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Posted
4 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Here's today's pardons:

 

 

 

 

There’s a pattern here. Crimes which Trump knows he has committed, causes him to go out of his way to pardon them when committed by kindred criminals. 

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Posted
Just now, Satchel said:

There’s a pattern here. Crimes which Trump knows he has committed, causes him to go out of his way to pardon them when committed by kindred criminals. 

Yeah, criminal "celebrities."  And those with some kind of influence over him.  

Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Yeah, criminal "celebrities."  And those with some kind of influence over him.  

Todd Crisley likes show tunes too.  

Edited by Macanudo
Posted
I stumbled across this episode on TV one day a few months ago.  Didn't have any idea who these people were.  Cliff Notes: Mom and Dad are uptight southern Christians who can't believe their beautiful girl got a SHORT HAIRCUT!!! Short, as in lesbian or trans short!!! Scandal.
(FWIW I think she's cute as hell).
 


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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Pancho said:

Lie, lie, lie, it’s the republican Christian way

image.thumb.png.414930d6eaa665c39083b97ce5e0d806.png

 

Whoa, sir, you guys don't get to manipulate the market down 15%, then manipulate it back up 10%, and call it a 10% gain.  I'm using round numbers here, but that's pretty much what has happened since the initial "Trump Bump, i.e. corporations realized their taxes weren't going up."

Also, the consumer confidence was the highest monthly gain in 4 years, not the highest level it's been at in 4 years.  It is still below where it was last fall when a different president was in office.  And, as with stocks, the only reason it had room to surge so much is because your boy tanked it in the first place.  You don't get to break things, put them back together kinda, then claim massive improvements from the valley that you idiots created.

What absolute horseshit.

Edited by TexArcher
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Posted (edited)
18 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

This is a US Senator. 

 

It's all performance art and interpretive dance these days.  

 

 

 

 

Edited by Francisco 2.0
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Posted
16 hours ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

I don't recall a single military parade w/ tanks and shit in my lifetime.  And the 200th anniversary would've been in 1975, so not sure how you "incorporate" that into the bicentennial celebration. 

It was a very long parwde

Posted
5 hours ago, Pancho said:

Lie, lie, lie, it’s the republican Christian way

image.thumb.png.414930d6eaa665c39083b97ce5e0d806.png

spoiler alert...

 

In 2016, Moreno called Trump a "lunatic invading [the Republican Party]" and said he could not support a party led by "that maniac".[48] He wrote in a tweet that he had written in a vote for Marco Rubio in the 2016 presidential election.[32] During a 2019 radio interview, Moreno said, "there's no scenario in which I would support Trump."

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Posted
17 hours ago, yoladu said:

 

March 4, 2023. Speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled. It will be settled quickly. Quickly. I will get the problem solved and I will get it solved in rapid order and it will take me no longer than one day. I know exactly what to say to each of them.”

March 25, 2023. Rally in Waco, Texas.

“And before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled.” And: “So when I say ‘end it,’ I’m going to get a settlement very quickly. And I know both people, and you can get it very, very quickly. You can only do it through the presidency, but you control the money coming in, coming out. You can get that. I will have that settlement done within 24 hours.”

April 21, 2023. Speech to Republican dinner in Fort Myers, Florida.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I’ll get it settled very quickly. I know both; I know Zelensky and I know Putin.”

April 27, 2023. Rally in Manchester, New Hampshire.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled.”

May 10, 2023. CNN town hall in Goffstown, New Hampshire.

Trump: “If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours.” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “How would you settle that war in one day?” Trump: “First, I’ll meet with Putin, I’ll meet with Zelensky. They both have weaknesses and they both have strengths. And within 24 hours that war will be settled. It will be over. It will be absolutely over.”

June 10, 2023. Speech to North Carolina GOP convention in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“Here’s just some of the bold agenda I’ll put into effect when we become the 47th president of the United States. Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled if it’s not already settled, and they should get it done quickly.”

June 24, 2023. Speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington, DC.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine totally settled. I’ll have it done in 24 hours. I say that, and I would do that. That’s easy compared to some of the things – I’d get that done in 24 hours. I know them both. I know them both. As the Bible says, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’ See that? And I will be your peacemaker. I was your peacemaker.”

