#Tag · bonfire.cafe

Five months later, Nvidia's $100 billion OpenAI investment plan has fizzled out
Two AI giants shake market confidence after investment fails to materialize.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/02/five-months-later-nvidias-100-billion-openai-investment-plan-has-fizzled-out/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Ars Technica

Five months later, Nvidia's $100 billion OpenAI investment plan has fizzled out

Two AI giants shake market confidence after investment fails to materialize.

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · 2 days ago

@arstechnica

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Circular financing fraud fails to find customers, employees, or investors to support itself."
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-ai-circular-deals/

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/28/nvidia-insists-it-isnt-enron-but-its-ai-deals-are-testing-investor-faith

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/10/ars-live-recap-is-the-ai-bubble-about-to-pop-ed-zitron-weighs-in/

https://medium.com/@stefanomainetti/the-circular-ai-ecosystem-and-the-hazard-of-becoming-trapped-0634395661c2

https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahbarsky/2026/02/02/7-ways-ai-would-have-stopped-first-brands-27-billion-fraud/

https://graceblakeley.substack.com/p/the-ai-circular-economy

https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/should-we-worry-about-ais-circular

https://economistwritingeveryday.com/2025/10/14/circular-ai-deals-reminiscent-of-disastrous-dot-com-vendor-financing-of-the-1990s/

https://www.theatlantic.com/economy/2025/12/nvidia-ai-financing-deals/685197/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_bubble

Oil oligarchs will continue to fund AI in hopes it will destroy any democracy acting on climate.

AI bubble - Wikipedia

The Atlantic

Something Ominous Is Happening in the AI Economy

The last time so much wealth was tied up in such obscure overlapping arrangements was just before the 2008 financial crisis.

Economist Writing Every Day

Circular AI Deals Reminiscent of Disastrous Dot.Com Vendor Financing of the 1990s

Hey look, I just found a way to get infinite free electric power: This sort of extension-cord-plugged-into-itself meme has shown up recently on the web to characterize a spate of circular financing…

Should we worry about AI's circular deals?

AI companies are borrowing more money to invest more in AI.

The AI Circular Economy

Big tech companies and wealthy investors are driving an AI bubble - but they won't be the ones feeling the pain when it bursts.

Ars Technica

Ars Live recap: Is the AI bubble about to pop? Ed Zitron weighs in.

Despite connection hiccups, we covered OpenAI's finances, nuclear power, and Sam Altman.

the Guardian

Nvidia insists it isn’t Enron, but its AI deals are testing investor faith

The chipmaker’s sprawling partnerships are driving extraordinary growth but also bank its future on the AI boom paying off quickly

Ars Technica

@arstechnica@mastodon.social · 2 days ago

US House takes first step toward creating "commercial" deep space program
"We will continue to rely on the ingenuity of the private sector."
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/02/us-house-takes-first-step-toward-creating-commercial-deep-space-program/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Ars Technica

US House takes first step toward creating "commercial" deep space program

We will continue to rely on the ingenuity of the private sector."

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · 2 days ago

@arstechnica

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Wasteful space program to be kept alive until it's time to convert manufacturing capability to ICBM's and space-based weapons platforms.

Billionaires insist world wars are a path to profits, especially nuclear wars."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/13/us-and-saudi-arabia-agree-to-142bn-weapons-sale-during-trump-visit

We continue to underestimate the lengths the fossil fuel industry & tech sector will go to end every democracy acting on climate

Cyberwarfare & AI automated hybrid wars are underway.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/05/13/trump-tech-execs-riyadh/

Al Jazeera

US and Saudi Arabia agree to $142bn weapons sale during Trump visit

The White House says an agreement with Saudi Arabia includes investments in weapons and technology totaling $600bn.

ProPublica

@ProPublica@newsie.social · 4 weeks ago

WATCH: More than 80% of U.S. children attend public schools.

Some of the Education Department’s ultraconservative advisers, led by Secretary Linda McMahon, want to change that.

Here’s an inside look at their dismantling of public education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NYq_N6fO-w

#Documentary #Film #Journalism #Video #Education #Family #Children #Parenting #School

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · last week

@ProPublica

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Billionaires continue efforts to create an illiterate peasantry & convert education into a privatized grift of lifetime indebtedness, starting in kindergarten.

