# The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues (Part 2)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298>\
**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:** 84

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**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:** [January 18, 2026, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1661 "2026-01-18T06:30:57Z")

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> [@Smapti](#):
>
> Mad King Donald decrees that nobody else is allowed to play football while the Army-Navy game is happening.

What’s he plan on doing to networks that aren’t involved in sports broadcasting? Are they just supposed to shut down operations for the duration?

Silly me. Of course, he’ll make provisions for a _nominal fee_.

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**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1662 "2026-01-18T06:31:03Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Jan 17 (Reuters) - The Trump administration wants nations to pay $1 billion to stay ​on his peace board, Bloomberg News ‌reported on Saturday, citing a draft charter.

Make checks payable to Donald J. Trump, God of Peace, buy $Trump Coin, or use one of our handy off-shore accounts.

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**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1663 "2026-01-18T06:33:35Z")

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> [@Monty](#):
>
> What’s he plan on doing to networks that aren’t involved in sports broadcasting?

His wording in the EO is kinda vague, but appears to only apply to sports programming, and maybe only apply to college postseason games:

> [@](#):
>
> “I will soon sign a Historic Executive Order securing an EXCLUSIVE 4 hour Broadcast window, so this National Event stands above Commercial Postseason Games. No other Game or Team can violate this Time Slot!!!”

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [January 18, 2026, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1664 "2026-01-18T10:19:25Z")

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> [@Sherrerd](#):
>
> > [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#):
> >
> > And he brags about the boat strikes. If he’s so sure of the number of people killed, someone should ask him how many of them were children.
> 
> _“We hit a lot of bad, bad hombres. Some of them quite young. And you know, folks, that takes some skills–it’s not easy to hit the little ones. Many people have said it. We have skills the likes of which the world has never seen–and it better watch out! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”_

[Remember this conversation?](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/quotes/?ref_=tt_ov_at_dyk_qu)

> [@](#):
>
> [Private Joker](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000546/?ref_=ttqu_qu): How can you shoot women or children?
> 
> [Door Gunner](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0170381/?ref_=ttqu_qu): Easy! Ya just don’t lead 'em so much! Ain’t war hell?

And nice touch, Rip van Simple, calling your victims _hombres_. Did you happen to say it in a bad fake Mexican accent like you used a bad fake French accent when talking about President Macron?

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**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1665 "2026-01-18T13:52:58Z")

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Never mind. Monty beat me to it.

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**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:** [January 18, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1666 "2026-01-18T19:00:30Z")

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Corruption central to Mangoman’s identity and family.  
According to Hegseth, we solve the problem of enemy drones by creating our own cheap FPV drones sold to up by Trump children’s’ companies.

> **[UPDATE: Trump Jr.-backed startup receives $620 million Pentagon loan](https://popular.info/p/update-trump-jr-backed-startup-receives)**
>
> In October, Popular Information reported that the Pentagon awarded a contract to Unusual Machines, an obscure drone company that President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., joined as an advisor in November 2024, despite having no notable experience with...

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**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:** [January 18, 2026, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1667 "2026-01-18T21:44:43Z")

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60 Minutes is going to air the CECOT story after all.

> **[CBS News to air 'torched' prison report after getting snubbed by Trump admin:...](https://www.rawstory.com/trump-cbs-2674906656/)**
>
> CBS News is reportedly set to air its “60 Minutes” report on the brutal CECOT prison in El Salvador Sunday night, per reporting Sunday from CNN’s Brian Stelter, albeit after getting snubbed by Trump administration officials when asked for...

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1668 "2026-01-18T22:14:52Z")

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Remember when a President’s son joining a company as an advisor despite having no notable experience with that company’s product was prima facie evidence of corruption? Hunter Biden remembers.

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**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1669 "2026-01-18T23:13:48Z")

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There’s no other game scheduled anyway, as far as I know?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [January 18, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1670 "2026-01-18T23:17:33Z")

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> [@crowmanyclouds](#):
>
> Remember when a President’s son joining a company as an advisor despite having no notable experience with that company’s product was prima facie evidence of corruption? Hunter Biden remembers. .

Seriously. Right-wing excuses for attacking others are _always_ fake.