June 27, 2023. Speech to Republican women in Concord, New Hampshire.

“I get along with him (Zelensky), get along with Putin, I’d have that war – it would have never happened under me, never ever, would have never happened – but I’ll have that war settled in 24 hours. And it won’t even be a tough one by comparison to other things.”

June 30, 2023. Speech to Moms for Liberty in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we all together win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. It will be done within 24 hours.”

July 1, 2023. Rally in Pickens, South Carolina.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency because of you, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled; I’ll get it done in 24 hours. I know them both very well, Zelensky and Putin. I’ll get it solved very, very quickly.”

July 7, 2023. Rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled.” And: “I’ll get that done within 24 hours. Everyone says, ‘Oh, no, you can’t.’ Absolutely I can. Absolutely I can.”

July 15, 2023. Speech to Turning Point event in West Palm Beach, Florida.

“Shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine totally settled. We’ll get that settled very quickly.” And: “But this conflict has to end. And when I’m president, it will be done very quickly, I believe in 24 hours.”

July 29, 2023. Rally in Erie, Pennsylvania.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we all together win the presidency, we will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. It will be settled. The war is going to be settled. I’ll get them both – I know Zelensky, I know Putin, it’ll be done within 24 hours, you watch. They all say, ‘That’s such a boast.’ It will be done very quickly.”

August 4, 2023. Speech to Republican dinner in Montgomery, Alabama.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, because we are going to win it, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I know them both very well, they will settle. Would have never ever happened. It will be done very, very quickly.”

August 5, 2023. Speech to Republican dinner in Columbia, South Carolina.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I know them both very well. We will get it settled. It should’ve never happened. Should’ve never happened. All the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dead people; the number of people dead is far greater than what you’re hearing – but we will get it settled immediately, and fairly settled.”

August 8, 2023. Rally in Windham, New Hampshire.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, we will have that horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. It’ll be settled. I know them both very well. Get it done very quickly, maybe in 24 hours.”

September 15, 2023. Speech to Concerned Women for America in Washington, DC.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled.”

September 25, 2023. Rally in Summerville, South Carolina.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. It’s going to be settled. I know them both. It’s going to be settled quickly.”

September 29, 2023. Speech to Republican event in Anaheim, California.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. It’ll get settled very fast.”

November 11, 2023. Rally in Claremont, New Hampshire.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presiden(cy), because we are going to win it, I’ll have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled and which it should have never started.”

November 18, 2023. Speech in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency together, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. We’re going to get it settled. I know Putin very well, get along with him. I know Zelensky very well.”

January 5, 2024. Rally in Mason City, Iowa.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency – it’s going to be us all together – I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I know them both very well, Zelensky and Putin. I’ll get it settled.”

January 17, 2024. Rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

“Upon taking office, I will also restore peace through strength. I will get that war in Ukraine settled so fast.” And: “I will get that straightened out very fast, very early. I think – I think I’ll get that finished when I’m president-elect. I think I’ll get it long, long before, long before I take the office.”

January 19, 2024. Rally in Concord, New Hampshire.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we, we, win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I will get it settled. I know Putin, I know Zelensky very well, I know them both, and we’re going to get it settled. It’s got to get settled.”

January 21, 2024. Rally in Rochester, New Hampshire.

“I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled before I even take office.”

January 22, 2024. Rally in Laconia, New Hampshire.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency – we win, we are going to win it together – I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. We’ll get it settled.”

January 27, 2024. Rally in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I’ll get it done fast. I know them both. And we will restore on this planet peace through earth (sic).”

February 14, 2024. Rally in North Charleston, South Carolina.

“But before I even arrive at the Oval Office – I will win the presidency – I will be doing things that will be amazing, like I will get the war between Russia and Ukraine settled forthwith. It will be settled very quickly.”

February 23, 2024. Rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office shortly after we – we, we, not me, we – win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled, I will get it settled. People dying by the thousands, horrible thing. Under the Trump administration, we will return to peace through strength.”

February 23, 2024. Speech to Black Conservative Federation event in Columbia, South Carolina.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled and restore peace through strength.”

March 2, 2024. Rally in Richmond, Virginia.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I know them both very well. And we will restore peace through strength. Get that war settled, it’s a bad war.”