Enriching their donors is all Republicans do in office."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/05/jeff-yass-school-choice-trump/

https://jacobin.com/2025/10/private-equity-schools-trump-vouchers

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/texas-private-school-vouchers-josh-cowen-research.html

https://www.texasaft.org/research/reports/why-are-billionaires-still-trying-to-buy-our-schools/

https://www.epi.org/blog/trump-is-putting-crucial-school-funding-at-risk-by-dismantling-the-department-of-education/

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-department-education/

https://www.barrons.com/articles/education-stocks-department-trump-musk-46fd6452

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/09/jeff-yass-millions-to-influence-schools-courts-and-markets.html

The Nation

Trump Sets His Sights on “Eliminating” Public Education

Yesterday’s executive order would dismantle the Department of Education, shutting down programs American families rely on.

Intelligencer

‘Education’s Version of Predatory Lending’

School vouchers don’t help kids. Their real purpose is more sinister, says a former supporter.

Private Equity Is Set to Profit From New School Vouchers

The school voucher provision in Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is expected to transfer billions of dollars to private schools and companies that contract with public school districts. That includes companies owned by private equity firms.

ProPublica

@ProPublica@newsie.social · 2 weeks ago

NEW: Louisiana Paroles Its Lowest Number of Prisoners in 20 Years Under Gov. Jeff Landry

The state parole board freed 185 prisoners during Landry’s tenure, compared with 858 in the two years before he took office.

Hundreds who would have been released under previous governors remain incarcerated with little chance of earning parole.

https://www.propublica.org/article/louisiana-parole-drop-jeff-landry

#news #louisiana #criminaljustice #JeffLandry #government

ProPublica

Louisiana Paroles Its Lowest Number of Prisoners in 20 Years Under Gov. Jeff Landry

The state parole board freed 185 prisoners during Landry’s tenure, compared with 858 in the two years before he took office. Hundreds who would have been released under previous governors remain incarcerated with little chance of earning parole.

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · last week

@ProPublica

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Slavery by Another Name, it's back again."

https://www.pbs.org/video/slavery-another-name-slavery-video/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_by_Another_Name

https://www.si.edu/object/slavery-another-name-re-enslavement-black-people-america-civil-war-world-war-ii-douglas-blackmon%3Asiris_sil_895128

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KPlk41mNDuM

https://www.wgbh.org/forum-network/lectures/slavery-by-another-name

GBH

Slavery by Another Name

Douglas Blackmon's *Slavery by Another Name* illuminates a little known, widespread and legal form of slavery that continued in the US from the end of the Civil War through 1945. One example: As a result of abhorrent legislation designed to intimidate African-Americans, thousands of blacks were arbitrarily arrested, levied with tremendous fines, and charged for the costs of their own arrests. Based on a vast record of original documents and personal narratives, *Slavery by Another Name* reveals the lost stories of African-Americans who, despite Amendment 13 and the Emancipation Proclamation, lived a life of toil and slavery into the 20th Century. Blackmon is the Atlanta Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal. He has written extensively on race, the economy, and American society. Reared in the Mississippi Delta, he lives in downtown Atlanta with his wife and children.

Slavery by Another Name - Wikipedia

Alex Akselrod boosted

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social · last week

@newsguyusa

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Border czar launches 'Comply or Die' messaging campaign for Minnesota."

Steve Herman

@newsguyusa@flipboard.social · last week

Border czar, speaking to reporters in Minnesota, pledges “massive changes” — with cooperation. https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/border-czar-homan-to-hold-first-press-conference-since-arrival-in-minnesota/

KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News

Border czar Homan pledges 'massive changes' with cooperation in first press conference since arrival in Minnesota

The man now charged with managing the ongoing federal immigration enforcement and fraud investigation operations in Minnesota pledged "massive changes" during his first press conference on Thursday.

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · last week

@newsguyusa

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Border czar launches 'Comply or Die' messaging campaign for Minnesota."

Mastodon Migration boosted

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social · 2 weeks ago

@SeanCasten

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"GOP operatives are doing a deep dive on Mr. Pretti, as we speak.

Finding something, anything, to use as a pretext for fascist propaganda along the lines of 'He had it coming to him' and 'He deserved what happened'.

Billionaire-funded malign influence campaigns are nothing if not consistent.

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition like the KKK and Nazis."

