Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Breccia]

Trump official bypassed ethics rules in criminal referrals of Fed governor and other foes

Reuters reports that Bill Pulte, the guy Trump told to fire the Fed governor over bullshit mortgage fraud claims, skipped the IG on purpose and asked the DoJ instead. The IG's office is there specifically to keep people from abusing their authority. Trump's man knew that and skipped them anyhow.

Seven people ratted him out to the press.

By appealing directly to the Justice Department and publicly airing accusations that had not fully been investigated, Pulte broke with decades of precedent and ethics regulations, the people familiar with the matter said. Five of these people, and independent legal experts consulted by Reuters, said Pulte’s moves defied so-called “impartiality” regulations, among other rules meant to prevent political witch hunts.

“You can’t single out people for prosecution for political reasons,” said Richard Painter, a former associate counsel to President George W. Bush and that administration’s top ethics attorney. “It’s a clear violation of federal law.”

Pulte’s actions, legal experts told Reuters, violate various ethics norms and regulations. In addition to “impartiality” rules designed to ensure government officials remain unbiased in decisionmaking, the experts said it could flout the agency’s own procedures, protections under the Privacy Act, and the constitutional right to due process under the Fifth Amendment.

Because ethics rules can be subject to interpretation and to an administration’s willingness to enforce them, however, it’s unclear whether Pulte’s actions will undermine his accusations of mortgage fraud or affect his authority as agency director. Trump himself has praised Pulte, lauding him in one social media post, writing: “DON’T LET THE RADICAL LEFT WEAKLINGS STOP YOU!”

Yep, when Trump was yelling "WITCH HUNT!" it was him broadcasting his intent.

"But did the radical left weaklings stop him?"

Yes.

SCOTUS has declined to overturn a ruling that she can remain in office. Further, no criminal charges have been filed. Probably because she didn't break any laws.

[Edge-]

“You can’t single out people for prosecution for political reasons,”

but isn't that what donald literally promised to do when elected? lmao

[Breccia]

but isn't that what donald literally promised to do when elected?

He was applauded for doing so. Again, Team Trump and his cultists keep saying it's okay when they do it, refusing to comment when questioned, because they'd have to admit they voted for a dictator proudly on purpose.

[Edge-]

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-h...nce-abuse-ssri

Psychiatrists have joined other public health groups in calling for the removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary.

Two psychiatry organizations — the Southern California Psychiatry Society and the recently formed grassroots Committee to Protect Public Mental Health — have released statements saying that the actions of the leader of the Department of Health and Human Services have increased stigma, instilled fear and hurt access to mental health and addiction care.

"As physicians committed to evidence-based care, we are alarmed by the direction of HHS under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr," the Committee to Protect Public Mental Health said in a statement.

HHS responds

"Secretary Kennedy remains firmly committed to delivering on President Trump's promise to Make America Healthy Again by dismantling the failed status quo, restoring public trust in health institutions, and ensuring the transparency, accountability, and decision-making power the American people voted for," Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the federal health department, wrote to NPR in an email.

The Southern California Psychiatry Society represents more than a 1,000 clinicians; the Committee to Protect Public Mental Health has just over 50 members.

In recent years, the federal government had taken a leading role in funding efforts to address serious mental illness and substance use through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administrations (SAMHSA), notes Dr. Steven Sharfstein, a past-president of the American Psychiatric Association and an adjunct professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University.

Those efforts had started to pay off, he adds. "There's been great progress in reducing the number of overdose deaths in the country as a result of these initiatives," he says.

But the firing of staff at SAMHSA earlier this year, and the Health Secretary's efforts to shutter the agency, have hurt those efforts, says Sharfstein, who's also a founding member of the Committee to Protect Public Mental Health.

"RFK Jr. is trying to eliminate the federal agency that is responsible for supporting states and localities with overdose prevention," says Dr. Eric Rafla-Yuan, a San Diego-based psychiatrist and a member of the Committee to Protect Public Mental Health. "This is exactly opposite of the direction that we need to be going."

Psychiatric medications questioned

Both the organizations are also concerned about the health secretary's attacks on psychiatric medications, including in the Make Our Children Healthy Again strategy, which is also known as The MAHA report

The MAHA report "specifically misrepresents the data on psychotropic medications, really ignoring the full body of the scientific literature," says Dr. Emily Wood, co-chair of the Southern California Psychiatric Association. "And it is calling for various ways to limit access to psychiatric medications, which is extremely disturbing as these are medications that are critical for many individuals with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, ADHD and many disorders."