March 2, 2024. Rally in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we, we, win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled, and we will restore peace through strength.”

May 1, 2024. Rally in Freeland, Michigan.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, we win, all of us together are going to win, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I know them both. I will get it settled.”

May 1, 2024. Rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency – and it’s we all together, it’s we, it’s not me – I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled.”

May 11, 2024. Rally in Wildwood, New Jersey.

“Before I even arrive in the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I know them both very well.”

May 18, 2024. Speech to the National Rifle Association.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled, and we will restore, as we had just four years ago, peace through strength.”

June 6, 2024. Interview with Dr. Phil.

“I will deal with it, and I’ll get the war in Ukraine settled and done by the time I get to office. As president-elect, I will get it done. As president-elect, you have great power. I was able to do great deals from the time I got elected in 2016. I was able to do great deals from the time I got elected to the time I got to office, in that little – because you have great power there.”

June 15, 2024. Speech to Turning Point event in Detroit, Michigan.

“I will have that settled prior to taking the White House as president-elect. I will have that settled. Gotta stop it.”

June 27, 2024. Presidential debate against then-President Joe Biden.

“I will have that war settled between Putin and Zelensky as president-elect before I take office on January 20. I’ll have that war settled. People being killed so needlessly, so stupidly. And I will get it settled, and I’ll get it settled fast before I take office.”

June 28, 2024. Rally in Chesapeake, Virginia.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency – we, we win the presidency – I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine totally settled.”

July 20, 2024. Rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency – we, we win; we’re going to all win it together – I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled.”

July 24, 2024. Rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we – we, the people in this room – win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. We’re going to get it settled quickly. I’ll do it as president-elect, I’ll do it.”

July 26, 2024. Speech to Turning Point event in West Palm Beach, Florida.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled; I will get it settled, and I will prevent World War III.”

July 27, 2024. Rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency – and I say ‘we’ win, we’re winning this together – I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled.”

August 9, 2024. Rally in Bozeman, Montana.

“And before I even arrive at the Oval Office, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled.”

August 21, 2024. Rally in Asheboro, North Carolina.

“If we win, I’ll get that thing settled before I take the office; I’ll get it settled as president-elect, I’ll get that war stopped. With Russia, yeah, we’ll get that stopped. Ukraine and Russia, we’re going to get it stopped, and quickly. It’ll be done before I get to office.”

August 23, 2024. Interview with Shawn Ryan.

“I’ve said this before, Shawn: I will have that war settled when I’m president-elect, meaning before I get to office on January 20.”

September 7, 2024. Rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin.

“But this whole Russia thing: nobody was tougher on Russia, in history, than Trump. And the person that knows that better than anyone is President Vladimir Putin. He knows it better than anyone. And I’ll tell you what: I will have that war finished and done and settled before I get to the White House. As president-elect, I will get that done.”

September 10, 2024. Presidential debate against then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

“…I want to get the war settled. I know Zelensky very well, and I know Putin very well; I have a good relationship, and they respect your president, play? They respect me. They don’t respect Biden. How would you respect him? Why? For what reason? He hasn’t even made a phone call in two years to Putin. He hasn’t spoken to anybody. They don’t even try and get it. That is a war that’s dying to be settled. I will get it settled before I even become president. If I win, when I’m president-elect. And what I’ll do is I’ll speak to one, I’ll speak to the other, I’ll get them together.”

September 19, 2024. Interview with Newsmax.

“So, hopefully, we’re going to win the election. We’re going to get it all changed. I’ll get that war settled before I even become president. I will get it settled while I’m president-elect.”

October 1, 2024. Rally in Waunakee, Wisconsin.

“I will settle the war in Ukraine before I even take office; I’ll settle it as president-elect. I met with President Zelensky the other day. I know President Putin very well. I’ll get it settled.”

October 16, 2024. Interview with Patrick Bet-David.

Trump: “I think the world is going to behave and I think I will settle Russia-Ukraine while I’m president-elect.” Bet-David: “While you’re president-elect.” Trump: “While I’m president-elect.” Bet-David: “Wow.” Trump: “You need that credibility.” Bet-David: “Sure.” Trump: “While I’m president-elect, I will settle it.”