Sean Casten

@SeanCasten@mastodon.social · 2 weeks ago

I am doing my best to respond to this without a string of expletives. But let's be very clear: what just happened in Minnesota was cold blooded murder of a civilian by out of control federal agents, aided and abetted by the entire Trump administration and their fascist enablers.

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · 2 weeks ago

@SeanCasten

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"GOP operatives are doing a deep dive on Mr. Pretti, as we speak.

Finding something, anything, to use as a pretext for fascist propaganda along the lines of 'He had it coming to him' and 'He deserved what happened'.

Billionaire-funded malign influence campaigns are nothing if not consistent.

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition like the KKK and Nazis."

Molly White

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 3 weeks ago

I've mentioned this before, but one thing I've been closely watching for is when crypto people begin to distance themselves from Trump.

November 2024 vs. January 2026

#USpol #USpolitics #crypto #cryptocurrency

2 media

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has also clearly been trying to woo Trump, claiming very shortly after the election that he was “going to be spending quite a bit of time working with lawmakers in Washington DC and quite a bit of time with members of the administration to help foster and facilitate with other key leaders in industry the crypto policy”.6 While he has continued to boast vaguely about meetings with various influential figures, winkingly describing a “VIP dinner” where “diet coke will certainly be on [the menu]”, there’s been little outside confirmation that he’s had much access to the Trump administration.

Cardano creator Charles Hoskinson said U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has put the American crypto industry in a worse position than it was under Trump's predecessor, former President Joe Biden.

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · 3 weeks ago

@molly0xfff

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Organized crime syndicates begin the rug pull portion of the con."

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/01/the-blockchain-network-crypto-begins-to-fret-over-winklevoss-brothers-embrace-of-maga-00588310

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68432478

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/15/us/politics/trump-crypto-winklevoss.html

https://prospect.org/2025/08/28/2025-08-28-injecting-crypto-into-mortgage-market/

https://www.theblock.co/post/366065/winklevoss-twins-back-trump-sons-bitcoin-mining-firm-as-gemini-pursues-ipo-bloomberg

https://www.newsweek.com/how-trump-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-will-work-2041056

https://coingeek.com/2025-crypto-criminals-making-bank-while-cutting-off-fingers/

https://casi.stanford.edu/news/cryptocurrency-racket

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/13/cryptocurrency-nyc-token-eric-adams

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/nyregion/adams-crypto-token-money.html

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/eric-adams-finally-has-his-own-cryptocurrency-nyc-coin.html

https://www.livebitcoinnews.com/why-did-winklevoss-twins-demand-trump-drop-cftc-nominee/

https://www.theverge.com/news/861269/former-nyc-mayor-eric-adams-accused-of-2-5-million-crypto-rug-pull-as-his-nyc-token-crashes

https://medium.com/@jasonvuvu/how-a-genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist-rugpulled-the-crypto-world-bac9ff69fe06

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_scam

Exit scam - Wikipedia

Medium

How A Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist Rugpulled The Crypto World

Understanding the psychology of influence

Live Bitcoin News

Why Did Winklevoss Twins Demand Trump Drop CFTC Nominee?

Winklevoss twins pressured Trump to withdraw the nomination of Brian Quintenz to be a CFTC commissioner over ethical and regulatory issues related to cryptocurrencies.

Intelligencer

Did Eric Adams Just Tank His Crypto?

The former mayor’s $NYC token appears to have gone through a classic rug pull that may have netted him millions of dollars.

https://www.nytimes.com

Eric Adams Hawked a Crypto Coin. A Day Later, $1 Million Was Missing.

the Guardian

Crypto coin firm touted by Eric Adams denies allegations of ‘rug pull’ scam

NYC Token, which hit market on Monday, surged to $580m and then rapidly plummeted as firm denies wrongdoing

Stanford GSB Corporations and Society Initiative

Is Cryptocurrency a Racket?

Judge Jed Rakoff argues that cryptocurrency’s opacity and lack of oversight fuel fraud, money laundering, and billions in investor losses with no end in sight.

CoinGeek

2025’s crypto criminals: Making bank while cutting off fingers

2025 exposed a darker side of crypto crime, with unprecedented profits from hacks and a troubling shift toward physical threats and violence.

Newsweek

Trump's Bitcoin executive order explained—how strategic reserve will work

The government will accumulate a digital asset stockpile and, as Trump states, position itself as a global leader in cryptocurrency.