"This misrepresentation increases stigma, spreads fear, and can keep people from reaching out for help when they need it most," according to the statement by the Southern California Psychiatric Association. "The report uses these inaccurate statements as a basis for taking action to restrict access to critical services that ease suffering, restore functioning, and prevent suicide."

Dr. Sharfstein says he's also concerned about the impact of cuts to Medicaid on people with Serious Mental Illness (SMIs), which includes conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 6% of American adults live with an SMI. Given the debilitating nature of SMIs, patients tend to be poor, explains Sharfstein.

"They can't afford the medications," he says, "And Medicaid is what they rely on. But it's not just medications. It's outpatient treatment. It's access to acute inpatient care."

As cuts to Medicaid roll out, access to care for mental illness and addiction will get increasingly "compromised," says Sharfstein. "And we'll see a kind of rolling crisis occur."

His group is calling on lawmakers to replace Kennedy with someone trained in public health and evidence-based care. "To protect patients, safeguard scientific integrity, and restore public trust, we join our colleagues in calling on the President to remove Secretary Kennedy and appoint a qualified, evidence-driven leader without delay," according to the statement.

More concerns from actual medical practitioners with actual degrees and experience instead of a former heroin addicted guy who decapitates dead whales and bathes in contaminated water voluntarily.

[DarkTZeratul]

on what justification lmao

Fox accidentally showed clips of the George Floyd protests in Portland from 2020, and Trump thinks that's happening right now, because he saw it on TV and therefore it must be true.

[Edge-]

Fox accidentally showed clips of the George Floyd protests in Portland from 2020, and Trump thinks that's happening right now, because he saw it on TV and therefore it must be true.

didn't he talk to the mayor and governor who told him "what you see on tv isn't happening "and donald was like "wait what i'm seeing on tv isn't happening right now?" and the president of the united states seems like he gets his information from whatever's on TV and that's very deeply concerning

[DarkTZeratul]

didn't he talk to the mayor and governor who told him "what you see on tv isn't happening "and donald was like "wait what i'm seeing on tv isn't happening right now?"

More or less, only slightly more concerning because when they told him everything is fine, his "Am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening?" seemed (to me, at least) like an incredulous statement that he didn't believe them, because he saw it on TV so of course it must be happening.

and the president of the united states seems like he gets his information from whatever's on TV and that's very deeply concerning

In any rational government there would be serious questions being asked - in public - about his mental state and fitness for office. Instead the GOP doesn't give a shit if he's a drooling vegetable, he's their drooling vegetable and whatever he says goes!

[s_bushido]

Fox "accidentally" showed that? Charitable, to say the least...

[Edge-]

Fox "accidentally" showed that? Charitable, to say the least...

fox basically runs half the white house

they know damn well when "executive time" is and can program for it lol

[Breccia]

Foreclosures are surging as U.S. homeowners grapple with rising costs

Although foreclosures — which include default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions — remain well below their pre-pandemic levels, they are on the rise.

As of August, foreclosure filings had risen six straights months year-over-year and were up 18% from the same period in 2025, according to property data firm ATTOM. Through June, roughly 188,000 properties had foreclosure filings, putting the U.S. on track to surpass the roughly 322,000 U.S. properties that went into foreclosure in 2024.

"But Trump lowered rates!"

First of all...did he? Did he really?

Second of all, most mortgages don't change their rates automatically due to new rates lowering. You have to refi, which takes money, which leads to...

Third of all,

Roughly 94% of mortgage defaults occur after a homeowner loses income to extenuating circumstances, according to The Urban Institute, citing data from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Circumstances such as "prices raised unilaterally by Trump".

You could attempt to defend Trump on this, maybe even with some success, claiming things like property taxes or insurance rates are to blame. Have fun blaming insurance costs when Trump tried to cut ACA benefits, by the way. And further luck blaming property taxes when property taxes go to buy things whose, yep, price has gone up. But in the end, when foreclosures stop staying flat (2022+) and start rising (Trump levies tax increase on American people) the issue is things happening during the time of rise. Even if you could defend that it wasn't Trump's fault, a hard sell considering what Trump has done to make it happen, it is currently Trump's problem. And even after you attempt any of that,

Todd Teta, chief product and technology officer at ATTOM, also cited the recent slowdown in hiring as a factor behind rising mortgage delinquencies, noting that job loss often drives foreclosures.

the short version is "I still win".

"Trump will force the Fed to lower rates so much, everyone will refinance!"

Interesting theory. That's 2% to 6% of your remaining mortgage.

