“great relationship” with Trump](https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/18/asia/trump-us-south-korea-military-exercises-intl-hnk?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo) and “personally has good memories and feelings” for him. But in a statement released on state media Wednesday, she stopped short of confirming Trump’s claim of recent contact. > > Trump told reporters Monday that Kim Jong Un had responded to his request for a conversation, shortly after the president [called for reducing joint military drills](https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/16/middleeast/trump-south-korea-military-exercises?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo) with South Korea, a close and long-standing US ally. Trump did not elaborate on the contact. He added Wednesday that he [intends to meet](https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/19/politics/trump-kim-jong-un-meeting?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo) Kim later this year, but he didn’t offer details and would not say whether he has exchanged any letters with North Korea’s leader. > > In her statement, Kim Yo Jong said of the reported “communication” between Trump and her brother: “I am not aware of it at all, and perhaps it may be the only thing I do not know as regards the foreign policy of our supreme leadership.” Who has a better track record regarding facts, the felon or Ms. Kim? Yes, that’s nearly the Platonic Ideal of a rhetorical question. [The war on immigrants turns into a war on _America’s pastime_.](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/padres-organization-loses-pitching-coordinator-175614536.html) > [@](#): > > The Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, more commonly referred to as ICE, has been extremely active under the administration’s crackdown on immigration. A focus on ‘flight risks’ has resulted in several warrantless arrests in airports near the border, and now those arrests are having a major impact on one MLB franchise. > > While traveling for work, San Diego Padres minor-league catching coordinator Oswaldo José Pirela was detained by immigration authorities in El Paso, Texas, reports Dennis Romero, Izzy Alvarez, and Jean Lee of [NBC News.](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/san-diego-padres-oswaldo-pirela-detained-ice-rcna593055) > > Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee records showed Pirela still in custody as of late Monday. > > “We are working to gather additional information and will not have any further comment at this time,” Padre team officials said Tuesday morning. > > Pirela’s family has taken to social media in defense of their loved one > > “Oswaldo, like me and other members of our family, was directly affected by persecution from the Venezuelan regime, we came to the United States seeking safety through the legal process, applied for asylum through the proper channels, and have worked hard to build our lives and become contributing members of American society.” said brother Jorge Heli Pirela via Instagram. Check out both infographics in the article. [Surprise! Surprise? Surprised–definitly not.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/doj-whistleblower-alleges-probes-universities-175300947.html) > [@](#): > > The Trump administration’s civil rights investigations into three Ivy League universities were politically motivated and designed to pressure those institutions into settlements, a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney alleged in [a whistleblower account](https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/08.17.26-title-vi-whistleblower-disclosure-for-congress.pdf) Monday. > > Officials pressed for deals with Columbia and Harvard universities despite hasty or incomplete investigations, Haley Van Erem, who worked in the Justice Department’s civil rights division for almost a decade, alleged. At Brown University, officials pursued a deal even after investigators concluded that there wasn’t evidence to support a civil rights violation. > > The outcomes of the investigations were “predetermined, without regard to evidence,” the account alleges. Moreover, Trump officials pulled vast sums of federal funding from the universities before probes were even completed. > > Lawyers representing Van Erem, who left the Justice Department in May 2025, filed the whistleblower disclosure Monday with congressional leaders on both the House and the Senate’s education and judiciary committees. > > In response, Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House’s Judiciary Committee, [launched an investigation](https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ranking-member-raskin-demands-answers-following-doj-whistleblower-reports-that-trump-officials-abused-title-vi-investigations-to-attack-universities-using-antisemitic-discrimination-as-a-pretext-and-a-ruse) Tuesday into the allegations. In a Tuesday letter to Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s civil rights division, he requested troves of documents related to the investigations. > > Raskin also said the new account shows “just how far the Trump Administration strayed from any notion of professional responsibility, public ethics, or legal candor in its attacks on perceived political enemies in academia.” [_Get Smart_ was a comedy, not a how-to.