> [@Monty](#):
>
> Did you happen to say it in a bad fake Mexican accent like you used a bad fake French accent when talking about President Macron?

He **would** have, I’m sure. (As it is, I should have used single-quotes instead of double ones in this invented speech.)

> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> He who just smiles and nods may be the one with the final power. Trump better watch out.

It’s nice to think about. But for now, those smiling and nodding seem to be merely frightened human beings, hoping to escape persecution (for any honest reactions that might escape them) by Despicable Donald.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1671 "2026-01-18T23:28:06Z")

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> [@Love\_Rhombus](#):
>
> There’s no other game scheduled anyway, as far as I know?

Yeah, I posted this [in another thread on the topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2892):

> [@The current second Trump administration: a compendium of horrors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2892):
>
> Also, for what it’s worth:
> 
> > [@](#):
> >
> > so this National Event stands above Commercial Postseason Games. No other Game or Team can violate this Time Slot!!!
> 
> …is, frankly, relatively meaningless. This past season (2025), there was, in fact, a bowl game played on the same day as the Army-Navy Game (Saturday, December 13): the “Buckled Up LA Bowl,” between Boise State and Washington.
> 
> That was the very first of 41 FBS bowl games this season, and even if the NCAA decided that they wanted to schedule an early bowl game on the same day as the Army-Navy Game (or playoff games for the lower divisions), they could likely put it in the afternoon if Army-Navy was played at night, or vice-versa.
> 
> Every other FBS bowl game, and the College Football Playoff Games, were played after that date. The NFL was still weeks away from its own playoffs, and no other major professional American sports league had playoffs going at that time.
> 
> Trump: “ **You CANNOT schedule another game during the Army-Navy Game! I forbid it!** ”  
> Networks the NCAA, and the pro leagues: “We weren’t going to anyway. Whatever you say, boss.”

Though, as pointed out in that thread, it still sets a terrible precedent.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1672 "2026-01-18T23:34:24Z")

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What do you expect from a terrible president?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1673 "2026-01-18T23:36:03Z")

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He really should be unpresidented.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [January 18, 2026, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1674 "2026-01-18T23:43:59Z")

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As someone who only has a passing familiarity with football and doesn’t really watch sports in general, I have to ask; is the Army-Navy game even considered a big deal these days? I can’t say I’ve ever heard any of my football-obsessed coworkers talk about it or mention that they’re looking forward to it. I couldn’t tell you who won last year if you held a gun to my head. I don’t recall ever seeing ads or promotion for it. It seems like the only reason I know about it at all is pop culture references from old TV shows. Is this just another case of Trump perpetually thinking it’s still the ‘70s or something?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1675 "2026-01-18T23:50:20Z")

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> [@Smapti](#):
>
> As someone who only has a passing familiarity with football and doesn’t really watch sports in general, I have to ask; is the Army-Navy game even considered a big deal these days?

Not really, though I imagine it’s at least somewhat of a big deal to service members past and present, and those who attended those two military academies.

Army and Navy haven’t been particularly relevant in the college football landscape for many decades, and only infrequently make it into the top 25 rankings. But, the placement of the game, in that second weekend of December (where it’s been since 2009), now puts it in the weekend after “conference championship weekend,” but before the major bowl games get started, and so, it’s largely the only notable college football game sitting in that weekend.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1676 "2026-01-19T01:40:05Z")

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Un… well, never mind. I can’t quote Alex in the Pit.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1677 "2026-01-19T02:56:00Z")

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Remember: if Trump throws the occasional incredibly superficial, inconsequential, and gratuitous bone to the military, then it’s okay if – when it comes to the stuff that _really does_ matter – he just treats them like absolute shit.

It’s all a reality TV show and appearances are everything to Trump, the cast, and the crew.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [January 19, 2026, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1678 "2026-01-19T04:19:15Z")

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> [@DavidNRockies](#):
>
> Remember: if Trump throws the occasional incredibly superficial, inconsequential, and gratuitous bone to the military, then it’s okay if – when it comes to the stuff that _really does_ matter – he just treats them like absolute shit.