October 17, 2024. Speech at the Al Smith charity dinner, New York, New York.

“I had a lot of people from, very religious people, come up to me tonight, from Ukraine, and they’re asking me for help. So, so sad to see so many people have been killed in Ukraine, and we’re going to get it – we’re going to get it settled up if we win. As I’m president-elect, I’m going to get that done. I’m going to do it before we ever get there.”

 

C’mon man. Don’t you get it? He was just joking. Ha ha ha. We’re laughing. 

Posted (edited)
18 minutes ago, Macanudo said:

DOL just rescinded a 2022 notice on crypto as an investment in 401k plans.   Hold on to your butts.

Next up, how to use your cell phone to authorize putting your entire 401k on black in a Lake Charles riverboat...

A public service announcement from your friends at the SEC...

Edited by TexArcher
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Posted (edited)

Trumpism has ushered in an era of corruption, fraud, and lawlessness across the board.

We’re living in a Mobland, ruled over by the ultimate con artist and his incompetent capos, inspiring a horde of scammers, fraudsters, liars, cheats, thieves, grifters, and various other ne'er-do-wells to rob you fucking blind.

Someone, help me find a Tommy gun, trench coat, and fedora.

 

Trade Crime Is Soaring, U.S. Firms Say, as Trump’s Tariffs Incentivize Fraud
President Trump’s steep global tariffs have supercharged efforts to evade them. Some U.S. companies say the government is ill equipped to keep up.

As President Trump’s tariffs have ratcheted up in recent months, so have the mysterious solicitations some U.S. companies have received, offering them ways to avoid the taxes.

Shipping companies, many of them based in China, have reached out to U.S. firms that import apparel, auto parts and jewelry, offering solutions that they say can make the tariffs go away.

“We can avoid high duties from China, which we have already done many in the past,” read one email to a U.S. importer.

“Beat U.S. Tariffs,” a second read, promising to cap the tariffs “at a flat 10%.” It added: “You ship worry free.”

“Good News! The tariffs has been dropped finally!” another proclaimed.

The proposals — which are circulating in emails, as well as in videos on TikTok and other platforms — reflect a new flood of fraudulent activity, according to company executives and government officials. As U.S. tariffs on foreign products have increased sharply in recent months, so have the incentives for companies to find ways around them.

The Chinese firms advertising these services describe their methods as valid solutions. For a fee, they find ways to bring products to the United States with much lower tariffs. But experts say these practices are methods of customs fraud. The companies may be dodging tariffs by altering the information about the shipments that is given to the U.S. government to qualify for a lower tariff rate. Or they may move the goods to another country that is subject to a lower tariff before shipping them to the United States, a technique known as transshipment.

The Trump administration said this month that it would focus more on fighting trade fraud, including tariff evasion. The administration is also trying to persuade other countries to step up their own enforcement efforts, including in trade talks with Vietnam, Mexico and Malaysia. But many American companies say the scale of illicit activity now far outweighs the ability of these governments to thwart it.

These schemes are costing the U.S. government billions of dollars in tariff revenue annually, executives and officials say. And they are leaving honest companies that pay tariffs deeply frustrated and worried about being left at a financial disadvantage to dishonest competitors.

“If nothing is done, those willing to cheat are going to continue to win the day here,” said David Rashid, the executive chairman of Plews, a car parts company that has appealed to the government to crack down on unfair trading practices by its competitors.

Mr. Rashid said that unfairly traded products had filtered into supply chains throughout the United States. “It’s easy to pull the wool over people’s eyes, especially if people like the wool over their eyes,” he added.

cont'd

Quote

 

As long as the United States has had tariffs, there have been schemes to evade them. That has been true since American colonists smuggled goods into British-dominated ports. But as Mr. Trump has raised tariffs to levels not seen in a century, companies say customs fraud is also reaching new heights.

In his first months in office, Mr. Trump put a 10 percent tariff on most products globally, as well as a 25 percent tariff on steel, aluminum and cars. He raised, lowered and suspended tariffs for various countries with little warning, putting intense pressure on companies that depend on trade.

The triple-digit tariffs that Mr. Trump imposed on China in April, before lowering them for 90 days, were particularly tough for importers. Some companies suspended orders in the face of the tariffs, but the taxes seem to have also prompted a wave of fraud emanating from China.