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/dhs-agent-hidden-wire-drops-191226041.html) > [@](#): > > An undercover federal agent accidentally dropped her recording device on the ground as she spied on a Minneapolis church group in May, according to new court filings, revealing a potential violation of a federal court order barring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from conducting operations at churches. > > The revelation is one of several new details that shed light on a sweeping [federal investigation](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/15-members-direct-action-minnesota-minneapolis-based-direct-action-group-antifa-ties) — dubbed “Operation Puppet Master” — into antifascist groups and individuals in Minnesota that resulted in the prosecution of 15 people. & > [@](#): > > The undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent attended a May 28 martial arts training hosted by the group Left Jab in the gymnasium of a Minneapolis church, according to court filings. At least one of the participants in that training was later charged by [the Justice Department](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/15-members-direct-action-minnesota-minneapolis-based-direct-action-group-antifa-ties) in the criminal conspiracy case. > > The undercover agent participated in “boxing/sparring practice,” according to [an internal DHS document](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.19_2.pdf) from “Project Whipple Shield” — a follow-up to Operation Puppet Master named for the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building that ICE operated out of in Minneapolis. > > “Due to the physicality of the event, [the undercover agent] concealed body-worn audio recorder erroneously fell to the floor of the gymnasium near the end of the training,” according to the report authored by HSI special agent Katherine Wespetal and approved by supervisory special agent Hakan Catalan. > > The recording device was on the floor for “approximately three minutes” before the undercover agent retrieved it. > > The undercover operation may have run afoul of U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV’s [February injunction](https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/synod-v-dhs-ice-injunction.pdf) barring DHS and other federal agencies from entering certain churches, including the University Baptist Church where the training was held. [You’re Mexican? ¡Excelente! Your deportation flight destination is…The envelope, please…¡Guatemala y Honduras!](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-deportations-mexican-migrants-guatemala-honduras/) > [@](#): > > The Trump administration has been quietly deporting migrants from Mexico to different countries in Central America despite the Mexican government’s willingness to accept the return of all its citizens, two Department of Homeland Security officials told CBS News. > > U.S. immigration authorities have been sending deportees from Mexico to Guatemala and Honduras, flying them around Mexican territory instead of returning them to their homeland, the DHS officials said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. > > The officials said one of the objectives of the deportations, which have not been formally announced by the U.S. government, is to deter illegal immigration from Mexico by sending some of its citizens further south and farther away from the U.S.-Mexico border. > > The deportations have been occurring for months and have sent hundreds of Mexican citizens to Honduras and Guatemala, one of the DHS officials said. It was not immediately clear what the precise number is. > > In a statement to CBS News, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry voiced its opposition to the deportation of Mexican citizens to other countries. > > “The Government of Mexico accepts the return of all its nationals. It therefore rejects the deportation of Mexican nationals to third countries and has no such agreement in place,” the foreign ministry said. “Mexico consistently takes the steps necessary to ensure the safe and dignified return of all its nationals to national territory.” [National Park Service knew the Reflecting Puddle would peel.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-administration-warned-peeling-reflecting-180404068.html) > [@](#): > > A National Park Service engineer warned the Trump administration about the [floor of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool peeling](https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/dc-reflecting-pool-renovation-timeline-2026-rcna351410) in early June due to the renovation process and the materials used for the job, court filings revealed Wednesday. > > Despite that warning, President Donald Trump accused multiple people of “destroying” the pool once it reopened to the public — and the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington [charged former Olympic canoeist David Hearn](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-olympian-david-hearn-charged-reflecting-pool-vandalism-rcna352788) with destruction of property during a June 19 visit. > > The park service engineer alerted the administration to the peeling issue in an email sent June 11, which the U.S. attorney’s office included in a court filing Wednesday. Prosecutors said that they were “not aware of or in possession of” documentation that the Interior Department had of installation problems at the time they charged Hearn. > > The engineer noted that the “top layer of liner has peeled,” adding that it is “very thin and will not impact the strength of the liner.” The person explained in the email that the “contractor stated that the peeled area was ‘overspray’ from spraying the perimeter joint with polyurea,” according to the Justice Department. The engineer warned that the issue could “lead to a 1’-2’ strip that is vulnerable to peeling.” > > The engineer sent the message to Interior Department and park service personnel. [President Cuckoo is stuck in time, 1950s to be precise.