[Speaking of which…](https://www.aol.com/news/army-reservist-says-spent-weeks-120000539.html)

> [@](#):
>
> U.S. Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot Chris Busby, 28, and Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, 25, went to an Austin courthouse to get their marriage certificate on Dec. 3.
> 
> Roughly 48 hours later, Velasquez entered a Houston Immigration and Customs Enforcement office for a routine check-in and never emerged, Busby said. The uncertainty has left the newlywed questioning whether his time serving the country was worth it, he said.
> 
> “Stephanie is beautiful, she is smart, she’s amazing,” he said. “If it means sacrificing myself or my career to free her, I will do it.”
> 
> Busby, who enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2015, has spent the last six weeks looking for ways to free his wife from detention. Despite his years of service and their recent nuptials, Velasquez was denied bond on Jan. 9, according to her lawyer.
> 
> The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. The Department of Justice declined to comment on Velasquez’s case.
> 
> Velasquez came to the United States in 2021 hoping to start a new life far from the violence and political instability of her native Venezuela. She does not have a criminal record and presented herself to immigration officials in Miami when she arrived in the country.
> 
> In the meantime, Velasquez, 25, settled into life in Austin. She picked up a job at a local car wash and took classes to get her real estate license.

Really bad criminal, isn’t she?

[On the American sporting front in Europe, a crowd has a few words for Rip van Simple.](https://www.aol.com/sports/leave-greenland-alone-us-anthem-213417156.html)

> [@](#):
>
> Mounting tensions between Europe and the United States moved into the sporting arena on Sunday when a member of the crowd shouted “Leave Greenland alone” as the US national anthem was sung during an NBA game in London.
> 
> Actor Vanessa Williams was performing the Star-Spangled Banner before the Memphis Grizzlies faced the Orlando Magic at the O2 Arena [when she was interrupted](https://x.com/crimlawuk/status/2012952263740829743) by the heckle. The intervention drew a round of applause and cheers from sections of the crowd.

[Another death in an ICE facility.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/man-detained-ice-minneapolis-dies-220919733.html)

> [@](#):
>
> A 36-year-old man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis on January 6 and died eight days later while in ICE custody at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.
> 
> ICE confirmed Sunday that Victor Manuel Diaz, who they say was an illegal alien from Nicaragua, was pronounced dead while in ICE custody at 4:09 p.m.local time on Wednesday, January 14.
> 
> ICE says Diaz died of a “presumed suicide,” though his cause of death is under investigation.

Got news for you, Simpletons! “Presumed suicide” does not absolve you of your failure to ensure his health and safety.

Y’all remember federal judges telling Rip van Simple his appointees in certain offices are invalid and they must cease and desist holding those offices. I believe I mentioned upthread such orders are simply something else for him to ignore. [Yeppers.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pressure-mounts-trump-digs-heels-170000359.html) (The **bolding** and _italics_ are mine.)

> [@](#):
>
> The Trump administration is staking out new ground in the fight to retain loyal U.S. attorneys after a string of setbacks, piling on pressure as top federal prosecutors stand firm in their roles and push forward with probes of the president’s political adversaries.
> 
> “UNITED WE STAND,” the office representing U.S. attorneys nationwide [wrote Thursday on social platform X](https://x.com/USAttorneys/status/2011790539067199742), sharing an image of President Trump and his prosecutors from an event last week.
> 
> **Included in the picture: Four of five U.S. attorneys who judges found are unlawfully serving in their roles, _including the prosecutor Trump tapped to pursue charges against two of his foremost foes_.**

[What’s the Labor Secretary up to? Or should I say down with?](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-cabinet-official-brought-subordinates-223256759.html)

> [@](#):
>
> A Trump cabinet official is under investigation for alleged questionable behavior, including keeping an alcohol “stash” in her D.C. office and taking subordinates to a strip club during an official trip, [_The New York Post_ reported](https://nypost.com/2026/01/18/us-news/ig-probe-uncovers-labor-secretary-lori-chavez-deremer-visited-a-strip-club-with-subordinates/) on Sunday.
> 
> Anonymous sources told _The Post_ that a complaint against Labor Secretary **Lori Chavez-DeRemer** triggered the investigation by the Labor Department inspector general’s office.
> 
> “The investigation has also confirmed that rumors the secretary pursued an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with an underling were discussed internally months ago and dismissed by her chief of staff **Jihun Han** ,” the report said. Han was put on leave Monday along with his deputy **Rebecca Wright**.
> 
> The subordinate in the alleged inappropriate relationship with the secretary was also placed on administrative leave, according to the report.