The Block

Winklevoss twins back Trump sons' Bitcoin mining firm as Gemini pursues IPO: Bloomberg

The Winklevoss twins have donated millions of dollars worth of bitcoin to President Trump's campaign in the past.

The American Prospect

Injecting Crypto Into the Mortgage Market - The American Prospect

Trump’s top housing regulator wants to allow crypto to be used as collateral for mortgages.

https://www.nytimes.com

How the Winklevoss Twins Won Big in Trump’s Pro-Crypto Washington

Winklevoss crypto firm Gemini to return $1.1bn to customers

Gemini was co-founded by twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss - known for their legal dispute with Facebook.

POLITICO

The blockchain network: Crypto begins to fret over Winklevoss brothers’ embrace of MAGA

Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss — the Facebook-famous crypto billionaires — have emerged as President Donald Trump’s fiercest allies in the digital assets world.

The Verge

Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams accused of $2.5 million crypto ‘rug pull’ as his NYC Token crashes

New year, same crypto scams?

FediFollows

@FediFollows@social.growyourown.services · last month

Microsoft Office has been replaced by "Microsoft 365 Copilot App" 🙄 (not a joke, see office.com)

Fortunately there are many good alternatives on the Fediverse:

➡️ @libreoffice - Free open source office suite, can be used entirely offline
➡️ @CollaboraOffice - Online fork of LibreOffice, upstream contributor
➡️ @nextcloud - FOSS personal cloud including collaborative office tools
➡️ @CryptPad - FOSS online office suite with maximum privacy
➡️ @ONLYOFFICE - FOSS online office suite

(via @jbz )

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · last month

@FediFollows @CollaboraOffice @nextcloud @CryptPad @ONLYOFFICE @jbz@indieweb.social @libreoffice

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Saudi Arabia & Koch Network paid for an international state surveillance platform, & dang it!, they are going to get what they paid for!"
https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-google-hand-dissident-data-to-saudi-arabia-activists-say-2023-7

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2025/07/17/bill-gates-charles-koch-and-three-other-billionaires-are-giving-1-billion-to-enhance-economic-mobility-in-the-us/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/05/13/trump-tech-execs-riyadh/

https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligencer-trump-mbs-meeting-brings-ai-money-2025-11-20/

Orwell's telescreens and ubiquitous state surveillance, courtesy the fossil fuel industry.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90208133/orwell-knew-we-willingly-buy-the-screens-that-are-used-against-us

Business Insider

Microsoft and Google may have to surrender people's data to Saudi Arabia after signing huge deals there

Saudi Arabia is seeking to be an innovation hub, but activists are warning that tech firms could be complicit in the repression of dissidents.

Alex Akselrod boosted

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social · last month

@austinkocher

https://civileats.com/2024/09/18/jd-vance-invested-in-acretrader-heres-why-that-matters/

https://fortune.com/article/american-farmers-land-o-lakes-ceo-beth-ford-white-house-immigration-trump/

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-trade-war-farmers

https://fortune.com/2025/10/04/farm-bankruptcies-low-crop-prices-trump-bailout-agriculture-economy-crisis/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-23/america-small-farmers-are-hurting-with-trump-policies-loan-woes

https://www.intrafish.com/salmon/massive-us-land-based-salmon-project-files-for-bankruptcy/2-1-1919250

https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/us-farmers-face-44-billion-in-losses-as-costs-rise-and-markets-shrink/

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Republican billionaires prepare for land grab after bankrupting farmers.

Victor Orban's oligarchs are such am inspiration for every fascist movement."

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2020/01/17/land-grab-hungary-s-political-elite-accused-of-milking-the-system

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-hungary.html

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03066150.2019.1584190

https://www.arc2020.eu/hungary-the-last-smallholders/

https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/agriculture-as-a-source-of-authoritarian-power/

Green European Journal

Agriculture as a Source of Authoritarian Power

From speculation and pocket contracts to a tight grip on information, Orbán and the Hungarian elite are quietly stripping smallholders of their lands to strengthen their grip on power.