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-offers-explosive-reason-why-191005126.html) (The **bolding** is mine.) > [@](#): > > First, he announced a ballroom to upgrade the White House event space. > > Then, he revealed the ballroom was really just a facade for the military facility he was quietly building below. > > And now Donald Trump has admitted what some have long suspected: that the 80-year-old billionaire is also constructing a series of bomb shelters underneath the so-called “People’s House” to protect an elite few. > > But as he led reporters across the construction site, the president also acknowledged that special guests of the White House would soon be able to enjoy cocktails on the South Lawn before using his brand-new event space—and potentially even its bomb shelters. > > “They get out of the car and they walk down this path… and they can have cocktails and everything outside of the White House, and then they go into the ballroom. Even the military, they can use it like that,” Trump told reporters. > > “The ballroom is so much a military component with the drones and **the bomb shelters** and everything else that we have in there.” > > The tour is believed to be the first time Trump has touted the development of “bomb shelters” as part of his ever-expanding vanity project. [And finally, he really does think he’s deity!](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-religious-email-uses-am-131802477.html) > [@](#): > > A new fundraising email from President Donald Trump uses overt Christian faith language to frame his survival of the 2024 assassination attempt and return to the presidency as part of a larger divine purpose. > > “The steady compass of Faith has guided my hands through it all,” Trump writes, before declaring, “I was saved for this one reason: to Make America Great Again.” The email repeatedly describes events Trump says he was “never supposed to” experience, including surviving an assassin’s bullet and becoming president again, before pivoting to a $15 fundraising appeal. > > The presentation of the message adds another notable layer. Three phrases — “BUT I DID,” “BUT I AM,” and “BUT I WILL NEVER SURRENDER” — are highlighted in red, with “BUT I AM” appearing immediately after Trump writes that he was “never supposed to be President of the United States again.” Whether intentional or not, in a Christian-themed message, the emphasized “I AM” refers to God, while red-letter Bibles commonly use red text to distinguish words spoken by Jesus. Holy blasphemy, Batman! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8137 "2026-08-20T09:10:19Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > But for the nuance of ‘gross old man is tended by young girl’----that is unlikely to be the focus of a published book or greenlit movie, because the gatekeepers of those industries tend to be men. Men who may well think that being a rich old guy tended by a young girl is …pretty cool. _The Handmaid’s Tale_ may beg to differ. Of course, Trump and his crew would very much consider that scenario to be ideal for them. > [@smithsb](#): > > You have a problem with the International Criminal Court seeking arrest of “alleged” was criminal, Darth Putin. Oh the irony when the US goes in and kidnaps the Venezuelan president but also screams about an “assault on state sovereignty”! Please, can someone explain the logic of this? “It’s okay when **we** do it.” > [@Smapti](#): > > “I get along with [Kim Jong-Un] great. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. He’s gonna be fine.” Anyone else having _Manchurian Candidate_ flashbacks? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8138 "2026-08-20T09:20:16Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@Smapti](#): > > > > “I get along with [Kim Jong-Un] great. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. He’s gonna be fine.” > > Anyone else having _Manchurian Candidate_ flashbacks? Flashbacks? This is the sequel being written before our very eyes. And how does he know the number of nuclear weapons? If it’s accurate, then some poor sod in North Korea and three generations of said poor sod’s family are done for. But, of course, he pulled it out of his ~~diaper~~ butt. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8139 "2026-08-20T09:21:31Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And how does he know the number of nuclear weapons? If it’s accurate, then some poor sod in North Korea and three generations of said poor sod’s family are done for. But, of course, he pulled it out of his ~~diaper~~ butt. Off his ketchup bottle, I think you mean. ---
**Author:** ![yendis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ed8c4c/32.png) [@yendis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yendis)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8140 "2026-08-20T09:56:08Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I like the idea but zapping him might cause him to “let loose” diaperwise. If the zapping apparatus is inside a butt-plug then everything should be nicely contained. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=406) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=408)