There are still inspectors general in the fed?

[The ~~Schrödinger~~ Epstein files are in the news again (still?).](https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/trump-knows-epstein-could-mortal-041239108.html)

That’s a video. Here’s the blurb summarizing it.

> [@](#):
>
> The Trump administration is seemingly pulling out all the stops to get out of releasing the remaining Epstein Files. On Friday, Trump’s Department of Justice quietly filed a motion to block Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie’s request for an independent monitor to oversee the release of Epstein Files in the closed case against Ghislaine Maxwell. In a new motion, the DOJ urged Judge Paul A. Engelmayer to reject the request, stating that the court had no authority to approve it because neither Khanna nor Massie were involved in the criminal case against Maxwell that landed her behind bars.

You’ve heard of “dine annd dash” no doubt. The new federal version is [dine and detain](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1677).

> [@](#):
>
> A group of immigration agents sat down to eat lunch at a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Minnesota — and then returned hours later to detain the restaurant’s employees.
> 
> According to reports from the [_Minnesota Star Tribune_](https://www.startribune.com/ice-agents-eat-at-small-town-mexican-restaurant-then-detain-workers/601565580) and [WCCO](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/willmar-ice-federal-agents-restaurant-workers-detained/), four Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents sat down in a booth for lunch at El Tapatio restaurant in Willmar, located about 95 miles outside of Minneapolis, just before 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
> 
> The _Star Tribune_ reported that eyewitnesses said staff were fearful as the agents ate their meal.
> 
> By 8:30 p.m., the ICE agents seemingly followed the employees after they closed the restaurant for the night and eventually detained the individuals near a local church and Willmar Middle School.

[Interesting concept: Greenland is just **practice** for invading Canada.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-insiders-reveal-secret-plot-170548504.html)

> [@](#):
>
> The next stop on Donald Trump’s world tour—or takeover—may be America’s northern neighbor.
> 
> The president, 79, has turned his attention toward Canada, fixating on what he sees as vulnerabilities along its northern border that could be exploited by U.S. adversaries Russia or China, two U.S. officials, a senior administration official, and three former senior U.S. officials told NBC News.
> 
> “They certainly need to up their game when it comes to Arctic capabilities,” one official told the outlet, adding that Canada’s northern border “is not acceptable given today’s threats” and that “the status quo is not enough.”

See my post above where I quoted an administration flack countries don’t deserve territories they cannot defend.

[Evidently there will be a massive walkout on January 20, 2026 to protest the criminal in the Oval Office.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-inauguration-anniversary-walkouts-know-130027418.html)

> [@](#):
>
> On 20 January, the anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration, grassroots organizers are calling on people across the United States to walk out of their offices, schools and businesses to protest the administration and call for “a free America”.
> 
> In the wake of escalating ICE raids, attacks on gender-affirming care, cuts to healthcare and the deployment of national guard troops in US cities, the organizers behind the Women’s March are asking Americans to participate in [the “Free America Walkout”](https://www.freeameri.ca/).
> 
> As opposed to the large-scale weekend rallies that the Women’s March became known for following Trump’s first inauguration, organizers have planned a weekday walkout this year. The group says its aim is to show the administration that as it escalates its attacks “on our rights, our bodies, and our livelihoods”, that Americans can escalate in response.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1679 "2026-01-19T04:50:46Z")

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Bessent explains what the emergency is behind the new tariffs. And it’s to keep us from having an emergency! Duh.

> **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mcpg2j6kj22p)**
>
> WELKER: What is the national emergency that justifies this new slate of tariffs?  
> 
> BESSENT: The national emergency is avoiding a national emergency

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**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2026, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/1680 "2026-01-19T05:17:34Z")

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Why are the Army and Navy wasting time with silly ball games, anyway? Shouldn’t they be focusing all their energy on “warfighting”?

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