Agricultural and Rural Convention

Hungary | The Last Smallholders Part I | Agricultural and Rural Convention

In Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, the rural vote will have a crucial role to play in the upcoming April elections. Orbán has been milking farmers’ grievances for over a decade. Have the nation’s smallholders had enough? Revealing the findings of new research, Péter József Bori and Noémi Gonda track the progress of feudal dynamics in the Hungarian countryside. First in a three-part series. In Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, the rural vote will have a crucial role to play in the upcoming April elections. Orbán has been milking farmers’ grievances for over a decade. Have the nation’s smallholders had enough? Revealing the findings of new research, Péter József Bori and Noémi Gonda track the progress of feudal dynamics in the Hungarian countryside. First in a three-part series.

euronews

Land grab: Hungary's political elite accused of milking the system

Hungary is in the headlines again with allegations of large-scale land-grabbing by the ruling elite. Unreported Europe investigates whether leading politicians are handing out precious farmland to friends and family.

Missouri Independent

US farmers face $44 billion in losses as costs rise and markets shrink • Missouri Independent

Soybeans sit in storage, farm bankruptcies are rising, and total farm debt continues to climb. By nearly every measure, American farmers are struggling.

Bloomberg.com

Trade Wars, Rates Push US Small Farm Bankruptcies to 5-Year High

After years of low crop prices and rising costs, America’s small farmers are facing a crisis brought on by higher interest rates, Trump’s trade war and dramatically reduced demand from China.

Fortune

Farm bankruptcies are soaring amid low crop prices, while Trump considers bailout of up to $14 billion | Fortune

In the second quarter, there were 93 bankruptcy filings, up from 88 in the first quarter and nearly double the 47 at the end of 2024.

Common Dreams

Decimated by Tariffs, US Farmers Warn Trump Bailout Not Nearly Enough to Erase Pain He Caused | Common Dreams

President Trump's $12 billion relief package for farmers hurt by trade war falls short. US farmers face bankruptcy as tariffs take a toll.

Fortune

American farmers were already facing multiple crises. Then came Trump’s immigration crackdown | Fortune

Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford is calling for solutions to the problems plaguing rural America—even if they’re messy.

Civil Eats

JD Vance Funded AcreTrader. Here’s Why That Matters.

The real estate platform streamlines investing in US farmland. Now farms are fast becoming a portfolio staple for investors worldwide.

https://www.nytimes.com

The Money Farmers: How Oligarchs and Populists Milk the E.U. for Millions (Published 2019)

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social · last month

@austinkocher

https://civileats.com/2024/09/18/jd-vance-invested-in-acretrader-heres-why-that-matters/

https://fortune.com/article/american-farmers-land-o-lakes-ceo-beth-ford-white-house-immigration-trump/

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-trade-war-farmers

https://fortune.com/2025/10/04/farm-bankruptcies-low-crop-prices-trump-bailout-agriculture-economy-crisis/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-23/america-small-farmers-are-hurting-with-trump-policies-loan-woes

https://www.intrafish.com/salmon/massive-us-land-based-salmon-project-files-for-bankruptcy/2-1-1919250

https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/us-farmers-face-44-billion-in-losses-as-costs-rise-and-markets-shrink/

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Republican billionaires prepare for land grab after bankrupting farmers.

Victor Orban's oligarchs are such am inspiration for every fascist movement."

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2020/01/17/land-grab-hungary-s-political-elite-accused-of-milking-the-system

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/world/europe/eu-farm-subsidy-hungary.html

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03066150.2019.1584190

https://www.arc2020.eu/hungary-the-last-smallholders/

https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/agriculture-as-a-source-of-authoritarian-power/

Green European Journal

Agriculture as a Source of Authoritarian Power

From speculation and pocket contracts to a tight grip on information, Orbán and the Hungarian elite are quietly stripping smallholders of their lands to strengthen their grip on power.

Agricultural and Rural Convention

Hungary | The Last Smallholders Part I | Agricultural and Rural Convention

euronews

Land grab: Hungary's political elite accused of milking the system

Missouri Independent

US farmers face $44 billion in losses as costs rise and markets shrink • Missouri Independent

Soybeans sit in storage, farm bankruptcies are rising, and total farm debt continues to climb. By nearly every measure, American farmers are struggling.

Bloomberg.com

Trade Wars, Rates Push US Small Farm Bankruptcies to 5-Year High

After years of low crop prices and rising costs, America’s small farmers are facing a crisis brought on by higher interest rates, Trump’s trade war and dramatically reduced demand from China.