Common mortgage refinance fees
Expect a laundry list of fees if you refinance your mortgage. Below are several common refi fees, along with a typical expected cost range for each (specifics will vary, of course):

• Application fee (up to $500). You’ll pay for the processing of your paperwork.
• Appraisal fee (up to $1,000). Your home value often must be reassessed when you refinance
• Credit check fee (up to $100 per borrower). It’s not free for lenders to pull your credit. They pass along all or part of the fee to you.
• Recording fee (up to $250). Often required when transferring ownership of a property, this is still required to update documentation.
• Title service fee (up to $2,000). Pay for the cost of searching your home’s records to see if there are any liens and ensure that you rightfully own the home.
• Attorney fee (up to $1,000). You’ll pay for a lawyer or company to review the closing of your refinance.
• Underwriting fee (up to $900). Underwriters will examine your mortgage and assess things like your risk and eligibility.
• Survey fee (up to $400). Lenders may want to confirm details like the location of your home and the rest of your property.

As costs are going up, savings are going down. And bear in mind, banks don't have to give you a refi just because you ask, and can set application fees whatever they want. They can also raise requirements of things like credit checks. So, feel free to bookmark this article and check back in 3, 6, 12 months. See if everyone refinanced or not. I'm guessing not.

And even if it did, foreclosures are still up now, and there is no signal real estate owner Trump will do anything about it. He doesn't care if foreclosures are up, as long as he's paid in the first place.

[Draco-Onis]

Foreclosures are surging as U.S. homeowners grapple with rising costs



"But Trump lowered rates!"

First of all...did he? Did he really?

Second of all, most mortgages don't change their rates automatically due to new rates lowering. You have to refi, which takes money, which leads to...

Third of all,



Circumstances such as "prices raised unilaterally by Trump".

You could attempt to defend Trump on this, maybe even with some success, claiming things like property taxes or insurance rates are to blame. Have fun blaming insurance costs when Trump tried to cut ACA benefits, by the way. And further luck blaming property taxes when property taxes go to buy things whose, yep, price has gone up. But in the end, when foreclosures stop staying flat (2022+) and start rising (Trump levies tax increase on American people) the issue is things happening during the time of rise. Even if you could defend that it wasn't Trump's fault, a hard sell considering what Trump has done to make it happen, it is currently Trump's problem. And even after you attempt any of that,



the short version is "I still win".

"Trump will force the Fed to lower rates so much, everyone will refinance!"

Interesting theory. That's 2% to 6% of your remaining mortgage.



As costs are going up, savings are going down. And bear in mind, banks don't have to give you a refi just because you ask, and can set application fees whatever they want. They can also raise requirements of things like credit checks. So, feel free to bookmark this article and check back in 3, 6, 12 months. See if everyone refinanced or not. I'm guessing not.

And even if it did, foreclosures are still up now, and there is no signal real estate owner Trump will do anything about it. He doesn't care if foreclosures are up, as long as he's paid in the first place.

It's the worse of all worlds most people got their mortgages at the lower end under 3% which is stagnating mobility then you have the job market getting worse so people can't afford homes. The mortgage rates remain stubbornly high because treasuries and bonds are at a high rate due to lost of trust in the US economy. The world's central banks are buying gold driving it to an all time high, the US is unable to transfer the risks we used to when we were the safest harbor.

If someone told me that Trump was a foreign agent sent to destroy the US I would believe it because if that was my goal this is exactly what I would do. It's always easier to destroy than the build so it shouldn't be surprising that he has done so much damage in such a short time. The US is only the world's reserve currency in name only it's basically gold at this point something people thought would be impossible.

[Breccia]

The mortgage rates remain stubbornly high because treasuries and bonds are at a high rate due to lost of trust in the US economy.

This was something that had occurred to me as well, but I wasn't sure. So thanks for bringing it up. You basically summed up what JPMorgan said in April, and even more impressively, the WSJ yesterday and Barron's did as well. Because Trump first intentionally caused chaos in his own BLS, then shut down the government, the missed data is taken as a bad sign.

It is not a good time to invest in the American future. Trump saw to that himself.

[Edge-]

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn4w50ld9net

Democrat senator Durbin then asks Bondi why she said in February that the client list of Jeffrey Epstein - the late, convicted paedophile financier - was sitting on her desk ready for review.

He says Bondi produced information on Epstein that was already public and did not reveal a client list.

Bondi responds that she only said that because she had not yet reviewed the files at the time. She then says that a July 6 memo pointed out that there was never an Epstein client list.

