More from the article ...

... Some US Army troops posted along the southern border as part of the Trump administration's heightened immigration enforcement efforts are living under substandard conditions in Texas and New Mexico, according to a report by the Pentagon's inspector general.

The problems include "leaking raw sewage, non-functional toilets, and general disrepair of facilities," according to the report published Wednesday and signed by Bryan Clark, assistant inspector general for evaluations.

The document included a photograph said to show "a dried layer of raw sewage that was leaking from the bathroom toilets." In addition, the report's authors said, "multiple soldiers living in the barracks informed us of electrical capacity concerns and continually nonfunctioning air conditioning."

The troops affected are part of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team " a Colorado unit deployed to Fort Bliss, Texas, and the Doa Ana Range Complex in New Mexico, according to the report. ...

Update ...

Related ...

... Authorities in Massachusetts charged two Haitian men with SNAP program fraud ...

This is the proper approach to solving the fraud problem. Find those doing the fraudalent activites and bring them to court.

Wholesale termination of SNAP benefits because of the actions of a very few is the wrong approach.

@#1 ... Democrats choosing to stick their heads in the sand and ignore what Americans had to say about their utter failure in 2024 is idiocy ...

If the report, due to the old information it is based upon, is no longer is apropos, then the DNC should say so in an addendum to the report. Then release the report with the addendum.

@#39 ... Corporations passed the tariffs along to consumers via higher prices ...

Yup.

And Pres Trump still seems to be saying that other countries pay the tariffs and because of that, the money raised by the tariffs is a windfall to be spent.

@#6 ... WH press flak Karoline Leavitt, enthused on X : "Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future!" ...

If Pres Trump wants to latch on to a Kennedy, maybe it would be more appropriate to latch on to RF Kennedy, Jr.

From the sub-summary ...

... Americans watched Donald Trump address the nation, "drenched in pure panic as he tried to bully an entire nation into admitting he's doing a great job," ...

Scheduling a prime-time White House address by the President a day in advance, and also making the major networks cover it, is usually reserved for a time when the Country, not the President, is facing some manner of a crisis.

@#4 ... Why put his name on this facility? ...

My guess is that he likes putting his name on things.

... found that 57 percent of respondents put the state of the economy at Trump's feet, while 34 percent said Biden is more responsible for the economy ...

Back in April Pres Trump introduced "uncertainty" into the economy with his tariff proposals.

We are now seeing the results of that uncertainty.

... rename Washington's leading performing arts center as the Trump-Kennedy Center ...

I'm surprised it took this long before he changed the name ...

@#11 ... Except for the payments he offered to military personnel. ...

More from the article ...

... The shutdown also prevented the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics from publishing month-to-month changes for November's Consumer Price Index report on Thursday, as most of the price data for October was not collected. The October CPI release was canceled because the data could not be collected retroactively. It was the first time that the BLS did not publish monthly CPI rates.

The shutdown also prevented the statistics agency this week from publishing an unemployment rate for October for the first time since the government started tracking the series in 1948. Policymakers, investors, businesses and households will have to wait for December data for clarity on inflation and the health of the labor market.

"The lack of detail and the absence of data collection during the shutdown introduce a degree of skepticism that's hard to ignore," said Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economic research at Fitch Ratings. "We will need to wait until next month for a clearer read on inflation."

The CPI rose 2.7% on a year-over-year basis in November after increasing 3.0% in the 12 months through September. ...

So, in his speech Pres Trump tells Americans not to believe their eyes, not to believe what they are experiencing, regarding the economy.

But to believe only what Pres Trump says about the economy.

More from the article ...

... "These companies have been unlawfully collecting personal data through Automated Content Recognition (ACR') technology," Paxton's office alleged in a press release that contains links to all five lawsuits.

"ACR in its simplest terms is an uninvited, invisible digital invader. This software can capture screenshots of a user's television display every 500 milliseconds, monitor viewing activity in real time, and transmit that information back to the company without the user's knowledge or consent.

The companies then sell that consumer information to target ads across platforms for a profit. This technology puts users' privacy and sensitive information, such as passwords, bank information, and other personal information at risk." ...

"Mass surveillance system" in US living rooms

Pointing out that Hisense and TCL are based in China, Paxton's press release said the firms' "Chinese ties pose serious concerns about consumer data harvesting and are exacerbated by China's National Security Law, which gives its government the capability to get its hands on US consumer data."

"Companies, especially those connected to the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording Americans' devices inside their own homes," Paxton said. "This conduct is invasive, deceptive, and unlawful.

The fundamental right to privacy will be protected in Texas because owning a television does not mean surrendering your personal information to Big Tech or foreign adversaries." ...

Related ...

@#3

What's the saying?

Is it something along the lines of ...

When someone tells you what they plan to do, believe them.

@#19

So, more grift from Trump Inc, taking advantage of the occupancy of the Oval Office?

@#17 ... Donald Trump, Jr. new startup company called Venture Capital. who, aside from investors, just got a $620 Million contract from the Pentagon ...

@#16 ... Youtube video says Mexico will take back their oil from the US. ...

Youtube videos say a lot of things.

...

... the law makes an exception for documents that "would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary." ...

Is that why AG Bondi started a new investigation recently?

@#12 ... Lamp getting po'd ...

I was getting po'd? (aside from the made-up attribution in your comment)

Where?

My visits to this site are quite serene.

I do not remember any visit, or posting that I have done, where I was po'd.

I will say, however, that if visiting this site results in me becoming po'd, then my first reaction would be along the lines of not visiting the site.

:)

@#13 ... I'm not so sure Trump's end game in Venezuela is primarily about oil. ...

I do not disagree.

But that is my concern ...

Pres Trump has not yet stated why he has committed the supremely extensive military resources against Venezuela.

And now, that the second boat strike unreleased video seems to be a talking point, I have a concern about what Pres Trump may do to try to distract away from a possible crime that may have been committed.

But, through the fog of all that, the question remains ...

Why has the US Military established such a presence there?

@#1 ... Disguised as charity work, the monastery spreads Kremlin propaganda and runs militarized training programs for children. ...

OK, I wrote a comment, which I deleted before I previewed it because I thought it was off-topic.

So, trying to stay on-topic ...

Wait, what ...

WTF, Nuns camouflaging themselves as religious people but putting forth political propaganda?

To children?!?!?