Fortune

Farm bankruptcies are soaring amid low crop prices, while Trump considers bailout of up to $14 billion | Fortune

In the second quarter, there were 93 bankruptcy filings, up from 88 in the first quarter and nearly double the 47 at the end of 2024.

Common Dreams

Decimated by Tariffs, US Farmers Warn Trump Bailout Not Nearly Enough to Erase Pain He Caused | Common Dreams

President Trump's $12 billion relief package for farmers hurt by trade war falls short. US farmers face bankruptcy as tariffs take a toll.

Fortune

American farmers were already facing multiple crises. Then came Trump’s immigration crackdown | Fortune

Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford is calling for solutions to the problems plaguing rural America—even if they’re messy.

Civil Eats

JD Vance Funded AcreTrader. Here’s Why That Matters.

The real estate platform streamlines investing in US farmland. Now farms are fast becoming a portfolio staple for investors worldwide.

https://www.nytimes.com

The Money Farmers: How Oligarchs and Populists Milk the E.U. for Millions (Published 2019)

Randahl Fink

@randahl@mastodon.social · last month

I am really tired of listening to Marco Rubio praising Trump for getting Europe to spend 5 percent of GDP on defence.

No country is spending more on defence to please Trump. We are spending more, because we are alone in the war with Putin. We are spending more, so we can lead the world, now that Trump has put the US in the back seat.

We could have finished Putin together, and the world would have been safer and wealthier. But instead Trump wanted a war with Venezuela. That is how dumb this is.

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · last month

@randahl

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-oil-industry-donations

https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2025/12/16/coreweave-oracle-stocks-plunge-as-generative-ai-bubble-deflates/

https://archive.ph/vrEJw
https://www.ft.com/content/95efca74-4299-11ea-a43a-c4b328d9061c

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/12/supply-boom-in-cheaper-renewables-will-seal-end-of-fossil-fuel-era-says-iea

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brandonkochkodin/2025/11/10/its-not-just-an-ai-bubble-heres-everything-at-risk/

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Trump's fossil fuel donors want a world war, in hopes it'll preserve their increasingly worthless assets.

They fear a future freed of their control."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/26/ukraine-war-briefing-kyiv-hits-russian-oil-refinery-with-british-storm-shadow-missiles

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-cracks-down-on-russian-oil-sector-as-revenues-plummet

https://www.npr.org/2025/12/25/nx-s1-5645803/turkey-is-in-the-crosshairs-over-russians-ghost-fleet

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-06/saudis-plan-100-billion-ai-powerhouse-to-rival-uae-s-tech-hub

https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/clean-energy-is-inevitable-despite-trump/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/climate/antonio-guterres-energy-transition-speech-economics.html

https://www.nytimes.com

U.S. Is Missing the Century’s ‘Greatest Economic Opportunity,’ U.N. Chief Says

Eco-Business

Clean energy is inevitable despite Trump

The world is not on track to meet its climate targets, and the devastating effects of global warming are appearing faster than many anticipated. But the undeniable progress made in the Paris climate agreement's first decade provides reason to hope that mo

GOV.UK

UK cracks down on Russian oil sector as revenues plummet

UK announces 24 new sanctions against Russian energy and military supply chain targets.

the Guardian

Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv hits Russian oil refinery with British Storm Shadow missiles

Ukrainian military says ‘numerous explosions’ at Novoshakhtinsk refinery; Zelenskyy says ‘very good’ talks held with Trump envoys. What we know on day 1,402

Client Challenge

the Guardian

Supply boom in cheaper renewables will seal end of fossil fuel era, says IEA

Watchdog’s flagship report says rise in low-carbon electricity will make transition ‘inevitable’, despite Trump’s calls to carry on drilling

Common Dreams

Trump to Big Oil Execs: Give Me $1 Billion and I'll Help You Wreck the Planet | Common Dreams

"You won't read a more important story today," said one commentator. "Trump is willing to literally destroy the planet for $1 billion."

Randahl Fink

@randahl@mastodon.social · 2 months ago

Brief summary of Trump’s address to the nation:

The US is falling apart and it is because of Biden, but the US is actually very successful, and that is because of Trump. The huge tariffs you have paid will now be used to pay members of the military. Drug prices will be reduced by 600 percent, so if you used to pay 100 dollars, you will now… receive 500 dollars? And the US which the world is laughing at, is totally respected like never before. And merry Christmas!