So the charitable view is that Pam Bondi is an incompetent idiot who testifies under oath about documents she has not read or reviewed.

The more realistic view of this is that Pam Bondi is a liar who was installed specifically for her loyalty to Donald and is working closely with him to protect a ring of child rapists.

[Paranoid Android]

The Trump admin is threatening not to pay furloughed federal workers -- except that would be illegal, and Trump himself signed the law requiring them to get back pay

Another crazy notion of just saying F U to employees. Besides just being illegal it's not employees fault the government shuts down and they are still working for back pay. On top of that the way we just treat labor in this country is the worst. This should be evident on how Trump treats labor and this is standard practice. Oh yeah, of course Congress always makes their money.

[Edge-]

The Trump admin is threatening not to pay furloughed federal workers -- except that would be illegal, and Trump himself signed the law requiring them to get back pay

Another crazy notion of just saying F U to employees. Besides just being illegal it's not employees fault the government shuts down and they are still working for back pay. On top of that the way we just treat labor in this country is the worst. This should be evident on how Trump treats labor and this is standard practice. Oh yeah, of course Congress always makes their money.

man

2024 trump seems to hate a lot of what 2016 trump did

super fuckin weird, innit?

[Breccia]

2024 trump seems to hate a lot of what 2016 trump did

No.

2025 Trump has forgotten what 2016 Trump did.

In fact, I'm fairly sure 2025 Trump has forgotten what 2025 Trump did. The dude thinks Portland is on fire and people use coal.

[Edge-]

https://www.reddit.com/r/law/comment...p_has_plenary/

Under Title 10 of the US Code, the President has "plenary authority" as...

Stephen Miller, a fascist Nazi, broke after he realized he accidentally said the quiet part out loud. He literally just froze realizing what he just said, in public, that can be cited in court documents now.

For those wondering what "plenary authority" means, let's go to Cornell - https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/plenary_authority

Plenary authority is power that is wide-ranging, broadly construed, and often limitless for all practical purposes. When used with respect to public officials, the more popular term is plenary power.

I wonder if anyone is somewhat concerned or danging their misfortune?

Anyways, never taking Republicans seriously ever again. They are authoritarian fascists who continue to remain silent on this shit because it's what they want.

- - - Updated - - -

IN OTHER NEWS https://www.axios.com/2025/10/07/rfk...ccines-warning

Six former U.S. surgeons general warned in a Tuesday op-ed that changes made by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are "endangering the health of the nation."

Buncha libs!

Driving the news: The former top doctors — appointed by every president dating back to George H.W. Bush — sounded the alarm over plummeting morale, the prioritization of ideology over science and the fleeing of talent amid rising public health threats.

Oh...

The other side: HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement to Axios that the "same officials who presided over the decline in America's public health are now criticizing the first Secretary to confront it head-on."

Except American health has largely been improving, and most declines can be largely traced back to "lack of coverage". Which Democrats at least tried to fix, at one point.

The big picture: The former officials join a growing chorus of public dissent against Kennedy.

HHS employees, members of the Kennedy family, public health groups and lawmakers have called on him to resign.

"It's all a conspiracy where professionals, his own family, and employees all think he's not just unqualified, but objectively dangerous! A conspiracy!"

[btlcryct]

The Trump admin is threatening not to pay furloughed federal workers -- except that would be illegal, and Trump himself signed the law requiring them to get back pay

Another crazy notion of just saying F U to employees. Besides just being illegal it's not employees fault the government shuts down and they are still working for back pay. On top of that the way we just treat labor in this country is the worst. This should be evident on how Trump treats labor and this is standard practice. Oh yeah, of course Congress always makes their money.

It's even worse than that. He's eluded to paying 'his people' back but not others:

“For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people,” Trump said. “There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of. And we’ll take care of them in a different way.”

[gondrin]

No.

2025 Trump has forgotten what 2016 Trump did.

In fact, I'm fairly sure 2025 Trump has forgotten what 2025 Trump did. The dude thinks Portland is on fire and people use coal.

As far as Portland goes, this isn't the first time he was fooled with something he watched on TV. Remember, there was a time that he made a decision based on a movie.

https://newrepublic.com/post/194824/...eopen-alcatraz

[alach]

As far as Portland goes, this isn't the first time he was fooled with something he watched on TV. Remember, there was a time that he made a decision based on a movie.

https://newrepublic.com/post/194824/...eopen-alcatraz

Wasn't it Sweden that he constantly told the people was burning and being destroyed during his first term? And the Swedes were wtf.
Now hes doing it again only closer where it's much easier to verify.