Leslie Jordan, an apparel manufacturer who has been in business for nearly four decades, said fraudulent schemes were becoming “rampant” in her industry, with companies offering her and other importers clearly illegal ways to bypass tariffs.

For years, Chinese shippers had offered to help her factories doctor customs forms, telling them that there was little chance of being caught because U.S. customs officials would never examine the shipping containers, she said. Ms. Jordan has always refused. But tariffs are making business difficult for honest companies like hers, leaving her owing the government tens of thousands of dollars in import duties on some shipments.

Ms. Jordan said the tariffs had encouraged “opportunist cheaters in both China and the United States” and put “many honest companies at a competitive disadvantage.”

“People can’t afford it,” she said. “They’re desperate.”

Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, said that “instead of trying to find illegal workarounds to tariffs, foreign exporters would be better off telling their governments to negotiate a trade deal with the United States.”

John Foote, a customs lawyer at Kelley Drye & Warren, described the uptick in fraud as “a sign of entering a high tariff era.”

He said he had received many innocent questions from companies about whether they could use certain practices to avoid tariffs. Every time he has told a company, “No, that would be customs fraud,” he has marked down a tally on a white board in his office. As of mid-May, he had 11.

“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.

Tariff Dodging 101
The U.S. government charges tariffs based on the item, its declared dollar value and its country of origin. Several schemes exist to try to evade tariffs by changing those factors.

One method, people in the industry say, involves reporting a lower value for a product than its actual worth. Doing so lowers the tariff that must be paid since it’s charged as a percentage of the import price.

image.png.4552a38995afb4923ddf9331c84d7928.png

Another scheme is to misclassify the item. An importer might report to the U.S. government that a shipment of shirts is made with a material that’s subject to a lower tariff.

image.png.0a291ee78ce980488cad18293456c01f.png

A third method involves sending the products to another country before they go to the United States to take advantage of different tariff rates applied to different countries.

image.png.a76c0855d13b0df6ad5449737f46fa7b.png

That tactic became far more profitable this year, as Mr. Trump raised tariffs on Chinese imports to a minimum of 145 percent but left taxes on goods from neighboring countries, like Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, at just 10 percent. A company looking to avoid tariffs may ship Chinese products to those countries before sending them on to the United States at a lower tariff rate.

The U.S. charges tariff rates based on where a good was last manufactured. So in the eyes of the government, whether this practice is illegal depends on if the company actually has some significant manufacturing step in Malaysia or Vietnam. If the company takes parts of a shoe made in China and puts them together in Malaysia, for example, the shoe may technically qualify as Malaysian. But if a product is manufactured in China and just routed through another country to disguise its origin, that is a violation of U.S. law.

One ad sent to an importer this spring explicitly advertised this scheme. “Malaysia Transshipment Route: Re-load into new containers in Malaysia under a Malaysian exporter’s CO,” it read, referring to a “certificate of origin,” a document that indicates to U.S. customs where the item came from.

The scale of this problem is hard to quantify, since it can be hard to tell what’s going on inside foreign factories. But since Mr. Trump started putting tariffs on Chinese imports in his first term, the volume of Chinese products, parts and raw materials exported to other countries before coming to the United States has increased substantially.

In April, for example, Chinese exports to the United States fell 21 percent from a year earlier, but Chinese exports to Southeast Asian countries rose by the same percentage.

Many of these Chinese goods are sent through Southeast Asia. But U.S. officials are also increasingly focused on the role Mexico plays as a funnel for Chinese goods to the United States. An analysis by Exiger, a data analytics firm, found that more than 3,000 companies in Mexico depended on Chinese shipments for 75 percent or more of their supply chain. Many of these companies are subsidiaries of Chinese state-owned enterprises, and most sell products to the United States, the report said.

These shipping channels may help Chinese companies bypass tariffs as well as U.S. laws that aim to combat forced labor in China or block trade with companies that pose national security threats, Exiger said.

Chinese companies are also now marketing a method, which they call “delivered duty paid,” or D.D.P., that ostensibly reduces the U.S. importers’ legal liability for tariff fraud. Typically, a U.S. company takes legal ownership of a product at a factory in China and then is responsible for shipping it overseas and paying duties to the U.S. government when it comes into the United States.