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · 2 months ago

@randahl

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"This message is brought to you by the wealthiest fascist billionaires on the planet.

We look forward to a new year of looting & pillaging the planet."

Heidi Li Feldman

@heidilifeldman@mastodon.social · 2 months ago

‘Tincher has marks on her neck and wrist from where agents restrained her. Agents cut off her wedding ring and held her in leg shackles at Whipple Federal Building for about five hours, where she saw about seven other detainees.

Tincher said she’s even more motivated after her arrest to volunteer to support immigrants in her community. ‘

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/09/federal-agents-arrest-citizen-observer-watching-ice-north-minneapolis

MPR News

Federal agents arrest citizen observer watching ICE detain neighbors on her north Minneapolis block

Susan Tincher, a 55-year-old American citizen, appears to be the first observer arrested by federal immigration enforcement officers since the agency launched an immigration surge in the Twin Cities last Monday.

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · 2 months ago

@heidilifeldman

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"How to build a Resistance Movement in 1 easy step."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistance_during_World_War_II

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Resistance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_resistance_movement_in_World_War_II

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units

https://www.brusselstimes.com/1545256/french-resistance-fighter-odile-de-vasselot-dies-aged-103

https://airmail.news/issues/2025-8-2/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-burning-picassos

French Resistance fighter Odile de Vasselot dies aged 103

"It was impossible to do nothing with all those large flags bearing the swastika," de Vasselot recalled in 2023. She also worked with the Belgian Resistance.

Auxiliary Units - Wikipedia

Polish resistance movement in World War II - Wikipedia

French Resistance - Wikipedia

Resistance during World War II - Wikipedia

Ars Technica

@arstechnica@mastodon.social · 2 months ago

Wary of picking just one, NASA nears important decision on a lunar rover selection
"This would be a cheap insurance policy."
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/12/wary-of-picking-just-one-nasa-nears-important-decision-on-a-lunar-rover-selection/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social replied · 2 months ago

@arstechnica

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"Trump is still evaluating his bribes from manufacturers.

All his corrupt billionaires are vying for government contracts. "

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social · 2 months ago

@funkylab @w7voa

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"The wealthy elites who put Trump into a presidency, do not believe there are things like "social contracts", "society", or a "public good".

They have a cynical & sociopathic Hobbesian view of humanity because it serves their desire for wealth & power."

For people who don't believe in the existence of human society, they've weaponized social engineering to benefit themselves a lot.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/02/15/musk-doge-deception-reuters/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2014/06/26/conservatives-should-oppose-social-engineering-even-by-conservatives/

Alex Akselrod boosted

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social · 3 months ago

@GossiTheDog

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"How to turn every Windows 11 machine into a zombie botnet or surveillance platform in one easy step."

https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-google-hand-dissident-data-to-saudi-arabia-activists-say-2023-7

Does anyone remember agreeing to send their data to petrostate despots as part of their licensing or subscription?

Like many other tech companies accepting #PrinceBonesaw's investment money, these companies are imposing these features on an unwilling user base in turn.

https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/11/critics-scoff-after-microsoft-warns-ai-feature-can-infect-machines-and-pilfer-data/

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-ai-ceo-pushes-back-against-critics-after-recent-windows-ai-backlash-the-fact-that-people-are-unimpressed-is-mindblowing-to-me

Business Insider

Microsoft and Google may have to surrender people's data to Saudi Arabia after signing huge deals there

Saudi Arabia is seeking to be an innovation hub, but activists are warning that tech firms could be complicit in the repression of dissidents.

Nicole Parsons

@Npars01@mstdn.social · 3 months ago

@GossiTheDog

#TranslatedFromTheRepublican

"How to turn every Windows 11 machine into a zombie botnet or surveillance platform in one easy step."

https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-google-hand-dissident-data-to-saudi-arabia-activists-say-2023-7

Does anyone remember agreeing to send their data to petrostate despots as part of their licensing or subscription?

Like many other tech companies accepting #PrinceBonesaw's investment money, these companies are imposing these features on an unwilling user base in turn.

https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/11/critics-scoff-after-microsoft-warns-ai-feature-can-infect-machines-and-pilfer-data/

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-ai-ceo-pushes-back-against-critics-after-recent-windows-ai-backlash-the-fact-that-people-are-unimpressed-is-mindblowing-to-me