But in this case, the Chinese company acts as the U.S. importer, retaining ownership over the good as it is shipped across the ocean and into the United States. The Chinese company then pays U.S. customs fees before handing the good over to the U.S. company inside the United States.

With this method, the U.S. company does not have direct knowledge if tariffs are evaded. And if the U.S. government tries to pursue legal action against the Chinese firm, it may find it is just a shell company with no one to pay the bill.

But Mr. Foote cautioned that this was still “a very fraught proposition” for any U.S. company. He said the method might reduce a U.S. purchaser’s liability but wouldn’t absolve it entirely, particularly if the terms of trade would be unachievable if not for customs fraud.

Christopher Carney, an auto industry executive who traveled to Washington this year to urge Congress to do more to fight trade crime, said companies offering these schemes were operating with “a sense of impunity.”

“It’s a long way away, and nobody is that worried that the U.S. government is going to come to China and arrest them,” he said.

Cat and Mouse
Many executives say the U.S. government is ill equipped to police rising levels of fraud.

In May, the Department of Justice said trade and customs fraud would be a new priority under the Trump administration. But other customs and Justice Department officials who have focused on trade crime have been reassigned to work on immigration and other issues in recent months.

And many U.S. firms that have seen their business hurt by trade crime have been left deeply frustrated after trying to work with the government.

Brad Muller, the vice president of marketing and government affairs at Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, a 124-year-old manufacturer based in Charlotte, N.C., said his company had won several trade cases in the first Trump administration that resulted in high duties on Chinese products.

But the Chinese companies immediately began transshipping their products through Cambodia, Malaysia and other countries, and the U.S. government was unable to stop them, he said.

“Customs, they will run down these companies and shut them down, and then they just pop up right across the street with a new shell company,” he said. “It becomes a game of Whac-a-Mole.”

Mr. Muller said that his company was deeply supportive of tariffs, but that they were working “less than ideally” and that the system was “opaque and rife for cheating.”

“The holes in our trading regime are now so blatant,” he said. “It’s been swept under the rug by Democrats and Republicans for a long time.”

Trish Driscoll, a spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement that the department used enforcement tools, intelligence and partnerships to combat tariff evasion, and, as a result of recent presidential actions, was now imposing the most severe penalties permitted by law. She said that during the week of May 5 through May 9, Customs and Border Protection took in more than $630 million by reviewing more than 2,000 shipments detected for duty evasion.

Importers are urging Congress to give the government more resources to go after fraud, including passing legislation that would result in more criminal penalties for trade crimes.

Mr. Muller said that he supported Mr. Trump’s use of tariffs to crack down on unfairly made imports, but that the president’s actions had been “whipsaw and shoot from the hip” and that the situation called for broader action.

“We need Congress to step in and do something more comprehensive, so the president doesn’t have to go around shooting first and asking questions later,” he said.

 

 

 

image.png

Edited by bolverk
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Posted

SIAP but important to remember that with some of the pardons, the convicted party had an order to pay restitution to the victims. If they still owe money at the time of the pardon, any remaining amount does not need to be paid. So when Trump is pardoning some of these individuals, the victim doesn't get paid but presumably Trump does.

If he really thought the sentence was too harsh or the convict showed true remorse, Trump has the ability to only commute the sentence and allow them to return home immediately. Of course they would still owe the restitution amount. Instead Trump wiped out their conviction, sentence and financial penalties. 

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Posted

Trump said today that he is considering pardons for the Michigan assholes who plotted to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer.

He really ought to just save everyone a bunch of time and pardon everyone who is 1) a Dotardarian, and/or 2) is white. 

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Posted
9 minutes ago, Red Five said:

Trump said today that he is considering pardons for the Michigan assholes who plotted to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer.

He really ought to just save everyone a bunch of time and pardon everyone who is 1) a Dotardarian, and/or 2) is white. 

wait, let me go do some crimes first!

Posted
Just now, TexArcher said:

I guarantee his internal monologue right there included something like, "What's this chick asking me about credit cards for?"

you think he has an internal monologue?

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Red Five said:

Trump said today that he is considering pardons for the Michigan assholes who plotted to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer.

He really ought to just save everyone a bunch of time and pardon everyone who is 1) a Dotardarian, and/or 2) is white. 

Along those lines, last week the admin moved to drop the Flores settlement. The admin essentially is arguing “children in federal immigration custody will no longer be entitled to any of the Settlement's basic protections, such as the requirement they be provided adequate food, water, and clean clothes, regardless of whether they're detained with their parents in family detention or alone.” Straight up evil antichrist shit. But hey, white folk felt unsafe in Africa and they can come on in! 

Edited by achooloco
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Posted
6 minutes ago, achooloco said:

Along those lines, last week the admin moved to drop the Flores settlement. The admin essentially is arguing “children in federal immigration custody will no longer be entitled to any of the Settlement's basic protections, such as the requirement they be provided adequate food, water, and clean clothes, regardless of whether they're detained with their parents in family detention or alone.” Straight up evil antichrist shit. But hey, white folk felt unsafe in Africa and they can come on in! 

*white supremacists felt unsafe.... 

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Posted

The admin has completely paused issuances of new student visas while they roll out what is being billed as enhanced social media vetting.  Per the reporting, even after the new system is rolled out, embassies will be encouraged to “consider” the impact of the new workload before opening new visa slots.  Between the lines: don’t try to issue too many. 
 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna209305

Also today.  This is poorly written. Is this inclusive of all Chinese students? Just the ones with CCP connections and critical fields?  The latter is long overdue but this rollout is going to be needlessly stupid and mean. 

image.thumb.png.7b39f4c58bf5de85964781da82288efa.png

Posted
19 hours ago, C-Man said:


giphy.gif

 

I just saw a clip of her on The Weeknight.  I didn't realize she spoke MAGA style at the RNC convention.  Holy shit she's bad news.

Spoiler

But still cute

 

Posted
3 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

The admin has completely paused issuances of new student visas while they roll out what is being billed as enhanced social media vetting.  Per the reporting, even after the new system is rolled out, embassies will be encouraged to “consider” the impact of the new workload before opening new visa slots.  Between the lines: don’t try to issue too many. 
 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna209305

Also today.  This is poorly written. Is this inclusive of all Chinese students? Just the ones with CCP connections and critical fields?  The latter is long overdue but this rollout is going to be needlessly stupid and mean. 

image.thumb.png.7b39f4c58bf5de85964781da82288efa.png

I think it's poorly written because it stopped after "students," and then someone realized that was probably unconstitutional.

Posted
2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I think it's poorly written because it stopped after "students," and then someone realized that was probably unconstitutional.

I am a bit doubtful on that front.  The “Muslim Ban” (which was really nationality targeted) was far more broadly prohibitive of travel so I don’t see a challenge to the President deciding that PRC citizens can’t be issued or maintain student visas. SCOTUS ruled that a nationality visa ban was within POTUS’ authority under INA. The poor writing is more likely just deliberate wriggle room and to encourage self-removal in advance. 

Posted
2 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

The admin has completely paused issuances of new student visas while they roll out what is being billed as enhanced social media vetting.  Per the reporting, even after the new system is rolled out, embassies will be encouraged to “consider” the impact of the new workload before opening new visa slots.  Between the lines: don’t try to issue too many. 
 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna209305

Also today.  This is poorly written. Is this inclusive of all Chinese students? Just the ones with CCP connections and critical fields?  The latter is long overdue but this rollout is going to be needlessly stupid and mean. 

image.thumb.png.7b39f4c58bf5de85964781da82288efa.png

 

abbott is taking notes here. this is how change a 'woke' university. 

Posted
On 2/13/2025 at 5:12 PM, Jive Turkey said:

Good lord. Emil Bove looks like a Bond villain, with the name to match.  (oh, and homeboy is only 42 years old. he looks 10-15 years older)

trump-hush-money-90329.jpg

well color me surprised. Trump rewarded Bove for being a spineless yes man with a nomination to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. i expect to see more government cases filed within the Third Circuit so they can be rubberstamped on appeal.

 

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Posted
3 hours ago, TexArcher said:

Feels like it's about time to order some Torchy's tonight.

 

Feels like it’s time for torchys to have a trump named taco of the month. Chicken, of course.  Maybe an Asian inspired orange chicken taco. 



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